Warpath
Warpath Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- What You Need To Play
- Unit Profiles and Bases
- Armies
- Rounds, Phases and Turns
- Command Phase
- Command Points
- Command Orders
- Line of Sight
- Types of Terrain
- Movement Phase
- Overwatch Phase
- Shooting
- Shooting and Assaults
- Combat Phase
- Assault
- Pinning
- Buildings
- Transport Vehicles
- Fliers
- Keywords
- Building a Force
- Missions
- Sample Command Orders
What You Need To Play
Forces
Each player will need suitable Mantic models to assemble their army. Each army could range from a mix of infantry and vehicles to vast hordes of troops with walker and flier support. There really is no limit.
To play Warpath you will need a set of Command Dice, plus the dice and tokens described below. A tape measure marked in inches is also required (see Measuring).
Command Dice
Command Dice are 6-sided dice coloured black, orange or green. They represent the capability of progressively more powerful commanders or Units. Each die face is either blank or has a number of energy swords on it. The number of energy swords rolled is the number of Command Points scored for that die.
Dice
Warpath uses 8-sided dice (abbreviated to D8) for all other rolls in the game. Once rolled, the result is the number showing on the top face, just like on a standard six-sided die.
For most rolls in the game, you roll the required number of D8s and then compare the scores to the appropriate model's or weapon's statistic (stat). For example, a value of 4+ for a Shoot stat means scores of 4 or more are successes. Thus, all dice that equal or exceed the stat value are successes, and all that are less than the target number are failures. If a stat value is "–" then no dice are rolled and therefore no successes can be achieved.
For example, Paul rolls 4 D8s to shoot using his Unit's Shoot value of 6+. He rolls a 3, 5, 6 and 7, scoring 2 successes.
Sometimes a D4 or D2 is required. In such cases, simply roll a D8 and determine the result using the table below.
| D8 roll | D4 result | D2 result |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | 1 | 1 |
| 3-4 | 2 | 1 |
| 5-6 | 3 | 2 |
| 7-8 | 4 | 2 |
Scatter Dice
Some weapons are unpredictable. To represent this, Warpath uses a special Scatter Die, which has both arrows (indicating direction) and HIT symbols on it. The Scatter Die is 8-sided and is read just like a normal dice, using the face-up side as the result.
Modifiers
Some dice rolls are modified by adding or subtracting from the number rolled, making a success more or less difficult to achieve. In all cases a natural roll (regardless of modifiers) of 1 is always a failure.
Modifiers are cumulative, so two modifiers that are both -1 result in a total modifier of -2 to the score on the dice, for example.
Returning to our previous example, if Paul's roll suffered a -1 modifier, his dice would have scored 2, 4, 5 and 6, resulting in only 1 success. If the modifier was +1, his results would have been 4, 6, 7 and 8, and three dice would have achieved the 6 or more he required, and so would all be successes.
Values beyond 8
Occasionally, you may need to roll more than 8 to achieve a success, e.g. 9+ or 10+. In such cases, only modifiers to the dice roll will make it possible to achieve the target number. For example, a tank might have a particularly tough (high) Defence number, requiring weapons with Armour Penetration to help achieve the score required.
Re-rolls
Some Keywords and orders will allow you to re-roll dice to improve your chances of a success, or force your opponent to re-roll successful dice rolls. In all cases, you may only ever re-roll each die once. You cannot re-roll a re-roll, even if the source of the re-roll is different.
If both players have rules allowing them to make re-rolls to the same roll, the player whose Turn it is makes their re-rolls first.
Game Sizes
Warpath is played on a 72" x 48" table space. For truly epic games, larger table spaces can be used to accommodate all the models and scenery you are using.
Measuring
A tape measure marked in inches is required to play Warpath in order to determine how far Bases move, shoot and so on.
Measurement between Bases, and range to targets, is always taken as the distance between the closest points on the two elements involved.
You can measure to check distances or range at any time.
Tokens, Counters and Markers
There are a number of tokens, counters and markers used in games of Warpath, for tracking things like Unit orders and Pinning. What these look like and when to use them are described within the rules.
Unit Profiles and Bases
Bases and Units
Groups of models that are selected within an army and which move and fight together are called Units. All the models within a Unit will be mounted on one or more Bases.
When the rules refer to a Unit, it means all the Bases within that Unit.
All models in Warpath are mounted on plastic Bases. A Base could represent a single vehicle, a walker, or a small squad of infantry models, for example. Vehicles are mounted on oval Bases. All other models are on round Bases. One or more Bases are formed into Units. Bases in a Unit operate together during the game.
Base Contact
A Base is in base contact with something when it is physically touching it (such as an enemy Base, building, Objective etc.). When two Bases are touching, they are in base-to-base contact.
Unit Profiles
All Units in Warpath have a profile of statistics or "stats" which show how effective the Bases in the Unit are at moving, shooting, assaulting and surviving in a combat zone. In addition, the height of the Bases in a Unit, their Keywords and weaponry are all included in the profile.
Some Units may be so poor at doing something they will be effectively unable to do it at all! Such Units will have a stat value of "–" where appropriate.
A Unit profile details the following information:
- Unit Name: Each Unit is identified by its title.
- Type: The type of Unit is used for a number of rules in the game. Types include Infantry, Heavy Infantry, Vehicle, Bike, Walker. Units listed as Command, will also have a type in brackets (e.g. Command (Infantry), or Command (Vehicle)). For the purposes of the rules, they are both types.
- Speed (SP): How far a Unit can move in inches. Given as two values (n/n, Advance and Sprint). The first number is used to represent the Unit's basic movement. The second number is used when the Unit Sprints.
- Shoot (SH): The ability of a Unit to fire ranged weapons accurately. A Unit with a stat value of "–" cannot Shoot.
- Assault (AS): The skill or strength of a Unit in hand-to-hand combat. If a Unit has a stat value of "–" it cannot initiate an Assault and will roll no dice if assaulted.
- Armour (AR): The armour, or resilience of a model to taking damage.
- Height (HT): The Unit's Height value. This value is used primarily to determine Line of Sight and Cover.
- Points (PTS): The cost to purchase the Unit when building your army. The points cost includes a number of Bases and standard equipment. PTS cost is also used to determine the winner in some Missions.
- Weapon Stats: The ranged and assault weaponry of the Bases within the Unit, and their Keywords. Where dice are listed, this is the number of dice that a weapon gets for each Base in the Unit.
- Keywords: Some Units and weapons will have special abilities that allow them certain advantages, or disadvantages, in the game. These Keywords may be for the Unit as a whole or for individual weapons within the Unit. This will be clearly shown in the Unit profile.
[Source note: the draft's "Unit Profiles" page shows example profiles as an annotated picture, and a placeholder reads "
Armies
In a game of Warpath you and your opponent each take control of an Army of soldiers to play an epic battle game. Once the battlefield has been set up with terrain and any objectives, your chosen Mission will tell you how to deploy your Units and how to achieve victory.
Friendly Elements
If a rule refers to friendly Units or Bases, this means all Units and Bases in your army.
Enemy Elements
If a rule refers to enemy Units or Bases, this means all Units and Bases in your opponent's army.
Neutral Elements
If a Mission requires the use of third-party elements, these are considered neutral and are classed as enemy elements for both players.
In Play
All Units and Bases are In Play if they are currently placed on the gaming table, including Flying Units, and also includes Units within transports (even if the actual models are currently placed to one side until they emerge from their vehicle). Units and Bases that are currently in reserve (awaiting deployment), or have been destroyed, are not In Play.
Rounds, Phases and Turns
A game of Warpath is played over a series of Rounds, which are each conducted in a number of Phases. Within each Phase, each player will alternate taking Turns to activate their Units, one at a time, until both players have completed activating all the eligible Units in their army.
