The War of the Worlds: USA – East Coast
The War of the Worlds: USA – East Coast Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Foreword
- Component Overview
- Victory
- Set-Up
- Sequence of Play
- Production Phase
- Battle Phase
- Battle Set-Up
- Martian Step
- Human Step
- Repeat
- End of the Battle
- After the Battle
- Devastation Phase
- Human Action Phase
- Escape Phase
- Naval Battle
- Naval Martian Step
- Naval Human Step
- New Cylinders Land
- Martian Action Phase
- Region Destruction
- Assembly Phase
- Epilogue
- Scenarios
- (Optional) League of Terran Nations
- Research
Foreword
The War of the Worlds is a solitaire strategy board game. Relive the story told by H. G. Wells in his famous novel and command the desperate human forces defending Earth from the Martian invasion.
Component Overview
Your copy of The War of the Worlds contains the following:
Display Board
There are several helpful areas on the Display Board that will help you play The War of the Worlds.
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Tripod Staging Areas. There are a total of 5 Tripod Staging Areas where each of a Wave's Tripods are placed.
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Progress Track. This keeps track of Human and Martian Progress with Victory, Germs, Colonization, and Production Points.
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Workforce. Production counters are placed in these squares to show the Region's current Workforce and Production.
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The Strategic Map. The Strategic Map depicts Eastern America at the beginning of the XXth Century. This map is divided into named States. A group of similarly colored States are considered a Region. The white dotted lines show adjacent States that both you and the Martians can travel across.
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The Flying Machine. This area is where the Martian Flying Machine is built throughout the game.
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Sequence of Play. Follow the Sequence of Play to complete each turn.
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Harbor Sites. Harbor Sites are found around the coastal edges of the map.
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Movement Dots. If 2 States are touching, or have a trail of Movement Dots, both your Units and Martians may travel between them.
Also On the Display Board
- Factories. Factory symbols show where you can place newly purchased Units.
- Hills. Hills improve your defense during Battles.
- At Sea. When Tripods receive the At Sea move order, they are placed in this Strategic Map area.
States vs. Regions. Each of the colored areas on the map represent a different Region. There are one or more States in each Region. Movement on the Display Board is by State, not by Region. This is different from the other games in the Series.
Example: The light green Region (shown on the example graphic as #1) contains the States: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri.
Battle Boards
Use the Land Battle Board to resolve Land Battles, and the Naval Battle Board to resolve Naval Battles.
The Player Help Sheet has information to help you through each of the Sequence of Play's different phases.
Custom Dice
When asked to roll a die, roll 1 of these custom dice. There are 3 colors on each die: Green, Yellow, and Red. Green appears three times, Yellow twice, and Red once.
Counters
Progress Track Counters. The Progress Track counters are the Human Victory Points, Human Germ Points, Martian Victory Points and Martian Colonization Points counters.
Production Point Counters. Use these counters to record your Production Points on the Progress Track.
Human Counters. The Human counters are Cavalry, Infantry, Field Gun, Siege Gun, Warship, Freighter, Harbor (New York), Earthworks, Powder Kegs, Tesla Tech, Refugees, and Character (Mark Twain).
Martian Counters. You will face several Waves of Tripods. Each Wave is depicted by a counter. The Wave counters Move on the Strategic Map. When battling a Wave, you will confront all the Tripod counters in that Wave's Tripod Staging Area.
Example: When battling Wave #1, you will battle the Tripods currently sitting in the #1 Tripod Staging Area.
Martian Tripod Counters. Tripods are depicted with a double-sided counter, showing a Tripod on the front and a Damaged Tripod on the back. Tripods are placed in 1 of the 5 Tripod Staging Areas according to the Wave they are associated with.
Handling Machines turn Cylinders into Waves. Cylinders create new Waves. After a Cylinder is placed in a State with a Handling Machine, the Handling Machine will start creating a new Wave. You can Attack the Cylinder during the Human Action Phase to destroy Tripods in the Cylinder before they are built.
Production Counters. Production counters are used to keep track of a Region's Workforce Value. The current Workforce Value of the Region is printed in the upper right corner. The Workforce Value represents the amount of human resistance occurring in the Region. Every Region that has not been Destroyed provides Production Points, indicated by the number of Gears in the middle of the counter.
Example: Place a Production counter on a Region's Workforce space. If the Region begins the game with a Workforce Value of 8, place the Production counter with the 8 in the upper right corner. As the Region takes damage, the number will decrease.
Use the Production counter with Blue Gears for DC.
Production Points are spent to purchase Units, Move during the Production Phase, to purchase Battle Plans and to complete some Event Cards.
Destroyed and Red Weed Counters. Use these counters to mark Regions that are Destroyed by the Tripods, or have been converted to Red Weed by the Martians.
Battle Location Counter. The Battle Location counter marks the State where a Battle takes place.
Battle Plan Counters. Battle Plans give your forces advantages on the Land or Naval Battle Boards. Battle Plans are purchased at the start of Battles and are discarded at the end of Battles, whether they were used or not. The Battle Plan counters are Explosive Shell, Kriegsspiel, Line of Sight, Surprise Shot, Terrain, and Trap.
Clock Counter. The Clock counter shows the phase you are currently resolving.
Character Counters. Character counters are mentioned on Event cards and in Scenarios. Once their counters are placed on the Display Board or Battle Boards, they are treated as Units that can Move, Escape, and be Captured depending on the information given by the Scenario or Event card.
Battle Cards
- Land Battle Cards. Land Battle cards are used during Land Battles to dictate Tripod actions.
- Naval Battle Cards. Naval Battle cards are used during Battles taking place when Refugees are Fleeing, to dictate Tripod actions.
Event Cards
- Event Cards. Event cards introduce random elements to a phase. Unless otherwise stated on the card, an Event card's effect happens immediately.
- Flying Machine. If the Martians assemble all 4 pieces of the Flying Machine – You Lose!
- Victory, Germ, and Colonization Points. You earn Human Victory Points from each producing Region and by evacuating Refugees. The Martians earn Martian Victory Points by devastating States and Capturing Refugees, Infantry, Cavalry, or Characters. Use the Human and Martian Victory Point counters to record the Points on the Progress Track.
Event Card Check. Each Event card's back side shows a phase from the Sequence of Play. At the start of the shown phase, draw the card and complete the Event. If the phase shown on the card does not match the phase you are in, ignore the card. When the Event card's back shows your current phase, draw the card, complete the Event, then discard the card.
Victory
A Victory for either side may happen at any time during the game, when any one of the following conditions are met. These conditions are checked in the following order:
- If there are no Wave or Cylinder counters on the Strategic Map – You Win!
- If the Human Germ counter is in the "10" space on the Progress Track – You Win!
- If the Martian Colonization counter is in the "10" space on the Progress Track – You Lose!
- If DC is Destroyed – You Lose!
When you earn 10 Human Victory Points, move the counter back to the "0" space, and advance your Human Germ counter by 1 space on the Progress Track.
When the Martians earn 10 Martian Victory Points, move the counter back to the "0" space, and advance their Martian Colonization counter by 1 space on the Progress Track.
Set-Up
- Place the Display Board on the table.
- Separate the cards into 3 decks: Land Battle, Naval Battle, and Event cards.
- Place the Clock counter next to the Production Phase on the Sequence of Play.
- Place the x1 and x10 Production Point counters on the "0" space on the Progress Track.
- Place the Germs and Colonization counters in the "0" space on the Progress Track.
- Place the Human Victory Point and Martian Victory Point counters in the "0" space on the Progress Track.
- Place Production counters in each Region, according to the initial value indicated in the square matching the Region. Regions with 1 or more Gears are referred to as Producing Regions.
Example: For the Florida's Region, place a Production counter, so the number 8 is in the top right corner. Likewise, for South Carolina's Region, place a Production counter with a 10 in the top right corner.
The DC Region receives the Blue Production counter.
- Place all tall (rectangular) counters into plastic stands before placing the counters on the Display Board.
- Place all the Harbor counters into an opaque cup.
- Place a Green Handling Machine in Texas.
