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WARHAMMER

WARBANDSMany a great general began his military career humbly as the commander of a smallbattalion. In his earliest engagements, the future general learns the strengths andweaknesses of his men. Over time, he learns how to assemble the troops under hiscommand to create a fearsome strike force, just as the weaponsmith learns to blend metalsto forge a fine sword. Once the battalion commander masters this art, it is but a smallstep to leading legions of men. The difference is little more than a question of scale.

From the teachings of Bartolo Miachevelia, Advisor to Kings

This issue, we continue ourdiscussion of Warhammer warbandswith rules for running your ownescalation league in your gaming clubor local shop, a few clarificationsand updates about warband selection,and the much-anticipated army-specific rules.

An Orc & Goblin warband clashes with the Defenders of an Empire village.

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ESCALATION LEAGUESParticipating in an escalation league is afun way to get in a lot of games ofWarhammer and can encourage you, yourfriends, and your fellow club members toassemble and paint a few new miniaturesor possibly start a new army. Playersbegin an escalation league with a smallwarband of 200 points. As the participantsplay games over the course of the league,their warbands will slowly increase insize. By the end of the month-longescalation league, each player will have agood sense of the effective tactics for hisnew warband, probably a few ideas abouthow he wants to expand his warband intoa full-fledged Warhammer army, and mostimportantly, at least 500 points worth ofpainted models!

ESCALATION

LEAGUE STRUCTURE. Each player begins by creating a 200-point warband per the rules in this and lastmonth’s issue of White Dwarf. Over thecourse of the 4-week league, any twoplayers can get together to play a game ofWarhammer warbands, though playersshould not play the same person morethan twice in a row. It is up to the playersto organize games for themselves, butleague organizers can certainly set up“Bring and Battle” nights to facilitateleague play. There is no formal scheduleof games, however. Players use the LittleWar scenario from last issue for eachregular league game.

The base size of each warband – orstarting warband size – increases eachweek. In addition, each time a participantplays a game, he adds to his warband anumber of points, determined by whetherhe massacred his opponent, scored avictory, tied, or lost (see table below).Warbands are restricted to a maximumsize, regardless of the number of gamesplayed. For instance, in the middle ofWeek 3, Ross’s warband has won twovictories and lost once; thus, his warbandsize is 435 points [i.e., starting warbandsize of 400 + (bonus of 15 each for twovictories) + (bonus of 5 for the loss) =435]. If Ross played more games, hiswarband would continue to increase insize but could never exceed 450 points,the maximum warband size for week 3.

ESCALATION LEAGUE WARBAND POINT-SIZE TABLE

1 200 225 10 5 0 0

2 300 350 15 10 5 0

3 400 450 20 15 10 5

4 500 570 25 20 15 10

WeekStarting

Warband SizeMaximum

Warband SizePoints Added

for a MassacrePoints Added for a Victory

Points Added for a Draw

Points Added for a Loss

WARHAMMER WARBANDS LEAGUEIn November, all U.S. HobbyCenters will be running the verywarbands escalation leaguepresented in this article. Theaction will run every Tuesdaynight and Saturday afternoon, asthe Warhammer warbands buildfrom 200 points to 500 points ormore. Ask the staff of your localU.S. Hobby Center for details ofthe league and the painting andmodeling workshops that will, nodoubt, accompany it.

A High Elf warband defends itself against its age-old foes, the Dark Elves.

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Each week, players start anew at thestarting warband size given for that week.Thus, regardless of the number of gamesplayed or the number of massacres,victories, draws, and losses a playerscored in the previous week(s), he willalways begin each week of the escalationleague at the starting warband size listedon the table.

Players may change their army lists from gameto game to reflect both the increased size oftheir warbands as well as whichever modelsand tactics they prefer to use against a particularopponent and/or warband type.

Participants should keep track of the numbermassacres, victories, draws, and losses as wellas the number of “league points” they haveearned. Players earn 6 league points for

massacring an opponent, 4 for a victory, 2 for adraw, and 1 for a loss (whether the loss was aresult of a massacre or a victory). League pointsaccrue over the course of the entire escalationleague and are not reset at the beginning of eachweek as is the starting warband size. Playersmay want to post a scoreboard like the oneshown below, which represents an escalationleague in progress somewhere in the middle ofweek 3.

