The Action Phase constitutes the main portion of game play in TOI. The Action Phase is broken down into a number of action turns, during which a player must take the number of actions indicated by the specific scenario. After a player has completed all the actions of his action turn, his opponent must complete his action turn, after which the first player again takes another action turn, etc.
For example, in the “At the Breaking Point” scenario, each player must take three actions during each of their action turns. Thus, at the start of each Action Phase, the player with initiative
must take three actions, after which his opponent must take three actions, etc.
After neither player has additional actions (which is typically when every unit has been activated), the Action Phase is over, and play proceeds to the Command Phase (the Command Phase is described in detail on pages 14-15).
The Action Turn
The player with the initiative always takes the first action turn of the phase. In the “At the Breaking Point” scenario, the American player starts with the initiative.
Each action can be one of the following:
- Advance
- Concentrated Fire
- Prepare Op Fire
- Fire and Movement
- Activate Strategy Card
- Assault
- Fatigue Unit
- Special Action
Most of these actions involve activating a single unit on the game board for some activity.
Only a fresh unit may be activated. As described in “Language of Tide of Iron” sidebar, a fresh unit is one that has not previously been assigned an activation token. When a player activates a squad, he activates the entire squad, not a specific individual figure within the squad.
Once a unit has been activated by an action, and until it completes its activation, we will refer to that unit as the active unit.
As all actions are taken one-at-a-time, there will only be a single active unit at any given moment.
When the active unit has completed its activation, it is fatigued (unless placed in Op Fire mode) and an activation token with the “fatigued” side faceup is placed by the unit to indicate its fatigued status. A fatigued unit, or a unit in Op Fire mode, may not be activated to take an action.
Below, the eight possible actions are described in detail:
Advance
The current player activates a fresh friendly unit to move across the board, its distance limited by its number of movement points (determined by its movement value) and by the various terrain types on the board. While moving, a unit may also be subject to enemy Op Fire, which may halt its movement. Detailed movement rules can be found on pages 18-21.
After the active unit has completed its movement, it is fatigued.
Concentrated Fire
The current player activates a fresh friendly unit to immediately make a concentrated attack against an enemy unit.
Detailed combat rules can be found beginning on page 22.
After resolving the attack, the active unit is fatigued.
Prepare Op Fire
The current player places an activation token, with the “Op Fire” side faceup, by a fresh friendly unit.
A unit in Op Fire mode is prepared to attack an enemy unit at a moment’s notice: If an enemy unit moves within the Op Fire unit’s line of sight, the Op Fire unit will have an opportunity to interrupt the enemy unit’s movement and attack it.
Detailed combat rules be found beginning on page 22.
Fire and Movement
The current player activates a fresh friendly unit to move on the game board and optionally make an attack against an eligible enemy unit. The active unit may a) move then attack or b) attack and then move. A unit cannot break up its movement with an attack. In other words, a unit cannot move, attack, and then move again.
When a player chooses this type of action, the active unit receives penalties to both its movement and its attack:
- A squad taking a Fire and Movement action receives 1 fewer movement point during the activation.
- A vehicle taking a Fire and Movement action receives 2 fewer movement points during the activation.
- A unit taking a Fire and Movement action must halve its firepower value when making its attack.
- A unit taking a Fire and Movement action may not make a long-range attack (see “Determining Range,” page 22).
- Other friendly units may not support the active unit’s attack (see “Combined Fire,” pages 29-31).
A squad containing any heavy infantry weapon figure (such as a machine gun crew), may not be activated with a Fire and Movement action.
A player who declares a Fire and Movement action may decide not to have the active unit attack during the activation, but the unit still receives the movement point penalty.
Detailed combat rules can be found beginning on page 22.
After the active unit has resolved its Fire and Movement, it is fatigued.
Activate Strategy card
The current player activates and resolves the effects of an eligible faceup Strategy card in his HQ area. For a Strategy card to be eligible for activation during the Action Phase, it must have the words “Action Phase:” at the top of its text box.
Before activating a Strategy card, a player must first pay the card’s command cost. He simply takes the required command from his play area and places the command tokens back in the central command pile. Once the command cost has been paid, the player immediately resolves the effect of the card. Most Strategy cards are removed from the game after being activated (place them back in the game box), but some have lasting effects and indicate that they should be placed in a player’s play area.
Example: The American player decides to use an action to activate the Strategy Card “All or Nothing” (pictured above). He takes 2 command from his play area and places it back in the command pile, then resolves the card’s effect, removing an activation token from one of his fatigued units. Finally, he places the card back in the game box.
If a player has insufficient command in his play area to pay the command cost of a Strategy Card, that card may not be activated.
