6: Siege – The Board Game: The Operators

Hello, Team 6!

After two Gameplay articles dedicated to set up and game phases, our third and last article will be spent detailing the heart of 6: Siege – The Board Game: The Operators, the ones who will expose themselves to the bullets (blanks actually, they are simply in training sessions, after all) of their opponents to succeed in their mission.

The Operator Profile

Each Operator has a profile sheet. In addition to the illustration, the name and an identity symbol, this profile contains several pieces of information.

The color of the card indicates whether the operator is an attacker (blue) or a defender (orange).

The first line of the card gives you the Impact dice that are rolled when the Operator attacks with their weapon. There are three ranges: short (1 to 3 squares), medium (4 to 6 squares) and long (7 or more squares without limitation).

The Impact dice come in three colors depending on their effectiveness (from yellow to red), with more or less Impact faces. The assortment of these dice on the different profiles represents the effectiveness of each Operator’s personal equipment. Some are more effective at close range, while others are more effective at long range, especially the precision shooters.

Those familiar with video games will be able to put the name of each piece of equipment behind each set of dice, since Operators have many weapons with which they equip themselves depending on the combat situation. We just gave the dice colors!

Each Operator also has three characteristics on their profile.

First off, Run is the number of squares an operator can move using that action. Basically, each Operator can move 5 squares (infiltration is still a combat situation where you move with care). By running, the Operator will increase their movement by 2 or 5 squares depending on their protective equipment, which can slow them down. The most protected Operators cannot run – indeed, a pack that includes weapons, a reinforced riot shield, and a combat jacket drastically reduces mobility.

The second feature is Destroy. Each Operator can destroy gadgets, doors, barricades and even walls. The resistance of these technological objects or walls is represented by colored icons with which they have been coded on the game board. Destroying a gadget generally means that you are preventing your opponent from using it against you. Destroying walls and doors means that you are creating gaps for counterattacks, bypassing or simply opening up lines of sight for your snipers. Be careful to position Operators with the right destruction capabilities in front of the right walls. There’s nothing more frustrating than hearing gunfire from behind a wall you can’t knock down.

Third, Stamina is simply the number of hits the operator can take before being knocked out. Most operators have a Stamina of 5. Some, heavily protected, are at 6, while others, more lightly equipped are at 4.

6: Siege - The Board Game: The Operators

Finally, the special gadget of each Operator is also listed on their profile. Each member of Team 6 excels in their field and often develops their own equipment. Whether it’s a weapon, some form of protection, or a drone. To really personalize each Operator, they each have a special ability by using their personal gadget. This ability can be triggered by an action, may be unlimited or limited in use with a certain number of “charges” for the game, or it is simply used at the time of set up.

Operator Actions

When an Operator is activated, they can move up to 5 squares, and perform 2 different actions from a list of 6: Run, Watch, Shoot, Use a gadget from the tactical inventory, Use a special gadget, and finally, Destroy.

It is important to note that an Operator performs these actions and their move in any order they want. They can even split their movement and perform their actions during the move. For example, a character can move 2 squares (start of the move), Shoot (one action), continue their move for 3 squares (end of the move) and then Overwatch (second action).

Move and Run

6: Siege – The Board Game is a game where placement is key. Positioning yourself well and using the right access points (or even creating them) are essential tactics for both attackers and defenders. Sometimes, taking the right position will be a matter of one square, or one obstacle in the way of your Operator. So, movement should be calculated with precision!

The movement of an Operator is 5 squares. Crossing gaps and obstacles will slow down the progress, with an additional cost in movement (1 point) to enter the square the obstacle occupies.

During their movement, an Operator can also Lean (looking beyond a wall angle), and straighten up, at a cost of 1 movement point each. Leaning is an interesting tactical option because it allows the Operator to have line of sight from the square where they are leaning, while affording them the protection of the other square (and a wall angle offers you significant protection). It is important not to neglect it because shots are particularly lethal in this game. Scratching a few levels of protection with this trick can make the difference between an operator who is down and another who is only wounded but can still act.

