Gamehelpnuclearwar

Introduction

The atomic bomb has been invented. Nations are building up their stockpiles of atomic bombs while vying for the hearts and minds of their rivals’ populace. Welcome to the world of Nuclear War!

The game begins with an uneasy cold war between all the players, each representing a nuclear power. Once the first player launches a nuclear warhead, the war turns hot as populations decrease in huge balls of nuclear fire. Will there be any nation left when the last bomb has fallen?

Object

In Nuclear War players seek world domination by eliminating the other major powers. This can be accomplished in two ways:

• The peaceful way is to persuade the populations of opposing countries to join your superior form of government through the use of propaganda cards.
• The warlike way is to destroy the enemy’s population by using nuclear weapons.

Population is the measure of success or failure in the game. A player who loses their entire population is eliminated. The last player with population wins the game, but sometimes everyone is engulfed in flames and there are only losers.

Set Up

1. Shuffle the population cards. Based on the player count, deal each player the following number of cards: 2 players: 15 cards; 3 players: 10 cards; 4 players: 8 cards; 5 players: 7 cards; 6+ players: 6 cards. Deal these cards face down. Only you may look at your population cards.
2. Place the remaining population cards in a face up stack in the middle of the table forming a bank. Players may use the bank to make ‘change’ only when they are forced to lose population.
3. Shuffle the Nuclear War cards and deal 9 face-down to each player. You may examine your cards but not other player’s.
4. Place the remaining Nuclear War cards in a face-down stack in the middle of the table. This is a draw deck.
5. The first player is randomly chosen. Play will proceed clockwise around the table from the first player.
6. The first player examines their cards for any secrets and top secrets. If they have any, they play them. Once the first player has a hand with no secrets, the next player in turn declares and plays secrets. Continue this around the table until no one has any secrets left!

NOTE: Spies! To play a secret you announce that you have a secret, then give each other player a moment to decide if they want to play a spy. If no one plays a spy, reveal and resolve the secret. Repeat this process every time you play a secret.

7: All players, at the same time, choose and place 1 card facedown in each of the two face-down slots on their playmat. These are the cards that will be played on your first and second turn respectively! 8: Now you are ready to play! The first player takes the first turn.

Overview of Gameplay

On your turn you will:

• Draw cards until you have 8 in your hand.
• Play secrets and draw replacement cards until no secrets are in hand.
• Move the cards on your launch track forward to the next box
• Place a card into the 2nd face-down slot
• Reveal the card in the face-up slot and play it.

War and Peace

Nuclear War has two game states - Peacetime and War. The game state affects how some cards work.

The game starts in Peacetime. Once there is a successful launch of a delivery system with a warhead, whether or not the launch results in population loss, the game state changes to War.

The game state remains in War until one player is eliminated and has performed their final strike (see page 7). At that point, Peacetime begins again… until the next warhead is launched.

Whenever Peacetime begins all players pick up the face-down cards on their launch track (see below). They then replace those cards with any cards from their hand, including the cards they just picked up. Active delivery systems remain active.

Components Overview

Launch Track

In Nuclear War, you must plan your moves two turns in advance using the Launch Track.

Your Launch track is three spaces. The face-up space is for the card you are using this turn. The first face-down card is the card you will use next turn, and the second face-down space is the card you will play two turns from now.

2nd Face Down Card -> 1st Face Down Card -> FACE UP CARD

You may look at facedown cards on your Launch Track whenever you want. You cannot change the order, or discard cards. Once you play a card to your Launch Track it is locked in!

Your Launch Track may only have delivery systems, warheads, and propaganda cards on it. If you ever reveal a card that is not a delivery system, warhead, or propaganda card, it is discarded without effect. This counts as your turn!

If your launch track is ever empty you must fill it immediately, if you don’t have enough eligible cards in your hand you must fill it on your next turn during the Play a Card step

Card Types

Propagandas

During Peacetime, propaganda cards are used to steal population from other players (ie, the population defects to your nation). During Wartime, some propaganda cards allow you to draw new cards from the deck.

Whenever you steal population with a propaganda card, if the player doesn’t have enough population to give you, they give all their remaining population, and then they are eliminated from the game.