- Place a Yellow Handling Machine in Minnesota.
- Place a Red Handling Machine in Florida.
- Place all the Land Battle Tripods into a cup and all the Naval Battle Tripods into a different cup.
- Roll a single die and match the result to the New Cylinder Placement chart on the Player Help Sheet. Place the Wave #1 counter in the indicated State. Randomly draw 5 Tripod counters from the cup and place them in the #1 Tripod Staging Area.
Example: I roll a die to place Wave #1. I roll Green. I check the chart and place Wave #1 in Texas. I then draw 5 Tripod counters from the cup, fit them each into plastic stands and place them in the #1 Tripod Staging Area.
- Replace that Region's Production counter with a Destroyed Region counter. The game begins with Wave #1's Region Destroyed. Regions that are Destroyed or have Red Weed are referred to as Non-Producing Regions.
- Roll again on the New Cylinder Placement chart to determine where Wave #2 starts. Place the Wave #2 counter on the associated State. Place 5 random Tripods in the #2 Tripod Staging Area. Wave #1 and Wave #2 may both begin the game in the same State.
Example: I roll a die to place the Wave #2 counter. I roll Yellow, and place the Wave #2 counter in Minnesota. Wave #2's Zone does not begin the game Destroyed.
- Roll on the Placement Chart 6 times. After each roll, place an individual Tripod counter on the indicated State. Treat each of these individual Tripod Counters as Waves.
Wave #3, Wave #4 and Wave #5 are placed when the Germ counter reaches 3, 6, and 9 respectively during the end of the Escape Phase.
It is now time for you to save the world!
Sequence of Play
Play until you or the Martians win. A game turn is divided into phases that are repeated until one of the Victory conditions is met. Advance the Clock counter after completing each phase.
The phases are: Production Phase, Battle Phase, Devastation Phase, Human Action Phase, Escape Phase (VP), Martian Action Phase (VP), and Assembly Phase.
Production Phase
Event Check. If the Event card takes place during the Production Phase, draw the card, and complete the Event.
Purchase Units. During the Production Phase, you receive Production Points that you may spend to purchase Units, Harbors, Battle Plans, and Unit Movement.
The total number of Gears inside all Production counters on the map indicates the number of Production Points you gain.
Example: A Region with 1 Yellow Gear gives you 1 Production Point.
Add up the number of Gears on the map to determine the number of Production Points you gain this Production Phase. Add these new Points to any Production Points you might already have.
Move the Production Point counters on the Progress Track to show your current number of Production Points.
After gathering your Production Points, you may now spend them to buy new Units. The cost of each Unit is also shown on the Player Help Sheet.
Infantry — 10 Production Points
Infantry cannot Destroy a Tripod during Battle, but they can Destroy Tripods before they emerge from their Cylinders. Infantry can also Attack Tripods indirectly by building Powder Kegs, and they can protect Guns by building Earthworks.
Cavalry — 10 Production Points
Cavalry cannot Destroy a Tripod during Battle but they can improve your capabilities in each Battle by gaining you Battle Plans. Cavalry can also change a Wave's movement destination.
Field Gun — 12 Production Points
A Field Gun can Destroy a Tripod during a Land Battle. A Field Gun has a Range of 3 Hexes and can Fire once at a Tripod in any direction.
Siege Gun — 22 Production Points
A Siege Gun can Destroy a Tripod during a Land Battle. A Siege Gun has a Range of 3 Hexes and can Fire twice at the same Tripod in any direction.
Chosen Harbor — 3 Production Points to Draw a Chosen Harbor
A Harbor is the only way for Refugees to Escape. Purchase any specific Harbor and place it in its Harbor Site.
Movement — 2 Production Points
Spend 2 Production Points to Move a Unit into an adjacent State. You can do this with as many Units as you want, into as many States as you want, as long as you have the Production Points to pay for it.
Example: I have an Infantry Unit and a Field Gun Unit in Iowa, and I want to Move them. I spend 4 Production Points to Move them both to Illinois, and then another 2 Production Points to Move the Infantry to Indiana.
New Unit Placement
- Place newly purchased Units into Stands.
- Infantry, Cavalry, Field Guns, and Siege Guns can only be placed in a State with a Factory symbol.
- You can only place a Harbor counter in an indicated Harbor site on the map. The name on the Harbor counter must match the name on the Strategic map where it is placed.
- You may place Units in a State, even if it has a Martian Wave, Cylinder or Handling Machine in it.
- You cannot place Units in a State if that State's Region is Destroyed or has Red Weed.
Captured vs. Destroyed
Human Units are removed from play when their counter is Captured or Destroyed.
Human Units that can be Captured include: Infantry, Cavalry, Freighters, Refugees, and Characters.
The Martians gain 1 Martian Victory Point for each Unit Captured.
The Martians do not gain Martian Victory Points when a Unit is Destroyed.
Battle Phase
Advance the Clock counter to the Battle Phase.
Event Check. If the Event card takes place during the Battle Phase, draw the card, and complete the Event.
A Land Battle occurs when a Martian is in the same State as a Siege Gun or Field Gun. Place the Battle Location counter in the State where the Battle is taking place.
If there are several Waves in a State, resolve each Battle separately. You can choose which Wave to Attack first.
All Units in that State participate in the Battle.
When a Battle is over, all the surviving Units Attack the next Wave in the State.
Initiative
Initiative is chosen based on the State where the Battle is being fought. If the State has Hills, Humans have the Initiative. If there are no Hills in the State, the Martians have the Initiative.
Move all Unit counters and Earthworks counters from the Strategic Map and the Tripods from the matching Tripod Staging Area and place them on the Land Battle Board.
The side with Initiative sets up their Units after the opponent sets up their Units.
Battle Set-Up
Human Set-Up
Place each Field Gun or Siege Gun in any Hex with an Artillery Image. Place any Infantry, Cavalry, Refugees, or Characters in any Hexes at the bottom of the Land Battle Board. There is no limit to the number of these Units placed in each Hex.
If a Battle takes place in a State with a Hill symbol, the Guns in the State gain up to 2 free Earthworks counters to distribute for protection. Only 1 Earthworks counter can be placed on each Gun due to Hills.
Place any Earthworks counters next to the Gun they are Concealing.
Earthworks
Once each Battle, an Infantry Unit located in the same State as a Field Gun or Siege Gun may attempt to build Earthworks.
Up to 4 total Earthworks can be placed on each Gun. Each Infantry counter can attempt to build Earthworks counters for 1 Gun in their State.
The dangerous act of building Earthworks can result in:
| Die Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| Green | Building 1 Earthworks for a Gun. |
| Yellow | Building 2 Earthworks for a Gun. |
| Red | Building 1 Earthworks for a Gun, but the Infantry is Destroyed. |
Example: 2 Waves are in a State with my Infantry counter and 2 Field Guns. At the beginning of the Battle with the first Wave, my Infantry rolls Yellow for one of the Field Guns. I place 2 Earthworks on that Field Gun. At the beginning of the second Battle, my Infantry rolls Red for the same Field Gun. I place 1 Earthworks on the Field Gun and remove my Infantry.
Revealed Gun. A Revealed Gun is a Gun that is not protected by Earthworks. If a Gun does not have an Earthworks counter on it during a Battle, the Gun is Revealed.
Cavalry (Planning)
For every Cavalry in a State where a Battle will take place, you may roll a die and consult the Player Help Sheet. You may roll once per Cavalry counter, each time a Battle is taking place.
| Die Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| Green | You randomly gain 1 Battle Plan. |
| Yellow | You choose 1 Battle Plan, but the Cavalry is Destroyed. |
| Red | No Effect. |
Buying Battle Plans
As the Human player, you may spend Production Points to buy Battle Plan counters.
- Pay 5 Production Points to randomly draw 1 Battle Plan counter.
- Pay 10 Production Points to choose 1 Battle Plan counter. The counter mix limits the Battle Plans present for each Battle.
These counters are discarded when used and are automatically returned to their cup at the end of the Battle. Discard them when you use their effects.
