Command
Armies seldom succeed in battle without a good commander. In fluid situations, the actions and decisions of front-line leaders often separate victory from defeat.
Commanders
Commanders cost points in an army.
A player is free to include as many commanders as they wish, and do not have to include any. Although only the highest Command Value is used at a time, special abilities and Command Cards can be played with any friendly commander as their source, so having multiple commanders offers more tactical flexibility and redundancy in case of casualties.
A commander must be mounted in a unit with the Command category or with the Command Centre special rule, and only one Commander may be mounted in each unit. This is chosen before rolling for deployment, and the commander cannot leave that unit.
Commanders cost points, although never contribute to a Battlegroup's points limit, since they are only mounted in a unit directly before the game. Armies can include any of the following Commanders:
| Command Value | Influence | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4" | 0 |
| 2 | 8" | 35 |
| 3 | 12" | 65 |
| 4 | 16" | 95 |
| 5 | 20" | 125 |
| 6 | 24" | 155 |
Command Value - Command Value is used for various things, including Command Cards and rolling for Initiative.
Influence - This is the distance in inches a commander is able to use special abilities, such as Command Cards.
Points - How many points this commander costs. Note that a Command Value 1 Commander is free to any unit able to mount a Commander.
Shooting at Commanders
Commanders are prime targets, but are often accompanied by a protective detail.
When a friendly Commander has shots allocated to it, the controlling player may choose to allocate the shots to any other unit in the same squad, provided it is a valid target, and isn't Hull Down if the Commander isn't Hull Down (see Shooting for details on Hull Down).
Famous Commanders
Famous Commanders are particularly noble or notorious individuals, legendary for their exploits on the battlefield as great leaders.
Each Famous Commander is unique, so can only be taken once per army (although multiple different Famous Commanders may be taken). There's always the possibility that opposing armies could be fielding the same Famous Commander. In this situation the opposing commander is obviously an imposter and should be treated as such!
Famous Commanders follow all the usual rules for Commanders with the exception that they will have a specific mount, usually custom made specially for them. They are always fielded mounted in that unit rather than choosing which unit they are in before the battle. This means that their full points cost counts towards a Battlegroup limit.
Command Cards
Command Cards represent the specific actions and decisions made by a commander.
Command Cards have various different effects, and can be used in all sorts of different situations. The card itself will explain exactly when and how to play it. Each Command Card will have an Area value on it, either Global or Influence. A Global card can be played with no restrictions, but an Influence card can only be played if the target is within the Influence distance of any friendly Commander.
A player may play as many Command Cards in a round as they wish. Once played, a Command Card is discarded.
At times, more than one player will want to play a Command Card at the same time. Some cards may even explicitly counter others! When this happens, any players wishing to play cards may do so, and only after all players do not want to play any more cards will the effects be resolved in reverse order (starting from the card last played and moving backwards to the card first played). In some situations one card will cancel out another, or a card will not be able to be resolved because of the effects of another. In these situations the card is still discarded.
A deck of Command Cards is 30 different cards, chosen by the player at the start of the game, before deployment. There are many different Command Cards to choose from, and some may only be available to certain factions, denoted by the faction's logo on the card itself. The deck of Command Cards is shuffled and then placed face down. Cards are drawn randomly into a player's hand, and kept secret from their opponents.
When Command Cards are discarded, they may not be used again in the game. A commander with a high Command Value will be able to play more Command Cards in a round, but will cycle through those cards quicker, so be sure not to run out of cards before the game is over!
If a commander is killed, you must immediately remove Command Cards in your hand down to the next highest friendly Command Value present on the table. If there are no friendly Commanders present on the table, you may still have and use 1 Command Card.
Famous Commanders often come with their own unique Command Cards, which can be added to a deck provided the Famous Commander is used in the battle. These can be used by any commander once the game starts, and stay in the deck even if the Famous Commander unit is destroyed.
Scouts & Command Cards
Scouting forces are often used as command and control relays, and as such any Command Card with an Influence Area can be used within 8" of any unit with the Scout category.