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This is the first Battle Report of my Brother's and mine re-entry into 40k with 2nd Edition (it's cheaper and takes less P&M time). We've decided to House Rule it a little bit and this is our first game with a trial Orders & Reaction system, designed to give little buffs to Infantry units. All our games will start at 600pts. We tried taking photos, but in the end got too carried away. We'll have to be more vigilant next time...
The Forces
Ultramarines
Spoiler:
Inquisitor Abraxus
Lvl1 Psyker w/Psychic Hood, Force Sword, Refractor Field & Combi-Melta – 124
Sternguard Combat Squad
5 Veterans with 4 Bolters, a Power Fist & a Combi-plasma - 202
Legion of the Damned
5 Legionnaires including a Sergeant. The unit comes with a Heavy Bolter & Flamer. The Sergeant is armed with a Power Axe & Krak Grenades - 226
TOTAL 602
Chaos
Spoiler:
Dennis the Demagogue, Bionic leg, Displacer Field and Plasma Pistol. 68pts
Ghoulash the Mighty Magus, Bolt Pistol, Aura of Incompetence (free) 40pts
Acolyte, Plasma Gun, Frag and Krak Grenades
18pts
Acolyte, Bolt Pistol, Chainsword, Frag and Krak Grenades.15pts
10 Cultists, Bolt Pistols, Chainswords, Frag and Krak Grenades. 100pts
6 Veterans, Power Axes, Boltguns, Boltpistols, Frag and Krak grenades 276pts
597pts......
Sternguard didn't exist back in 2nd Edition, so here's their rules:
Spoiler:
Stats – As Veterans 36pts each
Unit Size: 5-10
Wargear: Bolter w/Sternguard Ammunition, Bolt Pistol, Frag Grenades.
The unit may be armed with Krak grenades at 3pts per model.
Up to two Sternguard may replace their Bolters with a Heavy Weapon or Special Weapon chosen from Codex Ultramarines and from the list below:
Heavy Flamer...+25pts Combi-plasma...+12pts Combi-melta...+11pts Combi-flamer...+14pts Storm Bolter*...+6pts
Combi-weapons: Combi-weapons can be fired alternately. The bolter may always be fired and is subject to the Rapid Fire rule as normal. The adjoining weapon can only be fired once every two turns, it must “recharge” in between turns. The exception is for a combi-flamer which can only be fired twice during a battle, but may be fired in successive turns.
*A Storm Bolter may not be used with Special Issue Ammunition.
Special Issue Ammunition: Sternguard may choose either normal bolt rounds or any of the following before any To Hit rolls are made. The different ammunition is treated as being fired from a Bolter (all the normal rules apply) unless stated otherwise. If choosing any Special Issue Ammunition from the list below then the Sternguard may NOT benefit from the Rapid Fire special rule as normal.
Dragon Fire Bolts – Ignore Cover*
*Ignore Cover – Units in Cover receive 1 less negative modifier to be hit. Units in Soft Cover would not benefit from being in cover, whilst units in Medium Cover would only be at -1 To Hit etc.
Hellfire Rounds – Wounds on a 2+, D2 Damage, 1½’’ Blast if armour save is passed. Models take a Strength 3 hit so long as a part of them is within the Blast area.
Kraken Bolts – Range increased to 30’’ at -1 To Hit if firing at 24’’ or above, -2 Save Modifier.
Vengeance Rounds – Range Reduced to 18’’, -3 Save Modifier, Gets Hot!*
*Gets Hot – If a 1 is rolled to hit the model takes a strength hit equal to that of the weapon being fired, with no save modifier applied. However the weapon must cool before it can be used again and may not be fired next turn.
Any Character chosen from Codex Ultramarines, or any other Astartes Codex, may take Special Issue Ammunition for their Bolter at a cost of +6pts.
The Scenario Inquisitor Abraxus and a small unit of Ultramarines have been cut off from the main force after a crushing defeat and are awaiting extraction. They have fallen back to a group of Ecclesiastical ruins that now scatter the planet's surface as it falls to the irresistable tide of Chaos. Can they hold back the incoming Chaos forces long enough to secure the Inquisitor and escape to the rally point? Only time will tell as the din of battle approaches...
