Battlelines FAQ
CREDITS
Battlelines™ is the trademark of Lost Battalion Games ©2004 Billings Enterprises, LLC.
Many thanks are extended to those folk that have asked the questions and posted the answers in order to make this a better game. Further thanks to Tom Kassel and Fen Yan for their contribution to the Glossary. The Q&A file was produced by Walt Mulder and edited by Jeff Billings.
INDEX
- Modifiers
- Stacking
- Card Text
- Barrage
- Combat if Defender
- March/Advance
- Commit
- Observer
- Combat
- Holding
- Text Order
- First Fire
- Orders
- Plan
- Forage
- Tactics Cards
- Battlefield Cards
- East Bank
- Fog of War
- Medic
- Withdrawal
Q & A
MODIFIERS
Q: How do defense modifiers (Colored Square on top of cards) and cover modifiers
(tree symbols) work.
A: Defense modifiers are affected by stacking rules. Each of the three attacking
positions; attack, infiltrate and flank are treated as a separate stack when
targeted, each having a top formation. Two of these positions; flank and
infiltrate, can only have a top formation as they are single formation
positions. A defensive modifier would apply as follows:
Defensive Modifiers (colored square) on an attachment card such as a leader (for example: Captain Schaeffer SOS 100th Jägers, or Antiaircraft Machine Guns SOS 112th) give the defensive benefit to any formation in a stack where it resides, not just to the formation card to which it is attached. These apply to the attack and defend positions of the location.
Defensive Modifiers when attached to a formation in a flank or infiltrate position of a location give the modifier only to the formation in that position (since only one formation may occupy such a position).
Cover Modifiers (tree symbol) on an attachment (such as the Shock Company SoS 100th) only give the cover benefit to the formation on which it is attached regardless of location.
Q: If the top formation has additional cover on its card will an aircraft which
only attacks cover 3 or less attack the next unit in the stack if it does not
have additional cover?
A: Only the top formation is exposed to the aircraft and if he isn’t exposed,
then there is no legal target in that location. If one hides, they all hide.
STACKING
The stacking restriction (namely only one group allowed plus the diamond wild cards), all positions on a location card are considered to be the same position for the purpose of stacking restrictions. For the purposes of the enemy targeting, each of the three attacking positions - attack/infiltrate/flank - is treated as a separate stack with a top formation, though two of these positions (flank/infiltrate) can only have a top formation as they are single formation positions.Q: This brings up the following: I advance/move my “heart” symbol formation to a
Flank via successful chance check. Can I now advance my “moon” symbol formation
from a rear friendly controlled location into the new location center where the
“heart” symbol unit used to be (two different formation symbols now at different
areas of the same location)?
A: No. One Location = One Stack. Flank and Infiltrate Positions = One Formation.
Positions are:
Defend (The only positions a defender can be in.)
Attack (The worst position an attacker can be in.)
Infiltrate and Flank (Better positions achieved through card text, representing movement of a tactical nature.)
So, if I have a formation in the Flank Position, the Infiltrate Position and the Attack Position, all of them must make a legal stack that happens to have three top formations and the choice of which top formation to shoot at is the defenders. If I have Hearts in the location I can add all the diamonds I have, but not a Trefoil since it is a different non-Diamond formation.
Q: Stacking rules specify that all formations in a location must belong to the
same group symbol (or the wild card diamond group). Does this apply to flank and
infiltrate positions on the location card as well?
A: The formations of a given side must be a legal stack no matter where that is
in the location. Formations in a location are all still part of the stack regardless
of their position at the location.
Q: How many leaders or companies can be attached to a formation card?
A: Only one leader and/or one company may be attached to a formation card.
Q: At what point can the positions of formations in a stack be altered?
A: Stacking order can be changed anytime during your turn. It is not considered
movement and requires no order. It cannot be changed during combat. You cannot
change stacking order when it is not your turn.
Q: When using an order (or text such as Assemble) to play a stack from the hand
to an objective/base, do the attachments have to be already allocated (attached)
to a unit in the stack, or can you play the lot and then decided where to attach
the company and leader cards?
A: You can do it either way. Once the attachment is declared however, it may not
be changed to a different card.
CARD TEXT
Q: Does the unit using a text to eliminate a Battlefield card have to be in the same location as the card that is being removed? If the chance check is successful and the card is removed, does the player removing the card get the points (if any) for it?A: Yes and Yes. (But the owner of a card never gets any points for eliminating his own card.)
