Fight first or "fight first"?

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**Killatores**

Had a game of 40k after a while with a friend, and a rule came up that I did not understand too well which had a considerable impact on the game.

I barely play with melee lists, but make up with one for this game to have fun, and included a librarian with with the Veil of Time physic power, which allows the affected unit to fight first in melee.

Now, I understood that as " this unit fights first", but during the game my opponent told me that "fight first" is a category within the melee sequence, not a description of when the unit can fight.
Therefore, the order would be:

- First charging unit
- Opponents' Counter offensive stratagem unit (if used)
- "Fight first" units (opponents' and then own)
- Charging units
- Opponents' units
- Own units
- "Fight last" units (opponents' and then own)

Is this correct? We played the game with following this order, but obviously that had a considerable impact on the strategy. As I understood it, fight first went on top of everything else (opponent's and then own), which changes the exchanges noticeable, making this physic power fight first rule vary on usability.

**beast_gts**

IIRC there's an FAQ that clarifies the sequencing

**Aash**

This is covered in the FAQ and errata:
https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/lKo58OjfYV7Ysecp.pdf

*Pages 361-362 – Rare Rules, Always Fight First/Last
Add the following paragraphs to the end of this Rare Rules entry: ‘Note that it doesn’t matter how many rules are affecting a unit that enable it to fight first, or how many rules are affecting it that say it cannot be selected to fight until after all other units have done so – if a unit is under the effects of one or more of both kinds of ability simultaneously, that unit instead fights as if none of those rules are affecting it.
Note that the Counter-offensive Stratagem requires you to select a unit that is eligible to fight. This means that if a unit is under the effects of a rule that says that it is not eligible to fight until after all other eligible units have done so, then unless that unit is also under the effects of a rule that lets it fight first, you will not be able to select that unit to use the Counter-offensive Stratagem.
Some examples of rules that always allow a unit to strike first include Martial Superiority and Veil of Time (see Codex: Space Marines), Precognitive Strike (see Codex: Necrons), etc. Also note, as per the core rules, that units that have charged fight first in the Fight phase, and for the purposes of this Rare Rule this is considered to be a rule that lets a unit always strike first.
Some examples of rules that always make a unit strike last (or say a unit cannot be selected to fight until after all other eligible units have done so) include Tempormortis (see Codex: Space Marines), The Armour of Russ (see Codex Supplement: Space Wolves), Obeisance Generators (see Codex: Necrons), etc.’

https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/OQ1TeUZ6hxw5jp1e.pdf

**Killatores**

Thanks for the response

It is a bit confusing, since the player selecting unit first is different in "fight first" and "fights normaly", but seems clear in this section:

Spoiler:

And

Spoiler:

**Aash**

That pretty much covers it.

Just bear in mind that a you can’t use the counter offensive strategem on a “fights last” unit.