COMBAT BOOTS
RULES Piece's Turn
Combat Boots is a squad-level tactical board A piece moves or fires in a turn--not both.
game. In Combat Boots, each player controls (Rotate piece 90° to show its turn is over.)
infantry, artillery, armor and aircraft. Victory
Players alternate turns until one side wins.
COMPONENTS Victory is defined in each battle description.
Board LINE OF SIGHT
The board depicts the field of battle. MOVEMENT
Line of Sight (LOS)
Hexagons (hex) govern movement and A unit can move a number of hexes up to its
MV. For example, a unit with MV4 can move Buildings, forests, and hills block LOS. A unit
distance. Each hex is 50 meters across.
up to four hexes. can see into the first hex of a series of building
Pieces or forest hexes, but no further. A unit can
A piece/unit represents an infantry squad, a Terrain always see adjacent units. Hex edges do not
machine gun team (MG), mortar, gun, tank, Difficult terrain costs more MV to enter. See block LOS.
vehicle, or aircraft. the Terrain table for details.
Units in LOS can see each other. If LOS is
Armor & Soft Targets questionable, measure from the center of one
Tanks/armored vehicles (AFV) are armor. hex to the center of the other.
Armor is immune to rifle/MG fire. Infantry,
guns, trucks, and aircraft are soft targets.
Unit Ratings
Units have ratings for range (top-left), move
(MV) (top-right), armament, firepower (FP), A rifle squad r2/2 spends 2 points moving into
and survivability (SV) (last row). a forest. It continues along the forest road,
Range is how many hexes a unit can fire. An using only 1/2 points.
underlined range is the number of range ●
It continues uphill on the road. Uphill costs 2 A and B can see each other. As can A and C,
bands the unit can fire into. (1 to enter, and +1 for the contour line), but the
MV is how many hexes a unit can move. and A and D. Hex edge (A-D) does not block
road halves the cost, making it 1. LOS.
Armament is the weapon type. FP is the The rifle squad moves along the level road
number of dice thrown when firing. SV is the ● B and D cannot see each other. The forest
spending 1/2 points. The unit has spent 4MV blocks LOS.
number of dice thrown when taking fire. and can move no further. Friendly Units
TERRAIN Only mortars can fire through friendly units at
TERRAIN ENTRY COST/COVER the same elevation.
Open MV: 1 FIRE
Cover: 0
Firing Conditions
A unit can fire at only one target per turn.
(MG's can fire at 2/3.) The target must be in
range, and within LOS. Rotate a piece 90º to
show it has fired. A target can receive fire from
Forest MV: 2 multiple attackers.
Cover: +1 Resolving Fire
Armament The firing unit rolls a number of dice equal to
Weapons affect target types differently: his FP. The target unit rolls a number of dice
a (Anti-Tank): Kills armor on 1 high die. equal to his SV.
Normal vs soft targets. Kill
aa (Anti-Aircraft): "m" on soft targets. If the firing unit's two high dice each
Buildings MV: 1
h (HE): Attacks all pieces in target hex. individually beat the target's highest die, the
Cover: +1
Armored targets get: +1SV. target is destroyed. Remove the piece.
H (HE): Attacks all pieces in target hex and
Disrupt/Pin
six adjacent hexes. Armor: +1SV.
If the firing unit has only one high that beats
m (MG): Two attacks on soft targets.
the target's high die, the target is disrupted.
M (LQMG): Three attacks on soft targets.
Flip the piece over to its back. A disrupted unit
n (Napalm): +2 to each of attacker’s two Road MV: 1/2 along road does nothing until rallied (Morale). A disrupted
highest dice. Targets one unit. Cover: 0 unit suffering an additional disruption is
N (Napalm): +2 to each of attacker’s two
destroyed.
highest dice. Targets all units in two
consecutive spaces.
r (Rifle): One attack on soft targets.
t (Transport): Carries X passengers.
+ (modifier): +1 to each of attacker’s two Contour MV:
highest dice. Infantry: +1/line uphill
Tracks: +2/line uphill
GAME SEQUENCE Wheels: +4/line uphill
Players alternate turns. The moving player is Cover: 0 A fires at B at 2-2. A rolls 6, 5. B rolls 5, 4. A's
the active player. He moves/fires his pieces, 6 beats B's 5, and B is disrupted. Flip B to its
one at a time, in no set order. back side. B is helpless until rallied.
Trench MV: 1
Cover: +1, SV +1
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COMBAT BOOTS
Example STACKED UNITS
A fires at B at 2-2. A rolls 6, 5. B rolls 4, 3. Combining Fire
Both A's 6 and 5 beat B's 4. B is destroyed. Rifle squads and MG's that occupy the same
Point Blank Range hex may combine firepower against a target.
A unit firing on an enemy in the same or Other units cannot combine fire.
adjacent hex throws an additional die.
