Epic Engage Action for Dummies

Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................... 2
Epic - Actions ....................................................................................... 2
Purpose ............................................................................................... 2
Basics .................................................................................................... 4
Units ................................................................................................... 4
Formations .......................................................................................... 4
Stats................................................................................................... 5
Close Combat ...................................................................................... 5
Firefight .............................................................................................. 6
Movement Distance (Speed) .................................................................. 7
Close Combat Measuring ....................................................................... 7
The Engage Action................................................................................... 8
Step IV Resolve Attacks...................................................................... 8
Step V Work out result ..................................................................... 10
i Choose Target Formation and ii Make Charge Move .......................... 11
Basic Close Combat - Example ................................................................ 12
Hits and Saves ................................................................................... 13
Combat Resolution ............................................................................. 14
Supporting Fire ..................................................................................... 15
Blast Markers (BM) and Broken Units ....................................................... 17
Abilities that Affect Close Combat ............................................................ 19
Techniques and Tactics .......................................................................... 21
Appendix a Thunderbus Terminators .................................................. 28
Introduction
Epic is a tabletop wargame and has arguably some of the best game mechanics
available.

The game has been unsupported by its creators (Games Workshop) for many
years now but never-the-less retains a small but very loyal following; to the
level where several, active, 3rd party studios produce their own proxy models for
the game for most of the traditional factions.

Epic - Actions
Epic is quite easy to learn; the number of things you can do with the models
(called Actions) is limited to approximately 8 basic Actions; Advance, Double,
March, Sustained Fire, Overwatch, Engage, Marshal and Hold.

These Actions allow the models to move, shoot (ranged combat), affect
status/maintenance or assault (close combat).

Some of the Actions fit into multiple categories, for example; the Advance Action
allows the player to move and shoot, the Marshall Action allows the player to
regroup then (shoot or move), and the Engage Action allows the player to move
and close combat.

Purpose
When introducing beginners to Epic a common approach is to focus on
movement and shooting Actions. This gets their troops actively into battle in a
very short timeframe which is often encouraging for newcomers.

It will not take many games though before they start noticing the differences
between the factions as they start playing against them.

Some armies are intended to fight at long range where the army list biases
favours artillery and medium-long range firepower. Other armies are intended to
fight at close range where the army list emphasises speed and close combat
abilities.

Beginner players using certain factions may notice that their army is not
performing particularly well (especially in shoot-outs). Others may keep getting
swamped by hordes that rush unstoppably up the board at them and somehow
Firefighting at them before some extra dice are rolled and some more pieces
are removed... hmmm.
Close combat, also know as Assault, is done using the Engage Action.

Beginner players are usually aware that Close Combat exists but it is sometimes
not covered in as much details as shooting is. To be brutally honest shooting is a
far simpler mechanism. At some point however;
i) in order to progress as a player,
ii) to get their army performing better,
iii) to understand how to avoid getting zerg-rushed, or
iv) to simply add another option to their skill set,
the player MUST STUDY CLOSE COMBAT.

The purpose of this article is to explain the nuance of Epic Close Combat/Assault
in detail.

A Personal Note
As someone going through this player development myself Ive been revisiting
Minigeddon. Ive been reviewing my old lists, making new ones, and noticing
that the lists really arent that different; the mindset is.

Previously the lists were built around using tanks or titans as the armys
spearhead, heavy hitters with infantry available as filler, for taking objectives,
moving quickly, and basically being a meat-shields for the armour.

After revisiting Close Combat i can now see the tanks as a method for softening
up targets for Assaults. The Mobile infantry are now the primary weapon and
tanks are the support.

Naturally the roles can be adjusted as the game unfolds but Close Combat can
add extra depth to your strategic options.
Basics
The intended audience for this article are people who are already at least mildly
familiar with Epic. We will however review some basic concepts in order to
clearly define them before we start looking at Assault in detail.

For beginners it is highly recommended that you have at least scanned through
the Epic Rule Books Assault section (NetEA Tournament Pack section 1.12
ASSAULTS).

Units
A Unit refers to a single vehicle model [left pic] or a single infantry base
containing 1 or more infantry models on it [right pic] (sometimes referred to as
sticks or bases).

Formations
A Formation is a virtual grouping of Units.

Formations may be a collection of Units (multiple sticks of infantry and/or

vehicles [left pic]), or Formations can contain just a single Unit (i.e. Titan or War
Engine [right pic]).
The players orders are allocated to the Formation and all Units within the
Formation must then perform the same Action.

The Units within a Formation must maintain coherence and are all included in
Combat calculations (i.e. can shoot or have hits allocated to them).

The use of Formations speeds up the game rather than having to process each
model independently, additionally each Unit within the Formation could also be
thought of as the Formations hit points.

Single Unit/Model Formations: Units that can count as a Formation on their own
are usually large, powerful models. They represent entities that can (usually)
take multiple hits of damage and may have as many weapons systems on-board
as a squad of infantry. They are complex entities in their own right.

Stats
Every Unit in Epic has some common statistics (stats) that help define what it
can do on the board.

In the example above a Formation of Dark Reapers is made up of (8) Dark

Reaper Units. Each of these Units has exactly the same statistics and can do
exactly the same things.

The Engage Action is primarily concerned with the following stats:

Speed: When performing an Engage Action the Unit may move up to the
Speed distance only.

CC: This determines the dice roll required to hit the enemy units at very
close range.

FF: This determines the dice roll required to hit the enemy when
slightly further away.

