Thursday, June 23, 2011

More 6th Edition Rumors; HUGE POST!

Old School here with an epically long post covering even more 6th edition rumors. This post is long and I haven't even gotten to dig deep enough to give my own thoughts, but I am putting these out for discussion. There are a lot of things in there that sound like Fantasy or 2nd Ed (for those of you who played it or have read the rules). I will offer my thoughts via comments later. Have fun chewing on these rumors folks and let us know what your thoughts and speculations are (an by the way, we know they are rumors, so comments about how they are just rumors are kind of silly). Enjoy:

Layout
Pretty crisp and clean
on odd pages there is the normal rule text with examples, on even pages there are the usual diagrams and charts, and small boxes with definitions
Lots of rules that were formerly explained within the text, are now only summarized in the text, the full rules are given in these boxes, you can read the rules text very fast without much detail, there are some boxes that have a name of a rule, but are empty otherwise. I guess that there should be page references to later pages, for example in the terrain rules, there is Torrent of Fire mentioned, the rule is explained much later (in a box), there is an empty box in the terrain section that reads Torrent of Fire however
So you have both: clear rules veterans and easy reading for first-timers
But it seems that there is not much space left for pictures, though :(

Fundamentals:
characteristic tests as normal,
if unit must make test, it is made by squad leader
vehicles fail every test automatically if they don’t have the value
test on ld is made with single D6 on halved value, vehicles pass these tests automatically
Majority characteristic: characteristic-value with most wounds in unit, if draw, use the higher

Keep track on:
wounds
movement distance
morale condition
everything else can be forgotten between actions
Saves:
4 kind of changes: armour save, cover save, invulnerable save, Feel no Pain
no model can ever make more than two saves or one re-rollable save
normal models can only make one roll or one re-rollable roll

Situation where two rolls are eligible:
- one of the saves is FnP
- model is character
- model is bracing
Feel no Pain (1-3): save on 5+,4+,3+, only negated by AP 1, 2 and wounds that don’t allow armour saves, the only save that every model and not only ICs may take in addition to another save

Actions
The rules make really clear what an unit can do and what not. There is an own chapter for the basic concepts. Every special rule has only to state: can do x, y, z and it is perfectly clear that the unit can still a, b and c
Actions:
- movement: movement in movement phase, sometimes only special types of movement are allowed: advance, surge, flat out, fleet; charge and disembark have to be rules out explicitly
- consolidate moves: every other move, has to be mentioned explicitly
- psychic powers
- shooting
- Reactions
- residual actions: any other action, for example popping smoke
unit is immobile: abbreviation for cannot move, react, make consolidation moves

Reactions
models can react every time the conditions are met
- Going to Ground:
who: non-vehicles, non-monstrous creatures
when: unit is being shot at, before rolls are made
instant effect: -
lasting effect: Suppressed, if not already Suppressed
- Brace:
who: tanks, walkers, monstrous creatures
when: being shot at, before rolls are made
instant effect: one weapon destroyed ignored, two saves for MC like IC
lasting effect: Suppressed, if not already Suppressed
- Flying High:
who: jet pack infantry, jump infantry, jetbikes
when: being shot at
instant effect: count as being flyer for shooting, opposing player can make 6” consolidation move with the unit
lasting effect: Suppressed, if not already Suppressed
- Evade:
who: skimmer, fast non-tanks, jetbikes, bikes, jet pack infantry, jump infantry
when: unit is being rammed or tank shocked and nearly fails morale check
instant effect: on 3+ can make 6” consolidation move, ignores ram if out of the way
lasting effect: -
- Return Fire:
who: (disembarked) units with Overwatch
when: unit is shot at the first time in the phase
instant effect: unit can fire rapid fire and assault weapons with a single shot at attacking unit, range 12”, resolved simultaneously, opposing unit is fearless (2) and stubborn for this purpose
lasting effect: -
- Charge by chance:
who: non-vehicles, walkers
when: Trapped, tank shock
instant effect: charge by chance
lasting effect: -

Terrain:
there are two different things: to be in cover, to be in terrain
every piece of terrain has a footprint, if an unit is this area or touches it, it is in terrain, being in terrain is important for movement and assaults
to decide if a model is in cover, you use true line of sight, cover is usually used for shooting, though some weapons use terrain
terrain is open, impassable, or has any number of the following attributes:
- difficult terrain: unit can only advance through it, if a single model moves through
- dangerous terrain:
units that move through dangerous terrain must make a test
non-vehicles make dangerous terrain test for every model that has actually moved through it at the end of the phase
vehicles must designate a point where they enter the terrain before the movement, than make the test, if vehicle is stunned, immobilized or destroyed, move it to designated point in a straight line
for every failed test, the unit gets a hit
non-vehicles: failed on 1: auto wound on unit, allocated together as Torrent of Fire
vehicles: roll depends on movement distance: advanced = failed on 1, surged = failed on 1-3, flat out = failed automatically, vehicle gets S8 hit against side armour
walker only ever fail on 1
non-vehicle units make only a single dangerous terrain test a turn, vehicles every time they enter a different dangerous terrain
- leveled: must spend movement for vertical advancement, non-walker vehicles and bikes can’t move vertical in leveled terrain
difficult and dangerous terrains are always ignored if the movement isn’t taking place in the own movement phase