ANTI-TANK WEAPONS ● A r2/2 enters C's r2/2 hex. C fires at 3-2
"a" weapons kill tanks/vehicles by rolling one (point blank). C rolls 6, 5, 4. A rolls 5, 4. C's 6
die higher than the target. Two dice are not beats A's 5, killing A.
required. Cover modifiers apply.
INFANTRY ASSAULTING ARMOR
Side Armor The active player's infantry squads can attack
When two or more units fire on one tank, the AFV's in the same hex. The attacker throws an
second shooter hits side armor if he fires 90⁰ A has a MG m2/1 and a rifle squad r2/2 in the extra die for point blank range. Targets get no
or wider from the first. Shooter gets +1FP and same space. They combine fire and roll four cover modifiers, and a single high die kills.
+1 to high die. dice.
Stacked Targets
Infantry in the same hex may be targeted
individually, or as a group. If grouped, use their
combined SV to resolve fire. The result applies
to all units in that group.
Example
A rifle squad r2/2 and MG m2/1 combine fire
● 2 squads r2/2 assault a tank a1/1.
for FP4. They fire on one of two rifle squads
● A fires at E first, hitting frontal armor. ● Squad A enters the tank's hex. The tank
r2/2 in a hex. The attack is 4-2.
● B hits frontal armor: the angle is < 90⁰. fires its Integrated MG r2 at A at 3-2. C rolls 6,
● C fires at side armor: the angle is >=90⁰. Example 5, 4. A rolls 5, 4. 6 beats 5. C kills A.
● D fires at side armor: the angle is >=90⁰. A rifle squad r2/2 and MG m2/1 combine fire ● B r2/2 enters C's a1/1 space.
for FP4. They fire on two rifle squads r2/2 in a ● B attacks C at 3-1 (point blank).
ROLLING 6'S hex. The attack is 4-4. ● B rolls 6, 5, 4. C rolls 5. 6 beats 5. B kills C.
When both sides roll 6's, the shooter disrupts Stacking Penalty
(same hex/single high die kills).
the target by rolling one more 6 than the For each unit in a target hex exceeding four
target. The shooter kills the target by rolling units, the firing player adds an additional +1 to AFV OVERRUN
two more 6's than the target. his high roll. An AFV stops in the hex it overruns, and
Example attacks any soft target in that hex. It uses its
The firing player rolls three 6's. The target OPPORTUNITY FIRE main gun or its integrated MG (r2).
rolls: 6, 5, 4. The attacker has two more 6's An inactive unit can either return fire at one Example
than the target. The target is destroyed. attacker, or fire at one moving unit in the active Player A's tank a2/2 overruns B's infantry
player's turn. MG’s fire at 2/3 targets. The r2/2. A rolls 3 dice (point blank), B rolls 2. A
Modifiers
target must be in LOS and range. rolls 6, 5, 4; B rolls 3, 2. 6 beats 3, and A kills
If both sides roll 6's, each +1 modifier gives
that side an additional 6. Following Fire B (same hex/single high die kills).
Inactive units can fire at active moving units. Opportunity Fire
COVER Inactive units continue firing until the moving Anti-tank weapons can use opportunity fire to
Cover Modifiers unit stops. Rotate the inactive unit 90º to show attack tanks entering their space. Any other
Cover improves a target's SV. A target adds it has fired. target of an overrun attack cannot conduct
its cover modifier to its high die. opportunity fire.
MORALE
Morale Check
After all his pieces have acted, the active
player rallies disrupted units. The player rolls
two dice. If the sum is less than or equal to his
● Squad A moves to space 1. The inactive morale for that battle, he turns ALL his
● B r2/2 fires on A r2/2 at 2-2. squad at B fires at A at 3-2 (point blank). disrupted units over to their front intact sides.
● B rolls 6, 5. A rolls 4, 3. ● A survives and moves into B's hex. B On failing the roll, all his disrupted units remain
● Without cover, both B's 6 and 5 beat A's 4. A continues firing at A at 3-2 (point blank/same disrupted.
would be destroyed. hex). Example
● The forest provides +1 cover, adding to A's Side Armor Player A has a morale of 7 for the battle. He
high roll. This turns A's 4 into a 5. A shooter hits a tank's side armor if the tank rolls a 4, 3 for a total of 7. He turns all his
● B's 6 beats A's 5. A is disrupted. moves without getting closer. Add +1FP and disrupted units over to their front sides.
● Flip A over to its back side. +1 to the shooter's high die. Morale Failure
Example Disrupted units in open spaces that fail a
The firing player rolls three 6's. The target
SAME-HEX COMBAT
Opposing units in the same hex can only fire morale check immediately flee at full MV, away
rolls: 6, 5, 4. The +1 cover turns one 5 into a from their enemy, towards cover. Disrupted
on each other. Outsiders cannot fire into the
six. The attacker has one more 6 than the units stop upon reaching cover.
hex. The shooter throws an extra die for point
target. The target is disrupted. 20240630
blank range. Targets get no cover modifiers,
and a single high die kills.
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