BARRAGE
Q: When an artillery formation has a Barrage—Target Artillery at a text line,
is it prevented from attacking artillery formations hiding underneath other
formations?
A: No the Target keyword specifically allows targeting of artillery. This is
because of counter battery ability where flash and sound ranging equipments were
used to fire at the muzzle flashes of enemy artillery. This is because the
artillery is effectively shooting at a spot on a map known to be occupied by
enemy artillery.
Q: I had the 385th Mortar Battalion with a 7.6 Field Gun attachment. The attachment
provides an additional 2 indirect fire and Barrage text. When I use the text on
the Field Gun first, do I add the value of the chevron from the 385th to the
Barrage? Now the same question in reverse. If I just use the barrage text on the
7.6 field guns does the 385th mortar add to it’s yellow chevron?
A: The formation is the only card firing and the 7.6cm Field
Gun modifies the indirect fire value of the 385th Mortar Battalion.
The formation fires once for each Barrage text regardless of which of the
cards it is physically
COMBAT IF DEFENDER
Q: How does the Combat If Defender text work?
A: If your formation is in the defend position, you may perform any required
Chance Check to see if you may attack first as the defender. If you are
successful, the attack is immediate. You get First Fire and there is no
additional Chance Check. If the attacked unit survives, it may still return
Second Fire if it is able to do so.
Q: Regarding “Combat if Defender”. Can the defender attack without using a card
with this phrase? If so, is there a normal first fire check?
A: The game has three general cases for combat.
Mutual fire - (First shooter is determined by a First Fire check and ties are simultaneous shots) - Combat card text.
Preemptive fire - (The first fire check is won by succeeding on the Chance Check required to Preempt but return fire occurs if the Defender survives) - Combat if Defender card texts are an example of this.
Singular Fire - (Only the attacker shoots) - Singular Fire, such as Barrage, Observer, Shock Attack if Infiltrated and Aircraft card text attack with no First Fire check and receive no Second Fire.
MARCH/ADVANCE
Q:How does March/Advance work when ordering a stack?
A:You don’t give an order to a stack of formations, only to a
single formation, which might choose to perform a march/advance text and
then bring other formations in the stack with the ordered formation. It
comes to the same thing but avoids confusion when you need to interpret
other texts which don’t apply to other formations in the stack.
Q:If you activate a formation with March 2, can it:
move to a friendly location, add some formations to the stack and then move to a second friendly location?
A:YESmove to a friendly location, drop some formations from the stack and then move to a second friendly location.
A:YES
Q: If you activate a formation with March and Advance, can it:
move to a friendly location, add some formations to the stack and then move to an enemy location?
A:YESmove to a friendly location, drop some formations from the stack and then move to an enemy location?
A:YES
Q:I have a stack in a controlled location with enemy units in attack/infiltrate
and/or flanks areas. Can I advance (through these units) to an enemy location in
their rear? If so, can I then march back to the original location?
A: YES and MAYBE. The first part is correct, however it never matters why one
side or the other is in sole control of the location it only matters that they
are, and that there is no unpaid occupation cost. When sole control occurs the
location is captured. If you leave the location vacant even temporarily, your
opponent will gain control of it if he has any units there. In the case of a
location with a control flag, you would retain control if you left it
temporarily vacant and then returned, since the opponent wouldn’t be able to
gain control of it until expending the number of orders shown on the flag.
Q: When a formation has already performed its card text, it can still be used to
march/advance via another card text if part of a stack (page 17). Can this stack
be employed at any time?
A: When an order marker is place on a formation to use its card text it prevents
using the cards text twice in one turn. It does not limit the movement or combat
of the card at all. Since card text must be used to accomplish the movement or
combat of a card in play Tactics cards are very useful to continue an attack
exploit a movement opportunity. Stacking is a non-ordered action and formations
may join the legal stack as part of the movement being performed by another
card.
COMMIT
Q: Can Commit be used to call up a company or Leader of the same symbol as the
HQ? The rules only talk about formations but attachments can be part of a
formation.
A: The Commit only brings in Formation cards from the discard pile. Assemble
since it comes out of the hand and is part of major Headquarters can place
Attachments in addition to Formations.
Q: Can I commit or assemble units to a location that is under enemy control?
A: The status of the location has no effect on the cards entering play, only
stacking rules matter.
Q: Is there any way to Commit diamond symbol formation cards back into play?
A: No, there are no headquarters with a diamond group symbol that have Commit in
the card text.
OBSERVER
Q: How many indirect fire attacks can be created by one Observer text?