Preparation and consolidation phase
These phases are collecting basin for all kinds of action that takes place before the movement or at the end of the turn. The player which turn it is may choose the order of these actions freely.
preparation phase: psychic powers, placing reserves, rallying, joining/ leaving, claiming mission markers
consolidation phase: rallying, consolidation moves, jet pack moves, joining/ leaving, embarking, killing multi-wounded units
consolidation move: moves outside the movement phase (jet pack movement, embarking, joining/leaving, falling back, moves after combat, tank shock evasion …) and moves that are described as consolidation moves are consolidation moves
cannot end in contact with enemy, ignores terrain even if performed in own movement phase, all units are relentless for this movement, can move even if fired heavy weapon, can fire heavy weapon afterwards, doesn’t affect unit speed for being shot at if not stated otherwise
Abandon: If there is more than one model with less than its initial wounds in an unit in the consolidation phase, the owning player must remove all but one as casualty ( ID(3) ). Independent characters are ignored.

movement phase:
Units can stay stationary or move in different speeds. They can advance and use their normal movement or they can surge and double their movement distance. Some units can go flat out or fleet and triple their movement.
Advance: normal movement: every action allowed
Surge: double movement: close combat, consolidate moves, psychic powers, reactions, residual action allowed
Flat out: movement: triple movement: only reactions allowed, use own columns on to hit chart
Fleet movement: triple movement, can charge, count as moving against shooting, cannot forced surge
If the unit goes through difficult terrain it can only advance. No unit can ever go flat out or fleet through terrain.
Forced surge: Units can surge through terrain if they are allowed to go flat out outside terrain this turn. Tanks cannot force surge (except during a ram).
If the unit fails an I-test, terrain is treated as dangerous terrain.
During a charge, every unit can try to surge through. If the I-test is failed, the unit still can only advance. units, that have passed their I-test for the fleet movement, automatically pass this I-test.
Can’t surge if there is another reason for the restriction to advance movement than terrain.
Unit types:
infantry: 6”
beasts/cavalry: 8”, fleet (1)
jump infantry: 8”, ignore terrain*
jet pack infantry: 6”, ignore terrain*, 6” move in consolidation phase
jetbikes: 10”, ignore terrain*, flat out
(eldar jetbike: jetbike with Fleet (2) )
bikes: 8”, flat out, cannot force surge
vehicles: 6”
fast vehicles: 6”, flat out
fast skimmer: 8”, flat out
walker: 6”, treat terrain like infantry
* as long as they don’t start or end in terrain
Fleet (1): infantry, beasts, monstrous creature, jump infantry, jet pack infantry: I-test, if successful, can perform fleet movement, can always advance during disembarkation;
bikes and jetbikes: I-test successful: can make 6” move in consolidation phase
Fleet (2)/Bounding Leap: as Fleet (1), no I-Test required
Random movement: roll a D6: 1-2 unit moves as infantry, 3-4 unit moves as jump infantry but cannot ignore terrain, 5-6 unit moves as beast

Charging:
no model may enter 1” of enemy models unless it charges,
the only difference between a charge and a normal movement is: models may enter 1” of enemy models.
all other movement restrictions apply, unit must stay in coherency, are subject to terrain
charging units can make a forced surge
an unit can charge more than one unit, but must stay in coherency, cannot move closer than 1” to enemy units that are not charged
The units in contact are now locked. If any model moved through terrain, the defending unit can claim to be in terrain in the assault phase, in the assault phase, both unit pile in before trading blows

Charge by chance:
sometimes units are forced to perform a charge in another phase than the movement phase, the charge by chance is a pile in move, as if the charging and defending unit were locked but have lost contact, the defending unit can make a pile in move afterwards (even if it is his phase, the defending player piles in last).
the combat is fought in the next assault phase and no side counts as attacker or being in terrain, no side can use grenades, no further pile in moves occur before the fighting
Movement distance is important for shooting, only the attempted movement in the movement phase counts (other movements do not count, consolidate moves don’t count, even a vehicle that has movement 1” can claim having moved flat out),
can be ‘overridden’ by three events outside movement phase:
fighting in close combat : stationary
become immobile: stationary
falling back: moving

Wounding:
To wound chart:
wound everything at least on 6+
Wound Allocation (cc and shooting):
hit as normal, wound against majority
mark dice that represent special weapons and attacks or roll separately
1. decide whether to use Torrent of Fire or not
2. target’s player allocate wounds to models, beginning with one chosen armour group, if every model in this group has a wound, start with another armour group and so on, if every model in the unit has a wound, start over
—> multiple wounds: count for allocation as as many models as wounds remain
3. pick an unresolved armour group, determine which wounds are directed
4. directed wounds: roll saves for directed wounds, shooting player removes casualties
5. roll all remaining saves of this armour group, owning player removes casualties
6. goto 3

Directed wounds:
there are directed wounds in close combat and long-range combat, casualties from directed wounds are removed by owning player of the attacking unit
Wounds cannot be directed if targeted unit has Shielded USR, Torrent of Fire is used, vehicle diverts its fire or non-vehicle, non-MC unit is in fire corridor
Number of directed wounds: After allocating wounds to an armour group, it is determined if the how many and which wounds are directed as following:
- every attack from an IC in close combat is a directed wound,
- of the remaining wounds, every second wound, beginning with the first, from a Sniper weapon is directed.
- Of the remaining wounds on-sniper wounds, every fifth wound is directed, owning player of the shooting unit decides which wounds are directed
Torrent of Fire/Blows: if torrent of fire is used, the targeted unit is a single armour group, the owning player can choose one model, the whole unit has the same combination of armour saves
During a Torrent of Fire, no wound is directed
Armour group: number of model that share the same combination of saves, for example: 3+ armour save, Feel no Pain (1), no invulnerable save, 6+ cover save that is re-rollable on 1

