Air, Land & Sea — Rules, Withdrawal & Strategy
Battle over three theaters with six cards, choose between face-up abilities and flexible face-down plays, and know when to retreat.
Air, Land & Sea is a compact two-player tactical card game designed by Jon Perry. Its six-card hands and three shared theaters make each decision consequential: deploying a card face up activates abilities, while face-down cards can be sent anywhere for lower strength.
This guide covers battle setup, all turn choices, theater control and ties, tactical abilities, withdrawal scoring, the Beginner Mode and related editions.
The standout decision
Conceding a Battle can be a strong strategic move. Withdraw early and your opponent may collect only a small number of points instead of six, keeping the overall war within reach.
Game at a Glance
1. Deal
Six cards each, with six unseen.
2. Deploy
Play matching face-up cards or flexible face-down cards.
3. Resolve
Win two Theaters—or force a withdrawal.
4. Score
Race to 12 points across Battles.
Air, Land & Sea setup
Place the three Theater boards—Air, Land and Sea—in a random order in a row. Shuffle the two Supreme Commander cards and give one to each player: the red commander goes first. Shuffle the 18 Battle cards and deal six cards per player. Leave the other six cards unseen as the Battle deck. Prepare the score markers.
Every Battle begins with six cards in each player’s hand. There are no routine card draws during a Battle, although individual Tactical Abilities can interact with the Battle deck.
Three actions on a turn
Players alternate taking one action: Deploy, Improvise or Withdraw. Deploy one Battle card face up to its matching Theater, activating any printed Tactical Ability. Alternatively, Improvise by placing one card face down to any Theater. Or Withdraw, immediately conceding the Battle so the opponent receives the points shown by the withdrawal schedule.
Example: a Land strength-5 card played face up contributes five strength in Land and activates its ability. Played face down in Air, that same card contributes only two strength and has no active ability. Tactical effects may occasionally permit an otherwise illegal placement.
Winning two of the three theaters
Each card belongs to one of three Theaters. Add up the strength of your cards on your side of each Theater and compare with the opponent’s total. The higher total controls that Theater. A tie is controlled by the player holding the red First Player Supreme Commander, including an empty Theater in which neither player has any strength.
When both players have played all their cards, the player controlling at least two theaters wins the Battle, scoring six victory points. Winning all three is not necessary.
Face-down cards: flexible but weaker
A card played face down can go to any Theater, even one that does not match its printed type. It normally provides two strength, independent of its printed number, and has no Tactical Ability while face down.
A face-down card may later be flipped face up by an effect, triggering its ability when appropriate. Other cards can also strengthen face-down cards: for example, Escalation makes your face-down cards strength four for as long as that ongoing effect stays active. Your opponent cannot inspect your face-down cards.
Instant and ongoing Tactical Abilities
Most face-up cards have an ability. Instant effects resolve when the card is deployed face up or flipped face up. Ongoing effects remain active as long as their card stays face up. When flipped face down, an ongoing ability switches off.
Abilities can flip cards, move cards between Theaters, alter strengths, permit special deployments or affect whether a card survives entering a Theater. A card moved into a different Theater retains its owner and contributes there even when its printed type does not match the destination.
Covered versus uncovered: cards stack with their tops exposed. The most recent card in a Theater is uncovered; cards beneath are covered. Abilities mentioning uncovered cards therefore cannot freely target everything in a stack.
When to withdraw—and why it matters
Instead of deploying or improvising, you may Withdraw on your turn. Your opponent instantly wins that Battle, but receives only the points indicated on your Supreme Commander card. The scoring is based on how many cards remain in your hand at withdrawal and whether you are the first or second player.
| Cards remaining when withdrawing | First player gives up | Second player gives up |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 2 VP | 2 VP |
| 5 | 2 VP | 2 VP |
| 4 | 2 VP | 3 VP |
| 3 | 3 VP | 3 VP |
| 2 | 3 VP | 4 VP |
| 1 | 4 VP | 6 VP |
| 0 | 6 VP | 6 VP |
Check the printed Supreme Commander card for the schedule in your edition. Withdrawing early can keep your opponent from receiving the full six points they would earn for an uninterrupted Battle victory.
