10.11.

2015

Fighting Plastic game rules for toy soldiers.

C opyright 2005 T. She il & A. She il All Rights Re se rve d

Army Men Homepage

Fighting Plastic
by Corey Butler
This is a game for plastic toy soldiers. The original website is gone, but the author gave blanket permission to
use it wit ha few restrictions. It is simple, easy to learn and easy to play. The author was obviously inspired
by 3DO's Army Men PC games. It is our good pleasure to bring you these rules.
Here are the basic rules for the game as authored by Corey Butler:
Introduction
FP is a miniatures war game for two or more players using plastic army men and vehicles as units. Because it
was designed for maximum fun and playability, the game can be played with as much lightheartedness as the
players desire (e.g. nerf cannons, ping pong bombs, glue weapons, etc.). It can be played on a large table, in
a living room, at the beach, or anywhere else you happen to be. The only materials needed are these rules, a
supply of different colored army men, some six-sided dice, and a couple of yardsticks or tape measures.
Before beginning the game, players should discuss and agree upon the playing area, victory conditions,
selection of forces, and starting positions. Setup is conducted jointly by all players before army assignment is
determined. Players are assigned armies by drawing colors ( as in chess ). Each player then rolls a die and
the highest roller moves first, followed by the second highest, and so on.
An army typically consists of 30-40 men plus a few fortifications or vehicles. As a general rule, attackers
should be given more troops ( perhaps even double ) than army men who are defending a fortified position.
Example scenarios ( and victory conditions ) may include such themes as: destroy all enemies, capture the
flag, escape to a safe area, escort vehicles and cargo, rescue prisoners, capture the enemy leader, destroy a
secret weapon, etc. Variants can include space troops, toy dinosaurs, trains, boats, or any other items on
hand.
Additional Game Components
Pencils = anti-tank obstacles
Big paper clips = barbed wire
Jar lids = fox holes
Houseplants = forests
Bottles, cans, etc, = miscellaneous obstacles and cover
Coins = minefields
Rulers = bridges
Boxes of matches = fires and/or smoke
Blankets = low hills or bodies of water
Piles of books = steep hills and cliffs
Dixie cups = small pillboxes ( cut out gunports)
Game Turns
Each Turn represents an abstracted amount of time in which a soldier can move and attack. Turns are

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Fighting Plastic game rules for toy soldiers.

Each Turn represents an abstracted amount of time in which a soldier can move and attack. Turns are
divided into 4 phases which porceed in the following order:
1.
2.
3.
4l

Movement ( sequential )
Automatic weapons ( simultaneous )
Other small arms ( simultaneous )
Heavy weapons ( simultaneous )

Heavy weapons inlcude tanks, artillery, bazookas, flame-throwers, mortars, and anything else that is not a
machine gun, rifle, or pistol. If exotic, high-tech weapons like missiles and lasers are involved, they should be
fired in the automatic weapon phase.
Since combat is simultaneous, units destroyed in a phase may still return fire during that phase. Keep track of
destroyed units by flipping them on their sides. At the end of the phase, casualties are removed or replaced
by wounded figures and/or dropped weapon accessories up to a limit agreed upon before the game started.
Destroyed vehicles remain flipped over, serving as cover and obstacles for the remainder of the game.
Movement
The standard movement allowance is one foot per turn for infantry, and two feet per turn for vehicles. The
allowance is halved when going up hills, and is it also halved for vehicles crossing rough ground. Jeeps and
trucks ( as well as trains ) can move up to three feet per turn on a road.
Tanks lose half their movement allowance when they change directions by turning. There is no movement
penalty to turn the turret, which is positioned during the movement phase. Tanks can eliminate enemy infantry
by running them over.
Soldiers climbing cliffs must roll one die: 1 fall to death, 2-4 no progress, 5-6 climb three inches. Climbing
infantry may not attack during the turn they are attempting to climb. Swimming infantry move at a rate of 6"
per turn. They have a 1 in 6 chance of drowning every turn they are in the water. Paratroopers must roll a
die when they attempt to land: 1-2 on target, 3 north of target, 4 east of target, 5 south of target, 6 west of
target. If off target, roll another die to determine how many feet they are off ( max 3' ). Paratroopers may
take no further action on the turn they are dropped.
Opportunity Fire
Army men using direct fire ( i.e. not mortars, etc. ) have the option of attacking any units that moved through
their line of sight ( LoS ) during the movement phase, even if they are not in LoS at the end of movement.
This rule eliminates the possibility of units simply running by enemy machine gun placements. Units attacked
by opportunity fir may return fire.
Combat
Combat occurs simultaneously, but in different phases for different weapons types. Any weapon depicted on
a given army man may be used, but each figure may never attack more than once per turn. Check the range (
in feet ) and the attack rating for the appropriate weapon on the table below. The attack value or less must
be rolled on two dice to be successful. Infantry units are automatically eliminated if hit. Armored vehicles
and other hard targets may be destroyed by heavy weapons depending on a second die roll ( see Hard
Targets ).
Rate of fire ( RoF ) indicates how many attacks ( on separate targets ) an automatic weapon can make in a
turn. These attacks must be clustered within a 60 degree arc. RoF is abstracted and does not necessarily
correspond to a specific number of bullets fired.
Weapon

