World of Tanks: Rush Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal of the Game
• Components
• Setup
  • Achievements
• Turn Overview
• I. Repair Damage and Lay Out Hand Cards
• II. Play Hand Cards
  • 1) Use the Card's Resources to Buy
  • 2) Use the Card's Ability and, if Possible, Place the Card on Defence of Your Base
  • 3) Attack an Enemy Vehicle or Base
• III. Refresh the Reserve and Draw a New Hand
• End of the Game
  • Determining the Winner
• Card Types
  • Barracks Cards
  • Vehicle Cards
    • Contents of a Vehicle Card
  • Medal Cards
  • Base Cards
• Abilities
  • Active Abilities
  • Passive Abilities
• Frequently Asked Questions

Goal of the Game

The goal is to have the most medals at the end of the game. There are three sources of medals:

1. Each destroyed unit of vehicles earns one medal.
2. A destroyed enemy base equals three medals.
3. An achievement fulfilled at the end of the game equals five medals.

Components

• 100 vehicle cards, 25 cards for each of the four nations (USSR, USA, Germany, France)
• 48 medal cards, 12 for each of the four nations (USSR, Germany, USA, France): per nation, 9 cards showing one medal and 3 cards showing two medals
• 30 barracks cards
• 15 base cards
• 12 achievement cards
• 1 first player card
• 1 graveyard card
• 5 reference cards (double-sided)

Setup

1. The player who most recently played the online game World of Tanks receives the first player card and places it in front of him. This card does not change owner until the end of the game.
2. Deal each player 3 base cards. Players place these cards in front of them face up. The game ends when any player has all three bases destroyed.
3. Give each player a starting set of 6 barracks cards: 4 "Engineers" cards, 1 "Technicians" card, 1 "Volunteers" card.
4. Each player shuffles his barracks cards and places the resulting deck next to him face down. All these cards form the player's tank squad. The squad's cards lying face down in the deck are called the hangar; discarded cards lying next to the deck face up are called the depot (storage). A player may look at the cards in his depot at any time.
5. Each player draws the top 3 cards of his hangar into his hand. A player keeps his hand cards hidden until his turn (a player may look at his own hand). At the start of his turn the player lays his hand cards face up in front of him.
6. Shuffle the 100-card vehicle deck. Place it in the centre of the table face down, leaving space next to it for a discard pile. Reveal the 4 top cards and lay them in a row next to the deck. This row is the public reserve.
7. Place the tank graveyard card in the centre of the table. It marks the place for cards removed from the game. Place the graveyard far from the vehicle deck so as not to accidentally mix graveyard cards with the discard pile. The cards from the discard pile will form a new deck when the vehicle deck runs out, while cards from the graveyard never return to the game until the end of the match.
8. Sort the medal cards into 4 decks: USSR, Germany, USA, France medals. Place the decks face up. Players may look at and count the cards in the medal decks at any time.
9. Shuffle the achievement deck. Lay face up in the centre of the table as many achievement cards as there are players in the game, plus one (for example, 6 achievements in a five-player game). These are the achievements available in this game.
10. Give reference cards to players who have not played the game before (and anyone who wants them).

The player who received the first player card goes first; then the other players follow clockwise.

Achievements

Achievements are chosen randomly at the start of the game. They are extremely important for victory, because one achievement gives five medals, more than destroying enemy armoured vehicles or bases. At the end of the game an achievement card is awarded to the player who fulfilled its condition. Only one player can receive an achievement card. If several players fulfilled the condition (for example, two players have an equal highest number of heavy tanks in their squads), its card is not awarded to anyone. Before the game starts we recommend players carefully read the available achievements.

There are the following 12 achievements:

1. Destroyed bases. Awarded to the player whose squad at the end of the game has the most destroyed bases.
2. Light tanks. Awarded to the player whose squad at the end of the game has the most light tanks, regardless of nation.
3. Medium tanks. Awarded to the player whose squad at the end of the game has the most medium tanks, regardless of nation.
4. Tank destroyers (SPG). Awarded to the player whose squad at the end of the game has the most SPGs (self-propelled guns), regardless of nation.
5. Heavy tanks. Awarded to the player whose squad at the end of the game has the most heavy tanks, regardless of nation.
6. Auxiliary troops. Awarded to the player whose squad at the end of the game has the most auxiliary troops, regardless of nation.
7. USSR medals. Awarded to the player whose squad at the end of the game has the most Orders of the Red Banner.
8. Germany medals. Awarded to the player whose squad at the end of the game has the most Iron Crosses.
9. USA medals. Awarded to the player whose squad at the end of the game has the most Medals of Honor.
10. France medals. Awarded to the player whose squad at the end of the game has the most Military Medals.
11. More double medal cards. Awarded to the player whose squad at the end of the game has the most cards showing two medals.

