Table of Contents

• Game Overview

• Goal of the Game

• Setup

• Game Elements

  • Economy

  • Equipment

• Turns & Phases

  • Collection Phase

  • Negotiation Phase

  • Action Phase

• Dice Rules

  • Dice Rolls

  • Roll Modifiers

  • Becoming the New Government

• Variants

  • Forgotten War mode (2-3 players)

  • Optional Rules

• Appendix 1: Tables

• Appendix 2: Common Movement Mistakes

Game Overview

Playtime: 2-3 hours                   Ages: 12+                     Players: 2-8

Components

• Map tiles: 30 Terrain tiles (6 Mountain, 6 Forest, 6 Wastelands, 6 Desert, 6 Farmland), 7 Urban tiles (6 Village, 1 Capital)

• Currency: 20 One Ammo cards, 20 Five Ammo cards, 20 Ten Ammo cards,

• Resources: 15 Ore tokens, 15 Drug tokens, 15 Oil tokens, 15 Lumber tokens, 15 Cash Crops tokens

• Equipment: 10 Air Power cards, 4 Military Advisor cards, 10 Minefield tokens, 10 Minesweeper tokens, 10 Anti-Air tokens, 10 Artillery tokens

• Other pieces: 10 Factory models, 26 Army models (5 in each player color, 5 Mercenary and 1 Government), 80 Control markers (20 in each color), 2 dice

• Sheets: 4 Local Power summary sheets, 4 Foreign Power summary sheets, 1 score sheet

• Not included: Pens, paper, timer

These cards and tokens are the nuts and bolts of the war machine. Foreign Powers can convert Ammo into equipment at a fixed price (see Appendix, Table 4), then Local Powers can offer to trade resources for said equipment. There are five different types of equipment: Artillery, Minefield, Minesweeper, Anti-Air, Military Advisor, and Air Power.

Turns & Phases

Proxy War plays over 10 turns, each with 3 phases: Collection, Negotiation, and Action.

Collection Phase

In the Collection Phase, Local Powers collect resources or taxes from tiles with their Control marker. If you control a tile with a resource icon, gain 1 token of that resource, or 3 tokens if there is also a Factory on that tile, from the bank.

First, each Foreign Power collects 20 Ammo from the bank, then they may sell resources and buy unlimited equipment (see Appendix, Table 4). Important: Only Foreign Powers can buy equipment during the Collection Phase, and Local Powers can only receive equipment from Foreign Powers during the Negotiation Phase.

Figure 12 Yellow player’s Control marker

Bidding Wars

If multiple Foreign Powers want to buy the same equipment or factories, but there are not enough available in the bank, then they must hold an auction and bid on the equipment or factory. Players who want to bid roll a die to see who bids first with highest roll going first. If two or more players’ dice are tied, they re-roll among themselves until they no longer tie. Initial bid must be the base price of the equipment or factory. The highest bidder can purchase the equipment or factory.

Mercenaries

Mercenaries are black Army models that Local Powers can hire initially for 10 Ammo during the end of the Collection Phase after collecting resources and buying equipment has occurred. Mercenaries are rented instead of purchased, so the player must pay the current rental price every Collection Phase or return the Mercenary back to the bank. There is a limited number of Mercenaries. If there is more demand for Mercenaries than supply of Mercenaries, all Local Power players discuss how much they are willing to pay to rent one. The player with the highest bid, sets the new price of Mercenaries for all players. Important: The player who sets the new price must be able to afford the new price and rent at least one Mercenary at the price they set. Players who hold a Mercenary (or Mercenaries) must immediately pay the new rental price per Mercenary or return the Mercenary to the bank. Those returned Mercenaries can immediately be rented by other players who are willing to pay the new rental price. If all Mercenaries are returned to the bank, their rental price drops back to 10 Ammo. There is no limit to the number of Mercenaries a player can hire, as long as they can afford them. Once hired, the Mercenary is placed on the player’s tile (with the Place action) during the Action Phase. The Mercenary then acts like a normal Army and can move, battle, use equipment, and take control of tiles.

Negotiation Phase

In the Negotiation Phase, all players negotiate with each other, trading items and talking diplomacy. Players will agree on prices to buy and sell their resources and equipment, and can also barter, rent Factories, and provide support. During this phase, players will also form alliances and coordinate their actions with their allies in preparation for the Action Phase. There is no limit to the kind of agreements players can make together. Anything goes with agreements: they can be made public, written down, or even formed in secret with just a handshake. Important: There is no official penalty if a player breaks an agreement, so choose your allies carefully or be prepared to punish those who betray your trust.