Shooting:
for determining if a particular model in the unit can shoot, check range and line of sight from this model

cover saves:
fire corridor is measured from squad leader, to the two outermost models in the target unit, if 50% or more models are invisible or partial invisible due to cover or vehicles or monstrous creatures, the unit is in cover,
non-vehicles/MC are invisible for determining cover saves, but if such an unit is in fire corridor, wounds cannot be directed
if unit is covered mostly by fortifications or models are completely invisible: 4+ save
if unit is covered mostly by vegetation: 6+ save
if unit is covered mostly by vehicles or anything else: 5+ save

To Hit chart:
it is the same chart as the wound chart, but with seven columns from 0 till 6
(evasion value in brackets, abbreviates for small chart)

rows:
buildings (0)
stationary vehicles, MC, bikes (1)
stationary infantry, jet pack infantry, jump infantry, beasts // moving vehicles, monstrous creatures (2)
short distance // moving infantry, jet pack infantry (3)
moving bikes, jump infantry, beasts // swarms // flat out vehicles (4)
flat out bikes (5)
flyers, beacons (some narrative missions use beacons) (6)

columns:
BS 1-10
every column is: …. 6+ 6+ 6+ 5+ 4+ 3+ 2+ 2+ 2+ …. but is shifted up or down
I give you the BS value for every column that hits on 3+: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7
if distance from squad leader to target is less than 12”, unit can always change column to short distance column
if a model moves like a different unit type, the initial unit type is still used for the chart
Assault weapon: bonus attack for second close combat weapon if unit has charged
Pistols: model can use it as additional close combat weapon or use its Strength in close combat but gains no bonus for another ccw, if pistol is AP 1,2 or 3, attacks are Rending (2)
Blast (Small) and Blast (Large):
scatter as before don’t use line of sight for determining cover saves, if majority of unit is in terrain, models get cover saves
marker has infinite height, only in leveled terrain it is two-dimensional
multiple Barrage is used every time when there comes more than one blast marker of the same type from a single shooting unit
Template: if there is a range given in a template weapon’s profile you can place the small end anywhere in this distance
Sniper (1): always wounds on 3+, Pinning, every second wound from a Sniper weapon beginning with the first is a directed wound
Sniper (2): always wounds on 3+, Rending (1), Pinning, every second wound from a Sniper weapon beginning with the first is a directed wound
Pinning: must make a pinning morale check
Tracer: treat every target as stationary
Anti Air: treat targeted flyer as flat out vehicle
Rending (1-3): 6,5+,4+ on to wound roll wound automatically and are AP2 or count as power weapon, D3 extra armour penetration
Poison/Dissolving (X+): as before, for shooting and close combat
Lance (1-3): treat AV as 13,12,11, no modifiers on damage chart ever
Instant Death(1): caused by double strength and other effects, models without Eternal Warrior (1-3) loose all wounds
Instant Death(2): models without Eternal Warrior (2-3) loose all wounds
Instant Death(3): also called removed from play, models without Eternal Warrior (3) loose all wounds
Eternal Warrior(1-3): Immune to Instant Death of same or lower level

Assault Phase:
Engaged model: a model that is in base to base contact with enemy model is called engaged, a model that is in contact with friendly engaged model is also called engaged, so if you have a long queue of models that are all in base to base contact and the first is in contact with enemy, alls are engaged
Pile In Move: consolidation move, 6”, priorities:
- must move as man models as possible in base contact with locked enemy unit
- as many models as possible must end the move engaged with model of unit it is locked in close combat with,
- rest of the model must move as near as possible to engaged models
if it is not possible to bring a single model into contact, the distance is increased with 3” until one model is engaged
At the end of the pile in move, every struggling, still unengaged IC is placed in contact with engaged model of enemy’s choosing.
Pile in after charge:
charging units make Pile In move, than the defending unit makes a Pile in Move

Attacking
Every engaged model can attack. If it is engaged with more than one unit, it can decide freely.
WS majority is used
IC are unit of their own in close combat
Initiative order:
Always strike first/last: unit strikes before I1 or after I10, is not affected by I modifiers, if unit always strikes first and last, it strikes in normal I order
charging unit in terrain: strikes at I1
Power fist: strikes always last
Feint: models can attack in a lower initiative phase if they want
Grenades: unchanged
Resolving combat
unchanged, but no more -1 for under half strength

No retreat:
Fearless units (or units that stay in combat even if they fail their morale check) make normal morale checks after loosing a combat, if failed, can decide nonetheless to stay in close combat, but every model in base to base contact may make a single attack against unit, if a model is in base to base contact with several Fearless units that failed their test, it can make one attack against each unit
Sweeping Advance: normal, unmodified I of squad leader is used
Pile in after combat: all locked units make Pile In moves, order is chosen by the player who’s turn it is, units that are no longer locked and not falling back, make a 3” consolidation move, the unit counts as being stationary

