Torpedo Dice
Torpedo Dice Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Your Mission
Be the first player to destroy your enemy's submarine by targeting all 7 of their ship's vital systems — but if you run out of spare torpedoes, you will lose this battle!
Setup
You will need up to 5 standard 6-sided dice (D6) with pips in order to play this game. Give each player a scoresheet and pen or pencil, and put dice in the center of the table equal to the number of players, plus 1 (e.g., 3 dice for 2 players).
Gameplay
Starting with the youngest player and continuing clockwise, players take turns rolling the dice. Then all players take the following actions, in order:
1: Draft
Beginning with the active player and continuing clockwise, players choose one of the dice and place it near their scoresheet. After all players have chosen, there will be one die left over.
2: Modify (optional)
Players optionally choose one of their submarine's active systems (shown on their dashboard at the bottom of the sheet) to modify the die they have chosen. A system is only active if the toggle switches underneath it are filled in. If a system has been destroyed (crossed out), it can no longer be used or activated. (For an easier game, consider all systems activated at the start of the game.)
3: Shoot or Activate
Players shoot torpedoes at the enemy submarine on their scoresheet (which represents the player to his or her left). They do this by filling in spaces in the same formation as the pips shown on their die (as if it were a 3x3 grid). See "Shot Formations".
A shot fired on a system space is a hit! (These spaces are outlined in red, and they must already be empty.) Anything else, including non-system spaces, water, or a space that was filled in previously, is a miss. For each space that was a miss, the player firing the shot must cross out a spare torpedo. For example, if 4 shots were missed, 4 spare torpedoes must be crossed out!
You can choose to activate one of your submarine's systems instead of firing a shot by filling in the toggle switch that matches the number shown on your die (after modification). This system's modifier can now be used on future turns. When you activate a system that has a matching toggle switch, you also fill in that toggle switch.
Example: A player drafts a 3 and chooses to fill in the toggle switch marked 3. It is now activated.
When the above is activated OR destroyed, the matching toggle switch is also filled in.
When both of the above toggle switches are filled in, this system will be activated!
After all players have finished shooting/activating: if the player to your right has filled in all of the spaces of a system, it is destroyed and you must cross it out on your dashboard — it can no longer be used. Any matching toggle switches on your sheet are filled in, which may activate another system!
Shot Formations
The Shot Formations chart on the rulebook shows, for each die face 1 to 6, the valid and invalid ways to lay out the shot on the 3x3 grid (diagrams not reproduced here). For the 1, any 1 space is valid and none is invalid. The example shows a die showing 3 being fired, with some spaces hitting system spaces and others missing, costing spare torpedoes.
Systems & Modifiers
- Propeller: Reroll the die and use the resulting number. Requires a 2 to activate.
- Periscope: Flip the die upside down and use the resulting number (opposite sides add up to 7). Requires a 3 to activate.
- Fins: Change your die to match what an opponent drafted (prior to modification). Requires a 4 to activate.
- Sail: Add or subtract 1 from the die by rotating it (1 and 6 do not carry over to each other). Requires a 5 to activate.
- Artillery: Add a pip to the die (fire an extra shot anywhere in the 3x3 grid). Requires a 6 to activate.
- Engine: Remove a pip from the die (don't fire a shot in that space). Requires a Propeller and Fins to activate.
- Windows: Align the shot into consecutive pips horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Requires a Periscope and Artillery to activate.
Game End
The game ends after the shooting phase on any turn when either of the following occurs:
1: Submarine Destroyed
If any player has destroyed their enemy submarine by disabling all 7 systems on the scoresheet, this player is the winner!
Tie Breaker (for either scenario): the player with the most spare torpedoes remaining is the winner. If there is still a tie, the winning players share the victory.
2: Spare Ammo Depleted
If any player has used up all of his or her spare torpedoes and another miss occurs (the "death" space is filled in), the game ends and this player is eliminated from the game (even if the enemy submarine was destroyed). All other players then add up the number of hits + spare torpedoes remaining. The player with the highest total is the winner!