Armour: This determines the dice roll required to deflect incoming hits from
the enemy (negate damage).

Close Combat
The Close Combat (CC) value is only used when two models are in direct, base-
to-base contact.
 Caveat - Two rows
If you have two friendly Units of infantry in base-to-base contact then
only the front Unit uses CC, the one behind uses FF. So not how vehicle
cover saves work.

Example: In the picture below blue Units A and Units B are in base-to-
base contact, and Units A is in base-to-base with red Unit X. Unit X and
Unit Units A use their CC values, and Units B uses their FF values.

Firefight
The Firefight (FF) value is used when two Units are not in base-to-base contact
and are less than 15cm from each other.

15cm is the Firefight range, it is a fixed range and never varies regardless of
faction or model; small arms do not shoot further than this range.

Firefighting Units must be within range and have direct line of sight to the
enemy (i.e. not around the corner of a building).

Note that Units armed with close combat weapons but no Small Arms or other
ranged weapons listed may only attack with CC and may not use FF. This is not
a particularly common characteristic.

In the example from the picture above the Hormagaunt Unit does not have a
ranged weapon of any kind therefore it does not have a FF value, only a CC
value. If it does not manage to get into base-to-base contact with an enemy it
may not attack at all.

The Termagant unit on the other hand is noted as having Small Arms allowing it
to Firefight. Note that in its Range value (15cm) is written in parenthesis and
this is commonly used to imply that the weapon can only be used in Firefights,
i.e. it effectively cannot be used for long range shooting Actions such as
Advance, Double etc.

As a point of interest neither of these units has an Amour Save value, so any
hits made against these Unit types will automatically cause them to become
casualties.
Movement Distance (Speed)
The Speed value on the Units stats line
Movement Distance. This is the maximum
making an Advance Action (move/shoot),
combat), a Marshall Action (regroup/move) or
is sometime referred to as the
distance a unit can move when
an Engage Action (move/close
a Hold Action (move).

Unlike some games that give a unit that is Charging into close combat a
movement bonus, Epic does not. As with all movement actions the Unit does not
need to move the full distance (i.e. for most infantry 15cm).

Multiple Movement hops

A Double Action (move, move, shoot) allows the unit to make two hops of their
Movement Distance before doing a ranged shooting attack. It is an important
distinction that each hop is an independent step within the Action; why?
Overwatched Action can be trigged at any of the start/end points, or transports
Units can drop/pickup at any of the start/end points.

Close Combat Measuring

Combat in Epic is often done with squads (Formations), not with individual
models (Units), so an Engage Action will frequently pit two squads against each
other. Some of these Units may be within CC range, others may be in FF range,
and others still may be outside combat range entirely. When the models have
been positioned work out which are within each range.

Example
In the picture below the red Formation has two Units; Unit X and Unit Y. The
blue Formation has 4 Units; Unit A, Unit B, Unit C, and Unit D.

Unit X and Unit A are in base-to-base contact and must use their CC value only,
so for example Unit X cannot nominate to FF at Unit B.

Unit D is outside combat range from Unit X but is in FF range from Unit Y.

All other Units will use their FF value.

The Engage Action
Again, it is assumed that the reader will be at least passingly familiar with the
Engage Action as per the Epic Rule book (section 1.12 ASSAULTS)

The Assault procedure is divided into several steps

I Choose target formation

II Make charge move
III Make counter-charges
IV Resolve attacks
V Work out result
VI Loser withdraws
VII Winner consolidates

With the exceptions of steps IV and V the steps can be as simple as they sound.
There are of course conditional caveats, considerations and complexities that can
be added to all of the steps.

Note: There is no bonus for being the Unit that initiates an Engage Action (no +1
charge bonus or similar).

Step IV Resolve Attacks

In this step both sides attack each other at the same time.

Abstraction

When considering Close Combat it may be helpful to think of the board/game as

an abstraction of battle.

When two Formations fight they are not hitting/blocking/shooting/dodging in

real-time as the dice are rolled. Instead an Action represents the summary
results of e.g. 5-minutes of battle.

During this time Units will hit/block/shoot/dodge and we know that at the end of
that time Unit A hit and Unit B caused hits, Unit Cs armour saved them at some
stage, and Unit X and Unit Y are dead.

In this context the simultaneousness of Close Combat might be clearer.

Hits
Every Unit (base/model) in range uses either its CC or FF value to try to hit the
enemy. A dice is rolled for each Unit and any dice roll greater than or equal to
the attacking Units CC or FF value (as appropriate) causes a hit on an enemy
model.

i) Unit X rolls dice to see how many hits they cause to Unit A
and
ii) Unit A rolls dice to see how many hits they cause to Unit X
Note: Hits may only be allocated to Units that are within range, so if a Formation
is spread out with some Units further than the FF range of any attacker then
those distant Units may not be allocated hits. These units may still be allocated
extra hits during Combat Resolution (refer to Allocating Extra Hits).

(Armour) Saves
If the Unit has an Armour Save value it rolls a dice and any value greater than
or equal to the Armour value negates the hit against the Unit.

iii) Unit X may use any Armour Saves to try to negate any hits caused by
Unit A
and
iv) Unit A may use any Armour saves to try to negate any hits caused by
Unit X

All of these steps (i -> iv) happen simultaneously in terms of game timeline.
As such the steps can be performed in any order i.e.

