Contents
Air, Land & Sea Game Rules
Objective:
I want to explain the game rules for playing Air, Land & Sea. To win the game, you need to have the highest score by the end of the third round.
Setup:
To start, you and your opponent each choose a side of the table. You will sit across from each other and have three rows of cards in front of you. Each row represents either the Air, Land, or Sea.
The game deck has 18 cards, numbered 1 through 18. Shuffle the deck and deal 6 cards to each player, facedown. These cards make your initial hand.
Next, both players take turns playing a card from their hand into one of their rows. Once a card is played, it cannot be moved to another row. The goal is to strategically place your cards to maximize your score.
Gameplay:
On your turn, you have two options:
- Play a card from your hand: Choose a card and place it facedown in one of your rows. You cannot play a higher-numbered card in a row that already has a lower-numbered card.
- Withdraw and draw a new hand: If you don’t want to play a card, you can withdraw from the current round. You discard your remaining hand and draw a new hand of 6 cards.
The game consists of three rounds, with each player taking three turns per round. After each round, you calculate your score based on the cards in each row.
Scoring:
Your score is determined by the total value of the cards in each row. Here’s how scoring works:
- Air: If your Air row contains the lowest total value, you score 10 points. If your opponent has the lowest total value, they score 10 points.
- Land: If your Land row contains the lowest total value, you score 10 points. If your opponent has the lowest total value, they score 10 points.
- Sea: If your Sea row contains the lowest total value, you score 10 points. If your opponent has the lowest total value, they score 10 points.
In addition to the 10 points for each row, the player with the highest total value across all three rows scores an additional 5 points.
Winning the Game:
After the third round, calculate the final scores. The player with the highest score wins the game. In case of a tie, the player who won the most rows is the winner. If there is still a tie, the player with the highest combined value in their rows wins. If there is still a tie, the game is a draw.
That’s it! Follow these rules, make strategic decisions, and aim for the highest score to emerge as the winner of Air, Land & Sea!
Welcome to the middle of the most massive war in history! The side that can conquer their enemies on every battlefield will emerge victorious. Think you have what it takes to lead your country’s best soldiers, sailors, and airmen? Let’s find out!
What You’ll Get
- 1 Rulebook
- 18 Battle Cards
- 2 Supreme Commander Cards
- 14 Score Markers
- 3 Theater Boards
- 14 Score Markers
- Instructions
Getting Started
- First, let’s set up the game by randomly arranging the three Theater boards into a row.
- Next, shuffle the Battle cards and deal 6 to each player to create their starting hands. Keep your hand secret!
- Put the remaining Battle cards aside without revealing them.
- All the tokens should be placed in a pile on the opposite side of the play area.
- Now, shuffle the two Supreme Commander cards and deal one face-down in front of each player. Turn the cards face-up. The player with the red Supreme Commander card (1st Player) goes first.
The Goal of the Game
The objective is to be the first player to acquire 12 VPs (Victory Points) and win the game!
How to Play
Air, Land, & Sea is played in rounds known as Battles. To win a Battle, you have two options:
- I can only play Battle cards on my side of the Theater boards.
- The Battle card I choose must match the type of Theater I’m playing it to. For example, I can only play an Air Battle card in the Air Theater.
- If I already have other cards in that Theater, I have to place the new card in a way that it covers (overlaps) the existing cards.
- If neither player withdraws before both players have played all of their cards, the winner of the Battle scores 6 VPs. That’s a sweet victory right there!
So, here’s the deal: when it comes to winning a Battle in this game, you’ve got two options. Option one, you can control more Theaters than your opponent when all the Battle cards have been played. Option two, you can convince your opponent to back down. Pretty simple, right?
Now, if you manage to win a Battle, you’ll earn yourself some Victory Points. These points are represented by tokens, so keep an eye on those.
Now, here’s how a Battle goes down:
During a Battle, you and your opponent take turns playing one Battle card at a time. The goal is to control more Theaters than your opponent. Now, here’s the catch – you don’t get to draw any more cards during the Battle. You’ve got six cards to start with, so make sure to plan your moves carefully.
Let’s talk about Theaters, shall we?
Each player has three Theater boards – Air, Land, and Sea. These boards create columns between you and your opponent. Each column represents a Theater. So, Battle cards are always played into one of these three Theaters. If a card is in the column of a particular Theater, we say that the card is “in that Theater”.
I want to tell you about something really cool – adjacent theaters. You know, those theaters that are right next to each other? Well, they’re called adjacent theaters. Mind-blowing, right?
So, here’s the deal. When you’re playing a game, and you’re the player, you own all the Battle cards on your side of the Theater boards. It’s like having your own little empire. And guess what? During your turn, you’ll only play cards on your side of the Theaters. Pretty simple, huh?
Let’s dive into a typical game during the middle of a Battle. In this example, we have three cards in the Sea Theater – one belonging to the 1st Player and two belonging to the 2nd Player.
Pay attention to how the Land Theater and the Sea Theater are right next to each other, while the Air Theater and the Land Theater are not.