Each Battle Plan may be used at any time during the Battle, at your discretion. Each Battle Plan may be used only once during each Battle. Battle Plans have the following effects:
- Kriegsspiel: When a Battle card is drawn, draw a 2nd Battle card and choose which one you want to apply to the Tripods.
- Trap: Roll a die. If you roll Green, Damage up to 2 Undamaged Tripods. If all Tripods are already Damaged, the Trap has No Effect.
- Line of Sight: Re-roll any die.
- Explosive Shell: After a Gun or Warship Attack Damages a Tripod, Destroy the Tripod.
- Surprise Shot: Place on a Gun or Warship. The first time the Gun or Warship Fires, roll 2 extra dice.
- Terrain: Every Gun or Warship may Fire 2 times during this round. Each time a Gun is Fired, it will lose 1 level of Earthworks.
Martian Set-Up
During a Battle, take that Wave's Tripods and place them on the Land Battle Board. After the Battle is resolved, place the surviving Tripods back in their Tripod Staging Area.
Draw a Battle card and place the Tripods in the Hex with the matching letter (from A to E) according to the Tripod's color.
Example: I am battling 4 Tripods. 2 Green, 1 Yellow, and 1 Red. I draw a Battle card and place the 2 Green Tripods in the Hex labeled "C". I place the Yellow Tripod in "D", and the Red in "E".
Martian Step
The Martians act first each turn.
Draw a Battle card for the Martians. Match the colors of the Tripod counters to the colors on the Battle card to determine what each Tripod does this turn.
Follow the list in order from top to bottom.
- Green: Fire, then Move down.
- Yellow: Move down-left, then Detect.
- Red: Move down-left, then Fire.
- Blue: Focused Fire.
- Black: Detect, then Move down-left.
Example: The 2 Green Tripods Fire, then Move down. The Yellow Tripod Moves down-left, then Detects. The Red Tripod Moves down-left, then Fires.
Martian Actions
Each Tripod will do a combination of one or more of the following actions:
Detect. The Tripod rolls against the closest Gun with an Earthworks counter. To successfully Detect, the Tripod must roll a die based on its Range from the Gun.
| Range | Success |
|---|---|
| Range 1 | Green |
| Range 2 | Yellow |
| Range 3 | Red |
A successful Detect lowers a Gun's Earthworks by 1. When a Gun's Earthworks have all been removed, the Gun is Revealed.
If all the Guns in Range are already Revealed, or there are no Guns in Range, the Detect Action has no effect.
If more than 1 Gun is in the closest Range, you can choose which Gun is Detected.
Example: The Tripod is 2 Hexes away from the nearest Gun with an Earthworks counter. It must roll Yellow to successfully Detect. It rolls Green, which has no effect.
Fire. The Tripod rolls against the closest Revealed Gun. To Destroy a Gun, the Tripod must roll a die based on its Range from the Gun.
| Range | Success |
|---|---|
| Range 1 | Green |
| Range 2 | Yellow |
| Range 3 | Red |
Example: The Tripod is 2 Hexes away from my Field Gun. I roll a die for the Tripod, getting a Yellow result. The Gun is Destroyed.
If the Tripod Destroys a Gun, remove the Gun counter from the Battle Board. Only a Revealed Gun can be Fired upon.
Move. The Tripod advances by 1 Hex toward the bottom of the Land Battle Board. It may enter a Hex already occupied by another Tripod. Angled arrows indicate that the Tripod Moves down and to the left or right, as shown by the arrow.
If the Tripod cannot Move in the direction stated on the card (due to being on the edge of the map), it Moves down 1 Hex.
If the Tripod Moves into a Hex with a Gun (with or without Earthworks), the Gun is Destroyed.
If the Tripod moves into a Hex with a Refugee, Infantry, Cavalry, or Character, the Tripod Captures them, and the Martians gain 1 Martian Victory Point on the Progress Track for each Unit Captured.
When a Tripod moves into a Hex in the bottom row, it Destroys any Guns or Captures any Human Unit in that Hex, including Infantry, Cavalry, Refugees and Characters. It is then immediately removed from the Battle and returned to its Tripod Staging Area.
Martian Special Actions
Any Martian Action other than "Detect", "Fire", or "Move", is a Special Action.
Example: The Double Move Action on this card is a Special Action.
- Arrival: A new random Tripod appears on Hex "C" and joins the Wave.
- Detect All: Roll to Detect each Gun within Range of the Tripod.
- Double Move: The Tripod Moves twice straight down.
- Fire All: The Tripod Fires at all Revealed Guns in Range.
- Focused Detect: The Tripod successfully Detects the nearest Gun in Range, lowering a Gun's Earthworks by 1.
- Focused Fire: The Tripod Destroys the nearest Revealed Gun in Range.
- High Activity: The Tripod makes 2 Detect attempts against the closest Gun with an Earthworks counter. It then makes 2 Fire attempts against the closest Revealed Gun in Range.
Example: I'm following the list from top to bottom. The Yellow Tripod gets an Arrival result. I draw a random Tripod from the cup (it's Blue) and place it in the C Hex. I continue down the list and come to the Blue Tripod's turn. The new Blue Tripod Moves down twice. If I had drawn a Green Tripod, it would not get an Action until next turn.
Damaged Tripods
If a Tripod is Damaged, it can only perform the first action on the Battle card.
Example: The Damaged Yellow Tripod only Moves down-left. This ends the Yellow Tripod's turn.
If the Tripod is Damaged, it cannot perform Special Actions.
Example: The Damaged Blue Tripod gets the Focused Fire result. The Tripod does not act this turn.
Human Step
Your Guns may Fire at any Tripod in Range.
Every time a Gun that is protected by Earthworks Fires, it loses 1 level of Earthworks. Field Guns roll 1 die, and Siege Guns roll 2 dice when they are Fired.
Guns do not have to Fire if there is a Tripod in Range.
Infantry, Cavalry, Refugees, and Characters cannot act. They stay in the Hex they were placed at the beginning of the Battle.
Firing at a Tripod
When a Gun Fires at a Tripod, it must roll a die to see if it successfully hits. The roll is based on the Range from the Gun to the Tripod.
| Die Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| Green (Range 1) | Inflicts 1 Hit on a Tripod. |
| Yellow (Range 2) | Inflicts 1 Hit on a Tripod. |
| Red (Range 3) | Inflicts 1 Hit on a Tripod. |
If your Attack roll inflicts a Hit against an Undamaged Tripod, the Tripod becomes Damaged.
If your Attack roll inflicts a Hit against a Damaged Tripod, you Destroy the Tripod, and remove it from the Battle.
Field Guns roll 1 die and Siege Guns roll 2 dice.
Repeat
Repeat the Martian Step and Human Step until the Battle ends.
End of the Battle
The Battle ends when any one of the following occurs:
- There are no Human Units on the Battle Board.
- There are no Martian Tripods on the Battle Board.
Place all the surviving Human Units and remaining Earthworks counters back on the Strategic Map, in the State with the Battle Location counter.
Put the surviving Tripods back in their Tripod Staging Area. A Damaged Tripod is returned to the Tripod Staging Area Damaged. You choose how to display a Damaged Tripod.
Examples: With the Damaged side facing you. Placed in the stand upside down or sideways. Removed from the stand and laying with the Damaged side face up.
Discard all Battle Plans, even those that were not used.
After the Battle
If all the Tripods in a Wave are Destroyed (none were returned to the Tripod Staging Area), remove the Wave counter from the Display Board.
Remove the Battle Location counter from the Strategic Map.
If there is another Wave in a State with a Gun, start another Battle.
Devastation Phase
Advance the Clock counter to the Devastation Phase.
Event Check. If the Event card takes place during the Devastation Phase, draw the card, and complete the Event.
Martian Attack
Perform Tripod Devastation Attacks for each Region with a Wave counter. Reference the Player Help Sheet's Tripod Devastation section, and roll a die for each Wave.