ESCALATION LEAGUE SCORECARD

Dirty Steve Vampire Counts 420 1 5 3 6 1 1 47

Drew Wood Elves 450 2 4 2 4 1 1 45

Ross The Sea Lizards Lizardmen 435 1 3 1 5 1 1 32

Jeremy Dwarfs 410 0 1 3 1 1 1 20

John Beasts of Chaos 400 1 2 3 4 1 1 33

PlayerWarband

NameWarband

Type

Number ofMassacres

(6 pts each)

Number ofVictories

(4 pts each)

Numberof Draws

(2 pts each)

Numberof Losses

(1 pt each)

Number ofMega-Battle

Victories (6 pts each)

Number ofMega-Battle

Losses(3 pts each)

Warband Size

Total No. ofLeaguePoints

HelmutNightbringer’s

Plague of Undeath

The SylvanScouts

DurekAnvilpants’s

Rangers

Baltius Terravore’s Beasts

MEGA-BATTLESAt the end of each week of league play,players may participate in the mega-battle,which can involve all or some of theparticipants. League organizers shouldappoint a Games Master (GM) to facilitateand act as referee for each mega-battle.Winning a mega-battle earns players 6league points, whereas losing earns 3.Going into the mega-battle with a lead inwarband size is an obvious advantage, andwinning a mega-battle can yield benefits tothe victors in the remaining games of theescalation league. The following rulesapply to mega-battles.

Warbands & Teams. Each player brings awarband selected up to the maximumpoints total allowed for his warband asdetermined by his massacre-victory-draw-loss record, the starting warband size forthe week, and the maximum warband sizefor the week. Participating warbands willlikely have different points values. The GMwill divide the warbands into “good” and“evil” teams (e.g., Dwarfs, Empire, andHigh Elves vs. Orcs and Skaven). Theteams should include an even number ofwarbands where possible, and the GM mayhave to ask one or more players switchsides to even things up (e.g., “This Empirearmy has been corrupted by Chaos and

thus will fight on the evil team.”).Once teams are established by the

GM, each team fights as one army, witheach player controlling his own models.

Honor & Glory. Over the course of themega-battles, warbands may earn Honor &Glory in addition to other bonuses. Eachtime a player earns Honor & Glory, theGM should give him a single Honor &

Glory token. These tokens may be used atany future point in the escalation league toreroll a single die. Once used, the token must be discarded and cannot beused again.

On the following pages, we list fourpossible scenarios for your mega-battles.

Some Flayerkin, part of an Archaon’s Horde warband, attack a unit of Swordsmen.

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WARBAND MEGA-BATTLE, WEEK 1: LOOT THE RUINS

OVERVIEWA massive assault has left a local city in ruins. Though thebattle is over, small roving bands of warriors pick through theruins in search of anything of value.

ARMIESWarband teams should be set up as described in Warbands & Teams.

BATTLEFIELDThe GM sets up a 4' x 6' area (or larger if you have a lot ofplayers) representing the aftermath of battle. Burnedbuildings, piles of corpses, and rubble litter the battlefield(but don’t clutter things too much). The GM places sevenloot counters on the battlefield at least 12" from any tableedge and at least 6" from each other.

DEPLOYMENTThe GM nominates one long side as the good table edge andthe other as the evil one. Players deploy in order of totalleague points, from highest to lowest, regardless of eachwarband’s team affiliation for this battle. Each player deploysall of his models at the same time. An entire warband must beset up within 12" of its table edge in an area no wider than12". Any models that cannot fit in this area cannot participatein the game. Scouts and other units with special deploymentrules may be set up according to those rules.

WHO GOES FIRST?The team with the fewest number of players may choose togo first or second. If both sides have the same number ofplayers, the team with the lower combined total league pointscore may choose to go first or second.

LENGTH OF GAMEThe game lasts 6 turns.