Inquisitor Abraxus, Apothecary Claudio & the Sternguard Squad set up in the middle of the table, well hidden in amongst the ruins. They begin the game in Hidden Overwatch and may use the Dispersed Formation rules (though they do not receive an extra negative modifier to be hit). Due to their dire situation the Inquisitor and Ultramarines count as being Immune to Psychology (though Claudio may still use Frenzon on either himself or a model in base contact).
The forces of Chaos are split up into different squads or groups. If the Chaos Player wishes he may split each of his units in half and form a series of 'multi' units to represent the Chaos forces splitting up in search of the survivors. At the start of the first Turn a single unit or 'multi-unit' made up of 2 split units (which may act as a single unit or as two individual units) enters from a Random Table edge (by rolling a D4). At the start of the second Game Turn another unit enters the battlefield from a different table edge (randomised by a D3) and so on, until all the Chaos units are on the table.
Terrain
Any model within a ruin counts as being in Medium Cover (-1 To Hit, +1AS). Any model within 1'' of a Ruin counts as being in Soft Cover (-1 To Hit).
Aid Unlooked For
Should the Sternguard suffer 2 Casualties the battlefield will fall silent for a split second, only for an area to erupt with flames and for a small unit of ethereal Marines to appear through the flames. The Legion of the Damned have arrived! The Legion arrives and may re-roll any results of 'Misfire' until a number comes up or it may re-roll the Scatter dice if it wishes. It cannot scatter off the table, nor is subject to the 'Mishap' table. It may then act normally on the turn it arrives. The Legion will disappear if all the Ultramarines & Inquisitor Abraxus are wiped out.
FTW?
The Ultramarines win automatically if they survive for 6 Game Turns as it means their reinforcements arrive in time to slaughter, or cause to flee, the remaining Chaos forces in the surrounding area.
The legions of Chaos win automatically if they wipe out the Ultramarines and Inquisitor Abraxus.
Ultramarines
My plan was simple. Stay in cover and shoot as much as possible and then close formation when they get too close to try and avoid being outnumbered in hand-to-hand. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too long for the Legion to show up and add their firepower into a deadly counter-attack…
Chaos
Likewise my plan revolved around moving forward, using cover and taking potshots at the Ultramarine’s enforced position in time to make a coordinated assault and cast the loyalist pig-dogs into oblivion!
Orders: All units in our games will be classed as Conscript, Soldier, Veteran & Elite. Each designation makes Orders easier to pass as it goes from Conscript to Elite. My Sternguard would pass Order automatically, even when Broken, whilst Sapedon's Chosen would pass them automatically, but would fight normally (using the base 2nd Ed rules) if Broken. His Cultists would count as Conscripts and could not normally receive Orders, however as they were both led by IC's, they could using the IC's LD stat. Orders are basically little buffs to Movement, Shooting or Hand-To-Hand, whilst Reactions may save a unit for a little while longer and often have positive and negative points to them, as we shall see. A Unit may not make more than a single Order or Reaction per Turn.
Set Up:
TURN 1
Chaos: As the followers of Chaos closed in on the Ultramarine’s position it would be the Autogun armed Cultist unit led by Magus Ghoulash to discover their location first. They approached from the south side, spreading throughout the ruins, ducking and weaving, in order to get as many pot-shots as possible while being a little harder to hit. However they underestimated the vigilance of the Sternguard as their Overwatch fire barked into the dusk air. Despite Ghoulash’s presence they failed to react in time and 5 were torn apart by a searing wave of accurate bolter fire. Despite this they fired in return, only to have all their shots off target or failing to wound the Ultramarines & their Inquisitorial lacky!
Ultramarines: After the initial Overwatch assault two Sternguard, Inquisitor Abraxus and Apothecary Claudio continued to shoot at the incoming Cultists, only managing to kill a further 2, with the use of the Sternguard’s Hellfire rounds proving less effective than hoped. The Cultists then, perhaps wisely, broke into cover, gathering themselves until the rest of their force arrived – would revenge be their’s?