Delivery Systems

In order to launch a warhead in Nuclear Destruction, you need to have an appropriate delivery system.

Delivery systems are played in your launch track before a warhead. To launch a warhead, first, you must reveal a delivery system, and in the subsequent turn, reveal a warhead to go with that delivery system. If any card follows a delivery system that isn’t compatible with that delivery system, the delivery system will be discarded.

There are two main types of delivery systems: bombers and missiles. The two types of delivery systems work slightly differently when they are launched. For resolving a launch, see the Attacking the Enemy section.

The evasion rating on delivery systems determines how vulnerable they are to Anti-Missile cards. The Evasion rating has a letter, either M(Missile) or B(Bomber), and a number. See Anti-Missile cards (below) for details on evading a launch.

NOTE: If you shoot down a delivery system with an anti-missile, you play next, skipping all the players between.

Missiles

Missile delivery systems can carry one warhead up to a maximum megatonnage listed on the card.

Example: An East Wind-DS31 Missile may carry a single warhead of up to 25 Megatons.

Launching a missile requires playing the missile, and on the next turn, following it with a warhead of an appropriate size. After launching a missile it, and the warhead it carried, are discarded.

Bombers

Bombers are launched just like missiles: you reveal one and on the next turn reveal a warhead with low enough tonnage to be carried by it. Unlike missiles, a bomber is not discarded after delivering a payload. Instead, a bomber may deliver multiple warheads, each on its own turn, until the total megatonnage of war-heads delivered equals the bomber rating.

Bombers may bomb different enemy powers on different turns, flying over to the offending country. You do not discard a warhead delivered by a bomber. Instead, place the warhead under the bomber with its megatonnage showing so you can keep track of the megatonnage that the bomber has used. You only discard the warheads delivered by a bomber when the bomber is discarded. If you reveal a warhead that doesn’t fit the bomber, the warhead, the bomber, and all warheads under the bomber, are immediately discarded.

Example: On The first turn, Ed launches the B-58 Bomber, which carries up to 60 mega-tons of warheads. On the next turn, Ed reveals a 20-megaton warhead. After resolving the strike, the 20-megaton warhead is kept with the B-58 Bomber. On the following turn, Ed reveals a 10-megaton warhead, this again is stacked with the bomber after resolving. In the next turn Ed reveals a 40-megaton warhead, this exceeds the bombers max-imum tonnage, and so the bomber along with all three warheads are discarded. The 40-megaton warhead would have no effect.

Warheads

Warhead cards are played after a delivery system on the launch track. Warhead cards are rated by megatonnage, and how much population they destroy. The megatonnage is a limit to certain delivery systems, A larger megaton warhead that follows a delivery system not capable of carrying it is discarded along with the delivery system without effect. If the warhead fits on the delivery system played before it, the warhead has successfully launched and can target any other player. See Attacking a Player.

Anti Missiles

Anti-Missiles are reactive cards. They are played directly out of your hand when another player targets you with a warhead. When a delivery system targets you, you may discard an anti-missile to shoot down the delivery system. All anti-missiles are rated for what they will shoot down. Anti-Missiles have two ratings, one for Bombers (B) and one for Missiles (M). If the rating of the anti-missile is equal to or higher than the evasion rating of the incoming delivery system, the anti-missile can shoot it down.

If you cannot shoot down the incoming delivery system, you may not play an anti-missile. You may not use an anti-missile to help another player. You may only shoot down delivery systems targeting you.

When you successfully use an anti-missile, it becomes your turn, skipping all other players. Play continues clockwise after you have finished your turn.

Secrets and Top Secrets

Secrets are resolved, one at a time, when drawn, and do not go through the launch track. When drawn, announce you have a secret, as it may be stolen by a Spy. If it isn't stolen, play it. Each secret is a random event that has an effect on the game. Resolve the text, and then draw a replacement card. If the replacement is also a secret, resolve that one, and draw another replacement, continue to resolve secrets until a non-secret is drawn. If you have more than one secret in your hand, you choose which secret or top secret to resolve first. Top Secrets are resolved the same way as secrets, with the exception you have to announce it is a Top Secret. Top Secrets tend to be more powerful.

