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Well besides selling minis and making it easier for SM players, (because they were not selling terminator kits) why are Terminators move 6"? Is there another reason to this, or is it just to sell more minis?

The reason I am asking is, I was playing the computer version of Space Hulk, and man are they slow. So that got to me thinking, how come they move as fast as Genestealers on the table?

Sorry if this is seems to be trolling. I am not, just really want to know the reasoning as to why.

Well they are 9 feet tall, that's quite a stride length - even walking they would be as fast as a running normal man. Genestealers are faster on the table top running and charging as well with fleet.

Genestealers have fleet of foot, so they have a re-rollable run and you can assault the turn you run. With terminators, you can't do that, thus, they are not as fast.

They might move 6'' but they can't run, which allready makes them one of the slowest units in the game.

Any slower and they would be barely playable (especially any assault variant).

DrunkPhilisoph wrote:
They might move 6'' but they can't run, which allready makes them one of the slowest units in the game.

Any slower and they would be barely playable (especially any assault variant).

Terminators aren't SnP, they can run.

And before you (OP) start hating on Marines, Meganobz also move 6".

So do broadsides

It was probably done to make it easier for players to not have to remember different move speeds.

When a unit moves it doesn't just drop everything and run.

Guardsmen will move 6" whilst taking in their surroundings. Or ducking and diving to evade fire, or generally being terrified.

Terminators just walk through the hail of fire the same distance in the same amount of time.

If you want a fluff reason, the genestealers moves faster inside a space hult where corridors are cramped.

In 40K basically it is always open terrain, so everyone moves moves more or less at same speed.

Again fluff reason.

The fact they are slow is represented another way, they have relentless

Well, I always think that the movement in the movement phase is more of a cautious walking speed instead of running about.

Their lack of speed is represented best in the assault phase. The armour is fine for keeping a steady pace when moving and tracking targets when shooting, but in a close-up brawl it's harder to control this massive suit. So they can't really react quick enough to take off after a fleeing enemy - hence no sweeping advance - and the fact most of them have power fists adds to the sense of clumsiness and slowness in melee.

That might sound like a cop out explanation, but the rules aren't meant to represent fluff 100%. Otherwise we'd have to seriously accept that the average human is a strong as the average ork, and Space Marines would be 100 points per model. Simplifying things keeps the game moving and stops you getting bogged down in book-keeping.

Relentless is their massive servopowered strength, recoil dampenders and the exoskeleton itself keep the shot on target whilst moving, unlike marines who still need to keep still. Their clumsiness is represented by No sweeping advances allowed.

 XT-1984 wrote:
When a unit moves it doesn't just drop everything and run.

Guardsmen will move 6" whilst taking in their surroundings. Or ducking and diving to evade fire, or generally being terrified.

Terminators just walk through the hail of fire the same distance in the same amount of time.

Pretty much this. As is the case with most of the game, movement speed is an abstraction and what would "actually be going on" if it were real is open to reasonable interpretations.

Because after 2nd edition they dropped movement speed modifiers and added in standardized movement.

Because the TT game is very generalized and their difference in speed is not great enough to warrant different movement speed. They gave them special rules to represent that instead.

Thanks for the explanation guys.

 Tyranid Horde wrote:
Genestealers have fleet of foot, so they have a re-rollable run and you can assault the turn you run. With terminators, you can't do that, thus, they are not as fast.

I wish that was true but its not. You can't run and charge in the same turn.

Because when normal units move their really make a carefull advance. Termies just walk straight through the sh!tstorm instead .

It was probably done to make it easier for players to not have to remember different move speeds.

Because after 2nd edition they dropped movement speed modifiers and added in standardized movement.

Those two pretty much nailed it. It really has nothing to do with "fluff". Waaaaay back in the days when men were men, Squats freely roamed the tabletops, Khorn Berzerkers didn't suck, and the name of every army started with the word "space", everything had an "M" entry on the stat line. This represented the number of inches they could move in a movement phase. As I recall, Space Marines could move 4" while Eldar could move 6".

This convention was dropped from the game in the switch-over to 3rd ed in an effort to stream line things and curb the number of rules and stats that might need to be looked up during a game.

Tycho wrote:


This convention was dropped from the game in the switch-over to 3rd ed in an effort to stream line things and curb the number of rules and stats that might need to be looked up during a game.

Sort of a shame they've progressively added so many different special rules to the game since then!

Sort of a shame they've progressively added so many different special rules to the game since then!

Speaking as someone who absolutely detested the switch to 3rd edition, I do find the irony rather delicious. +1 for you!

I don't think Terminators are actually meant to be that slow at all. Bear in mind they can still break into a run - think of models like Arjac or Grimnar where they're quite clearly showing a great deal of momentum and movement. It's not just a case of "plod, plod, bash something and hope it doesn't move out the way".

It's the same deal with power armour... they have servo-assistors, hydraulics and the like to make up for the weight. They're bulkier, and more awkward as a result, but they're not actually much slower.

 Super Ready wrote:
I don't think Terminators are actually meant to be that slow at all. Bear in mind they can still break into a run - think of models like Arjac or Grimnar where they're quite clearly showing a great deal of momentum and movement. It's not just a case of "plod, plod, bash something and hope it doesn't move out the way".

It's the same deal with power armour... they have servo-assistors, hydraulics and the like to make up for the weight. They're bulkier, and more awkward as a result, but they're not actually much slower.

This.

This is even noted in the HH fluff where Abbaddon has almost the same freedom of movement as a normal PA marine.

Also, you can make them run.. just required some surgery first

Oh, I almost forgot. According to certain Black Library authors, they can even backflip!

 Super Ready wrote:
Oh, I almost forgot. According to certain Black Library authors, they can even backflip!

With multilasers. And ride in transformers.

Cant terminators also do back flips? Or did i imagine that?

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
Cant terminators also do back flips? Or did i imagine that?

The armor looks way too heavy to do any sort of gymnastic moves like that. I could see them grabbing on to a Monstrous Creature and being flung around while trying to kill it Shadow of the Colossus style, but that's it.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
Cant terminators also do back flips? Or did i imagine that?

Graham McNeil, mighty is he!

I would be fairly satisfied with Slow and Purposeful instead of Relentless terminators. They are actually most of the way there with the unable to sweeping advance. They'd lose overwatch (they don't shoot much anyway) and the ability to run, but overall they'd fit better with what terminators are described to be.

I also wouldn't mind my Broadsides having Slow and Purposeful, though the loss of overwatch hurts more there the move and shoot is a nice trade.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
Cant terminators also do back flips? Or did i imagine that?

Well, in zero-G it might work

 Tyranid Horde wrote:
Genestealers have fleet of foot, so they have a re-rollable run and you can assault the turn you run.

You can't assault the turn that you run with Stealers; you are an edition too late.

DrunkPhilisoph wrote:
They might move 6'' but they can't run.

According to what exactly?