WAB2 Q&A List (unofficial)

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Warhammer Ancient Battles 2 Questions & Answers (unofficial)


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PAGE: 33
QUESTION: It states you must try and bring as many combatants as possible into contact by first wheeling and/or moving straight ahead at the beginning of the charge until contact is made and then as normal you get the free wheel to align. My question is after all this is done and the units are still not aligned completely do you slide the units until all are in combat that can possibly be?
ANSWER: No, having done all you can do, the units fight as they are, they don't slide along.
COMMENTS: Posted by Martin Gibbins viewtopic.php?f=87&t=7692&start=0

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PAGE: 34
QUESTION: Is a unit allowed to charge the corner of a unit in a multiple charge?
ANSWER: You can no longer charge a unit if the only possible contact is a corner-there has to be a figure (or at least part of one) to line up against.
COMMENTS: Posted by Martin Gibbins viewtopic.php?f=87&t=7692&start=0

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PAGE: 60
QUESTION: At the moment nothing seems to prevent Open Order cavalry to claim its rank bonus in difficult terrain.
ANSWER: Open Order cavalry do not have a rank bonus, unless granted one by their supplement list. I thought the rules said that open order infantry retain their ranks in rough ground, this is certainly the intention.
COMMENTS: Posted by Martin Gibbins viewtopic.php?f=56&t=7680&start=0

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PAGE: 62
QUESTION: In what order are post combat movement resolved ie who decides which unit flees first?
ANSWER: Giving Ground is a retrograde movement that you should view as taking place during the whole combat phase. So when combats are resolved, move troops giving ground before troops fleeing.
COMMENTS: Posted by Martin Gibbins viewtopic.php?f=56&t=7680&start=0

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PAGE: 63
QUESTION: A unit engaged frontally with 2 enemy units that are broken pursue. It rolls more than both flee dice rolls. Are the 2 unit destroyed? We thought that it was the case, but page 64 does not mention fighting more than one unit of its front.
ANSWER: A victorious unit pursues all beaten opponents it is facing to its front so long as they are fleeing straight back.
COMMENTS: Posted by Martin Gibbins viewtopic.php?f=56&t=7680&start=0

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PAGE: 72
QUESTION: Death of a General and off Table Units - what happens?
ANSWER: I envisage the test to simulate the dismay in the ranks as news of the general's death spreads over the field. Off-table pursuers aren't "in the loop" as far as this sort of response is concerned.

In game terms, they are already faced with a leadership test just to return to the table, so it would feel wrong to inflict an additional test upon them.

By the time these troops return to the table, the wave of panic (or indifference, its amazing how many lead armies treat their general with distain) will have passed and the remaining units will have got back down to it.

So my view is, troops temporarily off table ignore the death of the general.
COMMENTS: Posted by Martin Gibbins viewtopic.php?f=56&t=7479&p=77122&hilit=death+of+general#p77103

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PAGE: 77
QUESTION: Do skirmishers not engaged in combat have flanks and rear? In that case, how do you determine the flanks of a skirmishing unit deployed in circle all models facing in different directions? According to the rules the enemy table edge becomes their front but how do you draw the line that fixes the front ie what model within the unit do you use?
ANSWER: Where it is necessary for any reason to check the facing of skirmishers, the rule is the one given- facing enemy table edge if not otherwise obvious. Skirmishers charged from a direction they are not facing take a panic test like other troops.I'll have to think about a definition to deal with "clouds"- it will need to operate on the "contra proferentem" rule like the facing one does.
COMMENTS: Posted by Martin Gibbins viewtopic.php?f=56&t=7680&start=0

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PAGE: 79
QUESTION: Are single characters formed unit? It says units reduced below 5 models don't count as formed anymore, but are we right if we consider that if a unit starts the game with fewer than 5 models it counts as formed for the whole game? Quite important as formed units don't take Panic test from friendly skirmishers broken or running away.
ANSWER: According to the rules a character is in effect an unformed unit, so would test for fleeing skirmishers. That's an unintended consequence and I will give it further thought.
COMMENTS: Posted by Martin Gibbins viewtopic.php?f=56&t=7680&start=0

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PAGE: 80
QUESTION: I didn't find anywhere that single characters are allowed to rally once fleeing, overriding the fact that they are units of fewer than 5 models.
ANSWER: A lone character should still be able to rally, if that's not in the rules then I'll put it in the errata.
COMMENTS: Posted by Martin Gibbins viewtopic.php?f=56&t=7680&start=0

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PAGE: 80
QUESTION: Characters included in a unit gain the Psychologie rule of the unit. What about other rules as Drilled, Feigned Flight, etc...
ANSWER: A character joining a unit operates with the unit on the rationale developed in the later supplements.
COMMENTS: Posted by Martin Gibbins viewtopic.php?f=56&t=7680&start=0