SECRETS! Secrets can be good or bad. When you draw a secret it is played before you begin your turn. Remember to give your opponents a chance to steal it before revealing the secret and resolving it!

Specials

Special cards are cards that are played out of your hand. Each Special explains when it may be played and what it does when you play it.

Hybrid Cards

Hybrid cards show both a warhead and a delivery system. When a hybrid card is revealed the revealing player decides which option to use. After choosing which option, the card is considered to be that type until discarded.

Game Turn in Detail

Draw Cards

At the start of your turn, draw cards until you have 8 cards in hand.

If you have a secret in your hand you must announce you have a secret, and if no Spy steals it, then read it aloud and resolve the effects of the secret. If you draw more than one secret, you must play all of them, but you choose the order you play them. Whenever you play a secret or have it stolen from you, you draw a replacement card.

Play a Card

After drawing, slide your cards along the launch track pushing the first face-down card to the face-up card space, and the second face-down card to the first face-down card space. After sliding your cards over, place another card from your hand, face-down, onto the second face-down space.

Reveal a Card

Reveal and resolve the card in the face-up space. If the card is a propaganda card use the appropriate effect depending on whether it is Peacetime or War.

If it is a delivery system, place it in your active delivery system space, discarding any delivery system already there.

If it is a warhead, and there is a delivery system in your active delivery system space that can hold the warhead, congratulations, you’ve launched a nuke! Place the warhead on the active delivery system and Attack an Enemy! If the game state is Peacetime, it is now War!

If you did not launch a nuke, the next player in turn order takes their turn starting from step 1. If you did, once the attack is resolved – as long as no anti-missiles change whose turn it is – the next player in turn order takes their turn starting from step 1.

Attacking the Enemy

If you have launched a warhead, choose a target player. Then follow the steps below to resolve the strike:

1. The target may use an anti-missile or a Saboteur to shoot down the delivery system or foil the launch. If they do, discard your delivery system and any of your warhead(s) that are face-up.
2. If a launch is stopped by an anti-missile (not a Saboteur) the player that used the anti-missile immediately takes their turn, skipping all the players between the launching player and the target.
3. If the target does not stop the attack, spin the spinner to find out the extra effects of the nuclear strike.
4. You may roll the Nuclear Escalation die. If you do, add the amount rolled to the total population loss. If a Nuclear Cloud is rolled, roll on the malfunction chart.

The target then discards the amount of population equal to the damage dealt by the warhead. The target player may make change from unused population cards if needed. If the target does not have enough population, they are eliminated and they may make a final strike!

Example: Trent takes 22 Million damage from a warhead, and discards a 25 Million population card, taking a 2 million and a 1 million population card from the unused population cards.

1. If the delivery system is a missile, discard the missile and warhead. If it is a bomber, only discard the bomber and warhead(s) if the total megatonnage of warheads on the bomber equals or exceeds its maximum tonnage.

Spinner Results

Radioactive Beta Rays Kill another 5 million. Add 5 million to the population loss on the warhead.

An additional 1 million are engulfed in the fireball. Add 1 million to the population loss on the warhead.

Dirty Bomb! Double the Yield. Double the population loss listed on the warhead. If the warhead is a 200 megaton warhead or larger, the world blows up, spreading nuclear fallout throughout the solar system and everyone loses. Smooth move!

No Appreciable Radiation Fallout. No extra effect, use the amount of population loss listed on the warhead.

Explodes a Nuclear Stockpile Triple the Yield. Triple the population loss listed on the warhead. If the warhead is 100 Megatons or more the world blows up in a massive chain reaction, spreading radioactive fallout throughout the solar system and everyone loses! Welcome to the new asteroid belt.

Bomb Shelters Save 2 Million. Reduce the amount of population loss by 2 million on the warhead. If this results in less than zero loss, treat it as a zero loss.

Lethal Doses of Radioactive Gamma Rays Kill Another 10 Million. Add 10 million to the population loss on the warhead.

Dud Warhead! (No Effect). Place the warhead on the delivery system without effect. Your attack ends, it is now the next player’s turn.