The Mission being played will determine the number of Rounds in a game, together with terrain set-up, troop deployment, victory conditions and so on; see the Missions section on page @@.
Round Sequence
- Command Phase
- Movement Phase
- Overwatch Phase
- Combat Phase
- End Phase
End Phase: Any special rules which take place in the End Phase are carried out. Players may clear Pinned markers using Command Points. Players then check the Mission conditions to see if someone has achieved victory. If not, the game continues and the next Round starts with the Command Phase.
Movement Phase: Units that have been given Sprint or Advance orders take it in turn to move in this Phase. Units which then engage the enemy in Assault swap their Sprint order for an Assault token, otherwise the order is simply removed once the Sprint is complete. Units with Advance orders perform any movement and then swap them for Shoot tokens.
Overwatch Phase: Units with Overwatch orders take it in turns to shoot at the enemy using any ranged weapons they have. Once a Unit has fired, its order is removed.
Combat Phase: Units with Assault and Shoot tokens take it in turns to either fight in close combat (Assault) with enemy troops, or shoot with ranged weapons. As each Unit completes its action, its token is removed.
Command Phase
In the Command Phase, players perform the following in order.
- Roll for Command Points
- Place Unit Orders
- Roll for Initiative
- Reveal Orders
Roll for Command Points
Each player rolls three Command Dice, plus any additional Command Dice generated by Tactician Units (see page @@), to generate a Pool of Command Points.
Place Unit Orders
Both players select the Unit Orders they want for each Unit they have In Play. Each Unit Order type is represented by an Order token, which should be placed face down next to the Unit receiving that order. If a player forgets to place an Order on a Unit, it is given a Shoot token.
The possible Order types to place are:
- Overwatch
- Sprint
- Advance
Units that are engaged in Assault with each other from a previous Turn can only be given Assault +0 tokens and not any Unit Orders.
Roll for Initiative
Unless a Mission instructs otherwise, both players roll a D8 and the winner starts the first Round with the Initiative. Re-roll ties.
At the start of each subsequent Round, players roll for Initiative again to see which one has it for that Round. If a tie is rolled, the player that didn't have the Initiative in the previous Round wins.
The player with the Initiative for the Round should take the Initiative token as a reminder.
Reveal Orders
Both players turn over and reveal all the order counters they gave to their Units.
Command Units
Command Units are always given a Sprint order each Round.
Command Points
Soldiers will work best if properly led and organised, which involves solid leadership and good orders. To simulate this, we use Command Points to represent your ability to get the most from your army.
Generating the Command Pool
At the start of each Round both players create their Command Dice Pool by taking three BLACK Command Dice. Additional dice of the appropriate colour (BLACK, ORANGE or GREEN, as shown on a Unit's profile) are added to the roll for any of their Units In Play with the Tactician Keyword.
Note that the Tactician Keyword may be on some Units that are not Command Units. These Units will contribute their Command Dice as normal but may not themselves issue orders (see below). A player's Command Dice may be reduced as the game goes on if they are careless with their Commanders!
Each player rolls all of their Command Dice and adds up the Command Points. This is the total number of Command Points each has available for the Round about to be played. Players may re-roll one Command Die for each Command Unit they have In Play.
During a Round, Command Points are spent in a number of ways to increase the utility of an army. Players must either spend all their available Command Points for the Round or lose them. They cannot be saved for future Rounds.
Standard Uses of Command Points
The following options are available to both players during a Round by spending Command Points from their pool. These are not Command Orders (see below), do not require a Command Unit to use them, and so can be used on any friendly Unit In Play.
| Command Point Cost | Name | When | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Extra Activation | After activating a Unit in a Phase and completing its actions | Activate another Unit before returning play to your opponent to have their turn. A player may only interrupt the normal turn sequence like this once before their opponent must take another turn. |
| 1 | Re-roll | After rolling to hit or to damage | Re-roll up to two dice in your roll that failed to hit or damage. Remember though that you cannot re-roll any dice that have already been re-rolled for other reasons (e.g. Marksman). You can only do this once per roll (e.g. you roll eight dice and roll five misses. You can spend a Command Point to re-roll two misses, but you cannot then decide that you are going to re-roll two more misses, and so on). |
| 1 | Unpin | End Phase | Remove a Pinning marker from a Unit. |
Command Orders
Command Orders are special effects that are paid for using Command Points.
All Command Orders must be declared before any relevant dice are rolled.
Each faction has Command Orders that are unique to their armies. So for example, the Enforcers have access to different Command Orders than the Plague. Sample Command Order tables are given at the end of this rulebook.
A Command Order can be paid for and used on any friendly Unit that is within the Command Radius (in inches) of a friendly Command Unit (at least one Base is within range). Units that are out of the Command Radius of any friendly Command Units cannot have any Command Orders played on them.
Only one Command Order may be used each activation. The Command Order may be used before or after, but not during, an action, and each order will specify when it can be used. Most Command Orders will affect a single Unit and are resolved immediately, or will affect that Unit's next action.
For example: an Enforcer player wants to use the Go, Go, Go! Command Order on one of their Units with a Sprint order, that is within the 16" Command Radius of an Enforcer Captain. To use this Command Order the Captain must not be Pinned, and the player pays the cost of 2 Command Points when the target Unit activates. When the Unit has completed its movement, and if it is not engaged in base contact with the enemy, its Sprint order is replaced with a Shoot token.
Line of Sight
Line of Sight (LOS) is determined by using a bird's eye view, looking down on the table. Bases have a 360 degree arc of sight, so they can see all around them.
To determine if a Unit has LOS to a target, draw a straight, imaginary line from any part of a Base in the friendly Unit to any part of a Base in the target enemy Unit (and gaps between them). Bases in the friendly Unit checking for LOS, or target Unit, and any Bases with the Fly Keyword, do not block LOS. Any Bases, or gaps between Bases, in other intervening Units will block LOS up to that Unit's Height.
Players should check for LOS from each Base in a Unit, as only some may be able to see a target (or not all the Bases in an enemy Unit may be visible at all).
If a Base checking for LOS can draw an uninterrupted line to all parts of an enemy Base, then LOS is considered to be Clear.
If it's impossible to draw this imaginary line to any part of an enemy Base without it being interrupted by terrain or Bases with a Height equal to or greater than both target and the Base drawing LOS, then LOS is Blocked.
Partially Blocked LOS
On a battlefield there are many obstacles, moving Units and detritus that may provide cover for the enemy.
LOS from a Base to the enemy is considered Partially Blocked if:
- The imaginary line can be drawn to some, but not all, of the enemy Base, because it is obscured by something that blocks LOS.
- The line passes over a Base or terrain feature that is lower than both target and shooter (e.g. firing over a wall).
An enemy Unit can be seen so long as LOS is either Clear or Partially Blocked. When LOS is Partially Blocked, the enemy Unit is often said to be In Cover.
Woods and Buildings
LOS to and from Bases in a wood is Blocked, unless the Base is on the edge of the wood. Once on the edge of a wood, Bases can draw LOS out from it, but can also be seen from outside, at that point on the edge.
[Source note: the draft prints "<insert diagram showing what 'on the edge' means>" here.]
Buildings operate in a similar way. Bases occupying a building are placed on the roof to show they are inside it. Bases on a building may only draw LOS out from the points on the edge they are touching. Likewise, LOS to them is Blocked unless they are on an edge they can then be seen from.
[Source note: the draft prints "<insert diagram showing what 'on the edge' means>" here.]
Terrain Height and Line of Sight
Some suggested terrain Heights are as follows.
| Type | Height |
|---|---|
| Rubble | 2 |
| Broken ground / crater | 0 |
| Hill | 3 |
| Marsh/River | 0 |
| Wood | 4 |
| Low height building | 4 |
| Medium height building | 6 |
| Tall building | 8 |
| Wall/hedge/fence/barricade | 1 |
Terrain can block LOS to any Bases behind it in the same way as a Unit. For example, a Height 3 or higher building will block LOS between two Bases of Height 3 or less. Some terrain pieces such as rivers will be flat (Height 0) and so never block LOS.
