Zero!: The Rise and Fall of The Imperial Japanese Air Force Dec 1941 - June 1942 Rulebook

Table of Contents

Campaign Rules

2.0 Components

ZERO! includes the following components:

76 Action Cards (GMT's official errata corrects this to 74 Action Cards — see the Action Card Distribution Summary at the end of the Basic Rules)
54 Aircraft Cards
88 Counters
4 Target Sheets (both sides)
3 Campaign Sheets (both sides)
3 Major Campaign Sheets
1 Bombing Display / Turn Record Track
1 11" x 17" Resource Sheet
1 Basic Rules booklet
1 Campaign Rules booklet

If any of the game's components are missing or damaged, please contact us to have them replaced:

GMT Games ATTN: ZERO! P.O. Box 1308 Hanford, CA 93232-1308 www.gmtgames.com (800) 523-6111

2.1 Aircraft Cards

The Down in Flames series includes five types of aircraft: Fighters, Light Bombers (Fighter-Bombers), Bombers, Heavy Bombers, and Patrol Aircraft. Only Fighter aircraft are represented in the ZERO! Basic Game.

2.11 Fighters

The main function of a Fighter is to shoot down enemy aircraft. Fighters operate in pairs of two aircraft — a Leader and its Wingman — called an Element. You, the player, control the Leader, and so you hold a hand of Action Cards (AC) representing his Action Capacity. You also control, though to a lesser degree, his Wingman (the other aircraft making up the Element) by temporarily drawing "mini-hands" of Action Cards (AC) when it attacks or is attacked.

2.2 Action Cards (AC)

At the start of the game all the ACs are shuffled. After the initial hands are dealt, the remaining cards form the Draw Pile. The name of each AC appears as a reference in a vertical box on the left side of the card. ACs include an Attack box and a Response-to-Attacks box (see 8.0), as well as annotations for Combat, Bombing, and Damage (see Campaign Rules).

ACs can be played in one of two ways: as an Attack or as a Response.

The cards are color-coded for easy reference. Cards with a RED vertical box on the left side (where the name appears) are Attack cards. Cards with a BLUE vertical box are Response-to-Attack cards. Cards with a WHITE box (such as "Scissors," VERTICAL ROLL, or FULL THROTTLE) can be played as either (but not simultaneously).

NOTE: there is no FULL THROTTLE AC in ZERO! However, it will be included in CORSAIRS AND HELLCATS.

2.3 Pilot Counter

These counters represent the men who piloted Fighters and Light Bombers. These counters are only used in the Campaign Game (exception, see 13.4).

2.4 Altitude and Damage Markers

These markers are used to indicate an aircraft's current Altitude and the Damage Points it has received.

2.5 Other Counters

ZERO! also includes counters to indicate Ace skill, aircraft Maneuverability, Ordnance type (to indicate whether aircraft are carrying bombs or torpedoes), and turn. The Ordnance counters are also used as Turn Order markers (using the large number).

3.0 Sequence of Play

The Basic Game is played in Game Turns; each Game Turn is divided into one Player Turn for each Element (Leader plus Wingman) in play. Player Turns are divided into Phases, detailed below.

Translator's note: distinguish the three terms: Game Turn, Player Turn, and Phase.

During your Player Turn you will complete each of the following Phases in the sequential order shown. If you don't wish to take actions in a given Phase, skip directly to the next one.

Once a player has completed all the Phases of his Player Turn, that Player Turn ends and play proceeds to the next Player Turn. When all players have finished all their Player Turns, the Game Turn ends. Begin the next Game Turn following the same Turn Order established in the first turn (4.7).

3.1 Wingman Attack

If your Wingman is at the same Altitude as an enemy Element, you may choose and declare a target for its attack. Draw a "mini-hand" of cards equal to its Offensive Rating and resolve the attack.

Exception: On the first Game Turn, the first player (only) skips this Phase.

3.2 Adjust Altitude

At this point your Element may freely change Altitude by one adjacent level.

3.3 Play Action Cards (AC)

This is the most important part of the Player Turn. During this Phase you may play an AC from your hand with the Leader of your Element. This lets your Leader adjust his Element's Altitude, change the Leader's Position relative to other aircraft, or damage an enemy aircraft. The affected enemy player has the opportunity to immediately Respond to each AC played against him. You may then also Respond to his Response ACs, and so on, before initiating new actions.

3.4 Discard

You may discard as many ACs from your hand as you wish, placing them face up on the Discard Pile.

3.5 Draw Cards

Once you finish discarding, you may draw new cards. The number of cards you may draw is limited by your Leader's Action Capacity, and by his Performance and Altitude.

Note for Impatient Beginners: If you can't wait any longer to play this game, and haven't yet fully familiarized yourself with the rules, skip to section 14.0 and read the Extended Example of Play. With this, and by following the Sequence of Play above, you'll be able to start rolling. Then, whenever you have questions, look up the relevant rules.

4.0 Deploy and Play

4.1 Summary

Select players for each team
Choose the year in which the action takes place
Each team chooses which aircraft to use
Secretly select the Altitude for each Element in play
Deal the initial Action Cards
Determine player order
Play six Game Turns, using the same player order determined on the first turn
Determine the winning team

4.2 Teams

Divide the players into two teams. One team flies the Japanese fighters and the other flies the Allied fighters.

The number of players on each team can be unequal, but the number of aircraft must be the same. This means one or more players may control two Elements, or one or more players may fly without their Wingman (see 13.0 Rules for Balancing Combat).

4.3 Year

You must choose the year in which the action takes place. The year in which each aircraft entered service is indicated on its Aircraft Card. Choose an aircraft that had already entered service during or before that year.

4.4 Aircraft

Choose Fighter Elements only. Bombers are only available in the Campaign Game.

4.5 Starting Altitude

Each player secretly selects an Altitude for his Element, placing an Altitude marker on the table and hiding it with his hand. Players on the same team may consult each other before selecting their Altitudes. The Altitudes "Very High," "High," "Low," or "Very Low" are indicated with the corresponding marker. Players who wish to start at "Medium" Altitude do not select any marker to indicate it. Once all players have selected an Altitude, all markers are revealed simultaneously. Players who selected "Very High," "High," "Low," or "Very Low" Altitudes place those markers on their Leader's Aircraft Card to indicate it. An Element flying at "Medium" Altitude uses no marker.

Exception: "Very High" Altitude may only be chosen by Elements with Turbochargers (see 5.24).

4.6 Action Cards (AC)

Each player is dealt a number of ACs equal to the Action Capacity of his Element's Leader. If a player controls more than one Element, he keeps the different hands separate. Players keep their hands of cards hidden from the other players at all times.

4.61 Draw Pile Exhausted

When the Draw Pile of Cards is exhausted, shuffle the Discard Pile and place the cards face down again as a new Draw Pile, continuing the game normally.

4.7 Player Order

Flip a coin to determine which side goes first. Indicate this by placing the Turn Marker showing the corresponding side (showing the Japanese or Allied symbol). The first side announces which of its Elements plays first. After the first Element completes its Player Turn, the opposing side selects one of its Elements to go next, and so on, alternating between both teams until every Element has completed its Player Turn. This order, established on Turn 1 of the game, prevails for the rest of the game. Place the Player Order markers in front of each Element as a reminder.

4.8 Game Length

All combats in the Basic Game last through the sixth (6th) turn. After the sixth turn, determine the winning side based on the aerial losses detailed in 4.9.

NOTE: Alternatively, for those who want more blood and wish to continue "to the death," turns continue until every aircraft on one side has been shot down.

4.9 Elimination and Victory

4.91 Player Eliminated

A player is eliminated from the game when both his Leader and Wingman have been shot down.

4.92 Determining the Winner

At the end of combat, determine the Winner based on the number of enemy aircraft Damaged or Destroyed by each team during the course of the game. Victory Points (VPs) accumulate and are as follows:

5 pts. For each enemy Fighter (Leader or Wingman) Destroyed.
2 pts. For each enemy Fighter Damaged (showing the Damaged side of the card) and/or Evaded.

Compare the total number of Points for the Allied side with those of the Japanese side. The side with the higher score is the Winner.

EXAMPLE: An Element of Zeros fights an Element of P-40Es. At the end of combat, one Zero has been Destroyed and the other Damaged. Both P-40Es are Damaged. The Japanese score 4 VPs, and the Allies 7 VPs. The Allies win.

NOTE: This produces a result that does not take into account the quality of the aircraft in flight. It is best used in combats between roughly evenly matched pairs of aircraft. If you want to balance an unequal combat, see section 13.0, Rules for Balancing Combat.

5.0 Aircraft Cards

Each aircraft is represented in the game by an Aircraft Card. These cards are used to represent the capabilities and attributes of each aircraft in greater detail. Aircraft Cards are also used to illustrate the relative Position between aircraft in combat.

Every Aircraft Card has its country's national symbol on the wingtips of the aircraft. All aircraft with a red border are Japanese. All other aircraft are Allied.

Each Aircraft Card shows: Damage Capacity, Special Range, Year of Service, Name, Aircraft Type, Point Value (see 13.0), and Combat Factor.

5.1 Leaders and Wingmen

There are two types of Aircraft Cards for Fighters: Leaders and Wingmen. The Leader's Aircraft Card has a single Combat Factor. The Wingman's Aircraft Card, however, has both an Offensive Rating and a Defensive Rating.

When you select a Leader, you simultaneously select its Wingman. The Wingman is also under your control, but uses a "mini-hand" of cards, reflecting the fact that a pilot does not exercise full control over his Wingman. See section 10.0 Wingman for more details.

5.2 Leader Combat Factor

5.21 Damage Capacity

An aircraft's Damage Capacity is the number of Damage Points (Hits) it can absorb before being shot down.

An Undamaged Fighter becomes Damaged when it equals or exceeds its Damage Capacity as shown on the Undamaged side of its Aircraft Card. Flip the Aircraft Card to its Damaged side to reflect its new status (retaining the accumulated Damage Points). All aircraft lose some effectiveness once Damaged.

NOTE: These rules frequently refer to an aircraft's "Damage." A Damaged aircraft is one whose card is showing the Damaged side — not merely one that has taken some Damage Points.

A Damaged aircraft is shot down when the total Damage Points it has suffered equals or exceeds the Damage Capacity shown on the Damaged side of its Aircraft Card.

EXAMPLE: Hurricane IIBs are flipped to their Damaged side as soon as they accumulate at least three (3) Damage Points, and are Destroyed once they accumulate at least six (6) Damage Points.

5.22 Action Capacity

Action Capacity represents the limit of Action Cards a player may hold in his hand. This Factor is based on the aircraft's real-life speed and maneuverability.

You may not hold more cards in your hand than indicated by your Leader's Action Capacity. The only exceptions are the instant your Leader is Damaged, or when you draw an extra card for descending to a lower Altitude. In these cases, you are not required to discard immediately. However, you will not be allowed to draw new cards during the Draw Cards Phase until the number of cards in your hand is again below the value shown by your Leader's Action Capacity.

5.23 Performance

Performance is the limit on the number of cards you may draw during the Draw Cards Phase of your Player Turn. This Factor is based on the real-life power of the Fighters' engines.

You are allowed to draw a number of Action Cards equal to your Leader's Performance during the Draw Cards Phase of your Game Turn. Remember that you cannot draw more ACs than allowed by your Leader's Action Capacity.

The Leader's Performance is affected by his Altitude:

At "Low" or "Very Low," (+1) to Performance.
At "Medium," NO CHANGE (–).
At "High," (–1) to Performance.
At "Very High," (–2) to Performance.

Exception: See 5.24 (below), Turbochargers.

5.23 (bis) Turbochargers

This section is numbered "5.23" a second time in the official rulebook (immediately following Performance, above); the rulebook's own cross-references still call it 5.24, so it is transcribed here exactly as numbered in the source.

A Leader with a "T" next to his Performance Rating indicates he is a Turbocharged aircraft, which enjoys a certain advantage when fighting at high Altitudes. Turbocharged aircraft treat "Very High" as "High" Altitude, and "High" as "Medium" Altitude, for purposes of Performance (7.4).

NOTE: ZERO! does not include any Turbocharged aircraft. Such aircraft will appear in CORSAIRS AND HELLCATS.

5.24 Number of Bursts

A Leader's Number of Bursts is the number of times he may fire on another aircraft during his Player Turn. This Factor is based on the number and type of machine guns and cannon carried by the aircraft. The amount of ammunition is also reflected.

Each "In My Sights" and "Out of the Sun" Action Card requires the expenditure of one to three Bursts. The exact number of shots varies and is specified in each case. A Leader (during his Player Turn) may allocate his Bursts as he wishes among several "In My Sights" and/or "Out of the Sun" ACs, but may not exceed his Number of Bursts.

Exception: Leaders gain extra Bursts and suffer attack restrictions depending on their Position relative to other aircraft. These rules are detailed in the Position section (6.0).

Note: the source rulebook's numbering skips from 5.24 directly to 5.26 with no 5.25 printed.

5.26 Aircraft Agility

Some aircraft (such as the A6M2 Zero) are considered quite Agile. An "Agile" aircraft may, once during each of its own turns, treat any AC as if it were a "Scissors" AC. See 6.34 for more explanation.

5.27 Bombing (Campaign Game)

This attribute is only used in the Campaign Game. It is not used in these combats.

5.28 Victory Point Value

This "value" is used to balance unequal combats between aircraft (see 13.0).

5.3 Wingman Offensive Rating

During World War II most Fighter formations consisted basically of two aircraft, the Leader and the Wingman. This pair of aircraft was called by different terms depending on the country; in the game we'll refer to this pair as an Element. In ZERO!, each Leader begins the game with his Wingman. The game includes a Wingman Aircraft Card for every Leader Aircraft Card. When you choose a Leader's Aircraft Card, you also choose its corresponding Wingman Aircraft Card, which will be an aircraft of the same type. The only exception is when a side chooses to fly a Leader without his Wingman in order to balance the game.

5.31 Damage

Wingmen use the same Damage rules as Leaders.

5.32 Offensive Rating and Defensive Rating

Every Wingman Aircraft Card has an Offensive Rating and a Defensive Rating, indicating the number of cards it may draw to form its "mini-hand" when attacking or defending, respectively. The details for using these Factors are given in 10.0.

A Wingman's Ratings are affected by Altitude as follows:

At "Very High," (–1) to both the Offensive Rating and the Defensive Rating.
At "High," (–1) to its Defensive Rating.
At any other Altitude, the Wingman's printed Ratings are unaffected.

Exception: See 5.33, Turbocharged Wingmen.

5.33 Turbocharged Wingmen

Wingmen marked with a "T" on their Aircraft Cards are Turbocharged aircraft, which have a greater advantage when flying at high Altitudes. Turbocharged Wingmen treat "Very High" as "High" and "High" as "Medium" Altitude for purposes of modifying their Ratings (see 5.32 and 7.5).

NOTE: ZERO! does not include Turbocharged Wingmen. Such aircraft will appear in CORSAIRS AND HELLCATS.

5.34 Bombing

Wingmen use the same rules for Bombing as Leaders. This attribute is only used in the Campaign Games.

5.35 Victory Point (VP) Modifier

This Modifier is used per the Rules for Balancing Combat (see 13.0). When a Wingman is included in an Element, add its VP to its Leader's VP to determine the Element's total VP.

6.0 Position

The Down in Flames series uses two game mechanisms to help players visualize the action. One of them is Altitude, described in section 7.0. The other mechanism is Position. In Down in Flames, Leader cards are placed in a particular way to indicate their Position relative to other aircraft.

6.1 Relative Position

Every Leader is always in one of five Positions relative to another enemy Leader. In order from best to worst Position, these are: "Tailing," "Advantaged," "Neutral," "Disadvantaged," or "Tailed." Position affects aircraft attacks.

"Tailing": This means your aircraft is positioned behind an enemy aircraft, with its nose pointed at your opponent's tail. This is the best Position from which to attack, allowing you to fire on your opponent for up to THREE EXTRA BURSTS.

"Advantaged": This Position is not as good as "Tailing," though it is still very good. It represents a Position from which you have the chance to take several shots with little deflection. You may apply ONE EXTRA BURST when firing from this Position.

"Neutral": Neither aircraft has a notable advantage. Both are in a hastily taken Position, firing with a great deal of deflection. Your aircraft will normally be in "Neutral" Position relative to most enemy aircraft in play.

"Disadvantaged": When your opponent is in "Advantaged" Position relative to your aircraft. From this Position, your aircraft can still fire at him, but with a great deal of deflection.

"Tailed": When your opponent is in "Tailing" Position relative to your aircraft. You have an enemy aircraft right behind you that is about to fire everything it has at you.

6.2 Indicating Relative Position

6.21

Relative Position is indicated by the placement of the Leader's card relative to another aircraft. Wingman and Bomber cards do not use Position rules and are always placed facing the owning player.

6.22

Leaders change their Position relative to other aircraft when Action Cards (AC) for "Maneuvering," "Half Loop," "Full Throttle," and "Scissors" are played as an Attack. If you play an AC that puts your aircraft in "Advantaged" Position, the opposing aircraft ends up in "Disadvantaged" Position.

6.23

The aircraft's nose is the front edge of the Leader's card, the wings are the side edges, and the edge that depicts the interior of the cockpit is the bottom edge.

6.24

If your Leader is in "Neutral" Position, place his card facing you, with the front edge facing the enemy aircraft.

6.25

If your Leader is in "Advantaged" Position, place the card so that the front edge points at the side edge of the enemy Leader. If an enemy Leader points at the side of your Leader, your Leader is in "Disadvantaged" Position.

6.26

If your Leader is in "Tailing" Position, place the card with the front edge pointing at the bottom edge of the enemy Leader. If an enemy Leader points at the bottom edge of your Leader (i.e., is positioned on your aircraft's "tail"), your Leader has an "Enemy on his Tail."

6.3 Adjusting Position

To improve your Relative Position with respect to an enemy Leader you must play an AC. The four cards that adjust your Position are discussed in this section. Reposition the Leader's card to reflect each Position change after each successful attempt (when the enemy fails his Response). (Note: the following examples include "Responses," not yet explained but necessary to understand the examples. See 8.3 and 8.4 for more details.)

6.31 Maneuvering

A "Maneuvering" AC changes your Leader's Position from "Tailed" to "Disadvantaged"; from "Disadvantaged" to "Neutral"; from "Neutral" to "Advantaged"; or from "Advantaged" to "Tailing."

EXAMPLE: Your F4F is in "Neutral" Position relative to a Zero. You play a "Maneuvering" AC against him. He plays a "Tight Turn" AC. You also play another "Tight Turn" to Respond to his "Tight Turn." He no longer responds. Your F4F is now in "Advantaged" Position relative to the Zero (and the Zero is in "Disadvantaged" Position relative to your F4F).

6.32 "Half Loop"

A "Half Loop" AC will take your Leader from "Tailed" to "Neutral"; from "Disadvantaged" to "Advantaged"; or from "Neutral" to "Tailing." A "Half Loop" AC changes your Leader's Position by two levels; it can NEVER be used to change just one Position.

EXAMPLE: Your F4F is on the "Tail" of a Zero. Your opponent plays a "Half Loop." You Respond with an "Ace Pilot" AC. He Responds to that with another "Ace Pilot" AC. You can no longer Respond. Each aircraft is now in "Neutral" Position relative to the other.

6.33 Full Throttle

A "Full Throttle" AC (which will be available in the CORSAIRS AND HELLCATS expansion) adjusts a Leader's Position from "Tailed" to "Disadvantaged"; or from "Disadvantaged" to "Neutral." As an Attack AC, it may only be played when your Leader is in "Disadvantaged" Position or has an "Enemy on his Tail."

6.34 "Scissors"

A "Scissors" AC changes your Leader's Position from "Disadvantaged" to "Advantaged" when played as an Attack AC. As an Attack AC, it may only be played when your Leader is in "Disadvantaged" Position.

6.35 "Agile" Aircraft

An aircraft considered "Agile" may treat ANY AC as a "Scissors" AC when playing it on its turn.

EXAMPLE #1: Your Zero is "Disadvantaged" relative to an F4F. You play a "Scissors" AC. He Responds with another "Scissors" AC. You have no more "Scissors," but since the Zero is an "Agile" aircraft, you play a "Maneuvering" AC as a "Scissors." He fails his Response, so your Zero is now "Advantaged" relative to the F4F. Note that if the F4F had had another "Scissors," it would have negated your Response, since an "Agile" aircraft may only treat a "non-Scissors" AC as a "Scissors" once per turn.

EXAMPLE #2: Continuing the example above, it is now the F4F's turn. The enemy plays a "Scissors" AC. You no longer have any "Scissors" ACs, and since it is no longer your turn, you cannot use your "Agile" aircraft's ability. The F4F is now "Advantaged" relative to your Zero.

6.36 Giving Up a Position

If your Leader is in "Advantaged" or "Tailing" Position, at the start of your Player Turn, you may give up that Position at the start of the Play AC Phase by repositioning to "Neutral." This way, you are free to play ACs to gain Position relative to a different enemy Leader, or to Attack a Leader, Wingman, or Bomber. Note: a Leader (or Wingman) may not play Attack ACs against more than one aircraft during a Game Turn.

6.4 Effect of Position

When a Leader is in "Disadvantaged" Position or has an "Enemy on his Tail," he is not permitted to attack using his Bursts. A Leader uses the Number of Bursts printed on his card when firing from a "Neutral" Position. A Leader in "Advantaged" Position increases his Number of Bursts by "1." A Leader in "Tailing" Position increases his Number of Bursts by "3." Leaders with a printed Number of Bursts of "0" (such as a Ki-43) cannot fire from a "Neutral" Position, but can obtain "1" or "3" EXTRA Bursts by achieving "Advantaged" or "Tailing" Position, respectively.

EXAMPLE: A Zero has a normal Number of Bursts limit of one (1). This increases to two (2) when "Advantaged," and to four (4) when "Tailing."

These increases to the Number of Bursts relative to "Neutral" Position are NOT cumulative. A Leader can NEVER have his Number of Shots increased by more than three (+3) due to Position.

EXAMPLE: The Zero in the illustration (Disadvantaged by the F4F) begins his Player Turn. He currently has "0" Bursts, since he can only fire from "Neutral," "Advantaged," or "Tailing" Positions. The Zero now plays a "Maneuvering" AC, to which the F4F does not Respond. The Zero is now in "Neutral" Position relative to the F4F. He could now use 1 Burst (his printed Factor) against the F4F, or play additional "Maneuvering" or "Half Loop" ACs, or both, on his turn.

He plays 1 Burst with an "In My Sights" AC against the F4F. This attack spends all the Zero's available Bursts, unless he improves to a Position that increases his Number of Bursts. He could play another "Maneuvering" AC against the F4F, and have 1 additional Burst (+1 for "Advantaged" Position), or could play two "Maneuvering" ACs (or one "Half Loop"), moving up to "Tailing" Position and having three more Bursts. He could even use 1 Burst while "Advantaged," then play another "Maneuvering" AC to move to "Tailing" Position, where he could use 2 more Bursts (using 2 of the 4 Bursts).