Unit X rolls hits -> Unit A rolls armour saves -> Unit A rolls hits -> Unit X rolls
armour saves

or

Unit X rolls hits -> Unit A rolls hits -> both roll for armour save etc.

The take away point is that Unit X does not attack first thus removing potential
attackers from Unit A if they attack second.

Mixed Unit Types in Formations

Although both sides attack/save at the same time is it important to note and
process any different Unit (model) types within the squads.

For example: an infantry based Formation may have 4 infantry Units and 2
transport Units. The infantry Units will possibly have different CC, FF and Armour
Save values than the transport Units.

The Formation is an indivisible grouping once the game starts so you cannot
have only the infantry models fighting or only the transport models fighting; the
combat involves the entire Formation. The players must be mindful to use the
correct CC/FF stats when working out hits/saves.

If a Unit has been hit and does not successfully make an Armour Save then it is
a casualty and is set aside for the next step.
Step V Work out result
This is commonly known as Combat Resolution. Once the hits and saves have
been processed a calculation is then performed to determine the winner of the
Engage Action. Killing enemy Units helps but it is not the only consideration in a
Close Combat action.

This calculation is performed even if neither side has taken any casualties.

Both players roll two dice and choosing the highest value. They then apply
modifiers from the following table (highlighted red). The player with the highest
combined total (dice roll + modifiers) is the winner of the combat. If the result is
a draw then another round of close combat is performed immediately.

Resolution Calculation
Dice roll a+
Number of kills inflicted on the enemy b+
If you have more units remaining than the enemy 1+
You have more than twice as many units remaining 1+
You have no blast markers 1+
The enemy has more blast markers 1
= Total

Allocating Extra Hits

The Resolution value for both sides is calculated and then the difference is
determined.

The different is the number of Extra Hits that are allocated to the losing side
(with no saves allowed). Yep, this means removing move Units from the
Formation, so Close Combat can be extra devastating for the losing side beyond
losing the first lot of Units, getting broken and having to run away.

Being mindful of both your and your opponents Formations state (BM, Unit
numbers, Characters etc) is critical. If the target Formation is weakened (or your
side is stronger) then Close Combat may be advantageous (you never know until
the dice are cast). Conversely it might be good for your weaker Formation to
retreat, or use a ranged attack to weaken your opponent if they look like
launching an Assault.

Extra hits may also be allocated to Units in the losing side that were outside
Firefight range and were unable to participate directly in the Combat.
i Choose Target Formation and ii Make Charge Move
The attacking Formation must be within 1 Movement Distance + 15cm of the
target Formation. If the attacking Formation does not get at least one Unit to
within 15cm of the target Formation then the Engage Action stalls and there is
no combat. The entire Formation does not need to be with 15cm.

An attacking Formation moving towards a target Formation is called a

Charge/Charge Move. The attacking Formation does not need to move forward
toward the enemy, they can move backward; for example, if they start close to
the target Formation and wish to force the use of FF values instead of CC.

An attacking Formation does not need to have any Units in base-to-base contact
for the Engage Action to continue, provided there are Units within 15cm of each
other.

Example

In this example the two Formations both in range to perform Close Combat and
all units will use their FF values. The furthest Blue Unit is actually outside
combat range and cannot shoot (though it could be allocated Extra Hits during
Combat Resolution).
Basic Close Combat - Example
(Especially) for the benefit of Epic newcomers this segment is an analysis of the
steps of a basic Engage Action from end to end.

1) Red Formation activates and declares an Engage Action.

2) Red Formation performs a Charge, moving up so that all Units are within
range, but does not move any Units into base-to-base. Note that red Unit
T and Unit Z are in base-to-base of each other.
3) Blue Formation performs a counter charge. Note that blue Formation has
collected a Blast Marker before the Assault happens.
Units A, B and C do not move and are in FF range anyway. Units D, E and
F are shuffled forward. Unit G moves into base-to-base with red Unit T
(and by proxy Unit Z).

Why move some units forward?

- The Units may have better Armour Saves providing a shield to weaker
units at the back (not all Units in the Formation have to be the same.
- The units may be expendable or the ones at the back of higher
value, i.e. an Inspiring Character that will provide a bonus during
Combat Resolution (not the case in this example).

Hit casualties are taken from front-to-back (in general) so the positioning
of Units can be important.

4) Hits and Saves are calculated [see next section]

5) Results: blue formation loses 3 Units; E, F and G.
Red formation loses 2 Units; S and T.
6) The casualties are set aside and Combat Resolution is performed [see
next section].
Blue Formation loses the assault by a difference of 1. Unit D is removed
as an Extra Hit casualty (no saves).
7) Blue Formation is broken and moves away (further than shown in the
diagram, so well outside of the 15cm range of Red Formation)
Red formation decides to stay where they are. They receive 2 Blast
Markers for loses 2 Units in combat which is not enough to break the
Formation.
Hits and Saves

Hits
Blue Formation Red Formation
Unit Stat used Roll Unit Stat used Roll
A FF 5+ 3 (miss) S FF 4+ 6 (hit)
B FF 5+ 6 (hit) T CC 4+ 1 (miss)
C FF 5+ 6 (hit) X FF 4+ 6 (hit)
D FF 6+ 1 (miss) Y FF 4+ 5 (hit)
E FF 6+ 4 (miss) Z CC 3+ 3 (hit)
F FF 6+ 2 (miss)
G CC 3+ 4 (hit)
Hits 3 Hits 4
Blue Formation gets 3 hits against Red Formation, 2 from FF and 1 from CC. the
CC unit (perhaps a leader or CC specialist) has a good CC stat and takes
advantage of that.