If a Unit is positioned on (not in) terrain, then add the height of the terrain to the height of the Unit when determining LOS (e.g. on a hill). While a Unit is in a building, it has the Height of that building.
Example: a Unit of Height 2 will determine LOS using a Height of 5 when standing on a Height 3 hill. The same Unit inside a Medium height building will have a Height of 6.
The Benefit of Elevation
Units can ignore intervening terrain elements that are 3 or more Height levels lower than they are. For example, a Unit in a Solid Building is Height 5 and so can ignore (see clearly over) intervening elements of Height 2 or less.
Large Targets
Conversely, targets that themselves are 3 Height levels or taller than intervening terrain or Units cannot claim LOS is Blocked or Partially Blocked by those elements. For example, a Height 2 Unit can ignore a Height 1 barricade when shooting up at a Unit in a Height 6 building.
Types of Terrain
The battlefields of the future are littered with opportunities to use terrain to stay alive. Terrain can also hinder movement and provide safe blocking features, sheltering your troops from enemy fire.
Not all terrain affects infantry and vehicles in the same way. What may be merely difficult for one Unit to move through may be impassable for another.
Terrain Categories
Open Terrain: The normal battlefield may have small undulations or debris across it, but it does not impact on a Unit's movement. Unless specified otherwise, all battlefield areas are Open terrain by default.
Difficult Terrain: If a terrain feature is Difficult for a Unit to move through, its movement is restricted. Even if Sprinting, a Unit can only move up to the first of its Speed values (Advance Speed), if any part of the Bases move starts, ends or goes through the Difficult Terrain.
Impassable Terrain: If a terrain feature is Impassable for a Unit, it cannot be moved into or through.
Terrain Features
How different terrain elements affect Unit types is detailed below.
Broken ground / rubble / craters (Height 0): Non-vehicle Bases wholly inside this feature are always In Cover.
- Infantry / Heavy Infantry / Walkers: Open
- Bikes / Vehicles: Difficult
Ruins (Height 4): Non-vehicle Bases wholly inside this feature are always In Cover.
[Source note: the draft prints no movement category for Ruins.]
Marsh / River (Height 0):
- Infantry / Heavy Infantry / Bikes: Impassable
- Walkers / Vehicles: Difficult
Wall / hedge / barricade (Height 1):
- Infantry / Heavy Infantry: Open
- Bikes / Walkers / Vehicles: Difficult
Bases in contact with this terrain may ignore it when drawing LOS to targets.
Hill (Height 3): All Unit types treat hills as Open.
Woods (Height 4): Bases wholly inside this feature are always In Cover.
- Infantry / Heavy Infantry: Open
- Bikes / Walkers / Vehicles: Difficult
LOS is blocked in and through woods, so Bases must be touching the edge of a wood to have LOS to (and be seen by) Units outside the wood.
Solid Building (Height 4 or more): Bases wholly inside this feature are always In Cover.
- Infantry / Heavy Infantry / Walkers: Open
- Bikes / Vehicles: Impassable
Movement Phase
In the Movement Phase, only Units that have Sprint or Advance orders may activate and move. Units that have Overwatch orders are preparing to offer covering, aimed or snap-fire in support of their comrades later.
The player with the Initiative chooses to go first or second. Players then take it in alternating turns to "activate" and move their Units one at a time. Players cannot elect to pass their turn. Once a player runs out of Units to move, the other player finishes moving their remaining Units.
Coherency
Soldiers in Warpath have been trained to act as part of a team following the directions of their Unit and squad leaders. They must move and fight together.
All Bases within a Unit must remain within 1" of at least one other Base in their Unit, and the Bases furthest apart within the Unit must remain within 6" of each other. This is called Coherency.
Removal of Bases from a Unit (e.g. due to casualties) should be performed to maintain Unit Coherency whenever possible.
If any Base from a Unit finds itself outside of Coherency, the first action the Unit must perform when next activating is to move and return within, or as close as possible to, Coherency.
Moving Units
To move a Unit, simply measure the distance from the edge of the Bases and move them up to the maximum it can move for the action being performed. This move can be in a straight line, or curved to avoid other models or terrain, making sure the final positions of all the Bases in the Unit keep it in Coherency.
- When a Unit with an Advance order moves, it may move up to the first of its Speed stat values. So a Unit with a Speed of 4/8 could move up to 4".
- When a Unit with a Sprint order moves, it may move up to the value of its second Speed stat value. So a Unit with a Speed of 4/8 could move up to 8".
Only Units with Sprint Orders are permitted to engage enemy Bases in an Assault by moving into base-to-base contact.
A player may elect not to move a Unit at all when it activates.
When it has finished moving, a Base may be turned to face any direction on its centre point.
After a Unit has Activated
- If it has an Advance order, swap it for a Shoot token.
- If it has a Sprint order and engaged the enemy in an Assault (base-to-base contact), swap the Sprint order for an Assault +1 token (or an Assault +0 token if Hindered, see page XXX).
- If it has a Sprint order but didn't engage the enemy in base-to-base contact, simply remove its order token.
Command Units: If Command Units don't engage the enemy in base-to-base contact, they don't discard their Sprint token, but they swap it for an Overwatch token instead.
Any Unit that has a Sprint or Advance token that is engaged in base-to-base contact by the enemy before it has a chance to move itself loses its order (and chance to move).
Removing or swapping order tokens like this helps keep track of which Units each player has activated, and also acts as reminders for future phases.
Engaging the Enemy
A Unit with a Sprint token may move into base-to-base contact with a single enemy Unit, to engage them in an Assault. Simply move as many of the attacking Bases into base contact with as many enemy Bases in the target Unit as possible (normal movement rules permitting).
Once the attacking Unit has moved, swap its Sprint order for an Assault token.
While engaged in a multiple combat involving several Units, the 1" rule for keeping Units separate does not apply to the Units involved.
Hindered
However, if any part of the moving Unit's movement (even a single Base) was in or through Difficult terrain, or into or from a Building, they are Hindered and their order is swapped for an Assault -1 token instead.
Moving Units onto the Table
Some Units may enter the table after deployment as part of Mission set-up rules, or by bringing in Reserves. To move onto the table, simply activate the Unit and then measure from the edge of the board onto the table as part of an Advance order, and place the Bases in the Unit in Coherency as normal. The Unit is now In Play.
A Unit coming onto the table in this way may not Assault an enemy Unit in the same Round that it arrives. At the end of the move, place a Shoot token on the Unit.
Moving Units off the Table
No Unit may move off the table under normal circumstances, and must immediately stop if forced to do so. If permitted to leave the table by Mission-specific rules, then all Bases must be able to reach the table edge during its movement to do so.
If a Unit leaves the table, simply remove all the Bases from the Unit and place them off the table, making it clear they have not been destroyed. They are, however, no longer In Play.
Interpenetration of Units
To make it clear which Bases are in which Unit, Bases should be kept apart as follows.
- No Unit's models may come within 1" of any enemy Unit unless they are engaging them in an Assault (see below) by moving into base-to-base contact.
- Friendly Units should be kept at least 1" apart, and can never be in base contact with other friendly Units, except where the rules specify otherwise. If you cannot keep friendly Units at least 1" apart, make sure it is clear to your opponent which Bases belong to which Unit.
- A Unit may move through another friendly Unit as long as its Bases end their moves at least 1" away.
- Vehicle Bases can turn on their centre point through friendly models at the end of their movement, so long as they finish any turning clear of other Bases.
Overwatch Phase
In the Overwatch Phase, only Units that have Overwatch orders may activate, shooting any ranged weapons they have.