The Player Help Sheet shows the result of the Wave's Attack. The Tripods in the Wave will either use their Heat Rays, Black Smoke, or cause Panic.
| Tripods in Wave | Heat Ray | Black Smoke | Panic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5+ | -1 Unit; -5 Workforce; 5 Refugees; -1 Human VPs | -7 Workforce; 2 Refugees; -2 Human VPs | -1 Unit; -2 Workforce; 5 Refugees; -2 Human VPs |
| 4 | -3 Workforce; 3 Refugees; -2 Human VPs | -4 Workforce; 2 Refugees; -2 Human VPs | -2 Workforce; 4 Refugees; -2 Human VPs |
| 3 | -1 Unit; -2 Workforce; 2 Refugees; -1 Human VP | -1 Unit; -3 Workforce; 1 Refugee; -1 Human VP | -1 Workforce; 2 Refugees; -2 Human VPs |
| 2 | -1 Unit; -2 Workforce; 2 Refugees | -2 Workforce; 1 Refugee; -1 Human VP | -1 Workforce; 3 Refugees; -1 Human VPs |
| 1 | -1 Workforce; 2 Refugees | -3 Workforce | 3 Refugees |
Heat Ray: A mix of damaging the Workforce in a State, creating Refugees, and destroying Units.
Black Smoke: Primarily damages the Workforce of a State.
Panic: Primarily creates Refugees, and destroys Units in the confusion.
Follow the list shown for each Devastation in order from top to bottom.
If the Devastation roll causes Unit loss, you can remove any Human Unit including Infantry, Cavalry, Guns, Refugees, and Characters.
For all Units other than Guns, the Martians gain 1 Martian Victory Point on the Progress Track for each Unit Captured. Only remove Units from that Wave's State. You choose which Units to Destroy or Capture.
Workforce Loss
Each Workforce counter is double sided with 1-4 on one side and 5-8 on the opposite side. There is also an additional counter with 9-10 on one side and 11-12 on the opposite side. DC has a special counter that is Blue showing 11-12.
To indicate that a Region has taken a Workforce loss, rotate and/or flip the Region's Production counter until the Region's current Workforce Value shows in the upper right corner.
Example: I have a Wave in New York's Region with 2 Tripods in its Tripod Staging Area. I roll for that Wave's Devastation and get a Green result (Heat Ray). 1 Unit of my choice is now Destroyed. I lower my Workforce by 2, from 10 to 8. I also add 2 Refugees to the State.
If the Production counter's Workforce Value reaches "0", remove the Production counter and replace it with a Destroyed counter. This ends the Devastation Phase for that Wave. Do not continue down the list by adding Refugees or subtracting Human Victory Points.
If the Destroyed Region has a State with a Harbor, remove the Harbor counter.
If the Devastation Phase causes Human Victory Point loss, reduce your Human Victory Points by that amount on the Progress Track. If you are at "0" Human Victory Points, and "0" Germ Points, do not lower your Victory Points any further.
Example: You have 3 Germ Points and 1 Human Victory Point. You get a result of "-2 Human VPs". Your Human Victory Point counter moves to 9, and your Germ Point counter moves down to 2. (Think of the Germ counter as being in the "10s" place and the Human VPs counter as being in the "1's" place.)
Each Region can only hold a number of Refugees equal to its Gears. Refugees in excess of a Region's Gear value are Captured.
Score 1 Martian Victory Point for each Captured Refugee.
Example: I have 14 Refugees in Carolina's Region, but my Production counter for the Region only has 4 Gears. Carolina's Region can only hold 4 Refugees. I must either Move 10 Refugees into other Regions, or the additional 10 Refugees will be Captured at the end of the Escape Phase.
Human Action Phase
Advance the Clock counter to the Human Action Phase.
Event Check. If the Event card takes place during the Human Action Phase, draw the card, and complete the Event.
Human Movement
Each Infantry, Cavalry, Field Gun, Siege Gun, and Character can freely Move 1 State as their Action during the Human Action Phase. Refugees can freely Move up to 2 States as their Action.
Infantry
Instead of Moving, Infantry can perform any one of the following Actions:
Cylinder Attack. An Infantry Unit located in the same State as a Cylinder may attempt to Destroy 1 of the Tripods in the Cylinder. Roll a die and consult the Player Help Sheet to see the effect.
| Die Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| Green | 1 Tripod being Destroyed. Remove the Tripod from its Tripod Staging Area. |
| Yellow | No Effect. |
| Red | The Infantry being Destroyed. |
If all the Tripods in the Cylinder are Destroyed, remove the Cylinder.
Powder Kegs. An Infantry Unit in any State may attempt to place a Powder Keg. One at a time, roll a die:
| Die Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| Green | Places a Powder Keg counter in the State. |
| Yellow | Infantry being Destroyed. |
| Red | No Effect. |
If a Wave enters a State with a Powder Keg, immediately roll a die:
| Die Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| Green | 1 Damage. Discard the Powder Keg. |
| Yellow | 2 Damage. Discard the Powder Keg. |
| Red | No Effect. Discard the Powder Keg. |
Waves placed in a Powder Keg's State after being created by a Cylinder are not affected.
Damage can be spread across multiple Tripods in a Wave's Tripod Staging Area.
Example: I have 2 Powder Kegs placed in Tennessee. A Wave gets a Move result to Tennessee. As soon as the Wave Moves in, I roll for all Powder Kegs. I roll Green and Yellow causing 3 Points of Damage. I decide to Damage 3 Tripods in the Wave's Tripod Staging Area. I also could have Destroyed 1 Tripod and Damaged another.
The counter mix limits how many Powder Kegs you can have in the game. At any time, you may choose to remove 1 Powder Keg counter from the board so you can build it elsewhere.
Escape Phase
Advance the Clock counter to the Escape Phase.
Event Check. If the Event card takes place during the Escape Phase, draw the card, and complete the Event.
Refugees Escape
If there is a Refugee in a State with a Harbor counter, roll a die to see if that Refugee successfully Escapes.
If there is a Refugee in a State without a Harbor counter, they cannot attempt to Escape during this phase.
Each Refugee must get onto a Freighter (Fleeing) so they can Escape.
Roll a die for each Refugee.
| Die Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| Green | The Refugees Fleeing. |
| Yellow | No Effect. |
| Red | The Refugees Fleeing. |
No effect means the Refugee did not make it onto a Freighter this turn.
Just because they got onto a Freighter does not mean they have gotten away safely. They might be attacked by Martians while they try to Escape.
Roll once to determine if all Fleeing Refugees in a State are able to Escape without alerting the Tripods.
| Die Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| Green | Refugees Escaping. |
| Yellow | A Naval Battle with 1 Tripod. |
| Red | A Naval Battle with 2 Tripods. |
Tripods are drawn from the cup for each Naval Battle, and returned to the cup after each Naval Battle.
If the Refugees get an Escaped result, remove them from the Strategic Map, and gain 1 Human Victory Point for each Refugee.
Naval Battle
Human Set-Up
If the Refugees get into a Naval Battle, exchange each Refugee Point for a Freighter counter and place the Freighters on the Naval Battle Board in any top row Hex.
Warship — 4 Production Points
Warships can only be purchased before a Naval Battle. Warships protect Fleeing Freighters.
Buy as many Warships to assist your Escaping Freighters as you want. After the Tripods are placed, place your Warships in any Hex except the top row.
You can also decide to purchase Battle Plans now.
Martian Set-up
Draw a Naval Battle card and place the Tripod(s) in a Hex with the matching letter (from A to E) according to its color.
Naval Martian Step
Similar to Land Battles, draw a Naval Battle card. This determines what the Tripods do this turn.
- Green (C): Freighter, then Move.
- Yellow (D): Arrival.
- Red (E): Fire, then Fire.
- Purple (A): Closest, then Move.
- Black (B): Freighter, then Move.
Closest. The Tripod will Move 1 Hex closer to the nearest Unit. If there is more than 1 Unit at the same distance from the Tripod, you choose. If a Tripod enters a Hex with a Freighter counter, the Freighter is Captured. Martians gain 1 Martian Victory Point per Freighter Captured.
Fire. The Tripod Fires at the closest Warship or Freighter.
| Range | Success |
|---|---|
| Range 1 | Green |
| Range 2 | Yellow |
| Range 3 | Red |
Example: The Tripod is 2 Hexes away from my Warship. I roll a die for the Tripod, getting a Green result. The Warship is missed.
