Thunderbolt Apache Leader: Expansion #3 – Friendlies!
Thunderbolt Apache Leader: Expansion #3 – Friendlies! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Close Air Support Missions
Close Air Support missions simulate your aircraft coming to the aid of friendly squads of infantry that are pinned-down and in a desperate situation. The squads have been cut-off, or are out-numbered, and will soon be overwhelmed without your support.
Close Air Support (CAS) missions are so noted in their card titles.
Shuffle the CAS cards into your Special Condition deck.
When you draw an Close Air Support card, you immediately lose the VPs noted on the CAS card.
Example: In the card above, you immediately lose 2 VPs when you draw the card.
When you draw a Close Air Support Special Condition card, you fly the Mission like a normal Mission for the Day. Treat Close Air Support Battalion missions as standard missions with the following exceptions:
- "Engaged" notation: Place the noted number of Squad counters and the noted types of enemy counters in the same random hex. Each set of Engaged forces is separated by a comma.
Example: "[Engaged: 2 Squads/2 Buildings & 2 Infantry, 1 Squad/2 Infantry]". Place 2 Squads, 2 Buildings, and 2 Infantry in a random hex. Place 1 Squad and 2 Infantry in a random hex.
-
After placing the Engaged counters, randomly place all the other enemy counters as normal.
-
If any enemy counters are randomly placed in a Squad's hex, or are placed in a Squad's hex during the mission, treat them as Engaged enemy counters.
-
Aircraft may not start the mission in a hex with a Squad.
-
Discard the Mission at the end of the Day. Do not add it to the Sector Map.
-
You gain the noted VPs for each Squad that ends the mission not Engaged. A Squad is not Engaged if it is in a hex with no enemy counters.
-
You also gain the noted bonus if none of the Squads are destroyed during the mission, and they all end the mission Unengaged.
Example: "Success: +1 VP for each Unengaged Squad." You gain 1 VP for each Squad that ends the mission in a hex with no enemy counters. For the card shown above, you began by losing 2 VPs. At the end of the mission you have 3 Unengaged Squads. You gain 3 VPs. You end the mission with 1 overall VP.
Example: "Complete: Retreat 1 Mobile Battalion 1 Range Band." At the end of the mission, no squads were destroyed, and they are all Unengaged. You get to move 1 Mobile Battalion 1 Range Band away from your Air Base Range Band.
Performing a Close Air Support Mission
Perform a Close Air Support mission as a normal mission with the following exceptions:
Squad Attacks
Squad counters do not perform attacks during the mission.
Movement
Squads cannot move out of their hex.
Enemy Attacks
Place the Ground Forces Hit counters in a cup at the start of the Campaign.
Enemy counters treat Squads as normal player-controlled units when randomly selecting a target.
Draw 1 Ground Forces Hit counter for each enemy counter in the Squad's hex. An enemy counter cannot attack a Squad when it is in a different hex.
Each Ground Forces Hit counter will result in a No Effect, 1 Hit or 2 Hits. Replace each counter into the cup before drawing for the next.
If the Hit counter indicates 1 or 2 Hits, place the appropriate Hit counter next to the Squad.
Each Squad is eliminated when it suffers the number of Hits noted in its top-right corner. Use the Squad Hit counters to record the Hits suffered by each Squad.
Example: The Squad shown above is eliminated when it suffers 4 Hits.
Friendly Fire
If you perform an attack with a Hex Attack munition (such as a Mk.20) in the same hex as Squads, roll attacks against the Squads as if they were enemy counters. However, instead of adding the Pilot's Skill to the Attack rolls against Squads, subtract their Skill from those Attack rolls.
Example: A Pilot with +2 Skill drops a Mk.20 in a hex with enemy counters and Squads. Add 2 to the Attack rolls against the enemy counters, and subtract 2 from the Attack rolls against Squads.
Lose 1 VP for each Squad eliminated by a Friendly Fire attack. Also, treat the Squad as still being Engaged for Victory purposes.
New Air Assault Counters
This Expansion also adds several new Air Assault soldier counters to the ones already appearing in Expansion #2.
AntiVeh (Anti-Vehicle) - These soldiers are armed with anti-vehicle weapons, and gain a +5 attack bonus when attacking "V" (Vehicle) enemy counters.
Snipers - Snipers are equipped with long range sniper rifles and gain a +7 attack bonus when attacking enemy Infantry counters. They can also attack out to 1 hex away.
Leader - A Leader gives all other Air Assault soldiers in its hex a +1 attack bonus. If you have more than 1 Leader in a hex, only 1 Leader grants the bonus.
Engineers - These soldiers are equipped with demolition charges, and gain a +9 attack bonus when attacking "B" (Building) enemy counters.
ForObs (Forward Observers) - A Forward Observer allows you to attack one "Same Hex" enemy counter each turn with Aircraft attacks. If you have more than 1 Forward Observer in a hex, only 1 Forward Observer grants the ability.