6.5 Combat Assignment

If your Leader is in any "non-Neutral" Position, he is locked in combat against an aircraft — that is, he is Assigned. If your Leader is Assigned, he cannot play Attack ACs against any aircraft other than the one he is currently fighting, unless he breaks free of that aircraft, ceasing to be Assigned and returning to "Neutral" Position (either by playing an AC or voluntarily at the start of your Player Turn). Remember that your Leader cannot play Attack ACs against more than one aircraft in the same turn.

A Leader in "Neutral" Position is NOT Assigned, and may play Attack ACs (see 8.0) against any NOT Assigned enemy Leader or Wingman.

6.6 Restrictions on an Assigned Leader

a) A Leader can be Assigned against only one enemy Leader at a time.

b) When a Leader is in "Disadvantaged" Position or has an "Enemy on his Tail," he is not permitted to expend his Bursts, unless he has a machine gun, in which case he may attack the Assigned enemy Leader (9.0).

c) The Wingman of an Assigned Leader may conduct attacks against the Assigned enemy Leader or his Wingman.

d) Leaders or Wingmen of other Elements are not permitted to initiate an attack against an enemy Leader who is already Assigned, although they may attack his Wingman (see exceptions in 6.7).

6.7 Attacking Leaders WITHOUT a Wingman that are in "Advantaged" or "Tailing" Position

6.71

There is one exception to the restriction in 6.6.d (above): attacking a Leader WITHOUT a Wingman who is in "Advantaged" or "Tailing" Position. (You may NOT attack a Leader who is in "Disadvantaged" Position or has an "Enemy on his Tail" with another Leader.) You are permitted to attack an enemy Leader WITHOUT a Wingman in "Advantaged" or "Tailing" Position with a NOT Assigned Leader or a Wingman from your side, using the procedure in 6.72.

6.72 Procedure

a) First, your NOT Assigned Leader or Wingman must play "Maneuvering," "Half Loop," "Full Throttle," or "Scissors" ACs (this last AC only if the enemy Leader is in "Advantaged" Position) until the enemy Leader WITHOUT a Wingman loses his "Advantaged" or "Tailing" Position relative to the other friendly Leader. The enemy Leader WITHOUT a Wingman may Respond normally (8.3).

b) Once the enemy Leader WITHOUT a Wingman reaches "Neutral" Position, he becomes NOT Assigned relative to other friendly Leaders, so you may play ACs against him as normal (8.2).

c) If, in the course of steps "a" and "b" above, you play ACs that adjust the Position of the enemy Leader WITHOUT a Wingman beyond "Neutral" Position, you immediately gain "Advantaged" or "Tailing" Position relative to him.

EXAMPLE: An enemy Ki-43 WITHOUT a Wingman is "Advantaged" relative to a Buffalo. Your Leader is a Hurricane IIB. You play a "Scissors" card (this is the only situation in the game in which you can play a "Scissors" AC with a NOT Assigned Leader against an Assigned enemy Leader), which is Responded to with an "Ace Pilot." You Respond again with another "Ace Pilot," to which he no longer Responds. The enemy Ki-43 now loses his Position relative to the Buffalo, and you are placed in Advantaged Position relative to the Ki-43. You may now play any card normally against the Assigned Ki-43.

7.0 Altitude

Aircraft are always at one of these five Altitude levels: "Very Low," "Low," "Medium," "High," or "Very High." Only opposing aircraft at the same Altitude may play ACs against each other.

7.1 Altitude Marker

Players designate the Altitude of each Element in play using Altitude markers. If there is no Altitude marker next to a Leader's card, the Element is considered to be at "Medium" Altitude.

7.2 Changing Altitude

Changing Altitude is a good way to evade an enemy Leader who is in "Advantaged" or "Tailing" Position relative to your Leader.

You may adjust your Element's Altitude by one level during the Adjust Altitude Phase of your Player Turn. An aircraft may never go above "Very High" Altitude or below "Very Low" Altitude (or above the Altitude limit shown on the Leader's Aircraft Card). You may also change an Element's Altitude by playing a "Vertical Roll" AC during the Play Cards Phase of your Player Turn. Only an enemy Element that is in "Advantaged" or "Tailing" Position relative to your Leader may follow you, also changing its Altitude and maintaining its Position relative to you.

7.21 During the "Adjust Altitude" Step

If you change Altitude during the Adjust Altitude Phase of the Sequence of Play, do the following:

a) Adjust your Element's Altitude by one level, up or down.

b) Draw an AC from the deck if you move to a lower Altitude, even if it temporarily causes you to exceed the maximum AC limit allowed in your hand (equal to your aircraft's Action Capacity — Performance Range). If you are moving up a level, discard an AC from your hand. If you have no AC to discard, you may not move up a level.

c) If you are in "Advantaged" or "Tailing" Position relative to an enemy aircraft, you lose that Position, returning to "Neutral" Position.

d) If you are "Disadvantaged" or have an "Enemy on your Tail" relative to an enemy aircraft, that Element may follow you by changing its Altitude and maintaining its Position, as follows:

If you have an "Enemy on your Tail," he may follow you freely, performing steps "a" and "b" above.
If you are "Disadvantaged," your enemy may discard an AC from his hand, then immediately perform steps "a" and "b" above. Note that this means an aircraft in "Advantaged" Position that follows you to a higher Altitude must discard two (2) cards: one for following you, and another for gaining Altitude.
If the enemy aircraft does not pursue you, it remains at its current Altitude and moves to "Neutral" Position.

7.22 Playing a "Vertical Roll"

If you change Altitude by playing a "Vertical Roll" during your turn:

Apply steps "a-d" in 7.21 (above), EXCEPT that an aircraft in "Advantaged" or "Tailing" Position that pursues you by changing Altitude must discard an AC to do so. An aircraft may never follow a "Vertical Roll" Altitude change "for free." Note the difference between this situation and the one described above in 7.21.d.1.

7.23 Canceling a "Vertical Roll"

A Leader who is Advantaged or Tailing may play a "Vertical Roll" or "Ace Pilot" AC as a Response to cancel an Altitude change made with a "Vertical Roll" AC.

NOTE: A "Vertical Roll" AC played as a Response AC causes no Altitude change.

7.24 Effect on Position

If the enemy changes Altitude while your Leader is in "Disadvantaged" Position or has an "Enemy on his Tail," the enemy will adjust his Element's Altitude to match your Leader's. If he does not change to the same Altitude as your Leader, he remains at his current Altitude, but moves to "Neutral" Position.

7.3 Altitude Attack Restrictions

Your Leader or Wingman may not maneuver against or attack an aircraft that is at a different Altitude.

7.4 Effect of Altitude on Performance

A Leader's Performance is affected by his Altitude:

At "Low" or "Very Low," (+1) to Performance.
At "MEDIUM," no change.
At "High," (–1) to Performance.
At "Very High," (–2) to Performance.

Exception: Turbochargers suffer no change to Performance from "High" and "Very High" Altitude effects (see 5.24).

7.5 Effect of Altitude on Wingmen

A Wingman's Offensive Rating and Defensive Rating are affected by his Altitude:

At "Very High," (–1) to both Ratings (Offensive and Defensive).
At "High," (–1) to his Defensive Rating.
At lower Altitudes, the Ratings are unaffected.

Exception: See 5.33, Turbocharged Wingmen.

8.0 Dogfight: Maneuver / Combat

8.1 Overview

8.11

During your Player Turn, you play ACs from your hand ["Maneuvering," "Half Loop," "Full Throttle," "Vertical Roll," and "Scissors"] for the purpose of changing your aircraft's Position and Altitude. Once your Position has changed (and while you are at the same Altitude and in "Neutral," "Advantaged," or "Tailing" Position), you may play ACs ["In My Sights" and "Out of the Sun"] to damage and destroy the enemy aircraft. Note that a "Maneuvering" AC is not necessarily required. A player may, for example, play a 1-Burst "In My Sights" AC against an enemy aircraft from a "Neutral" Position, then play a "Maneuvering" card to improve that Position (gaining additional Bursts), then play another 1-Burst "In My Sights" AC from "Advantaged" Position.

8.12

The target player of these maneuvers and attempts may play the appropriate Response AC ["Tight Turn," "Barrel Roll," "Ace Pilot," "Full Throttle," "Vertical Roll," or "Scissors"] each time an Attack AC is played against him. The attacker may then, if he has the appropriate Response AC, counter the Defender's Response AC. This continues until a player cannot, or chooses not to, Respond. If at any point the defending player does not Respond, the original Attack AC succeeds. If the defender Responds successfully and the attacker in turn does not Respond, the original Attack AC fails.

EXAMPLE #1: During the turn of a player controlling a Zero in "Neutral" Position, he plays a "Maneuvering" AC against a P-40B. If the player controlling the P-40B has an AC in his hand that contains the word "Maneuvering" in the blue Response box, he may play it and counter the attempt. Suppose he plays "Tight Turn." The Zero could Respond if he has an AC in his hand that says "Tight Turn" in the corresponding blue Response box. Suppose he plays a "Tight Turn" as a Response to the Response. The defender no longer has any AC left in his hand that Responds to a "Tight Turn" like the one played, so the original "MANEUVERING" AC takes effect, and the Zero's Position improves from "Neutral" to "Advantaged" relative to the P-40B.

EXAMPLE #2: The same Zero, having improved his Position to "Advantaged," may now play up to two Bursts against the P-40B (his printed Burst Factor of 1 increased by +1 for "Advantaged" Position). He plays 1 Burst with an "In My Sights" AC. The P-40B Responds with a "Barrel Roll." The Zero has no cards with which to Respond to the "Barrel Roll," so the attack fails.

However, the Zero still has 1 unused Burst remaining, and fortunately has another 1-Burst "In My Sights" AC in his hand. This time, the P-40B has no AC to Respond, so the attack succeeds and (because the "In My Sights" card produces 2 Damage Points) the P-40B takes two Damage Points.

If the Zero has another "Maneuvering" AC in his hand, as well as others, he could, at this point, attempt to maneuver to improve to "Tailing" Position and obtain two additional Bursts. If successful, he could play additional Burst ACs up to the new limit.

8.2 Initiating an Attack

8.21

The only player permitted to initiate an attack is the one whose Player Turn it is. In order for your Leader to initiate an attack against an enemy Leader, you must play an AC that describes an effect in the red Attack box. The term "Attack" is used to indicate any action that will damage an enemy Leader or Wingman aircraft, or alter your Position or Altitude. A Leader (or Wingman) may only attack (by playing an Attack AC) one enemy aircraft per turn.

8.22

An enemy player may Respond against an attack on his Leader or Wingman once the Attack AC has been played.

8.23

The number of Hits inflicted by an Attack AC is specified in the red Attack box on the AC ["In My Sights" and "Out of the Sun"].

8.3 Responding to an Attack

8.31

To Respond to an attack against your Leader or Wingman, you must play an AC that names the Attack AC in its blue Response box. When you successfully play a Response AC, the effects of the Attack AC are negated.

EXAMPLE: The enemy player plays a "Tight Turn" as a Response to your "In My Sights" AC.

8.32

The following Response ACs may be used to Respond to an Attack AC: "Tight Turn," "Barrel Roll," "Ace Pilot," "Full Throttle," "Vertical Roll," or "Scissors."

8.33

When the defending player Responds to an Attack AC, the attacking player has the opportunity to Respond to that Response AC.

8.4 Responding to a Response

8.41

The attacking player is permitted to play his own Response ACs once the Defending player has Responded to the Attack AC.

8.42

Similarly to Responding to an attack, a Response to a Response AC must be played with an AC that indicates it can be played against the Response AC played by the opponent.

CONTINUING THE EXAMPLE: You play a "Tight Turn" in Response to the "Tight Turn" that was played in response to your "In My Sights" AC.

8.43

Both players continue Responding to the last AC played until one of them lacks the appropriate Response AC, or chooses not to Respond.

CONTINUING THE EXAMPLE: The enemy Responds to your "Tight Turn" with a "Scissors" AC. Then you Respond with an "Ace Pilot." The opposing player does not Respond.

8.44

If the last card is played by the attacking player, the original Attack AC takes effect. If the last card is played by the defending player, the effects of the original Attack AC are negated.

FINISHING THE EXAMPLE: Since you played the last AC, the original Attack AC, "In My Sights," takes effect against the enemy aircraft.

8.45

Regardless of the result, at the end of the attacker's turn all ACs played are discarded. If the attack succeeds and the original Attack AC was an "In My Sights" or "Out of the Sun," the Damage indicated on the AC is inflicted on the enemy aircraft. Place a Damage marker on the aircraft to indicate this.

8.5 Initiating a New Attack

Once an attack is resolved, the attacking player is free to initiate a new attack against the same enemy aircraft. There are only two restrictions:

a) A Leader cannot exceed his Number of Bursts (as Modified by his Position) during his Player Turn. The maximum Number of Bursts a Leader may use during his Player Turn is the Number of Bursts shown on his Aircraft Card PLUS THREE (the "Tailing" total).

b) A Leader (or Wingman) may not play Attack ACs against more than one enemy aircraft during a single Game Turn.

8.6 Position Change

If your Leader improves his Position after conducting an attack, he immediately gains the additional Bursts earned by the new Position.

9.0 Machine Guns

NOTE: None of the Fighters in ZERO! have Machine Guns. However, all Light Bombers do (see Campaign Rules). The Machine Gun rules are included here because air-to-air combats involving Light Bombers are resolved the same way as those involving Fighters.

9.1 General Rule

9.11

Some Leaders are equipped with a Number of Bursts as well as Machine Guns. It is assumed that the Machine Guns face the sides and/or rear of the aircraft, for the purpose of protecting it from attacks from those directions.

9.12

Leaders with Machine Guns have both a Number of Bursts and a separate Machine Gun rating on their Aircraft Card.

9.2 Machine Gun Attacks

9.21

Machine Guns are permitted to attack enemy Leaders who are in "Advantaged" or "Tailing" Position relative to their own aircraft. Machine Guns cannot attack enemy Leaders who are in "Neutral," "Disadvantaged" Position, or have an "Enemy on their Tail" relative to their own aircraft.

9.22

To attempt a Machine Gun attack, it must be declared the same way as any other attack, with an "In My Sights" or "Out of the Sun" AC.

9.23

Machine Guns have the same Number of Bursts limit as shown on the Aircraft Card. You cannot combine a Leader's Bursts and his Machine Gun's Bursts against the same Attack AC. They are always kept separate. Additionally, Machine Gun Bursts can never be increased, except by a "G" on a Pilot counter (see Campaign Rules). Machine Guns always fire only the Number of Bursts shown on the Aircraft Card.

9.24

Machine Guns are permitted to attack enemy Wingmen only if their Leader is in "Advantaged" or "Tailing" Position relative to the aircraft carrying the Machine Gun.

9.25

Machine Guns can never attack Bombers or Heavy Bombers.

9.26

Machine Gun attacks are treated the same way as an "In My Sights" or "Out of the Sun" attack, and may be Responded to in the same way. Machine Guns, however, can NEVER Respond to a Response. Once its Attack AC fails, its attack ends.

10.0 Wingman

Every Fighter Leader has a Wingman that flies with him. There are two cards in the game for each type of Fighter. The card detailing the values of Action Capacity, Performance, and Number of Bursts is the Leader. The card with an Offensive Rating and a Defensive Rating is the Wingman.

Wingmen do not retain a hand of ACs throughout the game. Instead, their attacks and defenses are represented by a temporary "mini-hand," composed of a number of cards equal to their Offensive Rating (if attacking) or Defensive Rating (if being attacked), drawn each time they attack or defend.

10.1 A Wingman's "Mini-Hand"

10.11

During the Wingman Attack Phase of your turn, draw a "mini-hand" composed of a number of cards equal to your Wingman's Modified Offensive Rating, if your Wingman is Attacking. Note that you must designate the Wingman's target BEFORE drawing his "mini-hand."

10.12

When an opponent announces that he is attacking your Wingman, before he plays any card against the Wingman, draw a "mini-hand" composed of a number of cards equal to your Wingman's Modified Defensive Rating.

10.2 General Rule for Wingmen

Wingmen attack and defend the same way as Leaders, although with a smaller, temporary hand of ACs (a "mini-hand"). The differences are:

a) Restrictions on who may attack the Wingman (10.3).

b) The Wingman is not limited by a Number of Bursts in his attacks. He may play all the ACs drawn to his "mini-hand."

c) "Maneuvering," "Half Loop," "Full Throttle," and "Scissors" ACs successfully played by the Wingman against an enemy Leader improve your Leader's Position relative to that enemy Leader.

d) A Wingman's Offensive Rating and Defensive Rating are affected by Altitude (see 7.5).

10.3 Eligible Targets for the Wingman

a) If your Leader is Assigned to an enemy Leader, your Wingman may only attack that Assigned Leader or his Wingman.

b) If your Leader is in "Neutral" Position, his Wingman may attack any NOT Assigned enemy Leader or ANY Wingman of an Element at the same Altitude.

10.4 Wingman Attacking a Leader

10.41

After declaring the enemy Leader to be attacked, draw a number of ACs, indicated by the Wingman's Offensive Rating, called a "mini-hand." Then carry out the attack the same way as a Leader would, but with his drawn "mini-hand" of ACs.

10.42

If the enemy Leader does not Respond to an "In My Sights" or "Out of the Sun" AC, or if your Wingman successfully Responds to his Response ACs (if the Wingman's card is the last one played), damage is inflicted on the enemy Leader as normal.

10.43

If the enemy Leader does not Respond to a "Maneuvering," "Half Loop," "Full Throttle," or "Scissors" AC, or if your Wingman successfully Responds to his Response ACs, adjust your own Leader's Position relative to the enemy Leader as indicated by the original Attack AC.

10.44

Each of the Attack ACs drawn to the "mini-hand" is resolved one at a time and in the same manner.

10.45

The owning player is free to discard the drawn ACs without playing any of them with his attacking Wingman.

EXAMPLE #1: Your Zero has an "Enemy on his Tail" relative to an F4F Leader. Your Wingman attacks the F4F and draws the following ACs: "In My Sights" and "Maneuvering." You decide to play the "Maneuvering" AC first. The F4F player does not Respond. Your Leader now moves to "Disadvantaged." You then play the "In My Sights" AC, which is Responded to with a "Barrel Roll." Because you have no more ACs left in your "mini-hand" with which to Respond, your "In My Sights" AC is negated and inflicts no damage on the enemy Leader.

EXAMPLE #2: Your Zero Wingman declares his target, an enemy F4F Leader who is in "Neutral" Position relative to your own Leader, then draws his two ACs for his "mini-hand." He draws a "Tight Turn" and a "Half Loop." He plays the "Half Loop," to which the enemy Leader does not Respond. This adjusts the Zero Leader's Position from "Neutral" to "Tailing" the F4F Leader. The "Tight Turn" AC is now discarded, being unplayable, and the Wingman's attack ends.

10.5 Wingman Attacking a Wingman

10.51

Declare the enemy Wingman to be attacked, then draw the ACs indicated by the attacking Wingman's Modified Offensive Rating. Your opponent likewise draws a number of ACs equal to his Wingman's Modified Defensive Rating to his "mini-hand."

10.52

You may then proceed with your attack the same way as if it were a Leader, except that "Maneuvering," "Half Loop," "Full Throttle," and "Scissors" ACs cannot be played by a Wingman attacking another Wingman. Only "In My Sights" and "Out of the Sun" may be played as attacks; the other ACs in your "mini-hand" may only be played to Respond to his Response ACs.

EXAMPLE: Your Zero Wingman draws the following ACs against an F4F Wingman: "Maneuvering" and "In My Sights." The F4F Defender draws two "In My Sights" ACs. Your "Maneuvering" AC cannot be played since your target is a Wingman. You play the "In My Sights." The F4F cannot Respond since he has no AC to do so. Your attack succeeds and you apply Damage to the enemy Wingman.

10.6 Leader Attacking a Wingman

10.61

Leaders are permitted to use "Maneuvering" and/or "Half Loop" ACs to increase their Burst limit against the Wingman during their Player Turn. When played successfully, every "Maneuvering" AC increases the Leader's Number of Bursts by one, and every "Half Loop" AC increases it by two.

10.62

In most Leader-versus-Leader combats an aircraft can gain up to three additional Bursts (when Tailing). However, a Leader attacking a Wingman does not suffer this limitation.

EXAMPLE: Your Zero Leader is attacking a Buffalo Wingman. Your Zero has a Number of Bursts of one. You play a "Maneuvering" AC, which the Buffalo negates with a "Tight Turn." You then play another "Maneuvering" AC which is not Responded to, and then play a "Half Loop" AC. Your Zero now has four Bursts. You then play, in the course of your turn, two "In My Sights" ACs that each require one Burst, and one "Out of the Sun" AC that requires two Bursts.

10.63

When the Leader declares that he is attacking the Wingman, the player controlling the Wingman draws a "mini-hand" (equal to the Wingman's Modified Defensive Rating) from which he will Respond to all of the Leader's attacks (NOT a "mini-hand" per Attack AC). If he fails to Respond, or if the Leader successfully Responds to a Response (the last AC played is the Leader's), the Wingman takes the Damage Points shown on the Attack AC.

11.0 Downed Fighters

11.1 Wingman Shot Down

When a Wingman is shot down, set it aside to later determine victory.

11.2 Leader Shot Down

The player assumes full control of his Wingman when his Leader is shot down (his Wingman becomes the Leader).

When your Leader is shot down:

Discard your current hand of ACs.
Remove all Damage markers from the Leader.
Take a marker with the number of Damage Points your Wingman has and place it on the Leader's Aircraft Card. The number and Damage status is retained when the Wingman becomes the Leader. The Wingman's Aircraft Card is then set aside for victory determination.
Draw a full hand of ACs equal to the new Leader's Action Capacity MINUS ONE.

DESIGNER'S NOTE: This penalty to Performance reflects the "shock" that befalls a Wingman's pilot when his Leader is shot down, and lasts one turn. On future turns, he uses his printed Action Capacity.

12.0 Disengaging Combat

Sometimes fleeing a combat is your best option. Many pilots are alive today because they knew when to get out of a "Dogfight."

12.1 Voluntary Evasion

12.11

In the Basic Game, a player may attempt to voluntarily Evade by withdrawing his Element from combat. He may attempt to Evade during the Play AC Phase of his Player Turn, INSTEAD OF playing an AC. To attempt to voluntarily Evade, draw one AC from the Draw Pile FOR EACH AIRCRAFT EVADING and compare it on the Evasion Table (printed on the back of these rules).

12.12

Match the resulting card under the "Card Drawn" column of the Evasion Table to obtain a resulting Level. Check the Level modifiers just below the table to determine any adjustment (level up or down on the table). After all adjustments have been made, consult the "Result" column to determine your aircraft's fate.

13.0 Rules for Balancing Combat

You may balance a "Dogfight" in one of the following ways (or you may also balance it however you like, though here are the systems we use). Our four favorite methods are detailed below.