If the Tripod Destroys a Warship, remove the Warship counter from the Battle Board.
If the Tripod successfully Fires at a Freighter, the Freighter is Captured. Remove the Freighter counter from the Battle Board. The Martians gain 1 Martian Victory Point.
Move. The Tripod advances by 1 Hex in the direction of the arrow. It may enter a Hex already occupied by another Tripod. If the Tripod cannot Move in the direction stated on the card (due to being on the edge), it Moves 1 Hex closer to the center of the Battle Board.
The center of the Battle Board is located 2 Hexes below Hex "C".
If the Tripod Moves into a Hex with a Warship, the Warship is Destroyed.
If the Tripod Moves into a Hex with a Freighter, the Freighter is Captured. The Martians gain 1 Martian Victory Point per Captured Freighter.
Tripods are not removed from the Battle Board unless they are Destroyed.
Freighter. The Tripod will Move 1 Hex closer to the nearest Freighter. If there is more than 1 Freighter the same distance from the Tripod, you choose. If a Tripod enters a Hex with a Freighter counter, the Tripod Captures the Freighter. Martians gain 1 Martian Victory Point per Freighter Captured. If there are no Freighters present, the Tripod does nothing for this Action.
Warship. The Tripod will Move 1 Hex closer to the nearest Warship. If there is more than 1 Warship the same distance from the Tripod, you choose. If a Tripod enters a Hex with a Warship, Destroy the Warship. If there are no Warships present, the Tripod does nothing for this Action.
Naval Battle Special Actions
Any Naval Action other than "Closest", "Fire", "Move", "Freighter", or "Warship" is a Special Action.
If the Tripod is Damaged, it cannot perform Special Actions.
- Arrival: A new Tripod appears on Hex "C" and joins the Battle.
- Fire All: The Tripod Fires at all Units in Range.
- Focused Fire: The Tripod Destroys the nearest Unit in Range.
- High Activity: The Tripod makes 2 Fire attempts against the nearest Unit in Range.
Naval Human Step
Warships may Move 1 Hex and Fire.
| Range | Effect |
|---|---|
| Range 1 | A Green roll will inflict 1 Hit on a Tripod. |
| Range 2 | A Yellow roll will inflict 1 Hit on a Tripod. |
| Range 3 | A Red roll will inflict 1 Hit on a Tripod. |
Freighters may Move 1 Hex. When a Freighter counter enters a bottom row Hex, it has successfully Escaped. Remove the Freighter from the Naval Battle Board, and gain 1 Human Victory Point.
If all Tripods are Destroyed, all remaining Freighters successfully Escape.
End of the Battle
The Battle is over when one side no longer has any Units on the Naval Battle Board.
Return all remaining Tripods to the cup and remove all Warships.
Repeat for every Harbor State with Refugees.
Too Many Refugees in a Region
If a Region has more Refugees than Gears on its Production counter at the end of this phase, the additional Refugees are Captured.
Totaling Points
Gain 1 Human Victory Point for every Producing Region, and 1 Human Victory Point for every Refugee or Freighter that successfully Escaped this phase.
When the Human Victory Point counter reaches 10, start it back at zero, and advance the Germs counter by 1.
New Cylinders Land
When you Move your Germ counter into the 3rd space on the Progress Track, Cylinder #3 lands.
When you Move your Germ counter into the 6th space, Cylinder #4 lands.
When you Move into the 9th space, Cylinder #5 lands.
Roll a die and consult the Player Help Sheet to see in which State the Cylinder lands.
- Green: place the new Cylinder in Texas.
- Yellow: Minnesota.
- Red: Florida.
Cylinders may become new Waves during the Assembly Phase.
When a new Cylinder is placed, draw 5 random Tripods and place them in that Cylinder's Tripod Staging Area.
Martian Action Phase
Advance the Clock counter to the Martian Action Phase.
Event Check. If the Event card takes place during the Martian Action Phase, draw the card, and complete the Event.
Martian Actions
Roll a die for each Wave on the Strategic Map and refer to the Martian Action Phase on the Player Help Sheet.
Depending on the Workforce Value of the Region (Yellow, Green, Blue, Destroyed or Red Weed), the Wave will have different Actions, including:
| Region | Green | Yellow | Red |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Move | Arrival + Split | Flying Machine |
| Green | Move | Repair | Move |
| Blue | Arrival | Flying Machine | Flying Machine |
| Destroyed or Red Weed | Move | Arrival + Split | Flying Machine |
- Arrival: The Wave gains 1 random Tripod.
Example: Wave #2 is in DC with a Blue Production counter. I roll Green which results in an Arrival. I draw a new Tripod from my cup and place it in Wave #2's Tripod Staging Area.
- Flying Machine: 1 part of the Flying Machine is built. Place a random Flying Machine counter on the Strategic Map. When all 4 are built, you Lose the game.
- Repair: Any 1 random Damaged Tripod in the Wave becomes Undamaged. If there are none, ignore this result.
- Arrival + Split: Place 1 new random Tripod in the same State. Then roll on the Martian Movement Chart to move the new Tripod. This completes the Wave's Action and the new Tripod's Action.
Example: There is a Wave in Texas that rolls Arrival + Split. I place a new Tripod in Texas, then roll to see where it moves. I roll Yellow, so I place the new Tripod in the "At Sea" box.
- Move: Find the Wave's State on the Player Help Sheet. You will see three possible States where the Wave might move. Roll on the Movement chart and Move the Wave to the new State.
Sea. In most coastal States, Martians can roll a "Sea" on the Movement Chart. If they roll this result, move the Martian(s) to the "At Sea" Box.
| Returning from Sea | Result |
|---|---|
| Green | Maine |
| Yellow | North Carolina |
| Red | Mississippi |
During the next Martian Action Phase, they will roll on the Player Help Sheet for the new State they will move to. Each Tripod/Wave that moves into the "At Sea" box will roll individually to be placed back on US land.
Example: Wave #2 and 1 individual Tripod is in the "At Sea" box. I roll for Wave #2 getting a Green result. I place Wave #2 in Maine. I make a roll for the Tripod, getting a Red result. The individual Tripod is placed in Mississippi.
This is the only exception of Martians being able to move into a Destroyed/Red Weed Region. In all other cases, they will roll again until they have a result that does not take them into a Destroyed/Red Weed Region. If no Producing Regions are available, they will perform a Move that takes them in the most direct route to DC.
Example: A Tripod is in Texas with a Green Production counter. I roll Green getting a Move result. I consult the Tripod Movement chart for Texas on the Player Help Sheet and roll a die. I roll Yellow, so the Tripod Moves to Sea. During the next Martian Action Phase, this Tripod will roll to leave the Sea. It rolls a Yellow again, returning to North Carolina, that is its only Action this Martian Action Phase.
Martians do not move into Destroyed or Red Weed Regions. If you get a Movement result that places the Martian into a Destroyed or Red Weed Region, re-roll until you get a Region result that has not been Destroyed or have Red Weed.
If all possible Movement Regions are Destroyed or have Red Weed, the Martian will move into the Destroyed or Red Weed Region that is closest to that Strategic Map's Capital (the Region with Blue Gears).
Cavalry (Attract)
If a Martian gets a "Move" result, and a Cavalry Unit is in the same or adjacent State, you may roll to alter where the Wave will go. The Wave can only be Attracted to the 3 Move options available to the Wave based on the Wave's current State.
Each Cavalry counter in a State can roll to Attract once for each Moving Wave.
| Die Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| Green | You choose the Wave's Movement. |
| Yellow | You choose the Wave's Movement, but the Cavalry is Destroyed. |
| Red | No Effect. |
Example: There is a Wave in South Carolina. The Wave rolls for its Action, and gets a Move result. I have a Cavalry in Georgia. I can either let the Wave roll on its Movement chart, or my Cavalry can attempt to Attract the Wave to Move to the location of my choice. I choose to have my Cavalry perform an Attract Action. They roll Green, allowing them to Attract a Wave. I choose to have the Wave Move to Sea.
