Post by Lim Jiaqi on Aug 2, 2006 23:34:47 GMT -5
WARHAMMER 7TH EDITION RULEBOOK
RECORD OF RULES CHANGES - COMPLETE
In general, all rules text has been simplified where it was felt
that it was unclear or overwritten. Some diagrams have been modified
for extra clarity and new ones have been added where necessary.
Compatibility with existing army books was paramount throughout the
entire process and has been 99% achieved!
The main changes are:
• Movement:
1. Charging units must now move to bring as many models as possible
into the ensuing fight (from both their side and the enemy's). This
prevents exploitation with "clipping" charges.
2. Clarified how to move fleeing and pursuing units. Essentially:
pivot the unit on the spot to face the direction it's going to move
towards, and then move it the distance rolled.
3. Clarified charge re-direction. Units hit enemies other than the
ones they charged only if the new target is in their way as they
charge after the fleeing intended target.
4. Re-worded the Change Formation manoeuvre so that it refers to the
width of the unit's frontage and not its ranks.
5. Killed the Snaking formation, as it is an obsolete rule that has
long lost its reason to exist due to the newer rules for skirmishers
and fast cavalry.
6. Clarified that units cannot voluntarily move off the battlefield
unless specified in the scenario that is being played.
• Shooting:
7. A unit can now shoot only against one enemy unit and not multiple
enemy units in any case, no exceptions.
• Magic:
8. Power dice generated by wizards can be used only by the wizards
that generated them and not by other wizards in the army. The dice
in the pool remain available to all wizards.
9. The Miscast Table itself is a lot nastier and the wizards can
actually die from a Miscast, with rather spectacular pyrotechnic
effects.
10. Spells in the Magic Lores have been reviewed in an attempt to
make the least used Lores more appealing and tone down the ones that
are a bit too good.
11. The Enchanted Shield cannot be combined with magic armour.
12. Reading a dispel scroll does not terminate the dispelling
wizard's Remains in play spells anymore.
• Combat:
13. Combat Phase sequence changed. The player whose turn it is picks
combats in turn and each combat is completely resolved, including
fleeing and pursuing, before passing onto the next. This clarifies
the sequence in which fights, fleeing and pursuing happen. This
change has several repercussions, such as allowing units to fight
twice in a combat phase if they pursue into an existing combat that
has not been solved yet during that phase (fight, win,
pursue/overrun into another combat, fight again). Units, however,
are limited to one pursue/overrun per turn only.
14. Fleeing is now always done directly away from the cause first,
and then towards the closest table edge in following turns. Fleeing
troops can move through friends (causing Panic), but are destroyed
if they have to flee through enemies (of Unit Strength 5+) or
impassable terrain. This solves the complex issue of the movement's
direction of fleeing and pursuing units.
15. The number of models needed to receive a Rank bonus in combat is
now 5!
16. Killed the "Lapping Round" manoeuvre, but allowed winning units
to perform a turn or change formation manoeuvre in combat, in order
to bring more models into the fray.
17. Allowed the +1 combat res. bonus of the Battle Standard to stack
on top of the +1 for units' banners.
18. Added the Insane Courage rule: rolling snake eyes on a break
test means the test is automatically passed, regardless of
modifiers. This can even override auto-break from Fear-causing
enemies!
19. Defended obstacles have been toned down. Units attacking over an
obstacle simply lose the charging bonuses.
20. Clarified the rules for units that re-enter the battle after
pursuing enemies off the table.
• Psychology:
21. Troops engaged in close combat do not take Psychology tests!
22. In order to cause Panic, friendly units fleeing/wiped out must
have Unit strength 5+.
23. Unified all Panic ranges to 6".
24. Removed the Panic test for fleeing friends within 4" at the
beginning of the turn (it has effectively been replaced by the Panic
test for friends fleeing through the unit).
25. Immune to Psychology gives immunity only to Panic/Fear/Terror,
allowing positive psychological effects to affect the unit.
26. Unbreakable has now a Swarm box-out, which makes swarms suffer
extra wounds when losing a fight, much in the same way as Undead.
27. Use combined Unit Strength of all units defeated in a fight
against the combined Unit Strength of all fear-causing units on the
winning side to determine if they are outnumbered by fear-causing
enemies.
28. Stupidity does not affect units in close combat.
• War machines:
29. War machines without a crew are immediately destroyed by enemies
in base contact with them.
30. Cannon balls hit all models they go through when hitting
skirmishers or war machines and their crew.
31. Grapeshot uses the flame template, has variable Strength
(Artillery dice) and causes D3 wounds.
• Weapons:
32. Great weapons confer only a +1 Strength bonus to mounted models.
33. Pistols simply count as hand weapons in close combat. If a model
carries two+ pistols, it has the 2xMultiple shots rule.