The result of running at a unit of Sternguard - mostly in the Open - Dr. Pepper was not impressed :
TURN 1 SUMMARY – In truth Sarpedon made a tactical error, knowing the condition of the Scenario and that I was well positioned he should have used cover more effectively until the rest of his units arrived in the following turns. Really he should have set the cultists up in the other corner as it would have restricted my Sternguard's LOS
TURN 2
Chaos: After the ineffectual assault of the Cultists, I prayed to Slaanesh that my Chosen would arrive…and they duly did, approaching the Ultramarine position from the East, again ducking and weaving amongst the cover to avoid any return firepower. Three of the Chosen made pot-shots at the Sternguard located on the 1st Floor of the nearest ruin…a shot landed home, striking the Sternguard in the head and wounding him critically. The Cultists, in the mean time stayed in their position, failing to hit the bunkered Ultramarines while Ghoulash attempted to cast Carmine Assassin on Inquisitor Abraxus, which he duly nullified…
The Chosen Arrive and head-shot a Sternguard, sending his body crashing to ground level...
Order: Duck & Cover - The unit is at -1 To Hit, even in the Open but moves at half its M value. It may Snapfire at -1 To Hit but may not use any Special or Heavy weapons.
Ultramarines: Apothecary Claudio ran to the injured Veteran, saving his life but he would not be able to take part in the rest of the battle. In response the Sternguard fired at the newest (and greatest) threat. Fortune was with them as their Rapid Fire cut down two of the Traitor’s despite their significant cover…the Traitors meanwhile ignored the casualties and pushed forward. Perhaps they should have dispersed or taken cover?
TURN3
Chaos: Double 1’s! Curse those Ultramarines. This time they will not be so lucky as Demagogue Dennis and his Cultists appeared from the North, running onto the scene, making sure they were thoroughly behind cover unlike their inept brethren. There was nothing for it, the Cultists at the south broke cover in an attempt to distract the Sternguard from the approaching Chosen. The Acolyte with a Plasmagun fired at the Sternguard covering the Inquisitor. The weapon hissed into life, firing two balls of searing plasma energy, engulfing the Marine in a wave of plasma energy. The Marine was down, his armour gaping showing a searing wound, yet he was still moving as that damnable Apothecary rushed to his aid. The Chosen were left with no viable targets and ran further forwards into cover…
Order:Move! - The unit may move an extra Dx'' after any movement (including running) where x is equal to their M value (rounded up)
Reaction:Forwards You Dogs! - The unit may move an extra Dx'' after taking shooting casualties where x is equal to their M value (rounded up)
Ultramarines: Apothecary Claudio ran to the injured Marine just in time to save him, he would live and still play a role in the skirmish. In response to the brave (rather foolish IMO) move by the Cultists the Sternguard at the western most ruin fired his combi-plasma into the few remaining Cultists, who again failed to react in time to the shot’s, burning two of them clean through. Ghoulash yelped in terror and ran back into cover with the Acolyte following closely behind, while Inquistor Abraxus failed to Scourge them as they ran. The Sternguard to the North braced themselves for a renewed assault, not able to target anything this time.
Order:Split Fire - The unit may split its fire however it wishes. In 2nd Ed any unit could split fire, this is pretty much what the Sternguard did all game, until they were finally engaged in close combat.
Dennis & his Cultists push on, whilst the Chosen close on the Ultramarine's position...
TURN 4
Chaos: Curse that Apothecary – only Marines dedicated to the False Emprah need medical attention! Despite the battering of my forces so far I had Slaaneshi faith that Dennis and his cohorts could do some damage. The Chosen pushed forwards, throwing 4 Frag Grenades into the Sternguard’s position. All the grenades found a target, but failed to do anything…next time I’ll use some Krak grenades to obliterate at least one poxy Ultramarine! Dennis and his cohorts moved forwards, running at the 2 Sternguard at the North – what damage could 2 Sternguard do to the chosen ones of Slaanesh? Finally Ghoulash attempted Carmine Assassin once more on the Inquisitor, not only failing to cast the power, but getting half his brain eaten by a Daemon as a result…Slaanesh had truly forsaken me this day…
Ultramarines: Recovering from his injuries the Sterguard to the East and the combi-Sternguard to the West turned and fired their bolters in unison, using their Vengeance rounds to smite the enemy, only failing to wound the cursed traitors. Sensing the immediate threat Abraxus and Claudio fired their bolt rounds, killing another one of the Traitors! The Sternguard at the North threw Frag grenades into the incoming Cultists, their aim was true but they only killed 3, failing to wound Dennis with the blasts.
Order:Hold Your Ground! - The unit may parry (even if it's not equipped with bladed weapons. However if a model wins the combat they can only ever get a maximum of a single hit.