Special rules
distinction between special rules and universal special rules
Some USR and other special or weapon rules have more than one level. If no level is given, the rule is treated as level 1. Only exception: Lance and Fearless are level 2 by default
USR are always conferred to or from joined IC, other special rules not
deployment rules and rules in codices are temporarily lost if not every model in the unit has it, if it is not explicitly stated otherwise

all USR:
Preferred Enemy: as before
Tank Hunter: as before, but it only works against tanks
Counter Attack: as before, negates Furious Charge
Veiled(1): if unit targets veiled unit, must roll 3D6 x 3” over distance or forfeit shooting
Veiled (2-3): 2D6” x 2
Acute Senses/Night Vision(1-3): reroll Veiled roll of equal or lower level
Furious Charge: as before
Hit & Run: as before
Overwatch: can react with returning fire
Move through cover (1): I-Test to ignore terrain
Move through cover (2): ignores terrain
Sworn Brothers/Mindless Slaves: if squad leader is killed, every other model in unit can assume leadership
Rage: must always at least advance and use full distance towards enemy (for example raged infantry must at least move 6”, if decide to surge, must move 12”), if shaken or embarked, ignores the rule
Shielded: as long as one model with this rule remains in target unit, wounds cannot be directed wounds
Slow and purposeful: Relentless; can only surge, if S-test is passed, if unit moves through terrain, it cannot force a surge, units with SaP and Fleet and/or Flat out have Relentless and Random movement instead, negates Preferred Enemy
Shock Troop: always rolls a single D6” under 18” in a deep strike, a hit is a hit
Skilled Rider/Driver/Ranger (1): reroll dangerous terrain tests
Skilled Rider/Driver/Ranger (2): ignore dangerous terrain tests
Stealth (1): +1 on cover save, must take Vanish reaction if unit takes a shooting reaction
Stealth (2-3): +1,+2 on cover save; 6+,5+ in the open, must take Vanish reaction if unit takes a shooting reaction

no USR:
Relentless: always count as stationary for firing weapons
Swarms: use the moving beasts (4) column in the chart regardless of movement or unit type, Blast and Template Weapons cause Instant Death (2) against swarms

Vehicles:
damage chart:
only negative modifiers: -2 glancing, -1 any hit except AP1 and AP – against tanks, -2 AP – against tanks (AP 1 flat +1 gone), -3 hit by blast marker but hole not over vehicle and vehicle is not open-topped (no more halved S for blast markers)
chart unchanged, but if vehicle blows up (6+ on chart), embarked troops and models in D6” get S3 AP – hit, if vehicle blows up embarked troops are Suppressed, if the vehicle is only wrecked they are fine
if a flat out moving vehicle is immobilised (4) or wrecked (5) it blows up (6+) instead and embarked units are Pinned instead of Suppressed.
close combat basically the same:
no close combat resolution against non-walkers, but units can decide to break off and make a 3” consolidation move
hit stationary vehicle automatically, advancing vehicle on 4+, at any other speed and skimmers on 6+
Shooting: stationary: fire all weapons, advance: fire one, surge: no weapon
fast as before: advance and fire all, surge and fire one
every weapon can target different unit, when doing so, cannot cause directed wounds, even with Sniper weapons

Transport:
Fire point: can fire if vehicle has advanced or surged, but only 12” regardless of weapon type, embarked troops are relentless
Embarking: 4” move in consolidation phase in contact towards access point, if squad leader reaches access point, unit is embarked. If not, no move is performed
Disembarking: 4” in movement phase from any access point or base in case of flyers, consolidation move, counts as having moved the same distance category as vehicle, i.e. stationary, advance, surge; no charge
cannot disembark if going flat out or if unit cannot move as fast as vehicle, i.e. cannot disembark at surge speed into cover, as you can only advance in cover
if vehicle was stationary, unit can move normally from access point instead of disembarkation move, can charge
fleeting units can advance from access point instead of making disembarkation move if vehicle advanced or surged

Trapped: if an enemy model is in base to base contact with access point of closed vehicle, access point cannot be used. If every access point is blocked, the unit cannot disembark. If the unit is forced to disembark because the vehicle is destroyed, the unit is placed on the wreck or in the crater. If the unit is forced to disembark for another reason it is destroyed. The units that were in base to base contact with the access points must make a charge by chance on the embarked unit immediately if it can react
Flyers in skimmer or flyer mode and open-topped vehicles are not subject to this rule. If embarked units have to disembark place them as near as possible to the vehicle (wreck) or base
Multiple embarked units: must use different access points, if Trapped, choose access points, respective unit must charge
Skimmer: no more cover save for flat out movement
Squadron: must target the same unit,
if consists of at least two vehicles, one is squadron commander
commander: as long as commanding vehicles exists, every immobile result in squadron on vehicle with weapons left is weapon destroyed instead
rest unchanged, old allocation rules
Lumbering: can only surge if roll of 4+ on D6, if moved not faster than advance: can fire every turret mounted weapons in addition to normally allowed weapons
open topped:
has no further effect than that units can disembark and fire everywhere, no charge advantage, no damage modifier

Tanks
cannot force a surge, even if they are flat out, but can ram
AP 1 and AP – only useful against tanks
Non-tanks:
only non-tanks can force surge through terrain outside of ram
fails I-test automatically, so gets a S8 on 4+

Ramming:
now every tank shock is a ram, a ram is a straight movement with max speed (flat out or surge), if tank cannot go faster than advance, cannot ram
tank can force surge through terrain, but still can’t go flat out through it
only one turn before the movement is possible
three things can happen: tank shock through unit, passing interfering terrain, ramming attack against vehicle or building or impassable terrain
no disembarking or shooting from embarked unit or vehicle is possible after ramming
terrain:
S8 against side on 4+ as normal
Skimmer can choose to fly over terrain or go through. If go over, no tank shock or ram on units in terrain.

