07Rounds and activations

How a round is ordered, how players alternate, why passing first is a play in itself and how Units arrive from Reserves.

Rounds and Phases§8.1

A game lasts up to 5 Rounds (whatever the Mission Card says). Each Round has four Phases, always resolved in this order:

Alternating activation§8.2

Phases 1, 2 and 3 use alternating activation. Whoever holds the First Player Marker decides which player activates first in that Phase. Then players alternate: each turn you activate one Unit and it performs exactly one action available in that Phase. Afterwards, place an Activation Marker next to it.

Passing and initiative§8.2.1

• On your turn you may Pass instead of activating a Unit. If you have no eligible Units left, you must Pass.
• The first player to Pass takes the First Player Marker for the next Phase.
• Once you Pass, you activate nothing else that Phase. Your opponent finishes all their remaining activations.
• On-table Units you did not activate still get their Activation Marker when you Pass (Phases 1 and 2).

Who starts Round 1§8.2.2

Roll off (2D6). The winner assigns the First Player Marker to either player for Round 1. In later Rounds, it goes to whoever has fewer VP at the end of the previous Round (on a tie, another Roll-Off).

Deployment and Reserves§8.3

No Unit starts on the table. Your whole army begins in Reserves and enters with the Deploy action during the Movement Phase, as your Supply allows (chapter 05).

Arrival restrictions§8.3.3

• A Unit arriving from Reserves cannot end that activation inside the opponent’s Zone of Influence (6" from their Entry Edge). This applies to every kind of arrival: from the edge, via a Warp Prism or summoned.
• You can never end a Deploy Out of Coherency: if every model cannot be placed legally In Coherency, you cannot deploy there.

A full Round, step by step

1. 1
   Start of the Round

   Every Unit gains STATIONARY; BURROWED Units gain HIDDEN. Resolve “Start of the Round” effects (the First Player Marker holder first; each player orders their own). Check Available Supply.
2. 2
   Phase 1 · Movement

   Alternating activations: Deploy, Move, Disengage or Hold. The first to Pass has initiative in Phase 2.
3. 3
   Phase 2 · Assault

   Alternating activations: Ranged Attack, Charge, Run or Hold. The first to Pass has initiative in Phase 3.
4. 4
   Phase 3 · Combat

   Every Engaged Unit must make its Close Combat Attack, alternating. You only Pass when you have no Engaged Units left.
5. 5
   Phase 4 · Scoring

   Marker control → VP → end of game? → End of the Round effects → cleanup → initiative for the next Round.

In plain wordsTake turns, one Unit each. Whoever stops first (Passes) decides who starts the next Phase. And whoever is behind decides who starts the next Round.