Turn Overview

On his turn a player performs the following actions in order: repairs damage and lays out his hand cards, plays his hand cards, refreshes the reserve and draws a new hand.

I. Repair Damage and Lay Out Hand Cards

If the player has damaged (turned 90 degrees) base cards or damaged vehicle cards defending his bases, he turns them back to their original position, thereby repairing the damage.

Then the player lays his hand (normally three cards) face up on the table in front of him. He can play the hand cards in various ways.

II. Play Hand Cards

Each hand card can be played in one and only one of three ways:

1. use the card's resources to buy;
2. use the card's ability and, if possible, place the card on defence of his base;
3. attack an enemy vehicle or base.

If a card can be played in several ways, the player chooses which way he plays it. If a hand card cannot be played in any way (or the player does not want to play it), it goes to the player's depot.

If during his turn a player must take a card from the hangar and the hangar has no cards, the player must shuffle all the cards of his depot and place the resulting deck in front of him face down; this is the renewed hangar. The player must then draw from the hangar as many cards as were required.

Hand cards may be played in any order.

1) Use the Card's Resources to Buy

Vehicle cards, "Engineers" cards and medal cards show resources, with a quantity from 0 to 6. Such cards can be used to buy. A player may play one or more hand cards that show resources and use their total resource value to buy one card from the reserve. To do so the player:

1. places the played cards in his depot,
2. chooses from the reserve one vehicle card whose cost is equal to or less than the sum of resources on the played cards, and places it in his depot,
3. shifts the reserve cards away from the vehicle deck so that a space for one card is freed between the reserve and the deck,
4. reveals the top card of the vehicle deck and places it face up in the freed space in the reserve.

If a card shows no resources, it cannot be used to buy.

Example of buying: The player plays two cards with a total resource value of 3 (a). The player buys from the reserve one card costing 3 (b). Then he refills the reserve with a card from the vehicle deck (c).

2) Use the Card's Ability and, if Possible, Place the Card on Defence of Your Base

Most vehicle cards and some barracks cards show one or more abilities, displayed with special symbols. All abilities and symbols are described separately in the "Abilities" section below.

Card abilities are played one at a time. The player must fully carry out the action prescribed by a card's ability before playing another ability of the same card. The player must fully finish playing a card with an ability before beginning to play another card (a card with an ability is considered played when it leaves the player's hand, going to the depot, the graveyard or the defence of a base).

All vehicle cards show an armour value. If a player plays the ability of a vehicle card whose armour indicator is "1" or "2" (greater than zero), he must, after carrying out the ability's action, place this card on defence of one of his bases. To do so the player:

1. carries out the actions prescribed by the card's abilities,
2. chooses one of his bases,
3. places the played vehicle card on top of this base so that the edge of the base card is visible under the card placed on defence.

A base can be defended by one and only one vehicle card. If all of the player's bases are already defended, then before placing a new card on defence of one of the bases, he must first send the previous defending card to the depot. A defended base cannot be attacked by an opponent.

Some vehicle cards with armour "1" or "2" have no abilities. Such cards can be placed on defence of one's base; this counts as playing the card's "zero" (absent) ability. If a player does not wish to use the ability shown on a vehicle card but wants to place the card on defence of a base, he may also do so; this counts as playing the card's "zero" ability.

Cards that show no armour, and cards with armour "0", cannot be placed on defence of a base. After using their ability, such cards go to the depot (or to the graveyard if the ability prescribes it).

Thus a card with an ability, after being played:

1. goes to defence of a base, if the card's armour is greater than zero, or
2. goes to the depot, if the card cannot be placed on defence, or
3. goes to the graveyard, but only if the card's ability prescribes it.

Example of placing on defence: The player plays the "Summon" ability and places a tank (a) on defence of his base, sending to the depot the SPG (b) that previously defended this base.

3) Attack an Enemy Vehicle or Base

Using his hand cards, on his turn a player may make one and only one attack. The attack may be made with one or several vehicle cards. All vehicle cards used in the attack must have a strength value of "1" or "2" (i.e. greater than zero) and must belong to the same nation.

