Tank Commander: North Africa - Matilda II Quick-Start Guide v1.

0 Copyright © 2023 Joe Carter

Welcome! At 12 pages, the Tables books may look intimidating, but the game is actually very easy to pick up and start
playing, with practically no learning curve or rules memorization required. Simply follow the tables in alphabetical and
numerical order (unless otherwise noted). Note: One D6, one D12, one D20, and two D10 dice are required to play.

1. How to Win the Game

* As the commander of a British Army Matilda II medium tank, your ultimate goal is to survive the Battle of Gazala
against German Forces in Libya during May-June 1942, while at the same time trying to destroy as many enemy
German Army units as possible.

2. Solitaire and 2-Player Co-op

* Tank Commander: North Africa can be played as either 1-player solitaire or 2-player cooperative. If solitaire, the
player plays as the Commander of a British Army Matilda II tank #1. If 2-player cooperative, each player plays as the
Commander of either Matilda II tank #1 or #2. Each player tracks his Matilda Commander and Crewmen status on
their own Matilda mat, plus on a separate log sheet, plus each Commander earns his own medals at the same time
based on the current total Victory Point (VP) score of both players. Note: If one player’s Commander receives 3
wounds, he must sit out all future battles the other player fights until his Commander fully recovers. If this is not
desirable, the player may instead replace his wounded Commander with a new Commander and all Crewmen.
Note: If the player’s Commander is INCAP or KIA, the game ends.

* A single player may also choose to play cooperative alone by playing as the Matilda #1 Commander, plus also
controlling Matilda #2.

3. Time Sequence
* A combat round is 1 turn during combat. Each Matilda Crewman may perform a maximum of 1 action per combat
round, and each German Army unit may perform a maximum of 1 movement and 1 attack per combat round.

4. Movement
* Each British Army Matilda II tank and German Army unit may move a maximum of 1 Range Zone per combat round
on the Combat mat. Note: Incapacitated (INCAP) and Suppressed units may not move. Disabled vehicle units also
may not move. If the Matilda Driver is Shell Shocked/INCAP/KIA, the Matilda is disabled.

5. Crewmen & Actions

* Each Matilda tank Crewman may perform 1 action per combat round when their draw cup counter is drawn.

Note: If Shell Shocked, Crewmen may no longer perform any actions for the remainder of that combat round. If
INCAP/KIA, he may no longer perform any actions for the remainder of the battle.

6. Bonus Points
* Bonus Points (BPs) are used to assign Crewmen Skill Points (SPs), purchase British Army Artillery Strikes or RAF
Airstrikes, and to replace the player’s Matilda tank if abandoned or destroyed during battle.
* Each Matilda player starts out the campaign game with a certain number of BPs depending on the difficulty level
desired.

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7. Crewmen

* Commander *
The Commander is the commanding officer of the Matilda II. He may perform one of the following actions 1x per combat
round if conditions permit:

- Spot for Gunner Main Gun attack (unbuttoned).

- Fire Smoke Mortar (unbuttoned).
- Request BA Artillery Strike/RAF Airstrike on the Radio (buttoned/unbuttoned).

Note: If spotting for the Gunner, the order in which the Commander’s draw cup counter is drawn in relation to the
Gunner’s draw cup counter is irrelevant. He spots for the entire combat round. To avoid any confusion, the
Commander’s draw cup counter can be removed from the pool if he is spotting.

Note: If spotting, the decision to do so must be made at the very beginning of the combat round. Once chosen,
the decision cannot be changed to a different action until the next combat round begins.

Note: If the Commander is INCAP or KIA, the game immediately ends.

* Driver *
The Driver is the primary driver of the Matilda. He may perform one of the following actions 1x per combat round if
conditions permit:

- Drive Matilda (buttoned/unbuttoned).

Note: If the Driver is INCAP/KIA, the Matilda is permanently disabled. If the Driver is Shell Shocked, the Matilda is
disabled for the remainder of that combat round.

Note: If the Driver Periscope is inoperative, Driver must be unbuttoned (hatch open) to drive the Matilda.

