Battle 2: Escalating Engagement

In a less contested sector of the battle front, two patrols from opposing armies run into each other. As they clash, both sides call in reinforcements.

Scenario special rules

Army Morale; Objectives; Reserves

Armies

With your opponent, agree a maximum points value limit for the battle. Then build your army within this limit.

Maps

The original Epic 40,000 texts are ambiguous and it’s not clear exactly what 'edges' we should use for Reserves in this scenario. We have not yet settled on a particular interpretation, so there’s a good chance that we’ll change some of the details that you see here.

  • Non-standard deployment edges — refer to the map.

  • The two deployment zones represent the areas that opposing detachments are patrolling at the moment they sight each other. The deployment zones are in opposite corners of the playing area, 150 cm apart. Each is 90 cm deep, with a width that depends upon the width of your playing area (15 cm by default).

Deployment map for the Escalating Engagement scenario
Figure 1. Deployment map
Legend

  • A Deployment zone A.

  • B Deployment zone B.

Setup

  1. Set up terrain in the standard way.

  2. Determine which player gets to choose their deployment edge/zone in the standard way. That player must then choose the deployment edge/zone that they prefer, and their opponent gets the opposite edge/zone (see Maps).

  3. Choose your objectives, as follows:

    • Each player must have one objective per 500 points in their army (round fractions up). You may each choose or pick at random from any of the standard objectives.

      Example 1. Number of objectives

      In a game with a limit of 1,800 points for each army, you will each have four objectives.

  4. Place your objective markers in the standard way.

Disposition of forces

Determine the disposition of your forces.

  1. Place all of your Flyer detachments in Reserves.

  2. If you have any detachments that qualify for the Reserves rules on their own merit, place them in Reserves.

  3. You must deploy a single detachment during initial deployment, to represent your patrol force. This must be the Infantry/Vehicle detachment that has the lowest points value in the your army, except that it cannot be your Supreme commander detachment.

    • To be clear: Even if it is the lowest points value detachment in your army, do not use a War Engine or Flyer or Supreme Commander detachment for your patrol.

    Keep your 'patrol detachment' at hand for your initial deployment.

  4. Place all of your remaining detachments in Reserves.

Initial deployment

The player whose army has the lower Strategy Rating must deploy their patrol detachment first, in their deployment zone. Then the opposing player must deploy their patrol detachment in their deployment zone.

Play the game

Start the game in the usual way: Proceed to the Start phase.

Game length and victory conditions

Standard Army Morale win conditions apply: At the end of the Rally phase, if a player has an Army Morale value of zero or less then the game ends and the other player is the winner. [1]

  • If this hasn’t happened by the end of the 6th turn, then the player with the higher Army Morale value wins a 'tactical victory'.

  • If both players' Army Morale values drop to 0 or less on the same turn, then the player with the higher Army Morale value wins a 'tactical victory'.

1. Difference from Epic 40,000:  In a strict interpretation of the original text for this scenario, you might end the game as soon as a player’s Army Morale value reaches 0, whenever that happens during a game turn. However, we think it is more consistent with other rules, more fair, and probably the original intent, to complete the turn sequence and determine the overall game state only at step R4. Check the game end conditions, as usual. So, we’ve made the text clear in this respect.