Region Destruction
Roll a die for each Destroyed Region. On a Red die roll, flip the Region's counter from Destroyed to Red Weed.
The Martians gain 2 Martian Victory Points for each Destroyed Region, each Turn.
The Martians gain 4 Martian Victory Points for each Red Weed Region, each Turn.
Example: There are two Destroyed Regions and 1 Red Weed Region on the Strategic Map at the end of a Martian Action Phase. The Martians gain 8 Martian Victory Points.
At the end of the next Martian Action Phase, one of the Destroyed Regions is now a Red Weed Region, which means there is now 1 Destroyed Region and 2 Red Weed Regions. They now earn 10 Martian Victory Points.
When the Martian Victory Point counter reaches 10, start it back at 0, and advance the Colonization counter by 1.
At the end of the Martian Action Phase, if any Refugees are in the same State as a Wave, the Refugees are Captured. The Martians gain 1 Martian Victory Point for each Refugee they Captured this phase.
Assembly Phase
Advance the Clock counter to the Assembly Phase.
Event Check. If the Event card takes place during the Assembly Phase, draw the card, and complete the Event.
During the Assembly Phase, every Cylinder rolls a die. If the color of the die matches the color of the Handling Machine in that State, the Cylinder counter is replaced with its Wave counter. If the color rolled does not match the Handling Machine, nothing happens.
Example: During the Assembly Phase, Cylinder #2 located in a State with a Green Handling Machine rolls a die, and gets a Green result. The Cylinder is exchanged for a Wave. If the die roll was a Yellow or Red result, nothing would happen during this Assembly Phase.
Epilogue
Designer's Notes
This project is a humble tribute to H.G Wells, the designer of 'Little Wars'. It was born in 2008, with the birth of my first son, Lorenzo. When I designed the original version of this game, I tried to keep in mind the spirit of H.G Wells' masterpiece, at a different scale. In this game, you will have a global vision of the events, but you will also retrieve with pleasure protagonists as the HMS Thunder Child, or some devices as the heliograph. Nothing, or so few, has been created by the designer. Everything (almost) was the transposition of the novel in the form of a game. I was keen to give the players the feeling of this period and, well.... I think that my graphic artist has perfectly fulfilled his huge task.
Dan & Kevin have removed my (so beloved) deck of cards (yes, this design was, at first, a card driven game) and brought the DVG's flavour thousands of players like so much. They added all the 'it's not in the novel' features (that made my hair rise so many times) to give some consistency to the design.
No Martians were harmed during the design of the game.
But some developers were put through the (powder) mill. No hard feelings!
Scenarios
Use all the preceding Rules, except for the changes stated in each Scenario.
1) Tesla's Tripod
Nicola Tesla, the creative inventor who worked with a combination of electricity and mechanics, found himself near a destroyed Tripod. He immediately began repairing and redesigning the hulk, creating a weapon uniquely able to attack and destroy other Tripods.
Tesla worked through several versions of his Tripod. Early in his research, it could only perform the simplest attacks, and would be destroyed with the slightest damage. As his knowledge and creativity were poured into the project, his creation became stronger and more deadly.
Each time he destroyed an enemy Tripod, he would dismantle and incorporate new parts into his design. What he could not steal from his victims, he would purchase or make for himself.
Set-Up
- Start with Tesla's Tripod Level 1 placed in New York.
- Set all Regions to 8 Workforce.
- Start with Wave #1 in Texas.
- Start with Wave #2 as a Cylinder in Minnesota.
- Do not Destroy Texas' Region during Set-Up.
- Place every Destroyed Tripod next to the Tesla's Tripod card.
- Roll on the Placement Chart 6 times. After each roll, place an random Tripod counter on the indicated State.
Similarities to Gun Units
- It initiates Battles when it is in the same State as a Martian.
- It can Move around the Strategic Map, and participate in Land and Naval Battles like a Gun Unit.
- During the Production Phase you can pay 2 Production Points to Move it 1 State.
- It can be moved by an Airship as a normal Unit.
- It is targeted like a Gun Unit during Battle.
Differences to Gun Units
- Tesla's Tripod cannot receive Earthworks.
- It Moves 1 or 2 States during the Human Action Phase.
- During Battle, if a Martian Tripod and Tesla's Tripod enter the same Hex, the Martian Tripod is destroyed, and Tesla's Tripod sustains 1 Damage.
Tesla's Tripod card (Level 3 as printed; the card's callouts are numbered 1 to 8 in the source):
- Level 3 — Damage track: 0 / 1 / 2 / Destroyed. Actions: 3 / 2 / 1.
- Repair: 1 Tripod OR 4 PP.
- Level 4 upgrade: 48 PP (1 Tripod = 4 PP). Actions: Move 1 or 2 Hexes; Fire Charged Tesla Coil; Fire Field Laser.
- Charged Tesla Coil: Roll 3 dice, Any Range, Red.
- Field Laser: Inflict 2 Damage. Range 1 Green, Range 2 Yellow.
-
Each of Tesla's Tripod cards shows a Level. Start the scenario with the Level 1 Tripod.
-
As you take Damage, the number of Actions you have each turn goes down.
Example: On the Level 3 card, you start with 3 Actions each Battle turn. When you take 1 Damage, you have 2 Actions.
-
Initial placement of the Tripod at the beginning of the scenario.
-
This track shows the amount of Damage you can take before Tesla's Tripod is Destroyed.
You immediately FAIL this scenario if Tesla's Tripod is Destroyed.
Place the Damage counter on the 0 Damage square at the beginning of the scenario. Each time you take Damage, move the counter down the track. When the counter is placed in the Destroyed box, the Tripod is Destroyed. Remove it from the Battle Board.
-
Each time you Destroy a Martian Tripod with this Tripod, place it next to this card. When paying to Upgrade or to Repair your Tripod, you can return the Destroyed Martian Tripods to the cup to gain 4 Production Points toward your purchase. You can also spend Production Points as normal.
-
Each of the Actions listed will use 1 of your Actions. You can perform as many Actions as your Damage level (#2) allows. Moving 1 or 2 States during the Human Action Phase is 1 Action. You may Move that amount as many Actions as you have.
Example: A Level 3 Tesla's Tripod can perform 3 Actions if it has taken 0 Damage. This means it can Move up to 6 States during the Human Action Phase.
-
Charged Tesla Coil (Level 3) - Takes 1 Action to Fire. Roll 3 dice, succeeding on Red against a target at any Range. Each success inflicts 1 Damage. You can target a different Tripod with each roll. This Tesla Coil (Unlike the Tesla Tech card) does not fire reactively when a Tripod performs a Move.
-
Field Laser (Level 3) - Takes 1 Action to Fire. Can roll 1 die, succeeding on Green at Range 1 and Yellow at Range 2. Each success inflicts 2 Damage against the same target.
2) Handling Machines
- Do not place Initial Handling Machines, Waves, or Cylinders.
- Place 1 Green Handling Machine on each of these 4 States: Texas, Minnesota, and Florida and Maine.
- Place 1 Yellow Handling Machine on each of these 3 States: Michigan, Tennessee, and Missouri.
- Place 1 Red Handling Machine on each of these 2 States: Ohio and New York.
- Start the Scenario with 16 Production Points.
- At the beginning of Turn 1, before the Production Phase, Roll 2 dice for each Handling Machine. If you roll the color of the Handling Machine place a random Tripod(s) in the State.
- A Battle will take place if a Wave or a Tripod is in a State with a Gun.
- Treat all of the Tripods in a State as a Wave during both the Devastation Phase and the Martian Action Phase. If a Tripod enters a State with other Tripods, it starts to Move as a Wave with the other Tripods at the end of the Martian Action Phase.
- Treat all of the Tripods in a State as a Wave during Battles.
- Infantry can Destroy Handling Machines. Treat the "Cylinder Destruction" Infantry Action as "Handling Machine Destruction".
- During every Assembly Phase, roll a die for each Handling Machine. If you roll the color of the Handling Machine place a single random Tripod in the State.