* Gunner *
The Gunner is the operator of the Matilda II 40mm Main Gun. He may perform one of the following actions 1x per
combat round if conditions permit:
- Fire .303 Turret MG.
- Fire 40mm Main Gun.

Note: If the Loader is INCAP/KIA, the 40mm Main Gun may no longer fire after the loaded shell is fired.

Note: If the Loader is INCAP/KIA, the .303 Turret MG may no longer fire if the gun jams, or once all loaded ammo
units have been expended.

* Loader *
The Loader is responsible for reloading the Matilda 40mm Main Gun, plus the .303 Turret MG. He may perform
one of the following actions 1x per combat round if conditions permit:
- Reload 40mm Main Gun.
- Reload .303 Turret MG.
- Restock 40mm Main Gun Ready Rack.
- Clear jammed 40mm Main Gun.
- Clear jammed .303 Turret MG.

Note: If the Loader is INCAP/KIA, the 40mm Main Gun may no longer fire once the loaded shell is fired.

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 Note: If the Loader is INCAP/KIA, the .303 Turret MG may no longer fire once all loaded ammo units have been
expended.

8. Crewmen Skills
* Matilda Crewmen may improve their skills throughout the game, which may greatly help their tank to survive.
Note: Crewmen skills may be improved up to a maximum of 5 points per skill per Crewman. 1 Crewman Skill Point
(SP) may be purchased for 1 Bonus Point (BP) each between battles.

▲ Bailout (all Crewmen): This skill increases the chances of successfully bailing out of the M4 if it catches fire.

▲ Evasion (all Crewmen): This skill helps prevent being captured by the German Army if the M4 is disabled or
destroyed and the Crew bails out.

▲ Gunnery (Gunner): This skill increases the chances of the Crewman hitting the target with his gun when attacking.

▲ Gunsmith (Loader): This skill increases the chances of clearing a jammed gun.

▲ Resistance (all Crewmen): This skill helps prevents the Crewman from being Shell Shocked if the Matilda is hit by
a German Army Anti-Tank Gun, Armored Car, Flamethrower, Grenade, or Tank attack. Note: Shell Shock prevents
the affected Crewman from performing any action that combat round. The effect is removed at the end of the
combat round.

▲ Restock (Loader): This skill allows the Loader to restock the Main Gun Ready Rack ammo on the Matilda mat at a
rate of 8 shells per combat round. If the Loader is wounded, -1 shell restocked per wound per combat round.

▲ Spotting (Commander): This skill helps the Gunner hit his target if firing the Main Gun. Note: To spot, the
Commander must be unbuttoned (hatch open).

9. Survival Tips and Strategies:

* Don’t hesitate to retreat from battle if you are heavily outnumbered, or if your Matilda tank has sustained serious
damage. You will lose VPs, but that’s better than losing your tank and valuable crewmen.

* British Army Artillery Strikes and RAF Airstrikes can make a big difference during battle. They are expensive,
but sometimes necessary.

* Entering Range Zone 3 greatly increases the chances of your crewmen being captured by German forces if they
are forced to bail out of their tank.

* Having your crewmen buttoned (hatch closed) or unbuttoned (hatch open) at the right times can make a big
difference between life and death. Choose wisely.

* Always be sure to keep at least 25 BPs in reserve to replace your Matilda if it is abandoned or destroyed during
battle, otherwise the game will end.

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10. Common Acronyms
Below is a list of common acronyms used in the game:

* AC - Armored Car
* AP - Armor Piercing
* APC - Armored Personnel Carrier
* ATG - Anti-Tank Gun
* ATR - Anti-Tank Rifle
* BP - Bonus Point
* C - Commander
* D - Driver
* FT - Flamethrower
* GA - German Army
* G - Gunner
* INCAP - Incapacitated
* KIA - Killed in Action
* L - Loader
* MG - Machine Gun
* MII - Matilda II Tank
* RAF - Royal Air Force
* SP - Skill Point
* VP - Victory Point

Copyright © 2023 Joe Carter 4