SPECIAL RULESLoot. Whenever a model or unit that is not fleeing touches aloot counter, roll a D6 and consult the chart below to seewhat type of loot is found. The unit/model must try to survivethe battle and guard its loot. Units/models may movenormally with any number of loot counters, which may becaptured by enemies (but not by teammates) exactly like unitstandards. If a loot-bearing unit/model is destroyed for anyreason and the loot is not captured by a pursuing enemy,

LOOT CHART

D6 Roll Loot Type

1-3 Small Chest of Gold. The warband that ends the game with the chest may hire more troops. At the start of the nextweek of league play, the warband’s starting warband size is 3D6 points larger than normal.

4-5 Treasure Trove. The warband that ends the game with the treasure may hire more troops. At the start of the next week of league play, the warband’sstarting warband size is 6D6 points larger than normal.

6 War Banner. The unit finds a magical WarBanner (see Warhammer rulebook, p. 154)of a unit that fell in the previous battle.Any unit or model that captures the WarBanner may use it immediately (the WarBanner may replace the unit’s regularstandard if one exists). The warband thatends the game with the War Banner mayuse it for free in the remaining games inthe escalation league. Note that after thisbattle, the War Banner must be assigned toa unit/model that can normally carry amagic standard. In addition, the warbandthat ends the game with the War Bannerearns an Honor & Glory token.

place the loot counter on the board on the spot where theunit was destroyed. Any uncontrolled loot counter may becaptured by any unit/model that comes in contact with it.

VICTORY CONDITIONSThe team that ends the game in possession of the most lootcounters wins. Warbands in possession of loot counters at theend of the game reap the benefits described below.

A Lizardman warband and a group of greenskins do battle in the jungles of Lustria.

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WARBAND MEGA-BATTLE, WEEK 2: KING OF THE MOUNTAIN

OVERVIEWA group of warbands converges on a mountain, large hill, or otherobjective of high tactical importance. The warband that takes theobjective for its side will win honor and glory.

ARMIESWarband teams should be set up as described in Warbands & Teams.

BATTLEFIELDThe GM sets up a 4' x 6' area (or larger if you have a lot of players).A large hill or other objective should be placed in the center of thebattlefield. Scouts and other units with special deployment rulesmust be set up as normal and cannot use their special rules forthis scenario.

DEPLOYMENTThe GM nominates one long table edge as the good side and theother as the evil one. Players deploy in order of the number ofleague points they have, from highest to lowest, regardless of eachwarband’s team affiliation for this battle. Each player deploys all of

his models at the same time. Each warband must be set up within12" of its table edge in an area no wider than 12". Any models thatcannot fit in this area will not participate in the game.

WHO GOES FIRST?The team with the fewest number of players may choose to go firstor second. If both sides have the same number of players, theteam with the lower combined total league point score maychoose to go first or second.

LENGTH OF GAMEThe game lasts 6 turns.

VICTORY CONDITIONSThe team with the highest combined Unit Strength on and/orwithin 6" of the objective at the end of the game wins (fleeingmodels don’t count). Each warband on the winning side earns anHonor & Glory token. Also, the warband from the winning sidewith the highest combined Unit Strength on or within 6" of theobjective at the end of the game wins an additional Honor & Glorytoken (fleeing models don’t count).

WARBAND MEGA-BATTLE, WEEK 3: AMBUSH THE CARAVAN

OVERVIEWDespite recent warfare, merchants still struggle to conductbusiness, and even the dangers of long, dark roads must bebraved for commerce to continue. Rumors of a richly ladenbut modestly guarded merchant caravan have attracted theattention of a group of ambushers and cutthroats.

ARMIESWarband teams should be set up as described in Warbands &Teams. Add up the total league points of all the warbands ofeach team. The side with the higher total acts as the Attackersin this scenario.

BATTLEFIELDThe GM sets up a 4' x 6' area (or larger if you have a lot ofplayers) representing a road running down the center of theboard from short table edge to short table edge and thesurrounding countryside: clustered forested areas, jumbledboulders, and hills. The GM places one cart or caravan modelper Defending warband on the road.

