Toe-to-Toe Nu'klr Combat with the Rooskies Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• [0.0] Using These Rules
• [1.0] Introduction
• [2.0] Game Components
  • Parts Inventory
• [3.0] Setting Up the Game
• [4.0] Sequence of Play
• [5.0] Altitude
• [6.0] Flight
  • Procedure
  • Cases
• [7.0] Soviet Defenses
  • Procedure
  • Cases
    • MiG and SAM Attack Procedure
    • MiG Attack Damage
    • SAM Attack Damage
    • Damage Modifiers
    • Damage Effects
• [8.0] Event Cards
  • Procedure
  • Evasive Action
  • Cases
• [9.0] Bombing
  • Procedure
  • Cases
• [10.0] Mission End
  • Cases
• [11.0] The Campaign Game
• [12.0] B-52 Defenses (Advanced Rule)
  • Procedure
  • Cases

[0.0] Using These Rules

New gaming terms, when they are initially defined, appear in dark red lettering for quick referencing.

The instructions for this game are organized into major "Rules" sections as shown in large green CAPS font, and represented by the number to the left of the decimal point (e.g., rule 4.0 is the fourth rule). These rules generally explain the game's components, procedures, core systems and mechanics, how to set it up, and how to win.

With each Rule, there can be "Cases" that further explain a rule's general concept or basic procedure. Cases might also restrict the application of a rule by denoting exceptions to it. Cases (and Subcases) are an extension of a Rule shown in the way that they are numbered. For example, Rule 4.1 is the first Case of the fourth Rule; and Rule 4.1.2 is the second Subcase of the first Case of the fourth Rule.

Important information is in red text. References to examples of a Rule or Case are in blue text. Text in shaded boxes provides the voice of the game's designer, who is addressing you to explain an idea or concept that is not, itself, a Rule or a Case.

[1.0] Introduction

Toe-to-Toe Nu'klr Combat with the Rooskies (or Toe-to-Toe for short) is a light-hearted, darkly humorous solitaire game about the very real fear of a US nuclear strike against the Soviet Union (the "Rooskies") in the 1950s and 60s inspired by the Stanley Kubrick film Dr. Strangelove (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb).

You are the commander of an American B-52 bomber patrolling outside the Soviet Union during the early 1960s when the "Go Code" is received and decoded issuing a Wing Attack Plan, sending you and your crew over Russia to drop "The Bomb" (the hydrogen bomb, that is). However, the Soviets have been preparing their air defenses for this day for a long time, and you are likely to be in for a very warm reception!

[2.0] Game Components

Parts Inventory

• 1 8½" x 11" game board
• 1 5½" x 4¼" player aid card
• 20 Event cards
• 28 5/8" round, two-sided game pieces
• 1 Rules booklet
• 1 Battlesson sheet

Not included is one 6-sided die required for resolving random events and combat.

[2.1] The Game Board: The top part of the board shows "The Big Board" map of the Soviet Union with different US bomber attack routes and Russian defenses. The bottom part shows a B-52 cockpit display with game tracks superimposed over it to record various game resources (altitude, damage, fuel, bombs, etc.)

[2.2] Game Pieces: The game's markers track information and provide randomness to the Soviet Union's defenses. Markers include: B-52, Nuclear Bomb (front; back is Nuked), Chaff Available (1 left on back), Flares Available (1 left on back), Victory Points (+25 VPs on back), Fuel Available (+10 Fuel on back), Soviet Defense, Damage Modifier, MiG Attack, SAM Attack, Draw Event Card, Threat Increase, and the track markers Altitude, Airframe Damage, MiG Threat and SAM Threat.

[2.3] Event Cards: These cards present special events happening to your bomber and crew (most of them are not helpful). Each card has a Card Title, Event Text, Card ID#, a watch icon (the card remains in play; "watch" this Event) and flavor text (no gameplay effect).