Tank shock:
an unit under the vehicle’s path must make a morale check
if it fails, the unit evades headless and is falling back
If check is nearly failed, unit is rolled over
If check passed but not nearly failed, can decide if nothing happens nothing happens as tanks passes by or unit is rolled over
Rolled over: unit can attempt to stop vehicle (like death or glory)
shaken units can’t try to stop
if the tanks presses on, the unit gets D3 S5 hits with Rending (2)
Ram against vehicle/building:
both vehicles deal an automatic hit to the opposing vehicle
the hit is resolved against the side in contact
to calculate the S, take the AV in contact (if it is a tank, always take the front AV) and subtract a modifier
-6 if ramming vehicle has surged
-4 if ramming vehicle moved flat out
impassable terrain and buildings have AV 14 for this purpose and can’t be damaged
Ram against walker
walker can try to stop tank as if rolled over, if vehicle isn’t stopped, impact is resolved as ram, walker cannot charge by chance
if tank would end movement on unit:
may make a 6” special move in any direction but they must try to make place for the tank, if they would be still under the vehicle they may make another 3” move and another and another, until they are 1” away from the tank and in coherency, moves are treated like consolidation moves, but can performed in every situation even if unit is immobile or can’t perform any other action
the evading unit can perform a charge by chance on the vehicle, if it can react, afterwards
comes to halt, if it: touches vehicle, building, impassable terrain, 1” before an unit in close combat or is stunned, destroyed or immobilized, movement distance is reached

Artillery: vehicle, squadron, immobile, AV 10 /10 /10, BS as crew,
no commander
can place one crew counter per artillery, some can have additional crew members
can remove counter to ignore a single crew shaken or stunned result
can fight in cc like a walker, with WS, S, I as the crew, the number of attacks is the number of crew counters plus the number of artillery devices
enemy attacks are resolved solely against the artillery

Flyers:
- can decide every round in the preparation phase: count as fast skimmer or flyer, can decide upon arrival from reserves
flyer mode:
- If flyer is in reserve, it is placed in harry reserve every time, even if it can’t outflank
- Flyers from reserve are place in the the preparation phase on any table edge
- unlike other vehicles, flyers cannot turn as they like
- ignore all terrain, even impassable
- up to 18” movement, no surge, no flat out, one turn anywhere during the movement up to 90 degrees
- must move 12” in straight line in preparation phase, can turn up to 45 degree at the end of the movement,
- must move 12” in straight line in consolidation phase, can turn up to 45 degree at the end of the movement, if reaches table edge or can’t be placed at the end of the turn, flyer is put back in harry reserve, cannot change into skimmer mode
- Flyers can always fire every weapon at a single target, all weapons have AA rule
- no (dis-)embarking, except special drops if unit has Aerial Drop special rule
- if immobilized (4) or wrecked (5), place Blast (Large) marker in random direction in 3D6”, causes S5 (against side armour), place crater
- Embarked troops are destroyed if flyer in flyer mode is wrecked or destroyed. If immobilized, unit is placed in crater, get S5 hit each, Suppressed
- flyers have their own column in the to hit chart, Blast weapons don’t use their marker, use BS to hit, if marker targets another unit and touches flyer, hit is ignored
- barrage and ordnance weapons can fire direct, but must re-roll hits, even if twin-linked, weapons that hit automatically can’t hit flyers, that includes shooting, rift and shock wave psychic powers that hit automatically
- close combat: in contact with base, attacks hit on 6, any other unit than jump infantry, jetpack infantry and jetbikes must re-roll hits
- cannot be rammed, base is treated like unit in close combat

Aerial Drop: flyer with this special rule can disembak units even if in flyer mode, in any phase embarked jump infantry and jet pack infantry can be placed via deep strike on a point, the flyer has moved over in this phase
IC: can roll two saves at the same time,
All wounds from an IC in close combat are directed. count as separate unit in assault phase for dealing damage
joining: 3” move in preparation or consolidation phase, assumes automatically squad leadership
combat: if IC is part of an unit that is in close combat, but isn’t in base to base contact, it is moved into it by the shortest distance

Squad Leader:
You must nominate one model of every unit to be the squad leader, if the unit entry doesn’t make clear which model it is in the first place.
Banner/Icon/Trophy: if squad leader is killed, standard- or icon bearer automatically becomes new squad leader.
If one or more independent characters have joined the unit, one of them automatically becomes new squad leader. If the IC is killed, the normal leader takes over.
Squad leaders can take two saves, all wounds from squad leader in close combat are directed
only applies for initial squad leader.
If the unit must take a characteristic test, use the profile of the Squad leader.
used for all kinds of things
Every time when something is measured from the squad leader, or he has to make a test for the unit, but the unit has no leader anymore, the opposing player can choose one model for this purpose

psychic powers:
Psychic test: morale check to use power, if morale check is failed, no more powers this turn from this psyker
perils: unchanged
power levels: number of psychic powers per player’s turn
power types:
- shooting power: count as firing a weapon, line of sight, BS roll or scatter if blast, fire point needed
- rift power: count as firing a weapon, true line of sight, no BS roll or scatter, only disembarked, targets suffer described effect, wounds from rift powers cause ID (2)
- modifying power: preparation phase, no line of sight or BS roll, no fire point needed, distance from hull, can only target own models inside transport; if target splits during the turn, the psyker’s player can decide on which part the power remains
- aura: preparation phase, psyker and joined unit are effected, if psyker leaves unit, power stays only with psyker, no BS roll, no fire point needed, transport unaffected, sustained power
- shock wave: count as firing a weapon, no line of sight, no BS roll needed, radius from base edge, must be disembarked, units in transports are unaffected
block: psyker in normal condition in 24” of other psyker can attempt to block psychic power, on 5+ blocked, on 1 perils of warp attack (unchanged), if equipped with similar wargear, psyker can decide which to use, only one block attempt per power
passive powers: no need for psychic test, not subject to block, don’t work if unit ‘can’t perform any action’
resonating powers: can stack
sustained powers: if psyker is shaken or engaged in close combat, power is blocked
rampant power: if psyker uses a rampant power, cannot use another power this turn, even with power level 2 or more
force weapon: as before, ID(2)
witchblades: as before, besides: force weapon with ID(1)

