Note that most of these rule changes do not affect the Basic rules you will use for your first game.​

1. Static Frontal Armor Defense (Advanced Rules): Similar to heavy cover for infantry, a heavy vehicle now receives 2 total defense dice when hit by Armor Piercing damage in it’s frontal arc. This is a static defense vs the printed versions variable defense. In the print rules frontal armor defense is a ‘resistance’ which means you get a defense die for each point of Armor Piercing damage assigned to your frontal arc. This change to a static defense reduces the amount of frontal armor increasing the value and tactical importance of units that deal AP damage. For example, with static frontal armor, if 4 points of AP damage were assigned to a Heavy Vehicle’s frontal arc, that unit would still only roll 2 defense dice.

​2. HE Resistance & Reduced Crits (Advanced Rules): If a unit is resistant to High Explosive (HE) damage, that unit rolls a defense die for each point of damage dealt. For example, if a defending unit has 1 HE assigned to him and the attacker rolls a crit, the defending unit rolls 2 defense dice. (In the print rules it was for each HE die, not each point of HE damage.) Also, HE only crits on the green HE symbol not the green speed symbol. This reduces the effectiveness of HE damage vs vehicles and indirectly makes AP damage more effective like the rule above.

​3. Retreat Step and Full Spawn Retreat. (Advanced Rules) Units can retreat to any hex on their spawn point. The team that goes first can choose to retreat units at the end of the maneuver phase. This allows the team going first to adjust to last minute movements of the team going last, making it more fair for the other team. In RTS mode, all players can choose to retreat units after the Maneuver Phase is over but before the Damage Phase.

​4. Moving While Pinned. (Advanced Rules) This is how the game was tested primarily but was removed to reduce pinning complexity. In the advanced rules, during the Maneuver phase, units may move or construct field defenses while pinned by paying an additional CP/Speed Die for each movement or action and by paying 1 health for each movement or action. (They still cannot attack during the Damage Phase, nor capture points during the Supply Phase.

​5. Expansive Cover System. (Advanced Rules) Cover is now triggered if the attack line runs adjacent to the cover line. i.e. cover is triggered if the attack line only ‘nicks’ the cover line. As before, units only receive cover if they are in a hex with cover. When line of fire goes crosses between two types of cover defender utilizes the better cover.

6. Variant Turn Order: Simple: Alternate which teams goes first regardless of victory point count or resource incomes.

​7. Variant Turn Order: 3663 After you have a few games under your belt, you can try out the variant turn order in order to reduce the advantage of going last. This variant turn order developed by Bryan “Bryk” The Rabblerouser on Discord is referred to as 3663. The maneuver phase is divided into only 2 turns instead of 3. The first team spends 3 cp, then then second team spends 6 CP. Then the first team spends 6cp and finally the second team spends 3 cp. This reduces the advantage of going last in a round, but also slightly reduces the catch up mechanic in the game thus is better for evenly matched players.

​We recommend that players learn these rules before playing the advanced rule set. But for edits to Commander cards you can wait to reference the Commander Section below until you are choosing a commander in game. Alternatively any edited Commander Cards can be found in the Commander Gallery as well.

​We will continue to test, tweak and fine-tune the Company of Heroes Board Game basically forever. We will not stop trying to improve the game! We are also currently developing a system to hear and process your feedback after you start playing. For now, join our discussion of current and future rules in our amazing Discord Channel.

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