Now, let’s talk about Battle Cards.
Battle cards are the key to pushing your war effort forward, and how you play them will ultimately decide who wins the war, or in this case, the game.
Each Battle card comes with a number called Strength, which is displayed prominently on the card. This number represents how powerful the card is. If you add up the Strength of all the Battle cards on your side of a Theater and it’s higher than the total Strength of your opponent’s cards on the same Theater, then you gain control of that Theater.
Tactical Abilities: When you play a Battle card face-up to a Theater, most of them have a Tactical Ability 2 next to their Strength. This means that as soon as the card is played, the ability takes effect. Tactical abilities can be of two types: Instant 3 or Ongoing 4. You can find a detailed explanation on page 7.
Type: Battle cards come in three different types, each represented by a specific color. Air Battle cards are gray, Land Battle cards are green, and Sea Battle cards are blue. Each type corresponds to a specific Theater. Normally, you can only play a Battle card face-up to the Theater that matches its type. For example, you can only play Air Battle cards in the Air Theater.
Unlocking the Mystery of Face-down Cards in Battle
Let’s talk about face-down cards – these enigmatic game-changers that add an element of surprise and strategy to the battlefield. Imagine this: you have a card in your hand, and instead of playing it face-up, you decide to play it face-down. Welcome to the wonderful world of wild cards!
So, what are face-down cards, you ask? Well, they are special battle cards that can be played in any Theater, quietly biding their time until the right moment strikes. Face-down cards always have a fixed Strength of 2, so keep that in mind as you plan your moves. But here’s the kicker – face-down cards don’t have any Tactical Abilities. Sorry, no fancy tricks up their sleeves.
While you can’t pry into your opponent’s secrets, you do have full access to your own face-down cards. Whenever you feel the need to get a sneak peek, go right ahead and examine your own face-down cards. But remember – the same privilege doesn’t extend to your opponent’s collection. Their face-down cards will remain a mystery until the big reveal!
So, adding face-down cards to your tactical repertoire can be a game-changer, creating unknowns and throwing your opponents off balance. The shroud of mystery brings excitement and suspense as you navigate the battlefield. But remember, face-down cards are double-edged swords – they may bring victory or defeat, so use them wisely!
Covered Cards: When you play a Battle card to a Theater that already has cards, the new card overlaps the previous card while still showing the top part.
A card that is covered by another card is called a covered J’ card. Covered cards can still move and use their Tactical Abilities, but they can never be flipped by an ability.
Resolving a Battle
When we are in the middle of a Battle, it’s our turn to make a move. I start because I have the 1st Player Supreme Commander card. Now, I have to choose one of three actions I can take: Deploy, Improvise, or Withdraw.
Let’s start with Deploying. To do this, I pick a Battle card from my hand and play it face-up. But there are some rules I have to follow:
One important thing to remember is that when I play a Battle card face-up, any Tactical Ability on that card is immediately put into action.
Here’s what happened: It’s your turn, and you decide to make a move. You look at the Battle cards in your hand and choose the Strength 3 Sea Battle card 1. You play it face-up in the Sea Theater 2, which already had two cards.
Because you already had two cards in that Theater, you have to play the Strength 3 card so that it covers the Strength 2 and Strength 1 cards.
But you’re not done yet! You take advantage of the Tactical Ability on the Strength 3 card. This ability lets you flip over one card in an adjacent Theater 3.
Here’s a cool trick: If you want to mix things up, you can play a Battle card face-down from your hand to any Theater. These face-down cards are like “wild cards” and can be played to any Theater, no matter what type of card they are.
For example: On your next turn, you decide to play a Strength 5 Land Battle card face-down to the Air Theater. This is possible because face-down cards can be played to any Theater.
So here’s the deal – you can’t use your card’s fancy Tactical Ability, and to make matters worse, it only counts as a measly Strength of 2 instead of a powerful Strength of 5.
Time to Retreat: If you feel like your chances of winning the current fight are slim, you have the option to retreat. By doing so, you acknowledge your opponent’s victory in the battle.
Strategic Advice: There are times when it’s better to retreat in order to prevent your opponent from earning Victory Points!
After you complete your action, it’s your opponent’s turn to take action. The players will continue to switch turns until one of them retreats or both players have used up all of their Battle cards.
Don’t forget: During a battle, you don’t draw cards from the Battle deck unless a Tactical Ability grants you that privilege.
Tactical Abilities
When I play a Battle card, I get access to its Tactical Abilities. These abilities are special actions that can be found on the card. Whenever I play a card face-up from my hand, or if a face-down card is revealed, the Tactical Ability is activated right away.
Tactical Abilities come in two types: Instant and Ongoing. I can identify them by the symbols next to the abilities. Each type offers unique benefits and effects.
Instant Abilities: When you play a Battle card or flip one face-up, its Instant Ability takes effect right away.
Once the Instant Ability is resolved, it doesn’t do anything else [unless that card is played or revealed again).