Range

Attack

RoF

Notes

Knife

silent, no adjacent bonus

Pistol

Rifle

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Sniper rilfe

stationary

Submachine gun

Assault rifle

LMG ( bipod )

stationary, 1/2 move

HMG ( tripod )

10

as above, crew of 2

Grenade

6" diameter blast

Light Mortar

2-4

6" blast, stationary, 1/2 move

Heavy Mortar

2-5

as above, 9" blast, crew of 2

Flame Thrower

6" wide cone, 1/2 move

Bazooka

6" blast, 1/2 move, crew of 2

Tank gun

6" blast, crew of 3 ( inside )

Light cannon

6" blast, stationary, crew of 3

Howitzer

9" blast, stationary, crew of 3

Missile

12" blast

any LoS

automatic elimination

immobilizes 9" area

Laser
Glue Cannon
Special Units
Leader

+1 attack for troops in 12" area

Binoculars

+1 to attack with range >3

Radio

allows indirect fire without Los, can transfer leader bonus

Engineer

can destroy obstacles, stationary

Medic

Convert wounded to healthy soldiers on a roll of 7 on two dice

Mine detector

locate mines, deactivate a 3" path per turn

Minefields

one attack of 7 on all men vehicles during the movement

Barbed wire

blocks infantry, can be destroyed by engineers, tanks, guns

Tank obstacles

blocks vehicles, can be destroyed by engineers

Miscellaneous Notes
A natural 2 always eliminates its target and a natural 12 always misses.
Automatic weapons jam on a roll of 12. Can be fixed by rolling a 7 or less next turn.
All tanks, heavy guns, and flame-throwers are out of ammo on a roll of 12.
Stationary weapons cannot attack on the same turn in which they move.
At least 50% of a target must be within a blast area to be hit.
Attacks on AFVs use armor-piercing rounds and do not make a blast.
Most tanks and planes may fire LMGs in addition to their other armaments.
There is a 50% chance that a flame-thrower will explode ( 3" blast ) if hit.
Attack Modifiers
Behind cover

-3

Flying

-4

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Fighting Plastic game rules for toy soldiers.

planes can only be attacked by MGs and lasers

Inside pillbox

-5

flame throwers are -0

Range >3

-1

NA for high-tech weapons such as lasers

From lower elevation

-1

Adjacent

+2

From behind

+2

Guns using indirect fire ( and/or range >3 ) are -1 on their first attack on a fixed location.
Infantry with shovels can entrench ( -3 cover ) after two turns of digging.
Hard Targets
Unlike most units, hard targets such as armored fighting vehicles ( AFVs ) and pillboxes are not automatically
eliminated when hit. Furthermore, they are immune to most weapons. Bazookas, tank guns, cannons, and
flame throwers that land a successful hit have a chance to eliminate them according to the following rule:
Roll one die... For AFVs: 1-2 no effect, 3-4 immobilized, 5-6 destroyed. For pillboxes: 1-4 no effect, 5
stunned for one turn, 6 destroyed. Die roll modifiers...
Target is a half track +1
Target is the side or rear of a tank +1 ( flame throwers NA )
Target is a heavy tank -1
Weapon is flame-thrower or howitzer +1
Weapon is a high-tech missile +2
Weapon is land mine or bazooka -1
Flame throwers cannot destroy pillboxes... only the occupants can be targeted
Destroyed vehicles are flipped over and remain in place
Crews survive destroyed tanks ( not jeeps or half-tracks ) on a subsequent roll of 1-2, pillboxes
1-3.
Cannons are automatically eliminated when hit by tanks and other big guns.
Trucks and jeeps can be eliminated by tanks, cannons, mortars, and sustained HMG fire.
Infantry units can eliminate adjacent AFVs with a natural attack roll of 2
Army men in pillboxes cannot fire at targets that are behind the fortification or directly below and in front of
the gun ports ( Exception: grenades can be tossed onto units in front of pillboxes ). Enemy units in these safe
zones can destroy the occupants of the pillboxes on any roll other than a 12 if they are armed with either
flame-throwers or grenades.
Small arms can be used to attack soldiers in pillboxes and half-tracks. If they score a successful nit after the
appropriate penalty ( half-tracks act as -3 cover ), they eliminate enemy units but do not affect the hard target
itself.
Heroes
One or more army men form each side can be designated as heroes. These men may or may not be leaders.
Heroes must be "eliminated" three times before they are actually removed from the game. They have +1 on
all of their attack values and may have additional abilities that should be agreed upon beforehand. Figures
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representing heroes must be unique or easily identifiable. They should be given names like Tex, Radar,
Sarge, or Bill.
Designers Notes: This game is copyright 2000 by Corey Butler. It may be freely distributed in its original
form, with this notice, but not sold. Modifications and house rules are encouraged and should be labeled as
such.
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