Revision as of 19:57, 19 September 2019

This article is part of Warmachine University's Learning to Play the Game (LPG) series, which is "Intermediate Training" aimed at new players who are still learning the core rules.

(See also Basic Training and Advanced Training.)

Movement and positioning is critical to strategy in Warmachine. There are many spells/abilities that give models extra ways to move, and they all use standardised wording which has specific meanings. This article is to familiarise yourself with those terms.

Regular Movement

Advance vs Full advance

• The terms advance and full advance are defined game terms, and do in fact mean different things.
  • This model can advance up to 3" means exactly that.
  • This model can make a full advance means you can advance a distance equal to your SPD stat.
• Advances are always halved by rough terrain. ie if the special rule says advance up to 3" then you get to move 1.5".

• If you get a buff that uses the phrase "during a model's Normal Movement" or "when this model makes a full advance", that buff doesn't apply to bonus movement.

  For example Clear Cut only applies if a model makes a "full advance". It doesn't apply if the model runs or Repositions.

Normal Movement

Normal Movement is a defined game-term. It is always capitalised. The core rulebook defines it pretty well so the only thing I have to add is that, if it helps, you can think of full advance as basically "walk".

Bonus Movement

All cavalry models have Reposition which gives them a bonus move just before they end their activation.

Bonus moves are always given as either advance up to X" or make a full advance.

    In-Activation    

This bonus move normally requires the active model to meet a specific trigger, such as Sprint or Overtake. Sometimes it just happens at a pre-set time, such as Reposition.

    Out-of-Activation    

The Beast Mistress can cast the Energizer spell which gives all her warbeasts an out-of-activation advance.

The currently active model does something to let an inactive model move. For instance casting a spell like Energizer or moving somewhere to trigger Admonition. While resolving the inactive model's bonus move, the active model is put on "pause".

Place Effects

Asphyxious1 has a spell literally called Teleport.

Place is a defined game term but, unfortunately, it is also used outside of that definition. (Thus it's one of the few examples of where PP has missed their goal of creating crystal clear rules, IMO.) Place is used in five ways:

1. Place this model within X" of its current location - This is when a model "teleports" and is what most players think of when they talk about "Place Effects".
2. Place model A within X" of model B - This is when a model "spawns" a new model as an "add to play" or "return to play" effect.
3. Place models within X" of your deployment zone (etc) - This is where it is used outside of the definition, and the word "put" would probably be better.
   Models that are "immune to being placed" can still be placed when you are talking about this sort of "place". Otherwise you'd never be able to deploy them!
4. Place a wall template anywhere completely within this model's control range (etc) - Again, the word "put" would be better.
5. Place is also used when talking about replacing models - see the section below.

Whenever a model is placed in an area, they count as entering it for the purpose of taking damage etc. However, "places" never count as advances so won't trigger stuff like Countercharge.

"Place Effects" completely ignore terrain and intervening models, regardless of height and LOS. For example, the Jump ability can be used to move a model through a 10 storey building. Similarily, a spawned model can be put on the opposite side of terrain and/or out of LOS from the model that is spawning it.

Replace Effects

Replace is yet another defined game term but, like place, it is used outside of that definition. Replace is used in three ways:

1. When the Leader model in a unit is destroyed, and a Grunt model is Field Promoted. You replace the Grunt model with a Leader model.
2. When a Dragoon model is dismounted, and you replace the horse model with an infantry model.
3. When a model is transformed into another model. For instance Soul Gate.

The word "place" is used several times in the rules for how to replace a model but it doesn't have the same definition as a "place effect" as described above - except for the one case where it does. As I said, this is one example of where PP hasn't made crystal clear rules (and why we're going over it).

Generally if a model is "replacing itself" then it doesn't count as a "place effect". (For instance, if a Grunt model is field promoted to a Leader model while standing in an acid pool, it doesn't count as entering the acid pool again.) But if one model is replacing a different model, then it does count as being placed.

If the models replacing each other are different sizes, you don't need to centre them on each other. Instead:

• When a smaller model replaces a larger one, it has to be fully within the bigger circle.
• When a larger model replaces a smaller one, it has to fully cover where the small circle was, plus overlap somewhere. If there is not enough space to place the larger model, you can't replace it - you do not jiggle the models around to make space.

Other

+2" vs +2 SPD

Since a model can move a number of inches equal to its current SPD, a buff which gives +2 SPD often works out the same as one which gives +2".

The only difference is when a model uses its Normal Movement to do a run, which is 2x SPD. Say you're normally SPD 4:

• Running with +2 SPD: (4+2)×2=12 inch run
• Running with +2": (4×2)+2=10 inch run

Moving through models/obstacles

Quite a few models have the ability to move through other models and/or terrain - the most obvious examples being Flight and Incorporeal - but what happens if a model loses that ability while overlapping something? This could be as simple as a flying model being hit by a free strike which causes knockdown, or something slightly more complicated like an Incorporeal model entering the area affected by an Exorcist.

The answer is: it depends. It depends on whether losing the ability was involuntary (like the "getting knocked down" example) or voluntary (like the "moving towards a model that debuffs you" example)

    Involuntary    

If your movement is stopped involuntarily, then you apply the rule of least disturbance.

    Voluntary    

What you can do here all hinges on the phrase "can advance through [x] if it has sufficient movement to move all the way through it " (which is always present on these sorts of abilities). So, although you'd have enough movement to get through if nothing stopped you, the fact is something did stop you so you can't make that movement ... at all.

What you need to do is "rewind" to the last legal game position (before you entered the terrain or model) and then restart from there.

    Example    

In the example below, the Incorporeal Machine Wraith wants to make a 10" charge at the Crusader. Unfortunately it enters the Exorcist range of the nearby Sanctifier halfway through the movement-blocking terrain, which would make it lose Incorporeal while overlapping impassable terrain. So it has to rewind its movement, and make a normal advance off to the side. Between losing the +3" charge range bonus and the sideways movement taking extra distance, it is completely outside attack range.

In fact, if you actually declared a charge before measuring anything, your opponent would be justified in saying that your charge movement stops when you contact the obstacle (and deny you the chance to make the normal advance off to one side). That depends on how 'friendly' a game you are playing.

• 

  Diagram for "Voluntary loss of movement" example.