The player with the Initiative chooses to go first or second. Players then take it in alternating turns to "activate" and fire with their Units one at a time. Players cannot elect to pass their turn. Once a player runs out of Units to fire with, the other player finishes firing with their remaining Overwatch Units.
When a player activates a Unit with an Overwatch order, instead of firing, they may choose to swap the order for a Shoot token to use later, and not fire in this phase.
Shooting
A Unit can only fire weapons it has with a Range presented as a number. Weapons with a Range of "A" are used in Assaults.
How to Resolve Shooting
Nominate a target. When a Unit fires, it can select a single enemy Unit to shoot at (Units cannot normally split their fire against multiple targets). The target must be valid, however, so players need to check for LOS and range as follows. If a target cannot be seen and/or is out of range, a different target must be selected.
Check LOS and Range. The Unit firing its weapons must be able to see its target, and the target must be in range of its weapons.
Check LOS for each Base in the firing Unit to Bases in the target Unit. A Base must have Partial or Clear LOS to at least one enemy Base to be able to shoot.
Next, check the range from Bases that have LOS to the enemy Bases. The range of each weapon a Unit has is listed in its profile. For example, a weapon with a Range of 18" can shoot at targets up to 18" away, but no further.
Sometimes, things like artillery weapons may have a minimum range. Targets closer than this minimum range cannot then be shot at. For example, a weapon listed with a range of 6-40" cannot shoot at targets closer than 6" or further away than 40".
If a Unit has more than one weapon option, it may fire with all eligible weapons (meaning the target must be in range of that weapon!) against the same enemy Unit. Any weapons with a maximum range less than the measured distance are not eligible and cannot fire at the target.
When a Unit fires, check each of its Bases to see which ones are eligible to fire. Some may be out of range or have Blocked LOS to the enemy.
Attacking Command Units. A Command Unit can only be selected as a target for Shooting if it is the closest enemy Unit within range and LOS of the shooting Unit.
In Cover?
Often, the enemy target will get the benefit of being In Cover. A target is In Cover when:
- Bases are wholly within some terrain types (see Types of Terrain).
- Bases are partially obscured by terrain or other Units (see page XXX).
- Some special rules or Keywords mean a Base is In Cover.
If the majority of Bases in the target Unit are In Cover from the majority of the eligible shooting Bases, the whole target Unit is In Cover. Otherwise, there are no additional penalties to shooting.
If it's not entirely clear whether the target is in cover, the shooting player rolls a die. On a 5+ the target is not in cover; on 4 or less it is.
Determine Number of Dice to Roll
Take a number of D8s equal to the number of eligible firing Bases multiplied by the dice value of the ranged weapons being used. If a Base has multiple ranged weapons, all those in range can be fired.
If there are weapons with different AP values, or Keywords, then dice should be rolled separately for those weapons, or alternatively, use different coloured dice so that both players know which weapons have resulted in a hit.
Roll to Hit
Roll the dice and apply any relevant modifiers to the results. Any dice that then equal or exceed the Shoot value of the firing Unit will each result in a hit. Modifiers are cumulative, unless specified otherwise.
If, due to modifiers, a player would need to score more than 8 in order to hit, half the number of affected dice (rounding down) being used before making the roll.
Natural rolls of 1 always miss (but may still be re-rolled by some Keywords).
Standard Shooting Modifiers
| Modifier | Condition |
|---|---|
| -1 | Target is In Cover |
| -2 | Target has the Fly Keyword |
| -1 | Target has the Stealthy Keyword |
Roll to Damage
For each hit, take a die and roll again. If, due to modifiers or a high Armour value, it is impossible to achieve the target number, these dice cannot be rolled. In such cases where a target has a high Armour stat, the firing weapon will need a Keyword like Armour Penetration, to increase its chances of defeating the target's armour.
For each die that equals or exceeds the Armour value of the target Unit, one Base is removed (see below). The AP (Armour Piercing) of weapons that hit will be added to the rolls to damage, improving the chance to damage.
Only a single point of damage can be allocated to a Base to destroy it. If more damage is caused than there are eligible Bases to remove, excess damage is wasted.
Natural rolls of 1 always fail to damage (but may still be re-rolled by some Keywords).
If any other modifiers are applicable, they are cumulative, unless specified otherwise.
Remove Casualties
When Bases take damage and are removed, they are considered destroyed. They are removed from the table and are no longer In Play.
The player using the Unit suffering casualties chooses which Bases are removed, but only from those that were eligible targets. Bases that were out of LOS from any shooting Bases, or beyond the range of all the firing weapons, cannot normally be removed, and so excess damage may be wasted.
Shooting at Vehicles
All the normal rules for shooting at enemy Bases apply to Vehicles. In addition, if a firing Base is wholly in the rear arc of a target Vehicle, the firer receives a +1 modifier to the damage roll.
It can rarely happen that a Unit consisting of multiple Bases is firing at a Unit of Vehicles that are presenting different facings to the firing Unit. In this case, use the majority rule in the same way as when determining if the target is in cover or not, to determine whether the firer benefits from the additional +1 modifier to their damage rolls.
Shooting with Vehicles
Some Vehicles have turret weapons and some may have weapons with more fixed firing positions.
- Turret weapons are marked with a [T] and may fire all round.
- Fixed Fire weapons are marked with a [FF] and may only shoot at targets wholly or partially in the front arc of the firing Vehicle.
[Source note: the draft prints "WILL NEED RULES FOR HOW TO SHOOT WITH BOTH BLAST AND NORMAL WEAPONS IF A UNIT HAS THEM (maybe just one or the other?)" as an editor's note at this point. The question is left open in the draft.]
Blast Weapons
Some weapons spread their effects into a wide area, or have shells or other ammunition that explodes. Such weapons have the Blast Keyword and use the 60mm round Blast Templates to show the weapon's area of effect.
Blast weapons can be fired directly at a target or, if the weapon also has the Indirect Keyword, they can be fired at targets the shooting Unit cannot see (but can be fired directly as normal too). If a Unit is firing with the Indirect Keyword and can see the target, it can choose whether to use the Direct or Indirect fire rules (to either concentrate fire, or risk scatter but with a wider area of effect).
A Unit cannot fire both Direct and Indirect in the same turn.
Direct Fire
Place a blast template, centred on a point on the table the firing Unit's Bases have LOS and range to. Now roll to hit as normal, using the number of dice shown on the firing Unit's profile for each Base touched by the template (rather than for each firing Base). The target to-hit number is always 6+, regardless of the Shoot value of the Unit, and normal modifiers still apply (e.g. target is In Cover).
In addition, the firing Unit gets a +1 modifier to hit for each eligible Base firing beyond the first. If a Base cannot see the target point or it's out of range, the Base is not eligible to contribute to the Blast attack.
For each hit scored, roll to damage as normal.
For example: a Unit of three Artillery vehicles fires its Blast weapons directly at an enemy Unit, and the same template covers three enemy Bases. The firing Unit's profile lists two dice for the Blast weapons. Thus, two dice are rolled for each enemy Base, for a total of six dice. As there are two additional eligible Artillery Bases firing (all three have range and LOS to the target), the dice roll is made with a +2 modifier to hit, making any dice that roll 4 or more successful hits.
Indirect Fire
If a Unit has blast weapons with the Indirect Keyword, it may fire these at targets where LOS is blocked. However, only Units with Overwatch orders can fire Indirect.
The intended target must still be in Range, and at least one friendly Base somewhere In Play must have at least Partial LOS to the target point.
Place a blast template on the intended target point, and then roll the Scatter Die. If a HIT is rolled, the template lands where intended. If an arrow is rolled, roll a D4 (D8 divided by 2, rounding up). Move the template this distance in inches in the direction of the arrow. This is where the shot lands.