13.1 Victory Points (VP) vs. Air Superiority

One way is to give the difference in Fighters' Victory Points (VP) to the player with fewer Fighter VPs. So, a player flying an Element of Buffalos (4 points) against an Element of Zeros (6 points) would get a VP bonus of two points. Thus, in a four-versus-four "Dogfight" between Japanese Elements of Zeros (6 Points) and Ki-43s (4 points) and Allied Elements of P-40Es (6 Points) and F4Fs (6 Points), the bonus would be (12 – 10 =) 2 VPs for the Japanese.

Alternatively, you can also use these VPs to "balance" the "Dogfights" themselves. Whenever the total VP of aircraft used by each side is equal (also assuming the same number of aircraft), the battle would be fairly balanced.

13.2 Against a Better Aircraft

Another way to balance a "Dogfight" is to give one side more Elements than the other, with an equal total aircraft VP for each side.

13.3 Leaders Without Wingmen

You may also choose to balance a "Dogfight" by giving one player a Leader but not his Wingman in one or more of his Elements.

13.4 Pilot Counters

The fourth way to balance a "Dogfight" is to give the side with the lower aircraft VP total a pilot with a bonus of one or more on one of the Leader aircraft. The basic rule of thumb here is that each point of bonus on the pilot counter equals one aircraft VP. (Do not confuse this with the VP awarded for shooting down Leaders in the Campaign Game. This is used only to balance the game, not to earn VP.) See the Pilots section in the Campaign Rules for more details.

14.0 Extended Example of Play

Printed as "13.0" in the source rulebook — a numbering slip, since the Table of Contents lists this as section 14.0 and it follows immediately after 13.4.

The following "Dogfight" illustrates the concepts of the Basic Game, as well as the Sequence of Play. We encourage you to pick up the cards and lay out this combat so you can better visualize the actions.

Preparing the Battle

In an effort to balance the combat, the players choose a Buffalo Element against a Ki-43 Element (both accompanied by their Wingman). Both choose "Medium" Altitude to begin.

Initial Card Deal

The following abbreviations are used in the example:

IMS = IN MY SIGHTS
MVG = MANEUVERING
OTS = OUT OF THE SUN
(#B/#D) = Number of Bursts required by an IMS or OTS AC / Damage it inflicts.

The ACs are dealt and distributed as follows:

Buffalo I (5 cards): OTS (2B/3D), IMS (1B/1D), MVG, MVG, SCISSORS

Ki-43 (6 cards): IMS (3B/3D), IMS (1B/1D), MVG, TIGHT TURN, TIGHT TURN, BARREL ROLL

Player Order

Flip a coin for the Turn marker; the Allied player goes first.

Turn 1

Allied Player Turn

Wingman Attack: Since this is the first turn, the Allied player is not permitted to attack with his Wingman.

Adjust Altitude: The Buffalo chooses to stay at "Medium" Altitude.

Play Cards: With a strongly offensive hand, the Allied player chooses to attack the Ki-43 Wingman, hoping to shoot it down in a single turn.

The Japanese player draws his two ACs for the "mini-hand" (the Ki-43) since it has a Defensive Rating of 2 against the attack. He draws an MVG AC (which is useless for defense) and a "Barrel Roll."

The Buffalo Leader plays an MVG AC against the Wingman. The Wingman cannot Respond. He then plays the other MVG AC, again with no Response. By playing the two MVG ACs the Buffalo Leader increases his Burst limit to two, for a total of three. He uses two Bursts to play his OTS AC. The Wingman cannot Respond and takes 3 Damage. The Japanese player flips the Wingman's Aircraft Card to its Damaged side and places a "3" Damage marker on it.

Finally, the Buffalo uses his third (and last) Burst to play his IMS AC. If this card is played successfully the Wingman will be shot down, since the Damaged side of the Ki-43 has a Capacity of 4. However, the Japanese player Responds with his "Barrel Roll," negating the IMS.

Discard: Since he has only one AC in hand and his hand capacity is five, the Allied player chooses not to discard.

Draw: The Buffalo's Performance is 1, so the Allied player draws one new card. He draws a "Tight Turn."

Japanese Player Turn

Wingman Attack: The Ki-43 Wingman announces he will attack the Buffalo Leader. The Wingman has an Offensive Rating of 1, so he draws one AC. He draws a "Scissors" AC, which he cannot play. (Note also that if a Ki-43 Leader were "Disadvantaged," the Wingman could play the "Scissors" AC and attempt to improve the Leader's Position.)

Adjust Altitude: The Japanese player stays at "Medium."

Play Cards: The Ki-43 Leader decides to attack the Buffalo Leader. He begins by playing an MVG Attack AC. The Buffalo Responds with a "Tight Turn" Response AC. The Ki-43 likewise Responds with another "Tight Turn." Since the Buffalo Leader cannot Respond, the MVG Attack AC takes effect. The Ki-43 is now "Advantaged" relative to the Buffalo.

Being "Advantaged," the Ki-43 has an extra Burst, and since his starting Number of Bursts was "0," this gives him a total of "1" Burst. He decides to use it, playing his 1-Burst IMS AC. The Buffalo Leader could Respond by playing his "Scissors." However, he knows the Ki-43 is an Agile aircraft, so the Ki-43 Leader could play any of his ACs as if it were also a "Scissors" Response. Rather than waste the AC, the Allied player decides to take the Damage Point.

Discard/Draw: The Ki-43 does not discard, but draws two ACs (equal to his Performance). He receives an IMS (2B/2D) AC and an "Ace Pilot" AC.

Turn 2

The players now have the following ACs:

Buffalo I: SCISSORS, TIGHT TURN, BARREL ROLL

Ki-43: IMS (3B/3D), IMS (2B/2D), ACE PILOT

Allied Player Turn

Wingman Attack: The Buffalo Wingman attacks the Ki-43 Leader in an attempt to help his Leader. He draws one AC to his "mini-hand" and obtains the powerful OTS (3B/4D) AC. With 4 Damage he would destroy the Ki-43 Leader, but the Japanese player Responds with his "Ace Pilot," which Responds to any AC.

Adjust Altitude: The Buffalo drops to "Low" Altitude in an attempt to slip away from the Ki-43 and pick up an extra AC. He places a "Low" marker on his aircraft and obtains a "Vertical Roll" AC. Since the Ki-43 is "Advantaged" relative to the Buffalo, he may pursue him to "Low" Altitude. He chooses to do so, which requires discarding one AC. He discards his "Barrel Roll." He then draws one AC for moving to a lower Altitude, obtaining an IMS (1B/1D) AC.

Play Cards: The Buffalo plays his "Vertical Roll" and announces he will move to "Very Low" Altitude. The Ki-43 cannot Respond, so the Buffalo flips his Altitude marker to the "Very Low" side and draws one AC for having moved to a lower Altitude. He draws an IMS (1B/2D) AC.

The Ki-43 pursues the Altitude change, discarding his IMS (3B/3D) AC and drawing an MVG AC.

The Buffalo now plays his "Scissors" AC. Since it isn't the Ki-43's turn, the Japanese Leader cannot use his Agile aircraft ability. He has no AC that can Respond to a "Scissors," so the Attack AC takes effect and the Buffalo is placed "Advantaged" relative to the Ki-43.

Being "Advantaged," the Buffalo now has a total of two Bursts, more than enough to play his IMS AC. He decides to do so. The Ki-43 Responds with his "Tight Turn." The Buffalo has no more ACs and cannot Respond. The Play AC Phase ends.

Discard/Draw: The Buffalo's Performance increases by one at "Very Low" Altitude, so he draws two ACs. He takes an MVG AC and a "Tight Turn" AC.

Japanese Player Turn

Wingman Attack: The Ki-43 Wingman attacks the Buffalo Leader again. He draws a "Tight Turn" AC, which cannot be used in his attack.

Adjust Altitude: The Ki-43 stays at "Very Low" Altitude.

Play Cards: Since it is the Ki-43's turn, he can use his "Agility" to play any AC as if it were a "Scissors." The question is which AC to play. He has three ACs: one MVG and two IMS — one (1B/1D) and one (2B/2D). If he treats the IMS (2B/2D) AC as a "Scissors," he can use the other IMS AC immediately. However, if instead he uses the IMS (1B/1D) AC as a "Scissors" AC, he can use the MVG AC, play the IMS (2B/2D), and flip the Buffalo Leader to its Damaged side. He decides to do the latter. The Buffalo cannot Respond to either the "Scissors" AC or the MVG. However, he uses his "Tight Turn" to negate the Ki-43 Leader's IMS AC. Since the Ki-43 now has no ACs left, the Play AC Phase ends.

Discard/Draw: The Ki-43 Leader draws three ACs, since his Performance of 2 is also increased for being at "Very Low" Altitude. He draws a "Barrel Roll," a "Vertical Roll," and an IMS (3B/3D) AC.

The example ends here, although the "Dogfight" continues for another four turns.

Quick Reference: Sequence of Play

The following Sequence of Play summary is reprinted on the back page of the Basic Rules booklet as a quick reference; it repeats 3.0 above verbatim.

3.1 Wingman Attack

If your Wingman is at the same Altitude as an enemy Element, choose and declare a target for your Wingman. Draw a "mini-hand" equal to his Offensive Rating to resolve his attack.

Exception: On the first Game Turn, the first player (only) skips this step.

3.2 Adjust Altitude

Your Element may freely change Altitude by one adjacent level at this time.

3.3 Play Cards

This is the most important part of your Player Turn. During this Phase, you play ACs from your Leader's hand. This lets you adjust your Altitude, change your Position relative to an enemy Leader, or damage an enemy aircraft. The affected enemy player will have the opportunity to immediately Respond to each AC played against him. You may then likewise Respond to his Response ACs, continuing this way, before moving on to a new action.

3.4 Discard

You may discard as many ACs from your hand as you wish, placing them face up on the Discard Pile.

3.5 Draw

Once you finish discarding, you may draw ACs. The number of ACs drawn is limited by your Leader's Action Capacity, Performance, and Altitude.

Evasion Table [12.0]

Perform a Dispersal check any time an aircraft attempts to leave before a Mission ends, or during the Mission Phase.

Level	Card Drawn	Result
A	IN MY SIGHTS (Fuel Tank)	Destroyed
B	OUT OF THE SUN	Destroyed
C	IN MY SIGHTS (3B)	Destroyed
D	IN MY SIGHTS (2B)	Damaged*
E	IN MY SIGHTS (1B)	Damaged*
F	MANEUVERING	Escapes
G	HALF LOOP	Escapes
H	Any other card	Escapes
I	ACE PILOT	Escapes

NOTE: * If the aircraft is already Damaged, treat this result as "Escapes."

Level Modifiers

Dispersal Condition	Adjustment
Position** — "Tailing"	down 2 levels
Position** — "Advantaged"	down 1 level
Position** — "Neutral"	no adjustment
Position** — "Disadvantaged"	up 1 level
Position** — "Enemy on Tail"	up 2 levels
Damaged	up 1 level
Voluntary Dispersal	down 1 level
No Enemy Fighters Present at the Same Altitude	down 3 levels

Non-Dogfight Missions (Attacker only):

Condition	Adjustment
Target — Mandatory Turn 6+	up 1 Level
Over Target and Target with Mandatory Turn 6+	up 1 Level
Home-Bound with Mandatory Turn 6+	up 1 Level
The aircraft is a Heavy Bomber	up 1 level

NOTE: ** A Wingman uses his Leader's Position.

Action Card (AC) Distribution Summary

ATTACKS (45 cards)

25 IN MY SIGHTS ("IN MY SIGHTS")
- 9 × 1 Burst / 1 Damage
- 4 × 1 Burst / 2 Damage
- 6 × 2 Bursts / 2 Damage
- 2 × 2 Bursts / 3 Damage
- 1 × 2 Bursts / Fuel Tank (Aircraft Destroyed)
- 3 × 3 Bursts / 3 Damage
3 OUT OF THE SUN ("OUT OF THE SUN")
- 1 × 1 Burst / 2 Damage
- 1 × 2 Bursts / 3 Damage
- 1 × 3 Bursts / 4 Damage
15 MANEUVERING
2 HALF LOOP

RESPONSES (22 cards)

Count	Card	Responds to: IMS	OTS	MVG	HL	AP	TT	BR	VR	Sc	FT*
3	ACE PILOT	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
9	"TIGHT TURN"	x		x			x
10	"BARREL ROLL"	x						x

DUAL-USE (9 cards)

Count	Card	IMS	OTS	Sc	VR
4	VERTICAL ROLL	x	x
5	"SCISSORS"				x

* FULL THROTTLE (Expansion Set only, 4 cards): responds to OTS, TT.

BOMBING AND ATTACKS (Spoiled Attacks)

Over-Target Result: 43 Hit, 33 Miss
Bombing Result: 4 Vital, 16 Direct, 36 Hit, 20 Miss
Attacks: 11 Attacks, including 3 IN MY SIGHTS

Campaign Rules

15.0 The Campaign Game

15.1 Introduction

In the Down in Flames Basic Game, "Dogfights" are the order of the day. In the Campaign Game, players gain new types of aircraft, ordnance, and missions, used within the context of campaigns that describe real historical operations and carrier battles.

ZERO! includes three types of campaigns: Land Campaigns (Malaya, the Philippines, and Burma), Carrier Campaigns (Coral Sea and Midway), and the Pearl Harbor Solitaire Campaign. In each campaign, players carry out a number of Missions and/or Air Strikes consisting of a variable number of Game Turns.

The Sequence of Play for the Campaign Game adds two new Phases, being otherwise identical to the Basic Game, proceeding with the same sequential Player Turns.

Frequently, in the Campaign Game, players will use Medium or Heavy Bombers, or Patrol Aircraft, to carry out a specific mission. Players do not keep hands of Cards for these aircraft types. Instead, when they are attacked, players draw "Mini-hands" for them, much like what is done with Fighter Wingmen.

Each of the game's Campaigns has its own Campaign Sheet, which includes details on how to play that Campaign.

Some Campaign Missions are played like the Basic Game's "Dogfights" (that is, they last a given number of turns or until every aircraft on one side has been Destroyed or has Evaded). However, most Missions and all Air Strikes have their Game Turns divided into the following Phases:

A. Turns of Arrival at the Target (variable number) B. Turns Over the Target

Ingress Turn
Bomb Turn
Egress Turn C. Turns of Return Home (variable number)

See 23.0 for details.

15.2 Campaign Game Sequence of Play

The Campaign Game adds two new Phases to the Basic Game's Sequence of Play. The two new Phases are marked with an asterisk (*), shaded, and explained in detail below. Turn Order for Campaign Game Missions and Air Strikes is determined the same way as in the Basic Game (4.7).

Sequence of Play

*Jettison Bombs

A Fighter or Light Bomber may jettison its bombs at the start of its Player Turn. Once it has jettisoned its bombs (see 18.0), it no longer suffers the Load Penalty (see 17.15). One aircraft's decision to Jettison Bombs does not affect the other aircraft in the Element. If a Fighter or Light Bomber becomes Damaged (flipped to its Damaged side) while carrying bombs, its bombs may need to be jettisoned. See 18.0 for the specific rules for each type of bomb.

Note: Medium and Heavy Bombers that are Damaged NEVER jettison their bombs.

Wingman Attacks

If you have a Wingman and he is at the same Altitude as an enemy Element, choose and announce a Target for your Wingman. Draw a "Mini-hand" equal to his Offensive Rating, and resolve his attack.

Exception: On the first Game Turn, the first player (only) skips this Phase.

Adjust Altitude

Your Element may freely change Altitude by one adjacent level at this time.

*Bomb or Strafe

Fighters or Light Bombers carrying bombs may drop them and/or Strafe INSTEAD OF playing Action Cards (AC) during a Bomb Turn. See 21.0 for full details.

Play Action Cards (AC)

This is the most important part of your Player Turn. During this Phase, you play ACs one at a time from your hand for your Leader. This lets you adjust your Altitude, change your Position relative to an enemy Aircraft, or damage an enemy Aircraft. The affected enemy player has the opportunity to Respond immediately to each Card as it is played against him. You may then Respond to his card, and so on, before you initiate a new action.

Discard

You may discard as many ACs from your hand as you wish, placing them face up on the Discard Pile.

Draw ACs

Once you have finished discarding, you may draw new ACs. The number of ACs drawn is limited by your Leader's Action Capacity, Performance, and Altitude.

16.0 Basic Game Concepts

Below is a list of how certain Basic Game concepts affect aircraft and missions during the Campaign Game.

16.1 Leaders and Wingmen

16.11

Only Fighters and Light Bombers have a Leader and Wingman card. Patrol Aircraft fly alone, and Medium and Heavy Bombers fly in Formations.

16.2 Altitude

16.21

A Bomber's Altitude can affect the effectiveness of its bombing and the intensity of enemy anti-aircraft fire. See 21.0, 22.0.

16.22

Certain aircraft are prohibited from flying at specific Altitudes. For such aircraft, their maximum Altitude is shown on their Aircraft Card.

16.23

Aircraft must be at "Very Low" Altitude to Strafe. See 21.7.

16.3 Positioning

16.31

Fighters and Light Bombers use the Basic Game's Positioning rules.

16.32

There is no positioning against Medium and Heavy Bombers. Section 20.3 explains the method for choosing these aircraft as Targets.

16.33

Fighters that choose to "Abandon" a Campaign Mission may lose their positions. See 23.5.

17.0 Aircraft in the Campaign Game

In the Basic Game, players use only Fighter aircraft to recreate "Dogfights." The Campaign Game introduces new and varied aircraft types that allow players to carry out several kinds of air missions. The aircraft types used in the Campaign Game are detailed in this section.

17.1 Fighters and Light Bombers

17.11

Campaign Game players use Fighters to carry out escort, interception, bombing, and strafing missions.

17.12

The main function of Fighters is to attack enemy aircraft.

17.13

Light Bombers are treated as Fighters in every respect, EXCEPT that:

a) Some conduct Dive Bombing or Torpedo Bombing, but not Level Bombing. These Bombing Modes are detailed in 21.0.

b) When an enemy attempts to play a "Maneuvering" or "Half Loop" AC against a NOT Assigned Light Bomber, any friendly NOT Assigned Leader at the same Altitude may play a Response AC to help defend the Light Bomber. This does not apply against "In My Sights" or "Out of the Sun" ACs, or against attempts to adjust Position against already-Assigned Light Bombers.

c) Players earn more VP for Damaging or Destroying a Light Bomber than for Damaging or Destroying a Fighter.

d) When determining Campaign VP, the owning player earns VP for each Light Bomber that returns from a mission Undamaged (i.e., on its NOT Damaged side).

17.14 Torpedo Bombers

Light Bombers with the word "Torpedo" on their Aircraft Card are Torpedo Bombers. Note the following peculiarities about Torpedo Bombers.

a) Although called Torpedo Bombers, they are capable of being used for Level Bombing, Saturation Bombing, or Torpedo Bombing (they may choose one, but ONLY ONE PER MISSION), as shown on their Aircraft Cards.

b) Torpedo Bombers always carry Level or Saturation Bombs when attacking a Ground Target. They are assumed to be carrying Torpedoes when attacking Naval Targets, unless the owning player specifically states that he is carrying Level or Saturation Bombs immediately before the first turn of the battle.

c) Torpedo Bombers carry out their Level or Saturation Bombing as normal.

See 21.5 for details on the Torpedo Bombing process.

17.15 Load Penalty

Fighters and Light Bombers that are "Loaded" with bombs [18.0] suffer the following penalties:

All Loaded Fighter and Light Bomber Leaders and Wingmen are prohibited from playing "Maneuvering," "Half Loop," "Scissors," or "Full Throttle" ACs (though they may discard these ACs to change Altitude).
All Loaded Wingmen have their Offensive Rating REDUCED BY ONE, and may only attack if their Leaders are Assigned. The reduction in Offensive Rating is cumulative with the reduction for being at "Very High" Altitude [5.32].

Exceptions:

These penalties do not apply when attacking or defending against Formation Aircraft.
Once a Loaded Fighter or Light Bomber bombs or jettisons its bombs, it no longer suffers the Load Penalty.
Formation aircraft NEVER suffer a Load Penalty.

17.2 Medium and Heavy Bombers

17.21 Differences between Light Bombers and Medium/Heavy Bombers

The main difference between a Light Bomber and Medium/Heavy Bombers is how they operate when under attack from enemy Fighters. Light Bombers are capable of engaging in "Dogfights." This means Light Bombers can attempt to turn, climb, and dive to maneuver into an advantageous position (though not as well as Fighters). Medium and Heavy Bombers, on the other hand, are not capable of maneuvering like a Fighter. Instead, they fly in rigid Formations to provide mutual defensive fire support when attacked.

Note: For easy reference, Medium and Heavy Bombers will be referred to from now on as "Bombers" in these rules. Such references refer only to Medium and Heavy Bombers, not to Light Bombers, unless otherwise specified.

17.22 Aircraft in Formation

a) Bombers do not have Wingmen. Instead, Medium Bombers fly in Formations of TWO mutually supporting Bombers. Heavy Bombers typically fly in Formations of THREE mutually supporting Bombers. Formations that have lost one or two Bombers CANNOT join another Formation during the Mission. Note that in ZERO!, the B-17 (the only Heavy Bomber in the game) flies in Formations of two aircraft. This reflects the relative scarcity of these aircraft in the early stages of the Pacific war.

b) Bombers draw Defensive "Mini-hands" the same way Fighter Wingmen do when under attack from enemy Fighters.

c) Only Bombers of the SAME TYPE (which includes different MODELS of the same Aircraft — such as the B-17D and B-17E) may fly in the same Formation.

EXAMPLE: A Formation may contain a B-17D and E, but not a B-17 and a Hudson.

d) All Bombers of the same type in a mission must fly at the same Altitude.

e) Aircraft with a Formation Speed Factor are treated as Aircraft in Formation.

17.23 Positioning

Bombers do not use Positioning rules. They are never "Tailing," "Advantaged," "Disadvantaged," or have an "Enemy on their Tail." They may be attacked by any enemy NOT Assigned Leader or Wingman at their same Altitude.

17.24 Altitude Restrictions

Bombers cannot change Altitude during a mission. They must begin at the Altitude from which they intend to bomb and remain at that Altitude for the entire mission. Medium Bombers and Heavy Bombers fly at the Altitude specified by the mission's Target (as shown on the Campaign Sheets).

17.25 Bombing Types

See 21.0 for bombing specifications.

17.26 Combat with Fighters

Bombers do not initiate combat with other aircraft. Fighters are too fast and maneuverable to be attacked by a Bomber. However, a Bomber can damage a Fighter while defending against its attacks.

17.27 Damage

Bombers do not lose their bombs when Damaged. However, the number of bombs a Bomber is permitted to drop is reduced while it is on its Damaged side. This represents the inherent inaccuracy of attempting to bomb from a Damaged aircraft.