Assault
The current player activates a fresh friendly squad to move on the game board. After moving, the active squad may make an assault attack against an adjacent hex containing one or more enemy units (see pages 33-34 for how to resolve an assault attack).
A squad taking an Assault action receives 1 fewer movement point during its activation.
A player who declares an Assault action may decide not to have the active squad engage in an assault attack after its movement, but the squad still receives the movement penalty.
A squad containing any heavy infantry weapon figure (such as a machine gun crew), may not be activated with an Assault action.
Vehicles cannot be activated with an Assault action.
After an Assault action, the active squad is fatigued.
Fatigue unit
The current player may simply activate a fresh friendly unit to do nothing. Typically, it is better to place such a unit into Op Fire mode, but the scenario or other situations may dictate that simply using an action to do nothing is more appropriate.
Simply fatigue the unit and proceed to the next action.
Special action
Many elements in the game allow for other actions than the seven described above. Such actions are typically made available by Strategy cards, Operations cards, specialization tokens, and sometimes even the scenario itself. Effects and special abilities that require an action will always use the terminology “as an action, do X.”
For example, a unit with the engineering specialization can be fatigued as an action to build an entrenchment terrain enhancement in its current hex.
See detailed FAQs here: Attacks.
Opportunity Fire and Combined Fire
Throughout a given game turn, most units on the board are activated as a result on an action taken during their nation’s action turn. Typically a unit moves, fires, or resolves other effects by its player spending an action to activate it, with it becoming the active unit for the duration of that action.
In two circumstances, however, units can act in the game without being the active unit. These circumstances are when a nonactive unit:
- Makes an Op Fire attack
- Supports an attack with combined fire.
Make an Op Fire Attack
A unit in Op Fire mode may attack an enemy unit that moves within its range and line of sight. Such opportunity attacks occur during the opponent’s action turn. Op Fire attacks are discussed in more detail on page 32.
After making an opportunity fire attack, the attacking unit is fatigued (flip the Op Fire token over to its fatigued side).
Assigning a unit to Op Fire mode during the Action Phase takes an action (as described on page 11), but actually executing an Op Fire attack does not cost an action.
Support an Attack with Combined Fire
When the active unit makes a concentrated attack, other fresh friendly units may support that attack with combined fire.
(Combined fire is explained in detail on pages 29-31.) Likewise, when a unit engages in an Op Fire attack, other friendly units also in Op Fire mode may support the attack with combined fire.
Participating in combined fire causes a unit to become fatigued after the attack, but does not cost an action.
Example: On his action turn, the American player announces that he will use his first action to have one of his tanks make a concentrated attack. He also announces that two of his squads will support the attack. All three units will be fatigued after the attack, but the American player has only used one action.
End of the Action Phase
If a player can take no more actions during his action turn (usually because all of his units are either in Op Fire mode or are fatigued), his Action Phase is over. Alternatively, a player may declare that his Action Phase is over at any time, even if he still has fresh units on the board. Once a player has declared that his Action Phase is over, he may not take any more actions during that round.
At that point, his opponent may now take an unlimited number of actions, until he also has no more available actions, or he declares that his Action Phase is over.
Once both players have no more actions, play continues to the Command Phase.
Action Turn Examples
This diagram shows one American action turn, followed by one German action turn. In this example, each nation receives 3 actions per action turn.
American Action Turn
A) Advance: The American player uses his first action to activate this squad to Advance. He moves the unit 4 hexes and then fatigues the unit.
B) Concentrated Attack: The American player uses his second action to activate this unit to make a concentrated attack against a German squad. He resolves the attack and then fatigues the unit.
C) Prepare Op Fire: The American player uses his third and final action to activate this squad, placing it into Op Fire mode. He sets an Op Fire token by the squad to indicate this. This squad will be able to attack an enemy squad that enters its range and line of sight.
German Action Turn
D) Activate Strategy Card: The German player uses his first action to activate and resolve one of the Strategy cards faceup in his HQ area.
E) Advance: The German player uses his second action to activate this squad to Advance. The American player, however, uses his squad in Op Fire mode to attack the German squad as it moves into its first hex. As a result of the Op Fire attack, the German squad becomes pinned, is immediately fatigued, and must stop its movement. The American player flips his Op Fire token to its fatigued side.
F) Fire and Movement: The German player uses his third and final action to activate this squad for a Fire and Movement action. First he moves the squad adjacent to an American unit and then attacks it. Because this is a Fire and Movement action, the German squad has only 3 movement points, and attacks at half firepower. After the attack is resolved, the German player fatigues his squad.