Description

From the publisher:

SWAT Command is a cooperative board game for 1 - 5 players set in modern time. The players are controlling a SWAT team attempting to bring a hostage situation to a successful resolution. The game uses resource management, press-your-luck, and grid-based combat mechanics. Six situation variables allow for the game to have a high replay value. Players must work together to use the time that is given to them by the Hostage Negotiator to purchase Team members and equipment, gather intelligence on the situation, and prepare a rescue plan. The longer players wait, the better equipment and personnel they will have, but the more chances that negotiations will go south. Once players choose to rescue the hostages, grid-based combat begins that resolves in about 15 minutes.

The game is based on a hostage situation inside a bank. The situation cards are unknown at the beginning of the game (Hostage and Suspect #, Hostage and Suspect Positions, Equipment and, Motivation) Each game begins with an Arrival Situation that determines how much Time the players begin the game, and whether or not someone is injured and needs immediate rescue. In a multi-player game, one player is the Incident Commander and the other players control dedicated sides of the building.

The first phase of the game is the Containment Phase. A round begins with the Incident Commander rolling a die to simulate negotiations. The result of the roll is how much Time the negotiator has "bought" for the other players. Each player then begins their turn buy using their Time to buy SWAT personnel from the stack to their staging area, moving SWAT from their staging area to the board, purchasing equipment, using SWAT personnel skills, moving, or gathering intelligence. Players can buy everything from a Medic to the Bomb Squad (once revealed) and Flash Bangs to Plastic Explosives. If players begin their turn with no Time, A card is drawn that has a negative effect for that player or the entire team to simulate the suspects doing something. Certain actions require the player to draw a reaction from the suspects that range from a gunshot heard inside with an unknown result to a hostage crawling out the window.

At any time, or when the team is ready, the Incident Commander may initiate the Rescue Phase. All players move their squads to their breach points (windows/doors), breach doors and determine amount of surprise, reveal any unknown information, Snipers then shoot, Squads begin movement, squads then mark their shots simultaneously, once all shots are marked the shots are taken. Repeat the Snipers to shooting steps until surprise is over and then the suspects react by moving, shooting or surrendering until all the suspects have been neutralized or arrested.

A quick-play version is comprised of scenarios that tell the players how to set up SWAT team members, equipment, and scenario cards. The players then skip the first phase of the game and go straight to the second phase, the Rescue Phase, to attempt to rescue the hostages. All scenarios can be played at various levels of difficulty by adding or subtracting equipment items that give the players bonuses.