Unit conditions:
Morale checks: roll with 2D6 against squad leaders Ld as normal, but result of a failed or passed roll varies from situation to situation i.e. psychic test, pinning test, casualties, and are given for every situation. there is no more: “make a normal morale check”
In some situations a morale check can not only be failed or passed, but also be nearly failed. Nearly failed is if rolled higher than halved LD (rounding up) but below or equal to Ld, modifiers are applied before halving, but there are no more modifiers outside close combat
five usual situations: lost close combat, heavy casualties, pinning, psychic test, rallying
checks due to other fleeing unit is gone
Heavy casualties: made in consolidation phase, 25% casualties or more in a shooting phase: if failed: fall back

Pinning:
if morale check fails, unit is Pinned, if nearly fails, unit is Suppressed
Lost close combat:
unchanged, difference in combat resolution as modifier
- Suppressed:
non-vehicle and non-MCs units cannot move flat out, fleet, force a surge, shoot, use psychic powers, react, if they fail a T-test, they cannot surge and charge
vehicles and MC: can still react and fire a single weapon, cannot ram, (vehicles fail their T-test automatically), vehicles can only voluntarily become suppressed, embarked units in a suppressed vehicle cannot shoot from within
infantry, beasts, unit with swarm get Stealth (1) or level of stealth one up up to 3
if charged: looses suppressed status immediately
if forced to make another morale check: morale check, if nearly failed or failed, unit is Pinned instead of Suppressed
- Pinned: cannot move, shoot, make consolidate moves, use psychic powers, react
infantry, beasts, unit with swarm get Stealth (1) or level of stealth one up up to 3
if charged: looses Pinned status immediately but cannot use defensive grenades and Counter Charge USR and gains no bonus from terrain
if forced to make another morale check: morale check, if nearly failed or failed, unit is Falling Back instead of being pinned

- Falling Back:
in moment of breaking unit immediately makes consolidation move towards own table edge with surge distance, count as having surged for purposes of shooting
can act in subsequent turn as normal, but must attempt to move and simultaneously end their movement not closer to any enemy unit. If they cannot move in the movement phase because of this they are removed from play. Therefore they cannot stay stationary voluntarily or charge an enemy.
They can perform consolidation moves, but cannot end nearer to any enemy unit. Unit cannot react.
if charged: if charging model reaches the unit, unit is destroyed and charge is unsuccessful
if forced to make another morale check: unit is destroyed, does not apply for rallying
if reaches voluntarily or during their initial move the table edge: are removed from play but don’t count as destroyed
- Shaken: abbreviation for Suppressed, Pinned, Falling Back
- Immobile: abbreviation for cannot move, cannot react, cannot make consolidation moves
Rallying: suppressed and pinned units automatically recover in the consolidation phase of their next player’s turn
A falling back unit with squad leader can make a morale check in the preparation phase if there is no enemy unit in 6”. If successful the unit can act normally. If failed, the unit is not destroyed. A falling back unit can embark into a vehicle an rallies immediately. The 3” movement can be towards enemies as long as it end inside the vehicle.
Fearless (1): if any morale check for rallying, casualties, tank shock or in close combat fails, the unit can decide to pass it anyway, Fearless units treat Pinned as Suppressed, treat Falling back as normal condition
Fearless (2): as Fearless (1) but can decide to pass Pinning tests, too
Stubborn: always use the unmodified Ld for morale tests in close combat, Stubborn and Fearless (1-2) units must always choose to pass a morale check

Misc:
swarm = model with swarm rule
there is no special rule for allocating wounds against units with multiple wounds
Mission rules:
3 old types of placement, only one type of mission

Sequence:
place terrain -> decide type of placement -> place mission markers -> decide first turn -> choose stratagems -> put units in reserve ->deploy remaining units -> deploy infiltrating units -> make scout moves

First turn:
roll-off, looser bids a number of strategy points, opponent can raise or bail out, both player can raise the stake until someone bails out. Winner can decide to go first or last
Player that goes first can decide table edge and has to deploy first
The looser can spent the strategy points on stratagems
Placing mission markers: 1 marker is placed as near as possible to the middle of the table, 4 markers are placed in turn, starting with the player that goes first. marker has to be more than 12” away from table edges and other markers
marker use a 60mm base and are impassable terrain, the center marker is flat and doesn’t block line of sight, the players can use every shape they want for the markers they place, as long as it doesn’t overlap the base significantly

Night Fighting: all units Veiled (1)

Scout: 12” move before the game after infiltrators are placed, outflank

Infiltrator: can be placed anywhere outside 18” of enemy models, count as veiled (2) as long as they make no voluntary action

Outflank: nominate side, on 3+ comes from there, on 1-2 from other side

Deep Strike: mishab table as before, place squad leader,
if in 6” of enemy: 3D6” scatter, use arrow on hit symbol, if in 12”: 2D6” hit is hit, in 18”: 1D6”, outside 18”: no scatter
may only advance on turn of arrival, even with fleet or flat out, count always as (advance) moving, charge allowed