[3.0] Setting Up the Game

Follow these steps to set up the game:

1. Place the board in front of you.
2. Select one of the colored tracks on The Big Board and place the B-52 marker on the Ingress space (the first one, farthest from the primary target with the B-52 icon on it; this is also known as the "base" for that "flight path"). The tracks are color-coded by difficulty (Green [easiest], Yellow, Orange to Red [hardest]).
3. Place the following markers on their tracks as indicated: MiG Threat (lowest [green] level); SAM Threat (lowest [green] level); Altitude (High); Chaff (x2 available side up); Flares (x2 available side up); Airframe Damage (25); Victory Points (0); and Fuel (9).
4. Select your bomb payload. It can include up to four bomb markers that total no more than 60 Mt (megatons). Only one bomb marker can be dropped on each target.
5. Turn all Soviet Defense markers so that the Soviet star side is up and mix them up. Place one on each space (other than the Ingress space) along the flight path (track) selected in Step 2, including spaces with fixed defenses and targets. Set aside the left over Soviet Defense markers.
6. Shuffle the Event cards and place them, face-down, near the game board.

[4.0] Sequence of Play

A "mission" consists of a series of Turns. The longer the flight path, the more Turns required reaching the Primary target and then returning to base. Each Turn consists of a number of "Phases" conducted in the order listed:

1. Altitude/Flight Phase: You may adjust the Altitude marker by one level (5.0). After doing so, move the B-52 marker one space (6.0); spend 1 Fuel at Low altitude.
2. Defense Phase: The B-52 is attacked by the Russian fixed SAM or MiG defenses (printed on The Big Board) in the space it just entered (if any), and then by the Soviet Defense marker present in that space (if any; 7.0). Event card symbols on the Big Board are resolved in the next phase.
3. Event Card Phase: When the space entered or a newly-revealed Soviet Defense marker has an Event card symbol, they are drawn and acted upon at this time (8.0).
4. Nu'klr Bomb Phase: If a target is present at the B-52's current location, one bomb may be dropped on it (9.0).

Repeat this sequence, playing all the turns required to finish the game (10.0).

[5.0] Altitude

You may adjust the B-52's altitude by one level (e.g., from Medium to Low) once per turn during the Altitude/Flight Phase.

[5.1] Adjusting Altitude: To adjust the altitude, move the Altitude marker up or down one level only (i.e., it is prohibited to go directly from Low to High in a single turn).

[5.1.1] Fuel Cost to Climb: It costs one (1) Fuel to climb one altitude level.

[5.1.2] Prohibited Altitudes: As the B-52 takes damage, the highest available altitude can become unattainable (7.4). The Altitude marker cannot be increased to an unattainable level.

[5.2] Effects of Altitude: The following altitude effects are summarized on the cockpit display. Only the modifiers for the current altitude level are used.

• High: SAM attacks are less effective and Hits (from any source) hurt more. Regardless of the current SAM Threat Level marker's location, all SAM attacks have a To Hit roll of 5 or more (5+), and one is added (+1) to all damage results when applied.
• Medium: There is no effect; all systems are normal.
• Low: Flying "under the radar" reduces Russian threats, but at a cost in fuel to fly through denser air. The Threat Level of both MiG and SAM attacks is treated at Low (the Threat markers are not moved on the Threat Level tracks) and it costs 1 Fuel per Turn to fly at low altitude.

[6.0] Flight

The B-52 marker shows its current location along the flight path.

Procedure

The B-52 marker is moved one space per Turn toward the Primary target during the inbound (Ingress) flight and one space per Turn toward base during the return (Egress) trip.

Cases

[6.1] Fuel Cost: Every four spaces of flight consumes one (-1) Fuel. This is shown on The Big Board for Ingress and Egress by entering (never exiting) a space after crossing a blue-dotted "fuel line". This Fuel cost is in addition to that for climbing (5.1.1) or flying at low altitude (5.2; Low)!