Red Formation gets 4 hits against Blue Formation, 3 from FF and 1 from CC. Unit
Z has a good CC stat indicating why it was pushed to the front of the Formation.

[As it turns out Blue Formation has an equivalent high CC Unit to match it, but if Blue didnt it might have left
all its units back using their FF values.]

As a comparison Red Formation has better overall stats averaging 4+ to hit, as

opposed to Blue Formations 5+/6+.

Technically the CC and FF hits should be grouped and allocated against the
Units using the different Stats, so G, T and Z can only allocate CC against each
other, and the other units allocate FF against other FF participants.

In the case of CC; if T and Z both score hits, then those 2 hits can only be
allocated to G. If G is killed by the 1st hit then the 2nd hit does not carry over to a
FF Unit.

Saves
Blue Formation Red Formation
Unit Save used Roll Unit Save used Roll
A None - S 4+ 2 (fail)
B None - T 4+ 3 (fail)
C None - X 4+ 5 (save)
D 6+ 6 (save) Y 4+ -
E 6+ 2 (fail) Z 4+ -
F 6+ 4 (fail)
G 5+ 1 (fail)
CASUALTIES 3 CASUALTIES 2
Blue Formation fails 3 of the 4 hits against it, so 3 Casualties from the combat.
Note that Units A, B and C have no armour save, indicating why they were left at
the back of the formation.

Blue Player has decided to put the strongest Units at the front to shield the
weaker Units. As Casualties taken is part of the Resolution it makes sense to
reduce Casualties as much as possible. A meat-shield of weak units might
protect high-value Units kept toward the back but may impact the Resolution
calculation negatively. The setup for close combat is highly situational and
learned through experience.

Despite have a higher Armour Save that the other Units, G fails its Save.

Red Formation fails 2 of the 3 hits against it, so 2 Casualties from the combat,
despite decent Amour Saves for all Units.

Combat Resolution

The Combat Resolution calculation for both sides:

Blue Formation
Number of kills inflicted on the enemy 2
You have more units remaining than the enemy 1
You have more than twice as many units remaining -
You have no blast markers -
The enemy has more blast markers -
Dice Roll: 2d6 result [3,1] pick highest = 3 3
TOTAL (3 attributes + 3 dice) 6

Red Formation
Number of kills inflicted on the enemy 3
You have more units remaining than the enemy -
You have more than twice as many units remaining -
You have no blast markers 1
The enemy has more blast markers 1
Dice Roll: 2d6 result [2,2] pick highest = 2 2
TOTAL (5 attributes + 2 dice) 7

So the difference in the values is (7-6=) 1. So one Extra Hit to be allocated to

Blue Formation. The Extra Hit can be allocated to any Unit in the Formation, not
to the Unit(s) closest the enemy.

In the case of the example the player removes Unit D (which happens to be the
closest. Although Unit D gets an Armour Save it has a lower FF value than the
other Units. The player decides that theyd prefer better FF than better Armour
Save. Against, its a situational decision.
Supporting Fire
Supporting Fire is a tremendously important tool for employing Close Combat
tactics.

Supporting Fire is where a nearby Unit adds extra Firefight attacks against the
enemy. It has many obvious benefits and very few downsides.

The following picture shows an example involving Supporting Fire.

Formation A initiates an Engage Action with Formation B. Formation C is

Formation As ally and is close to the Close Combat location so it will provide
Supporting Fire.

Timing
At the end of Phase IV (Resolve Attacks) and before Phase V (Work out
Results) Supporting Fire can be performed, but only if there are units left on
both sides.

- If Formation B only had 4 Units to start with and Formation A scores 6

unsaved hits (very lucky), then Formation B has been wiped out and no
Supporting Fire is required (or legally possible).
- Similarly if Formation B wipes out Formation A then no Supporting Fire
may be applied to Formation B.

Manoeuvring Units into positions that allow Supporting Fire is a very important
consideration during game play.

Supporting Fire is unaffected by suppression (as imposed by Blast Markers).

Supporting Fire cannot target other enemy Units that are also providing
Supporting Fire.
In order to provide Supporting Fire Formation C must be within 15cm (Firefight
range) of Formation B at the point in time when it may roll for hits.

Distinction: If there are no Units from Formation B in range after its combat with
Formation A then Formation C may not shoot at it. This might happen if Units
were removed from Formation B during combat with Formation A.

The Supporting Fire Unit (Formation C) can have already Activated during the
current turn; it may still perform Supporting Fire. Providing Supporting Fire does
not count as Activating, so if a Unit has not activated this turn and provides
Supporting Fire, it may then Activate during the current turn.

Supporting Fire units may not be retaliated against by the target of the Engage
Action (Formation B) or any Units they might call in to provide their own
Supporting Fire.

Combat Resolution - Number of kills inflicted on the enemy

Supporting Fire Units do not count toward the Combat Resolution calculation,
with the exception of the casualties that they cause.

Looking at the Number of kills inflicted on the enemy modifier, this value is the
total of all casualties from the combat between Formation A and Formation B
(CC and/or FF) PLUS any casualties added by Supporting Fire from Formation C.

Combat Resolution More units

Supporting Fire Units do not count toward the If you have more units remaining
than the enemy or You have more than twice as many units remaining
modifiers in Combat Resolution.

