First Strokes: The Turn Sequence

Wolverine Poker, Unknown

SandWyrm here. Ok folks, we're finally getting into something meaty. It's time to tackle the... (Drum Roll) ...Turn Sequence!

The Turn Sequence

Just like Chess, M42 is played with each side taking turns to move and fight. However, unlike Chess, each player will move and fight with all of their playing pieces at once. Then their opponent will move and fight with all of their pieces.

This back-and-forth continues until one player achieves victory over the other. Either by capturing a key objective, or by killing enough of their opponent’s army that they are forced to flee the field.


Game Turns

A game turn is one in which each of the players has had their own opportunity to move and fight with their army. Thus a single ‘Game Turn’ will always comprise 2 or more ‘Player Turns’.

For all effects that last for a certain number of ‘Game Turns’, the effect will always be considered to last from the player turn in which it started until the beginning of that player’s next turn.

Player Turns

Within each full game turn, each player will have his or her own turn during which they move and fight with their army.

For all effects that last for a ‘Player Turn’, the effect shall be considered to cease at the end of that player’s current turn.

The Turn Sequence

Each player turn in M42 is divided into 4 different phases. So that the movement, shooting, and close combat actions of a player’s forces happen in a certain order.

1. Starting Phase
2. Movement Phase
3. Shooting Phase
4. Assault Phase

The Starting Phase

The Starting Phase is where you prepare your forces for the other phases of the turn, check victory conditions, and attempt to rally fleeing or pinned troops back into the fight!

During the Starting Phase you:

1. Make Last-Man-Standing Checks
2. Check Army Morale
3. Check Victory Conditions
4. Reveal Ambushes
5. Roll For Air Support
6. Roll For Off-Table Artillery Support
7. Roll For Reserves
8. Rally Units That Are Falling Back
9. Rally Pinned Units
10. Rally Stunned Vehicles
11. Free Bogged-Down Vehicles
12. Remove Friendly Smoke Markers

The Movement Phase

During this Phase, you may move any of your units that are able to do so. The details of how to move your troops around the table and through terrain are covered in the Movement section.

During the Movement Phase you:

1. Select A Unit To Move
2. Bring Forward Transports
3. Move Models In The Unit
1. Dismount Passengers
2. Take Bogging Checks
3. Take Tests To Enter Buildings
4. Move Models Into Assault
5. Move Transports After Mounting
4. Send Empty Transports To Rear
5. Return To 1 And Select Next Unit

(HTML fails at this, but I am numbering these sub-steps 3.1, 3.2, etc.)

The Shooting Phase

The Shooting Phase is where your troops can fire their weapons at any enemy they can see. The details of how to select targets, determine hits, and handle damage to your units are covered in the Shooting section.

During the Shooting Phase you:

1. Select The Shooting Unit
2. Select The Target Units
3. Decide Who Will Shoot At Each Unit
4. Fire Smoke Ammunition
5. Check That The Target Is Valid
6. Rotate To Face The Target
7. Check If The Target Is Concealed
8. Roll To Hit
9. Allocate Saves To Target Units
10. Roll Saves For Models That Were Hit
11. Roll Firepower Tests
12. Mark Or Remove Destroyed Models
13. Return To 1 And Select Next Unit
14. Make Morale Tests For Casualties
15. Make Nerve Tests For Pinning

The Assault Phase

In the Movement Phase, some of your troops may have contacted the enemy and entered into hand-to-hand combat with them. The Assault Phase is when you work out who strikes who, which models are killed or wounded, and which unit or units are destroyed or forced to fall back.

During the Assault Phase you:

1. Determine Assault Groups
2. Select An Assault Group 
3. Select An Assaulting Unit
4. Roll To Hit With Assaulting Unit
5. Defender Roll Saves
6. Mark Or Remove Destroyed Models
7. Have All Units In Group Assaulted?
1. If No, return to 3
8. Has The Assault Group Won?
1. If Yes, Skip To 10
9. Opponent Tests Morale And Either:
1. Counterattacks (Return To 2), or
2. Falls Back
10. Victor Consolidates
11. Return To 1 And Select Next Assault Group

Who Goes First?

This depends on the rules of the mission you’re playing. Normally, both players will roll a D6 and the player who rolls the highest result may choose whether they wish to go first or second.

The player who is going first then selects the side of the table they wish to start on and deploys their entire army at once. The player who is going second then deploys their entire army. After all players have finished their deployments, the game begins.

Game Length

Unless specified in the mission you’re playing, there is no set game length in M42. You keep playing until one of the players either achieves their victory conditions, or a player’s army sustains enough casualties that they fail a company morale check and flee the field.

Determining Victory

Most games will revolve around capturing and/or defending objectives, retrieving objects, or grinding your foe down until they are forced to withdraw. Ties are possible in M42, but the rules are structured in such a way as to make ties very difficult to achieve.

Turn Sequence Exceptions

Sometimes, during a player turn, something you do will require your opponent to perform an action. Such as making a saving throw for models that were hit, or moving models that you have forced to fall back. Once your opponent has completed his required action, your turn will always continue as normal.

(end rules)

It's all very Flames-ish, as that game has a much better defined turn structure than 40K, but there are a few key differences. There is no movement in the assault phase. All movement happens in the Movement phase (move the leader, measure the rest to the leader). So all assault moves are made there. The only thing you do in the assault phase is fight.

Shooting at a unit that's 'in assault' will be allowed. Probably with a 12" range restriction and possibly further restrictions on the types of weapons that can fire. Anti-tank guns probably won't be able to unless a tank is actually assaulting the unit.

Also different it that you'll be allowed to multi-assault. This requires determining 'Assault Groups' and performing morale checks after each unit on the attacking side has swung. The loser doesn't get to swing until they pass a Morale check. If they fail they fall back. Falling back units that don't rally in their Player's Starting Phase will be considered to be destroyed and removed from the table. So if they're running you get one chance to stop them. :)

Thoughts?