Rules: The Turn Sequence (Ver. 0.52)

Here's the updated Turn Sequence rules with the reaction phase added back in to accommodate the changes to the suppression rules.

The Turn Sequence

The Turn Phases

Each Player Turn in WarStrike is divided into 4 separate phases. These phases are:

1. Starting Phase
2. Action Phase
3. Reaction Phase
4. Close-Combat Phase


The Starting Phase

The Starting Phase is where you prepare for the rest of the turn. It's also where you determine if you've achieved your mission's objectives and won the game.

The Action Phase

This is the phase of the turn where your Strike Force will do the majority of it's moving and shooting. Unlike games with separate Movement and Shooting phases, each of your units will move and shoot all at once, in a combined 'Action', before you move on to the next unit and its actions.

The Reaction Phase

After you have completed the actions of your units, your opponent will get a chance to react to what you've done.

In this phase, the opposing player will roll their leadership checks to clear suppression from their units. They'll also get to conduct defensive fire against any of your units that have initiated close-combat with one or more of their units.

The Close-Combat Phase

One of the biggest differences between WarStrike and other tabletop wargames is its definition of 'Close-Combat'.

In WarStrike, Close-Combat is not simply another name for 'melee', or 'assault'. Rather, it's a unique and swirling combination of close-range movement, shooting, and hand-to-claw combat. Which, once initiated, doesn't end until one side withdraws from the immediate vicinity of the other. Making it an extremely decisive moment in any battle.

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.

Determining Victory

Most games will revolve around capturing and/or defending key objectives, retrieving objects, keeping hostages, or grinding your opponent's Strike Force down until they are forced to withdraw. Ties are possible in WarStrike, but the rules are structured in such a way as to make this kind of outcome very unlikely.

Game Length

Unless specified in the mission you're playing, there is no set game length in WarStrike. You simply 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.

Who Goes First?

Normally, both players will roll a D6 and the result will make one player the attacker, while the other becomes the defender. Whether the attacker goes first, or only deploys his forces first, depends on the details of the mission you're playing.

Unlike some other games though, going first or second really isn't that big of a deal. The mission rules are balanced to prevent first-turn 'Alpha Strikes'. While the lack of any sort of turn limit, combined with the 'sudden death' nature WarStrike's objective system, means that you never know who's going to get the final turn. So just relax and play the game!

Current Player/Opposing Player

Whenever these rules refer to the 'Current Player', this should be understood to be the player whose turn it currently is. While the 'Opposing Player' is always the player whose turn it currently isn't.