For each additional Base in the firing Unit that is shooting, you now add additional blast templates as follows, representing the wider, more indiscriminate area Indirect fire will cover. Roll the Scatter Die again for each additional template. If a HIT is rolled, place the template anywhere you wish, touching edge-to-edge with the original template. If an arrow is rolled, place the template edge-to-edge with the original template in the direction indicated by the arrow. Once all templates are placed, they form the entire area affected by the blast.
Now roll to hit like a Direct blast, requiring a target number of 6+, for all Bases touched by the templates. Additional Bases firing beyond the first do not increase the chance to hit, however. Indirect Blasts do ignore the modifier for the target being In Cover, unless the target is in a building.
For each hit scored, roll to damage as normal.
Note that in both cases, only Bases touched by the Blast template(s) can be hit and take damage. Obviously such Bases may be out of LOS, as an exception to the normal casualty removal rule.
Units cannot fire Blast weapons both directly and indirectly at the same target at the same time; they must choose one fire mode or the other.
Shooting and Assaults
Units with Overwatch orders that were engaged by an enemy in base-to-base contact that Round may fire in the Overwatch Phase as normal. However, they may only select one of the enemy Units that engaged them. Remove any casualties as normal, and if any enemy remain, the sides will fight in the Combat Phase later.
Note, however, that weapons with the Blast Keyword, and weapons with a minimum range (like some artillery), cannot be used to shoot at engaging enemy in this way.
Otherwise, Units engaged in an Assault cannot fire any ranged weapons. They are far too busy dealing with the immediate enemy at close quarters. Units cannot fire at any enemy Units engaged in Assault either, nor intentionally cover them with a Blast template. There is too great a risk of inflicting casualties on their own side.
[Source note: the draft prints "WILL NEED RULES FOR HOW TO SHOOT WITH BOTH BLAST AND NORMAL WEAPONS IF A UNIT HAS THEM (maybe just one or the other?)" as an editor's note beside the Blast rules. It is left open in the draft.]
Combat Phase
In the Combat Phase, only Units that have Assault and Shoot tokens may activate, making close-combat attacks or shooting any ranged weapons they have. It doesn't matter in which order players resolve their Units' actions, so the Combat Phase will be a mix of Units firing and others fighting in close combat. If a Unit does not currently have a Shoot or Assault token, it cannot be activated in this phase.
The player with the Initiative chooses to go first or second. Players then take it in alternating turns to "activate" their Units one at a time.
When a player activates a Unit with a Shoot token that is not engaged with the enemy, instead of firing, they may choose to simply do nothing (there may be no valid targets). Simply remove the token as that Unit's activation.
Otherwise, players cannot elect to pass their turn. Once a player runs out of Units to activate, the other player finishes Shooting or Assaulting with their remaining Units.
Shooting
When a Unit with a Shoot token activates, it may shoot with any ranged weapons it has. Shooting follows all the rules already outlined in the Overwatch Phase and Shooting sections. If the Unit is engaged with the enemy, it must fight an Assault when it is activated instead of shooting (see Assault below).
Once a Unit has fired its weapons (or fought in Assault) and the effects are resolved, remove the Shoot token from the shooting Unit.
Assault
Units that are in base-to-base contact with each other are said to be engaged in an Assault and must fight each other in close combat. When a player activates a Unit with an Assault token, both that Unit and the enemy they are in contact with fight simultaneously. Both players should follow the process below, finally removing any casualties once they are determined for both sides.
All Units that are engaged with Assault tokens must have fought by the end of the Round. Players cannot choose not to fight.
Determine Number of Dice to Roll
The following Bases are eligible for attacking in an Assault:
- Bases that are in base contact with enemy Bases.
- Bases that are within 1" of Bases belonging to the same Unit which are in base contact with enemy Bases. These Bases are said to be 'in support'.
Take a number of D8s equal to the number of eligible attacking Bases multiplied by the dice value of the Assault (Range "A") weapons being used.
If there are weapons with different AP values, or Keywords, then dice should be rolled separately for those weapons, or alternatively, use different coloured dice so that both players know which weapons have resulted in a hit.
Roll to Hit
Roll the dice and apply any relevant modifiers to the results. Any dice that then equal or exceed the Assault value of the fighting Unit will each result in a hit. Modifiers are cumulative, unless specified otherwise.
If, due to modifiers, a player would need to score more than 8 in order to hit, half the number of affected dice (rounding down) being used before making the roll.
Natural rolls of 1 always miss (but may still be re-rolled by some Keywords).
Standard Assault Modifiers
| Modifier | Condition |
|---|---|
| -1 | Unit has an Assault -1 token |
Roll to Damage
For each hit, take a die and roll again. If, due to modifiers or a high Armour value, it is impossible to achieve the target number, these dice cannot be rolled. In such cases where a target has a high Armour stat, the attacking Base will need a Keyword like Armour Penetration to bring the value down.
For each die that equals or exceeds the Armour value of the target Unit, one Base is removed (see below). The AP (Armour Piercing) of weapons/Bases that hit will modify the rolls to damage by an amount equal to the AP of the attacking weapon, improving the chance to damage.
Natural rolls of 1 always fail to damage (but may still be re-rolled by some Keywords).
If any other modifiers are applicable, they are cumulative, unless specified otherwise.
Remove Casualties
When Bases take damage and are removed, they are considered destroyed. They are removed from the table and are no longer In Play.
Starting with the player that has the Initiative, both players alternately choose which Bases are removed from their own Units, including Bases that were not eligible to attack.
Total up all the Bases removed by both sides (across all Units) during the Assault. If one side caused less than the other, they are the Loser. The other side is the Winner.
All Units that were involved and on the losing side are given a Pinned marker. They also immediately suffer a number of hits equal to the difference by which they lost the combat. The Winner rolls to damage immediately, and any additional casualties are removed as above.
Tidy Up
If a Unit now no longer has any Bases in contact with the enemy, that Unit may now make a "consolidation" move up to 4", following the normal movement rules.
If this applies to both players, the Winning player (or the one with the Initiative if there was no Winner) may choose to go first or second. If the Winner goes first, they may choose instead to move their Units into base-contact with the Loser's Units (see pile-in below), to continue the Assault next Turn. Otherwise, Units should be separated as per the normal minimum distances (i.e. 1" for both Friendly Units and Enemy Units).
If any Units still have Bases that remain in contact with each other, the Assault will continue next Round. Starting with the player with the Initiative, players move (pile-in) any Bases from the engaged Units that are not currently in base contact with the enemy Unit into base contact, following the normal movement rules, even if this would take them further than their normal Speed.
Finally, remove any Assault and Shoot tokens from all the Units involved in the fight.
Ongoing Assaults
Units that are still engaged will continue to fight in the next Combat Phase. Instead of an order, they will receive Assault tokens at the start of the next Round.
The exception is with Assaults involving Vehicles. If a Unit is engaged with any Vehicles, separate them by 1", with the non-vehicle Bases moving first. Both Units may then be given orders as normal in the following Round.
Multiple Combats
Some Assaults will involve more than two Units. In such cases, the rules remain the same: all participants from all Units that are in base contact with each other will fight simultaneously.
- Any Base that is in base contact with multiple enemy Units may choose which to allocate all its attack dice to.
- If a Base is in contact with just one of the enemy Units, it must direct its attacks against that Unit.
- Bases that are in support can always choose to allocate their attacks against ANY enemy Unit their Unit is engaged with, regardless of their position.
Make it clear to your opponent which attacks are being allocated where.
Pinning
Some weapons or rules will place a Pinned marker on a Unit. While a Unit has a Pinned marker, it suffers an additional -1 to-hit modifier both for Shooting and for Assault, and always counts as Hindered when Assaulting. In addition, if a Unit starts a Round with a Pinned marker, it cannot be given an Overwatch order. A Unit can have a maximum of one Pinned marker on it.
