We had our first real sight of the rules for Warhammer: The Old World last week, with an in-depth look at the turn structure and the Strategy Phase.
It’s now time to investigate one of the major mechanics that differentiates this game from any other Warhammer game: its movement system. But before you can move, you need a formation – it’s time to rank up.
Formation
All units in the game must adopt a formation, which will dictate how they act in battle, including moving and fighting. Most units can only adopt one: Close Order, though some can also choose options such as Skirmish or Open Order, and for Bretonnian Knights, the mighty Lance formation.
Close Order units are arrayed in base-to-base contact, facing the same direction in order to fight in ranks. Where possible, there must be the same number of models in each rank, with more models in the rank than the file,* which sometimes means leaving spaces in the back rank if necessary. They move and fight as a single entity – walking, wheeling, charging, and exposing their flanks and rears. The more full ranks you have, the greater your advantage in combat.
When they need to move rapidly, your units can adopt a Marching Column, reforming into a shape that’s deeper than it is wide. A unit formed in this way may not charge and earns no rank bonus in combat, but it can move at triple speed.
Units with the Skirmisher special rule do not need to rank up at all. So long as each model is within an inch of at least one of its comrades, they can fan out. They tend to be highly manoeuvrable, harrying enemy units with missile fire and hit-and-fade flank charges. Open Order units still fight in ranks, meanwhile, but they’re faster, more agile, and handle tough terrain better.
The Movement Phase
There’s plenty more to it than that, but it’s now time to take a look at the Movement Phase. This is – as with every phase in the game – divided into four parts.
The first of these is Declare Charges, in which the active player nominates each unit that they want to charge and their targets. Charging is the only way to enter combat, and there are a couple of caveats: the target must be visible to your unit and at least partially in its front arc, and your unit cannot be fleeing, rallied this turn, or already engaged in combat. You may, however, pre-measure the distance to your targets.
After all this, the inactive player declares Charge Reactions. Most units may Hold to receive the charge, Stand and Shoot if they have missile weapons and are further away than the charging unit’s Movement characteristic, or Flee by pivoting around 180 degrees and trying to escape. If you’re caught, however, you’ll be run down and destroyed! Beyond that, some especially alert units may Counter Charge…
The second step is to actually make your Charge Moves. To establish the range of their charge, units roll two dice, pick the highest score from the two and add it to their Movement characteristic. This means a unit of Skeleton Warriors has a charge range of between 5” and 10”, but Bretonnian Knights are rather more dangerous – their Swiftstride special rule adds an extra d6” to every charge they make.
If you’re in range – accounting for wheeling** – move the charging unit into base contact with its target, bringing the maximum number of models from both sides into combat. If you whiff the roll, however, the charge has failed. The unit must move the full distance rolled towards its target, but your warriors haven’t got the impetus to complete the charge and they’re now ripe to be hit back next turn!
The third step accounts for Compulsory Moves. This is mostly to accommodate fleeing units that failed to rally during the last Strategy Phase, but it includes other rarer moves such as the Random Movement of Night Goblin Fanatics, or Stone Trolls who have failed their Stupidity test.
The fourth step covers the Remaining Moves – regular manoeuvres that don’t result in combat.
The Mechanics of Movement
As you’d expect from a game of multi-model units acting in concert, movement in Warhammer: The Old World is fairly involved. In general, units may Move or March, performing Manoeuvres on the way. In the first case, they move up to their Movement characteristic, and may then shoot later in the turn. In the latter case, they may double their pace*** but they sacrifice the ability to perform any manoeuvre more complex than a wheel, and their ability to shoot this turn, for speed.
While moving, a unit may Wheel, in which the unit pivots from one of the front corners of its leading edge, measuring distance from the outside model. You may also Turn all a unit’s models through 90 or 180 degrees, spending a quarter of your Movement for each 90 degrees, Move Backwards or Sideways at half pace, and Redress the Ranks or Reform.
So what happens after you charge? A lot of angry jostling with sharpened metal… which we’ll find out in another article…
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* In other words, the unit needs to be at least as wide as it is deep.
** The distance the unit wheels is deducted from its charge range.
*** Or if you were smart enough to put them in Marching Column… even faster!