Before you can fight a battle you will need an army. Read through the introductions in the army list section towards the back of this book and pick the army that appeals most. You will find that each of the races have their own characteristics, and each will require slightly different tactics and strategies if you are going to vanquish your ene- mies. Once you've chosen an army you'll need to know what the capabilities of your warriors are.
warriors in your army. Each warrior type has a variety of characteristics, and many have special capabilities and powers. Some warriors are par- ticularly good at fighting, while others excel at archery. Some are fast and nimble, while others are slow and lumbering. The various characteris- tics of your warriors are described in the models 'profile' as detailed later.
U Unniittss
Armies can be quite numerous, and can contain many different warrior types. Warriors of similar type and purpose are usually grouped together into units containing several models. This allows you to control your army more easily and to plan tactics for using the unit during a game. Units can either be 'warbands', 'individuals' or 'heavy units':
W
Waarrbbaannddss::A warband is a group of models that work together as a team on the battle field. Warbands will often contain a leader with more or better abilities than the other warband members have. There are two types of warbands: 'foot' soldiers who as the name suggests fight on foot, and 'mounted', who go to battle mounted on some sort of steed. Generally the bulk of your army will be made up of warbands.
IInnddiivviidduuaallss:: Individual models operate independ ently, though many can be added to warbands. They are usually powerful and are more than capable of surviving on their own on the battlefield. They are usually heroes, but could be other types of powerful creature. Individuals can be 'foot' or 'mounted'.
H
Heeaavvyy UUnniittss::Heavy units are very large, single models that could be powerful monsters or demons, or chariots crewed by a number of warriors. They are less manoeuvrable than other units,
but usually withstand a lot more damage, as well as dish out a lot more.
P Prrooffiilleess
A models profile contains all the informa tion needed to use it in the game. The profile shows how your warriors interact
on the battlefield. They represent models characteristics with a set of statistics that are used to define how the models move and attack. You will find profiles for your models in the army lists. Each army list contains profiles for all the warriors in that particular army. Profiles are all presented in the same basic format (see the sample profile).
T
Thhee SSttaatt LLiinnee
The stat line is a row of physical and men- tal qualities that show a model's characteristics. We refer to these characteristics as 'stats'. The characteristics included in the stat line are shown below:
A
Assssaauulltt ((AASS))::This stat shows how good the model is when attempting to hit an enemy in close combat. It can range from 1 to 10, a 1 is very poor and a 10 extremely good. On this scale the average warrior rates at 4. Models with a high stat have more chance of hitting an enemy.
SShhoooottiinngg ((SSHH))::This stat shows how accurate the model is when shooting (or throwing) weapons in ranged combat. It can range from 1 to 10, a 1 is very poor and a 10 extremely good. On this scale the average warrior rates at 4. Models with a high stat have more chance of hitting an enemy.
SSttrreennggtthh ((SSTT))::This stat shows how strong the model is. It can range from 1 to 10, a 1 is very poor and a 10 extremely good. On this scale the average warrior rates at 4. Models with a high strength have more chance of causing damage if they physically hit an enemy in close combat. T
Toouugghhnneessss ((TT))::This stat shows how tough and resistant to damage the model is. It can range from 1 to 10, a 1 is very poor and a 10 extremely good. On this scale the average warrior rates at 4. Models with high toughness have less chance of taking damage if they are hit.
W
Woouunnddss ((WW))::This stat shows how much damage a model can take before it is killed or destroyed. It can range from 1 upward. The average warrior has 1 wound;
heroes, larger creatures and war engines will often have more.
IInniittiiaattiivvee ((II))::This stat gives an indication of the model's reflexes and ability to act fast under pressure. It can range from 1 to 10, a 1 is very poor and a 10 extremely good. On this scale the average warrior rates at 4. Models with a high score are more likely to react quickly to enemy action. C
Coommmmaanndd ((CCDD))::This stat gives an indication of the model's self-control, training and bravery. It can range from 1 to 10, a 1 is very poor and a 10 extremely good. On this scale the average warrior rates at 5. Models with a high score are more likely to stand their ground.
SSiizzee ((SSZZ))::This stat indicates how large a model is. It can range from 1 upward. The average warrior is size 2. Larger models present easy targets for archers and other missile troops, and so are easier to hit.
M
Moovvee ((MMVV))::This stat shows the models normal move distance in inches. It can range from 1 upward. The average warrior has a move of 4. A high score can allow you to outrun or outmanoeuvre your enemies. E
Eqquuiippmmeenntt aanndd OOrrggaanniissaattiioonn
Below the stat line is all the other infor- mation you will need to enable you to choose your models, organise them into units and use them to fight battles. This is presented as shown below:
SSttrruuccttuurree::This shows the unit type, i.e. whether a model is an individual, or a member of a warband, or a heavy unit. It also shows the minimum and maximum number of models that may be in the unit if it is a warband. T
Trroooopp TTyyppee//EEqquuiippmmeenntt//NNoo.. PPeerr uunniitt//CCoosstt:: These tell you the types of warriors that can be in the unit, the equipment they carry, and their points cost. The point cost of models is important when building armies; it's used to make sure that you and your opponents have
balanced and fair games.
SSppeecciiaall RRuulleess:: These show any extra rules that apply to the models in the unit. They may be particularly brave, very heavily armoured, or subject to some other (not always beneficial) effect.