Figure 13 Foreign Power summary sheet

Action Phase

In the Action Phase, everyone secretly and simultaneously describes 3 actions on the back of their summary sheet or on a separate piece of paper. Players decide among themselves who will read off their actions first, second, etc. Actions are read out according to the Order of Actions (See below). Individual Armies and Equipment can only be used in one action per Action Phase. To keep actions clear and consistent across all players, use a specific format as you describe them.

Describing Actions

Describe all actions as follows: Subject (+ tile number), Action, Object (+ tile number). For each subject, action, and object, use the first three letters of the action. For example, Anti-Air is shortened to Ant, and Bombard is shortened to Bom. To complete the action's description, add the relevant tile numbers to the subject and object.

If an action affects two tiles, note the tile where the action originates next to the subject and the tile where the action resolves next to the object. In other cases, several tiles may be affected. Follow the same format, but list additional affected tiles after the object. Example: You want to move your Army from tile 22 through tile 17 to end on tile 3. Describe the action as: Arm 22, Mov 17, 3.

Order of Actions

Once everyone has described their 3 actions, they reveal and resolve each type of action simultaneously following this resolution order:

1. Place

2. Move / Support

3. Bombard

4. Build / Repair

5. Buy VPs

When a player reads out their Move actions, other players should check to make sure this action does not conflict with their own Move or Support actions. If there is conflict between multiple players’ action orders, then they will have to see who’s action will succeed through battles (See Battle Rolls below).

Types of Actions

Place (Pla): Local Powers can place Artillery, Minefields, and Anti-Air tokens or Mercenaries on tiles they control. Local Powers can redeploy Artillery and Anti-Air to any tile they control with this action.

Example: Ant (Anti-Air token) Pla (Place) 20 (on tile 20)

Move (Mov): This action lets you move your Armies to adjacent tiles. Local Powers may move an Army up to 2 tiles away with a single Move, as long as the first tile does not already contain any Army. However, Government Armies may only move to 1 adjacent tile per assigned Move action (see Becoming the New Government, page 12).

Only one Army can be on a tile at a time. If a player's Army successfully moves to a tile without another army on that tile, they place one of their Control markers on that tile and remove the other player’s Control marker if the tile was previously owned.

If two or more Armies move onto the same tile, or if one Army moves to a tile with a stationary Army already on it then the Armies battle (see Battle Rolls, page 10). The winning Army remains on the disputed tile, while the losing Army either is destroyed or must retreat to an adjacent tile they control. If there is no adjacent controlled tile, the retreating Army is automatically destroyed. If a stalemate occurs, both Armies retreat to the tiles they were originally on at the start of the Action Phase.

Example: Arm 15 (Army model on tile 15) Mov (Move) 23 (to tile 23)

Conflict between moving Armies not only depends on what tiles they are landing on but also the pathway in which those Armies are moving. Armies cannot hop over other Armies nor can two Armies swap tiles unless their pathways do not conflict (See Diagram 1 & 2 of Appendix 2).

Figure 14 Yellow player’s Army model

Support (Sup): Armies can support an adjacent Army that is attacking (moving) or defending (stationary) during battle to give them a roll modifier (see Appendix, Table 11). Important: If a supporting Army is itself attacked, then it can no longer support the adjacent Army.

Example: Arm 31 (Army model on tile 31) Sup (Support) Arm 14 (Army model on tile 14)

Foreign Powers can also support Armies using Air Power, which has no range limitation. Damaged Air Power cannot support an Army until a Foreign Power repairs it. When providing Air Power support, include the color of the Army you are supporting in your action description.

Example: Air (Air Power token) Sup (Support) Blue Arm 14 (blue Army model on tile 14)

Bombard (Bom): Local Powers can use their Artillery to bombard up to 2 tiles away, potentially destroying any Armies or Factories on the tile (see Bombard Rolls, page 11).

Example: Art 15 (Artillery token on tile 15) Bom (Bombard) 20 (tile 20)

Foreign Powers can also bombard using Air Power, which has no range limitation. Damaged Air Power cannot bombard until a Foreign Power repairs it.

Example: Air (Air Power token) Bom (Bombard) 27 (tile 27)

Build (Bui): Local Powers can build Armies or Minefields on tiles they control. Foreign Powers can build Factories on tiles with a resource icon. Important: A tile can only have one of each buildable piece.

Example: Fac (Factory model) Bui (Build) 18 (on tile 18)

Repair (Rep): Only Foreign Powers can repair Factories or Air Power (see Appendix, Table 7). Damaged Factories do not produce 3 resources during the Collection Phase. Damaged Air Power cannot bombard or support.

Example: Fac (Factory model) Rep (Repair) 13 (on tile 13)

Buy Victory Points (Buy): Foreign Powers can trade 50 Ammo for 1 VP, and convert resources to Ammo, as many times as they can afford.