- In addition to the normal Victory/Defeat conditions, you also win if all Handling Machines and Tripods are Destroyed.
3) Refugees
- Start these States with 4 Refugees: Texas, Iowa, Ohio, Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia, New York, and Maine.
- All Regions except DC start with a Workforce Value of 10. DC starts with a Workforce Value of 12.
- Place a Refugee for every point of Workforce damage inflicted on a Region.
- Refugees can move up to 3 States per Human Action Phase.
Example: A Region's Workforce is decreased by 2. Decrease the Production counter by 2, and add 2 Refugees to the State.
- During each Production Phase, place 1 Chosen Harbor for free.
- The number of Tripods in a Wave is the maximum number of Refugees that Wave can Capture.
Example: A Wave with 1 Tripod ends its Martian Action Phase in a State with 2 Refugees. Because there is only 1 Tripod, the Wave can only Capture 1 Refugee.
- For every Region that has Refugees in excess of Gears at the end of the Escape Phase, you may spend 1 Production Point for each Refugee you do not want Captured.
Example: There are 2 Refugees in a Yellow Region. The Region can only handle 1 Refugee. I pay 1 Production Point so none of the Refugees are Captured at the end of the Escape Phase.
(Optional) League of Terran Nations
When you play games from multiple Nations, this will let you link the games together.
Each game is played simultaneously. Phases are completed at the same time, and a new phase cannot be started until everyone is done with the current phase.
At the beginning of the game, each Nation suffers the negative effects shown in the column of boxes titled Crisis.
As Refugees successfully Escape, place them on this sheet.
The accumulation of Escaping Refugees will improve your abilities.
Multiply Escaped Refugees by the chart at the top of the sheet:
| Free Refugees each Turn |
|---|
| 4 Nations = x1, 3 Nations = x2, 2 Nations = x3, 1 Nation = x4 |
Example: I am playing a 2 Nation game with England and Japan. A Turn ends with 3 Refugees Escaping from England and 2 Refugees Escaping from Japan. I multiply the 5 Escaped Refugees by 3, placing 15 total Refugees on the League of Nations sheet.
At the beginning of every Production Phase, you may allocate any Refugees that have been placed on the League of Nations sheet.
The number in parentheses shows the number of Refugees you must place in order to Move the Refugee counter 1 space to the right. When you Move a Refugee counter from Crisis to Ramping-Up, you stop suffering the negative effect. When you Move the counter a second time to Break-Through, you gain a benefit.
| Crisis | Ramping-Up | Break-Through |
|---|---|---|
| Clogged: +2 cost to Build Harbors. | (6) Building | (20) Finished: Freely Build 1 random Harbor each Turn. |
| Learning: Limit 1 Earthworks per Battle. | (6) Deploying | (20) In Place: Each Gun freely begins each Battle with 1 Earthworks. |
| Green: Cavalry cannot perform Planning. | (5) Preparing | (15) Veteran: Freely receive 1 random Battle Plan at the start of each Battle containing 1 or more Cavalry. |
Example: I use 6 of the 15 Escaped Refugees to Move from Clogged to Building. I no longer pay +2 to build my Harbors. I then use 5 of the Escaped Refugees to Move from Green to Preparing. My Cavalry can now perform Planning. Finally, I place the last 4 Escaped Refugees in the Veteran Break-Through box. When that box gets 15 Refugees, I will gain that Advantage.
Research
Starting at any Production Phase, you may pay 5 Production Points to place Tesla's Character counter in New York. This Unit cannot be Captured or Destroyed.
After you have placed Tesla, you may immediately begin Researching Tesla's Technology. These are enhanced Units or abilities that will help you in your fight against the Martian menace.
Tesla's Technology Cards
-
The Production Point cost required to begin Research into the technology. It is also the cost to roll to attempt to gain 1 Breakthrough.
-
The color of the die roll needed to successfully gain 1 Breakthrough. If you fail a matching roll, it counts as No Effect. If there are multiple colors in this location, either result gains you 1 Breakthrough Point.
-
The name of the Technology.
-
This picture matches the counter that will be used for the Technology.
-
The number of Breakthroughs needed to complete the Technology. Each picture of Tesla equals 1 Breakthrough needed to gain this tech.
-
This is the result of you gaining this Technology. Any additional information about the Technology may be found here.
-
Some Technologies have a die roll associated with them. These colors are the rolls needed for successes and failures.
Example: For the EMP Bomb, if you roll Green or Red, it would not match the Yellow requirement, and the roll would have no effect even though you paid 2 Production Points.
Note: the EMP Bomb card's callout 6 text is read from a low-resolution print of the card: "If a piece of the Flying Machine is built, roll a die." with Green "Remove piece" and Yellow / Red "No effect".
Tesla's Technology Rules
- You may roll to attempt to gain 1 Breakthrough per Technology, during every Production Phase. You are limited to 1 successful Breakthrough for each Technology each turn. You can pay to make any number of attempts, until you succeed. You can see the results of each roll before you pay to make another roll.
Example: You have bought the Death Ray and Airships Technology. You pay 5 Production Points to roll for the Death Ray and roll a Yellow, succeeding on 1 Breakthrough. You may not attempt another Breakthrough for the Death Ray this turn. You then pay 3 for a Breakthrough on the Airships, and succeed on that. You may not attempt another Breakthrough on the Airships technology this turn.
- Receive: As soon as a Technology is completed, gain 1 Unit for that Technology. Any additional Units must be purchased according to the Tesla's Technology section on the Player Help Sheet.
- Detonate: A unique trait of Sonic Kegs. Unlike Powder Kegs, Sonic Kegs do not explode when a Wave or Tripod moves into the same State as the Sonic Keg. Instead, you may decide when to activate Sonic Kegs. After they inflict Damage, the Sonic Keg is Destroyed.
Airships Technology
Research: Pay 3 Production Points to Research Airships. Once paid, place the Airship Tech card near you.
The Cost of Science: Pay 3 Production Points to attempt a Breakthrough. Continue paying Production Points to make any number of attempts. You can only make one successful Breakthrough per turn.
Scientific Breakthroughs: Two successful Breakthrough results will complete this Tech.
| Die Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| Green | No Effect. |
| Yellow | A successful Breakthrough. |
| Red | No Effect. |
Gained Technology: Once the Tech is gained, place the counter under the Sequence of Play on the Display Board.
Using the Technology: Spend 4 Production Points to move any Unit to any State.
Frequency: You can move any number of Units each turn, for a cost of 4 Production Points per Unit.
Example: I have a Cavalry Unit and one Refugee in Kentucky, and I want to move them to Texas and Maine. I spend 4 Production Points to move the Cavalry to Texas, and 4 more to move the Refugee to Maine.
Death Ray Technology
Research: Pay 5 Production Points to Research Death Rays. Once paid, place the Death Ray Tech card near you.
The Cost of Science: Pay 5 Production Points to attempt a Breakthrough. Continue paying Production Points to make any number of attempts. You can only make one successful Breakthrough per turn.
Scientific Breakthroughs: Two successful Breakthrough results will complete this Tech.
| Die Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| Green | No Effect. |
| Yellow | A successful Breakthrough. |
| Red | No Effect. |
Gained Technology: Once the technology is gained, place the counter under the Sequence of Play on the Display Board.
Using the Technology: Each time a Cylinder is turned into a Wave on the Strategic Map, remove 2 Tripods in that Wave's Tripod Staging Area.
Frequency: Once per new Wave.
Example: Wave 1 and 2 are on the Strategic Map, with Cylinder 3 in Texas. During the Assembly Phase, I roll to turn Cylinder 3 into Wave 3. The Martians are successful! I would normally place 5 Tripods in Wave 3's Tripod Staging Area, but because of the Death Ray, I only place 3.
EMP Bomb Technology
Research: Pay 2 Production Points to Research EMP Bombs. Once paid, place the EMP Bomb Tech card near you.
The Cost of Science: Pay 2 Production Points to attempt a Breakthrough. Continue paying Production Points to make any number of attempts.