A Unit will gain a Pinned marker in the following circumstances:
- A Unit that started the game with 3 or more Bases is reduced to its last Base.
- A Unit is hit by any weapons with the Pinning Keyword, even if no casualties are suffered.
- A Unit fails to Assault and occupy a Building???
- Bases in a Unit survive being in a destroyed transport vehicle.
- A Unit that loses an Assault.
[Source note: the draft prints "A Unit fails to Assault and occupy a Building???" with its question marks as printed.]
Remember that Pinned markers can be removed by spending Command Points in the End Phase.
Buildings
Only Units and Bases of type Infantry, Heavy Infantry and Walker may enter buildings (any transport Vehicles must remain outside!).
Entering and Leaving Buildings
In order to enter a building, all Bases in the Unit must have enough movement to reach the building. If not all the Bases in a Unit have the movement to reach the building, the whole Unit must remain outside.
Once in a building, place occupying Bases on the building roof. Individual Bases may be placed anywhere in the building, regardless of movement distance, although Coherency must still be observed. Bases can overhang the edge of a building roof, but Bases cannot overlap in any way with each other to attempt to stop them falling off! Bases must be able to remain on the building roof without support.
A building may only contain a certain number of Bases. This is the building's Capacity, and it is normally equal to three Bases for each 2" square section of building (see diagrams below @@). It is best if you agree with your opponent at the start of the game what the Capacity of each building on the table is going to be.
Multiple friendly Units may occupy the same building so long as it has enough Capacity for all the Bases to fit. Bases from different friendly Units don't have to try and stay 1" apart while in a building.
To leave a building in later Rounds, a Unit must be given a Sprint or Advance order. A Unit cannot enter and leave a building in the same Round.
Buildings and Shooting
A Unit in a building can only shoot (and be shot at) from a building edge they are physically touching. Bases that are not touching an edge are considered out of sight.
While occupying buildings, Units have +1 Armour when shot at, and have the Height of the building. Additionally, they are always In Cover. For example, a Unit with an Armour value of 5+ would have it increased to 6+ while in a building.
Buildings themselves cannot normally be shot or damaged. If the Unit inside a building is hit by a [D] weapon, there is a chance the building might also collapse. Before resolving the hits on the Unit in the building, roll to damage the building itself. Light buildings have a Def of 8+ and Solid Buildings have a Def of 10+. Players should classify such buildings at the start of the game, if [D] weapons will be used. If a building is destroyed, replace it with a Rubble terrain element in the same footprint. Any Bases that were occupying the building are destroyed. If the building is not destroyed, then proceed with resolving the hits against the target Unit.
[Source note: the draft uses a [D] weapon marker here without defining it in the Keywords list.]
Buildings and Blast Weapons
Blast weapons fired indirectly at Units within a building follow the normal rules. Simply place any templates over the Bases in the building, and any Bases touched by the template's final position are eligible to be hit. Spreading Bases out in a building can be just as important for minimising the effects of Blast weapons as when out in the open.
When firing direct Blast weapons, the target point the blast is centred on will need to be a point on the building's edge that is visible to the shooting Unit (so a player cannot target a Unit in a building, and place the template over Units at the back of the building it cannot see).
[Source note: the draft prints "
Buildings and Assault
A Unit cannot move into an enemy-occupied building. It must Assault the building instead.
Bikes may Assault Units in buildings but cannot enter them, and suffer an additional -1 to-hit modifier in Assault against Units inside, as well as being Hindered. Vehicles cannot normally Assault Units in buildings.
Assaulting Bases are moved into base-to-base contact with the building itself to count for the following combat, and are considered Engaged. If a Unit Assaults an enemy Unit that's in a building, the attack is Hindered.
All Bases in the building, and all Bases in contact with it (plus assaulting Bases in support position of those in base contact with the building) fight in the ensuing Assault. Bases may allocate their attacks to any enemy Units involved. Declare how all Units allocate attacks before resolving any Unit's attacks.
If the attackers don't eliminate all occupying Unit(s), all surviving assaulting Units are moved 1" back away from the building (in the direction they came from), in Coherency. They have been repelled (and count as the Loser, so are Pinned).
If the attackers wipe out the occupying defenders, any surviving attacking Bases are moved into the building if possible (if they can all fit!) and positioned as required. If they don't fit in the building, they can make a normal 4" consolidation move outside the building instead.
Transport Vehicles
Some Vehicles may transport other, friendly Units. Such Units will have a Capacity(n) listed for them, where (n) is the number of Bases each Vehicle in the Unit can carry.
Unless specified otherwise, only friendly Infantry or Heavy Infantry Bases can be carried in Vehicles with a Capacity(n).
A Unit of transport vehicles can only carry a single friendly Unit (no mixed Units being transported). The transport vehicle Unit and the Unit inside should each be given different Unit Orders. Make it clear to your opponent which Order token is for which Unit.
Entering a Transport
When a Unit moves to enter a transport vehicles Unit, simply measure to the Base of any of the vehicles. If not all the Bases in a Unit can reach a vehicle, the whole Unit must remain outside.
After troops have entered transport vehicles, the vehicles are free to activate and move as normal.
Entering and Leaving Transport Vehicles
Units cannot both enter and exit transport vehicles in the same Round.
Leaving a Transport
If a Unit leaves its transport before the vehicles move, the vehicles are free to move in their own activation as they wish.
If the transport vehicles have already moved in the Round before the troops inside disembark, it will affect how far the troops will be able to travel in their own activation (see below).
- If the transport vehicles moved using an Advance order, the troops inside may subsequently leave and activate as normal.
- If the transport vehicles moved using a Sprint order, the troops inside may:
- Exit but stay in base contact with their vehicle(s) if they themselves have an Advance order.
- Exit and move up to the first of their Speed values if they themselves have a Sprint order (just like moving in Difficult Terrain). They are still permitted to engage enemy Units in an Assault and are not Hindered for leaving the vehicle.
Loaded Transports and Shooting
Units in a vehicle cannot shoot or be shot at. They cannot be Assaulted. The vehicles themselves can still be attacked, however.
If a Unit of loaded transports takes damage and loses vehicles, the transported Unit takes a number of hits equal to the number of destroyed transports multiplied by their Capacity. Roll to damage the transported Unit as normal.
If after resolving these hits the transport Unit no longer has enough total Capacity to carry the transported Unit, place all transported Bases in base contact with the surviving transports (or in their footprint if the transport Unit has been wiped out). Finally, place a Pinned marker on the disembarked Unit and discard any order they had.
For example: a Unit of four transports (Capacity 2) is transporting a Unit of Infantry made of seven Bases. The transports are shot at and lose two vehicles. The transported Unit takes four hits (i.e. two vehicles with Capacity 2 each). The enemy rolls to damage and destroys two Bases. The Unit has now five Bases in a transport Unit with total Capacity of 4. The remaining five Bases must leave the transports immediately, as described above. If the enemy had destroyed three Bases, leaving the Unit with four Bases, they would have stayed in their two remaining transports.
Fliers
Units with the Fly Keyword operate above the battlefield and suffer less restriction of movement than their counterparts on the ground.
Fliers can only be given Sprint or Advance orders in the Command Phase, and they cannot engage enemy Units in Assault (nor can they be Assaulted).
Flier Movement
Fliers may end their movement over any terrain up to Height 5 (remember to add the height of the terrain to that of the flier, as normal). Fliers may move over any other Bases or terrain up to Height 5 without penalty. They still have to move around Height 5 terrain, however. They must also still respect Unit Coherency and proximity rules.
Conversely, Units on the ground that are less than Fliers' Height may move under them, so long as they end their move 1" or more away from them.
