Army Guy Miniature Game: The Basic Rules
The following game was created by my son and I. All rights reserved, but feel free to print and play it! This game is playing Army Guys with rules! You will also get quick at doing some basic math, but nothing that’s too big a deal. This is a great introduction to miniatures since the figures are around $1 per bag.
Number of Players: 2 – Unlimited (Limited by Field)
Ages: 8 to Adult
Needed to Play: Two Six-Sided Dice, Tape Measure, and Plastic-Cast Dollar Store Army Guys
The Army Guy game is played by finding a place to play, like a kitchen table, gathering up some terrain, and adding your army guys. Players then take turns each round performing different actions, like moving and shooting. Its up to the players to decide before the game the objective of the game. It can be something different each time! It may be that one side has to kill all the army guys on the other side, or it can be a capture the flag scenario. There are no limits – its up to the players’ imaginations!
My son and I like to make our own terrain. We both love legos very much, and there hasn’t been anything yet we’ve wanted on the battlefield that we couldn’t build! Lincoln logs, cardboard boxes, and anything else you can think of works just as well.
After the terrain is created, everyone takes a turn setting out one piece of terrain until it is all placed. Then the players decide on who has which side and place their men on their own side to play. The type of game you are playing can make a difference in this part. If one group is supposed to stumble on the other, then only one side sets up their men and the other side decides from which direction they come onto the table.
The basic unit in this game is the fireteam. A fireteam consists of four riflemen and a heavy gunner. Options for this is to play with larger numbers, of course. Two fireteams make a squad. Two squads make a platoon. Once you have a platoon, you have to also use the Officer Army Guy.
Riflemen
Usually standing or on a knee, and holds an M-1 Garand Rifle.
| Weapon | Shots to Kill | Modifiers per Shot | ||
| 0 | +1 | +2 | ||
| M1 Garand 30-06 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Heavy Gunner
The guy with the .50 cal machine gun.
| Weapon | Shots to Kill | Modifiers per Shot | ||||||
| 0 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +5 | +6 | ||
| M-60 .50 cal | 2 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 28 |
Officer
Holds binoculars and a pistol.
| Weapon | Shots to Kill | Modifiers per Shot | Max Range | ||
| 0 | +1 | +2 | |||
| M1911A1 .45 cal pistol | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 in. |
These army guys are on average 1.5 inches tall. If we figure them all for 6 feet tall, then we can say that 1 inch = 4 feet.
For example, take the M1911A1 .45 caliber pistol. It has an effective range of 48 feet. In game terms, that would be 12 inches.
- First Move. When your turn comes, move all of your men first.
- Then Shoot.After you are done moving, declare your shots and shoot.
- No Moving After You Shoot. After you have shot, you cannot move. Your turn is over.
- No Shooting on the First Round. Its the free round for running around without getting shot at.
- No Moving the Terrain. Once the terrain is set and the game has begun, leave it where it is!
All Army Guys have the following movement rates:
| Movement Type | Length |
|---|---|
| Crawling | 1 inch |
| Walking | 4 inch |
| Running | 8 inch |
To move, measure from the forward-most point of the figure. Lay out how far you will go. If eight inches, move the figure so that the leading edge is on the eight-inch mark.
Start off with 6.
To shoot and hit an army guy, you have to roll at least a 6 on two six-sided dice. Different things will make it harder, though. After all, if you were running and shooting at a target who was only showing an arm and a leg from behind a wall, thats kinda hard to do!
First, figure out if you can shoot at the target. You have to be able to clearly see from behind your army guy to the army guy you want to hit. Even if you can only see your target a little, you can shoot at him.
Add more for Cover.
Next, figure out how much cover the target has. Go by how much you can see of the target looking from your army guy.
| Cover Modifiers – How well you’re hidden. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cover Type | Modifier | |
| No Cover | 0 |  |
| 1/4 Cover | +1 | |
| 1/2 Cover | +2 |  |
| 3/4 Cover and Prone | +3 |  |
| Full Cover < 25% | +4 | |
Add for Movement.
If someone is running and shooting, its going to be harder to hit their target than if they were staying still.
| Movement Modifiers | |
|---|---|
| Movement Type | Modifier |
| Move 2″ or Less | +1 |
| Shoot While Walking | +3 |
| Shoot While Running | +5 |
Setup
The players sit down for some serious lego building. Don’t get too much stuff or you won’t be able to move around or see each other much. Look around the house for cardboard or plastic boxes that might work. Take turns setting out these pieces of terrain.
Get your army guys out – four rifleman and one heavy gunner each. Decide who’s playing on which side and set your army guys up.
Play
First round – nobody shoots! Now that you see where each other are, this is your chance to move into position or into more cover. First one player moves all his men, then the other player moves all his men. Move as much or as little as you want. Remember the most you can move is 8 inches.
Second round – shooting time! First player goes first and moves all of his men as much or as little as he wants. Then he can announce that he’s shooting. Before you start shooting, tell who is going to shoot who.
Example:
“My rifle guys A and B are shooting at your heavy, and rifle guy C and D are shooting at your rifle guy A.”
Rifle Guy A goes first. The heavy gunner is standing behind a bunker, but the rifle guy has moved around so that he’s only in 1/2 cover. The rifle guy walked to this position.
Initial (6) + Walk (3) + Cover (2) = 11.
Riflemen can shoot three shots, each following round getting a +1 modifier.
First shot needs to be 11 – he HITS!
Second shot needs to be 12 – he misses.
Third shot is impossible to make – he would have to roll 13.
Rifle Guy B goes next. He followed right behind Rifle Guy A, so has the same modifiers.
Initial (6) + Walk (3) + Cover (2) = 11.
Riflemen can shoot three shots, each following round getting a +1 modifier.
First shot needs to be 11 – he HITS!
Second shot needs to be 12 – he misses.
Third shot is impossible to make – he would have to roll 13.
The enemy Heavy Gunner has two hits on him now. It takes three shots from an M1 to kill. Put two markers next to the Heavy Gunner. The markers can be anything you want – just grab something little.
Rifle Guy C goes now – he’s shooting at the enemy’s Rifle Guy A. He didn’t have to move – he could already see the enemy. And he’s completely in the open – No Cover!
Initial (6) + No Walking (0) + No Cover (0) = 6!
Riflemen can shoot three shots, each following round getting a +1 modifier.
First shot needs to be 6 – he HITS!
Second shot needs to be 7 – he HITS!
Third shot needs to be 7 – he HITS AGAIN!
The enemy Rifle Guy A has three hits on him now. It takes three shots from an M1 to kill. Rifle Guy A is dead! Stand at attention, place your hands over your heart, and hum taps. The enemy player should join you in this as you both hum “Taps” and the enemy player drops the dead soldier into the graveyard.
Enemy Rifle Guy A is dead. That’s who Rifle Guy D was supposed to shoot at! The way this would happen “in real life” is that both Rifle Guys C and D would be shooting at this guy at the same time. D wouldn’t wait to see how things went with C before shooting – no, they would both just blast away! So, consider D as having shot, too. He just didn’t have anything to shoot at.
Next Guy’s Turn! Do it all over again the same way!
Enjoy the game! We have actually already made some mods for ourselves. They will be in following posts along with some scenarios that we think are fun.
Until Next Time,
R and I Sims