Core Rules and Timeline Guide
A clear guide to Gundam Assemble rules, from the 10-round timeline and primary actions to attacks, upgrades, objectives, and scoring.
How a Game of Gundam Assemble Works
Gundam Assemble rules look simple until the timeline starts squeezing your activations. This guide turns the two-phase, ten-round structure into clear decisions, so your mobile suits act when they matter instead of drifting down the track. If you want a practical grasp of Gundam Assemble rules before your first match, start with the timeline, primary actions, and how victory points actually flow.
Every match is built around a scenario. The scenario tells you how to set up the board, where to place terrain, garrisons, objectives, upgrades, and energy, and what special goals can earn points. A standard game runs for two phases, and each phase contains 10 rounds. You score objectives and scenario goals at the end of each phase, then compare totals after the second phase.
| Match element | How it works |
|---|---|
| Game length | Two phases, each with 10 rounds |
| Turn order | The Timeline track decides which units activate and when |
| Unit activation | Advance, then take one Primary Action; you may also use Command abilities and play a Tactics card |
| Main scoring | Defeat units, defeat or rescue garrisons, control objectives, and complete scenario goals |
| Winner | Most victory points after phase two; the last player to act wins a tie |
The key idea is that killing everything is not automatically the best plan. Objectives can be worth several points at phase end, and a single scenario objective may be worth more than a mid-cost unit. Build your plan around the scenario’s scoring, not just the biggest attack available.
Setup Checklist for Your First Battle
Set up from the scenario card, not from memory. Place the board first, then add bases or carriers, garrisons, upgrades, energy, scenario objectives, and terrain exactly as shown. Keep status tokens, extra upgrades, attack dice, and objective control tokens within reach. Each player then reveals their squad, places unit cards, puts timeline tokens at each unit’s starting value, shuffles nine Tactics cards, and draws three.
Following the basic setup sequence keeps the first game clean: board and scenario pieces, timeline track, unit cards and tokens, Tactics decks, then the first round.
| Setup step | What to do | Detail that matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Board and scenario | Place the board and all scenario components | Terrain, garrisons, objectives, upgrades, and energy are scenario-driven |
| 2. Squad reveal | Choose red or blue and reveal your units | Place each unit card where both players can read it |
| 3. Timeline tokens | Put each token on its starting Timeline value | If two of your units share a space, stack them in the order you want them to act |
| 4. Tactics decks | Shuffle nine cards and draw three | After phase one, draw three more |
| 5. First round | Start at the lowest numbered round with tokens | If both players tie there, roll one attack die; higher roll goes first |
Squad building is flexible but not unlimited. Most scenarios ask for three or five units. You cannot take multiple copies of the same unit card number unless that unit is Mass Produced. Your Tactics deck is exactly nine cards, normally one copy of each. Signature cards require the matching unit title, and faction cards require at least one unit with the matching trait.
The Timeline System: The Engine Behind Gundam Assemble Rules
The Timeline is the most important part of Gundam Assemble rules. Each unit has a starting Timeline value printed on its card. Units with the lowest value act first. When a unit takes an action with a Timeline cost, you move its token forward that many spaces. Cheap actions keep a unit active; expensive attacks push it toward the end of the phase.
The track has 10 spaces per phase. If a cost moves a token past space 10, wrap it back to space one and keep counting. If a unit spends more than 10 Timeline in a single activation, it advances into the next phase and does not act again until then. When a unit is defeated, its token moves forward two spaces as a repair penalty.
| Action or effect | Timeline cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Advance | Basic move | Move up to three hexes; this is not the required Primary Action |
| Attack | Weapon’s printed cost | Pay after declaring the attack and confirming range and line of sight |
| Dash | 2 | Move up to two hexes |
| Energize | 2 | Gain one Energy for abilities |
| Rescue | 2 | Be adjacent to an allied garrison; score 2 VP |
| Command ability | Varies | Each Command ability can be used once per activation |
| Tactics card | Varies | Maximum one Tactics card per activation |
Treat the Timeline as a budget. A unit that takes a four-cost attack early may not activate again for several rounds. A unit that uses Dash or Energize stays closer to the front and can react sooner. This is also why stacking order matters: when your units share a Timeline space, you choose which one sits on top and acts first.
Activation, Movement, and Attack Rules
When you activate a unit, you may Advance first, then you must take one Primary Action: Attack, Dash, Energize, or Rescue. You may also use each Command ability once and play up to one Tactics card. The unit can move through allied units but not enemy units, and it cannot end movement on the same hex where it started or on a hex occupied by another unit.
Engagement changes your choices. If a unit is adjacent to an enemy at the same elevation, it is Engaged. It takes a one-hex movement penalty and must target at least one Engaged enemy when it attacks. Elevation costs extra movement when climbing. Attacking from higher ground gives +1 Accuracy; attacking a higher target gives -1 Accuracy. Units on elevated terrain can jump, ignoring lower enemies and gaps during that move.
