In 2017, we played ’65 when it was released on Kickstarter. This was Volume I in the Squad Battles Series and uses a very interesting Card Driven Game mechanic where the cards are multi-use and are used for the events, actions, keywords and to determine the results of combat. First off, I want to say that I’m always impressed by Mark Holt Walker’s games because he packs so much in the box, and your hard earned cash can take you really far. That same system was used in Volume II in the series which is focused on Afghanistan to cover the Soviets and their quagmire there in a new game called ’85 Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires. We have played both now and really like the system and what it is trying to do. The rules themselves for ’85 are pretty light and approachable, especially for a squad level tactical game, but really make the game very accessible and I’d recommend it for those looking to enter the tactical side of the hobby, as well as those who are looking for a game that is high on the fun side, and low on the dreary sense of impending doom when you lose side.

In Action Point 1, we looked at the geomorphic boards and how they are used to create different scenarios. In Action Point 2, we looked at the various units included and their counters such as Mujahideen RPG and RPD teams, rifle squads, heroes and captured T-55 and BMP armored fighting vehicles and for the Soviets the Spetsnaz special forces, line rifle squads, heroes, Hind-24 attack helicopters and several types of AFVs, T-55 and T-62 tanks, BNP’s, BTR’s. In this Action Point, we will take an in-depth look at the multi-use cards and their uses and provide several examples.

Multi-Use Cards

First off, the Squad Battles Series uses a very interesting Card Driven Game mechanic where the cards are multi-use and are used for everything in the game including the events, actions, keywords and to determine the results of combat. They are at the heart of the game and the entire system is designed around these cards and the cards activate the units in the game, trigger various special events, and also end the turns. One of the most important aspects of the cards and how they are used in the game is that if there is a conflict between the actions or Power that a card causes to happen, the card always trumps the rules.

Each of the cards has a ton of information listed on them that is important to the play of the game and include things such as:

Upper and Lower Action Blocks, which contain text and denote actions the units may take or enhancements to actions taken. These are things like Fire, Move, or Assault and either allow your units to move or add benefits to these actions. There are also green, red and yellow icons beside the action’s name that identify these actions.

Green Icons denote an action only played during the player’s impulse with the lone exception being Opportunity Fire which happens during another player’s impulse. Unless modified by the text on a card, only one action may be played in a player’s impulse.

Red Icons denote an action to be played during the opposing player’s impulse or in reaction to an action the other player takes during their turn. More than one reaction card may be played in response to the other player’s action. This is especially handy to avoid fire after it has hit or to lessen the effects.

Yellow Icons mean that the card is lending support to an action. For example, a player could play Bullet Stormto enhance an attack on an enemy Softtarget. Only one of each type of supportingcard may be played per action. Forexample, you may only play one BulletStorm with a Fire action

If the Action Card contains the word Power between the upper and lower Action Blocks, the owner may play the card to activate the selected unit’s Power. We have briefly discussed the Powers of units in the 2nd post but we will get a bit more into these in the next post. But these are very important and their use at the right time can make a huge difference in the outcome of firefights. When the player chooses to play the card for the Power, they will then disregard the card’s other text and instead will have to refer to the relevant Power written in the rules. I do wish that these Powers were each listed on the player aids but they are pretty easy to find in the rule book and will just take some time to reference them until the players get comfortable with their use.

Lower left block. This number, which can range from -5 to 10, is used to determine whether the target of Armor Piercing (AP) fire is hit. There are also 3 other pieces of key information sometimes found in this block. These are things like Turret hit, which means that the vehicle’s turret or other heavily armored section has been hit in the attack increasing the targeted unit’s Armor Factor (AF) by 1 in the event that it is hit, Moving Fire (MF) which means that a vehicle using a Move & Fire action misses its target, regardless of the number drawn or a Miss as the attack misses its intended target.

Lower right block. This is added to the attacking unit’s APF and compared to the target’s AF to determine if the target is destroyed. This number is either the sole number in the lower right block or the number in the lower half of the block. There are 4 other results located in the APF Bonus block. They are either located in the upper half of the block or are the sole result in the block. These results include things like Shake, Dud, and Destroy, which apply to the targeted Hard Target. The word Hit in various colors applies only to Soft targets. Shake means the target is Shaken, Dud! means there is no effect on the target, Destroy! means the target is destroyed and HIT means the target might suffer a hit. There are three colors of Hit and each apply in a different circumstance.

The most important part of this post is for you to get a feel for the varied ways in which the Multi-Use Cards are used in the game. They are very important and will be used for nearly all aspects of the game. A solid understanding of which blocks to refer to is important to play the game effectively and the more practice the players have at it the better they will get.

In Action Point 4, we will cover the Impulse Phase and the alternating activations by players including a closer look at the various Power keywords.

-Grant