For instance: If you use the Transport Tactical Ability, you can instantly move one of your cards to a different Theater as soon as you play the Transport card.
Hey there! Let’s talk about ongoing abilities in card games. These abilities are always active as long as the card is face-up. However, if a card with an ongoing ability is flipped face-down, the ability no longer works (unless that card is revealed again).
For example, let’s take a look at the Escalation Tactical Ability. This ability increases the strength of all your face-down cards to 4 as long as the Escalation card remains face-up. But if that card is flipped over by another Tactical Ability, your face-down cards will go back to having a strength of 2.
Now, when it comes to Tactical abilities, you have to carry out their effects unless they include the word “may.” It’s important to note that if a card with an Instant Ability is flipped face-down before its ability is fully resolved, the ability is interrupted and immediately stops taking effect.
Tactical Ability Effects
Flipping: I want to talk to you about flipping cards. This is a really cool ability that many Tactics allow you to do. When we say “flip a card,” we mean either turning a card that is already face-up so that it becomes face-down, or turning a card that is face-down so that it becomes face-up.
Now, here’s the best part: Unless the ability specifically tells you otherwise, you have the power to flip any card you want – whether it’s YOUR card or your opponent’s card. So go ahead and flip away!
For example: Let’s take a look at the Maneuver card. It says, “Flip one Battle card in an adjacent Theater.” Notice that it doesn’t mention whose card you should flip. That means you can use this ability to flip over one of YOUR cards or one of your opponent’s cards. How cool is that?
But wait! There’s something really important that you need to remember. Covered cards can NEVER be flipped. So make sure to keep that in mind while you strategize and plan your moves. Happy flipping!
Example: When I play the Sea Theater, the two cards I place first are hidden by the strong Battle card with a Strength of 6, so they can’t be revealed. However, the Strength 6 card itself is not hidden, so it can be countered with the Maneuver ability. Moving: Some Tactical Abilities give you the ability to relocate a Battle card to a different Theater. It doesn’t matter if the card is hidden or not, you can still move it.
When a card is moved, it stays on the same side of the Theaters and remains under the ownership of the same player. Always remember to place the moved card on top of any existing cards in the new Theater, so it covers them all.
Note: Moving a card is different from playing a card. This means that abilities that prevent you from playing cards do not stop you from moving them.
Non-Matching Theaters: Sometimes, because of Tactical Abilities, a card may end up in a Theater that doesn’t match its type.
But don’t worry, when this happens, the Battle card doesn’t get penalized for being in the “wrong” Theater. It stays where it is, and its Strength is still counted toward controlling that Theater.
Discarding: Sometimes, tactical abilities tell you to discard a card. When you do, the discarded card always goes face-down at the bottom of the Battle deck.
Ending Battles
There are two ways a Battle can end:
If either player withdraws.
If both players have played all the cards in their hand.
To control a Theater, you need to have a higher total Strength there than your opponent does in that Theater.
If the strengths of both players are equal, the first player will win the tie and take control of the theater. However, if there are no cards present on either side of a theater, the first player automatically gains control of that theater.
Example: So, here’s what happened in the game. The 1st Player controlled the Air Theater because they had a higher total Strength there – 6 compared to 3 for the 2nd Player. On the other hand, the 2nd Player controlled the Land Theater because they had a Strength advantage – 4 compared to 1 for the 1st Player.
Now, both players had the same Strength in the Sea Theater – 3 each – which meant it was a tie. But since the 1st Player wins ties, they ended up controlling two Theaters and winning the Battle! Quite the victory!
Scoring Victory Points
When you win a battle, you get Victory Points. These points are important, and we keep track of them using Score Markers.
Now, how many Victory Points you score depends on whether or not your opponent withdraws, and if they do, when they do it:
If one of us decides to quit the game, the other one will earn victory points based on the number of cards remaining in the quitting player’s hand. It’s important to strategize when to withdraw because the longer you wait, the more points your opponent will gain! Once the scoring is done, we need to check if the winner has enough victory points to secure a win. If not, we’ll reset and prepare for the next battle. Let’s keep the momentum going and keep on fighting!
First, let’s gather all the Battle cards and mix them together to create a new deck. Each player will then receive a hand of six cards, while the remaining cards are set aside just like at the beginning of the game.
Next, we need to rotate the Theater cards. Here’s how:
The End of the Game
After each Battle, we have to check if the Battle winner has enough Victory Points to declare victory. The player who reaches a total of 12 VPs first is the winner of the war and the game.
Playing Tip: If you want to control the game’s length, you can adjust the number of points needed to win. If you prefer a longer game, play until one player reaches 18 points.
Beginner Mode
If you’re just starting to learn how to play Air, Land, & Sea, you can try this simplified scoring method:
When playing the game, there are a few rules you need to know. The first rule is that each Battle has a winner, and they will earn 1 VP. The second rule is that the game ends when a player reaches 3 VPs. Simple enough, right? Finally, if you’re playing in Beginner Mode, you can ignore the Withdraw chart on the Supreme Commander cards. Now you’re all set to start playing!