Bitskrieg

- Designed by Scott Muldoon and Miles Muldoon -

1.0 Introduction 1 6.0 Firing 2
2.0 Components 1 7.0 Flipping Finished Tanks 4
3.0 Set-up 1 8.0 Rebuilds 4
4.0 Taking Your Turn 2 9.0 Victory 4
5.0 Moving 2 10.0 Optional & Advanced Rules 4
Scott & Miles Muldoon BITSKRIEG 1
1. INTRODUCTION
Bitskrieg is a very simple tactical tank combat game for
two players. After generating a random battlefield, each
player will assemble a team of five Tanks and deploy two
Flags. A player wins the game by Capturing both of her
opponent's Flags, or by Destroying all five enemy Tanks.
2. COMPONENTS Each Player also has two Flag pieces, which the enemy
Bitskrieg is played with a board, some counters, two six- attempts to capture, and a Rebuild piece, which is
sided dice, and these rules. utilized to replace Destroyed Tanks up to two times
The board is an 8 x 8 grid, much like a checkerboard. during the course of a match.
Some of the squares on the board have small dice
symbols, which are used in placing Obstacles.
Each player has twelve Tank counters, equally divided
among four types.
Light Tanks (LT) are the fastest, but have weak armor.
Medium Tanks (MT) are good all-around, middle-of-
the-road Tanks with no real weaknesses or advantages.
Finally, there are six double-sided Obstacle pieces
Heavy Tanks (HT) are slow, but well-armed and well-
depicting three different types of Terrain. These Terrain
armored.
types only have a specific effect when playing with the
Tank Destroyers (TD) have a powerful gun, but lack Advanced Terrain Rules. If this is your first game, or if
turrets and have weak armor. you just want to keep it simple, treat all Obstacle pieces
as generic Obstacles which block range counting and
prohibit Movement.
3. SET-UP
Setting up the game involves the following Steps,
performed in the following order.
Step 1: Create a Battlefield
Each Tank has three ratings: Each of the six Obstacles are placed on the board one
Its Speed Rating indicates the number of squares it can at a time. For each Obstacle, have one Player roll two
enter in a given turn. dice one after the other. Then, find the square on the
Its Fire Rating depicts the number of dice (one or two) board that corresponds to that die roll. The first die
that it rolls when attempting to Destroy an enemy Tank. rolled corresponds to the first die on the square, and the
second die rolled to the second die.
Its Armor Rating indicates the number the enemy must
roll higher than to Destroy it. For example, if you roll a and then a , you would
place the Obstacle in the space.
If a die roll for an Obstacle would cause it to be placed
on top of another Obstacle, disregard and roll again,
so that each of the six Obstacles are placed on a
different square.
The blue tank is facing left. The red tank is facing right. Step 2: Choose Your Tanks
From the twelve Tanks available to her, each Player
A line indicates which direction the Tank is Facing, which secretly selects five Tanks, keeping her selection hidden
has important effects on Movement and Combat. from her opponent. Wait until both Players have made
The front, full-color side of each Tank piece shows the their selection before moving on to the next step.
Tank on its ready side. Step 3: Deployment
The reverse side of each Tank piece shows the Tank on One of the players will look at the board and choose
its Finished side. This is indicated by a black-and-white an Axis - that is, two opposite edges of the board that
(rather than full color) Tank icon. The Speed and Fire will each serve as a Home Edge for one of the players.
Ratings are missing from the Finished side, as a reminder You can have the youngest player select the Axis, or
that a Finished Tank cannot move or attack. you can have each player roll a die, with the highest-
rolling player choosing the Axis.
Scott & Miles Muldoon BITSKRIEG 2
After that choice is made, the other player gets to
choose which of those two edges she wants for her
Home Edge. This player is the First Player. She places
each of her five Tanks in one of the squares on that
Home Edge (squares without dice numbers). Each tank
must occupy a different square, and can Face in any
direction she chooses.
Her opponent (the Second Player) then sets up her five
Tanks in the same manner on squares in her own Home
Edge (again, the edge opposite the First Player's).
Step 4: Flags
The First Player places her two Flags on the board. Each
Flag must be placed in a different square containing dice
symbols (no edge squares). Flags cannot be placed in a
square containing an Obstacle. Further, a player's two
Flags cannot be placed in the same row or column.
The blue Light Tank can enter three squares. It moves one square, turns ninety
After the First Player has placed her two Flags, the degrees, then moves two more squares, then turns ninety degrees.
Second Player places her Flags in the same manner. A Tank may change its Facing without Moving, or may
Each Player takes her Rebuild piece and places it on the change its Facing before it moves into its first square,
"2" space of their Rebuild Track on the board. Then, the but either of these counts as one square entered (and
First Player takes the first turn of the game. thus toward the number of squares it may move in a
single turn).
4. TAKING YOUR TURN
You have four choices when you take your turn: A Tank cannot enter a square containing an Obstacle
or an enemy Tank.
Move with one of your ready Tanks.
Fire with one of your ready Tanks. A Tank can enter a square containing a friendly Tank or
friendly Flag, but cannot remain there - it must "pass
Flip all of your Finished Tanks to their ready side. through" and end its Move in another square.
Rebuild one of your Destroyed Tanks.
If your Tank ends its Move in the same square as an
Once you have resolved your choice, the other player enemy Flag, that Flag is considered Captured while your
takes her turn. Players alternate turns in this fashion until Tank remains in that square. If the Tank moves out of the
one player has won the game by either: square or is Destroyed, then that enemy Flag is no
Capturing both of the enemy Flags, OR longer Captured. (To win the game in this manner, you
Destroying all of the enemy Tanks. must occupy the squares containing both enemy Flags at
the start of your turn.)
5. MOVING After finishing its Move, flip your Tank to its Finished side,
Tanks on the board are always Facing an adjacent maintaining the same Facing. A Finished Tank may never
square, as indicated by the line on the piece and the Move.
direction in which their gun is pointing.
When a ready Tank Moves, it may move a number of 6. FIRING
squares equal to its Speed. A Tank may only move into When you Fire with a ready Tank, you must choose an
the square it is Facing. Upon entering each square, a eligible enemy Tank as its target. A Finished Tank may
Tank may (but does not have to!) turn ninety degrees to not Fire.
the left or to the right, changing its Facing. Firing consists of three Steps: Range Counting, a Range
Roll, and a Damage Roll.
Design note: the Range and Damage Roll may be made
simultaneously to save time if players have color-
differentiated dice.
Step 1: Range Counting
Count squares from your Firing Tank to the enemy Tank
to determine the Range to the target. Do not count the
square the Firing Tank is in, but do count the square the
enemy Tank is in.
Scott & Miles Muldoon BITSKRIEG 3
Count from square to adjacent square, either orthogonally
or diagonally, in any direction, so long as the squares are
in front of your Tank, and so long as those squares are not
blocked.
Draw an imaginary line through the sides of your Tank.
Anything in front of that line is in front of your Tank. Or to
put it another way, if your Tank is facing to the right, then
all the squares to the right of the row or column your
Tank is occupying are in front of your Tank.

