SQUAD
INTRODUCTION
Card game. Simulates small unit tactics in World War II.
LOGISTICS
Use tokens to represent soldiers.
At least two six-sided dice are required.
A deck of cards unique to this game will have to be constructed before play is possible.
SETUP
Each player starts with one squad of one of the five available nationalities.
American squads start with 12 men.
German, British, and Japanese squads start with 10 men.
Russian platoons start with 36 men.
Opposing squads begin the game at long range from each other.
Players take turns. Roll high to determine who goes first.
Shuffle the deck. Players start with 5 cards each.
Each player may play one terrain card, if they have one in their hand.
ALL FIRE PHASES
Range in this game is the relative range between the two squads.
Play attack cards that correspond to the relative range between the squads.
For instance if you are at long range, you may attack with a mortar, but not a pistol.
Attack Cards are type (A) in the card list.
Each attack lists what ranges it can be used at:
PB (Point Blank), S (Short), M (Medium), and L (Long)
You must play an Attack card to attack.
Each attack card kills 1D6 - 1D6 enemy soldiers. (The attack roll)
Roll two dice, subtract the second from the first.
A result of zero or a negative number means there are no casualties.
The attack roll is modified by many cards, as expressed in the card list.
Terrain cards (T) subtract their cover rating to the attack roll total.
For example: A Hedge Row would reduce 5 kills to 3 kills.
Attack cards have built in modifiers. For example:
A pistol(PB/S-1) inflicts one less casualty at short range.
If your attack causes casualties, you may play a Commander Killed card.
Japanese squads may make one PB attack at short range instead, per turn.
TURN SEQUENCE
Players take turns.
Each turn has 9 phases:
1. Draw Phase
2. Morale Phase
3. Covering Fire Phase
4. Opportunity Fire Phase
5. Movement Phase
6. Position Fire Phase
7. Return Fire Phase
8. Rally Phase
9. Discard Phase
DRAW PHASE
German Squads draw four cards from the common deck.
Russian Squads draw two cards from the common deck.
Other Squads draw three cards from the common deck.
If you use up the deck, reshuffle the discard pile and continue playing.
MORALE PHASE
If your squad was fired upon last turn roll 1D6:
1D6 Result:
1-4 Nothing
5-6 Squad Pinned
This roll is called the morale check.
American Squads get +1 to this roll.
Japanese Squads get -1 to this roll.
Add 1 to the roll per man killed last turn.
A pinned squad cannot move and its attack rolls are at -1.
If the squad was already pinned, it routs:
A squad that routs loses 1D6 - 1D6 men. (Roll 1D6 and subtract 1D6)
Routed men are considered to be casualties.
Men that did not rout are still pinned.
Cards that modify the Morale check are played before the roll is made.
Pinned units remain pinned until rallied.
COVERING FIRE PHASE
Declare whether or not your squad is going to attempt to move this turn.
If you are going to move your squad this turn you may first attack with covering fire.
(All attacks require the discard of 1+ Attack cards at the appropriate range.)
Your attacks are at -2, because you are moving and firing.
American squads only have no penalty because they are equipped with
semi-automatic M-1 rifles instead of bolt action rifles.
You may also play a smoke card.
If you play smoke your attacks are at an additional -2.
Declare if you are taking the Point man option.
OPPORTUNITY FIRE PHASE
If you are moving this turn your opponent may attack in this phase.
Range is the same as last turn.
If you provided covering fire, your opponents attacks are at -1.
If you play smoke your opponents attacks are at an additional -2.
Your opponent may play an Ambush card to attack at +2.
If you took any casualties this phase, and you took the Point man
option, you take only one casualty, and you skip movement phase.
MOVEMENT PHASE
To move your squad, play a terrain card.
This replaces your old terrain card, which is discarded.
You may also change the range by one step.
PB -- S -- M -- L
Changing the range is not required. The move may be lateral.
Instead of playing a terrain card you may discard any card to move into an open terrain.
Open terrain provides no cover modifier.
Your opponent may abort your move by playing a Blocking (B) card.
Minefields and Barbed Wire Card are (B) cards.
If a blocking card is played you must discard the new terrain card.
Your squad returns to the old terrain.
A minefield will kill 1D6 - 1D6+2 men.
A Combat Engineer card will negate a (B) card, allowing the squad to move.
If you are unblocked you may play a Mission Objective and/or Concealment card.
POSITION FIRE PHASE
You may attack.
Your attacks are at -1 if you moved this turn.
If you did not move and your opponent outflanked you last turn your attacks are at -1.
Heavy weapons like mortars and machine guns may not be used to
attack if you moved this turn.
If you moved this turn and your opponent did not attack in opportunity phase,
you have outflanked the enemy and get +1 to all your attacks this phase.
RETURN FIRE PHASE
Your opponent may attack.
RALLY PHASE
If a squad is pinned this turn roll 1D6:
1D6 Result:
1-4 Squad remains pinned
5-6 Squad is rallied (becomes unpinned)
This roll is called the Rally roll.
Cards that modify the Rally roll are played before the roll is made.
Americans & German Squads get +1 to this roll.
DISCARD PHASE
If you did not move or attack this turn you may draw an extra card.
If you have more than 5 cards in your hand discard the extra cards.
Well trained German troops may keep 6 cards.
Poorly trained Russian units may only keep 4 cards.
