Pocket Tactics

Overview

Pocket Tactics compresses turn-based squad combat onto a readable 6×6 board. You command Vega, Doc, and Brick through twelve authored missions, each built from a different arrangement of cover and hostile units. Every squad member has a distinct combination of health, attack strength, and range, but each receives the same two action points at the start of a player turn. Moving one tile or firing costs one point, so the central decision is whether to advance twice, move and attack, fire twice, or save a vulnerable unit by retreating. Adjacent cover reduces incoming damage, making position as important as raw firepower. Once you end the turn, enemies act in a deterministic order: they attack a reachable low-health target or advance toward the nearest squad member. That consistency turns every enemy phase into information you can use on the next attempt. Missions unlock locally as they are cleared, and the compact board keeps the complete tactical situation visible on desktop and mobile screens.

How to Play

Select a blue squad member, then choose a highlighted empty cell to move or a highlighted hostile to attack. Arrow keys move the board cursor, Enter or Space selects and acts, and Tab cycles through squad members who still have action points. Press Escape to cancel a selection and E to end the player turn. Pointer and touch players can tap units and destinations directly. A selected unit's health, attack, range, cover status, and remaining action points appear beside the board. Eliminate every hostile to clear the mission; losing all three squad members ends the attempt.

Tips & Strategy

Begin each turn by checking enemy ranges before spending an action. A two-tile advance may put a fragile unit in range of several hostiles, while stopping beside cover can reduce every hit received during the enemy phase. Concentrate attacks when possible: removing one enemy prevents all of its future actions, which is usually stronger than damaging two targets without defeating either. Doc's longer range is useful for finishing weakened enemies from safety, while Brick's stronger close attack rewards careful approaches behind cover. Do not automatically spend both points on the first selected unit. Moving each squad member once may create a safer formation than pushing one soldier far ahead. Because enemy decisions are deterministic, you can deliberately expose a healthy unit to draw attention away from a wounded teammate. Watch the combat log to confirm damage and target order, then use a failed mission to predict the same situation on the retry. On crowded maps, preserve clear lanes around cover; blocking a narrow route with one squad member can prevent another from reaching firing range.

What Makes It Distinct

The small grid removes camera management and long animation delays from the tactics formula. There are no random hit percentages: if a target is in range, the attack lands and cover reduces damage by a known amount. That makes Pocket Tactics a planning game rather than a probability game, with enough mission variation to reward learning how the three-unit squad works as a coordinated team.