The blue Light Tank can fire on any of these red Medium Tanks. The topmost
Tank is three squares away instead of two because the Obstacle prevents him
from counting diagonally.

You may count squares in as circuitous a route as you

like, but the higher the number of squares, the harder it
will be to hit the target. You should always imagine
your Tank firing directly at its target, though.
If your Range Count is 6 squares or more, you have no
chance to hit, and should choose a different target or
The green squares are in front of the Tank. The darkened squares are not. action. If your Range Count is less than 6 squares, move
Exception: Tank Destroyers. A Tank Destroyer may only on to step 2.
count squares that are in a straight line in the direction it is Step 2: Range Roll
Facing. The number of squares counted in the previous step is
the Range to the target. The Firing Tank rolls one die.
If it rolls lower than or equal to the Range, the shot
misses. Skip Step 3 and flip the Firing Tank to its
Finished side.
If it rolls higher than the Range, the shot hits - but may or
may not do damage. We'll have to go to Step 3 to find
out.
For example, if you had counted 4 squares from the Firing
Tank to its target, you will need to roll a or a to hit.
Step 3: Damage Roll
If the shot hits, the Firing Tank must check to see if it has
Destroyed the enemy Tank. The Firing Tank will roll one or
two dice depending on its Fire Rating. Compare each die
result to the enemy Tank's Armor Factor.
The Tank Destroyer can only count the green squares.
If all rolls are lower than or equal to the Armor, the shot
A square is blocked if it contains an Obstacle or another is deflected and the Tank is not Destroyed.
enemy Tank (that is, besides the target). Flags and
Friendly Tanks do not block your Range Counting. Further, If any roll is higher than the Armor, the enemy Tank is
you cannot count a square diagonally if there is an Destroyed; remove it from the board.
Obstacle or enemy Tank on either side of the diagonal.
Scott & Miles Muldoon BITSKRIEG 4
For example, a Heavy Tank rolls two dice when Firing, and Reserves
is Firing on a Light Tank, which has an Armor Rating of "3". A player may use two of her Rebuilds at once to bring
in a brand-new sixth Tank, chosen from her remaining
If the Heavy Tank rolls a and a , the shot would be pieces. This Tank is deployed in a square in the player's
deflected, as neither die roll is greater than 3. Home Edge, on its Finished side.
If the Heavy Tank rolls a and a , the shot would Flank Armor
Destroy the Tank, because one of the dice - the - is When Firing at a target Tank from a square on its
greater than 3. Flank, subtract one from the target's Armor for that shot.
If you are not in front of a Tank (as defined in section
And of course if the Heavy Tank rolls a and a , the 6), you are Firing at its Flank.
shot would Destroy the Tank, because at least one of the
dice - in this case both of them - is greater than 3. Bounding Fire
A Tank may Move and Fire in the same turn, in that order
Regardless of the result, the Firing Tank is flipped to its
only. The Tank's Speed is reduced by one for that Move.
Finished side.
After the Tank's Move is finished, it may Fire, but when
7. FLIPPING FINISHED TANKS making its Range Roll, it must roll two dice, both of which
On your turn, instead of performing an action with one must be higher than the Range. That is, if either or both
of your ready Tanks, you can Flip all of your Finished dice miss, then the shot misses. Because it has a Speed of
Tanks on the board to their ready sides. Remember, "1" only, a Heavy Tank cannot use Bounding Fire.
Finished Tanks cannot Move or Fire. Stun
8. REBUILDS When a Range Roll is successful, and the highest Damage
Twice during the game, you can use your turn to Rebuild die rolled is exactly the same as the target's Armor, flip
one of your Tanks that was Destroyed. The Tank is placed the target to its Finished side. If the target is already on its
back on the board, in any square on your Home Edge, Finished side, there is no further effect.
Facing any direction, and on its Finished side. Reverse Movement
When this option is used, move your Rebuild marker down When a Tank Moves, it may choose to use its whole Move
one space; when it reaches zero, you have no more to move backwards exactly one square, regardless of its
Rebuilds remaining. (If you're wondering why there are Speed. A Tank Moving backwards may not turn at any
more than two spaces on the track, see Handicapping time before or after its Move. Tanks moving in reverse
under the Optional Rules.) cannot use Bounding Fire if that rule is also in use.