A: Currently, only one. Observer text pulls fire to the location where the observer is.
Barrage pushes fire at adjacent locations or the same location as the shooter. The multiple artillery
attacks on one target will be part of American artillery behavior. They have Time on Target ability so
multiple arty will fire at one target. The forces that are available now do not have this ability.
Q: How does Observer text work?
A: Observer text pulls fire to the location where the observer is. Observer allows
an indirect fire attack from either artillery cards, or non-artillery cards that have indirect fire
capability. Only artillery cards may be used if called in from an adjacent location. (Any text on the
artillery card used for the indirect attack does not apply.)
Q: If you have two observers and one artillery unit, can you barrage an enemy unit
once and then use both observers to fire that artillery again (twice) at the same enemy unit?
A: Yes.
COMBAT
Q: In combat, how is combat in a stack resolved?
A: Combat is an order text on a Formation card, Attachment card or Tactics card. Combat
occurs between the Attacking Formation and the Defending Formation. Combat is always one on one. Combat
is modified by any Attachment cards, Location cards, Battlefield cards or Tactics cards and one Combat
Check drawn from your unit deck. Stacking affects which formations interact with each other not the
magnitude of the combat. Several Combats can occur in one turn. The attacking formation can be anywhere
in the stack. The card used to initiate combat attacks the top formation. That card, when able to fire
during this combat, always attacks the card that initiates the combat.
Q: A combat question. I have a formation with 1Formation card with 1 Leader card and 1
Company card attached. They are in a location which the enemy controls. I activate the text with an
order. All 3 cards have the line “combat” on it. Can I attack an enemy unit 3 times with this formation
using the combat text on the Leader card, the combat text on the Formation card, and the combat text on
the Company card?
A: Yes, that’s correct. And, if you have a formation with a leader and a company and they
all have the text “Observer” then you can fire the same adjacent artillery unit three times in a row if
you like.
Q: Do I have to bomb the top formation in a stack or can I target any card in a stack?
A: Aircraft target the top formation in a stack.
Q: When attacking with an aircraft that has a green and blue chevron (instead of a red shock one)
which chevron is used and does the attacked formation get to return fire?
A: Use the chevron corresponding to the type of unit attacked (it uses the color of the defense
hex or shield on the unit). There is no First Fire Check or Second Fire against the aircraft.
Q: Which unit’s deck are result cards drawn from?
A: Your deck is used to apply the results of fire on your units.
Q: Which “top” formation can be attacked if there are formations in the attack infiltrate
and flank positions of a location?
A: Choose any “top” formation you wish to fire at if there is more than one top formation
at a location.
Q: When an attack is declared, can only the top formation attack?
A: No. Any formation in a stack of attacking formations may be used to attack if the card
text allows it to do so. And, the attacking formation does not have to be moved to the top of a stack to
attack. Only the top formation of a defending stack may be attacked, unless specified by a Target keyword
in the card text. The defending formation may fire at the attacking formation regardless of where the
attacking formation is in the stack.
HOLDING
Q: If a formation has no “Hit” text only “Hold” text on a revealed result cards, does the
formation still have to perform a hold check?
A: Yes. What I think has confused you is the difference between Hits and result cards.
When you take a result card regardless if you take any damage from that result card or not you still have
to do one chance check against the hold numbers on the result card. If you don’t get a matching number
on the chance check the unit is withdrawn, and if it has any damage it will not be able to return later
in the operation unless you have a suitable “remove hits” card. If the Hold Check succeeds a result that
scores a Hit attaches to the formation and remains in effect for subsequent Hold Checks, as well as,
counting for accumulated damage.
TEXT ORDER
Q: How is text resolved?
A: All text on the cards is performed in the order it is written, with Leaders first
followed by the Formation and finally that on the Company. Given the
following:
| Leader | Major General 112th Rifle Division | |||
| Text A | Forage - Draw 3 Discard 1 | |||
| Text B | Plan 4 - reorder 4 cards | |||
| Formation | 112th Scout Battalion | |||
| Text C | March 1 or Advance 1 | |||
| Text D | [3] Infiltrate | |||
| Text E | Combat | |||
| Text F | [3] Advance 1 | |||
| Company | Sapper Company | |||
| Text G | [5] Shock Attack if Infiltrated | |||
| Text H | [4] Eliminate Battlefield card |
FIRST FIRE
Q: Does a unit that fires first with Combat if Defender gets fire returned to it (second fire)
by a surviving unit it attacked?