TURN 5
Chaos: 1’s again! AGAIN! The Chosen’s power armour must not have been what it was 10,000 years ago. Still, three were left and charged into the damnable Sternguard and that blazed Apothecary, their Power Axes raised in anger. Meanwhile Dennis led his Cultists into the charge, the Sternguard reacting in unison to block their attacks. Cries of ‘No Mercy!’ flared from Dennis’s mouth but the Cultists were more concerned with flinging their Chainswords in the air and frothing drool over the Sternguard’s pristine suits of power armour. Ghoulash once again attempted to cast Carmine Assassin on the Inquisitor, but failed, with the Acolyte near him missing with his plasma gun. As the combat began the Sternguard at the West met the Chosen, skillfully blocking him as neither party gained the upper hand. The other Chosen was not so lucky, getting cut down by the Apothecary. Meanwhile the third Chosen launched himself at Inquisitor Abraxus, only to be smited as he stumbled over a rock, his attacks flailing wildly. Another set of Snake Eyes! The Cultists were a bit more fortunate as they cut down another Sternguard, only to lose another horribly due to frothing ineptitude again…if only I could roll double 1’s for my Break Tests! Sadly I had no follow up moves to make into the Sternguard - they were free from combat…
Order:No Mercy! - Charging units only - Any 6's count as +2CS, whilst any 1's count as -2CS.
Veteran & Elite units can ignore nearby combat in favour of other actions, as they can choose to target another target other than the closest unit with their shooting. This gives them a tactical advantage but can also lead to wrong decisions on the user’s part.
Ultramarines: As the 2nd Sternguard fell to the frenzied Cultist the sounds of combat grew dim, before a small area to the north-west burst into flames, unleashing a small group of 5 spectral Marines, who proceeded to charge into combat, their fearful presence having little affect on the Frenzied Cultists. Inquisitor Abraxus charged the Chosen engaged with the Apothecary while the Legion warriors soon proved their worth, cutting three of the Cultists down, yet they were unable to reach Dennis, who’s hateful preaching continued to scream into the air, despite his forces being all but wiped out. Fortunately none of my Sternguard were in combat, so they decided to fire upon Ghoulash, the Sternguard with the combi-plasma fired it again, obliterating Ghoulash into a ball of plasma. The Acolyte stubbornly remained where he was, consolidating forwards into no man’s land.
We’ve decided that Frenzied troops remain that way until they are either killed or else are no longer in combat, however they would need to roll 4’s to hit an enemy if they decided to break off as they flail around wildly. In this case it wasn’t an option for the Sternguard.
TURN 6
Chaos: Well that wasn’t very nice. Those damned legionnaires appeared exactly where they were needed before I had a chance to overwhelm the Sternguard. This would not deter me from taking as many of the veterans with me as I could. The remaining Cultists moved to take on the flaming Marines, whilst Dennis let out a berserk war cry, calling upon ‘No Mercy!’ as he ran into an available Sternguard. The Ultramarine was caught off-guard and had his spine broken by Dennis’ Bionic-leg, sending his limp body crashing through the ruin, before he whipped around and followed up into the remaining Sternguard at the lower levels. The last Chosen cleaved at the Apothecary and split him two, before being despatched by the Sternguard…1’s again! Damn you Slaanesh!!!!!!!!! The Cultists took down one of the Damned, but were reduced to a single man as a result. This was not going to end well…
Ultramarines: With little of the Chaos Forces remaining it was time to mop up the heretic scum. Dennis remained my primary concern, yet the battle was all but over. I decided to charge the Inquisitor into the remaining Acolyte, before the remaining Sternguard surrounded Dennis, as did the Legion to the remaining Cultists. The Inquisitor easily slaughtered the Acolyte as he fumbled at the righteous aura of Abraxus’ Force Sword. The Legion cut down the remaining Cultists and soon after disappeared, their work done. Dennis kicked out at another Sternguard, sending him crashing into the wall, but he remained alive. A good hit from the 2nd Sternguard activated Dennis’s Displacer Field, the device sending him away from the combat and into the East, where his diabolical laughter rang out as he fled into the coming night sky. The retro’s of a Thunderhawk could be heard overhead…the Ultramarines had survived, losing only 4 of their number, surrounded by the piled corpses of heretics…
Rules Conclusion
The Psyker rules I wrote were a mess, as both proved ineffective throughout the game due to some poor rolling as well as to the restricted nature of the rules themselves – but that’s what Play Tests are for! We both felt that the Orders and Reaction system worked fairly well, although we often did things in retrospect as a result to playing in a different way. As it turned out this made little difference. Sarpedon rolled so poorly throughout the game, with me rolling above average, that the results of the D6 meant that this was not the best play test for the altered rules. There’s very little you can do if a player rolls badly, whilst the other rolls well, causing a gulf between a battle that should have been closer. Another play test is at hand!