34. Hand weapon+shield extra pip of armour applies only when
fighting to the front and not to the flanks/rear.
• Skirmishers:
35. They cannot march if enemy is within 8" (this rule now applies
across all units, no exceptions).
36. They get a single change of direction during the charge.
37. Added a section about skirmishing units of monsters and
handlers.
• Monsters/chariots:
38. They get only one pivot during a charge.
39. Chariots can choose to move through difficult terrain and
obstacles (but still suffer damage).
• Miscellaneous rules:
40. Regeneration is now a simple save working exactly like a ward
save, except that it can be taken after ward saves (!) and is
cancelled by flaming attacks.
41. "Always Strike First" has been standardised as a Special Rule.
42. Deleted the rule protecting Characters within 5" of friendly
units. If not inside a friendly unit, characters are a unit of their
own and can therefore be targeted normally!
43. Characters inside a friendly unit cannot be targeted by missile
fire (and get `Look out sir' if the unit is 5 or more models
strong). This rule does not apply if they have Unit strength 5 or
more. This allows characters mounted on multi-wound steeds (like
Archaon, Tyrion etc.) to join friendly units without being picked
out by enemy fire!
44. Buildings. Complete new rules for moving and fighting in
buildings, including a spread on Special features (funky fantasy
terrain!).
45. Clarified interaction of flying movement and terrain.
46. Magic resistance is passed from a character to the unit it joins
and vice-versa.
47. Clarified rules for capturing Battle Standards.
48. Half VPs are now scored for units reduced to half strength or
less, and not below half strength. The same is true of characters
(so wounded Heroes yield half their cost in VPs!).
49. Units with Unit strength of less than 5 cannot capture table
quarters, nor can they deny them.
50. Champion banners musicians and characters all equally have to be
in the first rank (players are free to decide who goes at the back
if there's no space).
51. Clarified that fleeing generals and battle standards lose their
abilities.
52. Clarified character-unit psychology interaction.
• Scenarios:
53. All scenarios have been either deleted or moved to the Hobby
section. The rules section has now a "Starting the game" sequence
that effectively explains the Pitched Battle scenario.
54. The rules for deploying terrain have been expanded, creating a
terrain-set-up pre-game phase.
55. The player winning the roll-off at the beginning of the game
gets to choose the table side but also has to start deploying,
balancing out the importance of the initial roll.
RECORD OF RULES CHANGES - COMPLETE
In general, all rules text has been simplified where it was felt
that it was unclear or overwritten. Some diagrams have been modified
for extra clarity and new ones have been added where necessary.
Compatibility with existing army books was paramount throughout the
entire process and has been 99% achieved!
The main changes are:
• Movement:
1. Charging units must now move to bring as many models as possible
into the ensuing fight (from both their side and the enemy's). This
prevents exploitation with "clipping" charges.
2. Clarified how to move fleeing and pursuing units. Essentially:
pivot the unit on the spot to face the direction it's going to move
towards, and then move it the distance rolled.
3. Clarified charge re-direction. Units hit enemies other than the
ones they charged only if the new target is in their way as they
charge after the fleeing intended target.
4. Re-worded the Change Formation manoeuvre so that it refers to the
width of the unit's frontage and not its ranks.
5. Killed the Snaking formation, as it is an obsolete rule that has
long lost its reason to exist due to the newer rules for skirmishers
and fast cavalry.
6. Clarified that units cannot voluntarily move off the battlefield
unless specified in the scenario that is being played.
• Shooting:
7. A unit can now shoot only against one enemy unit and not multiple
enemy units in any case, no exceptions.
• Magic:
8. Power dice generated by wizards can be used only by the wizards
that generated them and not by other wizards in the army. The dice
in the pool remain available to all wizards.
9. The Miscast Table itself is a lot nastier and the wizards can
actually die from a Miscast, with rather spectacular pyrotechnic
effects.
10. Spells in the Magic Lores have been reviewed in an attempt to
make the least used Lores more appealing and tone down the ones that
are a bit too good.
11. The Enchanted Shield cannot be combined with magic armour.
12. Reading a dispel scroll does not terminate the dispelling
wizard's Remains in play spells anymore.
• Combat:
13. Combat Phase sequence changed. The player whose turn it is picks
combats in turn and each combat is completely resolved, including
fleeing and pursuing, before passing onto the next. This clarifies
the sequence in which fights, fleeing and pursuing happen. This
change has several repercussions, such as allowing units to fight
twice in a combat phase if they pursue into an existing combat that
has not been solved yet during that phase (fight, win,
pursue/overrun into another combat, fight again). Units, however,
are limited to one pursue/overrun per turn only.