Moving also allows you to go upstairs or downstairs (depending on the map) through the different access points symbolized on the main level map. Thus, the other levels (roof, upper floors, cellar, etc.) are only represented by an abstract zone which can house up to two Operators per side. You can’t go up and back down in the same turn, though. And once on the other level, you can still perform the same actions as on the main level, but with some restrictions, as we will see later.

Overwatch

This is an essential action in the game. All Operators start the game in Overwatch. This is symbolized by a marker that indicates the orientation of the miniature and therefore its field of vision.

An Operator who is overwatching an area can interrupt the movement or action of an opposing Operator who is in their line of sight at any time. When the player of the overwatching Operator announces that they want to react, the current player’s timer is interrupted, and the reacting player’s timer is started. This counts down your time but allows the Operator who interrupted the other’s action to shoot at their chosen target.

6: Siege - The Board Game: The Operators

Going on overwatch concludes the activation of an Operator. In “Special Operations” mode, i.e., with an increased difficulty and tension of the game, the Operators are always on overwatch after their activation. This “expert” mode should be reserved for those who are more familiar with the game, as it makes the game tighter and requires even more thought.

Shoot

To eliminate of your opponents, you have to shoot them. But be careful to do it efficiently! Taking a good shooting position often means exposing the shooter. If the target isn’t put out of action, or if the shooter needed to use both actions and can’t get into Overwatch, the backlash can be catastrophic to your team’s strategy.

When an Operator fires, it is the shooter who specifies aloud who he is shooting at, announcing the range and therefore the Impact dice corresponding to the shooter for that range, as well as the target’s protection level. To maintain the pace and atmosphere of the game, there is no check. If the targeted player feels that the announced conditions are wrong, he can challenge them. In this case, the timer is stopped, and the shooting conditions (line of sight and cover) are checked. Be careful! A challenge always implies a penalty against the player who made a mistake. The penalty is either a loss of time on their activations or an increase of the time available for their opponent if playing with a timer, or loss of an action for them or gain of an action for his opponent if you play without a timer.

6: Siege - The Board Game: The Operators

Obstacles, smoke clouds, and certain other gadgets can disrupt line of sight. They give “light cover”, i.e., a protection of 2 against the impact of a shot to adjacent Operators targeted by a shot. In other words, 2 will be subtracted from the impact value resulting from the shooter’s die roll. A light wall, a barricade (if you shoot through it or if you bend down) gives a protection of 2, and a heavy wall or reinforced wall provides a protection of 3. It is also possible to shoot through light walls and barricades for a surprise shot if the enemy is located. There are several ways to locate an operator: by shooting at him, and by using cameras or gadgets specific to certain operators. Note that impacts inflicted by gadgets (grenades, nitro, etc.) are never reduced by cover.

6: Siege - The Board Game: The Operators

Using gadgets from the tactical or special inventory

Operators have two types of gadgets at their disposal.

First, there are “common” gadgets in the tactical inventory which are selected at the beginning of the game and are available for each Operator of the team. They are represented by 5 charge cubes positioned on the chosen gadgets.

Attackers can use drones to spot/identify hidden enemies, while fragmentation grenades are useful against grouped enemies or gadgets. Smoke grenades produce smoke templates that obstruct lines of sight, and flashbang grenades blind and thus stun opponents. Demolition charges destroy walls and gadgets such as surveillance cameras, and finally Claymore mines block an enemy’s path.

Defenders can position armored cameras and deployable shields at the beginning of the game, and during the game use percussion grenades or nitro cells.

Finally, each Operator has their own personal abilities based on the gadgets they bring to the fight. For example, IQ can disable electronic gadgets from a distance. Sledge uses his tactical mace to destroy walls and gadgets in one action. Pulse can locate enemies even behind walls, and Smoke has poison gas grenades that interrupt lines of sight and inflict damage on those who pass through the cloud the create. How to use these gadgets is described in detail on each character’s profile and using them usually costs one action. Some gadgets have “charges”, and thus a limited number of uses.