DEPLOYMENT1. The Defenders set up first in order of total league pointsfrom highest to lowest. Each warband must set up within 8" ofa cart (one warband per cart). Any models that cannot fit inthis area will not participate in the game.

2. The Attackers set up next, also in order of total leaguepoints from highest to lowest. Each warband must be set upwithin 12" of a long table edge and within an area 18" wide.Any models that cannot fit in this area will not participate inthe game. Attackers can use both long table edges if they wish.

3. Scouts and other units with special deployment rules

must be set up as normal and cannot use their special rulesfor this scenario.

WHO GOES FIRST?The Attackers go first.

LENGTH OF GAMEThe game lasts 6 turns

SPECIAL RULESCarts. The Attackers may capture the carts by moving anyunit/model into base contact with them. Any unit/model with UnitStrength 4 or greater may move normally with the cart but maynot fly. Units/models with Unit Strength 3 or less move at half rate.Defending models may not move the carts until after they havebeen captured by Attackers. Units/models may capture carts exactlylike unit standards. If a cart-controlling unit/model is destroyed forany reason and the cart is not captured by a pursuing enemy, placethe cart on the board on the spot where the unit was destroyed.Any uncontrolled cart may be captured by any unit/model thatcomes in contact with it.

VICTORY CONDITIONSThe side that controls the most carts at the end of the battle winsthe game. Any Attacking warband that ends the game in control ofone or more carts may plunder their contents to hire more troopsand thus begins the next week of the league with a startingwarband size 6D6 points larger than normal. Any Defendingwarband that successfully defends the cart near which it deployed(i.e., either the cart was never captured, or it was successfullyrecaptured and was in the Defending warband’s possession at theend of the game) earns an Honor & Glory token.

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WARBAND MEGA-BATTLE, WEEK 4: BESIEGING THE KEEP

OVERVIEWA group of warbands has fortified its position in enemy territory byconstructing a crude keep. The indigenous forces have but onemission: capture the keep!

ARMIESWarband teams should be set up as described in Warbands &Teams. Add up the total league points of all the warbands of eachteam. The side with the higher total acts as the Attackers in thisscenario. Neither the Attackers nor the Defenders may purchasesiege equipment for this scenario, but some will be provided forthem for free.

BATTLEFIELDThe GM sets up a 4' x 6' area (or larger if you have a lot of players)representing the raiders’ fortified camp and places a small keepwith a footprint no larger than 12" x 12" in the center of the board.The rest of the battlefield should have very sparse terrain: a fewtents, campfires, and the like.

DEPLOYMENT1. The Attackers set up first in order of total league points

from highest to lowest. Each warband must set up within12" of one long table edge and in an area no wider than12". Any models that cannot fit in this area will notparticipate in the game.

2. The Defenders set up next in order of total league pointsfrom lowest to highest. Each warband must be set upwithin 12" of the opposite long table edge and in an areano wider than 12". Any models that cannot fit in this areawill not participate in the game.

3. The Defending warband with the most total league pointsdeploys last inside the keep in the center of the tableand/or within 6" of it. Any models that cannot fit in thisarea will not participate in the game.

4. Scouts and other units with special deployment rulesmust be set up as normal and cannot use their specialrules for this scenario.

WHO GOES FIRST?The Attackers go first.

LENGTH OF GAMEThe game lasts 8 turns.

SPECIAL RULESSmall Siege. This game is a small-scale siege game, and the rules

on pp. 247-258 of the Warhammer rulebook and the updates on

pp. 112-115 of Warhammer: Annual 2002 apply.

Improvised Fortifications. The keep is a flimsy construction

compared with a proper castle. Add +2 to all results on the

Damage Charts for the keep’s walls, towers, and gates.

Besiegers’ Equipment. Each Attacking warband gets two

ladders and one log ram at no points cost. This equipment

may be distributed as the controlling player sees fit. Any

Attacking Skirmishers may be equipped with Grappling

Hooks at no points cost.

Besieged Equipment. The Defending warband deployed in the

keep gets one cauldron of Boiling Oil at no points cost. Also, all of

this warband’s units are equipped with Rocks at no points cost. All

Defending warbands get a single Honor & Glory token at no

points cost before the game begins.