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PAGE: 82
QUESTION: Can a character mounted on an elephant charge enemy units?
ANSWER: An elephant is a unit of one model. So a character on an elephant may charge. A chariot counts as a mount for a character just as a horse or camel does; chariots must appear in units of at least 3 unless used simply as a taxi by a character. So a character mounted on a chariot cannot declare a charge if not joined to a chariot unit.
COMMENTS: Posted by Martin Gibbins viewtopic.php?f=87&t=7768&start=0

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PAGE: 94
QUESTION: I've just read the pike section, and have a question. The rules say something like "infantry armed with pikes strike first when fighting exclusively to the front". This could be read as either affecting individual figures or the unit. The easiest interpretation is that any engagement to the flank removes Always Strikes First from the whole unit. Alternatively, figures who are engaged only to the front would still strike first, while the ones on the engaged flank would strike in initiative order?
ANSWER: It is intended that pike-armed figures fighting to the units flank or rear lose the strike first capability.
COMMENTS: Posted by Martin Gibbins viewtopic.php?f=87&t=7552&p=77987#p77987

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PAGE: 96
QUESTION: Light armour and large shield, is it meant to be a -1" movement modifier? When I look at page 96 it says infantry with an armour save of 4+ equals -1"
ANSWER: There was no intention to change the encumberance effects from what existed before. Use the chart at the top left of page 21 rather than the one published on page 96.(Moderators comment)
COMMENTS: Posted by Martin Gibbins viewtopic.php?f=56&t=7457&p=76949#p76949

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PAGE: 100
QUESTION: Fear vs Warband. I roll a 1 for a Warband that has to charge a feared enemy (much more common now with almost all skirmishers fearing formed units). Do I have to take the Fear test or does the Warband rule override it?
ANSWER: A warband that fails its warband test is forced to declare a charge. The normal charge rules then apply, so it will take a fear test if attempting to charge a fear causing enemy.
COMMENTS: Posted by Martin Gibbins viewtopic.php?f=56&t=7680&start=0

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PAGE: 108
QUESTION: I am right in thinking that if a "stubborn" unit in "shieldwall" with thrusting spear "gives ground", it would lose both the 2nd rank of spears and "shieldwall" benefits ? I assume they count as moving. If so this greatly reduces the benefit of stubborn thrusting spear troops as they would almost certainly lose the 2nd round. Secondly, who can claim "massed cavalry"? Can any cavalry with spear or lance use the rule or is it only specic armies?
ANSWER: A unit armed with thrusting spears (or a cataphract unit with kontos) that gives ground would still fight with 2 ranks in the next round. Massed cavalry is a special rule so only applies to troops designated as such.
COMMENTS: Posted by Martin Gibbins viewtopic.php?f=56&t=7606&p=78349#p78349

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PAGE: 110
QUESTION: The rules say something like "infantry armed with pikes strike first when fighting exclusively to the front". This could be read as either affecting individual figures or the unit. The easiest interpretation is that any engagement to the flank removes always strikes first from the whole unit.
ANSWER: It is intended that pike-armed figures fighting to the units flank or rear lose the strike first capability.
COMMENTS: Posted by Martin Gibbins viewtopic.php?f=87&t=7552&start=0

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PAGE: 206
QUESTION: What is the correct rank bonus for Open Order Infantry +1 or +2?
ANSWER: Maximum rank bonus for Open Order infantry is +2.
COMMENTS: Posted by Martin Gibbins viewtopic.php?f=56&t=7474&p=77082&hilit=open+order+rank+bonus#p77067

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PAGE: Alexander the Great Supplement
QUESTION: Am i correct in thinking that the Open Order rules for cavalry means that the AtG Companion Wedge can move pretty much in any direction and with any facing 16" unless march blocked by cavalry?
ANSWER: A wedge of unbarded cavalry is made up of open order troops. Therefore the rules for both open order and wedge apply. This means that a wedge gains a quarter move when turning 180 degrees. Turns of up to 90 degrees, and 91 -179 degrees, cost the same in movement as before. The expansion/ contraction rules are irrelevant to a wedge.
Visibility remains unchanged. The definition of the point on the wedge from which the flank arc is measured is unaltered, but the flank line will be overridden by the new global rules
COMMENTS: Posted by Martin Gibbins viewtopic.php?f=56&t=7583&start=20#p78645

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PAGE: Chariot Wars Supplement
QUESTION: Is it allowed to units from the Allies or Mercenaries section to use the generals leadership or army standard reroll?
ANSWER: Allies and mercenaries in the Chariot Wars period act rather differently (in the main) to those of later eras which gave rise to the Unrelieable rule. I suggest you play that those selected in the Chariots Wars lists are not Unreliable.
COMMENTS: Posted by Martin Gibbins viewtopic.php?f=87&t=8442

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