Fliers must end their move at least their Advance value of their Speed stat from where they started each Round, otherwise they are immediately destroyed. Thus a Flier with a Speed stat of 16/24 needs to end its move at least 16" from where it started.
Flier Shooting
Fliers are mounted on round flying Bases. The Front Arc and rear Arc are defined by drawing a line directly through the middle of the flying Base, just like with other vehicles.
Fliers are fast, difficult targets to hit. As such, all Fliers shooting at Fliers is resolved with a -2 to-hit modifier.
In addition, Fliers cannot be targeted by Blast weapons firing Indirect. They can be hit by Blast weapons firing directly, but if the firing player wants to do that, they must declare that the weapon is firing an anti-aircraft barrage, which can only hit Fliers and not ground Units.
Units Transported by Fliers
Some Fliers will have a Capacity and can transport troops. Units must start the game aboard the Flier, and no Unit may enter a Flier during the game.
Only Units with the Anti-Grav Keyword, or the Drop-troop Keyword, may be transported and exit from a Flier, unless it has the Hover Deployment Keyword (see below), and follow the normal rules to do so.
Bases onboard a Flier that is destroyed are immediately destroyed themselves.
Hover Deployment
If a Flier has the Hover Deployment Keyword, it may act as a transport for any troops, not just those with the Anti-Grav or Drop-troop Keywords. All the rules for Fliers and transport vehicles apply as normal.
In a Round when the transported troops wish to disembark, it must be given an Advance order. The player using the Flier must declare it is hovering. It does not have to move, and reduces its Height to 3 for the remainder of the Round when it is activated. In addition, the normal -2 modifier for shooting at a Vehicle with the Fly Keyword doesn't apply for the remainder of the Round for enemy Units targeting this vehicle.
While hovering, Units cannot move underneath it. The Flier still cannot be Assaulted (or Assault itself) however.
Keywords
Anti-Grav
Units with the Anti-Grav Keyword may move over any other Bases or terrain up to Height 3 without penalty. They must still respect Unit Coherency and proximity rules, and cannot end their move inside Difficult terrain. Units with this Keyword may also exit from a transport Vehicle that has the Fly Keyword.
Armour Penetration (APn)
Armour Penetration is expressed as AP and a number, e.g. AP1, AP2. The number is a positive modifier to the damage roll in both shooting and Assault.
For example, if a Unit that has an Armour value of 7+ is hit by weapons that have AP2, the firer will add +2 to their damage rolls, needing just 5+ to damage the target.
Blast
Units with weapons with this Keyword can hit targets in a large area using one or more Blast templates. See the rules on Blast Weapons above (page @@).
Drop-troop
Units with this Keyword may exit from a transport Vehicle that has the Fly Keyword.
Fly
Units with the Fly Keyword operate above the battlefield and suffer less restriction of movement than their counterparts on the ground. They have a Height of 5. See page XXX.
Frenzy
Units with weapons with this Keyword may re-roll any of their dice that score 1s while in an Assault and rolling to hit.
Headstrong
Units with this Keyword roll a D8 whenever they would receive a Pinned marker. On a score of 5+, the Pinned marker is not placed on the Unit.
Hover Deployment
Flying Units with this Keyword may slow to deploy embarked troops. See page XXX.
Ignores Cover
Units with weapons with this Keyword ignore the In Cover modifier when shooting enemy Units with them.
Indirect
Units with weapons with this Keyword may fire Blast weapons Indirect (see page XXX).
Marksman
Units with weapons with this Keyword may re-roll any of their dice that score 1s when Shooting and rolling to hit.
Pinning
Units with weapons with this Keyword will put a Pinned marker on the target so long as at least one hit is scored when shooting at it (even if no casualties are caused).
Save (n+)
This represents very heavy armour, tough skin, plain luck, or the ability to evade (or even shrug off) damage. When a Base in a Unit with this Keyword would be removed as destroyed from Shooting or Assault, roll a single D8. On a score of n or more, the Base ignores the damage and is not removed.
For example, a Unit of four Bases with Save 7+ suffers three points of damage. Three of the Bases removed get to roll a die, and are not destroyed if they roll 7 or more. If a Unit of two Bases was to take three points of damage, the extra point of damage is discarded, then the two damaged Bases each take a Save as above.
Shield (n)
A Unit with the Shield Keyword starts the game with n Shield tokens. Whenever the Unit suffers any amount of damage from a single attack (shooting or Assault), remove one Shield token instead of taking the damage.
A Unit that also has the Save Keyword doesn't use it until all of its Shield tokens have been spent.
Stealthy
Units shooting ranged weapons at enemy targets with this Keyword suffer a -1 modifier when rolling to hit.
Tactician (dice)
While it is In Play, a Unit with this Keyword adds the indicated Command dice to its side's Command Points roll in the Command Phase.
Cunning (Command Units only)
In the Command Phase, after both players have revealed their orders, you can change the order of one of your Units within Command Radius of this Unit. If both players have Cunning Units, alternate changing orders, starting with the player who does not have the Initiative.
Unflinching
A Unit with this Keyword can never be given a Pinned marker, so can never be Pinned.
Vicious (Assault)
Units with weapons with this Keyword may re-roll any of their dice that score 1s while in an Assault, and when rolling to damage.
Vicious (Shooting)
Units with weapons with this Keyword may re-roll any of their dice that score 1s while Shooting, and when rolling to damage.
Building a Force
Before a game of Warpath, each player is allocated a certain number of points to spend on building their Force. The number of points available might be dictated by the Mission description, but is usually agreed with your opponent beforehand. Typical games range from 1,000 to 1,500 points, but smaller or larger battles are possible, if you wish.
First, decide which faction you want to be. Then, create a Force from your chosen force list (you cannot mix factions), being careful not to exceed the agreed limit. The limit applies to both players, so in a 1,000 point game, both players can spend a maximum of 1,000 points on Units. You can spend less, but not more.
In the Force Lists, each Unit has a profile entry showing what weapon(s) it comes equipped with, along with its points cost and stats. Each Force List is split into four categories:
- Troops: the fighters that make up the bulk of your Strike Force.
- Specialists: elite Units with special abilities or weaponry.
- Support: large vehicles, creatures or gun platforms.
- HQ: the generals and commanders of your Strike Force.
Companies
A Warpath Force consists of any number of Companies. Each Company has the following structure:
- You must take at least 1 HQ unit and 2 Troop units in your Company.
- Your Company might include up to 2 additional Troop units.
- For every Troop unit in your Company, you may take 1 Specialist unit.
- For every 2 Troop units in your Company, you may take 1 Support unit.
- You can take 1 Transport unit for any unit in your Company that is not a Walker, Vehicle or Bike unit type.
In other words, taking 1 HQ unit and 2 Troop units allows you to take up to 4 Troop units, up to 4 Specialist units, up to 2 Support units, plus a Transport unit for each unit that is not a Walker, Vehicle or Bike.
Some unit categories can only be selected in your Company by "unlocking" them with other units you have taken. No other units are required to unlock these units.
Unique Units
Units marked [1] are unique and cannot be taken more than once in a Force.
Missions
In Warpath, armies will clash over land, strategic objectives, or just to crush the enemy. This can be as part of a brief encounter, or as a key battle in a larger engagement or story. Each game played will therefore have a specific Mission that the players are trying to achieve as they battle for victory.
There are two types of Missions you can choose from:
- Battle Missions for more balanced and competitive play. These are covered in this section of the book.
- Narrative Missions for more story-driven games. These are not included in the book, and will instead be published in expansions, articles and other support material for Warpath.
Organising a Game of Warpath
You have your models and you have found an opponent, so now you want to play a game! There are a few easy steps to go through to set one up.
