Sniper Elite: The Board Game Specialist Spotlight – The Medic

12th May 2021

Designed by David Thompson and Roger Tankersley, Sniper Elite: The Board Game brings the award-winning video game to the tabletop, with one player stalking through the shadows as Karl Fairburne while their opponents attempt to track them down.

On the blog today we’re taking a look at the Medic, one of the Specialist Officers the defending players can choose at the start of the game, and how their special ability can help to thwart the Allies plans.

Every soldier wants to be in the Medic’s squad, because they know that if anything happens to them, the Medic has their back. Twice per game the Medic can cancel out a successful shot from the Sniper on a member of his squad using some of the finest first aid ever seen.

Playing as the Medic

If you’re controlling the squad led by this Specialist, you know you can be a bit more blasé about positioning your soldiers. Their added survivability makes them excellent for blocking doorways and chokepoints, forcing the Sniper to avoid areas of the board or risk taking a shot at the soldiers, despite the chance of them surviving due to the Medic’s ability.

However, as these abilities are only available when the Specialist is on the board, the Medic will need to be careful not to leave themselves out in the open. They are sure to be an appealing target for an eagle-eyed sniper, forcing the squad to use one of their two actions on the following turn to bring their Specialist back onto the board.

Playing against the Medic

While their ability isn’t as obviously offensive as some of the other Specialists, ignoring it as the Sniper can be costly. Well positioned soldiers from the Medic’s squad can act almost as immovable objects, requiring two successful shots to remove them from the board. Forcing them to use their ability early in the game can save you a headache later on, but you’ll want to be extra sure you aren’t going to end up giving away your position.

Of course, if you can avoid the Medic’s squad entirely then their choice of Specialist will have come to nothing, but you would have to be pretty lucky with your objectives to do that. If at the end of the game the Medic hasn’t used their ability, chances are their presence has still affected how you approached the game as the Sniper.

Want to see if you can outfox your opponents? Preorder your copy of Sniper Elite: The Board Game today!