Reserves: unit(s), their transport and joined IC count as one unit for all reserve related purposes, but the unit has to start inside the transport and IC has to be in the unit, units can use special deployment options of the vehicle but not vice versa,
1. nominate any number of outflanking units to harry, place them near the table, facing the enemy’s table edge
2. flank guard: nominate half (rounding down) of the remaining units to arrive in turn 2, place them near the table, facing the small table edge
3. rear guard: the rest arrives in turn 3, place them near the table, facing the own table edge
In the preparation phase
when you put an unit in reserve you have to decide upon a deployment method
In preparation phase:
flank guard: from turn 2 on: arrives on 2+
rear guard: arrives in turn 2 on 1, and from turn 3 on on 2+
harrying units arrive on 4+ from turn 2 on
all remaining reserves are arriving on turn 6
for every harrying unit that is in reserve in the enemy’s preparation phase, you can make the enemy reroll one reserve roll
units from reserves are placed in the preparation phase in base to base contact with table edge (if not deep striking), if there is not enough space, placed back in reserves

Victory Points
both armies can collect victory points throughout the game, there are two ways: claim a kill, claim a mission marker at the end of the game turn:

Claim Kill:
every destroyed tank (not vehicle), walker, monstrous creature or independent character is a kill. Every squad leader that is killed is a kill (not counting standards, etc.)
Every kills gives one victory point

Claim Marker:
You check in your own preparation phase if you hold or control a marker. Opponent checks in his preparation phase.
You control a marker, if there is one of your scoring units in 3” of the marker and no enemy scoring unit. If you control a marker you get 3 victory points.
You hold a marker, if you don’t control it, there is one of your non-scoring non-vehicle units in 3” and no enemy unit. If you hold a marker you get 2 victory points.
You start in the preparation phase of the second going player in the second game turn. The player that goes first checks a last time at the end of the game as there is no preparation phase in turn 7.
Vehicles and shaken units are completely ignored. Embarked units only count if transport is open-topped.

Game length:
6 turns

Stratagems:
1 can place automatic turret
immobile BS 3 10/10/10
is equipped with twin-linked weapon
can choose one weapon, that an infantry model from FOC Troop can be equipped with
1 the first or last game turn is night fighting
1 can re-roll one outflanking roll and one deep striking scatter roll per turn
1 can block every psychic power on 6+ even if no psyker in 24”, psykers block on 4+
1 steal the initiative: if going second, roll at the start of the game a D6, on 6 you go first
1 own units use Ld 10 for pinning morale checks
2 one unit for every full 1500 points can get one of the following USR: Tank Hunter, Shielded, Fearless (1), Preferred Enemy, Relentless
2 decide during deployment if rear or flank guard: roll a single reserve roll for all units in chosen guard
2 Mine Field: makes one piece of terrain for every full 750 points dangerous
2 units of both forces that are holding or controlling mission marker have Overwatch USR
3 can make one non-vehicle unit upon deployment scoring
3 enemy deep striking units must subtract 6” from distance to enemy to see how they scatter
2 all weapons of one unit for every full 750 points have the Anti Air and Tracer rule
4 you can switch units from rear guard to flank guard until you roll the first reserve roll,
every unit can decide upon arrival which deployment method it uses: deep strike, normal reserve or outflank,
one unit for every full 1500 points per turn can change its deployment method to one it cannot normally be deployed with
4 All own units count as having surged or moved flat out before the game.
4 all own units are equipped with offensive grenades
6 all enemy units count as being in terrain in their first turn
6 all own units count as Veiled (2) in turn one
6 enemy rear guard and flank guard units roll like harrying units for their arrival
12 Pitch black: Night fighting with Veil (2) during the whole game
12 own units: weapons fired in 6” range count as twin-linked
12 enemy must re-roll successful cover saves
every stratagem can only be taken one time,
for every unspent point, once per game one roll may be re-roll, this cannot be the steal the iniative roll

Narratives rules:
- optional rules: apocalyptic weapons, super heavy vehicles (not much changed, but rules for damaged super heavies for small games), formations
- new deployment types, mostly taken from mission expansion
- new victory conditions
- rules for games with predetermined strategy points for both players
- three sets of additional stratagems: fortifications, deployment options, reinforced buildings
- special terrain: ruins, streets, hell rivers, deathworld mangroves, warp gate, sand pit, orbital landing platform, habitat block
- highly modular: you can mix deployment rule, victory condition, optional rules, available stratagem sets, number of strategy points to spent and special terrain: voila, you have your own mission

20 comments:

  1. I am going to be so disappointed if when 6th Edition comes out it does not have most of this.

    Move through Cover (2) for Nids would sort out so many problems.

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  2. Wow, I haven't finished painting my Grey Knights but I almost want to sell them off and start a Vanilla army just to cover my butt for 6th O.o...scared, excited and broke all at once! :)

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  3. 60mm base sounds a bit big for Objective markers. I can also see Strategy points turning into "I bit one", "I fold" for many players.

    Relentless Sternguard or Tank Hunting Terminators for two points sounds nice. I wonder if I can stick a Plasma Cannon on the automatic turret? I can see Nid players bidding three so if the opponent wants first turn they can all get Grenades.

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  4. Mother of God the Game is changing completly.


    As much as I want to spread the love I am going to leave the 6th edition rumors to you OST. I will believe them when I am holding my new rulebook in my hand.

    SO far I like what I see though. I like the return of some complexity and stuff clearly being spelled out. granted I expect a huge FAQ and some ambigious rules because of how they are worded

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  5. Sounds like a hot steaming pile of Charlie Foxtrotted complicated garbage to me.