[6.2] Landing at Base: If the B-52 marker moves on to the base location, the mission ends after paying the Fuel cost, if any, (10.0).

[7.0] Soviet Defenses

Soviet defenses include SAM (Surface-to-Air Missile) sites and MiG (Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau) aircraft.

Procedure

When the B-52 marker enters a space on the Ingress or Egress part of the flight, reveal the marker (if any) and resolve the Soviet Defenses.

If a Soviet Defense is printed on The Big Board, it is resolved first (exception: printed Event card symbols are resolved after markers). Afterward, any Soviet Defense marker in that space is revealed and resolved.

After resolving Radar and Event Card Soviet Defense markers, they are removed from play. MiG and SAM Soviet Defense markers remain on The Big Board.

That's right, the B-52 will encounter most Soviet MiG and SAM defenses (both printed and markers) twice, once while inward bound to the target and again on the return trip to base!

Cases

[7.1] Nuked: Ignore all defenses on a space that has been previously bombed.

[7.2] Radar: Raise the MiG and SAM Threat Levels on The Big Board by one each. If a Threat Level is already at maximum, there is no further effect.

[7.3] Event: When the Event card icon is revealed, draw the top Event card and apply it during the Event Card Phase (8.0).

Important: You may discard that Event card and draw another (that cannot be discarded) once per Turn at a cost of one (1) Fuel.

[7.4] MiG and SAM Attacks: To conduct a Soviet attack, follow the Steps below:

MiG and SAM Attack Procedure

1. Consult The Big Board to find the current MiG or SAM Threat Level. (Low Altitude = Low Threat)
2. Check the To Hit number for that level attack which is shown as the face of a die (e.g., MiG attacks are all 3).
3. Roll one die. If the result is equal to or greater than (≥) the To Hit number, that Soviet attack is successful. Other results are unsuccessful and have no effect.
4. You can reroll the To Hit die one time, resources permitting (7.5).
5. Successful attacks damage the B-52 by decreasing the Airframe marker the number of spaces indicated after the abbreviation "DMG:" on that Soviet attack's Threat Level track.

MiG Attack Damage

To determine the amount of damage from a successful MiG attack, roll the die again:

• Full die = Apply the result as damage
• Die/2 = Apply 1/2 of the result (rounded up) as damage (i.e., a 1 or 2 = 1 damage; a 3 or 4 = 2 damage; and a 5 or 6 = 3 damage)
• Die/3 = Apply 1/3 of the result (rounded up) as damage (i.e., a 1, 2 or 3 = 1 damage; a 4, 5 or 6 = 2 damage)

SAM Attack Damage

Successful SAM attacks always do 3 damage regardless of their Threat Level.

Damage Modifiers

The number on a MiG or SAM Damage Modifier marker is a damage modifier. That amount is added to or subtracted from the damage inflicted on the B-52's airframe if that attack successfully hits, including +1 Damage when at High Altitude. A "1" MiG attack can do zero (0) damage.

Damage Effects

Each point of damage suffered lowers the Airframe Damage marker by one space on the track. Each time that the Airframe marker lands on or passes a space with an explosion symbol in it (e.g., at spaces 21, 17, etc.), the bomber loses one resource of your choice from the following list:

• 1 Maximum Altitude*
• 1 Chaff, Flare, AIM-7 or AGM-28 (Advanced Rule, see 12.0)
• 1 Bomb or Fuel
• 1 Survival Kit Contents Check card

*Place an unused Soviet Defense marker, star side up, on the High altitude level of the Altitude track. That altitude level can no longer be attained by the B-52 and, if it is currently there, it immediately drops one level. A second loss can be suffered losing Medium altitude in this manner, but losing Low altitude in this way causes the airplane to crash and the mission to end (10.0)!

When the airframe is reduced to 0 or less, the B-52 has been shot down (10.0).