If Formation B has more Units left than just Formation A then that is what is
counted in the calculation, any Units in Formation C are irrelevant.

Combat Resolution Blast Markers

Supporting Fire Units do not count toward the You have no blast markers or
The enemy has more blast markers modifiers in Combat Resolution.

So if Formation C is providing Supporting Fire and has 2 Blast Markers but

Formation A has none then there are no Blast Markers for Formation A. If
Formation B happens to have 1 Blast Marker it will have more Blast Markers than
Formation A (1:0) giving Formation A +1 (enemy has more blast markers
modifier) and Formation A will get +1 (has no blast markers modifier).

Combat Resolution - Extra Hits & Blast Markers

Supporting Fire Units cannot be allocated any Extra Hits caused by losing the
Combat Resolution calculation.
Example: At the end of Combat Resolution Formation A has 2 units remaining
and scored/rolled a value of 5. Formation B has 3 units remaining and
scored/rolled a value of 9. The difference in value is 4 (9 5) meaning that
Formation A will suffer an extra 4 casualties.

As Formation A only has 2 units left there are still 2 casualties unallocated.
Those unallocated casualties cannot be rolled over to Formation C and are
discarded.

However Formation C would received a BM.

[Quote from Taccmd]

+1BM to units that are in support fire range of a friendly unit that loses in
assault. This is very useful for prepping a second formation.

Blast Markers (BM) and Broken Units

Blast Markers represent the current state of a Formations morale. If the
Formation accumulates too many Blast Markers then the Formation breaks and
becomes combat ineffective (i.e. it cannot perform any Actions and can be
destroyed much easier).

Blast Markers are an extremely important factor in the Combat Resolution. Be

especially mindful of the state of a potential target Formation. If the Formation
you are charging has no Blast Markers and your Formation does, then you are
fighting an uphill battle from the start thats a +2 modifier to Combat
Resolution to them before any dice have even been rolled.

STOP! Regardless of the strength of your Formation look around for another
nearby Unit. If that Unit has ranged weapons (and no higher priority targets or
tactics) then strongly consider performing a Ranged Attack Action (i.e. advance,
double) against the target with that shooting Unit BEFORE performing the
Engage Action.

If possible perform the Ranged Attack Action, and then try to retain initiative to
immediate continue with the Engage Action (Dont allow a weakened enemy
Formation to escape).

It is worth noting that Units can shoot at targets they cannot damage but they
do require a ranged weapon,

[Quote from Taccmd]

[a] shooting attack may be unable to inflict hits (eg, shooting AP at an

armoured vehicle), but can still place a BM.
[Quote from the Netea rules (FAQ)]

1.9.4 Place Blast Marker

Q: Can a formation of units armed only with AP fire at an enemy formation of

armoured vehicles to place a Blast marker on them?

A: Yes, and the same holds for the situation in reverse (AT fire on infantry)

Firefight weapons specifically cannot be used in this way.

[Quote from the Netea rules (FAQ)]

1.9.4 Place Blast Marker

Q: Can a formation of units armed only with Small Arms fire at an enemy
formation to place a Blast marker on them?

A: No.
Abilities that Affect Close Combat
There are many abilities that Units may have that modify aspects of Close
Combat; Commander, Inspiring, First-Strike, Extra Attacks, to name just a few.
The following section covers some of the more important and common
Modifiers.

Commander
The Commander ability allows a Formation to draw in up to 2 other nearby
Formations into an Assault. Until the end of the Assault all three Formations are
counted as a single (combined) Formation.

Why? Units providing Supporting Fire may only use their FF values, i.e. they may
not CC. The Commander ability allows the combined Assault force to use CC or
FF as appropriate.

Additionally it will affect the has more units and has more than double units of
enemy modifiers in Combat Resolution calculation.

Inspiring Character
During Combat Resolution a +1 modifier is added to any Formation containing
an Inspiring Character (provided the Inspiring Unit is still alive). An easy 1+ for
Combat Resolution but does costs points from your list selection.

First Strike
A Unit with First Strike attacks first in an Assault AND its unsaved hits can
remove the enemy Units BEFORE they get to make their attacks.

This may result in some enemy Units being destroyed before they can attack. If
both sides have First Strike weapons then these are resolved simultaneously
before regular attacks are processed.

Extra Attacks
A unit may have extra CC, FF or both attacks. However, as a unit may only
perform CC or FF then only applicable Extra Attacks are applied.

Invulnerable Save
Units with an Invulnerable Save may use these if they have no Armour Save or if
they fail their Armour Save. An Invulnerable Save negates a hit on (normally)
6+.
Note: Invulnerable Save ability is normally associated with a Character Unit
(Model) that is added onto a Formation. The Invulnerable Save does not apply to
all Units within the Formation, only to the Character Unit with that ability.

Cover Save
Cover Save may be taken by the targeted Units but not by the Units instigating
the Engage Action.

Note: Cover Save is on a Unit-by-Unit basis, so having one Unit in cover (rubble
etc) does not entitle the entire Formation to a Cover Save.
Techniques and Tactics
To conclude we will look at some in situ concepts regarding Close Combat
including some example scenarios and some of the more common techniques
used when performing Engage Actions.

Commander worth taking?

[Quote from Wargamerau]

Commander is a really limited ability and I would query how often it's used.
Like you said, it does allow you to do those things but most of the time you'll
want to save the second unit from harm if things go poorly rather than drag
them in and use the activation. Most of the time you wouldn't Commander
charge and you would just punch stuff with one formation and get support from
the other.