The attack sequence is fixed, so resolve it in order rather than rushing to the dice.
| Attack step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Declare | Name the weapon and target; use any pre-attack abilities |
| 2. Check | Confirm range and line of sight |
| 3. Pay Timeline | Move the attacker’s token forward by the weapon’s cost |
| 4. Before dice | Players may use responses that trigger before the roll |
| 5. Roll | Roll dice equal to Strength; 4+ hits, 1 always misses, 9–10 is a critical |
| 6. After dice | Resolve responses, then Disarm if applicable |
| 7. Criticals | Apply the weapon’s critical effect; normally once per attack even if you roll several criticals |
| 8. Damage | Shields reduce damage; Fracture can add damage; units at 0 HP are defeated |
| 9. After damage | Resolve abilities that trigger after damage is dealt |
Line of sight matters for ranged attacks. It is blocked by higher terrain and by same-elevation enemies or structures. Adjacent attacks do not need line of sight. Area-of-effect attacks ignore units and garrisons when checking line of sight, which makes weapons like cone or blast attacks useful for clearing clustered targets.
Defeats, Status Effects, and Scoring
When a unit is reduced to 0 hit points, the opponent scores that unit’s victory point value. Remove the unit, move its Timeline token forward two spaces, reset its hit points, and clear its status effects. The unit keeps its Energy and Upgrades, then redeploys the next time it activates. That redemption can matter: a defeated unit is not gone for the game, but its repair delay can cost you a full round or more.
| Effect or upgrade | What it does | When to care |
|---|---|---|
| Disarm | Next attack rerolls all hits and cannot trigger critical effects | Use it before a big attack |
| Fracture | Next time the unit takes 3+ combat damage from one attack, it takes 3 extra damage | Stack it with high-damage attacks |
| Slow | Next Advance moves 0 hexes | Stops objective runs, not Dashes |
| Shield upgrade | Prevents 1 damage per Shield, then deactivates until the unit’s next activation | Best against multi-hit attacks |
| Speed upgrade | Adds +1 hex when Advancing only | Helps reach objectives and terrain |
| Strength upgrade | Adds +1 attack die per upgrade for the rest of the game | Permanent and easy to underestimate |
Scoring priorities should shift by scenario. Defeating an enemy unit gives its VP value. Defeating an enemy garrison gives 2 VP. Rescuing an allied garrison gives 2 VP. Objectives and scenario goals score at phase end, and those points can decide the match. In one starter scenario, objectives are worth five or eight points, so giving up a phase-end objective to chase a low-value kill is usually a bad trade.
Practical tips for your first games of Gundam Assemble rules:
- Plan two activations ahead. Ask whether you want a unit to act early or hit hard once.
- Use cheap Primary Actions when you need to hold position and stay on the Timeline.
- Stack your own units deliberately when they share a Timeline space.
- Rescue garrisons when the path is safe; 2 VP adds up and forces enemy attention.
- Grab Shields before a unit is exposed, not after it is nearly dead.
- Contest objectives at the end of a unit’s activation, and check whether you have more adjacent units than your opponent.
- Keep Tactics cards for timing windows that change an attack, a contest, or a redeployment.
FAQ
How long does a game of Gundam Assemble last?
A standard game has two phases of 10 rounds each. You score objectives and scenario goals at the end of each phase, then compare victory points after phase two.
What happens when a unit is defeated?
The opponent scores its VP value. Remove the unit, move its Timeline token forward two spaces, reset its hit points, and clear statuses. It keeps Energy and Upgrades, then redeploys on its next activation.
Do Gundam Assemble rules require line of sight for every attack?
No. Adjacent attacks do not need line of sight. Ranged attacks and abilities at range 2 or greater normally do, unless the weapon or ability ignores line of sight.
How many Tactics cards can I play?
You build a nine-card deck, draw three at the start, and draw three more after phase one. You may play up to one Tactics card per activation, following the card’s timing and any Timeline cost.
Related Guides
Beginner Guide: Core Rules & Setup
Gundam Assemble beginner guide: learn setup, timeline turns, unit actions, combat, tactics cards, and victory points for your first tabletop match.
Core Rules Guide: Timeline and Combat
Learn the Gundam Assemble core rules: setup, timeline costs, unit actions, line of sight, combat math, and tactics for a clean 20-round game.
How Many Players: 2-Player 3v3
Gundam Assemble how many players? Launch battles are two-player 3v3, with six units per starter set and larger formats planned later.
How to Play: Rules & First Game
Learn Gundam Assemble how to play with setup steps, timeline tactics, combat rules, squad building tips, and a first-game walkthrough.