14. Fleeing is now always done directly away from the cause first,
and then towards the closest table edge in following turns. Fleeing
troops can move through friends (causing Panic), but are destroyed
if they have to flee through enemies (of Unit Strength 5+) or
impassable terrain. This solves the complex issue of the movement's
direction of fleeing and pursuing units.
15. The number of models needed to receive a Rank bonus in combat is
now 5!
16. Killed the "Lapping Round" manoeuvre, but allowed winning units
to perform a turn or change formation manoeuvre in combat, in order
to bring more models into the fray.
17. Allowed the +1 combat res. bonus of the Battle Standard to stack
on top of the +1 for units' banners.
18. Added the Insane Courage rule: rolling snake eyes on a break
test means the test is automatically passed, regardless of
modifiers. This can even override auto-break from Fear-causing
enemies!
19. Defended obstacles have been toned down. Units attacking over an
obstacle simply lose the charging bonuses.
20. Clarified the rules for units that re-enter the battle after
pursuing enemies off the table.
• Psychology:
21. Troops engaged in close combat do not take Psychology tests!
22. In order to cause Panic, friendly units fleeing/wiped out must
have Unit strength 5+.
23. Unified all Panic ranges to 6".
24. Removed the Panic test for fleeing friends within 4" at the
beginning of the turn (it has effectively been replaced by the Panic
test for friends fleeing through the unit).
25. Immune to Psychology gives immunity only to Panic/Fear/Terror,
allowing positive psychological effects to affect the unit.
26. Unbreakable has now a Swarm box-out, which makes swarms suffer
extra wounds when losing a fight, much in the same way as Undead.
27. Use combined Unit Strength of all units defeated in a fight
against the combined Unit Strength of all fear-causing units on the
winning side to determine if they are outnumbered by fear-causing
enemies.
28. Stupidity does not affect units in close combat.
• War machines:
29. War machines without a crew are immediately destroyed by enemies
in base contact with them.
30. Cannon balls hit all models they go through when hitting
skirmishers or war machines and their crew.
31. Grapeshot uses the flame template, has variable Strength
(Artillery dice) and causes D3 wounds.
• Weapons:
32. Great weapons confer only a +1 Strength bonus to mounted models.
33. Pistols simply count as hand weapons in close combat. If a model
carries two+ pistols, it has the 2xMultiple shots rule.
34. Hand weapon+shield extra pip of armour applies only when
fighting to the front and not to the flanks/rear.
• Skirmishers:
35. They cannot march if enemy is within 8" (this rule now applies
across all units, no exceptions).
36. They get a single change of direction during the charge.
37. Added a section about skirmishing units of monsters and
handlers.
• Monsters/chariots:
38. They get only one pivot during a charge.
39. Chariots can choose to move through difficult terrain and
obstacles (but still suffer damage).
• Miscellaneous rules:
40. Regeneration is now a simple save working exactly like a ward
save, except that it can be taken after ward saves (!) and is
cancelled by flaming attacks.
41. "Always Strike First" has been standardised as a Special Rule.
42. Deleted the rule protecting Characters within 5" of friendly
units. If not inside a friendly unit, characters are a unit of their
own and can therefore be targeted normally!
43. Characters inside a friendly unit cannot be targeted by missile
fire (and get `Look out sir' if the unit is 5 or more models
strong). This rule does not apply if they have Unit strength 5 or
more. This allows characters mounted on multi-wound steeds (like
Archaon, Tyrion etc.) to join friendly units without being picked
out by enemy fire!
44. Buildings. Complete new rules for moving and fighting in
buildings, including a spread on Special features (funky fantasy
terrain!).
45. Clarified interaction of flying movement and terrain.
46. Magic resistance is passed from a character to the unit it joins
and vice-versa.
47. Clarified rules for capturing Battle Standards.
48. Half VPs are now scored for units reduced to half strength or
less, and not below half strength. The same is true of characters
(so wounded Heroes yield half their cost in VPs!).
49. Units with Unit strength of less than 5 cannot capture table
quarters, nor can they deny them.
50. Champion banners musicians and characters all equally have to be
in the first rank (players are free to decide who goes at the back
if there's no space).
51. Clarified that fleeing generals and battle standards lose their
abilities.
52. Clarified character-unit psychology interaction.
• Scenarios:
53. All scenarios have been either deleted or moved to the Hobby
section. The rules section has now a "Starting the game" sequence
that effectively explains the Pitched Battle scenario.
54. The rules for deploying terrain have been expanded, creating a
terrain-set-up pre-game phase.
55. The player winning the roll-off at the beginning of the game
gets to choose the table side but also has to start deploying,
balancing out the importance of the initial roll.