Chaos Conclusion: That’s got to be the poorest game of 40k (of any edition) I’ve played. Not only did I make tactical errors with my choices (I should know better!), but I also rolled the worst dice I ever have done. I rolled a total of 6 Snake Eyes throughout the battle, as well as numerous 1’s. My Break Tests and Initiative tests failed more often than not and my combat scores were laughable. I know Cultists are rubbish but these one’s were resolutely inept! This said I felt the Orders and Reaction system was a nice touch, even though we both were getting used to it. The bonuses due to the ‘Move!’ Order, as well as the ‘Forward You Dogs!’ Reaction helped move my units closer to the dug-in Ultramarines but there’s little you can do with consistently bad rolling. My one consolation was that Dennis survived to thwart the Ultramarines another day, you can be sure his Bionic leg will be well oiled for that engagement!
Ultramarines Conclusion: Well that was unexpected. I don’t think the scenario itself beat old Sarpedon, in many ways he beat himself. I’d like to reverse the Scenario to make sure though, another time maybe. As much as it was a satisfying victory it’s never good to see your opponent roll himself out the game, yet he made several tactical blunders, using the wrong Orders at the wrong time and throwing Frag grenades at me when he could have assaulted with his Power axes! I even asked ‘Are you sure?’ – ‘Yes,’ he replied ‘it’s cinematic!’ That’s not the word I’d use for it but each to their own…
In all it was a fun little battle and even with explaining the Orders & Reaction system, re-rolling certain events etc it only took about an hour and a half. I think another Sternguard died somewhere, but my notes were rather erratic...hopefully we'll do a more comprehensive report next time, where we'll fight a more regular scenario...
Thanks for looking, we'll probably start a Plog of our 2nd Edition adventures soon
Man this takes me back to 96 ha ha... btw im not THAT old, just 28 but 2nd was where my roots were. Thanks for the fun report and trip back to my living room carpet mate!
As a unrepenting fan and player of 2nd edition it's always nice to see others giving it a go.
As for your scenario I think it's weighted heavily against the chaos player, drip feeding inferior chaos forces against entrenched superior forces negates their primary advantage (numbers). Also allowing the space marines to start on overwatch (against the established 2E rules, but fine in a scenario if balanced) and them allowing to fire as normal in their turn means they got to fire twice in turn 1! ( overwatch allows you to fire in your opponents turn at the expense of firing in your own).
All in all an interesting scenario and with only a few balance tweaks would give a competitive scenario producing a close and exciting game.
Kudos for trying to add rules to the 2nd edition most people try to remove as many rules as they can!
In my opinion the best thing about 2nd edition is it allows you to be creative and do almost anything you want, so I look toward to seeing what you come up with next.
I was intrigued by the addition of the Orders and Reactions. I just recently picked up a Dark Millenium box for megacheap on Trademe, and I'm hoping to try out a few of these small 2nd Ed skirmishes.
could you list all the Order and such you came up with? And what does 'Dx"' mean?
Red Corsair wrote: Man this takes me back to 96 ha ha... btw im not THAT old, just 28 but 2nd was where my roots were. Thanks for the fun report and trip back to my living room carpet mate!
Same here & you're welcome
@machineuk
Thanks & Welcome to Dakka! I'm honoured your first post was on our little battle
I agree the Scenario may be unbalanced (it was the first time we played it - it may be worthwhile having all the units appearing on the table at Turn 1), however I think my erstwhile Brother also made several mistakes, No.1 being deploying the Cultists in mostly Open ground & the second being not charging in with the Chosen, therefore allowing the Sternguard another round of shooting - this was critical as he could have then closed in with his Cultists and probably got into base contact with the two Sternguard placed at the Northern edge of the ruin. His dice rolls were also very bad throughout the whole game which didn't help, even with my own fair share of fumbles in combat. On another day he would have killed all the Sternguard for sure. His army selection could have been better as well IMHO (sorry bruv but more bodies = more chance). I'd like to replay it as the Chaos army under the same circumstances to see how it works out. This said he still managed to kill/wound nearly 50% of my force despite these errors/rolling 1's fetish
I know what you mean about removing rules, however I think most people don't realise what a simple game 2nd Edition is, even with all the math - which really is just simple addition and subtraction. If you keep armies down to 1,000pts or less it doesn't really take that much longer than a game of 6th. I also agree that 2nd Ed is great for house rules and is a perfect platform for making stuff up, due to the level of detail you can get - which is why we also love it
Slaanesh-Devotee wrote: I was intrigued by the addition of the Orders and Reactions. I just recently picked up a Dark Millenium box for megacheap on Trademe, and I'm hoping to try out a few of these small 2nd Ed skirmishes.