VICTORY CONDITIONSAdd up the Unit Strength of all models inside the courtyard or on

the ramparts of the keep. The team with the highest Unit Strength

wins the scenario. All warbands earn double the normal league

points for winning or losing (i.e., winning warbands earn 12

League Points instead of 6; losing warbands win 6 League Points

instead of 3).

At the end of this battle, calculate each player’s total league points

earned throughout the course of the escalation league. The player

with the highest total is crowned winner of the escalation league!

Greenskins put their fear in check to assault a fortified position held by the Undead.

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WHAT COUNTS AS A CORESELECTION FOR WARBANDS?All warbands must include a minimum oftwo Core selections. Core units that donot count toward the minimum number ofCore units in the regular army list (e.g.,Warhounds in a Chaos army or Huntsmenin an Empire army) do not count towardthe minimum two Core selections for awarband. Of course, these units can stillbe included in a warband; they simplydon’t count toward the minimum Coreunits required.

WHAT COUNTS AS A MAGIC ITEM?Per the basic warbands rules, warbands of199 points or less cannot take magicitems. Exceptions to this rule are magicitems that are available to regular troops(i.e., not exclusive to character models)and/or those items that are not listed in themagic item list of the Army book (e.g.,Wight blades, Chaos armor, tomb blades,and Skaven warp weapons). It is

permissible to take models with theseitems in small warbands, and the itemscount as magical per the normalWarhammer rules.

UNIT SIZES AND UNIT OPTIONSLast month, we published a modified listof minimum unit sizes for use withwarbands. After additional playtesting andsubsequent rethinking, we found itprudent to clarify the existing warbandsrules for minimum unit sizes as follows.

The minimum unit size for models on 20-mm or 25-mm bases is three models; theminimum unit size for models on 25 x 50-mm bases is two models; and theminimum unit size for models on 40-mmbases or larger is one model. However, nowarband regiment may take any unitoptions, other than weapon and armorupgrades, unless the regiment meets itsnormal unit minimum listed in the Armybook. Thus, only when the unit meets itsregular unit minimum listed in the Army

book can it take normally availableoptions such as:

• Command models

• Magic standards (only available tounits in warbands of 200+ points)

• Upgrades in status such as thosethat promote Empire Knights toKnights of the Inner Circle, Orcs toBig’Uns, Chaos Warriors/Knightsto Chosen, Chaos units to a Markof Chaos other than Undivided,Saurus Warriors or Skink Cohortsto a Sacred Spawning, Grave Guardto Drakenhof Guard, and the like.

Exceptions to these restrictions can befound in Army-Specific Rules andClarifications below.

Note also that some units have amaximum unit size. These unit maximumsapply to warbands just as they do toregular Warhammer armies.

FURTHER RULES AND CLARIFICATIONSABOUT WARBAND SELECTION

ARMY-SPECIFIC RULES AND CLARIFICATIONS

BRETONNIANS

Bretonnian warbands need notinclude two characters, one of whom is the Army Battle StandardBearer. However, Bretonnianwarbands can include 0-2 Hero-level characters like normalwarbands if the controlling playerwishes. One of these characters canbe an Army Battle Standard Bearerbut does not have to be. Bretonnianwarbands are NOT allowed onemore character than most otherwarbands, as are regular, full-sizedBretonnian armies.

Bretonnian Knightly units may takethe free upgrade to champion (i.e.,Cavalier, Gallant, or Paragon) only ifthe unit meets its regular unitminimum listed in the Army book.

Bretonnian warbands are devastating on the charge.

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HORDES OF CHAOS AND BEASTS OF CHAOS

Chaos warbands, like Chaos armies,must be Beast, Mortal, or Daemonwarbands. Each type of Chaoswarband may include troops from theother types (e.g., a Chaos Mortalswarband can include Beasts of Chaos)per the normal rules.

One Spawn of Chaos counts as asingle Rare choice. Two Spawn cannever be included in a warband.