Decide on the Game Size. You can play Warpath with just a few Units per player, without worrying about the two sides being equally matched. This is great for learning the game, but after you've become familiar with the rules and have amassed a larger collection of models, you will want to play games where the armies facing one another across the battlefield are balanced, so that both players have an equal chance of winning the game (at least to start with!). In order to achieve this, both players must pick a Force before the game by spending a number of "points".
For smaller games, players will each have around 1,000 points to spend. This is great for a table size of 4' x 4'. For games at 1,500 points or larger, you should use a larger table (e.g. 6' x 4').
Choose Your Force. Each player now picks Units from their chosen list in the Force Lists book to build their Force. Each Unit costs a certain amount of points, as shown in its entry. More powerful or specialist Units will cost more points. Players keep adding their Unit costs until they have reached the total agreed for the game. You can, of course, spend less than the agreed total, but you cannot spend even a single point more. However, a Force is still considered to be the size of the maximum total the players agreed on (e.g. a Force which comes to 995 points would still be considered a "1,000 point Force"). For more information on how to choose Units and build a Force, see the Building a Force section.
Place Terrain. Battlefields are rarely totally flat, featureless wastelands. They will invariably be small hills, vegetation, and buildings or ruins scattered across the land. Unless the Mission specifies terrain placement, you should follow the advice below for giving a dramatic and tactically exciting landscape to fight over.
Place a single piece of terrain (approximately 6" x 6" in area) within each 12" square area of the table, plus one additional piece. Optionally, you may place up to the same number of linear obstacles (or a similar equivalent) on the table in the same manner: one per 12" square area, plus an additional piece. Place all terrain in a mutually acceptable manner.
For example, when playing on a 4' x 4' table, you would place five pieces of terrain roughly 6" x 6" each, and up to five smaller linear obstacles or other similar items.
Of course, if you and your opponent agree, you can have as much or as little terrain as you want!
Agree Game Length. Battle Missions normally last 5 Rounds. Players can agree at this point to play fewer or more Rounds, or instead to end the game at a certain time of the day (e.g. "let's play until 5pm, at which point we finish the Round and then stop").
Determine the Mission Parameters
Each Battle Mission is defined by the following four Parameters, which detail a number of elements that will affect how the game is set up and played:
- Deployment Zones
- Objectives
- Scoring
- Force Deployment
After setting up the terrain, you should either roll a die on each of the four Mission Parameter charts on page @@, or draw a card from each of the four Mission Parameter decks (if you have those), and follow the instructions.
Deployment Zones. This Mission Parameter includes a map of the battlefield showing where each player can deploy their Units on the board. It is a good idea to mark the selected Deployment Zones with dice.
Objectives. This Mission Parameter instructs players on how to place Objectives, which players must then claim to score points in order to win the game. This may be at the end of the game, or might be calculated at the end of each Round, as explained in Scoring below. Objectives can be pieces of vital intel, hardware, ammunition or even food.
You should use the Objective tokens provided, but these can also be used alongside a suitably modelled decorative Objective. In any case, Objectives do not block LOS or affect movement.
Scoring. This Mission Parameter explains how the players are going to score points throughout and at the end of the game. The player with the most points at the end of the game is the winner! Points are scored by achieving some conditions described in the Mission Parameter, like eliminating some enemy models, for example. The most common and perhaps important way to score points, however, is through claiming Objectives.
To claim an Objective, a Unit must have at least one Base within 3" of the Objective. In addition, if there are multiple Units meeting these criteria, the Objective will be claimed by the player with the most Bases within 3" of the Objective. Neither side can claim in the case of a tied score.
A Unit may only claim a single Objective at a time, even if it is eligible to claim more.
Units of vehicles with the Fly Keyword may not claim or contest Objectives.
For example: Graham and Sam both have Units contesting an Objective. Sam has two Units that have Bases within 3" of the Objective. Of his two Units, three Bases in total are within 3" of the Objective. Graham has a single Unit with four Bases within 3" of the Objective. Sam's combined total is 3 and therefore Graham claims the Objective with his 4 Bases.
Force Deployment. This Mission Parameter explains how the two opposing Forces enter the fray, whether they start the game on the table or instead begin the game just outside their Deployment Zone. It will also state whether there are restrictions on the use of Reserves.
[Source note: the four Mission Parameter charts are not in the draft; the draft prints "
The Recon Roll
After having determined Mission Parameters, including placing Objectives and marking out Deployment Zones, players proceed with the Recon Roll.
Each player rolls a number of Command Dice equal to those provided by Command Units in their Strike Force and compares their total scores. Re-roll in the case of a draw. Note that Command Dice from any source other than Command Units are not considered.
The player with the highest score is the winner and may choose to have the Initiative or give it to their opponent.
The player with the Initiative then chooses which board edge and Deployment Zone to take as theirs. For practical reasons, you must always choose a board edge that includes at least some of your Deployment Zone. The opponent gets the opposite board edge and Deployment Zone.
The player with the Initiative then deploys first if the Mission Parameters require them to do so.
Deployment Guidelines
If the Mission Parameter calls for deploying Forces, the player with the Initiative places (deploys) their entire Force onto the table, Unit by Unit, wholly in their Deployment Zone, recording any Unit being kept in Reserve (off the table). Units must be placed in Coherency and in legal positions (e.g. a player cannot deploy a Vehicle into a building). Their opponent then does the same for their Force.
Reserves
Units in Reserve are always assumed to have received an Advance order in the Command Phase (see page @@). In any Movement Phase, you can choose to activate a Unit in Reserve instead of a Unit already on the table, so that the Unit in Reserve enters the game, as described on page @@.
Units coming in from Reserve during Round 1 can enter the game from any point of the board edge included within the player's own Deployment Zone.
Units coming in from Reserve during Round 2 or later can enter the game from any point along the entire board edge that includes any part of the player's Deployment Zone.
[Source note: the draft prints "<insert diagram showing the difference between turn 1 and turn 2+ reserve move>" here.]
Starting the Game
Once deployment is done, or if the Mission Parameter does not require deployment at all and all Forces start the game in Reserve, you are now ready to begin Round 1 of the game.
Sample Command Orders
The draft's sample pages (33 and 34) print the command order tables for two of its sample factions. Each table gives the Command Point cost and the timing and effect of each order.
Enforcer Command Orders
| Name | Cost | When? | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coordinated Fire | 1 | When a Unit shoots ranged weapons. | The Bases in the Unit may divide their fire amongst two different targets instead of one. Check LOS and Range as normal, and allocate which Bases are shooting which target before any dice are rolled. |
| Firestorm | 1 | When a Unit of Operatives, Jet Bikes or Peacekeepers activates and Shoots. | The Unit may re-roll any of their dice that score 1s or 2s when shooting and rolling to hit. |
| Go, Go, Go! | 2 | When a Unit with a Sprint order activates in the Movement Phase. | When the Unit has completed its movement, and if it is not engaged in base contact with the enemy, replace its Sprint order with a Shoot token. |
Plague Command Orders
| Name | Cost | When? | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infection | 1 | When a Unit activates. | The Unit has the Save (5+) and Unflinching Keywords until the end of the Round. If it already has a Pinned marker, immediately remove it. |
| Transfixed by Fear | 2 | When a Unit Sprints and engages an enemy in base-to-base contact. The Unit must be in Command Radius before it moves. | The enemy Unit is given a Pinned marker. |
| Thirst For Blood | 1 | When a Troop or Heavy Troop Unit attacks in an Assault. | The Unit may re-roll all unsuccessful dice when rolling to hit in this Assault. |
[Source note: the sample unit profiles printed on pages 33 and 34 (Enforcer: Operatives, Jet Bikes, Peacekeepers, Panther Gray Tank, Victor-Mk II Tank; Plague: Stage 1a Ghouls, Stage 2a Leapers, Plague Tankbuster Strider, Plague Artillery, Stage 1a Lord) are not transcribed. The draft's other sample pages carry no rules text.]