Conflicts in World War II were two-sided, and every scenario in TOI consists of two nations in conflict. This does not mean, however, that the game cannot be played with three or four players.
The game can accommodate three or four players playing in teams. In a four-player game, there will be two teams of two players each. In a three-player game, there will be one team of two players versus the third player.
The Four-Player Game
When playing with four players, each player will take control of one of a nation’s two divisions. In this way, each nation is represented by two divisions, each controlled by a player. Players on the same “team” will win or lose the game as a team. Scenario objectives and victory points are resolved as normal.
Every TOI scenario divides a nation’s forces into two separate divisions, represented by the lighter and darker colors of a nation’s squad bases. The overall squad base color of the Germans is grey, with one division represented by light grey squad bases, and the other division by dark grey squad bases.
Similarly the overall squad base color of the Americans is green, with one division being represented by dark green squad bases, and the other division by light green squad bases.
At the beginning of a four-player game, players first divide themselves into two teams of two players each (either by consensus, or randomly). Each player then takes control of one of the divisions of his team, and is responsible for the setup and
actions of these units.
Since vehicles are not marked by base color, players will need to remember which team member controls which vehicles. In most scenarios, vehicles are split across divisions by vehicle type, so remembering who controls which vehicle is not necessary. In a scenario with a large number of vehicles, team members may wish to use some sort of token (such as a penny) to indicate which team member controls which vehicles.
Turn Order
During the Action Phase, teams alternate in taking action turns, with one member of a team taking all of his actions, followed by the other team member, after which the members of the other team take their action turns, etc.
As with the normal game, this continues until both teams can take no additional actions, or choose to end their Action Phase, after which the game proceeds to the Status Phase.
Initiative applies to both players of a team (that is, they share the same Initiative card). During the Action Phase, the members of the team with initiative take their turns first, and must mutually decide which member of the team will take his action turn before the other. The first active player must resolve all of his actions before his team member proceeds with his action turn.
After each team member on the team completes his action turn, the other team decides which team member will take all of his actions first, and so on.
The number of actions each member of a team may take is equal to half the number of actions indicated by the scenario (round up).
Example: It is the Action Phase of the “At the Breaking Point” scenario. Mark and Lisa are on the German team, while Phil and Mary are on the American team. The Scenario Guide indicates that each side receives 3 actions per action turn, so in a 4-player game each player will take 2 actions on his action turn. The Americans have initiative, so Phil and Mary take their action turns before the American players. Phil takes his 2 actions first, followed by Mary. The German team then decides which order they will take their turns in. Lisa takes her 2 actions first, followed by Mark. Now Phil and Mary must again decide which one of them will take their action turn first, and so on.
If one team member declares that he has no more actions, or that he is finished with his Action Phase, the remaining team member may continue to take actions (still only half the scenario stated amount, rounded up) until he also is out of actions or decides to end his Action Phase.
Decision-Making and Sharing Resources
Players receive command and victory points as a team. For example, if the Germans control a 1-point command objective marker, the German team receives 1 command, instead of both German players receiving 1 command each.
Members of the team must work together, deciding how best to coordinate their efforts and share resources such as command points and Strategy cards. Each member may spend command and activate his units during the Action and Status Phases however he pleases – even spending available command without the other team member’s consent.
However, decisions made during the Command Phase (such as whether to invest in initiative or activate Strategy cards) must be made jointly between the two players. If the two players cannot agree on a course of action in a reasonable amount of time, then no action is taken, and the game proceeds to the next segment of the Command Phase.
Strategy Cards
Each team draws only one Strategy card at the beginning of each Status Phase (not one per player). Strategy cards that are placed in a team’s HQ area may be used by either player. Although players must agree on which cards they wish to activate during the Command Phase, each individual Strategy card is only considered to have been activated by one member of team, as agreed on by both teammates. Strategy cards’ effects, including Strategy cards placed in the nation’s play area, only apply to the player that activated the card (unless the card provide discounts or other benefits to future Strategy cards, in which case the effect is shared among both players).
Example: The “Hardened Veterans” Strategy card reads: “Command Phase: Receive up to 2 regular infantry and place them in any of your weakened squad(s).” The two players on a team must agree on which of them will activate this card. The
player that activates this card may only place the infantry figures in his squads; he may not place any infantry in his team member’s squads.
Squad Transfers
Players may transfer figures from their team member’s squads if they receive their team member’s consent.
Team Restrictions
There are several restrictions on how the units in each of the two divisions may interact. (Note that these restrictions are only for team games; the differently shaded squad bases do not have any game effect in two-player games).
- Units belonging to one division may not establish LOS for the other division’s units (for example, LOS for one player’s mortar figure cannot be established by the other team member’s units). This same restriction applies when establishing LOS for drift, etc.
- Units belonging to one division may not support a team member’s attack with combined fire unless the nation chooses to pay 1 command to the command pile. This cost must be paid for each such combined attack. However, units in the same hex as an officer may support a team member’s attack at no command cost. During any instance where the forces of two team members join (such as during combined fire, assault, or defending against an assault), the firepower/cover of these units are joined together in one dice roll.
- When placing starting units on the game board, a player may start with his squads loaded into his team member’s transports. A player may have his squads enter or exit his team member’s transports as normal, but only the player controlling the transport may activate the transport.
The Three-Player Game
A three-player game of TOI is played much like a four-player game, except that one nation will be controlled by a single player.
That player must play his Action Phase as if his nation’s forces were controlled by two players, thus his units of different divisions would be subject to the restrictions (and splitting of actions) as outlined above.