could you list all the Order and such you came up with? And what does 'Dx"' mean?
That's good to hear! I'd recommend a small 500-800pts game at the most and try and avoid the use of any character 200pts+
Dx means just that! D (Dice) x where x is equal to the models M value (rounded up). So most Infantry models have an M value of 4, so would roll a D4 (though you could also use a D3), whereas if they had M 5 they'd roll a D6. It's not so disimilar from Fleet or running in 5th/6th edition.
Here's my current Orders/Reaction List/Rules - pretty much at an Alpha stage. Some of the jargon is for the updates we're working on, but hopefully you can get a good idea of how they work. We're also toying with the idea of an alternate activation system, basically a broken down version of IGOUGO, but it may not be necessary with the Reactions (more games are needed):
EDIT
Assault Orders are in!
I've tried to restrict it to 3 Orders/Reactions for each phase of Movement, Shooting (albeit has more options) and Hand-To-Hand:
Spoiler:
DEFAULT PLAY, UNIT QUALITY & ORDERS
DEFAULT PLAY
41kR uses a Default system of play, altered by the use of specific Orders.
The Default system of play is largely an unchanged version of the 2nd Edition rules. Default play is used when a unit fails a specific Order, cannot be issued a specific Order or else is forced into Default play through morale effects etc.
UNIT QUALITY Unit Quality represents a units experience on the battlefield. Most units are reasonably competent and may be issued Orders; others are inexperienced, unruly or else stupid and may not be given Orders.
Unit Quality is given within a unit’s entry within the relevant Index (A brief background update, army list and rules for each faction). There are four main types of Unit Quality and their rules are as follows:
Conscript: These units cannot be issued Orders of any kind, unless led by an Independent Character.
Eldar Guardians, Gretchin, Ork Boyz, Imperial Guard Conscripts, Tyranid creatures outside of synapse range & Chaos Cultists are all examples of Conscript units.
Soldier: These units may be issued Orders of any kind and must pass a base LD test in order to do so. For every 25% casualties the LD test required for the Order is reduced by 1 (?)
Space Marine Scouts, Imperial Guard Squads, Aspect Warriors, Chaos Space Marines, Synapse controlled Tyranids, Tau Fire Warriors & Ork Nobz are all examples of Soldier units.
Veteran: These units automatically pass any Orders they wish to make, however they may still not issue an Order when/if they are ‘Broken’, instead they may still fight using the Default rules.
Space Marines, Tyranid Synapse Creatures, Chaos Chosen, Imperial Guard Veterans & Battle Sister Celestians are all examples of Veteran units.
Elite: These units pass Orders automatically, even when ‘Broken’.
Space Marine Veterans, Grey Knights, Eldar Exarchs, Dark Eldar Incubi, Chaos Daemons & all Independent Characters are all examples of Elite units.
ORDERS Orders are specific commands given by Squad Leaders and apply to Infantry units only. Orders take the form of bonuses or rules that are applied to the given unit if successful. Orders are used in the following manner:
Before a unit is activated it may attempt to carry out an Order unless...
• The unit is Broken or is affected by a rule, psychic power or ability that states it cannot be issued an Order (with the exception of Veteran & Elite unit types as described above).
• It is engaged in hand-to-hand combat. All Orders for hand-to-hand combat apply either for assaults or else as reactions to them, whose effects last for the first round of combat only. Naturally a unit locked in a melee that is assaulted by another unit cannot react in any meaningful way as it deals with the brutality of close combat warfare.
If a unit RALLIES at the end of the Game Turn it is treated as being 1 Unit Quality less for the next player turn.