Hordes of Chaos Daemon warbandsare possible. However, as there are noDaemon characters in the Hordes ofChaos Army book under 150 points,Hordes of Chaos Daemon warbandsmust be led by a Bloodhowler or, ifthe warband totals 200+ points, aMortal Hero equipped with theChalice of Chaos. As such, Daemon players may find it morepractical to use the Daemonic Legionslist from the Storm of Chaoscampaign sourcebook to createDaemon warbands.

Units of Horrors less than 5 strongcannot take Flamers; units 5-9 strongcan take up to 2 Flamers; units 10 orstronger can take up to 4 Flamers.

Chaos warbands, except those led bya Daemonic Commander, can includea Dragon Ogre Shaggoth, which willuse up both the Special choice and theRare choice. The Shaggoth cannot bepromoted to a Shaggoth Champion.

DARK ELVES

Use the updated rules for Dark Elvespublished in WD286. Otherwise,there are no army-specific rules thatapply Dark Elf warbands.

A Beasts of Chaos warband uses cunning tactics and great mobility to emerge victorious.

A Hordes of Chaos warband has many elite and deadly warriors.

This Druchii warband takes great advantage of Elven speed.

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DOGS OF WAR

Dogs of War warbands need notinclude a Paymaster.

Dogs of War warbands may includea single Regiment of Renown, whichcounts as a Core, Special, or Rarechoice per the normal rules for thatRegiment. However, the normal unitminimums and maximums for unitsize for Regiments of Renown arenever adjusted by the warbandsrules. Thus, for instance, you musttake a minimum unit size of 10 for aunit of Ricco’s Republican Guard,whereas a normal unit of Pikemen ina Dogs of War warband has aminimum unit size of 3. Dogs ofWar warbands that include aRegiment of Renown that comeswith a character or characters mayinclude no other characters in thewarband, and the character wholeads the Regiment of Renown will act as the Commander of the warband.

No other types of warbands mayinclude Dogs of War units orRegiments of Renown (except wherethey are mentioned specifically inthe army list, such as Long Drong’sSlayer Pirates in the Slayer Army ofKarak Kadrin or Ruglud’s ArmoredOrcs in Grimgor’s ’Ardboyz).

DWARFS

Dragon Slayers and Giant Slayersmay NOT act as Commanders ofDwarf warbands.

The Hammerers’ Bodyguard specialrule can apply to whoever is actingas the warband’s Commander. Thus,the Bodyguard rule could apply to aHammerer champion as well as aregular Dwarf Hero. Note that othertypes of champions acting asCommander could not join theHammerer unit, and thus, theBodyguard rule would not apply.

EMPIRE

Detachments must still meetminimum warband unit sizerequirements. Thus, the minimumunit size for a detachment is three,and only units six or stronger maytake a detachment.

Dogs of War warbands have a large variety of units at their disposal.

Dwarfen warbands are made up of resilient and skillful warriors.

Warbands of the Empire are flexible and can fit any combat role.

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HIGH ELVES

The Intrigue at Court rule works a bitdifferently for High Elf warbands. If thewarband includes two Heroes, dice off asnormal to determine the Commander ofthe warband. If the warband includes asingle Hero, he is the Commander. If thewarband includes no Heroes, thecontrolling player may nominate a unitchampion to be the Commander, and noIntrigue at Court roll is made.

Pure of Heart is not a mandatory Honorfor High Elf warbands but may beselected for a character at the controllingplayer’s discretion.

LIZARDMEN

Lizardman warbands may be selectedfrom the standard army list or theLizardmen of the Southlands army list.

ORCS & GOBLINS

Units of Common Goblins and NightGoblins need be only 10 models strongbefore they qualify for command models.

Night Goblin units under 10 modelsstrong cannot take Fanatics; units 10-14models strong can take one Fanatic; units15-19 models strong can take up to twoFanatics; and units 20+ models strongcan take up to three Fanatics.

A Black Orc Big Boss counts as twoHero choices. Thus, if a Black Orc BigBoss leads the warband, he will be theonly Hero in the warband.

SKAVEN

Units of Clanrats and Clanrat Slavesneed be only 10 models strong beforethey qualify for command models or aWeapon Team.