17.28 Leaving the Formation

Damaged Bombers leave the Formation and may no longer contribute to, or receive Turret Support [20.4] from, the Bombers in their former Formation. A Bomber leaves the Formation the moment it is flipped to its Damaged side. To indicate this, separate the Damaged Bomber's Aircraft Card from the other Aircraft Cards in its Formation. It now forms a new single-aircraft Formation. Several Damaged aircraft cannot combine to form a new multi-aircraft Formation.

17.3 Patrol Aircraft

Patrol Aircraft are used on Patrol missions in the various campaigns. Occasionally, Medium Bombers are also used for Patrol missions.

17.31

Aircraft on Patrol always fly alone. They never form part of a Formation.

17.32

Except for flying alone, aircraft on Patrol are treated as Medium Bombers for all rules purposes.

18.0 Bombs

18.1 General Rules

18.11

Aircraft may be equipped with bombs. Each individual bomb type has its own rules and restrictions [18.2 - 18.3]. These rules apply to all bomb types:

a) The aircraft that carry bombs are specified on each Campaign Sheet and in the Campaign Rules (see 24.0, 25.0, and 26.0).

b) An aircraft may only carry one type of bomb (exception: it may also have a Norden Bombsight).

c) Fighters and Light Bombers carrying bombs are considered Loaded aircraft.

d) Leaders and Wingmen are equipped with the same type of bombs.

18.2 Bombs and Torpedoes

18.21

Bombs and Torpedoes are used to attack Targets. Place a Bomb or Torpedo counter on each aircraft equipped with them.

18.22

Fighters jettison their bombs when Damaged. Remove the Bomb/Torpedo counter when an aircraft jettisons its bombs.

18.23

Remove the Bomb/Torpedo counter after the aircraft has bombed or torpedoed its Target.

18.3 Norden Bombsights

18.31

Most American Heavy Bombers were equipped with this device. Such aircraft have an "N" next to their Saturation Bombing Factor.

18.32

Aircraft equipped with a Norden draw two additional Bomb Cards when bombing.

GMT errata: The two additional cards from the Norden Bombsight are not drawn when attacking a Naval Target.

19.0 Pilots and Crews

19.1 General Description

19.11

While the type and quality of the aircraft was certainly an important factor in aerial combat during World War II, the man in the aircraft was often the critical difference in combat. The Campaign Game lets you add Pilots to your Leader aircraft and Crews to your Heavy Bombers, thereby increasing your aircraft's capabilities.

19.12

You receive Pilot and Crew counters as indicated during the Campaign (you may also use Pilot counters to help balance a "Dogfight," as noted in the Basic Game [13.4]).

19.13

When you receive a Pilot or Crew, place its corresponding counter on the Aircraft Card. The counter stays with the Aircraft Card throughout the Mission.

19.2 Pilots

19.21 Nationality and Service

Each Pilot counter carries a nationality symbol indicating the pilot's nationality. In addition, U.S. and Japanese pilots belong to either their naval or land-based air forces. Pilots may only fly aircraft of their own nationality and service.

19.22 Skilled Pilots

Many pilots are marked with letters inside boxes on the right side of their counter. These pilots are defined as Skilled Pilots. Pilots with no letters in the boxes on their counters are Unskilled Pilots. The letters indicate that Pilot's skill in the form of a bonus to the capabilities of the aircraft he is flying. These capabilities are listed in 19.25.

19.23 Aircraft Limits

Skilled Pilot counters include an aircraft type. Such Pilots may only be used to fly the indicated aircraft type (though any of its Models).

19.24 Choosing Pilots

Before beginning a Campaign Mission or Air Strike, each side chooses the pilots to carry out the mission. The following procedure determines whether any Skilled Pilot is used for the mission:

a) Place in a cup all your Pilot counters that are eligible to fly with your Leader aircraft.

b) Randomly draw one Pilot counter for each of your Leader aircraft.

c) Flip the counter from a reasonable height onto the table. There are pilots on both sides of the counters, so whichever side lands face up is the chosen pilot.

d) Place a Skilled Pilot counter atop the Aircraft Card he is flying. Discard an Unskilled Pilot.

In cases where a player automatically receives a specific Skilled Pilot for the Mission or Air Strike, that Skilled Pilot counter is not added to the cup.

EXAMPLE: The Japanese player is conducting an Air Strike that includes two Elements of B5N2 Kates and one Element of A6M2 Zeros. The player first chooses the pilots for the Kates (one for each Kate Leader). He places all IJN pilot counters with no aircraft type in the cup, then adds the two B5N2 Pilot counters to the cup. His first draw is "Paek," an Unskilled pilot (who is discarded). The first Kate has no Pilot counter. The second draw is one of the B5N2 Pilot counters, with the "Abe" side up. So Abe becomes the pilot of the second Kate. The Japanese player places the Abe counter atop the second Kate Leader.

The Japanese player now determines whether the Zero gets a Pilot counter. He places the Paek counter back in the cup, removes the Kate Pilot counters from the cup, and adds the two A6M2 Pilot counters. He draws one counter for the single Zero Leader. The counter is "Honda," a Skilled Pilot, which he places atop the Zero.

19.25 Abilities

A — Ace Pilot. The player controlling this pilot may use one free "Ace Pilot" AC during that Mission or Air Strike. He receives an Ace Ability counter at the start of the Mission/Air Strike to indicate this ability. He may declare, at any point in the game, that the Response AC he is playing is an "Ace Pilot" AC (regardless of the actual card's name). He then discards the Ace Ability counter.

EXAMPLE: A Ki-43 Oscar is flown by a Pilot counter with an "A" in one of its boxes. The Oscar is attacked by an enemy P-40 with "Out of the Sun." He Responds with a "Vertical Roll," but the P-40 plays a "Vertical Roll" of his own. The Ki-43 player has no AC with which to Respond, but plays an "Out of the Sun" AC and declares "this is an 'Ace Pilot' AC," discarding his Ace Ability counter. Unless the P-40 plays an "Ace Pilot" AC of his own (or uses his own pilot's Ace Pilot ability), the attack will have been negated.
**BM — **Draw and apply one extra Bombing AC for this aircraft when it bombs.
**BV — **Increase the aircraft's Number of Bursts by one (+1) for the whole Mission or Air Strike.
CV — Combat Vision. Your pilot's hawk eyes let him spot the enemy before the enemy spots him, gaining the advantage of better exploiting Potential energy. After drawing your initial hand and after the game has begun, you may discard any number of ACs from your hand and draw new ACs to replace them. This card exchange is done "once only." Afterward you play, discard, and draw new ACs as normal.
**D — **Increase the aircraft's Damage Capacity (on each side of its card) by one (+1) for the duration of combat.
**G — **Increase the Machine Gun's Number of Bursts by one (+1).
**H — **Increase the aircraft's Performance by one (+1) for the duration of combat.
**P — **Increase the aircraft's Action Capacity by one (+1) for the duration of combat.
**S — **Draw and apply one extra Strafing Card for this aircraft when it Strafes.

19.3 Crews

DESIGNER'S NOTE: The only Skilled Crew in ZERO! is the Colin Kelly counter, which is only used in the Colin Kelly Mission in the Philippines Campaign. So these rules are not used in ZERO! They are included for the Skilled Crew counters that will be available in CORSAIRS AND HELLCATS.

The Campaign Game lets you add Crews to your HEAVY BOMBER aircraft, thereby increasing their capabilities.

19.31 Nationality

Each Crew counter carries a nationality symbol indicating the crew's nationality. Crews may only fly aircraft of their own nationality.

19.32 Skilled Crews

Many Crew counters have a box on the right with a letter inside. These Crews are called "Skilled Crews." Counters with no letters are "Unskilled Crews." The letters indicate that Crew's abilities in the form of a bonus to the capabilities of the aircraft they fly. These capabilities are described in 19.35.

19.33 Aircraft Limits

Some Crew counters include an aircraft type. Such Crews may only be used for that aircraft type (though any of its Models).

19.34 Choosing Crews

Bomber Crews are randomly assigned at the start of each mission as follows:

a) Place in a cup all the Crew counters appropriate to the type of Bomber flying the mission, along with all Unskilled Crew counters of that nationality.

b) Randomly draw one Crew counter for every three Heavy Bombers flying the mission.

c) Flip each counter from a reasonable height onto the table. The side of the counter that lands face up indicates which Crew is used.

d) Place a Skilled Crew counter on any one of the Heavy Bombers flying the mission. No more than one Crew counter may be assigned to each Bomber.

19.35 Abilities

AC — Ace Crew. The Ace Crew can add a "Rejected Attack" capability to any two (2) Counter-Attack Cards played during the Mission [see 20.5]. Ace Crews receive two (2) Ace Ability counters to indicate this capability. The Ace Crew ability cannot be lent to another aircraft through Turret Support.
**BD — **Increase the number of Bomb Cards drawn by one (+1) when the aircraft bombs.
**D — **Increase the aircraft's Damage Capacity (on each side of its card) by one (+1) for the duration of combat.
EA — Evasive Action. The aircraft's Evasive Action reduces the enemy Leader's Number of Bursts by one (–1) and Wingmen's Offensive Rating by one (–1) when chosen as a Target.
NS — Nerves of Steel. The crew is spared the first Anti-Aircraft attack assigned against them when they bomb.
**TD — **Increase the aircraft's Turret Defensive Rating by one (+1) [see 20.4].
**TS — **Increase the aircraft's Turret Offensive Rating by one (+1) [see 20.4].

20.0 Attacking Bombers

Note: For the purposes of this section, the term "Bomber" is synonymous with "Aircraft in Formation," and includes Bombers and Patrol Aircraft.

20.1 General Rule

20.11

NOT Assigned Leaders and Wingmen may play Attack ACs against Aircraft in Formation (Bombers and Patrol Aircraft) instead of attacking enemy Fighters on their Player Turn.

20.12

A Leader attacks Aircraft in Formation with ACs from his hand, the same way he would attack Fighters.

20.13

Wingmen attacking Bombers draw a "Mini-hand" composed of a number of ACs equal to their Offensive Rating PLUS their Defensive Rating.

EXAMPLE: The "Mini-hand" for a P-40B Wingman attacking a Bomber is composed of three ACs. An A6M2 Zero Wingman gets a "Mini-hand" of four ACs when attacking a Bomber.

20.2 Burst Limits Against Bombers

20.21

Wingmen have no Number of Bursts limit when attacking Bombers. They may continue their attack with as many Attack ACs as they have in their "Mini-hand."

20.22

Leaders receive a bonus of two (+2) to their Number of Bursts when attacking enemy Bombers. The Number of Bursts may be increased again by one (+1) for each "Maneuvering" AC or two (+2) for each "Half Loop" AC played against the Bomber (the same way it increases Bursts against a Wingman).

20.3 Choosing a Bomber as a Target

20.31 (Optional) Angle of Attack

Before a Leader or Wingman attacks Aircraft in Formation, he declares his Angle of Attack — Frontal, Beam, or Rear. (A Leader and his Wingman must use the same Angle of Attack.) This declaration affects the immediate combat as follows:

Frontal: The Fighter subtracts one (–1) from his Number of Bursts (Leaders) or Offensive Rating (Wingmen). The Bomber Formation draws one fewer Defensive AC (in total, NOT per aircraft in the Formation).
Beam: No change to normal combat.
Rear: The Fighter adds one (+1) to his Number of Bursts (Leaders) or Offensive Rating (Wingmen). The Bomber Formation draws two (+2) additional Defensive ACs (in total, NOT per aircraft in the Formation).

20.32

Every time a player declares an attack by a Leader or Wingman against a Bomber, the players determine which Bomber will be attacked as follows:

a) The attacker may attempt to attack the Bomber of his choice (at his Altitude) by playing a "Maneuvering" or "Half Loop" AC when starting the attack.

b) The player controlling the Bombers may Respond to the "Maneuvering" or "Half Loop" AC from the hand of any NOT Assigned Leader at the same Altitude.

c) The attacker may then Respond, as may the defender, and so on, until the attempt succeeds or fails.

d) If the attempt succeeds, the attacker chooses which Bomber to attack. If the attacker is a Leader, he receives the increased Bursts from playing the "Maneuvering" (+1) or "Half Loop" (+2) AC against the Bomber.

e) If the attempt fails, the player controlling the Fighter may make additional attempts if he has more "Maneuvering" or "Half Loop" ACs in his hand. If a later attempt succeeds, the attacker chooses. Otherwise, the defender designates which of his Bombers at that same Altitude is attacked.

20.4 Attacking a Bomber

20.41

After a specific Bomber is chosen as the Target of the attack, the defending player draws a "Mini-hand" composed of a number of ACs equal to that Bomber's Turret Defensive Rating PLUS the Turret Support Rating of every other Bomber(s) in the Formation (adjusted for Angle of Attack if that option is used [20.32]).

20.42

The attacking player begins an attack on a Bomber by playing a single Attack AC, as he would in a "Dogfight." The attacker plays "Maneuvering," "Half Loop," "In My Sights," or "Out of the Sun" (only) against Aircraft in Formation.

20.43

Successful "Maneuvering" and "Half Loop" ACs increase a Leader's Number of Bursts (but not a Wingman's, since Wingmen have no Number of Bursts) against a Bomber. Wingmen only play these ACs to choose a specific Bomber as a Target. Aircraft in Formation CANNOT Respond to these ACs.

20.44

Successfully played "In My Sights" and "Out of the Sun" ACs inflict Damage on the Target aircraft. Aircraft in Formation MAY Respond to these ACs (see 20.5).

20.5 Response

20.51

A Bomber Responds to a Fighter's "In My Sights" or "Out of the Sun" AC by playing an AC from its "Mini-hand." Eligible ACs to play in response are:

Any "In My Sights" OR "Out of the Sun" AC.
Any AC that contains a "Rejected Attack" symbol.
An "In My Sights" or "Out of the Sun" AC that also contains a "Rejected Attack" symbol.

20.52

If the Bomber Responds with an "In My Sights" or "Out of the Sun" AC that does not contain a "Rejected Attack" symbol, the Fighter's attack succeeds and damages the Bomber as shown on the AC. The Fighter may then attempt to Respond to the Bomber's "In My Sights" or "Out of the Sun" AC. If he cannot Respond, the Fighter takes damage as shown on the Bomber's AC. If he can Respond, he negates the effects of the Bomber's AC. The Bomber cannot Respond to a Fighter's Response AC [20.55].

20.53

If the Bomber Responds with an AC containing a "Rejected Attack" symbol, the Fighter's attack is rejected. The Fighter cannot Respond to a "Rejected Attack."

20.54

If the Bomber Responds with an "In My Sights" or "Out of the Sun" AC that contains a "Rejected Attack" symbol, the Fighter's attack is rejected. The Fighter may attempt to Respond to the "In My Sights" or "Out of the Sun" AC, but not to a "Rejected Attack." If the Fighter cannot Respond, he takes damage as shown on the AC.

EXAMPLE OF A BOMBER ATTACK

An A6M2 Zero Wingman attacks a Formation of two B-17Es (one with 7 Damage). His "Mini-hand" of four ACs contains:

"In My Sights" (1B/2D)
"Out of the Sun" (2B/2D)
"Maneuvering"
"Tight Turn"

The Zero Wingman plays the "Maneuvering" AC in an attempt to attack the B-17 with seven Damage. A NOT Assigned P-40 at the same Altitude Responds with a "Tight Turn." The Wingman Responds with his own "Tight Turn." The P-40 cannot Respond, so the attempt succeeds, and the Wingman attacks the chosen B-17.

The target B-17 draws three ACs for its Defense (two for its Turret Defensive Rating of "2" and one for the Turret Support Rating of the other B-17). These are: "In My Sights" (for 1 point), "In My Sights" (for 2 points), and "Maneuvering" (with a "Rejected Attack").

The Zero Wingman now plays an "In My Sights" AC against the B-17. The B-17 Responds with "Maneuvering" ("Rejected Attack"), so the Wingman's "In My Sights" AC is rejected.

The Zero Wingman now plays his "Out of the Sun" AC. The Bomber plays its "In My Sights" AC (2 Damage). Thus, the Wingman's attack scores 3 Damage against the Bomber, Damaging it (10 Damage total). The Wingman cannot Respond to the "In My Sights" AC played by the B-17 and takes 2 Damage.

Because the B-17 is now Damaged, it leaves the Formation, and will not receive Turret Support ACs from the other B-17 in any subsequent attack.

21.0 Bombing

21.1 General Procedure

21.11

An aircraft must drop all its bombs during the Bombing and Strafing Phase of the Mission's Bomb Turn.

21.12

Fighters and Light Bombers bomb during the Bombing and Strafing Phase of the Bomb Turn. Aircraft in Formation bomb at the end of the Bomb Turn, i.e., after all aircraft not in Formation have completed their turns.

21.13

To resolve bombing, draw a number of ACs appropriate to the aircraft's Bombing Mode and bomb type [21.2]. The Bombing section of the AC indicates the level of damage scored by that portion of the bomb load. There are four results, listed here in ascending order of success: Miss, Hit, Direct, Vital.

21.14

Anti-Aircraft Fire [22.2] must be resolved before the bombing result is applied to the Target. Immediately after Anti-Aircraft Fire is resolved (even if the bombing aircraft is Damaged or Destroyed by it), apply any "Vital," "Direct," or "Hit" AC not negated by a "Spoiled Attack" from Anti-Aircraft Fire.

21.15

Each Target Sheet shows the number of Damage points inflicted by each result against that specific Target [21.9].

21.2 Bombing Modes

21.21

Every aircraft in the game capable of carrying bombs uses one of four Bombing Modes: Level Bombing, Dive Bombing, Torpedo Bombing, or Saturation Bombing. Each aircraft may only use ONE Bombing Mode per mission. An aircraft with the notation "Cannot" in its bombing section may not drop bombs.

21.22

The Mode used depends on the type of aircraft and the type of bombs.

Fighters capable of bombing use Level Bombing.
Light Bombers generally use Dive Bombing or Torpedo Bombing, and sometimes Level Bombing.
Medium Bombers use Saturation Bombing, and sometimes Torpedo Bombing.
Heavy Bombers use Saturation Bombing.

21.23

The Bombing Mode used by an aircraft determines the Altitude(s) from which it must bomb, as well as how the bombing is resolved and the number of Anti-Aircraft Cards drawn against it. See the Bombing Chart for details.

21.24

In addition to bombing, all Fighters and Light Bombers may Strafe, as long as they have Bursts available.

21.3 Level Bombing

21.31

This is the type of bombing carried out mainly by Fighters at "Low" or "Very Low" Altitude, although Bombers with Level Bombing Capability also use this system.

21.32 Resolution

When Level Bombing occurs, draw a number of ACs equal to the bombing aircraft's Bombing Factor. At "Very Low" Altitude, the number of ACs drawn for both Bombs and Anti-Aircraft increases by one (+1). See the Bombing Chart.

21.4 Dive Bombing

21.41 Altitude Restrictions

The Dive Bombing aircraft (Light Bombers with Dive Bombing Capability) must be at "Medium" or "Low" Altitude when they begin to bomb.

21.42 Reducing Altitude

Before drawing Bombing ACs, the dive-bombing aircraft's Altitude is reduced from "Medium" to "Low," or from "Low" to "Very Low" (do NOT draw an AC for this Altitude adjustment, due to the use of Dive Brakes).

21.43 At "Low" Altitude

To resolve a Dive Bombing attack at "Low" Altitude, draw a number of ACs equal to the aircraft's Bombing Capacity PLUS ONE (+1). Apply the result to all Cards.

21.44 At "Very Low" Altitude

To resolve a Dive Bombing attack at "Very Low" Altitude, draw a number of ACs equal to the aircraft's Bomb Factor PLUS TWO (+2). Apply the result to all Cards. The aircraft dive bombing at "Very Low" Altitude is subject to one additional Anti-Aircraft Fire AC [22.2].

DESIGNER'S NOTE: The added accuracy was earned by those few pilots who could bravely brave the additional Anti-Aircraft Fire and dive as low as possible before releasing their bombs.

21.5 Torpedo Bombing

21.51

Torpedo Bombing may only be done by Bombers with the word "Torpedo" on their Aircraft Card.

21.52

Torpedo Bombing may only be used against Naval Targets.

21.53 Altitude Restrictions

Aircraft that wish to Torpedo Bomb suffer Altitude restrictions. A Medium Bomber must begin the mission at "Very Low" Altitude and remain at "Very Low" Altitude for the entire mission. A Light Bomber must be at "Very Low" Altitude by the end of its Ingress Turn, and remain at "Very Low" Altitude during the Bomb and Egress Turns. The Light Bomber is free to change Altitude on the first Return Home Turn.

21.54 Sequence

Light Bombers carry out Torpedo attacks on their turn. Medium Bombers carry out Torpedo attacks at the end of the Bomb Turn.

21.55 Resolution

To carry out a Torpedo attack, draw one AC and look up its reference in the Bombing section. A Torpedo attack scores twice the normal number of Damage points (a Miss remains a Miss).

EXAMPLE: A Direct Hit against a Destroyer would normally score four Damage points. A Direct Hit from a Torpedo attack would score eight Damage points.

21.6 Saturation Bombing

21.61

Only Bombers with Saturation Bombing Capability may be used for Saturation Bombing.

21.62

Saturation Bombers draw a number of Bombing ACs equal to their Saturation Bombing Capacity, modified by Altitude. See the Bombing Chart. Apply the Bombing result from each Card to the Target.

EXAMPLE: An Undamaged B-17E (Saturation 6) draws six Cards, increased to eight due to its Norden Bombsight, to resolve its bombing attack. The B-17 draws eight ACs and receives the following bombing results: Miss, Miss, Miss, Hit, Hit, Hit, Direct, Vital.

21.63 Naval Target

Decrease the result of a Bombing AC by one level when attacking a Naval Target by Saturation Bombing. Ships are harder for Saturation Bombers to hit than Ground Targets.

CONTINUING THE EXAMPLE: If the B-17 mentioned above had been bombing a ship, its results would have been adjusted to Miss, Miss, Miss, Miss, Miss, Miss, Hit, Direct.

21.7 Strafing

21.71

During the Bombing and Strafing Phase of a Bomb Turn (only), any Fighter or Light Bomber at "Very Low" Altitude may Strafe the Target, even if it has dropped Bombs on its Player Turn (exception: a Carrier Fleet Target may not be Strafed). Both Leaders and Wingmen may Strafe. Medium and Heavy Bombers may not Strafe.

21.72

Strafing occurs after Bombing and Anti-Aircraft Fire [22.2] have been resolved. The Strafing aircraft will suffer additional Anti-Aircraft Fire.

21.73

To Strafe, a Leader with a Number of Bursts draws a number of ACs equal to his Number of Bursts (draw a minimum of one, even if it is 0). Apply the Strafing Result on the ACs against the Target. A Wingman Strafes the same way, using his Leader's Number of Bursts to determine the number of ACs drawn (minimum one).

21.74

Strafing results are always either "Hit" or "Miss." "Direct" or "Vital" hits cannot be scored while Strafing, although Fighters can score multiple "Hits" by drawing several Strafing ACs (due to having Burst Factors of 2 or higher).