When beginning an attack, the player must declare which cards will take part in the attack. (Two cards can be used in one attack.)

The player chooses any of his attacking cards and announces that he will attack with it. Then the player chooses a target for this card. The target can be: a vehicle card defending the base of any opponent, or an undefended base of any opponent.

After the results of the attack by the first card are determined, the attacking card goes to the player's depot, and the player chooses a target for the attack by the second card, and so on. For the attack by the second and subsequent cards the player may choose the same target or other targets, including ones belonging to different opponents.

Attacking an enemy vehicle. If the attacking card's strength is greater than or equal to the armour of the enemy card defending his base, the enemy card is destroyed and goes to that opponent's depot.

If the attacking card's strength is less than the armour of the enemy card, the enemy card is damaged, shown by turning the card 90 degrees. If the attacked enemy card has already been damaged (turned), it is destroyed and goes to the opponent's depot.

Note that destroyed vehicle cards go to the depot of their owner, not to the graveyard and not to the depot of the player who destroyed them.

Attacking an undefended enemy base. If a player attacks an opponent's base with an attacking card, the base is damaged, shown by turning the base 90 degrees. If the attacked base has already been damaged (turned), it is destroyed.

If a player attacks an enemy base with a heavy tank, the base is destroyed. Only a heavy tank can destroy a base with a single attack.

A destroyed base goes to the depot of the player who destroyed it. At the end of the game, when determining the winner, each destroyed base in a player's squad counts as three medals.

Note that a player cannot attack a defended base. But during one attack it is possible first to destroy the vehicle defending a base and then to attack the base.

Rewarding the attacker. At the end of the attack the player receives 1 medal for each destroyed unit of vehicles. The player takes the corresponding number of medals from the medal deck of the nation to which his attacking vehicle belonged. If with one attack the player destroyed two or more units of vehicles, it is recommended to take a card showing two medals.

The received medals are placed in the player's depot.

Note that the player does not receive medals for a destroyed base: the base card is itself the reward.

Thus, when making an attack the player performs the following actions:

1. declares which of his vehicle cards take part in the attack;
2. chooses a target for the attack by one of the attacking cards of his choice;
3. damages or destroys the target with this card, after which he sends his attacking card to the depot;
4. chooses the same or another target for the attack by the next attacking card, and so on, until all attacking cards have acted, damaging or destroying their targets;
5. at the end of the attack, receives the corresponding number of medals into his depot.

Example of rewarding: During an attack the player destroyed 3 units of enemy vehicles with Soviet tanks (a). The player takes from the USSR medal deck one card showing two Orders of the Red Banner and one card showing one Order of the Red Banner (b).

III. Refresh the Reserve and Draw a New Hand

The player refreshes the reserve. To do so he:

1. places the outermost reserve card, the one farthest from the vehicle deck, in the vehicle deck's discard pile face up,
2. shifts the reserve cards away from the vehicle deck so that a space for one card is freed between the reserve and the deck,
3. reveals the top card of the vehicle deck and places it face up in the freed space in the reserve.

After that, if the player still has unplayed cards in hand, they are placed in his depot. The player draws three top cards from the hangar, forming a new hand.

If there are not enough cards in the hangar, the player first takes into his hand all the cards remaining in the hangar. Then he shuffles all the cards of his depot and places the resulting deck in front of him face down; this is the renewed hangar. From the hangar the player draws as many cards as needed so that he has exactly three cards in hand.

The player passes the turn to the opponent on his left.

End of the Game

The game ends in one of two cases:

• one of the players has all of his bases destroyed, or
• the last, ninth card showing 1 medal has been taken from a medal deck (any of the four).

The game does not end immediately at the moment one of these two events occurs. After one of the two events has happened, the players continue to take turns until the player sitting to the right of the first player finishes his turn (the first player card indicates which player was first). After this turn is made, the game is over.

Determining the Winner

Each player puts together his hand, depot and hangar cards; this is the final composition of his tank squad. Note that the player's own surviving bases are not included in the squad.

The first player names the condition of one of the achievement cards laid out at the start of the game. Players check who has fulfilled the achievement's conditions (for example, who has the most medium tank cards in his squad). The player who fulfilled the condition receives the achievement card. If two or more players simultaneously fulfilled the condition (for example, two players have the same highest number of medium tanks in their squads), the achievement card goes to no one.