6: Siege - The Board Game: The Operators

Destroy

The Destroy action simply symbolizes the weapons or explosive charges that agents carry with them to clear a path by destroying barricaded openings, windows, light walls, and even surveillance gadgets like cameras.

This action is played in line of sight (often the Operator uses his weapon to eliminate the gadget): the agent’s destruction level is to be compared to the element they want to destroy (Yellow, Orange or Red). If the level is reached, the destruction is automatic, no need to roll dice.

6: Siege - The Board Game: The Operators

Concealment, verticality and actions

The actions available to operators will depend mainly on two things: their state, i.e., hidden or revealed, and the level they are on (main level or upper/lower floor).

Hidden Operators

Defenders start the game hidden. Unlike the attacking player who places their Operator figures directly on the board at various entry points at the start of the game, the defending player has “Hidden Operator” tokens. Each defending Operator has 2 of these tokens, one that really corresponds to their position, called the portrait token, and a decoy. The defending player therefore places 2 tokens for each of their Operators, which means that they place 10 tokens: 5 that correspond to the real position of their Operators, and 5 decoys. As long as an Operator is hidden, they have a limited choice of actions. A hidden Operator can only Move, Run, and Overwatch. If they want to use a gadget, destroy, or shoot, the hidden Operator must reveal their position. In this case, you simply remove the 2 “Hidden Operator” tokens from the board and replace the portrait token with their miniature. Note that if a hidden Operator under surveillance decides to trigger a reaction, they are automatically revealed. Attacking Operators can also reveal hidden Operators when the hidden Operator is in their line of, the hidden Operator is hit, or an attacking Operator uses a gadget which reveals the hidden Operator (such as a drone).

Verticality

In video games, buildings or environments have several floors. For several reasons, not the least of which being the size of the board, dynamics and fluidity of the game, only one level of the building, called the “main level”, is entirely represented. The other floors are represented by a special area that can accommodate up to two Operators. It is possible to go from the main level to the upper/lower floor and vice versa by means of access zones.

From the upper/lower floor, the actions of the operators are the same as on the main level, but with some restrictions: the Overwatch action is limited to the access zone boxes on the board. The actions Shoot, Use gadget, and Destroy can only target access points on the main level, unless these access points are under surveillance by the opponent. Imagine your Operator going down a staircase watched by an opponent! Note that some special gadgets have floor-specific rules (i.e., Pulse’s heart sensor, IQ’s detector). One last interesting rule about the upper floor is that when an access box is guarded by an Operator from the upper floor, an opponent Operator also on the upper floor can challenge the guarded access zone to try and take control of it. At this point, there is either an exchange of fire between both Operators on the upper floor, or the player who was guarding the access space agrees to remove the guard from the area and leave it to their opponent to avoid the exchange of fire. Controlling the upper floor allows you to pose a threat to your opponent, because if there are many free access points, your Operator can pop up anywhere on the next turn and catch you off guard.

So, there you have it, Team 6! Without revealing everything, these three gameplay articles will hopefully give you a good overview of the game mechanisms and some of its intricacies. Don’t hesitate to watch the mechanisms presentation videos or the playthrough videos to get an even better idea of how the game flows.

As you will see, the rules are relatively simple and intuitive. You will need one game to assimilate the basic concepts, and many more to succeed in completing your missions without a hitch. The richness of the game mechanisms, the variety of Operators available with their specific gadgets, and the possibility of playing on different boards with different missions, make 6: Siege – The Board Game a game with a strong tactical depth, great replay-ability, and a nice learning curve.

6: Siege – The Board Game

Tuesday, June 22nd at 7pm on Kickstarter! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1162110258/6-siege-the-board-game

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