[7.5] Chaff and Flare Defenses: During Step 4 of the MiG and SAM Attack Procedure, you may wish to reroll a successful MiG or SAM attack (i.e., before applying any damage). Only one reroll per Soviet attack is allowed, and that result minus one (-1) is used to determine if the B-52 is Hit by that Soviet attack.

To reroll a MiG attack, one Flare is spent (flip the Flare marker from its x2 side to its x1 side or, if it is already on its x1 side, remove it from play). Similarly, rerolling a SAM attack uses up one Chaff resource. Thus, only two rerolls against each type of attack are allowed per game.

[8.0] Event Cards

Event cards provide gameplay and story narrative to reflect special circumstances and unusual Soviet Air Defense responses.

Procedure

When instructed by a printed space or Defense marker, draw the top card(s) of the Event deck during this Phase (after Soviet Defenses have been applied for that turn) and examine it (them).

Evasive Action

You may ignore (discard) the first card drawn each turn and draw the next one by expending one (1) Fuel. The next card cannot be evaded and always takes effect.

After any Evasive Action / redraw of the Event card, follow its instructions.

Cases

[8.1] Discard and Watch Events: Normally, after performing an Event, that card is discarded (i.e., placed in a Discard Pile, face-up next to the Draw Pile). Event cards with a watch icon in their upper-right corner remain in play. Place these cards, face-up, in a row above the game board and "watch" them to see if any of their delayed conditions are met or continuous effects occur.

[8.2] Targets of Opportunity: Some cards present targets of opportunity. During the immediately ensuing Nu'klr Bomb Phase (only, after which this card is discarded), you may drop one nuclear bomb on that target of opportunity (9.0). If there is another (printed) target in that space, you may drop one bomb each on either or both.

[8.3] Reshuffling: If the Draw pile is ever depleted, reshuffle the Discard pile to form a new Draw pile.

[9.0] Bombing

Your B-52 can carry a payload of up to four Hydrogen bombs, ranging in size from 10Mt to 50Mt, to be dropped on targets.

Procedure

Select one bomb (per target, maximum) from among those available in the B-52's bomb rack and place it on The Big Board in the space occupied by the B-52 marker.

Score a number of Victory Points (VPs) equal to the Bomb Drop roll times the size multiplier of the bomb.

Flip the used Bomb marker over to its Nuked side.

Cases

[9.1] Valid Targets: There are four types of targets: Primary, Secondary, Tertiary and Targets of Opportunity (8.2). Primary targets provide an opportunity to score more VPs than Secondary and Tertiary targets, and so on. The VPs earned for bombing Targets of Opportunity are listed on their respective cards. You may only bomb a legitimate target. MiG bases and SAM sites are too small to waste a nuke on.

[9.2] Scoring: When a bomb is dropped, a number of VPs are scored equal to the target's Base VP value (4 for Primary, 3 for Secondary and 2 for Tertiary, as shown on The Big Board) plus the result of a Bomb Drop Roll (roll one die) but only if it is less than or equal to (≤) the Base VP value. Multiply that sum by the size multiplier of the bomb itself and add that many VPs to the score track.

Be sure to add or subtract any modifiers from Events.

Examples: A Secondary target is bombed (2 VPs). Its Bomb Drop Roll is a 1, raising the value to 3 (2 + 1) VPs. Because it is a 20Mt bomb, that value is doubled (x2) and 6 VPs are added to the score track. That B-52 continues to its Primary and bombs it (4 VPs). The Bomb Drop Roll is a 6, but the player uses his Yee-Haw! card to reroll the die, and this time it comes up a 3, which is added to the Base VP value for a total of 7 VPs (4 + 3). It is being hit by a 30Mt bomb, so this sum is tripled (x3) and 21 VPs are scored (but the crew, if it survives, will be worth fewer VPs for the loss of the guy riding the bomb down to the target).

[9.3] Nuked Spaces: A space with a Nuked marker (i.e., the flip side of a bomb) on it has its Soviet defenses blown away. Remove any Soviet Defense marker and ignore any printed Soviet defenses in that space for the return flight.