EXAMPLE: A D3A1 Val Element drops its bombs on a Battleship this turn. After bombing and surviving Anti-Aircraft Fire, they are eligible to Strafe (they Dive Bombed at "Very Low" Altitude). This isn't really a brilliant idea, since, to Strafe, they must again suffer the Battleship's fearsome Anti-Aircraft Fire of "5" (its own "4," plus one for "Very Low" Altitude), and also because the machine guns probably won't do much damage to the Battleship.

The Leader and Wingman each draw one AC to resolve their Strafing (even though the Val has a Number of Bursts of 0, the minimum number of Strafing ACs is one). The Strafing results of both ACs are "Hit." If Anti-Aircraft Fire doesn't produce a "Rejected Attack" symbol against the Light Bomber, the Hits take effect, scoring 1 Damage each against the Battleship.

21.8 Damaging Ground Targets

21.81

Every Target has four levels of damage. The number of Damage points required to reach each respective level is shown on each Target Sheet (exception: Carrier Fleets, which are on the Campaign Scoresheet).

EXAMPLE: When attacking the "Ground Forces" Target (Target Sheet 3A):

Damage	Target Status
0–1	Untouched
2–3	Reduced
4–5	Disorganized
6 or more	Wrecked

21.82

Each Damage level produces an associated number of Victory Points for the attacker, as shown next to each of the four damage levels on each Target Sheet (again, Carrier Fleets are on the Campaign Scoresheet).

EXAMPLE: A "Reduced" result against the Ground Forces Target gives 1 VP, while a "Wrecked" result gives 5 VP.

21.83

Damage is inflicted by Bombing and/or Strafing. The number of Damage points inflicted by a Miss, Hit, Direct, or Vital Bombing or Strafing result varies by Target, and is shown on each Target Sheet.

21.9 Target Sheets

21.91

Every Ground Target is represented by a Target Sheet.

21.92

The game includes a Target Sheet for every Target Type listed on the Campaign Sheets. Each Target Sheet includes:

The Target's name
Four panels describing the Target's Damage levels
Victory Points for each Damage level
Anti-Aircraft Fire and Discretionary Fire ratings
A Damage section, showing the effects of Bombing/Strafing AC results

Exception: For Carrier Fleets, the number of Damage points needed for each level and the Victory Points earned at that level are shown on the appropriate Campaign Scoresheet, not on a Target Sheet.

22.0 Anti-Aircraft Fire

Every Target in the game has two Anti-Aircraft Factors, one for Discretionary Fire and one for Anti-Aircraft Fire. The listed Anti-Aircraft value represents the number of ACs drawn against EACH aircraft when Anti-Aircraft Fire is resolved.

22.1 Discretionary Fire

22.11

Discretionary Fire is resolved during the Ingress and Egress Turns against every aircraft (friendly or enemy) that remains Over the Target (i.e., that has not Abandoned it).

22.12

Discretionary Fire is resolved against such aircraft at the end of the appropriate Game Turns, after all Player Turns have concluded.

22.13

To resolve Discretionary Fire, draw a number of ACs equal to the Discretionary Fire Capacity against each aircraft Over the Target. Immediately apply Damage from all "In My Sights"/"Out of the Sun" ACs. No other AC has any effect on the aircraft.

22.14

Aircraft cannot Respond to Discretionary Fire.

22.2 Anti-Aircraft Fire

22.21

Anti-Aircraft Fire is resolved during the Bomb Turn against every aircraft (friendly or enemy) that remains Over the Target (i.e., did not Abandon), whether or not it dropped bombs.

22.22

Anti-Aircraft Fire is resolved against every Light Bomber and Fighter (including defenders) during the Bombing and Strafing Phase of its Player Turn. When Anti-Aircraft Fire is resolved against a Leader and his Wingman, resolve the Anti-Aircraft Fire against the Leader first. Anti-Aircraft Fire is resolved against Medium and Heavy Bombers immediately after they draw their Bombing ACs.

22.23

To resolve Anti-Aircraft Fire, draw a number of ACs against each aircraft equal to the Anti-Aircraft Fire Capacity. Modify Anti-Aircraft Fire depending on the aircraft's Bombing Mode and its Altitude (see the Bombing Chart). Apply Damage from all "In My Sights"/"Out of the Sun" ACs immediately. Each drawn AC containing a "Rejected Attack" symbol negates the Target aircraft's best Bombing AC. No other AC has any effect on the aircraft.

22.24

Aircraft in Formation cannot Respond to Anti-Aircraft Fire.

22.25

Fighters and Light Bombers may play one Response AC against Anti-Aircraft Fire (note that this is a total of one AC — not one AC against each Anti-Aircraft AC).

22.26

A Fighter or Light Bomber Leader may Respond with an AC from the Leader's hand against any "In My Sights" or "Out of the Sun" AC. He may NOT Respond to Rejected Attacks. A Fighter or Light Bomber Wingman draws a normal defensive "Mini-hand" with which to Respond to Anti-Aircraft Fire.

22.27

Anti-Aircraft Fire is applied against every Fighter or Light Bomber that Strafes, even if it was already attacked by Anti-Aircraft Fire when it bombed. These aircraft may Respond again to Anti-Aircraft Fire while Strafing, with only one Response AC, as in 22.26.

EXAMPLE OF BOMBING AND ANTI-AIRCRAFT FIRE

The Mission is an attack on a Railway (Target Sheet 3B). The Japanese are bombing, the British defending. The opposing aircraft are:

Japanese: 1 L/W of Ki-43s; 1 L/W of Ki-30s; 2 Ki-21s. British: 1 L/W of Buffalo Is; 1 L/W of Hurricane IIBs.

At the end of the Turns of Arrival at the Target, the Japanese player declares that his Ki-43s Abandon. The British player announces that his Buffalo I Element Abandons, but his Hurricanes will continue Over the Target.

On the Ingress Turn, the Ki-43s and Buffalos fight each other, but, since they do not continue Over the Target, they cannot attack any of the aircraft that are Over the Target. Nor do they suffer Anti-Aircraft or Discretionary Fire. The Hurricanes attack the Ki-21s during the Ingress Turn, causing 2 Damage against each aircraft. At the end of the Ingress Turn, Discretionary Fire attacks every aircraft Over the Target (all except the Ki-43 and Buffalo Elements). The Railway's Discretionary Fire is 1, so 1 AC is drawn against each aircraft, and Damage is applied. Aircraft are not permitted to Respond to Discretionary Fire. Most of the Anti-Aircraft ACs are Response ACs that inflict no Damage. An "Out of the Sun" AC causes 2 Damage against one of the Ki-21s (giving it 4 Damage total) and an "In My Sights" AC causes 1 Damage against the Hurricane Leader. At the end of the Ingress Turn, all aircraft are on their NOT Damaged side, though they carry some Damage points, as follows: Ki-21 #1, 2 Damage; Ki-21 #2, 4 Damage; Hurricane Leader, 1 Damage.

On the Bomb Turn, the Ki-43s and Buffalos are still fighting each other, but cannot attack any aircraft Over the Target, and do not suffer Anti-Aircraft or Discretionary Fire.

The Hurricane Leader and Wingman attack the Ki-21s. Neither can successfully play a "Maneuvering" or "Half Loop" AC to attack Ki-21 #2, so both attacks are made against Ki-21 #1. One of the attacks causes no Damage. The other inflicts a total of 4 Damage on Ki-21 #1 (giving it 6 Damage total), so its Aircraft Card is flipped to its Damaged side.

During the Bombing and Strafing Phase of the Hurricanes' Player Turn, both are attacked by Anti-Aircraft Fire. The Railway's Anti-Aircraft Fire Factor is 3. However, because the Hurricanes are at "Medium" Altitude, are Fighters, and are neither bombing nor Strafing the Target, one fewer AC is drawn. Therefore, two ACs are drawn against each Hurricane (the Leader first). The Anti-Aircraft draws are:

Anti-Aircraft vs. Leader: "Barrel Roll," In My Sights (1B/1D). Anti-Aircraft vs. Wingman: In My Sights (2B/2D), Out of the Sun (3B/4D).

The Hurricane Leader uses his only permitted Response AC, a "Barrel Roll," to negate the (1B/1D) In My Sights. The Hurricane Wingman draws a two-card defensive "Mini-hand" to Respond, a "Scissors" AC and a "Maneuvering" AC, neither of which will Respond to either an In My Sights or an Out of the Sun. Thus, both Anti-Aircraft attacks — the (2B/2D) In My Sights and the (3B/4D) Out of the Sun — hit the Hurricane Wingman, causing him 6 Damage. The Hurricane Wingman is Destroyed.

On the Ki-30's Player Turn, the Leader and Wingman drop their bombs (they are at "Low" Altitude). Each draws one Bombing AC (his Bombing Capacity). Before the Bombing Result is applied, both aircraft are attacked by Anti-Aircraft Fire. The Bombing Results and the Anti-Aircraft ACs drawn are as follows:

Ki-30 Leader — Bombs: Direct. Anti-Aircraft: "Tight Turn," "Half Loop" (Rejected Attack), In My Sights (2B/3D). Ki-30 Wingman — Bombs: Hit. Anti-Aircraft: In My Sights (1B/2D), "Barrel Roll," "Scissors."

The Ki-30 player scores a "Direct" for his Leader, and a "Hit" for his Wingman. Since a "Rejected Attack" AC was included in the Anti-Aircraft Fire against the Leader, his "Direct" is rejected. The Leader evades the In My Sights (2B/3D) AC with his only permitted Response, a "Barrel Roll," from his hand. The Wingman's attack (a "Hit") scores against the Target, since no "Rejected Attack" AC rejects it. He draws two ACs as his "Mini-hand" to try to reject the In My Sights (1B/2D), but the "Maneuvering" and In My Sights ACs drawn do not reject it. As a result, the Ki-30 Wingman takes 2 Damage from Anti-Aircraft Fire.

Because all the other aircraft have finished their Player Turns, the Bombers now attack. Ki-21 #2 draws one Bombing AC. The Damaged Ki-21 #1 cannot draw any AC (its Damaged Bomb Factor is "0"). Before applying the Bombing Result, they suffer Anti-Aircraft Fire. The Bombing and Anti-Aircraft results are as follows:

Ki-21 #1 — Bombs: none. Anti-Aircraft: "Barrel Roll," In My Sights (2B/2D/Rejected Attack), In My Sights (1B/2D). Ki-21 #2 — Bombs: Direct. Anti-Aircraft: In My Sights (1B/2D), "Maneuvering," "Maneuvering."

Ki-21 #1 cannot bomb (and any result would be negated by the "Rejected Attack" even if it could). Since Bombers cannot Respond to Anti-Aircraft Fire, the full Damage from the In My Sights ACs is applied. This results in 4 Damage against Ki-21 #1 (giving it 10 Damage total) — Ki-21 #1 is Destroyed. Ki-21 #2's Bombing result is "Direct." Since no "Rejected Attack" ACs were drawn, the "Direct" is applied against the Target. The In My Sights AC inflicts 2 Damage, giving Ki-21 #2 a total of 6 Damage — flipping it to its Damaged side.

Between the Ki-30s and Ki-21s, the following total Damage has been inflicted against the Target:

Ki-30 Leader: No Effect. Ki-30 Wingman: Hit — 1 Damage. Ki-21 #1: No Effect. Ki-21 #2: Direct — 3 Damage.

The attackers have scored 4 Damage against the Railway Target. Checking the Target Sheet, this gives a "Damaged" result, for 3 Victory Points. The Ki-30s, Ki-21s, and the surviving Hurricane will again suffer Discretionary Fire on the Egress Turn.

23.0 Missions and Air Strikes

Except for the Pearl Harbor Solitaire Campaign, all Campaigns consist of a variable number of Missions and/or Air Strikes.

EXAMPLE: In the Malaya Campaign, Target #11 is attacked by four Ki-21s (Speed 5). Target #11 has 9 basic Turns of Arrival at the Target and 8 basic Turns of Return Home. The Formation Speed of five (5) is subtracted from each to obtain a duration of: 4 Turns of Arrival at the Target, 3 Turns Over the Target, 3 Turns of Return Home.

Missions occur mainly in Land Campaigns; Air Strikes are generally reserved for Carrier Campaigns.

23.1 Mission Phases

Certain types of Missions ("Dogfight," Reconnaissance, Evacuation) are played much like the Basic Game's "Dogfights." They last a fixed number of turns, or until every aircraft on one side has been Destroyed and/or Evaded. Keep a record of these missions' turns using the "Dogfight"/Reconnaissance/Evacuation Mission Turn Record (found on the Bombing Chart). All other missions in the Campaign Game, and all Air Strikes, are divided into three Mission Phases:

Mission Phases

A. Turns of Arrival at the Target (Duration based on the Target, and, in some cases, Speed). B. Over the Target (3 turns). C. Turns of Return Home (Duration based on the Target, and, in some cases, Speed).

Players keep a record of Campaign Mission Turns by moving the Turn marker on the Campaign Game's Mission Turn Record, also found on the Bombing Chart.

23.2 Mission Duration

23.21

In the Campaign Game, the duration of the Turns of Arrival at the Target and Turns of Return Home is determined by the Target and (for Missions) the Speed of the attacking aircraft.

23.22

The Turns Over the Target are always three (Ingress, Bombing, Egress).

23.23

Each Mission Target of a Land Campaign has one or two numbers separated by a slash in the Turns column of the Mission Targets section of the Campaign Sheet. A single number is the number of turns the Mission lasts. If there are two numbers, the first is the base number of Turns of Arrival at the Target, and the second is the base number of Turns of Return Home.

23.24

Subtract the Speed of the slowest attacking aircraft from both the "Arrival at the Target" and "Return Home" numbers to obtain the number of turns for each. All Fighters and Light Bombers are considered to have a Speed of 6 for this purpose.

23.25

Certain Options, when chosen, modify the number of Turns of Arrival at the Target and/or Return Home. If an Option would reduce the number of Turns of Arrival at the Target or Return Home to zero or less, those turns of the Mission or Air Strike are skipped entirely.

23.26

The number of Turns of Arrival at the Target and Return Home in an Air Strike is given in the Carrier Campaign rules [25.0]. This number is NOT reduced by the Speed of the attacking aircraft. As with Missions, certain Options may modify the number of Turns of Arrival at the Target and/or Return Home. The only Missions in the Carrier Campaigns of ZERO! are Reconnaissance Missions. These are described on the Campaign Game Options Sheet.

23.3 Turns of Arrival at the Target

The first Turns of each Campaign Mission (not a "Dogfight") or Air Strike are the Turns of Arrival at the Target. The number of Turns is variable [23.2].

23.4 Turns Over the Target

At the end of the last Turn of Arrival at the Target, play proceeds to the Turns Over the Target. This is composed of three turns — an Ingress Game Turn, a Bomb Game Turn, and an Egress Game Turn.

23.5 The Ingress Turn

23.51

Before beginning the Ingress Turn, players determine which of their Fighter Elements will continue Over the Target, and which will Abandon. The defending side (the one not bombing) declares its Abandon decisions first.

23.52

The attacker's Fighters Over the Target (those of the player who is bombing) are eligible to Bomb (if Loaded), Strafe, and fight normally in the "Dogfight" against any enemy aircraft that also continues Over the Target. The defending player's Fighters Over the Target are only eligible to attack Bombers and Fighter/Light Bomber Elements that continue Over the Target, and then suffer Anti-Aircraft attacks the same way as attacking Fighters and Bombers [22.0].

23.53

Fighters that Abandon rejoin the main mission on the Return Home turns. On the Turns Over the Target, Elements that choose to Abandon may ONLY attack enemy Elements that also choose to Abandon. They fight "Dogfights" as normal. If no enemy Fighter chooses to Abandon, they only perform the Adjust Altitude, Discard, and Draw Cards Phases during the three Turns Over the Target.

23.54

The Ingress Turn is played the same way as any normal Game Turn, except that, after all Elements have finished their Player Turns, every aircraft on both sides that continues Over the Target is attacked by Discretionary Fire.

23.6 The Bomb Turn

23.61

On the Bomb Game Turn of a Mission, Fighters and Light Bombers that are Loaded with bombs and at the correct Altitude to bomb may drop their bombs INSTEAD OF playing an Attack AC on that Player Turn. Such aircraft at "Very Low" Altitude may also Strafe the Target on that same Player Turn, whether or not they drop their Bombs.

23.62

Leaders and Wingmen may Bomb and/or Strafe. If a Wingman is going to Bomb or Strafe, skip the Wingman Attack Phase of your Player Turn. The Wingman will drop his bomb(s) during the Bombing or Strafing Phase. If your Leader is going to Bomb, he drops his bombs during the Bombing or Strafing Phase, then SKIPS the Play Cards Phase of his Player Turn. A Leader who Bombs may still Discard and Draw Cards normally.

23.63

Medium and Heavy Bombers have no individual "turns," and so do not drop bombs during a Bombing or Strafing Turn. Instead, after all other aircraft in the battle have finished their Bomb Turns, all Medium and Heavy Bombers receive Anti-Aircraft Fire.

23.64

Bombers or Patrol Aircraft flying a Patrol Mission do not drop their bombs on the Bomb Turn. However, the procedure for determining mission success is the same as for Bombing and is subject to the same rules.

23.65

If a Leader who is Bombing or Strafing is "Advantaged" or "Tailing" at the start of his Player Turn on the Bomb Turn, he must change his Position to "Neutral."

23.66

Enemy Leaders and Wingmen who choose to follow the Bombing/Strafing aircraft Over the Target may Attack the Bomber/Strafer normally on any of the Turns Over the Target. On the Bomb Turn, a Leader or Wingman who is Bombing/Strafing is permitted to play only ONE Response AC (from his hand or "Mini-hand") to each enemy Attack AC (and therefore cannot Respond to a Response).

DESIGNER'S NOTE: In order to line up for a bombing or strafing run, an aircraft must fly a fixed course. This makes it very vulnerable to attack while it prepares to drop its bombs.

23.7 Turns of Return Home

The last Turns of each Campaign Mission or Air Strike (not "Dogfights") are the Turns of Return Home. The number of these Turns is variable [23.2]. If it is a Mission rather than an Air Strike, the bombing player must recalculate the duration in light of any Damage his Bombers have received — subtracting the Speed of the slowest remaining Bomber in the Mission from the base number of Turns of Return Home for that determination.

At the end of the last Return Home Game Turn, the Mission/Air Strike ends. Players consult the Campaign Scoresheet to determine the number of Victory Points each side has scored (see 24.0 and 25.0).

NOTE: Skip the Egress Turn/Home-Bound Phase if there are no defending aircraft. If all defending aircraft are destroyed or Disengage before the end of the Turns Over the Target, the remaining turns of the Mission are played normally, except the Leaders may not discard. This restriction is lifted at the beginning of the Ingress Turn. (The intent of this rule is to prevent players from padding their hands during unopposed Turns Over the Target.)

24.0 Land Campaigns

Each Land Campaign included in ZERO! represents a series of missions that take place in one of the famous battles of World War II. Players are mission commanders, using a variety of aircraft and Options to successfully carry out their assigned missions.

The Land Campaign rules given here apply only to ZERO! The two previous games in the Down in Flames series, RISE OF THE LUFTWAFFE and EIGHTH AIR FORCE, use their own Campaign rules.

24.1 Land Campaign Sequence of Play

I. Choose a Campaign and Period of that Campaign to play [24.4]. II. Select Japanese and Allied players [24.43]. III. Carry out Campaign Missions A. Draw ACs to choose the Mission Target and Aircraft [24.44]. B. Secretly choose, then reveal, ONE Option [24.5]. C. Determine Mission Duration [23.2]. D. Randomly choose Pilots and Crews for the Mission [19.2 and 19.3]. E. Carry out the Missions [23.0]. F. Determine Victory Points [24.6]. IV. Determine Campaign Air Group Action Capacity (Victory) [24.7].

24.2 Campaign Sheets

The Land Campaign Sheets included in ZERO! give the information needed to play the historical campaigns. Each Campaign Sheet includes:

The name of the Campaign.
A Campaign Sequence of Play.
Options for both sides.
A Missions section.
A Mission Targets section.
A Campaign Map.
A Victory Table.

24.3 Campaign Scoresheet

24.31

A Campaign Scoresheet is included in the game for each Campaign. Players use these sheets to keep a record of Missions completed, Options used, and Victory Points scored in the Campaign. Each player will need a Sheet for each Campaign played. GMT Games gives players permission to photocopy these sheets for personal use.

24.32

The Land Campaign Scoresheet also includes the Land Campaign Victory Point Awards table. Use this table to determine the number of Victory Points scored on Missions.

24.4 Selecting a Campaign

24.41

Choose a Campaign. Place the Campaign Sheet next to the play surface for easy reference. Players decide which Period of the Campaign they wish to play.

EXAMPLE: Choose December 1941, January 1942, or February 1942 for the Malaya Campaign.

24.42

Campaign Duration. The duration (in Missions) of each Campaign is shown on each Campaign Sheet.

24.43

Selecting Japanese and Allied Players. Teams may have an unequal number of players. Some missions will require only one player per team to participate. In a few cases — Missions where there are no defending Fighters — one team will only control the Anti-Aircraft guns.

24.44

Choosing the Mission Target. A player on either side draws one AC from the deck and cross-references the drawn AC with the Campaign Period under the "Mission" section of the Campaign Sheet. (The "1B," "2B," and "3B" of the In My Sights ACs refer to the AC's Burst cost.) The resulting number refers to a Target number in the "Mission Targets" section of the Campaign Sheet. The Target's location is shown by a small numbered circle on the Campaign Sheet's map.

24.45

The Mission Targets table shows the Target Type for that mission and the Target Sheet number used. Place the appropriate Target Sheet on the table, visible to both players.

24.46

Aircraft. Every Target includes a list of the number and type of Mission Aircraft (exception: "Dogfight" Missions, see 24.47). Medium and Heavy Bombers and Patrol Aircraft show the actual number of aircraft. Fighters and Light Bombers use the L/W notation, standing for Leader/Wingman (i.e., an Element), or L, indicating a Leader only. If a number precedes the L/W notation, that player receives that many Elements. For example, 2 L/W means that player gets two Leader/Wingman pairs of that aircraft type. The attacking team receives the listed aircraft, plus any that can be added to the mission through Options. In any non-"Dogfight" Mission in which the Mission Aircraft are Fighters capable of carrying Bombs, each Fighter begins the Mission with a Bomb counter. This does not apply to Fighters added to a Mission by choosing an Option.

EXAMPLE: Players decide to play the Burma Campaign, using the December 1941 – January 1942 Period. The Allied player draws an AC to determine the First Mission. The AC drawn is "Out of the Sun." He cross-references "Out of the Sun" under the "Dec 1941–Jan 1942" column of the Missions section of the Campaign Sheet, getting a result of "15." Referring to the Mission Targets section of the Campaign Sheet, Target #15 is a Freighter at Rangoon. The Japanese player places the Freighter Target Sheet (Sheet 4A) on the game table for later use. The map also shows that Target #15 is attacked by two Ki-21 Bombers. The Japanese player places two Ki-21s on the table as his attacking force. He continues this example in the following section to illustrate the complete Option selections for the remaining aircraft on each side for this mission.