Once an Order is issued the unit must then roll a base LD test, with no modifiers. The unit uses the highest LD within the unit, or else that of a Commander within 12’’. If passed the Order is successful and the unit benefits from its ability for that particular action. If failed the unit is still activated but it is activated under the rules for ‘Default Play’ (see above).
Reactions can be made if a unit you control is targeted by an enemy unit - if it is assaulted or shot at. It may also react under certain circumstances to enemy movement. To pass a Reaction a unit must pass an Initiative test using the highest value in the unit (a roll of 6 always fails). A unit cannot make more than one reaction in a game turn.
MOVEMENT ORDERS
Move! The unit moves with purpose, speeding up at the neglect of all other concerns. The unit adds +Dx’’ to its move where x is equal to the unit’s M value (rounded up). For most units this will be a D4 or a D6. The extra Movement is added AFTER the unit has doubled its M value for running, if it chooses to do so.
If the unit moves normally (up to its base M value) and issues the Move! Order it may still shoot as an action but is treated at being ½ BS (rounded down).
‘Duck & Cover’ REVISED
The unit moves at M-1 but is at an extra -1 To Hit for the remainder of the Game Turn as they duck and weave across the battlefield, even if they are in Open Terrain. A unit may Snapfire (half BS) as it does so.
Hide! As per 2nd Ed.
MOVEMENT REACTIONS
Stay Back! If the unit is within a piece of area terrain and an enemy unit moves to be within LOS it may choose to consolidate D3’’ within the piece of terrain. As LOS is needed to hit a model this may mean that a few models move out of the enemy unit’s LOS, therefore becoming unable to be targeted if the enemy shoots at them.
Get Down! This Reaction can only be used if an enemy unit moves within LOS. The unit hits the dirt at the first sign of enemy movement. The enemy unit must pass an Initiative test (using the highest number in the unit – a roll of 6 always fails). If it fails it cannot target the unit which went to ground in this way. If it passes it may immediately Snapfire (½ BS) at the unit using this reaction The unit that went to ground counts as moving its normal M rate in its next Turn (so may move but not Run).
SHOOTING ORDERS
Pick Your Targets... Any natural To Hit roll of 6+ (or 7+ etc if this is higher) means that the shooting unit can allocate a wound to any model within the targeted unit that is in range.
Models may not benefit from Pick Your Targets if they Rapid Fire or use a weapon with Sustained Fire.
Suppressing Fire *Still working on it - but basically if a unit is targeted by suppressing fire it cannot advance towards the unit using suppressing fire unless it passes a LD test. If it still chooses to advance the unit will recive a round ofOverwatch fire but the firing unit will be at half their BS (or something like that).
Units classed as Monstrous, be they Dreadnoughts or Hive Tyrants etc, or models in Terminator & Ork Mega Armours, are immune to Suppressing Fire.
Split Fire As per 2nd Ed.
Overwatch As per 2nd Ed.
Blind Fire If behind cover the unit counts as under the 'Take Cover' reaction but shoots at BS1 (may not rapid fire or use heavy weapons).
Volley Fire The unit must remain stationary. Its weapons gain Rapid Fire (fire twice) or if they already have Rapid Fire they have Sustained Fire 1. The unit is then at -1 To Hit and cannot fire next turn.
Shooting Reactions Once the enemy declares they are going to shoot at a unit you control (before any rolls to hit are made) you may choose to carry out any of the following Reactions. Remember that a unit cannot make more than a single Reaction in a Game Turn.
In Order to react to a shooting action a targeted unit must have a clear LOS to their attacker. Therefore undetected units (Hidden units) cannot be reacted to.
Take Cover! The unit is at an extra -1 To Hit. This is cumulative so a unit in Soft Cover would count as being at -2 To Hit. This bonus does not apply to Armour Save bonuses.
Any unit that uses this reaction counts as moving its base move value at their next activation – this means that a unit cannot Rapid Fire its weapons, shoot its heavy weapons or perform any action which requires that they be stationary (such as Overwatch).
Disperse! The unit can only benefit from this Order if it is able to move its models at least 4’’ apart – the unit effectively adopts the Dispersed Formation rule temporarily as it scrambles away from incoming fire. Models may not be placed any further forward than the leading model (the model that is closest to the firing unit). They may, however, be placed horizontally with it or in any direction behind it.