Battle points and winning the war
If both players play out all six cards, whoever controls the majority of Theaters earns six Victory Points. If someone withdraws, their opponent gets the reduced award determined by the withdrawing player’s commander and remaining hand.
Keep a running total after each Battle. The first player to reach 12 victory points wins the game. For a longer match, the published rules suggest increasing the target to 18.
Example: you have seven points and your rival has eight. If you win the next Battle by playing out the cards, you reach 13 and win the war. If your rival instead withdraws early while holding four cards, you gain only two or three points depending on their commander, and the match may continue.
How to set up the next Battle
Gather all 18 Battle cards, shuffle and deal six new cards to each player. The unseen remainder forms the new Battle deck. Rotate the Theater positions: the former Air location goes to Land, the former Land to Sea, and Sea to Air in a circular shift.
Exchange Supreme Commander cards so the former second player acts first in the new Battle. The changing adjacency matters because many Tactical Abilities affect neighboring Theaters; only the positions next to one another are adjacent.
Beginner Mode and related editions
The rulebook offers a Beginner Mode that scores each Battle victory as one point and ends when someone earns three points. In this mode, ignore the withdrawal chart. It makes it easier to concentrate on tactics before incorporating the normal early-withdrawal scoring.
Air, Land & Sea: Critters at War re-themes the game with animal illustrations while retaining the same central play. Spies, Lies & Supplies is a separate design in the series with different Theaters and abilities; read its rules before combining or substituting cards.
Eight tactical tips for Air, Land & Sea
- Fight for two theaters, not three. Splitting your hand too widely can leave you behind everywhere.
- Estimate the hidden six cards. Six of the 18 cards are not dealt, so neither player knows every ability in play.
- Preserve adjacency options. Many abilities interact with a neighboring Theater, making board order important.
- Remember first-player ties. The first player begins with a structural advantage in tied theaters, offset by the second player’s information.
- Use face-down deployment deliberately. Two flexible strength may matter more than a face-up card trapped in an already secure Theater.
- Watch Ongoing effects. Flipping a key card face down can immediately remove its bonus.
- Withdraw before a bad position becomes expensive. A modest concession may protect your war score.
- Plan across Battles. Winning with fewer points now might still be enough if you can claim another Battle later.
These are original rules-based suggestions, not claims of personal playtesting.
Air, Land & Sea FAQ
How many players can play?
Exactly two.
How many cards are in a hand?
Six cards at the start of each Battle.
Can I draw during a Battle?
Not normally. Some special abilities interact with the unseen Battle deck.
Can I play a face-up card into the wrong Theater?
Not without an ability explicitly allowing it.
What is a face-down card worth?
Two strength unless an effect modifies it.
Who wins theater ties?
The First Player, including an empty Theater.
How many Theaters must I control?
At least two of three.
Does withdrawing lose the entire game?
No. It concedes the current Battle and gives the opponent reduced or full points under the withdrawal chart.
How many victory points win the match?
12 in the standard rules.
Do Theaters remain in one position between Battles?
No. They rotate after every Battle.
Who should play Air, Land & Sea?
Best for exactly two players who like compact tactical duels and learning powerful card effects. Its withdrawal mechanism rewards knowing when to concede; it is less suited to larger groups or players who prefer low-confrontation games.
Similar games and what to play next
If you are comparing this game with other titles on BoardGameArchive, these guides explain genuinely different mechanics and player experiences:
- Battle Line — Both reward managing a limited hand across several contested positions, but Battle Line uses ranked formations and flags.
- Schotten Totten — A related two-player card-combination duel with contested stones and claims.
- Hanamikoji — For a short two-player majority duel focused on constrained choices rather than card abilities.
Official sources and editorial scope
- Arcane Wonders publisher page and official rulebook download
- Published rulebook text and card clarifications
- BoardGameGeek game and edition information
Rules reviewed October 11, 2026. Strategic suggestions and examples are original editorial material, without any claimed personal playtest. Editorial policy and corrections.