CARD LIST ABBREVIATIONS
# = Number of this card in the deck.
M = Modifier Card
T = Terrain Card
A = Attack Card
B = Block Card
N = National Trait Card
CARD LIST
# Type Card Name Notes
1 M Leadership Rally roll +2
1 M Fatalism Morale check -1
1 M Patriotism Rally roll +2
1 M Camaraderie Rally roll +2
1 M Determination Morale check -1
1 M Shell Shock Morale check +2
1 M Confusion Rally roll -1
1 M Exhaustion Rally roll -1
1 M Hesitation Morale check +2
1 M Fear Morale check +2
1 T Pill Box Cover -3
2 T Line of Trees Cover -1
2 T Low Wall Cover -1
1 T Entrenchments Cover -3
2 T Building Cover -2
1 T Gulley Cover -3
1 T Wheat Field Cover -1
2 T Hedge Row Cover -2
1 T Fox Holes Cover -2
2 T Thick Woods Cover -2
2 T Rubble Cover -2
1 T Hill Cover -1/All your Attacks +1
1 A Knife PB/Kill one enemy maximum
1 A Entrenching Tool PB/Kill one enemy maximum
1 A Bayonet PB/Kill one enemy maximum
1 A Rifle Butt PB/Kill one enemy maximum
1 A Bare Hands PB/Kill one enemy maximum
1 A Garrote PB/Kill one enemy maximum
2 A Take Prisoners PB/ Play only if enemy squad is pinned
3 A Pistol PB/S-1
4 A Grenade S/Negates opponents terrain Cover modifier
2 A Flame Thrower S/Negates opponents terrain Cover modifier
2 A Bazooka/Panzerfaust M+2
4 A Sub-Machine Gun S+1/M-1
2 A Carbine S/M
4 A Bolt-action Rifle S/M/L
3 A Semi-Automatic Rifle S+1/M/L-1
2 A Sniper Attack L+1
2 A Mortar L+2/Cannot use if you moved/Position Fire only
4 A Light Machine Gun M+2/L/Cannot use if you moved this turn
1 A Radio Artillery L+3
1 A Fire Section S/M/L Covering Fire Phase only
1 A Assault Section PB/S Position Fire Phase Only
1 A Fire Team M/L Position Fire Phase Only
4 A Scout Look at next 5 cards in deck
1 A Infiltration PB+1 Position Fire Phase Only
10 N National Trait Effect varies according to squads nationality
2 M Encircled Cover +3/Attach to pinned opponents terrain
6 M Mission Objective Victory Requirement
5 M Smoke All Opportunity Fire attacks -1 this turn
5 M Concealment Cover -1/Attach to your Terrain
4 M Ambush +2 all attk rolls in Oprty Fire Phase this turn
3 M Enfilade +2 to all attacks made by Guns this turn
4 M Flanking Fire Add +1 to all attacks this turn
2 B Minefield Block and Attack
2 B Barbed Wire Block
2 M Combat Engineer Negates a Block card
2 M Commander Killed Opponents Hand size -1
The Commander Killed Card can be played on opponents squad, once only during
the game, immediately after an enemy soldier has been killed.
VICTORY
There are two ways to win:
Kill or rout all members of your opponents squad.
Collect 3 Mission Objective Cards.
NATIONAL TRAIT CARDS
These can be used for different effects depending on the nationality of your squad.
Americans can use a national trait card to do one of the following:
1. Same as Radio Artillery card
2. American Ingenuity: Discard to draw 2 cards.
3. Browning Automatic Rifle Attack: S+1/M+1
Germans can use a national trait card to do one of the following:
1. Tactics: Same as Flanking Fire card
2. Same as Light Machine Gun card
3. Professionalism: Rally Roll +1
4. Intimidation: Morale Check +1
Russians can use a national trait card to do one of the following:
1. Machine Pistol Attack: PB/S/M-1
2. Reinforcements: Gain 1 man
3. Commissar: Rally Roll +1
4. Human Wave: PB+1
British can use a national trait card to do one of the following:
1. Sharp shooting: M+1/L+1
2. Stiff Upper Lip: Morale roll +1
3. British Intelligence: Look at next 4 cards in deck
Japanese can use a national trait card to do one of the following:
1. Same as Concealment card
2. Booby Traps: Same as Minefield card
3. Same as Ambush card
4. Bonsai Charge: PB+2
CARDSET
by Christian Martinez (at martinez@lyon.cci.fr)
Click here to download Squad Cardset
MORE CARDS!
Another set, this one by Janne Thorne
Zip File: Click Here
Click here to go to his Site
Thoth version: Click Here
MOST EXCELLENT CARDSET
by Marcello
Click Here
Images from "Saving Private Ryan"
Plus playtested rules variants.
FLANKING VARIANT
by Christian Martinez (at martinez@lyon.cci.fr)
Flanking Fire: this rule replaces the one existing
about "Flanking Fire" and "Encircled".
In the deck replace the two Encircled cards with two more Flanking Fire cards.
After you have (successfully) played a terrain card
without changing the range (laterally), you can play a
Flanking Fire card. That card stays in play.
These cards are cumulative : if you move again laterally and
play another FF card, all stay in play(=enciclement) and add their bonus.
If you move and do not play a FF card, all FF cards you have played are discarded.
If your opponent (successfully) moves, all FF cards you have played are discarded.
MAP VARIANT
Use a hex map.
Remove the Terrain cards from the deck.
Draw the terrain types onto the map before play.
Terrain types include those described on the cards plus clear or open terrain.
A squad is represented by a pawn on the map.
In move phase you can move your squad 2 hexes in open terrain or 1 hex if
Entering a non-open terrain type.
Point Blank Range = 1 hex distance.
S = 2 hexes, M = 3 hexes, L = 4 hexes
This variant would allow each player to have more than 1 squad.
Each squad requires its own hand of cards.