The Mainstay rule applies to Skavenwarbands. Mainstay Clanrat units mustbe at least 10 strong.

The following choices count as warmachines in warband games and cannotbe included in warbands of 1-199 points:Warpfire Throwers, Ratling Guns, andWarp-Lightning Cannons. Only one ofthese selections can be included in aSkaven warband of 200+ points as itssingle war machine choice.

Lizardman warbands boast exceptional hand-to-hand combatants and are hard to break.

Orc & Goblin warbands are flexible, characterful, and fierce in combat.

High Elven warbands are highly skilled and have good Leadership.

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TOMB KINGS

Khemrian armies rely on their Generals,their Hierophants, and their Incantationswhen their forces march to war. TombKing warbands, however, are musteredquickly for specific strategic objectivesor to respond to small threats, when thefull might of a Tomb King army is notrequired. Thus, when a warband isanimated, different rituals are performed,and the Undead officers are imbued withdifferent powers. As such, both theanimating magic and the chain ofcommand of a Tomb King warbandfunction somewhat differently than thoseof a full-sized Nehekharan army.

Tomb Kings warbands cannot take botha General and a Hierophant per thenormal Tomb King rules because ofwarband points restrictions on Heroes.Tomb King warbands may be led by aTomb Prince, an Icon Bearer, a LichePriest, or a unit champion. Regardless ofthe type of model serving as theCommander of the warband, theCommander acts as both General andHierophant. If this model is destroyed,the Undead models in the warband willbegin to crumble per the rules describedon p. 21 of the Tomb Kings Army book.

Tomb Princes and Liche Priests who lead warbands use Incantations per thenormal rules.

If, and only if, an Icon Bearer or unitchampion is acting as the Commander(and thus General and Hierophant) andthere is no Tomb Prince or Liche Priestin the warband, the rules for Incantationswork differently. Each Magic Phase, anyUndead Tomb King unit with a unitchampion, standard bearer, and musicianmay cast any one of the four Tomb KingIncantations as a bound spell with apower level of D6 – though Smiting,Urgency, and Summoning may be castonly on the unit performing theIncantation. If, at any time, the unit losesits champion, standard, or musician, itmay no longer cast Incantations. Whenselecting your warband, remember thatonly those units that meet the normal unitminimums listed in the Army book (e.g.,10 for Skeleton Warriors) may includecommand models.

Chariot units always count as Specialchoices in Tomb King warbands. TombKing warbands may take only a singleChariot unit. However, this unit mayinclude 1-5 Chariots. This rule is anexception to the normal warbands rulethat restricts a force to a single warmachine or Chariot.

Skaven warbands use weight of numbers and technology to defeat the competition.

Tomb King warbands have unique tactics that can be both unexpected and deadly.

Warbands of the Vampire Counts use Fear and nasty characters to win battles.

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VAMPIRE COUNTS

Vampire Counts warbands need notinclude a Wizard (i.e., a model with theentry “Magic” in its army list box).Vampire warbands thus may be led by aVampire Thrall, Wight Lord, Wraith, orunit champion as well as a Hero-levelNecromancer. Assume that whicheverWizard animated the Undead is nearbyand has dispatched a small warband todo his bidding. However, the destructionof whichever model acts as theCommander of the warband will initiatethe slow collapse of the Undead units inthe warband per the rules described on p.25 of the Vampire Counts Army book.

WOOD ELVES

None of the rules regarding Wood Elves playing Pitched Battles (e.g.,placing an additional wood terrain piece on the Wood Elves’ half of thetable) apply in warbands games, unless the scenario being playedspecifically states otherwise.

Bladeweavers and First Dancers cannotact as warband Commanders.

Archaon’s Horde. As a Hellcannon counts as twoRare choices, it may never be taken in a warband.

Chosen Warriors and Knights of Chaos count asSpecial choices in an Archaon’s Horde warband.Thus, these units do not have to meet the normalarmy list minimums for unit size, unlike Chosenunits in a Hordes of Chaos warband, which mustmeet the normal army list minimums for unit sizeto take the upgrade to Chosen status.