Then players check in the same way who gets the remaining achievement cards. Note that achievement cards are not included in the player's squad.

Then each player counts the medals he has received, including:

• medals on medal cards in his squad (1 or 2 medals on each card),
• 3 medals for each base card in his squad,
• 5 medals for each achievement card received.

The player with the most medals wins. In case of a tie, the winner is the player who destroyed more vehicles (that is, the one whose squad has more medals on medal cards). If there is still a tie, the winner is the player who destroyed more bases. If there is still a tie, the winner is the player who received more achievements. If there is still a tie, the game has several winners.

Card Types

A tank squad may contain cards of several types. The type of a card determines how it can enter the tank squad and how it can be played. When a new card enters a tank squad, it is always placed face up in the depot, i.e. the discard pile (and never in the hangar, i.e. the deck).

Barracks Cards

Barracks cards are starting cards from which a player's initial squad is formed. They come in three kinds: "Engineers", "Technicians", "Volunteers". The "Engineers" card gives one resource and can be used only for buying. The "Technicians" and "Volunteers" cards have one ability each, "research 1" and "summon" respectively. "Technicians" and "Volunteers" cards can be played only to use their abilities (descriptions of abilities are in the special section). Barracks cards cannot be placed on defence of a base.

Vehicle Cards

Vehicle cards enlarge a player's squad by being bought from the reserve of the vehicle deck. Vehicle cards are divided into five classes: light tanks, medium tanks, SPGs, heavy tanks and auxiliary troops. The first four classes (light tanks, medium tanks, SPGs, heavy tanks) make up the subtype armoured vehicles.

Light tanks. Armoured vehicles. All light tanks have identical strength and armour values.

Medium tanks. Armoured vehicles. All medium tanks have identical strength and armour values.

SPGs. Armoured vehicles. All SPGs have identical strength and armour values.

Heavy tanks. Armoured vehicles. All heavy tanks have identical strength and armour values. A heavy tank (and only a heavy tank) can single-handedly destroy an enemy base with one attack. To destroy a base with other classes of vehicles, at least two units of vehicles are needed. As a reminder of this property of heavy tanks, their class icon is red.

Auxiliary troops. Not armoured vehicles. Auxiliary troops are distinguished by a great variety of strength, armour and resource values, and have various abilities.

Contents of a Vehicle Card

• (a) Name. The name of this unit of vehicles in the language of the nation to which it historically belonged (Russian, German, English or French).
• (b) Nation. Belonging to one of the four nations in the game: USSR, USA, Germany, France.
• (c) Class. Belonging to one of five classes: light tank, medium tank, SPG, heavy tank, auxiliary troops.
• (d) Cost. The cost for which this card can be bought from the reserve.
• (e) Resources. Resources that can be used to pay the cost of other cards from the reserve.
• (f) Strength. Strength is a generalised expression of a vehicle's active combat characteristics: speed of movement and reloading, engine power, armament, etc. It is shown by the digit 0 (the vehicle cannot be used in an attack), 1 (if the vehicle is used in an attack, it deals 1 damage to one target) or 2 (if the vehicle is used in an attack, it deals 2 damage to one target).
• (g) Armour. Armour is a generalised expression of a vehicle's passive combat characteristics: armouring, visibility, survivability of components, etc. It is shown by the digit 0 (the vehicle cannot be placed on defence of a base), 1 (the vehicle can be placed on defence of a base; it will be destroyed if it receives 1 damage) or 2 (the vehicle can be placed on defence of a base; it will be destroyed if it receives 2 damage).
• (h) Ability. Shown by a special symbol. Abilities are described in detail in the "Abilities" section below.

Medal Cards

Medal cards enter a squad after one or more units of enemy vehicles have been destroyed by vehicles from the squad. Medal cards are divided into 4 kinds by nation: Order of the Red Star (USSR), Iron Cross (Germany), Medal of Honor (USA) and Military Medal (France).

If a player destroyed two units of vehicles on his turn, he may take a card with two medals instead of two cards with one medal (for 3 destroyed units of vehicles he may take one card with two medals and one with one medal, for 4 two cards with two medals, and so on). The player takes medals of the nation to which his attacking armoured vehicle belonged and places them in his depot. If no cards with two medals remain in the deck, the player has to take 2 cards with one medal.