24.47

If the mission is a "Dogfight" Mission, the Mission Targets section of the Campaign Sheet shows the opposing aircraft in the "Dogfight." As in bombing missions, these forces may be increased by Options.

EXAMPLE: Target #16 in the Burma Campaign has two Ki-27s (a Leader and Wingman) against two Buffalos (a Leader and Wingman).

24.48

Altitude. The Mission Targets section also shows the starting Altitude of the aircraft in the Mission. If they are Medium or Heavy Bombers, or Patrol Aircraft, they must remain at that Altitude for the whole mission. Fighters and Light Bombers may change Altitude normally. The starting Altitude only applies to Mission aircraft; aircraft added by choosing Options may start the Mission at any Altitude.

24.49

Mission Duration. Finally, the Mission Targets section shows the Mission's Duration. If the Duration is a single number, that is the number of turns the Mission lasts. If it is two numbers separated by a slash, those are the base numbers of Turns of Arrival at the Target and Return Home for that Mission [23.2].

24.5 Options

24.51

Options represent additional aircraft and/or special mission effects assigned by each side for the current mission. All Options are listed and explained on the supplied 11" x 17" Campaign Game Options Sheet.

24.52

After the Mission Target has been chosen, each player must secretly choose ONE Option from the list of possible choices supplied on the Campaign Sheet.

24.53

Players should make this selection carefully, since each Option may only be used ONCE per Campaign. Players should write the number of the chosen Option in the appropriate space on their Campaign Scoresheets. Both players simultaneously reveal their chosen Options.

EXAMPLE: Continuing the Burma Campaign example, the Japanese player chooses Option #2 (L/W Ki-43). The Allied player chooses Option #4 (Clouds Over the Target). Referring to the Campaign Game Options Sheet, the players receive the following:

Japanese: A Fighter Element of Ki-43s. Allied: Draw one AC at the start of the Ingress Turn. If a blue-bordered AC is drawn, Vital bombing results become Direct, Direct results become Hit, Hit results become Miss, and Anti-Aircraft Fire is reduced by one. This Option does not affect Torpedo attacks or Anti-Aircraft Fire against Torpedo attacks.

24.6 Mission Victory Points

24.61

Each side earns Victory Points (VP) for enemy aircraft Damaged/Evaded or Destroyed, as well as for each enemy Skilled Pilot shot down. The bombing player also earns VP for:

Damage inflicted on the Ground Target (see 21.8 and the Target Sheets).
Every friendly Light Bomber, Medium Bomber, or Heavy Bomber that flew Over the Target and returned NOT Damaged (not on its Damaged side) — see the Campaign Scoresheets.

Each player totals his mission VP, then records them on the Campaign Scoresheet.

EXAMPLE (as corrected by GMT's official errata): Four G4Ms escorted by two A6M2s attacked Docks defended by two P-40Bs during the current mission. At the end of the Mission the Japanese had scored eight Damage Points against the Docks, leaving them Heavily Damaged for 6 VP for the Japanese. Both P-40Bs were destroyed (10 more VP for the Japanese). One G4M was destroyed (10 Allied VP) and one damaged (5 Allied VP). The other two G4Ms earn 10 additional Japanese VP for going over the target and surviving undamaged. The total VP for this mission are: Japanese 26 VP, Allied 15 VP.

(The rulebook's original, uncorrected example read: "Four G4Ms and two Ki-27s attacked Docks defended by two P-40Bs... the Japanese have scored eight Damage against the Docks, leaving them Heavily Damaged and scoring 16 VP... one G4M was Destroyed (10 VP for the Allies)... Japanese 16 VP, Allied 10 VP." GMT's errata sheet superseded these figures with the corrected example above.)

24.7 Campaign Victory

At the end of all the Missions in a Campaign, subtract the total Allied VP from the total Japanese VP and consult the "Air Group Action Capacity" Table located on the Campaign Sheet to determine each side's "Air Group Action Capacity" (Victory) level for the Campaign.

25.0 Carrier Campaigns

Note to experienced Down in Flames players: While the Land Campaigns in ZERO! are quite similar to those in Rise of the Luftwaffe, the Carrier Campaigns are very different. This section of the rules should be read carefully.

Each Carrier Campaign included in ZERO! represents one of the famous carrier battles of the Pacific War. Carrier Campaigns are played as a series of Turns, in each of which both players will have the opportunity to launch Air Strikes against their opponent.

25.1 Carrier Campaign Sequence of Play

I. Choose the Campaign to play [25.23]. II. Choose Japanese and Allied players [25.23]. III. Carry out Campaign Air Strikes. A. Secretly choose, then reveal, Carrier Fleet Tactics and Flight Ops [25.3, 25.4]. B. Secretly choose, then reveal, ONE Option [25.5]. C. Randomly choose Pilots and Crews for the Mission [19.2 and 19.3]. D. Carry out Air Strike(s) and, possibly, a Reconnaissance Mission [23.0]. E. Recover Damaged Aircraft [25.7]. F. Determine Victory Points [25.8]. IV. Determine "Campaign Air Group Action Capacity" (Victory) [25.9].

25.2 Sheets, Records, and Selection

25.21 Carrier Campaign Sheets

The Carrier Campaign Sheets included in ZERO! are similar to the Land Campaign Sheets, with a few slight differences necessary to play the historical carrier battles. Each Carrier Campaign Sheet includes:

The name of the Campaign.
A Campaign Sequence of Play.
Options for both sides.
A section indicating the base Air Strike sizes for both sides.
A section indicating the aircraft available for Reconnaissance Missions for each side.
A Campaign Map.
Some special rules for the Campaign.

25.22 Carrier Campaign Scoresheet

A Scoresheet is included in the game for each Carrier Campaign. Players use these sheets to keep a record of Carrier Fleet Tactics and Flight Ops, Options used, and the Damage inflicted and Victory Points scored against the opponent's Carrier Fleet and other Targets. The Damage Records on the Carrier Campaign Scoresheet also show the effect on the size of the Air Strike and CAP (Combat Air Patrol) of increasing Damage to the opposing Carrier Fleets. Each player will need a Scoresheet for each Campaign played. GMT Games grants players permission to photocopy these sheets for personal use.

25.23 Choosing a Campaign

Place the chosen Campaign Sheet next to the play surface for easy reference. The Duration (in Turns) of each Campaign is shown on each Campaign Sheet. Players divide into Japanese and Allied teams. Teams may have an unequal number of players. Some missions will require only one player per team to participate. In a few cases — Air Strikes/Missions where there are no defending Fighters — one team will control only the Anti-Aircraft guns.

25.3 Carrier Fleet Tactics

25.31

At the start of each turn, each player records his Carrier Fleet Tactics for the turn on his Campaign Scoresheet.

25.32

The possible Carrier Fleet Tactics are: Short Range, Medium Range, and Long Range. Players may not choose Short Range if their Fleet Tactics on the previous turn were Long Range (and vice versa). Except for that limitation, players may freely change Fleet Tactics from turn to turn. It is possible for a player to choose a different range than his opponent (for example, Long Range while the other player chooses Short Range).

25.33

The chosen Fleet Tactics affect the Recovery of Damaged aircraft (see 25.7) as well as the chance of success of the "Out of Sight" Option.

25.34

Fleets without carriers (the Midway airfield, Port Moresby, and the Japanese Invasion Force) are assumed to have chosen the same Fleet Tactics as the Carrier Fleet attacking them.

25.4 Flight Ops

25.41

At the start of each turn, each player records his Flight Ops for the turn on his Campaign Scoresheet.

25.42

The possible Flight Ops vary by Campaign, but include Large Air Strike, Small Air Strike, and No Air Strike. Players may not choose a Large Air Strike on two consecutive turns.

25.43

The chosen Flight Ops determine whether the player will carry out an Air Strike this turn, as well as its size and Target. Flight Ops also determine the number of aircraft on Combat Air Patrol (CAP) that players will have to defend against any enemy Air Strike.

Exceptions:

The size of the Midway airfield's Air Strikes and CAP are determined solely by the amount of Damage the airfield has received.
The size of the CAP for Port Moresby and the Invasion Force is determined by drawing one AC.

25.5 Options

25.51

Options represent additional aircraft and/or special mission effects assigned by each side for the current turn. All Options are listed and explained on the supplied 11" x 17" Campaign Game Options Sheet.

25.52

After choosing and revealing Carrier Fleet Tactics and Flight Ops for the turn, each player must choose ONE Option. Unlike the Land Campaigns, players choose from a single list of Options. Each player may choose a given Option ONCE per Campaign (exception: the No Option choice may be made more than once). Players may choose any Option except one that specifically states it may only be chosen by the other player.

25.53

Each Carrier Campaign Option is numbered. The player who chooses the Option with the lower number on a given turn resolves his Air Strike first that turn. If both players choose the same Option number, the Air Strikes are resolved simultaneously.

EXAMPLE: The Coral Sea Campaign is being played. After choosing Carrier Fleet Tactics and Flight Ops for the turn, each player chooses an Option. The Japanese player chooses Option #7 (Loaded Flight Deck). The Allied player chooses Condition Option #3 (Radar). Referring to the Campaign Game Options Sheet, these Options have the following effects:

Japanese: All Damage from Bombs in his Air Strike against the Allied Carrier Fleet will score extra Damage. Allied: The Japanese Air Strike will have two extra Turns of Arrival at the Target.

Additionally, because the Allied Option number is lower than the Japanese Option number, the Allies will resolve their Air Strike first.

25.6 Air Strikes

25.61

After choosing and revealing Options, every player who did not choose No Air Strike as his Flight Ops resolves an Air Strike [23.0]. In addition, other Air Strikes and/or Missions may be resolved depending on the Campaign and the Options chosen.

EXAMPLE: In the Midway Campaign up to five Air Strikes/missions could occur in a single turn. This would happen if both players chose Reconnaissance Missions as their Options and the island of Midway were able to launch an Air Strike. In this case the Air Strikes and Missions would be resolved in the following order: 1. The Reconnaissance Missions (in any order). 2. The Midway island Air Strike. 3. The Carrier Fleet Air Strikes (in any order, since they would be simultaneous).

25.62

All Air Strikes in ZERO! last two Turns of Arrival at the Target and one Turn of Return Home. This duration is not reduced by the Speed of the Air Strike aircraft. However, it may be reduced or increased by choosing certain Options.

25.63

The base number of aircraft for a given Air Strike is shown on each Campaign Sheet. This number is affected by Damage to the Carrier Fleet or airfield from which the Air Strikes are launched, and by some Options. Medium and Heavy Bombers in an Air Strike use the L/W notation, standing for Leader/Wingman (i.e., an Element), or L, indicating a Leader only. If a number precedes the L/W notation, that player receives that many Elements. For example, 2 L/W means that player gets two pairs of Leaders/Wingmen of that aircraft type.

EXAMPLE: In the Coral Sea Campaign, the Japanese player chooses Large Air Strike as his Flight Ops for the turn. His Air Strike consists of one Leader/Wingman pair of A6M2 Zeros, one Element of B5N2 Kates, and one D3A1 Val Leader. If, at the time the Air Strike is launched, the Japanese Carrier Fleet has suffered five Damage, the Air Strike is reduced by one aircraft (of the Japanese player's choice). On the other hand, if the Japanese player had chosen Reconnaissance Missions as his Option for this turn, and his reconnaissance aircraft had survived two turns of the Mission, he would receive a second Val (in this case, a Wingman for his lone Leader).

25.64

The chosen Flight Ops also determine the base number of CAP aircraft the player will have to defend against any enemy Air Strike. Again, this number can be affected by Damage received by the Carrier Fleet and by the Option chosen.

EXAMPLE: Continuing the previous example, the Japanese player would have one A6M2 Leader for his CAP.

25.65

Regardless of the Option chosen, the number of any type of aircraft in an Air Strike or CAP is strictly limited by the available Cards.

EXAMPLE: In the Midway Campaign, the Allied player chooses No Air Strike as his Flight Ops. This gives him two L/W of F4Fs as CAP. Even if he chooses Extra CAP as his Option for this turn, he would not get a third pair of Wildcats, since only two Elements of them are included in the Cards. (However, he could use an L/W of Dauntless dive bombers as his extra CAP.)

25.66

Air Strikes are generally launched against the opposing player's Carrier Fleet. However, they may also target an Airfield (Midway), Ground Forces, or an Invasion Force (Coral Sea). Regardless of the Target, Air Strikes are resolved according to the normal rules, with one exception: Air Strike aircraft may not Strafe a Carrier Fleet.

25.7 Recovering Damaged Aircraft

25.71

After the end of an Air Strike the player must check to see whether his Damaged Air Strike aircraft (i.e., those on their Damaged side) successfully recover (land). To do this, draw one AC based on the Carrier Fleet Tactics chosen by each side this turn, as follows:

Short Range = no Cards
Medium Range = 1 card
Long Range = 2 Cards

Add the amounts for the Carrier Fleet Tactics of BOTH sides and draw that many ACs for each Damaged Air Strike aircraft. If any In My Sights or Out of the Sun AC is drawn, the aircraft has definitely failed to land and is Destroyed.

EXAMPLE: The Allied player has chosen Long Range and the Japanese player Medium Range for this turn. Damaged Air Strike aircraft will have to draw three Cards to check for Recovery (one for Medium Range and two for Long Range). However, if this were the Midway Campaign, Damaged Air Strike aircraft launched against or from the Midway airfield would only draw two Recovery Cards, since Midway is always assumed to have chosen the same Range as the Japanese player (Medium, in this case).

25.72

Damaged CAP aircraft are not required to draw ACs for Recovery (they land automatically).

25.8 Air Strike Victory Points

25.81

Unlike the Land Campaigns, Victory Points in the Carrier Campaigns are awarded only for damaging Targets. Additionally, damage to these Targets is cumulative.

25.82

The Carrier Campaign Scoresheets contain Damage Records for each side's Carrier Fleets, plus other Targets in that Campaign. Cross out one box for each Damage inflicted on that Target. Additionally, cross out one box on the Carrier Fleet Record or the Midway Airfield Record for each aircraft Destroyed while flying from that Fleet or Airfield.

Exception: Do not cross out boxes for aircraft destroyed during a Reconnaissance Mission.

25.83

Use the Victory Point awards printed on the Damage Records, not those on the Target Sheets.

25.84

In addition to scoring Victory Points, Damage to Carrier Fleets and to the Midway Airfield also reduces the number of Air Strikes and CAP aircraft available from that Fleet/Airfield.

25.9 Campaign Victory Points

A Campaign ends after the number of Turns shown on the Campaign Sheet, or at the end of a Turn in which one or both Fleets are Out of Action. At that point, add up each side's Victory Points. The player with the higher number of Victory Points wins the Campaign.

26.0 Pearl Harbor: Solitaire Campaign

Unlike the other Campaigns in ZERO!, the Pearl Harbor Campaign does not use the Mission/Air Strike and Anti-Aircraft rules. Instead, the player assigns his aircraft to Targets, checks for the effects of the American defenses by drawing an AC, and carries out the attacks. All the rules needed to play the Campaign are found on the Pearl Harbor Campaign Sheet and Scoresheet.

Zero!: The Rise and Fall of The Imperial Japanese Air Force Dec 1941 - June 1942 Rulebook

Table of Contents

Campaign Rules

2.0 Components

ZERO! includes the following components:

76 Action Cards (GMT's official errata corrects this to 74 Action Cards — see the Action Card Distribution Summary at the end of the Basic Rules)
54 Aircraft Cards
88 Counters
4 Target Sheets (both sides)
3 Campaign Sheets (both sides)
3 Major Campaign Sheets
1 Bombing Display / Turn Record Track
1 11" x 17" Resource Sheet
1 Basic Rules booklet
1 Campaign Rules booklet

If any of the game's components are missing or damaged, please contact us to have them replaced:

GMT Games ATTN: ZERO! P.O. Box 1308 Hanford, CA 93232-1308 www.gmtgames.com (800) 523-6111

2.1 Aircraft Cards

2.11 Fighters

2.2 Action Cards (AC)

ACs can be played in one of two ways: as an Attack or as a Response.

NOTE: there is no FULL THROTTLE AC in ZERO! However, it will be included in CORSAIRS AND HELLCATS.

2.3 Pilot Counter

These counters represent the men who piloted Fighters and Light Bombers. These counters are only used in the Campaign Game (exception, see 13.4).

2.4 Altitude and Damage Markers

These markers are used to indicate an aircraft's current Altitude and the Damage Points it has received.

2.5 Other Counters

3.0 Sequence of Play

The Basic Game is played in Game Turns; each Game Turn is divided into one Player Turn for each Element (Leader plus Wingman) in play. Player Turns are divided into Phases, detailed below.

Translator's note: distinguish the three terms: Game Turn, Player Turn, and Phase.

During your Player Turn you will complete each of the following Phases in the sequential order shown. If you don't wish to take actions in a given Phase, skip directly to the next one.

3.1 Wingman Attack

If your Wingman is at the same Altitude as an enemy Element, you may choose and declare a target for its attack. Draw a "mini-hand" of cards equal to its Offensive Rating and resolve the attack.

Exception: On the first Game Turn, the first player (only) skips this Phase.

3.2 Adjust Altitude

At this point your Element may freely change Altitude by one adjacent level.

3.3 Play Action Cards (AC)

3.4 Discard

You may discard as many ACs from your hand as you wish, placing them face up on the Discard Pile.

3.5 Draw Cards

Once you finish discarding, you may draw new cards. The number of cards you may draw is limited by your Leader's Action Capacity, and by his Performance and Altitude.

4.0 Deploy and Play

4.1 Summary

Select players for each team
Choose the year in which the action takes place
Each team chooses which aircraft to use
Secretly select the Altitude for each Element in play
Deal the initial Action Cards
Determine player order
Play six Game Turns, using the same player order determined on the first turn
Determine the winning team

4.2 Teams

Divide the players into two teams. One team flies the Japanese fighters and the other flies the Allied fighters.

4.3 Year

4.4 Aircraft

Choose Fighter Elements only. Bombers are only available in the Campaign Game.

4.5 Starting Altitude

Exception: "Very High" Altitude may only be chosen by Elements with Turbochargers (see 5.24).

4.6 Action Cards (AC)

4.61 Draw Pile Exhausted

When the Draw Pile of Cards is exhausted, shuffle the Discard Pile and place the cards face down again as a new Draw Pile, continuing the game normally.

4.7 Player Order

4.8 Game Length

All combats in the Basic Game last through the sixth (6th) turn. After the sixth turn, determine the winning side based on the aerial losses detailed in 4.9.

NOTE: Alternatively, for those who want more blood and wish to continue "to the death," turns continue until every aircraft on one side has been shot down.

4.9 Elimination and Victory

4.91 Player Eliminated

A player is eliminated from the game when both his Leader and Wingman have been shot down.

4.92 Determining the Winner

At the end of combat, determine the Winner based on the number of enemy aircraft Damaged or Destroyed by each team during the course of the game. Victory Points (VPs) accumulate and are as follows:

5 pts. For each enemy Fighter (Leader or Wingman) Destroyed.
2 pts. For each enemy Fighter Damaged (showing the Damaged side of the card) and/or Evaded.

Compare the total number of Points for the Allied side with those of the Japanese side. The side with the higher score is the Winner.

5.0 Aircraft Cards

Every Aircraft Card has its country's national symbol on the wingtips of the aircraft. All aircraft with a red border are Japanese. All other aircraft are Allied.

Each Aircraft Card shows: Damage Capacity, Special Range, Year of Service, Name, Aircraft Type, Point Value (see 13.0), and Combat Factor.

5.1 Leaders and Wingmen

5.2 Leader Combat Factor

5.21 Damage Capacity

An aircraft's Damage Capacity is the number of Damage Points (Hits) it can absorb before being shot down.

NOTE: These rules frequently refer to an aircraft's "Damage." A Damaged aircraft is one whose card is showing the Damaged side — not merely one that has taken some Damage Points.

A Damaged aircraft is shot down when the total Damage Points it has suffered equals or exceeds the Damage Capacity shown on the Damaged side of its Aircraft Card.

EXAMPLE: Hurricane IIBs are flipped to their Damaged side as soon as they accumulate at least three (3) Damage Points, and are Destroyed once they accumulate at least six (6) Damage Points.

5.22 Action Capacity

Action Capacity represents the limit of Action Cards a player may hold in his hand. This Factor is based on the aircraft's real-life speed and maneuverability.

5.23 Performance

Performance is the limit on the number of cards you may draw during the Draw Cards Phase of your Player Turn. This Factor is based on the real-life power of the Fighters' engines.

The Leader's Performance is affected by his Altitude:

At "Low" or "Very Low," (+1) to Performance.
At "Medium," NO CHANGE (–).
At "High," (–1) to Performance.
At "Very High," (–2) to Performance.

Exception: See 5.24 (below), Turbochargers.

5.23 (bis) Turbochargers

NOTE: ZERO! does not include any Turbocharged aircraft. Such aircraft will appear in CORSAIRS AND HELLCATS.

5.24 Number of Bursts

Exception: Leaders gain extra Bursts and suffer attack restrictions depending on their Position relative to other aircraft. These rules are detailed in the Position section (6.0).

Note: the source rulebook's numbering skips from 5.24 directly to 5.26 with no 5.25 printed.

5.26 Aircraft Agility

5.27 Bombing (Campaign Game)

This attribute is only used in the Campaign Game. It is not used in these combats.

5.28 Victory Point Value

This "value" is used to balance unequal combats between aircraft (see 13.0).

5.3 Wingman Offensive Rating

5.31 Damage

Wingmen use the same Damage rules as Leaders.

5.32 Offensive Rating and Defensive Rating

A Wingman's Ratings are affected by Altitude as follows:

At "Very High," (–1) to both the Offensive Rating and the Defensive Rating.
At "High," (–1) to its Defensive Rating.
At any other Altitude, the Wingman's printed Ratings are unaffected.

Exception: See 5.33, Turbocharged Wingmen.

5.33 Turbocharged Wingmen

NOTE: ZERO! does not include Turbocharged Wingmen. Such aircraft will appear in CORSAIRS AND HELLCATS.

5.34 Bombing

Wingmen use the same rules for Bombing as Leaders. This attribute is only used in the Campaign Games.

5.35 Victory Point (VP) Modifier

This Modifier is used per the Rules for Balancing Combat (see 13.0). When a Wingman is included in an Element, add its VP to its Leader's VP to determine the Element's total VP.

6.0 Position

6.1 Relative Position

"Disadvantaged": When your opponent is in "Advantaged" Position relative to your aircraft. From this Position, your aircraft can still fire at him, but with a great deal of deflection.

"Tailed": When your opponent is in "Tailing" Position relative to your aircraft. You have an enemy aircraft right behind you that is about to fire everything it has at you.

