03Measuring and movement

How any distance is measured, the difference between “Within” and “Wholly Within”, the Leading Model, Unit Coherency and when a model fits through a gap.

Measuring distances§4.1

Everything is measured in inches ("). You may measure anything, at any time: before declaring an action, during your opponent's activation or between Phases. Measure carefully and agree before committing.

• Between models: from the closest point of one base to the closest point of the other.
• Ignore overhang: weapons, wings, limbs or scenery sticking out past the base are ignored.
• Base-to-base: if two bases touch, the distance between them is 0".
• Tokens and markers: measure to their closest physical edge.
• Different elevations: always measure horizontally, as seen from above. Height is never added. This applies to weapon Range, Engagement Range and ability ranges. Movement is measured as the action says (see Phase 1).

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If a special rule lets models of the same Unit stand at different elevations, distances between them are still measured horizontally.

Within vs. Wholly Within§4.2

• Within: a model is “Within X"” if any part of its base touches or crosses into that distance. A Unit is Within if at least one of its models is.
• Wholly Within: only if the entire base is inside. A Unit is Wholly Within only if every base is.

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The Leading Model§4.3

Whenever a Unit Moves, Deploys, Runs, Charges, Disengages or Closes Ranks (or any effect asks for it), you pick one of its models as the Leading Model. It moves first, measuring its exact path; then you set the others in Coherency around its new position. When the action ends, it stops being the Leading Model.

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Unit Coherency§4.4

At the end of any action that repositions models (Move, Deploy, Charge, Disengage, Close Ranks, Run, PLACE, SUMMON), every model must be Wholly Within 3" of the Leading Model and able to trace a Coherency Link to it. If so, the Unit is In Coherency.

• What a Coherency Link is: a chain of imaginary lines from model to model within the same Unit. It cannot pass through models of other Units, terrain, or gaps the Leading Model could not move through. It may pass through Enemy models the Unit is Engaged with and through ACCESS POINTS.
• Flying Units: their links ignore terrain of any Size and may pass through models from other Units.
• If it does not fit: if terrain or crowding prevents placing a model Wholly Within 3", set it as close as possible while keeping a valid link; the Unit is Out of Coherency. If there is no legal spot with a link at all, that model is removed as a casualty immediately.
• Casualties never break Coherency: it is only checked at the end of the Unit's last repositioning action. Losing models never makes a Unit Out of Coherency.
• Consequence: an Out of Coherency Unit cannot control or contest Mission Markers. You can also never end a Deploy Out of Coherency.

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Directly Towards & Directly Away§4.5

Some abilities force a Unit to move DIRECTLY TOWARDS or DIRECTLY AWAY from another Unit. Draw an imaginary line from the centre of the moving model's base through the centre of the target's base and follow it.

• If terrain or models are in the way, go around them by the shortest route and keep the original direction. If two routes are equally short, you choose.
• Moving “towards”, you cannot end further away than you started; moving “away”, you cannot end closer.
• For multi-model Units, the Leading Model must be the one with the shortest route to the target. The rest are set as close (towards) or as far (away) as possible while keeping Coherency.
• If the target Unit has several models, aim at the closest one (towards) or the furthest one (away).
• An involuntary move never pushes a model off the table: it stops touching the edge.

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Gap Clearance and model Size§4.6

A gap is any space between terrain pieces or models that a model's path goes through. The Leading Model may only pass if the gap is wide enough for the Unit's Size:

• Size 2 or lower: gaps at least 1" wide.
• Size 3 or larger: gaps at least 3" wide.
• Passing is not stopping: even if the gap allows passage, the base can only be set where it physically fits.
• Archways, doorways and breaches in a terrain piece count as gaps. Agree during set-up which openings are passable.
• It applies to Move, Run, Charge, Disengage and Close Ranks.
• Flying Units ignore gaps (point to point), but their base must fit where they end.

In plain wordsAlways measure base to base, from above. Move one model first (the leader) and arrange the rest within 3" of it. Small models slip through 1" gaps; big ones need 3".