Example: VP (Victory Points) Buy

Action Costs

Most actions and equipment have an Ammo cost (see Appendix, Table 7). It is wise to always have extra Ammo available for unplanned battles. If you cannot pay an equipment's Ammo cost, you cannot use it during the action. For example, if you cannot pay the 5 Ammo cost to bombard a tile, your action is canceled.

Any equipment placed or attached but NOT used during an action does NOT have a cost. For example, if an Army with attached Artillery moves to a tile without battling, they do not have to spend 3 Ammo for the Artillery.

Similarly, if you do not have enough Ammo to pay for your Army during a battle, your Army is automatically defeated. It must retreat to the tile it moved from. If the defeated Army cannot return to the tile it moved from originally, due to another Army on the tile, you must destroy your Army. If two Armies battling both have no Ammo, they must both retreat to the tile their Armies were on before the battle commenced. Note: A stationary Army defending itself would stay remain on its tile if both Armies have no Ammo to battle.

Dice Rules

Dice are used for a number of actions, including battles, bombardments, navigating minefields, and flying through Anti-Air defenses.

Dice Rolls

Battle Rolls

Battles occur when two or more armies move onto the same tile or if one army moves to a tile with another stationary army on the tile. Multiple battles can be initiated simultaneously during the Action Phase so players decide which battles they want to resolve first. Players will roll two dice each and compare the results (see Appendix, Table 9). If the difference between each player's total is 0-2 (i.e. a roll of 7 versus 9), then it is a stalemate and both Armies retreat back to the tiles they were originally on at the start of the Action Phase. If an Army cannot retreat to its original tile, it is destroyed.

If the difference between each player’s total is 3-4 (i.e. a roll of 5 versus 9), then the winning Army gains control of the tile and the defeated Army must retreat. If an attacking Army is defeated, it must retreat to its original tile. If they cannot, because their original tile is not empty, it is destroyed. If a defending Army is defeated, it must retreat to an adjacent tile it controls. If it cannot retreat to an empty adjacent controlled tile, that Army is destroyed. Important: All retreats happen AFTER all players’ moves are resolved.

If the difference between each player’s total is 5 or more (i.e. a roll of 6 versus 12), then the winning Army takes control of the tile and the defeated Army is immediately destroyed. If an Army is destroyed, also discard ALL equipment attached to the Army.

If more than two Armies move onto the same tile, all involved players roll their dice and compare their rolls. First, the player with the highest roll compares their roll to the player with the lowest roll. Then, the player with the highest roll compares their roll to the next lowest roll, and so on until all contenders have faced the highest roller.

Figure 15 COLOR Army moves into COLOR player’s tile with an Army defending it. These two armies will battle for who controls the tile.

Minefield Roll

If your Army moves to a tile with a Minefield, then you must roll two dice to determine the outcome (see Appendix, Table 12). There are three possibilities:

• The Army survives the Minefield and controls the tile;

• The Army retreats to its original tiles;

• The Minefield destroys the Army.

Regardless of the outcome, the Minefield remains on the tile is owned by the player who controls the tile. Minefields cannot be destroyed or moved once placed.

If you attack a tile with both an enemy Army AND a Minefield, you must survive the Minefield before battling the enemy Army.

Figure 16 Army entering til with a Minefield

Bombard Roll

If you use Air Power or Artillery to bombard a tile with an enemy Army, the enemy player must roll two dice to determine the outcome (see Appendix, Table 12). There are three possibilities:

• The Army survives and remains on the tile;

• The Army retreats to an adjacent controlled tile;

• The Army is destroyed.

If the Army cannot retreat to an adjacent controlled tile, it is immediately destroyed.

If you use Air Power or Artillery to bombard a tile with an enemy Factory, the owner must roll two dice to determine the outcome (see Appendix, Table 12). There are three possibilities:

• The Factory survives and is unaffected;

• The Factory is damaged and will not produce 3 resources until repaired;

• The Factory is destroyed and immediately removed from the board.

Lay damaged Factories on their side. Once repaired, stand them right side up again. Note: a tile with a damaged or destroyed Factory still produces its original 1 resource.

Air Power Roll

If you use Air Power to bombard or support an attack on a tile with an enemy Anti-Air, the enemy player must roll two dice to determine the outcome (see Appendix, Table 12). There are three possibilities:

• The Air Power survives and continues its action;

• The Air Power is damaged and cancels its action;

• The Air Power is destroyed and cancels its action.

Turn damaged Air Power cards horizontal. Once repaired, turn it vertical again.

Figure 17 Anti-Air defending a tile with a Factory.

Roll Modifier

Drug Modifier

Drugs are unique, since they are both a resource AND can potentially be used for a +1 roll modifier. Drugs attached to an Army can only be used once in a battle, then must be discarded.

