Back to Warhammer 8th edition (and first rules questions)

Welcome to the forum.

- a unit or model that rallies can cast spells during the magic phase? It can cast spells even after a forced march. Are both correct?

Yes.  Contrary to Shooting, Magic does not have any restrictions in this regard.

- fast cavalry can reform as many times as it wishes, as long as a model do not end moving more than double his M. Is the 2M limitation per reform of for the total movement phase?

For the total movement phase. Note that this applies to each individual model.

Note also BRB Official Update Version 1.9, p.9:
Q: When moving Fast Cavalry or Skirmishers, should I measure from the location of each model before it moves and place it anywhere within its Movement Allowance (or double its Movement Allowance if it is marching) ? (p68, 77)
A: Yes. Except when there is a unit or impassable terrain in the way, the distance moved must include the distance required to move around these obstacles.

- similar question for the swift reform(musician): can a model spend twice his M during the reform and then move?

Yes. BRB p.99: "A unit that has made a swift reform can immediately make a full normal move, even though a reform would normally prevent it from doing so. Note that a unit that carries out a swift reform cannot march."

- can a cavalry unit have two models and five ranks? Obviously, it does not get any rank bonuses in H2H but it allows to follow a small road.

Yes. It could even just have one file (a so-called conga line).

- in the deamon army, Screamers causes random attacks on a unit it flies over (D3A per screamer). Do the attacks have to be resolved directly in the movement phase? Of should they be resolved in the shooting phase? If a unit of six screamers (two ranks of three) flies over a single sorcerer, does it cause six D3A onto the sorcerer? I would say the later as the rule says: "if a unit flies over, each screamer causes D3 hits"

While they are treated as shooting attacks, they are resolved immediately. Yes to the second question, although the rule actually says (Daemon AB, p. 35): "If a unit of Screamers moves over one or more unengaged enemy units in the Remaining Moves sub-phase, choose one of those units — it suffers D3 Strength 4 attacks per Screamer."


- a unit of horrors is considered as a sorcerer. Should a 'magical feedback' be rolled on the miscast table, do every horror suffer a S6 hit?

Daemons AB, p. 38: Pink Horrors
“In the event of a Pink Horror unit rolling a miscast, do not roll on the Miscast table. Instead, the unit suffers 2D6 Strength 10 hits with no armour saves allowed."


- does a general provide his Ld while he's in a building? If yes, should the distance be calculated between the building and any unit within 12 inches?

Yes. How to measure the distance for the Inspiring Presence rule is not covered as such in the BRB, but for other rules (shooting, panic,…) you measure from the edge of the building. So, I would do the same thing.  


- if only one front rank model in a archer unit sees the enemy, can the whole unit shoot with a volley or only one front rank model and any archers behind the model (with round up) ?

The latter.

BRB p. 78: "Models in rear ranks can use the line of sight and front arc of the first rank model directly to their front for the purposes of Volley Fire."

This is elaborated upon by BRB Official Update Version 1.9, p.10:
Q: When a unit fires using the Volley Fire special rule and not all of the unit can shoot, do you work out how many models can shoot in the third and subsequent ranks and then halve the result, rounding up? (p78)
A: Yes.

- during a charge, the number of fighters must be as high as possible. During subsequent hand to hand rounds, do the remaining models have to be moved to maximize the number of hits? (unit has a first rank and two models remaining at the center of second rank that can provide a supporting attack, enemy unit has one model left at the edge touching one enemy fighter - it was moved at the center of the fight)

Contrary to charging units, there is no need to maximise models in CC all the time. You can do this through a Combat Reform (see BRB p. 55). However, you may be talking about shrinking units in multiple close combat, which is covered by


BRB p. 61: Shrinking Units

"Occasionally, a situation can arise when one or more units are no longer in base contact with the enemy, but at least part of the enemy unit is still alive. This normally occurs when an enemy has been charged in the rear — as casualties come from the rear rank first, this would in theory leave the attackers stranded from their foe. Clearly this is wrong, just as warriors on a real battlefield would push on to continue the fight, and would not stop fighting if the enemy was standing a few paces away, so must warriors on the miniature battlefield.

Whenever a unit becomes stranded in this manner, the attacking unit is immediately nudged (by as small an amount as possible) to bring it back into contact with the foe. This move cannot be used to alter the facing the attacker is in base contact with, nor is it an opportunity to change the attacker's formation or charge a unit not engaged in the fight. If the attacker cannot be moved in this manner, then the defending unit is moved instead."

I should emphasize here that all models (friend and foe) that were in combat must stay in combat. If you cannot move models without ensuring that all models that were in CC still are in CC, then the following rule may become applicable:

BRB p. 49: Incomplete Ranks.
"If the unit is fighting to its rear (or fighting to both flanks) some enemy models might not end up in base contact because of the models in the incomplete rear rank. In this specific situation, the models can fight across the gap, even if not physically in base-to-base contact."


- a cavalry unit charges along a road surrounded by woods; the road is 3 miniatures wide while the unit is 7 models wide. Do 4 models have to do a difficult terrain test?

You only need to test for those models that pass through the dangerous terrain, not for the unit as a whole.

BRB p. 117: "When a model marches, charges, flees, overruns or pursues into or through an area of dangerous terrain, it is called upon to take a Dangerous Terrain test."

Note also that (ibidem) “cavalry, monstrous cavalry and chariots treat all terrain other than open ground as being dangerous terrain.”

Such good answers.

Yes that's correct. Allowed you to charge anywhere on the board when you came down. Flyers were broken.
I would put any character on a manticore or the like and charge the rear of a ranked unit. Ranks cracked, rear, charge and then whatever wounds you could do was enough to break almost any unit.

man that is a lot of question coming out of one game! Glad you are you back to glorious 8th edition.

Also, I hereby declare Belgium the second liveliest place for 8th edition warhammer after Rochester, NY. Still unclear to me what the driving forces are, I still suspect it is something in the water.

Level of overall intelligence?

Thanks for all the messages. I see that the community is still very active.



Indeed, there were many dangers to fly high: the orb of thunder that prevented flyers from flying, the gem of gnar that catched them in time, heart of woe that caused a big and nasty explosion when the bearer died. I remember some combos as well, such as the forbidden rod (all spells are cast with irresistible force, caster takes 1D3(?) wounds) with some other object that healed the sorcerer. Pretty nasty on a Slaan mage. There was always something broken in any version but we had fun.



Most changes between versions were related to magic. IIRC, there was even a card deck with cards having different power levels, dispel cards, ... Players had to take a number of random cards and there were objects to keep (more) cards from turn to turn.



I remember as well having spent whole battles with expensive units in woods as movements were halved without any forced marches possible. Something that does not happen anymore with v8.

One of our problems is that we are mixing sometimes rules from different editions ;-)



See you!