6.2 Indicating Relative Position

6.21

Relative Position is indicated by the placement of the Leader's card relative to another aircraft. Wingman and Bomber cards do not use Position rules and are always placed facing the owning player.

6.22

6.23

The aircraft's nose is the front edge of the Leader's card, the wings are the side edges, and the edge that depicts the interior of the cockpit is the bottom edge.

6.24

If your Leader is in "Neutral" Position, place his card facing you, with the front edge facing the enemy aircraft.

6.25

6.26

6.3 Adjusting Position

6.31 Maneuvering

A "Maneuvering" AC changes your Leader's Position from "Tailed" to "Disadvantaged"; from "Disadvantaged" to "Neutral"; from "Neutral" to "Advantaged"; or from "Advantaged" to "Tailing."

6.32 "Half Loop"

6.33 Full Throttle

6.34 "Scissors"

6.35 "Agile" Aircraft

An aircraft considered "Agile" may treat ANY AC as a "Scissors" AC when playing it on its turn.

6.36 Giving Up a Position

6.4 Effect of Position

EXAMPLE: A Zero has a normal Number of Bursts limit of one (1). This increases to two (2) when "Advantaged," and to four (4) when "Tailing."

These increases to the Number of Bursts relative to "Neutral" Position are NOT cumulative. A Leader can NEVER have his Number of Shots increased by more than three (+3) due to Position.

6.5 Combat Assignment

A Leader in "Neutral" Position is NOT Assigned, and may play Attack ACs (see 8.0) against any NOT Assigned enemy Leader or Wingman.

6.6 Restrictions on an Assigned Leader

a) A Leader can be Assigned against only one enemy Leader at a time.

c) The Wingman of an Assigned Leader may conduct attacks against the Assigned enemy Leader or his Wingman.

d) Leaders or Wingmen of other Elements are not permitted to initiate an attack against an enemy Leader who is already Assigned, although they may attack his Wingman (see exceptions in 6.7).

6.7 Attacking Leaders WITHOUT a Wingman that are in "Advantaged" or "Tailing" Position

6.71 6.72 Procedure

b) Once the enemy Leader WITHOUT a Wingman reaches "Neutral" Position, he becomes NOT Assigned relative to other friendly Leaders, so you may play ACs against him as normal (8.2).

7.0 Altitude

Aircraft are always at one of these five Altitude levels: "Very Low," "Low," "Medium," "High," or "Very High." Only opposing aircraft at the same Altitude may play ACs against each other.

7.1 Altitude Marker

Players designate the Altitude of each Element in play using Altitude markers. If there is no Altitude marker next to a Leader's card, the Element is considered to be at "Medium" Altitude.

7.2 Changing Altitude

Changing Altitude is a good way to evade an enemy Leader who is in "Advantaged" or "Tailing" Position relative to your Leader.

7.21 During the "Adjust Altitude" Step

If you change Altitude during the Adjust Altitude Phase of the Sequence of Play, do the following:

a) Adjust your Element's Altitude by one level, up or down.

c) If you are in "Advantaged" or "Tailing" Position relative to an enemy aircraft, you lose that Position, returning to "Neutral" Position.

d) If you are "Disadvantaged" or have an "Enemy on your Tail" relative to an enemy aircraft, that Element may follow you by changing its Altitude and maintaining its Position, as follows:

If you have an "Enemy on your Tail," he may follow you freely, performing steps "a" and "b" above.
If you are "Disadvantaged," your enemy may discard an AC from his hand, then immediately perform steps "a" and "b" above. Note that this means an aircraft in "Advantaged" Position that follows you to a higher Altitude must discard two (2) cards: one for following you, and another for gaining Altitude.
If the enemy aircraft does not pursue you, it remains at its current Altitude and moves to "Neutral" Position.

7.22 Playing a "Vertical Roll"

If you change Altitude by playing a "Vertical Roll" during your turn:

7.23 Canceling a "Vertical Roll"

A Leader who is Advantaged or Tailing may play a "Vertical Roll" or "Ace Pilot" AC as a Response to cancel an Altitude change made with a "Vertical Roll" AC.

NOTE: A "Vertical Roll" AC played as a Response AC causes no Altitude change.

7.24 Effect on Position

7.3 Altitude Attack Restrictions

Your Leader or Wingman may not maneuver against or attack an aircraft that is at a different Altitude.

7.4 Effect of Altitude on Performance

A Leader's Performance is affected by his Altitude:

At "Low" or "Very Low," (+1) to Performance.
At "MEDIUM," no change.
At "High," (–1) to Performance.
At "Very High," (–2) to Performance.

Exception: Turbochargers suffer no change to Performance from "High" and "Very High" Altitude effects (see 5.24).

7.5 Effect of Altitude on Wingmen

A Wingman's Offensive Rating and Defensive Rating are affected by his Altitude:

At "Very High," (–1) to both Ratings (Offensive and Defensive).
At "High," (–1) to his Defensive Rating.
At lower Altitudes, the Ratings are unaffected.

Exception: See 5.33, Turbocharged Wingmen.

8.0 Dogfight: Maneuver / Combat

8.1 Overview

8.11

8.12

8.2 Initiating an Attack

8.21

8.22

An enemy player may Respond against an attack on his Leader or Wingman once the Attack AC has been played.

8.23

The number of Hits inflicted by an Attack AC is specified in the red Attack box on the AC ["In My Sights" and "Out of the Sun"].

8.3 Responding to an Attack

8.31

EXAMPLE: The enemy player plays a "Tight Turn" as a Response to your "In My Sights" AC.

8.32

The following Response ACs may be used to Respond to an Attack AC: "Tight Turn," "Barrel Roll," "Ace Pilot," "Full Throttle," "Vertical Roll," or "Scissors."

8.33

When the defending player Responds to an Attack AC, the attacking player has the opportunity to Respond to that Response AC.

8.4 Responding to a Response

8.41

The attacking player is permitted to play his own Response ACs once the Defending player has Responded to the Attack AC.

8.42

Similarly to Responding to an attack, a Response to a Response AC must be played with an AC that indicates it can be played against the Response AC played by the opponent.

CONTINUING THE EXAMPLE: You play a "Tight Turn" in Response to the "Tight Turn" that was played in response to your "In My Sights" AC.

8.43

Both players continue Responding to the last AC played until one of them lacks the appropriate Response AC, or chooses not to Respond.

CONTINUING THE EXAMPLE: The enemy Responds to your "Tight Turn" with a "Scissors" AC. Then you Respond with an "Ace Pilot." The opposing player does not Respond.

8.44

If the last card is played by the attacking player, the original Attack AC takes effect. If the last card is played by the defending player, the effects of the original Attack AC are negated.

FINISHING THE EXAMPLE: Since you played the last AC, the original Attack AC, "In My Sights," takes effect against the enemy aircraft.

8.45

8.5 Initiating a New Attack

Once an attack is resolved, the attacking player is free to initiate a new attack against the same enemy aircraft. There are only two restrictions:

b) A Leader (or Wingman) may not play Attack ACs against more than one enemy aircraft during a single Game Turn.

8.6 Position Change

If your Leader improves his Position after conducting an attack, he immediately gains the additional Bursts earned by the new Position.

9.0 Machine Guns

9.1 General Rule

9.11

9.12

Leaders with Machine Guns have both a Number of Bursts and a separate Machine Gun rating on their Aircraft Card.

9.2 Machine Gun Attacks

9.21

9.22

To attempt a Machine Gun attack, it must be declared the same way as any other attack, with an "In My Sights" or "Out of the Sun" AC.

9.23

9.24

Machine Guns are permitted to attack enemy Wingmen only if their Leader is in "Advantaged" or "Tailing" Position relative to the aircraft carrying the Machine Gun.

9.25

Machine Guns can never attack Bombers or Heavy Bombers.

9.26

10.0 Wingman

10.1 A Wingman's "Mini-Hand"

10.11

10.12

10.2 General Rule for Wingmen

Wingmen attack and defend the same way as Leaders, although with a smaller, temporary hand of ACs (a "mini-hand"). The differences are:

a) Restrictions on who may attack the Wingman (10.3).

b) The Wingman is not limited by a Number of Bursts in his attacks. He may play all the ACs drawn to his "mini-hand."

c) "Maneuvering," "Half Loop," "Full Throttle," and "Scissors" ACs successfully played by the Wingman against an enemy Leader improve your Leader's Position relative to that enemy Leader.

d) A Wingman's Offensive Rating and Defensive Rating are affected by Altitude (see 7.5).

10.3 Eligible Targets for the Wingman

a) If your Leader is Assigned to an enemy Leader, your Wingman may only attack that Assigned Leader or his Wingman.

b) If your Leader is in "Neutral" Position, his Wingman may attack any NOT Assigned enemy Leader or ANY Wingman of an Element at the same Altitude.

10.4 Wingman Attacking a Leader

10.41

10.42

10.43

10.44

Each of the Attack ACs drawn to the "mini-hand" is resolved one at a time and in the same manner.

10.45

The owning player is free to discard the drawn ACs without playing any of them with his attacking Wingman.

10.5 Wingman Attacking a Wingman

10.51

10.52

10.6 Leader Attacking a Wingman

10.61

10.62

In most Leader-versus-Leader combats an aircraft can gain up to three additional Bursts (when Tailing). However, a Leader attacking a Wingman does not suffer this limitation.

10.63

11.0 Downed Fighters

11.1 Wingman Shot Down

When a Wingman is shot down, set it aside to later determine victory.

11.2 Leader Shot Down

The player assumes full control of his Wingman when his Leader is shot down (his Wingman becomes the Leader).

When your Leader is shot down:

Discard your current hand of ACs.
Remove all Damage markers from the Leader.
Take a marker with the number of Damage Points your Wingman has and place it on the Leader's Aircraft Card. The number and Damage status is retained when the Wingman becomes the Leader. The Wingman's Aircraft Card is then set aside for victory determination.
Draw a full hand of ACs equal to the new Leader's Action Capacity MINUS ONE.

12.0 Disengaging Combat

Sometimes fleeing a combat is your best option. Many pilots are alive today because they knew when to get out of a "Dogfight."

12.1 Voluntary Evasion

12.11

12.12

13.0 Rules for Balancing Combat

You may balance a "Dogfight" in one of the following ways (or you may also balance it however you like, though here are the systems we use). Our four favorite methods are detailed below.

13.1 Victory Points (VP) vs. Air Superiority

13.2 Against a Better Aircraft

Another way to balance a "Dogfight" is to give one side more Elements than the other, with an equal total aircraft VP for each side.

13.3 Leaders Without Wingmen

You may also choose to balance a "Dogfight" by giving one player a Leader but not his Wingman in one or more of his Elements.

13.4 Pilot Counters

14.0 Extended Example of Play

Printed as "13.0" in the source rulebook — a numbering slip, since the Table of Contents lists this as section 14.0 and it follows immediately after 13.4.

Preparing the Battle

In an effort to balance the combat, the players choose a Buffalo Element against a Ki-43 Element (both accompanied by their Wingman). Both choose "Medium" Altitude to begin.

Initial Card Deal

The following abbreviations are used in the example:

IMS = IN MY SIGHTS
MVG = MANEUVERING
OTS = OUT OF THE SUN
(#B/#D) = Number of Bursts required by an IMS or OTS AC / Damage it inflicts.

The ACs are dealt and distributed as follows:

Buffalo I (5 cards): OTS (2B/3D), IMS (1B/1D), MVG, MVG, SCISSORS

Ki-43 (6 cards): IMS (3B/3D), IMS (1B/1D), MVG, TIGHT TURN, TIGHT TURN, BARREL ROLL

Player Order

Flip a coin for the Turn marker; the Allied player goes first.

Turn 1

Allied Player Turn

Wingman Attack: Since this is the first turn, the Allied player is not permitted to attack with his Wingman.

Adjust Altitude: The Buffalo chooses to stay at "Medium" Altitude.

Play Cards: With a strongly offensive hand, the Allied player chooses to attack the Ki-43 Wingman, hoping to shoot it down in a single turn.

The Japanese player draws his two ACs for the "mini-hand" (the Ki-43) since it has a Defensive Rating of 2 against the attack. He draws an MVG AC (which is useless for defense) and a "Barrel Roll."

Discard: Since he has only one AC in hand and his hand capacity is five, the Allied player chooses not to discard.

Draw: The Buffalo's Performance is 1, so the Allied player draws one new card. He draws a "Tight Turn."

Japanese Player Turn

Adjust Altitude: The Japanese player stays at "Medium."

Discard/Draw: The Ki-43 does not discard, but draws two ACs (equal to his Performance). He receives an IMS (2B/2D) AC and an "Ace Pilot" AC.

Turn 2

The players now have the following ACs:

Buffalo I: SCISSORS, TIGHT TURN, BARREL ROLL

Ki-43: IMS (3B/3D), IMS (2B/2D), ACE PILOT

Allied Player Turn

The Ki-43 pursues the Altitude change, discarding his IMS (3B/3D) AC and drawing an MVG AC.

Discard/Draw: The Buffalo's Performance increases by one at "Very Low" Altitude, so he draws two ACs. He takes an MVG AC and a "Tight Turn" AC.

Japanese Player Turn

Wingman Attack: The Ki-43 Wingman attacks the Buffalo Leader again. He draws a "Tight Turn" AC, which cannot be used in his attack.

Adjust Altitude: The Ki-43 stays at "Very Low" Altitude.

Discard/Draw: The Ki-43 Leader draws three ACs, since his Performance of 2 is also increased for being at "Very Low" Altitude. He draws a "Barrel Roll," a "Vertical Roll," and an IMS (3B/3D) AC.

The example ends here, although the "Dogfight" continues for another four turns.

Quick Reference: Sequence of Play

The following Sequence of Play summary is reprinted on the back page of the Basic Rules booklet as a quick reference; it repeats 3.0 above verbatim.

3.1 Wingman Attack

If your Wingman is at the same Altitude as an enemy Element, choose and declare a target for your Wingman. Draw a "mini-hand" equal to his Offensive Rating to resolve his attack.

Exception: On the first Game Turn, the first player (only) skips this step.

3.2 Adjust Altitude

Your Element may freely change Altitude by one adjacent level at this time.

3.3 Play Cards

3.4 Discard

You may discard as many ACs from your hand as you wish, placing them face up on the Discard Pile.

3.5 Draw

Once you finish discarding, you may draw ACs. The number of ACs drawn is limited by your Leader's Action Capacity, Performance, and Altitude.

Evasion Table [12.0]

Perform a Dispersal check any time an aircraft attempts to leave before a Mission ends, or during the Mission Phase.

Level	Card Drawn	Result
A	IN MY SIGHTS (Fuel Tank)	Destroyed
B	OUT OF THE SUN	Destroyed
C	IN MY SIGHTS (3B)	Destroyed
D	IN MY SIGHTS (2B)	Damaged*
E	IN MY SIGHTS (1B)	Damaged*
F	MANEUVERING	Escapes
G	HALF LOOP	Escapes
H	Any other card	Escapes
I	ACE PILOT	Escapes

NOTE: * If the aircraft is already Damaged, treat this result as "Escapes."

Level Modifiers

Dispersal Condition	Adjustment
Position** — "Tailing"	down 2 levels
Position** — "Advantaged"	down 1 level
Position** — "Neutral"	no adjustment
Position** — "Disadvantaged"	up 1 level
Position** — "Enemy on Tail"	up 2 levels
Damaged	up 1 level
Voluntary Dispersal	down 1 level
No Enemy Fighters Present at the Same Altitude	down 3 levels

Non-Dogfight Missions (Attacker only):

Condition	Adjustment
Target — Mandatory Turn 6+	up 1 Level
Over Target and Target with Mandatory Turn 6+	up 1 Level
Home-Bound with Mandatory Turn 6+	up 1 Level
The aircraft is a Heavy Bomber	up 1 level

NOTE: ** A Wingman uses his Leader's Position.

Action Card (AC) Distribution Summary

ATTACKS (45 cards)

25 IN MY SIGHTS ("IN MY SIGHTS")
- 9 × 1 Burst / 1 Damage
- 4 × 1 Burst / 2 Damage
- 6 × 2 Bursts / 2 Damage
- 2 × 2 Bursts / 3 Damage
- 1 × 2 Bursts / Fuel Tank (Aircraft Destroyed)
- 3 × 3 Bursts / 3 Damage
3 OUT OF THE SUN ("OUT OF THE SUN")
- 1 × 1 Burst / 2 Damage
- 1 × 2 Bursts / 3 Damage
- 1 × 3 Bursts / 4 Damage
15 MANEUVERING
2 HALF LOOP

RESPONSES (22 cards)

Count	Card	Responds to: IMS	OTS	MVG	HL	AP	TT	BR	VR	Sc	FT*
3	ACE PILOT	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
9	"TIGHT TURN"	x		x			x
10	"BARREL ROLL"	x						x

DUAL-USE (9 cards)

Count	Card	IMS	OTS	Sc	VR
4	VERTICAL ROLL	x	x
5	"SCISSORS"				x

* FULL THROTTLE (Expansion Set only, 4 cards): responds to OTS, TT.

BOMBING AND ATTACKS (Spoiled Attacks)

Over-Target Result: 43 Hit, 33 Miss
Bombing Result: 4 Vital, 16 Direct, 36 Hit, 20 Miss
Attacks: 11 Attacks, including 3 IN MY SIGHTS

Campaign Rules

15.0 The Campaign Game

15.1 Introduction

The Sequence of Play for the Campaign Game adds two new Phases, being otherwise identical to the Basic Game, proceeding with the same sequential Player Turns.

Each of the game's Campaigns has its own Campaign Sheet, which includes details on how to play that Campaign.

A. Turns of Arrival at the Target (variable number) B. Turns Over the Target

Ingress Turn
Bomb Turn
Egress Turn C. Turns of Return Home (variable number)

See 23.0 for details.

15.2 Campaign Game Sequence of Play

Sequence of Play

*Jettison Bombs

Note: Medium and Heavy Bombers that are Damaged NEVER jettison their bombs.

Wingman Attacks

If you have a Wingman and he is at the same Altitude as an enemy Element, choose and announce a Target for your Wingman. Draw a "Mini-hand" equal to his Offensive Rating, and resolve his attack.

Exception: On the first Game Turn, the first player (only) skips this Phase.

Adjust Altitude

Your Element may freely change Altitude by one adjacent level at this time.

*Bomb or Strafe

Fighters or Light Bombers carrying bombs may drop them and/or Strafe INSTEAD OF playing Action Cards (AC) during a Bomb Turn. See 21.0 for full details.

Play Action Cards (AC)

Discard

You may discard as many ACs from your hand as you wish, placing them face up on the Discard Pile.

Draw ACs

Once you have finished discarding, you may draw new ACs. The number of ACs drawn is limited by your Leader's Action Capacity, Performance, and Altitude.

16.0 Basic Game Concepts

Below is a list of how certain Basic Game concepts affect aircraft and missions during the Campaign Game.

16.1 Leaders and Wingmen

16.11

Only Fighters and Light Bombers have a Leader and Wingman card. Patrol Aircraft fly alone, and Medium and Heavy Bombers fly in Formations.

16.2 Altitude

16.21

A Bomber's Altitude can affect the effectiveness of its bombing and the intensity of enemy anti-aircraft fire. See 21.0, 22.0.

16.22

Certain aircraft are prohibited from flying at specific Altitudes. For such aircraft, their maximum Altitude is shown on their Aircraft Card.

16.23

Aircraft must be at "Very Low" Altitude to Strafe. See 21.7.

16.3 Positioning

16.31

Fighters and Light Bombers use the Basic Game's Positioning rules.

16.32

There is no positioning against Medium and Heavy Bombers. Section 20.3 explains the method for choosing these aircraft as Targets.

16.33

Fighters that choose to "Abandon" a Campaign Mission may lose their positions. See 23.5.

17.0 Aircraft in the Campaign Game

17.1 Fighters and Light Bombers

17.11

Campaign Game players use Fighters to carry out escort, interception, bombing, and strafing missions.

17.12

The main function of Fighters is to attack enemy aircraft.

17.13

Light Bombers are treated as Fighters in every respect, EXCEPT that:

a) Some conduct Dive Bombing or Torpedo Bombing, but not Level Bombing. These Bombing Modes are detailed in 21.0.

c) Players earn more VP for Damaging or Destroying a Light Bomber than for Damaging or Destroying a Fighter.

d) When determining Campaign VP, the owning player earns VP for each Light Bomber that returns from a mission Undamaged (i.e., on its NOT Damaged side).

17.14 Torpedo Bombers

Light Bombers with the word "Torpedo" on their Aircraft Card are Torpedo Bombers. Note the following peculiarities about Torpedo Bombers.

c) Torpedo Bombers carry out their Level or Saturation Bombing as normal.

See 21.5 for details on the Torpedo Bombing process.

17.15 Load Penalty

Fighters and Light Bombers that are "Loaded" with bombs [18.0] suffer the following penalties:

All Loaded Fighter and Light Bomber Leaders and Wingmen are prohibited from playing "Maneuvering," "Half Loop," "Scissors," or "Full Throttle" ACs (though they may discard these ACs to change Altitude).
All Loaded Wingmen have their Offensive Rating REDUCED BY ONE, and may only attack if their Leaders are Assigned. The reduction in Offensive Rating is cumulative with the reduction for being at "Very High" Altitude [5.32].

Exceptions:

These penalties do not apply when attacking or defending against Formation Aircraft.
Once a Loaded Fighter or Light Bomber bombs or jettisons its bombs, it no longer suffers the Load Penalty.
Formation aircraft NEVER suffer a Load Penalty.

17.2 Medium and Heavy Bombers

17.21 Differences between Light Bombers and Medium/Heavy Bombers

17.22 Aircraft in Formation

b) Bombers draw Defensive "Mini-hands" the same way Fighter Wingmen do when under attack from enemy Fighters.

c) Only Bombers of the SAME TYPE (which includes different MODELS of the same Aircraft — such as the B-17D and B-17E) may fly in the same Formation.

EXAMPLE: A Formation may contain a B-17D and E, but not a B-17 and a Hudson.

d) All Bombers of the same type in a mission must fly at the same Altitude.

e) Aircraft with a Formation Speed Factor are treated as Aircraft in Formation.

17.23 Positioning

17.24 Altitude Restrictions

17.25 Bombing Types

See 21.0 for bombing specifications.

17.26 Combat with Fighters

Bombers do not initiate combat with other aircraft. Fighters are too fast and maneuverable to be attacked by a Bomber. However, a Bomber can damage a Fighter while defending against its attacks.

17.27 Damage

17.28 Leaving the Formation

17.3 Patrol Aircraft

Patrol Aircraft are used on Patrol missions in the various campaigns. Occasionally, Medium Bombers are also used for Patrol missions.

17.31

Aircraft on Patrol always fly alone. They never form part of a Formation.

17.32

Except for flying alone, aircraft on Patrol are treated as Medium Bombers for all rules purposes.