Librarian worth taking? [marines specific]

[Quote from Wargamerau]

Chaplins are the go. +1 to combat res is better then a macro shot FF

It is generally acknowledged that the Chaplain is one of the better options to add
to a Unit intended for Close Combat use due to the Inspiring bonus added during
Combat Resolution.

However, the following is an insightful counter-argument in response.

[Quote from Taccmd]

I think Librarians are actually better in Devastator formations than Chaplains.

Assuming that the formation engages in FF only, and wins the engagement
(that's what devastators are supposed to do, after all), the Librarian would inflict
0.67 extra hit (from the MW FF), and an additional 0.67 extra damage to
hackdown. The odds of winning the engagement goes down slightly (0.67 hits vs
the +1 inspiring) but the damage to the target goes up slightly (0.67 damage +
0.67 hackdown vs +1 hackdown).

In addition, the MW FF synergizes nicely with using the devastators for support
fire in engagements.

Equally worthwhile opinions so by all means explore the different options and
find out what works for your play style.
Assaulting from Transports
For normal vehicles that are part of a Formation (i.e. not War Engines) the
troops may disembark and take part in an Engage Action.

This is a great bonus for infantry units who are normally very slow across the
board.

It is worth noting that the disembarking troops cannot move (i.e. shuffle up into
base-to-base) after disembarking.

Example

In this example red transport (with troops loaded) moves 30cm toward blue
Formation (1). The troops then disembark within 5cm of the transport (2). At
this stage blue may counter-charge, and then hits/saves happen.

Item (X) shows the comparative range of movement between transport and
non-transport (non-transport cannot get into Assault range). Clearly the
transported version provides a movement advantage (as well as an extra Unit)
for the Assault.

Regarding Movement
The Units to be transported must be loaded in the transport before commencing
the Engage Action. The Transport is the Unit performing the move part of the
Action (move -> CC attack). At the end of the transports move it is allowed to
disembark troops, then the movement phase is complete (i.e. the troops moving
further would constitute a 2nd movement).

The troops may be placed up to 5cm from the transport as part of a standard
disembark, giving them a little extra distance (perhaps even into CC range).
When disembarking from transports the 'within 5cm' means some part of the
stand within 5cm and not that the entire stand need to be within 5cm.

Using the basic transport rule troops cannot embark and disembark as part of
the same movement, the troops must already be loaded into the transport
before it makes its move if the troops are to take part in the combat. The
transport cannot embark the troops, then move, and then disembark the troops
and attack.

Technically the transport could embark the troops, then move, then attack by
itself (losing any extra dice from the embarked troops).

Air Assault
Many beginners start learning using Minigeddon, a 1,000 point variant of the
game. This keeps games quick and stats to memorise manageable. One
limitation of Minigeddon is a no-fliers rule, so by definition this pushes the Air
Assault technique into the learn this later basket.

Technically Air Assault only applies to War Engine Air Craft (and perhaps Drop
Pods), as any vehicle transports are counted as Armoured Vehicle (AV not AC).

As an example, Marines Stormravens look like AC but are listed as skimmer AV;
not AC. Similarly Eldar Wave Serpents are kind of nebulous on the looks
department but are listed as skimmer AV; not AC.

It is fundamentally the same as Assaulting from Transport with a few minor non-
basic caveats, concerned mainly with the AC Units abilities rather than the
Assault process.

An air assault is an entirely self-contained Action (not a basic one). It comprises

two parts, move -> assault.

Example

Looking at the process:

1) The transport Unit flies in with CC troops Loaded. It moves to a position

within Assault range of the target Formation.
 2) The transport lands.
3) The CC troops disembark from the transport within 5cm of the transport.
4) The Close Combat processing happens.
5) On the basis that red wins, blue is broken and retreats. The red CC troops
may consolidate as appropriate.
6) During the End Phase the transport leaves the table.

Some important points:

- The transport may not collect the troops as part of the consolidation
phase. Technically it can, but then the transport cannot leave the board
and will remain landed until next turn.
- Using this technique may leave the CC troops stranded by themselves
where they are. When consolidating it is common to look for cover
(though 5cm of consolidate isnt going to get very far).
- The technique allows the CC troops to drop in anywhere on the board.
- The technique adds the transport as a combatant in the Assault (extra
FF).
- The CC troops can be collected by a second transport (see Thunderbus
Terminators).
- The transport cannot shoot on the way in. Shooting is a different Action
than Air Assault.

The technique is not dissimilar to using Teleport, however an advantage of using

a transport is that is does not require the placement of the CC troops before the
turns Strategy Phase, i.e. the Formation can come in at any point during the
turn.

An interesting quote from Taccmd says

But also worth noting that the disembarking "move" is actually units placed
within 5cm of the transport vehicle - they don't travel the intervening distance
from the vehicle to where they disembark to. This can be useful to get CC units
into base contact with FF-oriented enemy units hiding behind a wall of other
units in the same formation.

Also worth noting that when disembarking from an air assaulting aircraft, units
with Jump Packs disembark up to 15cm away from the vehicle - so Assault
Marines can typically get into B2B with whatever units in the target formation
they like.

The first paragraph highlights that Units do not move outward from the
transports location but are placed directly (jump from above?) within 5cm of the
vehicle which means that they may avoid some blocking Units or Terrain. Handy.