A: Yes
Q: When a card is attacked it always gets the defense modifier on the location card (as well
as the defense modifier of any friendly card at that location). It doesn’t matter which side initiated the
combat. Of course, the attacker usually is sitting in a part of the location where the defense modifier is zero.
A: Yes
ORDERS
Q: Do unused orders carry over from turn to turn?
A: No.
Q: One order can “Place a formation or attachment or a stack of these from hand…” Is that a
formation plus attachments in a stack or stack of formations (possibly plus attachments)? Do you get
to place a load of cards with just one order (within stacking restrictions, of course)?
A: Yes, one order can place any number of formations or attachments. The Unit
Headquarters using the Assemble card text also works this way, so one order is used in either case.
PLAN
Q: Can the Plan text be used to look at and reorder the cards in the Reinforcement Deck?
A: No, the rules specifically state that Plan cards are drawn from the top of the Unit Deck.
Q: Must I Plan the exact number of cards the text shows, or can I draw/reorder up to the number
shown if desired?
A: You must Plan the number shown or as many as possible up to that number. If there are
fewer cards remaining to plan than the text shows, you draw all cards that remain. The decision is
whether to Plan or not. Planning is not considered a draw per se, but rather it is a reordering of
cards. If the last card in a deck is drawn for the reorder, the mission is not over since the cards
are being returned for further potential use.
FORAGE
Q: Must I Forage (draw to my hand) all the cards shown on the Forage text or can I draw
fewer if desired?
A: You must Forage the number shown. If there are fewer cards remaining than the number
shown, you must draw all remaining cards. The decision is whether to Forage or not. Foraging is
considered a card draw. Note that this may end the mission if you have fewer cards to draw than
shown on the Forage text.
TACTICS CARDS
Q: When playing a Tactics card, do you nominate a formation in play and then perform the text using that formation or can you use each text item of the Tactics card with a different formation? For example, Press the Attack has:
| [3] Infiltrate | |
| Combat | |
| [4] Advance 1 |
A: Yes, this is legal and intended. The only active card is the Tactics card. On page 21 Tactics Card, the only restriction is the location so any Formation card at a location can be used for any line of the card text found on the Tactics card.
BATTLEFIELD CARDS
Q: Is the minefield card able to kill a leader many locations away from where it is placed?
A: No, see page 20 “always apply at the text card’s location”.
EAST BANK
Q: Can only artillery cards be played in East Bank locations, and how do the East
Bank locations work?
A: Any Soviet formations can be deployed in the East Bank locations. No movement to or
from the east bank locations is allowed. Also no attack except from Barrage or Aircraft may occur with
forces in east bank locations.
Q: So should I only restrict myself to placing artillery in the East Bank?
A: Not necessarily. Artillery on their own can be targeted with that extra Barrage
if target arty action by much German artillery. They also have low defense strengths. It could be
handy to have another unit on top of the stack.
FOG OF WAR
Q: In the rules under “Fog of War Card” p.23 it states “-the last results card on a
formation card in the withdrawal area is removed the formation card and any attached cards are
immediately placed in the discard pile available for the next mission.” Shouldn’t one wait
until the end of the mission to clear out the withdrawal area of unit cards with no hits on them?
If you immediately put it in the discard pile, you could conceivably pull it back out into play
with a “Commit” text. Is that the intent here? I don’t think so since under “Ending a Mission”
on p.27 it talks about cleaning out the withdrawal area of cards with no hits on them for the
next mission. This leads me to believe that cards with or without hits stay in the
withdrawal
area until the end of a mission.
A: The rules on p.27 are correct. You must wait until the end of the mission
before moving any withdrawn units without hits back into your unit deck.
MEDIC
Q: Can I play a Medic card immediately after a result card with a hit has been
drawn before I have to pull for the hold on # check, or does the hold check have to be resolved
first?
A: No, the entire result bar is acted upon before the Medic can be played and applied.
Q: If an attack results in more than one hit card to be drawn, can I play my Medic
card to remove the first (or second) hit card before a second (or third) is drawn?
A: No, all hit card results a played first, then the Chance Check is perfomed
to see if the unit Holds. This is all considered as part of the combat result and cannot be
interrupted. After the Chance Check, you may play the medic card.
WITHDRAWAL
Q: Can I activate text on units in the withdrawal area?
A: No.
Q: How can I get rid of a hit on a formation in the withdrawal area?
A: Only “fortune cards” will allow you to do this since they don’t specify location.
Medic is an example of a fortune card that eliminates hits in the Withdrawal Area.