18.0 Bombs

18.1 General Rules

18.11

Aircraft may be equipped with bombs. Each individual bomb type has its own rules and restrictions [18.2 - 18.3]. These rules apply to all bomb types:

a) The aircraft that carry bombs are specified on each Campaign Sheet and in the Campaign Rules (see 24.0, 25.0, and 26.0).

b) An aircraft may only carry one type of bomb (exception: it may also have a Norden Bombsight).

c) Fighters and Light Bombers carrying bombs are considered Loaded aircraft.

d) Leaders and Wingmen are equipped with the same type of bombs.

18.2 Bombs and Torpedoes

18.21

Bombs and Torpedoes are used to attack Targets. Place a Bomb or Torpedo counter on each aircraft equipped with them.

18.22

Fighters jettison their bombs when Damaged. Remove the Bomb/Torpedo counter when an aircraft jettisons its bombs.

18.23

Remove the Bomb/Torpedo counter after the aircraft has bombed or torpedoed its Target.

18.3 Norden Bombsights

18.31

Most American Heavy Bombers were equipped with this device. Such aircraft have an "N" next to their Saturation Bombing Factor.

18.32

Aircraft equipped with a Norden draw two additional Bomb Cards when bombing.

GMT errata: The two additional cards from the Norden Bombsight are not drawn when attacking a Naval Target.

19.0 Pilots and Crews

19.1 General Description

19.11

19.12

You receive Pilot and Crew counters as indicated during the Campaign (you may also use Pilot counters to help balance a "Dogfight," as noted in the Basic Game [13.4]).

19.13

When you receive a Pilot or Crew, place its corresponding counter on the Aircraft Card. The counter stays with the Aircraft Card throughout the Mission.

19.2 Pilots

19.21 Nationality and Service

19.22 Skilled Pilots

19.23 Aircraft Limits

Skilled Pilot counters include an aircraft type. Such Pilots may only be used to fly the indicated aircraft type (though any of its Models).

19.24 Choosing Pilots

Before beginning a Campaign Mission or Air Strike, each side chooses the pilots to carry out the mission. The following procedure determines whether any Skilled Pilot is used for the mission:

a) Place in a cup all your Pilot counters that are eligible to fly with your Leader aircraft.

b) Randomly draw one Pilot counter for each of your Leader aircraft.

c) Flip the counter from a reasonable height onto the table. There are pilots on both sides of the counters, so whichever side lands face up is the chosen pilot.

d) Place a Skilled Pilot counter atop the Aircraft Card he is flying. Discard an Unskilled Pilot.

In cases where a player automatically receives a specific Skilled Pilot for the Mission or Air Strike, that Skilled Pilot counter is not added to the cup.

19.25 Abilities

A — Ace Pilot. The player controlling this pilot may use one free "Ace Pilot" AC during that Mission or Air Strike. He receives an Ace Ability counter at the start of the Mission/Air Strike to indicate this ability. He may declare, at any point in the game, that the Response AC he is playing is an "Ace Pilot" AC (regardless of the actual card's name). He then discards the Ace Ability counter.

EXAMPLE: A Ki-43 Oscar is flown by a Pilot counter with an "A" in one of its boxes. The Oscar is attacked by an enemy P-40 with "Out of the Sun." He Responds with a "Vertical Roll," but the P-40 plays a "Vertical Roll" of his own. The Ki-43 player has no AC with which to Respond, but plays an "Out of the Sun" AC and declares "this is an 'Ace Pilot' AC," discarding his Ace Ability counter. Unless the P-40 plays an "Ace Pilot" AC of his own (or uses his own pilot's Ace Pilot ability), the attack will have been negated.
**BM — **Draw and apply one extra Bombing AC for this aircraft when it bombs.
**BV — **Increase the aircraft's Number of Bursts by one (+1) for the whole Mission or Air Strike.
CV — Combat Vision. Your pilot's hawk eyes let him spot the enemy before the enemy spots him, gaining the advantage of better exploiting Potential energy. After drawing your initial hand and after the game has begun, you may discard any number of ACs from your hand and draw new ACs to replace them. This card exchange is done "once only." Afterward you play, discard, and draw new ACs as normal.
**D — **Increase the aircraft's Damage Capacity (on each side of its card) by one (+1) for the duration of combat.
**G — **Increase the Machine Gun's Number of Bursts by one (+1).
**H — **Increase the aircraft's Performance by one (+1) for the duration of combat.
**P — **Increase the aircraft's Action Capacity by one (+1) for the duration of combat.
**S — **Draw and apply one extra Strafing Card for this aircraft when it Strafes.

19.3 Crews

The Campaign Game lets you add Crews to your HEAVY BOMBER aircraft, thereby increasing their capabilities.

19.31 Nationality

Each Crew counter carries a nationality symbol indicating the crew's nationality. Crews may only fly aircraft of their own nationality.

19.32 Skilled Crews

19.33 Aircraft Limits

Some Crew counters include an aircraft type. Such Crews may only be used for that aircraft type (though any of its Models).

19.34 Choosing Crews

Bomber Crews are randomly assigned at the start of each mission as follows:

a) Place in a cup all the Crew counters appropriate to the type of Bomber flying the mission, along with all Unskilled Crew counters of that nationality.

b) Randomly draw one Crew counter for every three Heavy Bombers flying the mission.

c) Flip each counter from a reasonable height onto the table. The side of the counter that lands face up indicates which Crew is used.

d) Place a Skilled Crew counter on any one of the Heavy Bombers flying the mission. No more than one Crew counter may be assigned to each Bomber.

19.35 Abilities

AC — Ace Crew. The Ace Crew can add a "Rejected Attack" capability to any two (2) Counter-Attack Cards played during the Mission [see 20.5]. Ace Crews receive two (2) Ace Ability counters to indicate this capability. The Ace Crew ability cannot be lent to another aircraft through Turret Support.
**BD — **Increase the number of Bomb Cards drawn by one (+1) when the aircraft bombs.
**D — **Increase the aircraft's Damage Capacity (on each side of its card) by one (+1) for the duration of combat.
EA — Evasive Action. The aircraft's Evasive Action reduces the enemy Leader's Number of Bursts by one (–1) and Wingmen's Offensive Rating by one (–1) when chosen as a Target.
NS — Nerves of Steel. The crew is spared the first Anti-Aircraft attack assigned against them when they bomb.
**TD — **Increase the aircraft's Turret Defensive Rating by one (+1) [see 20.4].
**TS — **Increase the aircraft's Turret Offensive Rating by one (+1) [see 20.4].

20.0 Attacking Bombers

Note: For the purposes of this section, the term "Bomber" is synonymous with "Aircraft in Formation," and includes Bombers and Patrol Aircraft.

20.1 General Rule

20.11

NOT Assigned Leaders and Wingmen may play Attack ACs against Aircraft in Formation (Bombers and Patrol Aircraft) instead of attacking enemy Fighters on their Player Turn.

20.12

A Leader attacks Aircraft in Formation with ACs from his hand, the same way he would attack Fighters.

20.13

Wingmen attacking Bombers draw a "Mini-hand" composed of a number of ACs equal to their Offensive Rating PLUS their Defensive Rating.

EXAMPLE: The "Mini-hand" for a P-40B Wingman attacking a Bomber is composed of three ACs. An A6M2 Zero Wingman gets a "Mini-hand" of four ACs when attacking a Bomber.

20.2 Burst Limits Against Bombers

20.21

Wingmen have no Number of Bursts limit when attacking Bombers. They may continue their attack with as many Attack ACs as they have in their "Mini-hand."

20.22

20.3 Choosing a Bomber as a Target

20.31 (Optional) Angle of Attack

Frontal: The Fighter subtracts one (–1) from his Number of Bursts (Leaders) or Offensive Rating (Wingmen). The Bomber Formation draws one fewer Defensive AC (in total, NOT per aircraft in the Formation).
Beam: No change to normal combat.
Rear: The Fighter adds one (+1) to his Number of Bursts (Leaders) or Offensive Rating (Wingmen). The Bomber Formation draws two (+2) additional Defensive ACs (in total, NOT per aircraft in the Formation).

20.32

Every time a player declares an attack by a Leader or Wingman against a Bomber, the players determine which Bomber will be attacked as follows:

a) The attacker may attempt to attack the Bomber of his choice (at his Altitude) by playing a "Maneuvering" or "Half Loop" AC when starting the attack.

b) The player controlling the Bombers may Respond to the "Maneuvering" or "Half Loop" AC from the hand of any NOT Assigned Leader at the same Altitude.

c) The attacker may then Respond, as may the defender, and so on, until the attempt succeeds or fails.

20.4 Attacking a Bomber

20.41

20.42

20.43

20.44

Successfully played "In My Sights" and "Out of the Sun" ACs inflict Damage on the Target aircraft. Aircraft in Formation MAY Respond to these ACs (see 20.5).

20.5 Response

20.51

A Bomber Responds to a Fighter's "In My Sights" or "Out of the Sun" AC by playing an AC from its "Mini-hand." Eligible ACs to play in response are:

Any "In My Sights" OR "Out of the Sun" AC.
Any AC that contains a "Rejected Attack" symbol.
An "In My Sights" or "Out of the Sun" AC that also contains a "Rejected Attack" symbol.

20.52

20.53

If the Bomber Responds with an AC containing a "Rejected Attack" symbol, the Fighter's attack is rejected. The Fighter cannot Respond to a "Rejected Attack."

20.54

EXAMPLE OF A BOMBER ATTACK

An A6M2 Zero Wingman attacks a Formation of two B-17Es (one with 7 Damage). His "Mini-hand" of four ACs contains:

"In My Sights" (1B/2D)
"Out of the Sun" (2B/2D)
"Maneuvering"
"Tight Turn"

The Zero Wingman now plays an "In My Sights" AC against the B-17. The B-17 Responds with "Maneuvering" ("Rejected Attack"), so the Wingman's "In My Sights" AC is rejected.

Because the B-17 is now Damaged, it leaves the Formation, and will not receive Turret Support ACs from the other B-17 in any subsequent attack.

21.0 Bombing

21.1 General Procedure

21.11

An aircraft must drop all its bombs during the Bombing and Strafing Phase of the Mission's Bomb Turn.

21.12

21.13

21.14

21.15

Each Target Sheet shows the number of Damage points inflicted by each result against that specific Target [21.9].

21.2 Bombing Modes

21.21

21.22

The Mode used depends on the type of aircraft and the type of bombs.

Fighters capable of bombing use Level Bombing.
Light Bombers generally use Dive Bombing or Torpedo Bombing, and sometimes Level Bombing.
Medium Bombers use Saturation Bombing, and sometimes Torpedo Bombing.
Heavy Bombers use Saturation Bombing.

21.23

21.24

In addition to bombing, all Fighters and Light Bombers may Strafe, as long as they have Bursts available.

21.3 Level Bombing

21.31

This is the type of bombing carried out mainly by Fighters at "Low" or "Very Low" Altitude, although Bombers with Level Bombing Capability also use this system.

21.32 Resolution

21.4 Dive Bombing

21.41 Altitude Restrictions

The Dive Bombing aircraft (Light Bombers with Dive Bombing Capability) must be at "Medium" or "Low" Altitude when they begin to bomb.

21.42 Reducing Altitude

21.43 At "Low" Altitude

To resolve a Dive Bombing attack at "Low" Altitude, draw a number of ACs equal to the aircraft's Bombing Capacity PLUS ONE (+1). Apply the result to all Cards.

21.44 At "Very Low" Altitude

DESIGNER'S NOTE: The added accuracy was earned by those few pilots who could bravely brave the additional Anti-Aircraft Fire and dive as low as possible before releasing their bombs.

21.5 Torpedo Bombing

21.51

Torpedo Bombing may only be done by Bombers with the word "Torpedo" on their Aircraft Card.

21.52

Torpedo Bombing may only be used against Naval Targets.

21.53 Altitude Restrictions

21.54 Sequence

Light Bombers carry out Torpedo attacks on their turn. Medium Bombers carry out Torpedo attacks at the end of the Bomb Turn.

21.55 Resolution

To carry out a Torpedo attack, draw one AC and look up its reference in the Bombing section. A Torpedo attack scores twice the normal number of Damage points (a Miss remains a Miss).

EXAMPLE: A Direct Hit against a Destroyer would normally score four Damage points. A Direct Hit from a Torpedo attack would score eight Damage points.

21.6 Saturation Bombing

21.61

Only Bombers with Saturation Bombing Capability may be used for Saturation Bombing.

21.62

Saturation Bombers draw a number of Bombing ACs equal to their Saturation Bombing Capacity, modified by Altitude. See the Bombing Chart. Apply the Bombing result from each Card to the Target.

21.63 Naval Target

Decrease the result of a Bombing AC by one level when attacking a Naval Target by Saturation Bombing. Ships are harder for Saturation Bombers to hit than Ground Targets.

CONTINUING THE EXAMPLE: If the B-17 mentioned above had been bombing a ship, its results would have been adjusted to Miss, Miss, Miss, Miss, Miss, Miss, Hit, Direct.

21.7 Strafing

21.71

21.72

Strafing occurs after Bombing and Anti-Aircraft Fire [22.2] have been resolved. The Strafing aircraft will suffer additional Anti-Aircraft Fire.

21.73

21.74

21.8 Damaging Ground Targets

21.81

EXAMPLE: When attacking the "Ground Forces" Target (Target Sheet 3A):

Damage	Target Status
0–1	Untouched
2–3	Reduced
4–5	Disorganized
6 or more	Wrecked

21.82

EXAMPLE: A "Reduced" result against the Ground Forces Target gives 1 VP, while a "Wrecked" result gives 5 VP.

21.83

Damage is inflicted by Bombing and/or Strafing. The number of Damage points inflicted by a Miss, Hit, Direct, or Vital Bombing or Strafing result varies by Target, and is shown on each Target Sheet.

21.9 Target Sheets

21.91

Every Ground Target is represented by a Target Sheet.

21.92

The game includes a Target Sheet for every Target Type listed on the Campaign Sheets. Each Target Sheet includes:

The Target's name
Four panels describing the Target's Damage levels
Victory Points for each Damage level
Anti-Aircraft Fire and Discretionary Fire ratings
A Damage section, showing the effects of Bombing/Strafing AC results

Exception: For Carrier Fleets, the number of Damage points needed for each level and the Victory Points earned at that level are shown on the appropriate Campaign Scoresheet, not on a Target Sheet.

22.0 Anti-Aircraft Fire

22.1 Discretionary Fire

22.11

Discretionary Fire is resolved during the Ingress and Egress Turns against every aircraft (friendly or enemy) that remains Over the Target (i.e., that has not Abandoned it).

22.12

Discretionary Fire is resolved against such aircraft at the end of the appropriate Game Turns, after all Player Turns have concluded.

22.13

22.14

Aircraft cannot Respond to Discretionary Fire.

22.2 Anti-Aircraft Fire

22.21

Anti-Aircraft Fire is resolved during the Bomb Turn against every aircraft (friendly or enemy) that remains Over the Target (i.e., did not Abandon), whether or not it dropped bombs.

22.22

22.23

22.24

Aircraft in Formation cannot Respond to Anti-Aircraft Fire.

22.25

Fighters and Light Bombers may play one Response AC against Anti-Aircraft Fire (note that this is a total of one AC — not one AC against each Anti-Aircraft AC).

22.26

22.27

EXAMPLE OF BOMBING AND ANTI-AIRCRAFT FIRE

The Mission is an attack on a Railway (Target Sheet 3B). The Japanese are bombing, the British defending. The opposing aircraft are:

Japanese: 1 L/W of Ki-43s; 1 L/W of Ki-30s; 2 Ki-21s. British: 1 L/W of Buffalo Is; 1 L/W of Hurricane IIBs.

On the Bomb Turn, the Ki-43s and Buffalos are still fighting each other, but cannot attack any aircraft Over the Target, and do not suffer Anti-Aircraft or Discretionary Fire.

Anti-Aircraft vs. Leader: "Barrel Roll," In My Sights (1B/1D). Anti-Aircraft vs. Wingman: In My Sights (2B/2D), Out of the Sun (3B/4D).

Between the Ki-30s and Ki-21s, the following total Damage has been inflicted against the Target:

Ki-30 Leader: No Effect. Ki-30 Wingman: Hit — 1 Damage. Ki-21 #1: No Effect. Ki-21 #2: Direct — 3 Damage.

23.0 Missions and Air Strikes

Except for the Pearl Harbor Solitaire Campaign, all Campaigns consist of a variable number of Missions and/or Air Strikes.

Missions occur mainly in Land Campaigns; Air Strikes are generally reserved for Carrier Campaigns.

23.1 Mission Phases

Mission Phases

Players keep a record of Campaign Mission Turns by moving the Turn marker on the Campaign Game's Mission Turn Record, also found on the Bombing Chart.

23.2 Mission Duration

23.21

In the Campaign Game, the duration of the Turns of Arrival at the Target and Turns of Return Home is determined by the Target and (for Missions) the Speed of the attacking aircraft.

23.22

The Turns Over the Target are always three (Ingress, Bombing, Egress).

23.23

23.24

23.25

23.26

23.3 Turns of Arrival at the Target

The first Turns of each Campaign Mission (not a "Dogfight") or Air Strike are the Turns of Arrival at the Target. The number of Turns is variable [23.2].

23.4 Turns Over the Target

At the end of the last Turn of Arrival at the Target, play proceeds to the Turns Over the Target. This is composed of three turns — an Ingress Game Turn, a Bomb Game Turn, and an Egress Game Turn.

23.5 The Ingress Turn

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23.52

23.53

23.54

23.6 The Bomb Turn

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23.63

23.64

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If a Leader who is Bombing or Strafing is "Advantaged" or "Tailing" at the start of his Player Turn on the Bomb Turn, he must change his Position to "Neutral."

23.66

DESIGNER'S NOTE: In order to line up for a bombing or strafing run, an aircraft must fly a fixed course. This makes it very vulnerable to attack while it prepares to drop its bombs.

23.7 Turns of Return Home

At the end of the last Return Home Game Turn, the Mission/Air Strike ends. Players consult the Campaign Scoresheet to determine the number of Victory Points each side has scored (see 24.0 and 25.0).

24.0 Land Campaigns

The Land Campaign rules given here apply only to ZERO! The two previous games in the Down in Flames series, RISE OF THE LUFTWAFFE and EIGHTH AIR FORCE, use their own Campaign rules.

24.1 Land Campaign Sequence of Play

24.2 Campaign Sheets

The Land Campaign Sheets included in ZERO! give the information needed to play the historical campaigns. Each Campaign Sheet includes:

The name of the Campaign.
A Campaign Sequence of Play.
Options for both sides.
A Missions section.
A Mission Targets section.
A Campaign Map.
A Victory Table.

24.3 Campaign Scoresheet

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24.32

The Land Campaign Scoresheet also includes the Land Campaign Victory Point Awards table. Use this table to determine the number of Victory Points scored on Missions.

24.4 Selecting a Campaign

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Choose a Campaign. Place the Campaign Sheet next to the play surface for easy reference. Players decide which Period of the Campaign they wish to play.

EXAMPLE: Choose December 1941, January 1942, or February 1942 for the Malaya Campaign.

24.42

Campaign Duration. The duration (in Missions) of each Campaign is shown on each Campaign Sheet.

24.43

24.44

24.45

The Mission Targets table shows the Target Type for that mission and the Target Sheet number used. Place the appropriate Target Sheet on the table, visible to both players.

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24.47

EXAMPLE: Target #16 in the Burma Campaign has two Ki-27s (a Leader and Wingman) against two Buffalos (a Leader and Wingman).

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24.5 Options

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After the Mission Target has been chosen, each player must secretly choose ONE Option from the list of possible choices supplied on the Campaign Sheet.

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24.6 Mission Victory Points

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Each side earns Victory Points (VP) for enemy aircraft Damaged/Evaded or Destroyed, as well as for each enemy Skilled Pilot shot down. The bombing player also earns VP for:

Damage inflicted on the Ground Target (see 21.8 and the Target Sheets).
Every friendly Light Bomber, Medium Bomber, or Heavy Bomber that flew Over the Target and returned NOT Damaged (not on its Damaged side) — see the Campaign Scoresheets.

Each player totals his mission VP, then records them on the Campaign Scoresheet.

24.7 Campaign Victory

25.0 Carrier Campaigns

25.1 Carrier Campaign Sequence of Play

25.2 Sheets, Records, and Selection

25.21 Carrier Campaign Sheets

The name of the Campaign.
A Campaign Sequence of Play.
Options for both sides.
A section indicating the base Air Strike sizes for both sides.
A section indicating the aircraft available for Reconnaissance Missions for each side.
A Campaign Map.
Some special rules for the Campaign.

25.22 Carrier Campaign Scoresheet

25.23 Choosing a Campaign

25.3 Carrier Fleet Tactics

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At the start of each turn, each player records his Carrier Fleet Tactics for the turn on his Campaign Scoresheet.

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25.33

The chosen Fleet Tactics affect the Recovery of Damaged aircraft (see 25.7) as well as the chance of success of the "Out of Sight" Option.

25.34

Fleets without carriers (the Midway airfield, Port Moresby, and the Japanese Invasion Force) are assumed to have chosen the same Fleet Tactics as the Carrier Fleet attacking them.

25.4 Flight Ops

25.41

At the start of each turn, each player records his Flight Ops for the turn on his Campaign Scoresheet.

25.42

The possible Flight Ops vary by Campaign, but include Large Air Strike, Small Air Strike, and No Air Strike. Players may not choose a Large Air Strike on two consecutive turns.

25.43

Exceptions:

The size of the Midway airfield's Air Strikes and CAP are determined solely by the amount of Damage the airfield has received.
The size of the CAP for Port Moresby and the Invasion Force is determined by drawing one AC.

25.5 Options

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Japanese: All Damage from Bombs in his Air Strike against the Allied Carrier Fleet will score extra Damage. Allied: The Japanese Air Strike will have two extra Turns of Arrival at the Target.

Additionally, because the Allied Option number is lower than the Japanese Option number, the Allies will resolve their Air Strike first.

25.6 Air Strikes

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EXAMPLE: Continuing the previous example, the Japanese player would have one A6M2 Leader for his CAP.

25.65

Regardless of the Option chosen, the number of any type of aircraft in an Air Strike or CAP is strictly limited by the available Cards.

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25.7 Recovering Damaged Aircraft

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Short Range = no Cards
Medium Range = 1 card
Long Range = 2 Cards

25.72

Damaged CAP aircraft are not required to draw ACs for Recovery (they land automatically).

25.8 Air Strike Victory Points

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Unlike the Land Campaigns, Victory Points in the Carrier Campaigns are awarded only for damaging Targets. Additionally, damage to these Targets is cumulative.

25.82

Exception: Do not cross out boxes for aircraft destroyed during a Reconnaissance Mission.

25.83

Use the Victory Point awards printed on the Damage Records, not those on the Target Sheets.

25.84

In addition to scoring Victory Points, Damage to Carrier Fleets and to the Midway Airfield also reduces the number of Air Strikes and CAP aircraft available from that Fleet/Airfield.