Each national medal deck has 9 cards showing one medal and 3 cards showing two medals. If the last, ninth card with one medal is drawn from any national deck, this leads to the end of the game.

Medal cards can be used to buy vehicle cards. A card with one medal brings 1 resource, with two medals 2 resources (marked with the resource icon on the card).

At the end of the game the medal cards in a squad secure the player's victory.

Base Cards

A base card enters a player's squad after he destroys an opponent's base. At the start of the game each player has three bases of his own in front of him. When a base is destroyed, it is removed from the table and enters the squad of the player who destroyed it. If any player loses his last, third base, this leads to the end of the game (see "End of the Game").

Cards of destroyed bases that come into hand cannot be played in any way. They immediately go to the depot. Thus, during the game base cards are not only useless but even slow down the squad, since in place of a base a more useful card could have been in hand. This seemingly strange game mechanic reflects the fact that in a real war a unit that has taken part in and even won a battle loses its former combat effectiveness due to losses, damage, breakdowns, and consumption of fuel and ammunition.

At the end of the game the destroyed base cards in a squad, like medal cards, secure the player's victory (one destroyed base equals three medals, as marked by the symbol on the base card).

Abilities

Active Abilities

Reinforcement. Draw the indicated number of cards from the hangar into your hand.

Summon. This turn you may buy as many vehicle cards as you like. The sum of resources on your hand cards that you use for buying must be greater than or equal to the sum of the costs of all vehicle cards you acquire this turn.

Scouting. Place all reserve cards in the vehicle deck's discard pile. Lay out 4 new reserve cards.

Sabotage. Each of your opponents chooses 1 card in his hand and places it in his depot. They do not draw their hand back up to three cards.

Assault. Choose an enemy base or a vehicle unit defending his base. Deal damage to it: turn the opponent's card 90 degrees or, if it has already been damaged, destroy it. On your turn you may attack with vehicle cards of one nation and also use an assault card, even if it does not belong to the same nation. The assault card may be used even against defended bases. If a defended base is destroyed, the armoured vehicle that defended it goes to the opponent's depot.

A destroyed vehicle unit goes to the opponent's depot. For a destroyed unit of vehicles you receive at the end of your turn 1 medal in your depot of the nation to which the card with the assault ability belongs.

Research. Discard this card to the graveyard. Take from the reserve a vehicle card costing no more than the indicated number and place it in your depot. Refill the reserve from the vehicle deck. You cannot combine the research ability with the resources of other cards to make a more expensive purchase, but you may use the card's resources for buying instead of using its ability.

Repair. Choose 1 or 2 cards from your depot and discard them to the graveyard. Note that the repair card itself does not go to the graveyard.

Invulnerability. Take from the medal deck a card with one medal of the nation to which the invulnerability card belongs and place it in your depot.

Passive Abilities

Passive abilities are not played by the player but only restrict the use of a vehicle card in some way.

Only against bases. The card cannot be used to attack vehicles.

Only against vehicles. The card cannot be used to attack bases.

National resources. The card's resources can be used only to acquire cards belonging to the indicated nation. Several cards of one nation can be bought this way only by using a card with the "Summon" ability.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does one squad include vehicles of different nations? This does not match the realities of World War II! World of Tanks: Rush is based on the online game World of Tanks, where mixing armoured vehicles of different nations in one squad is the norm. If the historicity of this approach bothers you, remember that tank units of different armies often included captured vehicles.

Why are no medals given for a player keeping his bases until the end of the game? Isn't defence as important as attack? The creators of World of Tanks encourage an aggressive, assertive style of play. Attempts to build a layered defence only drag the game out, to the displeasure of most players.

Why is the "repair" ability needed? Why get rid of cards in your squad? Repair is a very strong ability in skilled hands. With it you can get rid of ineffective, obsolete cards that slow down the development of your squad. For example, the starting barracks cards, which by the middle of the game will hinder more than help.

Why are cards showing two medals needed? Are two cards with one medal worse? Since during the game medal cards have minimal use (one resource per medal), toward the end of the game they will clutter your hand. One "useless" card in the deck is better than two. But to get a card with two medals you will have to work hard and destroy two units of vehicles in one turn.

A player must take a card with one medal and place it in his depot, but such cards have run out. What to do? In this case the player does not receive a medal card.

My friend Kolya and I have come up with new rules or want to change the existing ones. May we play by our own rules? Of course, it is your game. Any ideas about the game that seem worthy of attention can be sent to [email protected].