Orders and conditions

Orders and conditions determine most of what you can and can’t do with your detachments in a given turn.

We use Order markers to remind us which orders or conditions are in effect with which detachments.

Orders

As long as a detachment is not subject to any Conditions then you may give it orders (during the Movement phase, usually).

Advance

These are the orders that a detachment operates under by default. You don’t need a marker to indicate these orders, just so long as you can remember which detachments you’ve already activated under these orders in a given turn.

Movement phase: You may make a move with units in this detachment.
Shooting phase: You may shoot with the units in this detachment.
Assault phase: You may not move the units in this detachment.

Assault

These orders allow a detachment to close with the enemy more quickly, at the cost of less effective shooting as they 'shoot from the hip'. Also, these are the only orders that allow your detachment to move into close combat with the enemy.

Movement phase: You may make a move with units in this detachment.
Shooting phase: You may shoot with the units in this detachment — but you must halve their total Firepower.
Assault phase: You must move the units in this detachment, and you may initiate an assault (see Assault moves and charges).

March

These orders allow a detachment to move very quickly — but it can’t shoot, and it becomes an easy target for the enemy.

Be careful! Detachments on March orders are especially vulnerable to enemy attacks.

Movement phase: You may make a triple move with units in this detachment. That is, make three normal moves in a single sequence.
Shooting phase: You may not shoot with units in this detachment. If your opponent shoots at this detachment then they will use the Marching column on the Firepower table.
Assault phase: You may not move units in this detachment. If the detachment becomes engaged in an assault then and you must halve the detachment’s Assault and Firepower totals.

Overwatch

These orders cause a detachment to forgo most of its movement in favour of more accurate shooting.

Movement phase: You may move units in this detachment up to 5 cm only.
Shooting phase: You may shoot with units in this detachment — and you may re-roll misses that you roll with the attack dice.

[TODO: Are there edge cases in which units in the detachment might be allowed to shoot outside of the Shooting phase (such as Flak attacks)? If yes then perhaps we need to make it clear that re-rolling of misses applies in those cases too?]
Assault phase: You may not move units in this detachment.

Special

We use this marker to indicate that special orders are in effect, such as Flak and Preparatory Bombardment.

Conditions

You cannot give a detachment orders while it is subject to a condition. When a detachment becomes subject to a condition then any orders that were in effect are no longer valid — remove the Order marker (if any) and place the appropriate Condition marker.

Broken

A detachment becomes Broken when it loses a close combat or a firefight. This means that the detachment is in disarray — units are in a state of confusion or even panic, seeking cover and unable to accept and respond to orders.

Be careful! A Broken detachment is especially easy for the enemy to destroy — especially if enemy units surround it.

Movement phase: You may make only a 20 cm Retreat move with units in this detachment (though you don’t have to move them at all if you don’t want to).
Shooting phase: You may not shoot with units in this detachment.
Assault phase: You may not move units in this detachment (aside from the initial Retreat move after losing an assault). If the detachment becomes engaged in close combat or a firefight then and you must halve the detachment’s Assault and Firepower totals.
Rally phase: You may attempt to rally the detachment at step R2. Attempt to rally Broken detachments.

Immobilised

This condition applies when a War Engine unit sustains damage that causes it to become immobile. This might be a temporary condition if it can be repaired, or it might last for the rest of the game.

Movement phase: You may not move this unit, at all — not even to turn on the spot.
Shooting phase: You may shoot with this unit as normal. If your opponent shoots at this unit then they will use the appropriate Immobilised column on the Firepower table.
Assault phase: You may not move this unit, at all — not even to turn on the spot.
Rally phase: Where the rules state that the unit is Immobilised "until repaired", you may attempt to repair the unit at step R3. Attempt repairs.

[TODO: Clarify: In contrast to other orders and conditions, the Immobilised condition affects individual War Engine units… but what does this mean for multi-unit War Engine detachment? How should we apply orders and the in command/out of command rules for other War Engine units in the same detachment?]