9. VICTORY Ramming
You may Ram an enemy Tank by trying to Move into its
At the start of your turn, if you have Captured both enemy
square. Once adjacent to and Facing the enemy Tank's
Flags, you win immediately. Remember, to Capture a Flag,
square, announce your intention to Ram that Tank; you do
both Flag spaces must be occupied by your Tanks. It
not actually enter the enemy square, but you do need to
doesn't matter if you have Captured both Flags at the end
have sufficient Speed to potentially enter that square. Both
of your turn, only if you still occupy those squares at the
players roll a die for their Tanks. If the roll is greater than
start of your next turn.
their Tank's Armor Rating, the Tank is Destroyed! Ouch! If
If all of a player's Tanks are Destroyed, the other either or both Tanks survive, they are flipped to their
player wins immediately. The player whose Tanks have Finished side. A Ramming Tank cannot use Bounding Fire if
all been Destroyed does not get an opportunity to that rule is also in use.
Rebuild, even if her Rebuild marker is still in play.
Destroying Obstacles
Play continues until one player or the other wins. There are A Tank may Fire at an Obstacle in the same manner and
no draws. under the same restrictions as at an enemy Tank. If the
Range Roll is successful, the Damage Roll result must be
10. OPTIONAL & ADVANCED RULES greater than 4 to Destroy the Obstacle. If using the Terrain
The following rules add to the complexity of the game. Optional Rule below, you may only Destroy Buildings and
You can add any, all, or none of them, in any combination, Woods. If you fire on Water, the worst you can do is
so long as both players agree to utilize the rules in cause a bit of a splash, which the players can simulate with
question. We would suggest using the basic rules for your water pistols at a safe distance from the game.
first few games, especially with younger players.
Handicapping
A player may be given an advantage or disadvantage
by changing the number of Rebuilds allowed per match
by that player.
Scott & Miles Muldoon BITSKRIEG 5
Terrain Water: Tanks cannot enter Water squares, but Water
Obstacles have properties based on the sort of Terrain squares do not block Range Counting.
they represent. When using the Terrain rules, make the following change
Buildings: As with Obstacles in the base rules, they block to Step 1 of the Set-Up Procedure. One Player will select
both Movement and Range Counting. any of the six Obstacle pieces, choosing the side of the
piece with the Terrain she wishes to place, and then roll the
Woods: Tanks may enter Woods squares freely, but they
dice to determine the square in which it will be placed. Her
still block Range Counting. If a Woods square is occupied
opponent then does the same, with the Players alternating
by the Firing Tank or the target Tank, that particular until both Players have placed three of the Terrain pieces.
Woods square does not block Range Counting.

CREDITS
DESIGN: SCOTT MULDOON & MILES MULDOON
DEVELOPMENT: SCOTT MULDOON & TOM RUSSELL
ART: WIL ALAMBRE
RULEBOOK LAYOUT: MARY HOLLAND-RUSSELL
RULEBOOK EDITING: MARY HOLLAND-RUSSELL & TRAVIS D. HILL
PROBABILITY CONSULTANTS: DONALD BYRON JOHNSON, ERIK WALTON, ROGER LEROUX,
MICHAEL RICHTER, MIKE ARMS
SPECIAL THANKS: AMY MULDOON, FOR HER ELEGANT AND CREATIVE SOLUTION TO LINE OF FIRE,
AND TO FRAN STEWART, FOR THE “BITSKRIEG”.
COPYRIGHT 2017 SCOTT & MILES MULDOON, UNDER LICENSE TO HOLLANDSPIELE
Scott & Miles Muldoon BITSKRIEG 6
Art by Wil Alambre