Artillery Modifier

Instead of using Artillery to bombard, you can “attach” it to your Army within range (up to 2 tiles away) to give it a +2 roll modifier. You cannot use an Artillery to bombard and then attach it to an Army in the same Action Phase. Note: You “attach” the Artillery to an Army with range but the Artillery token remains stationary on its tile.

Example: Arm 15 (Army model on tile 15) Mov (Move) 23 (to tile 23) Eq: Artillery 15 (Artillery token on tile 15 within range on Army)

Government Modifier

As a Local Power, if you become the new Government, all of your Armies automatically get a +1 roll modifier during battles.

Becoming the New Government

At the start of the game, the Capital is controlled and defended by the Government and has its stationary Army plus an Artillery on the Capital tile. If a Local Power defeats the Government Army and takes control of the Capital tile, the Local Power can declare itself the new government. If they do so, the player’s Army models have different mobility and dice roll modifier mechanics (see Move, page 8 and Government Modifier, page 12). Note that a Local Power does not need to declare themselves the new government to win. They only have to control the Capital tile and eliminate all other Local Powers.

Variants

Forgotten War mode (2-3 players)

Proxy War is best as a 4+ player experience, but sometimes that may be difficult to organize. The Forgotten War mode shares most of the features in the Traditional mode with some key differences.

1. There are NO Foreign Powers. All players are Local Powers. This means there are no VPs and only a single winner: the last player left on the board. If you end the game at the 10th turn and there are still multiple Local Powers on the map, they calculate the value of the tiles they control (see Appendix, Table 4).

2. You can convert resources directly to Ammo. Instead of negotiating prices with other players, you receive the Ammo listed on each Resource token. This also means players can build Factories directly. However, resources gained in the Collection Phase can only be sold during the following Collection Phase.

3. Instead of purchasing Equipment from a Foreign Power, Local Powers will each have three chances to purchase randomly selected equipment at the end of the Collection Phase. Place Equipment tokens in non-transparent container (hat or cup) and mix them. Shuffle the Military Advisors and Air Power cards together and place the stack face down. Each player will grab two tokens from the container and one card. Each player will then decide whether they want to purchase the Equipment they selected. Any unpurchased Equipment goes back into the container or the deck. Equipment is purchased for the amount of Ammo listed.

Optional Rules

Include these optional variants to add more strategy to your games of Proxy War.

Active Government

This variant is designed for Local Powers who want a more dangerous and unpredictable Government. At the start of each Action Phase, assign the six tiles surrounding the Government Army's current tile a number from 1 through 6. Then one player rolls a die; the Government Army moves to the tile whose number matches the die result.

Terrain Modifiers

Terrain can make or break a battle. When a Local Power takes control of the Capital and declares themself the new Government (see Becoming the New Government, page 12), the different types of Terrain tiles will have an additional effect during battles, giving a leg up either to the Government or Local Powers. When a Government Army battles a Local Power Army on a Desert, Wastelands, or Farmland tile, they have a +1 roll modifier. However, if a Government Army battles a Local Power Army on a Forest, Mountain, or Urban tile, then the Local Power Army has a +1 roll modifier. Note: The terrain modifiers happens only after a new government is declared.

More Actions

If you feel 3 actions per player is not enough, decide as a group how many actions you will have during the game.

More Turns

For an unabbreviated experience, you can continue playing after the 10th turn until a Local Power achieves their win condition.

Appendix 1: Tables

Victory

Resources, Equipment, Taxes

Phases

Battles

Appendix 2: Common Movement Mistakes

Diagram 1: On the left, enemy Armies A and B want to switch tiles, but, they end up battling instead. On the right, Army A first moves to tile 2 and then tile 3, while Army B moves directly to tile 1. They successfully switch tiles without battling.

Diagram 2: On the left, Army A wants to jump over enemy Army B by moving through tile 3 to tile 4. However, if they do this, they will battle Army B on tile 3. On the right, Army A moves through tile 2 to get to tile 4 without battling.

Diagram 3: On the left, Army A wants to move through tile 3 to tile 4, but Army B wants to move to tile 3. This means both Armies will move onto the same tile and battle. Only the winning Army will remain on tile 3. On the right, Army A moves through tile 2 to tile 4, while Army B moves directly to tile 3. In this case, they avoid each other and do not battle.

Diagram 4: On the left, Army A1 and Army B2 both move to tile 3, where they battle. Army B4 plans to support Army B2, but Army A5 moves to tile 4 and they battle. Because Army B4 was attacked, their support for Army B2 is canceled. On the right, Army A1 and B2 battle on tile 3 again. Army B4 is not attacked, so they can successfully support Army B2.