Advanced Basics

 

This is the second installment of my attempt to break down the basic 40k rules for beginners. If you haven’t read the first part, go here. You will still need a rulebook to play regularly, but this should give you a feeling for the rules and be enough to try a game or two. I’ll start by adding some characters to each side, and a few new weapons. I will be continuing to use the Space Marines against the Dark Eldar.

 

One Marine squad will get a Veteran Sergeant upgrade (you can pay points to make one of the squad members a more experienced character and give him access to some extra gear) and he will carry a Powerfist (see below) and a bolt pistol (same stats as a bolter, but cannot fire at 24”) Both Marine squads will also get an extra marine, making them each 7 strong. The Dark Eldar will upgrade one Warrior from each squad to a Sybarite (much like a veteran sergeant, above) with a splinter pistol (same stats as a splinter rifle, but cannot fire at 24”) and an Agonizer (see below.) Each character has an additional Attack over the base statline for being a veteran, and also gets an additional attack for having two close combat weapons (actually a pistol and a close combat weapon, but that applies as well.)  These characters, in addition to adding some HTH power to the squads, also add some special rules.  Being Characters, attacks in close combat must be allocated specifically against them to affect them, just like having two different squads in close combat.  (ie: if you don’t say any of your attacks are going against the Dark Eldar Sybarite, you cannot kill the Sybarite, even if you kill everyone else in the squad and still have extra wounds left over.)

 

The Powerfist and Agonizer are special close combat weapons that are only allowed to certain characters in each army.  The Agonizer always wounds on a 4+, no matter what the Toughness of the target is, and it ignores armor saves.  The Powerfist makes the user S8 and also ignores armor saves, but it makes the user go last in Close combat, no matter his Initiative.  The addition of these special close combat weapons also adds a rule.  During combat, those models outside of base contact with the enemy, but within 2”, may still get 1 normal attack. This attack is at basic strength, and does not use any special rules (such as the enhanced Strength of the Powerfist, or the ignore armor saves ability.)

 

Set up the same combat, but with the new additions.  16” apart, Space Marines get first turn.

 

Now we will add a bigger leader to each side.  We will choose an HQ unit for each side.  The Space Marines will get a Chaplain.  The Chaplain gets a bolt pistol, a Crozius Arcanum (a fancy name for a power weapon, one that ignores armor saves, but attacks at his base Strength) and a Rosarius which gives him a 4+ Invulnerable Save, in addition to his normal 3+ armor.  He may choose which save to use against any wounds that he receives.  The Invulnerable save may still be taken against weapons that would pierce his normal save (such as the Dark Lance or the Agonizer.)  He has extra attacks just like the veteran sergeant and a BS and WS of 5 and also gets 2 Wounds.  Note that his base Toughness is still 4, so he can be wounded normally, but he can survive taking a single wound.  On the other hand, there is a rule called Instant Kill.  If the Strength of a wounding attack is twice or more the Toughness of the target, and the target fails it’s armor save, it dies instantly, regardless of how many Wounds it had left.  This means that if he gets wounded with a Dark Lance or a Space Marine Powerfist, and fails his Invulnerable save, he is dead immediately.

We will also add a Haemonculus to each of the DE squads.  The Haemonculi are like a Dark Eldar Sybarite, except they get T4 and 2 Wounds.  They will also each get a Stinger and Scissorhands.  Scissorhands allow Haemonculi to wound on a 2+, regardless of target toughness, but they do not ignore armor saves.  A Stinger functions like a splinter pistol, but wounds on a 2+ regardless of Toughness.  The toxins and acids in the Stinger round are so strong that a dead model will explode! If a model hit by a Stinger dies, place a small blast template on the model.  Any models completely covered by the template are hit automatically and any models partially covered by the template are hit on a 4+.  Models hit by the template take a hit with Strength equal to the Toughness of the dead model and Armor Penetration equal to the armor of the model.  (IE: a Space Marine is killed by a Stinger and everyone under the template takes a S4 AP3 hit.)  The Haemonculi and the Chaplain are Independent Characters.  They are mostly treated just like regular characters (such as Veteran Sergeants or Sybarites) but they also get some additional special rules.  If they are within 6 inches of a viable target and they are not the closest target within 12inches, you may not shoot at them.  In close combat, they may also always choose to allocate their attacks to the specific models in base contact with them, if they wish.

 

Use the same setup, but add the Independent Characters to the squads and have them fight it out.  Space Marines get the first turn.

 

In the final example, we’ll add a vehicle and a monster.  Vehicles have slightly different Statlines.  Instead of an armor save, they get an armor value.  When they are attacked, the attacker adds 1d6 to the Strength of the attack.  If this does not at least equal the Armor Value, the attack has no effect.  If it exactly equals the Armor Value, it gets a Glancing hit.  If it exceeds the Armor Value, it gets a Penetrating hit.  There is a table in the main rule book that shows the damage results from Glancing and Penetrating hits.  I will not repeat the information here, but I will give a simpler table to help the simulation.  Assume that a Glancing hit destroys the vehicle on a 5+, while a Penetrating hit destroys it on a 3+.  Each Space Marine Squad will get a Rhino Personnel Carrier.  They have Armor Value 11 on the Front and sides, with AV10 on the rear.  Each Rhino also has a Storm Bolter (2 Bolter shots that can be fired at 24”.) The Rhino may move 6” and fire the storm Bolter and unload Troops, or it may move 12” and unload Troops, but then it cannot fire.  Troops being unloaded must be placed within 2” of the vehicle and in the usual squad coherency.  They are considered to have already moved, and may fire weapons and make an assault move as normal.  Vehicles block Line of Sight for both enemies and friends, while models that have a Toughness value (such as Space Marines) cannot block Line of Sight to a vehicle.

We will add a Talos to the DE side.  The Talos has the following statline for this game:

WS5 S7 T7 W3 I5 A1d6 LD Fearless Sv3+  It may move 6 inches in the movement phase and may assault up to 6”.  In close combat, it attacks 1d6 times (+1 if it gets the charge) and all the attacks count as power weapons (they ignore regular armor saves.)  Note that the Talos is Fearless, which means it cannot fail a morale check even if it loses a combat.

 

Use the same setup again, putting the Space Marine squads in Rhinos (add the Chaplain to the squad that doesn’t have a Veteran Sergeant) and with the Talos set up next to the DE squads.  The Space Marines get the first turn.

 

This concludes my attempt at writing up the basic rules to the game.  If you enjoy playing with these or have any questions, please get the main rule book.  It offers more examples and covers many rules I have left out or simply skimmed over to get the basics to you in a readable fashion.