Top Gun Strategy Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
  • Game Play
  • How To Win
• Get Ready
• Volleyball Phase
  • Volleyball Setup
  • Volleyball Cards
  • Play Volleyball
  • Volleyball Turn Example
• Hop Phase
  • Hop Setup
  • Starting Elevation and Position
• How To Play a Hop Turn
  • Pilot Tiles
• Pilot Maneuvers
  • Elevation
  • Position
  • Pilot Maneuver Example
• WSO Cards
  • Target Array
  • WSO Targeting
  • Retrieve Cards
  • Ignore Elevation Loss
• Rolling for a Target Lock
• Countering a Target Lock
• Leaving the Field of Engagement
• Flipping the Bird
• Ending a Turn
• Ending a Hop
• Ending the Game

Overview

Goal: Prove that you are the best-of-the-best as a pilot by gaining points in Hops—aerial combat missions that will test your ability to outfly your opponent. Improve your skills between Hops by strutting your stuff on the volleyball court to gain rewards which help you on your Hops!

Game Play

TOP GUN is played in rounds. Each round consists of two phases:

• Volleyball Phase (pages 4-5). Object: compete in a volleyball match to earn resources. The winner of the Volleyball Phase chooses who will be the Attacker and Defender in the Hop Phase.
• Hop Phase (pages 6-11). Object: compete in an aerial dogfight to earn points.

Volleyball components: 19 Volleyball Cards, Volleyball Token, Volleyball Net, 2 Bases.

Hop components: Hop Board, 2 Cockpit Shields, 22 WSO Cards, 3 Hop Scenario Cards, 2 Planes (Pink and Blue), 4 Dice, 26 Pilot Tiles, 11 Waypoint Tokens, 5 Target Lock Tokens, Attacker Goal Token, Defender Goal Token.

Attacker Goal Token: End the Hop by achieving a Target Lock.

Defender Goal Token: End the Hop by achieving a Target Lock and/or collecting three Waypoint Tokens.

How To Win

The game ends when one team has 12 or more points after a Hop. The team with the most points wins!

Get Ready

1. Divide into two teams. Each team will have a Pilot and a WSO (Weapons System Operator). In a 2- or 3-player game, one person will control both roles.

2. Choose your characters.

   • The pink team will play as Maverick and Goose, taking the pink plane, Cockpit Shield, Pilot tiles, WSO cards, and Volleyball cards.
   • The blue team will play as Iceman and Slider, taking the blue plane, Cockpit Shield, Pilot tiles, WSO cards, and Volleyball cards.

   Teams may look at all of their cards and tiles.

3. Shuffle the remaining green Pilot tiles and green WSO cards separately. Place them in face-down decks on the table.

4. Place the Hop board, dice, Waypoint tokens, Target Lock tokens, Goal tokens, and Hop Scenario cards on one side of the table. These will all be used in the Hop Phase.

5. Insert the Volleyball net into the bases and place it on the other side of the table. Place the Volleyball token and the Bump Save card next to the net. Leave room to create a 3x3 card grid on both sides of the net. These will all be used in the Volleyball Phase, which will be played first.

6. For the first Volleyball Phase game, the team with a player who most recently played volleyball in real life will receive the Volleyball token and serve first. The other team will take possession of the Bump Save card.

Component counts (by team): Pink team: Cockpit Shield, Plane, 6 Pink Pilot Tiles, 5 Pink WSO Cards, 9 Pink Volleyball Cards. Blue team: Cockpit Shield, Plane, 6 Blue Pilot Tiles, 5 Blue WSO Cards, 9 Blue Volleyball Cards. Both teams: Hop Board, 4 Dice, 14 Green Pilot Tiles, 12 Green WSO Cards, Hop Scenario Cards, Waypoint Tokens, Target Lock Tokens, Goal Tokens, Volleyball Net, Bump Save Card, Volleyball Token.

Volleyball Phase

Goal: Reveal your opponent's Whiff cards to gain resources for the Hop Phase.

Volleyball Setup

Each team places their Volleyball cards face down on their side of the net in a 3x3 grid with one edge next to the net. Players may choose how to arrange their cards.