Do not play the Halting the Tide scenario with warbands.

One Spawn of Chaos counts as a single Rarechoice. Two Spawn can never be included in a warband.

Army of Middenland. Detachments must still meet minimum warband unit sizerequirements. Thus, the minimum unit size for a detachment is three, and only units six or stronger may take a detachment.

Army of Sylvania. Sylvanian warbands may be led by a Von Carstein Vampire Thrall, WightLord, Wraith, or unit champion. The destruction of whichever model acts as the Commander of the warband will initiate the slow collapse of the Undead units in the warband per the rulesdescribed on p. 25 of the Vampire Counts Army book.

Sylvanian warbands of any size place two GraveMarkers on the battlefield. One Grave Markermust be placed on the Sylvanian half of the table.

Cult of Slaanesh. The Commander of thewarband must be either a Sorceress with the Markof Slaanesh or a unit champion whose unit has theMark of Slaanesh.

One Spawn of Chaos counts as a single Rarechoice. Two Spawn can never be included in a warband.

Cult of Slaanesh warbands may not includeKnights of Chaos.

Daemonic Legions. Daemonic Heralds and Daemonic unit champions may act as warband Commanders.

Units of Horrors in a Daemonic Legion warbandcannot be accompanied by Flamers. Flamers areorganized into units of their own.

Errantry War. Errantry War warbands mustinclude at least two units of Knights Errant. Unitsof Knights Errant need not take a standard bearerper the Errantry Fervor special rule; however, anyunit of Knights Errant with five or more modelsmay take a standard bearer who must always carrythe free Errantry Banner.

Grimgor’s ’Ardboyz. A Grimgor’s ’Ardboyzwarband may be led by a Black Orc Big Boss, Orc Big Boss, or unit champion.

A mounted Black Orc Big Boss counts as twoHero choices. Thus, a mounted Black Orc BigBoss can lead only warbands of 200+ points. Also,if a mounted Black Orc Big Boss leads thewarband, he will be the only Hero in the warband.

If an Orc Big Boss leads the warband, the armymay include an Orc Shaman. The warband cannotinclude a Shaman under any other circumstances.This is an exception to the normal rules forShamans in an ’Ardboyz army.

Any number of units of Orc Boyz or Orc BoarBoyz can be upgraded to Big’Uns, provided thatthese units meet the normal army list minimumsfor unit size.

Grimgor’s ’Ardboyz warbands cannot includeEffigies of Gork.

If Ruglud’s Armored Orcs are included in thewarband, Ruglud will the warband Commander,and he and Maggot are the only characters thewarband may include.

High Elf Sea Patrol. High Elf Sea Patrolwarbands of 199 points or fewer need not andcannot include any units of Lothern Sea Rangers.

Warbands of 200 points or more must take one andmay take two if no Rare choices are selected.

Skaven Clan Eshin. A Clan Eshin warband maybe led by a Chieftain, an Eshin Sorcerer, or a unitchampion – never an Assassin.

The Mainstay rule applies to Clan Eshin warbands.Mainstay Night Runner units must be at least fivemodels strong.

The Clan Eshin special rule that gives the army+100 Victory Points for each enemy characterkilled does not apply to warband games.

Units of Clanrats and Clanrat Slaves need be only10 models strong before they qualify for commandmodels or a Weapon Team.

The following choices count as war machines inwarband games and cannot be included inwarbands of 1-199 points: Warpfire Throwers andRatling Guns. Only one of these selections can beincluded in a Clan Eshin warband of 200+ pointsas its single war machine choice.

Slayer Army of Karak Kadrin. A Dragon Slayeror unit champion must be nominated thewarband’s Commander.

If Long Drong’s Slayer Pirates are included in thewarband, Long Drong will the warbandCommander, and he is the only character thewarband may include. Similarly, if MalakaiMakaisson’s Goblin Hewer is included in thewarband, Malakai will be the warbandCommander, and he is the only character thewarband may include.

STORM OF CHAOS ARMY-SPECIFIC RULES

Wood Elf warbands have excellent archers and use deadly hit-and-run tactics.