Thunderbus Terminators
[for a detailed analysis refer to Appendix a]
Thunderbus Terminators refers to a list build specific to the Marines, though it
does have close analogies in other factions (i.e. Tau -> Manta Dropship (8
regular infantry), Eldar -> Vampire Raider (8 regular infantry) etc).

The technique expands on the Air Assault technique where the Thunderbus
variation takes an additional (AC) transport on the players list. This is used to
remove the remaining troops at the end of the assault (rather than leaving them
potentially stranded in hostile territory).

In summary;

Air Assault basics

- The transport aircraft approaches and lands near the target formation.
- The transported troops disembark
- The aircraft and troops form a combined formation and fight an Assault
against the target formation.
- Provided they win the troops consolidate into a tight pack.
- At this stage the Air Assault is complete.

Technique add-ons...
- A second transport lands within 5cm of the consolidated troops and
embarks them.
- At the end of the turn both transport can leave.

The technique allows the specialist Close Combat troops to deploy pretty much
anywhere across the board, and theoretically the process can be repeated the
following turn (baring failed initiative rolls, destroyed AC etc). Whether this is
applicable or appropriate or not is another matter.

The biggest risk of this technique is that either one of the transports could be
destroyed, either on the way in or the way out by Anti-air (AA) flak fire or
enemy flying Air Attack missions. If the transport is destroyed with the troops on
board the troops are destroyed as well, making the loss exponentially more
costly (200pt for just a Thunderhawk (empty) vs 600pt for
Thunderhawk+Terminators+Chaplain).

Note: The 2nd WE transport can pick up the CC troops even if they are broken,
i.e. lose the assault or get too many BM if they win. [A previous rule says WE
transports may pick up Units, and there is no additional rules stating that Units
may not be picked up because they are broken.]

Embarked troops can rally during the End Phase, including Broken Formation.
Teleport
Some Formations such as Marines Terminators have the ability to Teleport. This
allows the Formation to appear just about anywhere on the board with certain
exceptions.

There are several points to watch out for when considering using Teleport Units:

- The Unit must be declared as either Teleporting or on a Transport if it has

both options. You cannot decide which to use just as you are about to
Teleport in.
- The teleportation process requires each Unit in the Formation to roll a d6,
the Formation gets a blast marker for each 1 rolled, and obviously Blast
Markers affect Combat Resolution.
- Be mindful that the formation you are teleporting in are not arriving near
Units on Overwatch (includes the intended target or nearby units).
Damage taken before the assaulting Unit can reach Close Combat may
negate the benefits of teleporting directly to the site.
From the FAQ completing a move or disembarking trigger overwatch.
- Formations cannot be positioned within another Formations zone of
control, i.e. you cannot be within 5cm of another Formations models.
With scouts this zone of control is extended out to 10cm, and some
players will create a buffer zone around static targets on the back line like
artillery using scouts.
- Teleporting units must be deployed before the strategy phase of the turn.
Remember that theyre there, if you roll the strategy dice then the
opportunity to add them is gone.
- Calling in teleporting units leaves an element of the strategys success to
luck. The Formation is placed and THEN the strategy roll happens; lose
the strategy roll and the unit is possibly going to be pounded by every
unit nearby.
- Depending on the time of this action the teleporting Formation may well
be isolated away from any supporting Units (no Supporting Fire). As such
it may be better to wait until the enemy Formations have started
dissipating away from the back line (i.e. turn 2). Conversely leaving an
expensive unit in reserve reduces its potential impact on the game.

Teleport / Pickup
Somewhat similar to the Thunderbus technique but only uses a single
transport after the CC troops have finished their assault. During the End Phase
the transport flies out again.

The troops could then be transported back on during the next turn, however
they would not be able to fly out again during that next turn (with regular Air
Assault unless there was a second, empty transport available).

Picking up teleported Units has the advance of removing otherwise slow moving
troops from possibly hostile and unsupported location, but carries the risks of air
transport, namely flak and potentially losing the AC and troops, and the risks
posed by Teleport (extra BM, must be start of turn).

Note: The 2nd WE transport can pick up the CC troops even if they are broken,
i.e. lose the assault or get too many BM if they win. [A previous rule says WE
transports may pick up Units, and there is no additional rules stating that Units
may not be picked up because they are broken.]

Embarked troops can rally during the End Phase, including Broken Formation.

Terminators (marines specific)

Terminators often cause hesitation on your opponents behalf. Once you are a bit
familiar with their use you may learn that theyre a mixture of good stats vs
potential point drain. Their CC stats are very impressive, provided they can be
used. Getting them into combat, avoiding damage on the way there and making
their points count can be a tough ask.

Another circumstantial benefit of including them is as Distraction Carnifexes.

They are a potentially savage beast that may limit your opponents choices while
they remain in reserve. If possible capitalise on this. If you feel that your other
forces are progressing well then it may be an option to save them for arrival in
turn 2 or even 3. Do not hold them back though if a worthwhile target exposes
itself.

Artillery and Aircraft

As noted before, adding Blast Markers is a requirement for strengthening Close
Combat Actions. Weakening the enemy Formation that is to be assaulted is
much better than charging a full strength Formation.

Long range systems such as Artillery can be a bit hit-and-miss compared to

direct fire systems, however, they will add a Blast Marker just by shooting at an
enemy Formation. If they can also knock off a stick before your CC troops get
into range then consider it a bonus.