Volleyball Cards

• Bump: Hit the ball in a straight line (not diagonal) one or two cards away, including over the net.
• Set: Hit the ball one card away (not diagonal), including over the net.
• Spike: Hit the ball on any of your opponents' face-down cards.
• Whiff: If one of your Whiff cards is revealed, whether by an opponent or because your team is forced to hit the ball onto it, the opposing team gets to draw a green Pilot tile, or a green WSO card, or one of both (depending on what the card says) and keeps them for the rest of the game. If they draw a tile or card they already possess, they can place it at the bottom of the pile and draw a new one. Then the team whose Whiff was revealed takes the ball and serves it to the opposing team. (See Volleyball Turn Example below.)

Bump Save: The Bump Save card may play it one time only in order to not reveal a face-down card and instead to treat it as a Bump. However, the next time the ball lands on that card, it must be revealed. You may play the Bump Save when either you or your opponent hits the ball onto one of your face-down cards, but it may only be used once and then set aside.

Play Volleyball

1. The serving team "hits" (places) the ball onto any of their opponent's face-down cards.
2. The receiving team reveals the card (unless they possess and use the Bump Save card).
3. If the revealed card is not a Whiff, the receiving team must hit the ball according to the card in an attempt to get it back across the net (see Volleyball Cards).
4. You may hit the ball onto your own cards, whether face-up or face-down, in order to use them to continue hitting. If the card is face-down, reveal it before hitting the ball again. You may look at your face-down cards at any time.
5. After all three of a team's Whiffs are revealed, the phase is over. The other team is the winner of the Volleyball Phase and chooses if they want to be the Attacker or the Defender in the Hop Phase (see page 6). They will place the appropriate Attacker or Defender Goal token in front of their Cockpit Shield, and their opponent will place the other Goal token in front of their Cockpit Shield.
6. Move on to the Hop Phase.

NOTE: You may not use more than three of your cards before hitting the ball over the net. If you must use more than three cards to get the ball over the net, you forfeit your turn and your opponent gets to serve to start a new volley.

Volleyball Turn Example

1. The Pink Team serves the Volleyball token onto the first card in the last row of the Blue Team. The Blue Team must reveal that card and it stays revealed for the remainder of this round.
2. The card revealed is a Set. The Blue Team may then move the Volleyball token to one adjacent card, including over the net (but not diagonally). They choose to Set the ball one space to the right.
3. The revealed card under the token is a Bump. This means they may move the Volleyball token 1 or 2 spaces in any direction except diagonally (and including over the net). They decide to move the Volleyball token to the middle card in the front row.
4. The revealed card under the token is a Spike. This means they may move the Volleyball token to any face-down card over the net. Then the Pink Team reveals that card, and takes their turn. If the revealed card is a Whiff, the Blue Team draws a green card or tile (as shown on the card) and the Pink Team serves the ball again.

Hop Phase

Goal: This phase takes place on the desert terrain Hop board. The goal of this phase is to gain points during a dogfight.

The winner of the Volleyball Phase gets to choose the goal for each team in the next Hop. Goal Tokens show each team what their mission is for the next Hop Phase.

• Attacker: Achieve a Target Lock on your opponent for 5 points and end the Hop. The Attacker always starts with a positional advantage for a Target Lock.
• Defender: Achieve a Target Lock on your opponent for 5 points and end the Hop and / or collect three Waypoints for 6 points and end the Hop. Only the Defender team can collect Waypoint tokens. The Defender has the potential to gain more points in a hop.

Hop Setup

1. Randomly select a Hop Scenario card and place the Attacking and Defending teams' planes on the game board as shown on the card. (See Starting Elevation and Position below.)
2. Place the Waypoint tokens on the board as shown on the Hop Scenario card.
3. Each teams' WSO takes their WSO cards to form a hand and each teams' Pilot places their Cockpit Shield up and their Pilot tiles face-up behind it.

Starting Elevation and Position

Place the Attacking and Defending teams' planes on the Hop board as shown on the Hop Scenario card, including their elevation on the plane post and their position on the board. Elevation 1 is the lowest slot on the post; Elevation 4 is the highest slot. In the example setup on the right, the Pink Team chose to be the Attacker. The Blue Team is the Defender.

How To Play a Hop Turn

During the Hop phase, players simultaneously plan and then execute their turns. Each turn is taken in four steps. This is a quick overview. Details of how these steps are played appear on the next few pages.