The unit is at an extra -1 To Hit. This Order may only be used in areas of Open Terrain.
Incoming! This Order may only be used against Blast or Ordnance shooting attacks. Unlike other Reaction Orders it may be carried out if the unit does not have LOS to their attacker. The unit can only attempt this Order if the unit’s Squad Leader (or IC’s or mean average if it is higher/lower respectively) first passes an Initiative Test – a roll of 6 always fails.
If passed the unit scrambles for cover and disperses as much as it can before the impact, it consolidates D3’’ in a random direction before lying prone. It is only necessary to lay a single model prone to indicate the unit has gone to ground in such a manner.
The unit then gains + 1 to their Armour Save and any models partially under the template are hit on a roll of 5 or 6 as opposed to 4+. The unit’s random consolidation may take some models out of the path of the blast template, or else further into it.
The unit then counts as being Pinned (enemy is at +1 To Hit – cannot advance but may break for cover)?
HAND-TO-HAND
Default: As per 2nd Ed.
A model can only hit an enemy as many times as it has attacks, after bonuses (including those for outnumbering etc). Rolls of 6 not only add +1 CS but also add an additonal hit if you win the combat. I'm eager to try this as most combat results in general overkill, especially where characters are concerned who can often get 5 or 8 hits in on a normal guy - how can a model with 1 Attack, land 3 or more blows quickly? Do they suddenly turn into Bruce Lee when they win? This gives even a normal Guardsman a slight chance against a MEQ unit and doesn't punish you as hard for losing a combat against a high WS opponent with only 1 attack
A model cannot parry a blow at twice its Strength value.
A model which charges adds +1 to its Initiative. If there's no winner & Initiative is equal = draw with no hits.
The normal Strength Modifiers only apply to Monstrous Units (Dreadnoughts, Avatars, Hive Tyrants, Greater Daemons etc). They do not apply to the majority of Infantry Units (unless otherwise stated)
It shouldn't matter how strong you are if you're armed with a spoon. It's not going to make penetrating Power Armour any easier is it? Instead a weapons value is used as default - otherwise we can have Marine Captains punching through Ork Mega Armour or, like wise, an Ork Warboss headbutting with enough force to penetrate a Marines helmet as if it wasn't there - that right belongs to Ghazza alone!
ASSAULT ORDERS All Assault Orders & Reactions last for the first round of combat only.
NO MERCY! 6's count as +2CS but 1's count as -2 CS
KILL THEIR LEADER! - Any model in base contact with the Squad Leader or adjoining IC can re-roll 1's.
PUSH THEM BACK! - If you win the combat (cause more casualties) all models are pushed back 2'' after any follow-up moves are made.
ASSAULT REACTIONS
STAND YOUR GROUND! Unit is Fearless for that round of Combat and will not break.
HOLD THEM BACK! All models can parry, even without a bladed weapon and add +1 to their AS, however if they win a combat they will score no hits as they are on the defensive.
SHOOT! SHOOT! SHOOT! Unit gains Rapid Fire but is at half BS (rounded down). The unit does not gain +1 To Hit for the target being in short range. Heavy & Special Weapons (any weapon with Rapid Fire, Sustained Fire, Template etc) may not fire if they fired during the game turn prior to the assault. Template weapons hit on a 4+ regardless if the model is fully beneath the template or not. If charged they are at WS1 and receive no bonus for rolling 6's.
I will be posting more rules etc in our joint P&M thread which I'm hoping to start tomorrow, including our revised rules for Psykers (though Dark Millennium is still worth a try ).
It's well worth trying 2nd Ed - just remember TERRAIN! If anything our game suffered from missing a couple more ruins to help break LOS more. Thanks for the interest
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2013/05/09 06:56:19
That was a great read Warspawned, you really bought our little conflict to life. As for my tactical nuance, or rather lack of, I blame Dr Pepper and a 3am wake up call that morning!
I'm going to be posting on Warspawned' P&M blog as soon as I get the time to paint anything more than a single mini, although being a Nurse finding the time is difficult. Just getting my excuses in before time!
We are both huge 2nd Ed fans and are hoping to get more people interested in playing it. Hopefully we will take some more shots of our next battle report and maybe try to play it with more painted minis and on a gaming table! Also, in response to the more bodies comment, no worries dude, next time i'll take 10 Beastmen with ChainAxe's instead of the Chosen.....That oughta do it!
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