Similarly, Aircraft with their virtually unlimited access to the board mean that
you can put a Blast Marker on any enemy unit on the board, even those on the
far side. Just watch out for AA flak and be mindful of enemy AC on Cap Mission
or Air Attack Mission. If there is no better target for you AC then perhaps an
extra BM and casualty will help out the Close Combat troops.
Appendix a Thunderbus Terminators

Firstly, this is the best summary description so far from someone who knows
what theyre doing

*not looking up rulebook, going from memory, this will be close enough*

1. First Thawk does a ground attack engage against something using the disembark move to engage
whoever they are fighting.

2. Win the combat and use your consolidate move to bunch up your formations that won combat with
space nearby for the second Thawk to land.

3. Land the second Thunderhawk and embark the formations. A War Engine movement can embark units
within 5cm just like any other vehicle movement where stands can embark by being moved over.

4. End of turn both Thawks get up and leave.

It'll be in the air transport section describing that air transports can only disembark or embark
units in the one turn if they want to disengage.

Do the air assault as late in the turn as you can especially the second thawk formation otherwise
your infantry end up vulnerable to getting exploded whilst inside the second thawk.
Chaplain_Fortis

What you cant do

What you cant do is fly the transport in, do the assault, and load the troops
back onto the same transport. This is the reason for the inclusion of a second
(empty) transport.

This limitation is stated specifically in Taccmd forum (somewhere) including why.

Im going to include a similar quote I have on hand

[Quote from Westgamer.com 2007]

"As Steve mentioned, you can't load them back up into the Thunderhawk and
have it leave in the same turn. You can however have a second Thunderhawk
come on empty, and consolidate into that. It's an expensive approach, although
the TH does have some firepower to add so it's not just a taxi service.

The 200pt cost of the extra TH is probably why most players prefer 1 TH per
Terminator (or Devastator) formation, and then trust the marines to survive the
turn on the ground. If they consolidate into cover after the engagement they
usually can do so, and they might even be well positioned to offer firefight
support to the next thunderhawk that's coming on."
Process in Detail
In order to look at each facet of the technique we will break the process down
into 9 steps;

1) Thunderhawk A is carrying the CC troops and flies into position using a

Ground Attack Action. It may not shoot on the way in as the transport is
specifically nominating to perform an Air Assault Action. Note that it must
land within 15cm of at least one Unit from the target Formation.
2) Thunderhawk A lands.
3) Thunderhawk A disembarks the CC troops within 5cm. At this stage the
Thunderhawk and CC troops are considered a single, combined Formation.
The target formation can counter-charge if desired.
4) The assault process is performed. In this example the troops are all in FF
range but it would be possible for the Thunderhawk to drop the troops out
such that they are in CC range.
5) In this example both sides lose Units but after Combat Resolution red wins
the Assault, and the broken blue Formation runs away.
6) The surviving red Troop use their consolidation movement to group
together into a tight pack. At this point the Air Assault action is complete
and the consolidated group separates into two distinct Formations again;
Troops AND Thunderhawk.
7) Thunderhawk B is empty and flies into position near the CC troops.
8) Thunderhawk B lands and embarks the CC troops.
9) During the End Phase both transports fly off.

Collected Supporting References

4.2.5 Transporting Ground Units

An aircraft must carry out a ground attack action in order to transport units.

If a transport aircraft is destroyed while carrying ground units, then any transported troops are lost with it (no saves
in this case!)

Transport aircraft can pick up and drop off their cargo in two ways: by landing or making an air assault.

Based on this the Air Assault is a type of Ground Attack action. The troops may
be dropped off because the transport is making an air assault. Additional the
second transport can pick up the surviving CC troops by landing.
Air Assault: Transport aircraft may choose to land as described above, and then it and any units that disembark are
allowed to fight an assault instead of shooting. If this option is chosen then the aircraft and any units that disembark
may enter enemy zones of control as if they were charging. The aircraft and any units that disembark are treated as a
single formation for the duration of the assault, in the same manner as units disembarking from a war engine taking
an engage action. If the aircraft loses the assault it is destroyed, but any units that have disembarked may withdraw
normally.

So specifically the transport cannot shoot on the way in, instead their attack
action will be to land and then fight an assault.

In this context an Air Assault contains three steps:

i) Land,
ii) Disembark Units,
iii) Fight an Assault.

The land aspect is important for the next clause.

4.2.6 Disengagement Moves

In the end phase, all aircraft that that have not landed must exit the table. Aircraft that have landed may choose to
exit the table.

This allows the second transport to collect the troops and then leave. As the first
transport performed a land as part of the Air Assault process it may leave.

Landing: Aircraft with a transport capability can land after making their approach move and having being fired
upon by any enemy flak.

After the aircraft has landed, any units being transported may disembark and are placed within 5cms of the transport
aircraft.

Alternatively, the aircraft may pick up any friendly units within 5cms, assuming they will fit on board of course.
After embarking or disembarking any units, the aircraft may carry out its ground attack.

If it is involved in an assault and loses then it is automatically destroyed. Once landed, the aircraft may make a
disengagement move and exit the table in the end phase of any turn, including the one it landed in.

Two points here;

i) The CC troops only need to be within 5cm not base-to-base contact

which is handy. Make sure they consolidate.
ii) The transports and leave (disengage) even in the turn they landed in,
also handy.
Thanks:

Quotes from rule books, forums and email discussions have been included
anonymously and largely unreferenced. Obviously if youre on the forums you
can see who wrote what, but the intention was always to be fairly informal.

So a big thanks to those who have added their insight and experience to make
this document better.