Radioactive Fallout Kills Another 2 Million. Add 2 Million to the population loss on the warhead.

Missile Booster Explodes on Launch (or Bomber Runs Out of Fuel) Discard the delivery system and the warhead(s). Your attack ends, it is now the next player’s turn.

Nuclear Escalation Die Roll Results

Cloud: Disaster! You have somehow directed this warhead at one of your own cities. You lose the population rather than your target. 2: Orbital Burst! The warhead goes off in the atmosphere over your country! Discard your delivery system and all face-up warheads on your player mat. You skip your next turn! 3: Missile Booster Explodes on Launch (or a Bomber Runs out of fuel) Discard the Delivery system and the warhead(s). Your attack ends and it is now the next player’s turn. 4: This Warhead is a dud. Place the warhead on its delivery system without effect. Your attack ends and it is the next player’s turn. 5: Neutron Bomb! Double the yield. Double the population loss listed on the warhead. 6: You hit a nuclear power plant. You do double damage, and your opponent misses one turn! Double the population loss listed on the warhead. Remind your opponent to skip their next turn.

Player Elimination and Final Strike

If you lose all of your population, you have been eliminated from the game.

If you’ve been eliminated through propaganda, you are out of the game, and the other players continue playing the game until there is a winner, or everyone loses.

If you are eliminated through any other means (i.e. secrets, or nuclear attack) you have the option to launch a final strike. You may play all the cards in your hand and on your launch mat. Combining any eligible warhead with your delivery systems in any way you wish. Once you have combined all of your eligible delivery systems and warheads, you may launch them at any targets you wish. Resolve them one at a time, just as above.

Anti-missiles will shoot down a final strike target, but it will not stop the rest of your final strike. The same is true for any dud or failed launch from the spinner.

The player to last play an anti-missile during the final strike will become the next player, otherwise, play continues clockwise. The exception is if another player is eliminated during a final strike, in which case they perform their final strike immediately after the first final strike is finished.

It is possible that a chain reaction of final strikes will eliminate all remaining players. If this happens, everyone loses the game, just like a real nuclear war! Once a player is eliminated and has played their final strike, it becomes Peacetime.

'Example: Trent has been eliminated and is planning out his final strike. He has 3 missiles and a bomber loaded with megatonnage. He looses his bomber on Brittany, who had eliminated him, but Brittany shoots it down with an anti-missile. Trent sighs and decides to send the rest of his missiles against Ed. Ed is eliminated and immediately begins his final strike, ignoring Brittany’s use of the anti-missile. If everyone left survives Ed's final strike, then Brittany will begin her turn, unless another player had played an anti-missile.

When Peace is Declared...

When it becomes Peacetime, you may pick up all your cards on the launch track and replace them with cards from your hand.

Winning the Ultimate Victory

If, after all final strikes, you are the only remaining player with population, You have “won” the game! Your remaining population will enjoy the nuclear winter that follows and begin to slowly rebuild civilization.

Deterrent Force

If you have a powerful weapon in your hand you may wish to display it in order to discourage an enemy attack. You may, as part of your turn, place one or two cards face up in the deterrent force area as shown on the launch mat. A Saturn missile and a 100-megaton warhead, for example, may cause an enemy to think twice before beginning a nuclear exchange.

Cards in your deterrent force area remain part of your hand and must be put into play in the same way as any other cards. Any specials or secrets that affect your hand also affect any cards in the deterrent force. You should pick up your deterrents before resolving a secret that affects your hand.

Optional Rules

More people!

Before dealing starting populations, give each player one 25 million population card. Then deal one less population card to all the players.

Not so secretive!

If a player has more than two secrets dealt to them at the beginning, randomly choose two of them, return the rest to the bottom of the deck and draw replacements. If more secrets are drawn they are also put at the bottom of the deck and replaced.

Bombers aren’t quite as fast as Missiles!

When launching a Bomber you must target a player sitting next to you. After targeting that player you may fly to the player sitting next to the current target or stay on the current target with the next warhead the bomber carries. During a Final Strike, a bomber must target only one player.