1. Play Cards and Tiles. Teams plan their turns by deciding on two Pilot tiles and one WSO card to play (Pilot and WSO may consult with each other on their strategy). These are played behind the team's Cockpit Shields to keep the other team from seeing their next moves. Two Pilot tiles and one WSO card must be played.
2. Reveal. Both teams reveal their played items by placing them in front of their Cockpit Shields.
3. Pilot Maneuvers. Pilots move their planes as shown on their Pilot tiles. The Defender goes first. If Defending Pilots move through or end on a space with a Waypoint token, they collect that token. Attackers cannot collect Waypoint tokens (see pages 8-9).
4. WSO Targeting. After planes move, teams check their WSO card to see if they are aligned for a Target Lock (it is possible this can occur for both teams in the same turn). Each team with this possibility will then roll for the Target Lock (see pages 10-11).

Pilot Tiles

The majority of Pilot tiles include a "Start" and "End" position. The "Start" position will also show a number that is a change in elevation. There are four types of Pilot tiles among your starter tiles and the earned green tiles:

• Forward: The "End" hex on this tile will move you ahead of your current location and may also change your direction.
• Reverse: The "End" hex on this tile will move you behind the hex of your current location.
• Repeat: This can be played as your second tile, and repeats the same movement as your first tile.
• Booster: This tile's end space is off the tile, two hex spaces forward from your "Start" position, pointing in the same direction in which you started.

Pilot Maneuvers

A Pilot will play one plane maneuver per turn. A plane maneuver is comprised of two Pilot tiles, played one after the other. Each Pilot tile contains two characteristics: ELEVATION and POSITION.

Elevation

There are three rules to changing elevation when playing Pilot tiles:

1. The arrow in the "Start" hex of a Pilot tile shows how your plane should move up or down on the plane stand:
   • +1 means move up one slot on the plane stand.
   • -1 OR -2 means move down one or two slots on the plane stand.
2. You are allowed to play a tile that puts you above the top elevation (slot 4) of your plane stand. If this occurs, leave the plane in slot 4.
3. However, you are not allowed to play a tile that puts you below the bottom elevation (slot 1) on the plane stand. If your plane is currently at the lowest elevation, your next Pilot tile can only be an up elevation, unless the WSO plays the IGNORE ELEVATION LOSS card (see page 10).

TIP: Pilot tiles that increase elevation offer simple movements, but grant you a potential higher elevation over your opponent, which brings an advantage during Target Lock attempts. Pilot tiles that decrease elevation offer dramatic and abrupt movement, but might put you at a lower elevation than your opponent, potentially bringing a disadvantage during Target Lock attempts (see Rolling for a Target Lock on page 10).

Position

The "Start" plane of a Pilot tile represents your plane's current location, and the black "End" plane shows where your plane will move to on the board, and what position it will be in when it gets there. Move and change your plane's position accordingly.

Pilot Maneuver Example

The Pink team Pilot chooses to play these two Pilot tiles for a maneuver. The player orients the first tile to reflect their plane's placement on the board (step 2). To better visualize how their plane will align on the board with this tile combination, the "Start" plane of the second tile can be aligned with the "End" plane of the first tile and placed on top of the first tile (step 4).

1. To play the first tile, the player increases their elevation by 1, as shown on the first "Start" plane (Pilot Tile 1).
2. ...then moves forward one hex and rotates to the right, as shown in the "End" plane hex of the tile (Pilot Tile 1).
3. To play the second tile, the player increases their elevation by 1 again, as shown on the first "Start" plane of the second tile (Pilot Tile 2).
4. ...then moves forward one hex and rotates to the left as shown in the "End" plane hex of the second tile.

To see how your full two-tile maneuver works, you may place the two tiles on top of each other, with the "Start" of the second tile overlapping the "End" of the first tile. You can practice your maneuvers privately behind your Cockpit Shield before revealing your tiles.

Once both Pilot tiles are played for the maneuver, place them back behind your Cockpit Shield. The Pilot tiles may be used again.

NOTE: It is possible for both planes to end their maneuvers in the same space.

WSO Cards

The WSO must play one WSO card, either to attempt or defend against a Target Lock, to retrieve cards, or to ignore elevation loss for one of the Pilot's tiles during their maneuver.

Target Array

Target Array cards are how you obtain a Target Lock on your opponent—or defend against a Target Lock aimed at you. The attack and defense hexes are in relation to your plane's position, represented by the plane in the center. To see how attacking and defending works, see Rolling for a Target Lock below, and Countering a Target Lock on page 11.