[10.0] Mission End

Play continues, turn after turn, until either:

• Your B-52's Fuel marker reaches zero (0) and the plane must ditch, OR
• Your B-52's Airframe marker reaches zero (0) or Low altitude is lost (7.4) and the plane crashes, OR
• It returns safely back to base.

At which point the fate of the crew is determined (if they don't make it safely back to base), any post-mission Victory Points (VPs) are added, and the degree of mission success (or failure) is referenced.

Cases

[10.1] Crew Survival: If the crew returns safely back to base, the crew survives. If the B-52 must ditch or crashes, roll one die for Crew Survival. The crew survives if the result is greater than the number of spaces back to base (count the base, but not the B-52's space).

[10.2] Post-Mission VPs: At the end of the mission, add VPs for survival of the plane (+3) and/or crew (+3), and then add or subtract any VPs as indicated on Events cards currently in play.

[10.3] Mission Outcome: Based upon the final score in VPs, your mission outcome is:

• 0-15: Utter Failure
• 16-25: Minor Success
• 26-35: Mission Success
• 36-40: Major Success
• 41+: Overwhelming Success

Of course, radiation fallout, nuclear winter, and global unrest and destruction could result in no one actually "winning" a nuclear war.

[11.0] The Campaign Game

The Campaign Game consists of conducting each mission in order (green, yellow, orange and red) and keeping a cumulative Victory Point (VP) score.

[11.1] Campaign Events: Reset the B-52's resources and Soviet Defense markers, but do not shuffle the Event deck between missions! Instead, discard any "watch" Events at the end of a mission and keep using up the Draw Pile into the next mission. Only reshuffle the Event cards when the Draw pile is actually depleted.

[11.2] Campaign Defenses: If the advanced rule (12.0) is in effect, any defenses not used during a mission "rollover" to the next mission in addition to four (4) new defense points.

[11.3] Campaign VPs: Keep a running total of VPs earned each mission on a piece of paper or flight log. Based upon the final score in VPs, your campaign outcome is:

• 0-60: Humiliating Defeat
• 61-100: Trivial Success
• 101-140: Campaign Success
• 141-160: Superb Success
• 161+: Incredible Success

[12.0] B-52 Defenses (Advanced Rule)

Instead of the normal Flare and Chaff defensive mixture (3.0 #3), the player determines what defenses are carried.

Procedure

You have a total of four (4) points to spend on defenses during Set Up (3.0):

• AGM-28 Hound Dog: 2 points (1 only)
• AIM-7 Sparrow: 1 point each (up to x2)
• Flares: 1 point each (up to x2)
• Chaff: 1 point each (up to x2)

Cases

[12.1] Flares/Chaff: See (7.5).

[12.2] AGM-28 Hound Dog: Take the AGM-28 marker. Discard this marker at any time to target a space within 0-1 spaces. Roll the die. On a roll of 1 or 2, the attack misses (discard the AGM-28). On a roll of 3+, flip the AGM-28 to its Nuked side (9.3) and place it in the targeted space (destroying any defenses). This attack has no effect on targets (9.1).

The AGM-28 is an air-launched supersonic cruise missile carried by the B-52. It carries a thermonuclear warhead (around 1Mt) for use against military targets like SAM or MiG sites.

[12.3] AIM-7 Sparrow: Take the AIM-7 marker and flip it to the appropriate side (x1 or x2). Spend 1 Sparrow (flip the marker from x2 to x1 or remove the marker, as appropriate) at any time to target a MiG Soviet Defense marker (only, not an on-map printed MiG base) within 0-1 spaces. Roll the die. Remove the target marker on a roll of 3+. You can use a Sparrow on a newly revealed MiG Soviet Defense marker before the MiGs attack.

There was a plan to put AIM-7 Sparrow radar guided air-to-air missiles on B-52 bombers to allow them to engage fighters defensively.