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  6. Yeah I think they may be having a "Cavatore is gone to do a crappy game for Manic Games" party and amping up the complexity. I think this may weed out some players. With their usual release schedule for codexs they are going to have to FAQ the living crap out of the codexs or come out with them quicker.

    This looks to be a point that could really hurt GW if they continue with a marketing strategy thats not really in line with what they players want. I think 6th ed could go either way

    Let us all pray to Khaine, The gods of chaos, and Gork and mork that they don't suck.

    Otherwise we are left with a steaming pile of Charlie foxtrot.

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  7. I've only skim read - but I am liking the flying vehicles rules. Especially about destroying passengers...

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  8. Overwatch? OVERWATCH IS BACK SUCKAS!!!!!!
    Ahem. Sorry. Sounds alot like 2nd Ed to me, more emphesis on squads as a whole, more relative comparisons on shooting, ramming agogo, plus those strategems sound like the ungodly child of wargear cards (remember them anyone?) and Apocalypse/city fight. Some of these I like, some I don't, but we'll just have to wait to see what the 40k fairy brings!

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  9. It really does seem like a different game. I like some of the changes, but I always pictured 6th as 5.5, with 5th being so successful and all. I almost want to say I detect BS, but why would somebody take SO much time making these rumors.

    I am interested to see how it all developed.

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  10. I like it...kinda. Very reminiscent of v.2 or 3 with stratagem cards. No Virus Grenade please!

    But so much for a simple game that is accessible for kids yet intricate enough for adults. This level of rules is NOT friendly to non-gamer types. I don't know how the hell GW shops are going to run intro games for this. Are they giving up on recruiting new players and catering to veteran gamers?

    This is a MASSIVE paradigm shift for GW if that is the case! If so they have basically given up on growing their business and I have a hard time believing a publicly traded company would make that decision. Then again, two years ago I might have had a hard time buying that, but with the move to one man shops who knows?

    Maybe GW has decided to castle up for the next five-year plan and give in to the demands of the competitive gamer types and give them clearly spelled out competition rules? That doesn't sound like the GW I know, but Rick Priestly is no longer there.

    If this IS happening I can see why there were rumours about a "one book containing rules and armies thing". It would be like the 3rd edition book with "get-you-by" army lists with the changes to codices to make the game playable until they got redone. Otherwise who knows what level your Lances or Move Through Cover would be for units.

    These changes would sure make my Dark Eldar happy since I'd be able to move around in Raiders and fire off from them with Splinter fire like they're supposed to in the background!

    No more IG Mech Vets parked on an objective claiming it is good too. They'd actually have to disembark to claim it, making them vulnerable to shooting/assaults.

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  11. Also, if this stuff is true...

    so much for GW's new vaunted "NO RUMOURS" policy!

    LMFAO! This is basically the whole change to editions right here!

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  12. Even if half of these rumors are true, it looks like a great re-creation of the game. I like the more intricate rules and added strategies. I'm sure when the box set(s) come out they will have simplified rules to get new players in and hit them with the better rules later.
    The whole betting for first turn and strategy cards are a bit iffy though, they could really sway a game.

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  13. Farmer makes an excellent point. It seems as if some long lost 2nd edition concepts are making a comeback. I wonder if this means I will get Solitaires back and start using Harlequins again.


    The change in direction is really going to change the dynamics of how units work. Longfangs on overwatch sound like bad news. Or Dark Reapers even, or lootas. I am having Acid flashbacks to 2nd ed

    KKKKKK YEAAAHHHH!!!!!!!

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  14. I didn't read any of these rumors, but I'm excited to hear that 6th is on the way.

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  15. For a recent example of how a major game company can take an extremely successful edition of their game and completely make it unrecognizable, thereby alienating a good portion of their customer base, with a new edition, look no further than Wizards of the Coast. 4E anyone?

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  16. Well put Chaplain. I loathe 4th ed d&d. It is not d&d in practice or feeling. This parallel makes me nervous. Granted Alessio Cavatore kind of killed 40K a little. Apparantly the game he is making for Manic games is very 40K like and even more simple. Not a fan, but still I am nervous now.

    god I hate 4ed d&d

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  17. Looks sweet but it will rain hell on tournaments for years. It's hard enough for many players to get their game done in 2.5 hours. I suppose veteran players who usually finish in 1.5-2 will be going to time even if they are fairly well versed in the rules.

    I finally now feel like I know the rules to 5th after trying hard to learn them for years. I guess this has to do with how poorly written previous editions were. I've fallen asleep in my rule book a few times. If 6th is well written it shouldn't be hard to learn nearly completely.

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  18. I know we talked about Nids being boned in the last set of rumors, but I think there are some gems here, like we just need to pass an initiatve test and we can charge anyone with out the loss of initiative did to terrain. That makes me happy.
    Also, Nids don't really give a Damn about overwatch as we will be winning our games in assault.
    Maybe I won't pawn my little prawns for now.

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  19. If these really are what is happening to the game then for the first time since the game 1st came out I will no longer be playing. Would mean GW finally came up with a way to save me money, and price increases wont be a matter any more. Thinking of stopping buying anything till the new rules come out.

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  20. it all locks jazzy to me and it will be fun to try out all the new things. the one thing that id like to know is: What about synaps, id like to be abel to look at my synaps range when ever i like. just like they can do in fantasy, it sucks that tyranid players are more bound to this then outer players that can move free over the bord.

    sure you have your morla to roll, but you are still free to move as you plz.

    nice post man :D

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