The Target Array card diagram labels: Target Lock Attack Hexes, Your Plane (center), Countermeasure Defense Hexes.

WSO Targeting

1. If any WSO played a Target Array card, determine if they can attempt a Target Lock on their opponent.
2. If one or both WSOs can attempt a Target Lock, they roll the dice. The Attacker team rolls first (see Rolling for a Target Lock below).
3. Both teams leave their played WSO card in front of their shield, face up.

Retrieve Cards

Return all your played WSO cards in front of your Cockpit Shield to your hand, including this card. You cannot attempt a Target Lock or defend against one this turn.

Ignore Elevation Loss

The Pilot may ignore the -1 or -2 down elevation on one of their Pilot tiles when maneuvering this turn, and can stay at their current elevation for that tile. You cannot attempt a Target Lock or defend against one this turn.

Rolling for a Target Lock

If an opponent is within an Attack Hex on your card, roll as many dice as the number in the Attack Hex space shown on your Target Array card that corresponds to the hex where your opponents' plane is, in relation to your plane. If you are at a higher elevation than their plane, you roll one additional die. If you are at a lower elevation than their plane, you roll one fewer die.

Additionally, if your opponents can counter, as explained on page 11, you roll one fewer die. It is possible that both teams may achieve a Target Lock during a Hop.

If you roll at least one Target Lock symbol, you have achieved a Target Lock. Place a Target Lock token in front of your team's Cockpit Shield. Each Target Lock token is worth 5 points.

EXAMPLE: Pink Team played this WSO Target Array card. Blue Team's plane is in range, on a Target Lock Attack Hex showing the number 1, so Pink Team may now roll one die for a Target Lock. However, Pink Team's plane is 1 elevation above Blue Team's, so Pink Team gets the elevation advantage and gets to roll two dice for a Target Lock.

Countering a Target Lock

Target Array cards have offensive and defensive capabilities. The Attack Hexes offer opportunities for Target Locking on your opponent, and the Countermeasure Defense Hexes offer mitigation of Target Locking from your opponent. If a plane attempts a Target Lock on their opponent, and is currently located in a hex on the board that corresponds with a Countermeasure Defense Hex shown on the Target Array card played by their opponent, then one fewer die is rolled.

EXAMPLE: The Blue Team played this WSO Target Array card. The Pink Team's plane is behind the Blue Team, and on a hex that corresponds with a Countermeasure Defense Hex on the Blue Team's WSO card. This means that if the Pink Team can roll for a Target Lock, they must use 1 fewer die to do so.

Leaving the Field of Engagement

If a Pilot is ever at the edge of the game board, and the only Pilot tiles they can play will take them off the board, the Hop ends and their opponent is awarded a Target Lock token.

Flipping the Bird

If any Pilot—as Defender or Attacker—ever plays both Pilot tiles of their maneuver and 1) ends with their plane on the same space occupied by their opponent (A) and 2) is traveling in the same direction and 3) is exactly 1 elevation slot above their opponent, they are allowed to flip their plane upside down and complete the "Flipping the Bird" maneuver (B). This does NOT require a die roll to complete. The team that completes this maneuver receives all Waypoint tokens currently unclaimed on the board, and the Hop ends immediately.

EXAMPLE: The blue plane is "Flipping the Bird" at the pink plane. (Images A and B show the two stages of the maneuver.)

Ending a Turn

If no Target Lock occurs and the Defender has not obtained 3 Waypoint tokens yet, start a new turn in which teams play new cards, Pilots maneuver, and WSOs check for Target Locks (see How to Play a Hop Turn on page 5). [Printed reference reads "page 5"; the How to Play a Hop Turn section is on page 7 of the printed rulebook.]

Ending a Hop

The Hop Phase ends if, at the end of a turn:

• one or both teams achieved a Target Lock.
• the Defending team has collected at least 3 of the Waypoint tokens on the board.

If a Hop ends and no team has at least 12 points yet, return all WSO cards to the WSOs, put the Goal tokens aside, and begin a new Volleyball Phase (see Volleyball Setup on page 4), and continue playing. This time, the team who started the previous Volleyball Phase with the Bump Save card will now serve the Volleyball token first.

Ending the Game

The game ends when either team (or both teams) has 12 or more points after a Hop ends. The team with the most points wins!

If there is a tie, play one more Volleyball Phase. The team that wins the Volleyball Phase wins the game.