New Player Guide

WARMACHINE: Tactics may seem daunting to those not familiar with WARMACHINE tabletop. This page will serve as a guide to get new people up to speed on the basics. Nearly every rule in the game translates to the Single Player campaign, so this will be focusing solely on Multiplayer.

For a more in depth look at gameplay rules please visit Gameplay_Mechanics

=The Game= In WARMACHINE: Tactics you command a Squad of Units consisting of Warriors, Warjacks, and a single Warcaster. They have an array of abilities and actions they can perform to combat the enemy army.

Battle Map
Battles take place in levels called Battle Maps. Each map has designated deployment zones, terrain, and obstructions.

Turns
Battles progress through turns. Each side of the battle will take turns moving their units and performing actions. When it is your turn, you get to use all of your units until they all have performed actions.

During a turn, each unit gets 1 activation; the order of activation is determined by the player. During a unit's activation they can move, attack, use abilities, and cast spells. Not all units have the same abilities or actions.

Units
Each unit has a number of health points associated to them. When their health reaches 0 that unit is dead. If the Warcaster dies, it's game over.

Every unit has varying unit stats that determine their battle effectiveness in terms of accuracy, defense, and damage. All units are equipped with one or more weapons that have varying uses.

Warcaster
The Warcaster is the most important unit in your army, once they die the match is over. It is very important to keep the Warcaster safe, but also in strategic positions in order to maximize that character's effectiveness. Warcasters all have weapons, spells, and a one use only ability called a Feat. Warcasters use a resource called Focus, they use Focus to cast spells, buy extra attacks, and to give Warjacks a boost. Each Warcaster has a set amount of Focus, but must manage that focus efficiently. Focus regenerates at the beginning of their next turn.

Warcasters have what is known as a Control Area, which is a number of squares around them based on double their focus value. Certain actions and abilities are based on the Warcaster's control area.

Warjack
A Warjack is a giant steam powered robot that has very powerful attacks. They require focus to use effectively and must be in the Warcaster's Control Area in order to receive Focus.

Warriors
Warriors are typically small sized units who can move around the battlefield quickly and all come with a wide variety of weapons and abilities. Warriors are weaker than Warcasters and Warjacks, but they come in great numbers.

=Playing the Game=

Phases
There are different phases which occur during a turn

Maintenance and Control Phase
The maintenance phase is handled automatically in WARMACHINE: Tactics.

The Control Phase is where the player will allocate focus to Warjacks and shake effects.

Actions
Units can perform a certain number of actions during their activation. The two major types of actions are Attack Actions and Movement Actions.

Movement
Each unit can perform 2 different movements:
 * Advance - the unit can move spaces and perform additional actions
 * Run - the unit sacrifices their attack action to move additional spaces further than an advance

Attack Actions
A unit is allowed to perform an attack action with their equipped weapons. Units can't perform both a melee and ranged attack during the same activation. A unit can't attack and then make an advance.

All attacks have a chance to hit or miss. This is calculated based on the attacking unit's RAT or MAT value and the defending unit's DEF value. There are special circumstances, which may make attacks automatically hit or miss.

Abilities and Spells
Using special abilities is a special action which uses the unit's attack action. Spells can be cast at any time during a unit's activation and do not count as a movement or attack action.

Effects
During battle a unit can be afflicted with a special effect by a weapon, ability or spell, which debilitates them in some fashion. Currently there are two different effects, which grievously affect the unit: Stationary and Knockdown.

Shaking Effects
During the Control Phase, the player can use focus to remove an effect from the Warcaster or Warjacks. Warjacks must be given a focus point in order to do this.

Stationary and Knockdown
Stationary units are frozen and can't perform actions during their next turn. Knocked Down units must sacrifice their move action to stand up. After standing the unit can either perform an attack or run.

It is important to note that units affected by either of these statuses are automatically hit by melee attacks and lose any defense value they had.

Other Effects
There are various other effects, which affect the unit in some way.