Scientific Breakthroughs: One successful Breakthrough result will complete this Tech.
| Die Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| Green | No Effect. |
| Yellow | A successful Breakthrough. |
| Red | No Effect. |
Gained Technology: Once the Tech is gained, place the counter near the Flying Machine information on the Display Board.
Using the Technology: Each time a piece of the Flying Machine is Built, roll a die.
| Die Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| Green | Remove the newly gained part of the Flying Machine. |
| Yellow | No Effect. |
| Red | No Effect. |
Frequency: Once each time a new part of the Flying Machine is Built.
Example: During the Martian Action Phase, they have 2 Waves in Destroyed Regions. I roll for the first Wave, and they roll a Red, I place piece 1 of the Flying Machine. I then roll for my EMP Bomb rolling a Yellow, that piece is not removed. The second Wave rolls a Red as well. I place piece 2 of the Flying Machine. I roll for my EMP Bomb, and roll a Green. Piece 2 is removed and put back.
Field Laser Technology
Research: Pay 12 Production Points to Research Field Lasers. Once paid, place the Field Laser Tech card near you.
The Cost of Science: Pay 12 Production Points to attempt a Breakthrough. Continue paying Production Points to make any number of attempts. You can only make one successful Breakthrough per turn.
Scientific Breakthroughs: Three successful Breakthrough results will complete this Tech.
| Die Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| Green | A successful Breakthrough. |
| Yellow | No Effect. |
| Red | A successful Breakthrough. |
Gained Technology: Once the Tech is gained, place one Field Laser counter on any State. You can purchase more Field Lasers for 14 Production Points each.
Using the Technology: Treat Field Lasers as a Gun Unit. During Battle, each successful attack against a Tripod will Destroy the Tripod.
| Range | Effect |
|---|---|
| Range 1 | A Green roll will Destroy a Tripod. |
| Range 2 | A Yellow roll will Destroy a Tripod. |
Example: I have 1 Field Laser with 2 Earthworks counters. There is a Tripod 2 Hexes away. I roll to attack the Tripod and remove 1 Earthwork. I roll a Yellow, Destroying the Tripod.
Radio Technology
Research: Pay 2 Production Points to Research Radio Technology. Once paid, place the Radio Tech card near you.
The Cost of Science: Pay 2 Production Points to attempt a Breakthrough. Continue paying Production Points to make any number of attempts. You can only make one successful Breakthrough per turn.
Scientific Breakthroughs: Two successful Breakthrough results will complete this Tech.
| Die Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| Green | A successful Breakthrough. |
| Yellow | A successful Breakthrough. |
| Red | No Effect. |
Gained Technology: Once the Tech is gained, place the counter on the Land Battle Board.
Using the Technology: At the start of each Land Battle, place an Earthworks counter on any one Gun participating in the Battle.
Frequency: Once per Land Battle.
Example: I am having a Battle in a State with Hills. I can freely allocate 2 Earthworks due to the Hills, plus 1 more due to Radio. These Earthworks are a maximum of 1 per Gun. Infantry can roll and place Earthworks above the 1 limit.
Example: I am having a Battle in a State without Hills. I can freely allocate 1 Earthworks due to Radio. This Earthwork is a maximum of 1 per Gun. Infantry can roll and place Earthworks above the 1 limit.
Sonic Keg Technology
Research: Pay 2 Production Points to Research Sonic Keg Technology. Once paid, place the Sonic Keg Tech card near you.
The Cost of Science: Pay 2 Production Points to attempt a Breakthrough. Continue paying Production Points to make any number of attempts. You can only make one successful Breakthrough per turn.
Scientific Breakthroughs: Two successful Breakthrough results will complete this Tech.
| Die Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| Green | A successful Breakthrough. |
| Yellow | No Effect. |
| Red | A successful Breakthrough. |
Gained Technology: Once the Tech is gained, you may spend 1 Production Point to flip a regular Powder Keg (placed with an Infantry Action) to its Sonic Keg side. You can pay to flip any number of placed Powder Kegs each turn.
Using the Technology: If a Martian enters a State with a Sonic Keg, you can choose to roll a die.
| Die Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| Green | 2 Damage. Discard the Sonic Keg. |
| Yellow | 2 Damage. Discard the Sonic Keg. |
| Red | 1 Damage. Discard the Sonic Keg. |
Damage can be spread across multiple Tripods in a Wave's Tripod Staging Area.
Frequency: Spend 1 Production Point to flip any Powder Keg to its Sonic Keg side at any time. Detonate Sonic Kegs at any time.
Example: I have a Powder Keg on the Strategic Map. I then complete this Research. I can at any point spend 1 Production Point to flip the Powder Keg into a Sonic Keg.
Example: I have 2 Sonic Kegs and 1 Powder Keg in Kentucky. A Wave performs a Move into Kentucky. I do not have to roll for the Sonic Kegs, but I do have to roll for the Powder Keg.
Tesla Coil Technology
Research: Pay 3 Production Points to Research Tesla Coil Technology. Once paid, place the Tesla Coil Tech card near you.
The Cost of Science: Pay 3 Production Points to attempt a Breakthrough. Continue paying Production Points to make any number of attempts. You can only make one successful Breakthrough per turn.
Scientific Breakthroughs: Two successful Breakthrough results will complete this Tech.
| Die Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| Green | A successful Breakthrough. |
| Yellow | No Effect. |
| Red | No Effect. |
Gained Technology: Once the Tech is gained, place one Tesla Coil counter on any State. You can purchase more Tesla Coils for 8 Production Points each.
Using the Technology: Treat Tesla Coils as a Gun/Warship Unit. Tesla Coils act during the Martian Phase instead of the Human Phase.
Tesla Coils are placed in any artillery Hex on the Land Battle Board. There is no limit to the number of Units that can be in a single Hex.
If a Tesla Coil is placed in a State with a Harbor, and a Naval Battle occurs in the Harbor, the Tesla Coil is placed on the Naval Battle Board in one of the top rows. Treat the Tesla Coil as a Warship for Martian Action cards.
Each time a Tripod gets a Move Action, the Tesla Coil rolls once against it, before the Tripod Moves.
| Die Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| Green | No effect. |
| Yellow | No effect. |
| Red | 1 Damage. |
If the Tesla Coil hits an Undamaged Tripod, the Tripod becomes Damaged. The Tripod completes its Move Action, but does not take its 2nd Action. If the Tesla Coil hits a Damaged Tripod, the Tripod is Destroyed.
Tesla Coils can be Destroyed, but not Captured. Tesla Coils cannot receive Earthworks counters.
The Tesla Coil is a Unit, and the Battle will not end until all of 1 side's Units are Destroyed.
Example: I have a Tesla Coil in Maine. A Tripod performs a Move into Maine. During the next Battle Phase, the Tesla Coil and Tripod will go to the Land Battle Board.
Example: The Tripod gets a Double Move Special Action. The Tripod performs its first Move down, I then roll for my Tesla Coil, and roll a Red. The Tripod moves 1 hex down, but it is Damaged, and cannot perform the rest of its Special action.
X-Rays Technology
Research: Pay 2 Production Points to Research X-Rays Technology. Once paid, place the X-Rays Tech card near you.
The Cost of Science: Pay 2 Production Points to attempt a Breakthrough. Continue paying Production Points to make any number of attempts. You can only make one successful Breakthrough per turn.
Scientific Breakthroughs: Two successful Breakthrough results will complete this Tech.
| Die Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| Green | No Effect. |
| Yellow | A successful Breakthrough. |
| Red | No Effect. |
Gained Technology: Once the Tech is gained, place the counter on the Strategic Map.
Using the Technology: You may spend 4 Production Points during the Production Phase to roll for each Red Weed Region to flip it back to its Destroyed side. This does not stop the Region from turning back to Red Weed.
Frequency: As many Production Points as you want to spend during the Production Phase.
Example: On the Strategic Map, there are 2 Destroyed, and 3 Red Weed Regions. During the Production Phase, I spend 4 Production Points, and roll for one of the Red Weed Regions to flip back to Destroyed. I roll a Green for no effect. I then spend another 4 to roll again. This time I am successful, and flip the Region to Destroyed.