Movement Phase

The Movement Phase is comprised of four steps that are followed in strict order:

Opposing models are kept at least 1" apart, and no model may move closer than that to an enemy unless it is charging.

To engage an enemy unit in Hand-to-Hand Combat by charging it, the intention must be declared at the very start of the Movement Phase. To declare a charge, each model—or group of models—in the attacking unit nominates a target for its charge. Each charging model goes for the closest enemy model not already engaged, so a squad whose nearest opponents are taken by its leading models may find the rest charging a different enemy unit altogether^†.

The attacking player must be reasonably confident that the charging unit can reach its target; however, the distance may not be measured before declaring the charge. Charging troops must have a clear run at their target—they cannot charge through other models, and any terrain features should be taken into account.

Once a unit has been declared as charging, it may not participate in the Shooting Phase, even if it fails the charge.

^† The rulebook declares a charge squad against squad; its reference sheet has a squad charge the nearest enemy. A White Dwarf Q&A settles the two: a charging model goes for the closest unengaged model.

There are occasions when a model may be forced to move irrespective of a player's wishes—these are Compulsory Moves. Common examples are vehicles that go Out of Control or models that become Frenzied, but numerous rules trigger such moves. Compulsory Moves always occur before Normal Moves.

A model driven into contact with an enemy this way has not charged, and takes none of the bonuses a Charge carries. Its opponent has every option it would have against a declared charge.

The purpose of Charging is to move models into Hand-to-Hand Combat—no model joins Hand-to-Hand Combat except by charging. A squad charges as one body, travelling as much as double its normal Movement. Each charging model must attempt to engage the nearest enemy model, but may choose to ignore models already in Hand-to-Hand Combat. If, because of Compulsory Moves, another enemy model is closer than the charging model's originally declared target, the charging model must target the nearer model instead.

A charge is considered successful if the charging model can achieve base-to-base contact with an enemy model. If the enemy model is behind cover—such as a wall—the charging model must reach base-to-base contact with that instead. If no enemy model can be reached, the charger moves its full charge distance, stops, and may do nothing else for the rest of the turn. Models may be charged even if they are in Hiding.

Models move up to their Movement rate in any direction. Not all models in a unit are required to move, provided Squad Coherency is maintained; for example, part of a squad may be repositioned while a model with a Move or Fire weapon is left stationary, allowing it to still shoot. Eligible models may also Go into Hiding.

A model may turn to face any direction at no cost, and turning does not count as moving. A model carrying a Move or Fire weapon may therefore turn and still shoot.

If a unit has not Charged or made a Compulsory Move, it may forgo its turn and instead prepare Overwatch—a model preparing Overwatch may not move at all, not even to turn on the spot. Overwatch is declared at the start of the player's own turn. All models in a unit must enter Overwatch together. A unit on Overwatch does nothing for the rest of its turn, but may shoot at any time during the opponent's turn^†—this lasts until the beginning of the unit's next turn.

A unit fires once from Overwatch: as soon as it shoots, its Overwatch is spent. Grenades may not be thrown as Overwatch fire.

A unit shot at while on Overwatch, whether or not the shot hits, takes an immediate Leadership Test. Failing it, the unit loses Overwatch and returns to the ordinary sequence.

^† In the original rulebook, Overwatch shots were only permitted during the opponent's Movement Phase; this was later revised in a White Dwarf Q&A.

Not all ground is equally easy to cross. To represent this on the tabletop, there are four types of terrain, each with an associated movement penalty:

Hills count as Open Terrain unless both players agree before the game to treat them as Difficult Terrain. The type of any other feature may be settled the same way.

An obstacle up to 1" high and/or 1" broad is crossed without penalty. One taller than that, up to twice the height of the model crossing it, takes half the model's Movement to cross. Anything higher than twice the model's own height counts as Impassable Terrain for that model.

A model without enough Movement left to cross an obstacle halts in front of it. No model is ever left standing half way across.

If an obstacle has a gate, the gate is assumed to be open unless otherwise agreed, and troops may pass through as if it were open terrain.

The penalties for Difficult Terrain types and obstacles are cumulative.

Running allows models to double their normal Movement. All models in a squad must run together and if they do so they cannot fire their weapons during the Shooting Phase.

A squad with an enemy model within 8" may not run—it moves normally or Charges.

In the original rulebook, the following also applied to the rules for Running:

Arid terrain is an optional set of rules for battles fought in desert country, standing beside the ordinary Terrain rules rather than replacing them. Woods, jungle, rivers and streams do not occur in an arid region; hills and buildings do, and behave as they do anywhere.

Arid Features

Open ground is open terrain, save that nothing may be dug into it: no trench, no emplacement and no concealed bunker.

Rough ground is desert littered with scrub and loose rock. It costs nothing to move through, counting as open terrain, and troops may Hide in it.

A wadi is a steep-sided gully. It is Difficult Terrain to cross and open terrain to move along. Troops in a wadi may hide from anything outside it and count Hard Cover against fire from outside, but neither hide from nor gain cover against anything inside it. A unit hidden in a wadi may follow it along and stay hidden as it goes.

An oasis counts as a small wood. A model within 1" of its edge may fire out and be fired at with Soft Cover; deeper than that it can neither see out nor be seen. An oasis is Difficult Terrain to move through.

A rocky outcrop is Very Difficult Terrain and gives Hard Cover to troops behind it.

Dunes are Very Difficult Terrain to a wheeled vehicle and Difficult Terrain to everything else. Troops may hide in or behind them. Nothing may be dug into a dune and no building stands in one.

A sangar is a low wall of piled rock, raised where the ground cannot be dug. Troops behind one count Hard Cover against fire crossing its front, and no cover at all against fire from behind it. A sangar costs 10 points for each 2" of wall, has an Armour Value of 15, and is destroyed and removed by a single penetrating shot.

Arid Conditions

Wind-blown dust and the haze off the ground shorten sight in arid country. Every shot takes -1 To Hit at Short Range and -2 at Long Range.

A wheeled, tracked, hover or skimmer vehicle that moves throws up a cloud of dust; a walker throws one up only where it runs or charges. The cloud is as wide as the vehicle, runs from where it finished back to where it began, stands 12" high, and hangs there until the start of that player's next turn.

Nothing sees through a dust cloud, so no weapon needing Line of Sight fires through one. A unit within 1" of the edge of a cloud may fire out of it at -1 To Hit, and a unit outside may fire into it at a target within 1" of the edge on the same penalty.