Spearhead Assault Battles
Across the many battlefields of the Horus Heresy, armoured vehicles duelled in the ruins of the Imperium. From the smallest light tanks to immense super-heavies, when deployed by a skilled commander and operated by a veteran crew, these tanks could turn the tide of any battle with a well-timed assault. Spearhead Assault battles allow you to deploy entire armies of armoured vehicles onto the battlefield, engaging the enemy in a series of new Missions representing armoured warfare in the nightmare conflict of the Horus Heresy.
Battlefield Terrain
As part of the preparation for the battle, players will need to set up their battlefield terrain - this is always done before any Detachments are deployed on the battlefield and before players determine deployment zones.
There are a variety of ways that terrain can be deployed on the battlefield:
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Players can divide the table into quarters and deploy D3+1 areas of terrain in each quarter, with players taking turns deploying a piece of terrain, starting with the winner of a roll-off. For Structures, it is suggested that several individual Structures count as one area of terrain for the purposes of deploying terrain.
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Players can collaborate, placing various areas of terrain from those available to them to create an ultinBtaetrtelestsing battlefield.
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One player can set up the entire battlefield in a manner of their choosing. Then, when it comes to rolling to see who has control of the battlefield (see page 74), the player who did not set up the terrain automatically gains control of it.
Regardless of the method used, terrain should encourage tactical decisions and movement amongst armies.
The addition of a cluster of Structures along with a few areas of Obstructing terrain and/or other line of sight blocking terrain will greatly influence the flow of battle, restricting avenues of movement and providing tactical advantages and disadvantages to Detachments.
Selecting a Mission
Once all players have assembled their armies, they will need to decide upon a Mission. Each Mission determines the deployment zones of both armies, the Primary Objective for both players and, if necessary, how Objective markers are deployed on the battlefield.
To determine a Mission, one player rolls a D3 to determine which column from the Mission table that follows is in use. Alternatively, players can simply choose a Mission from the table, so long as all players agree.
| D3 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Armoured Engagement |
| 2 | Sweeping Front |
| 3 | Clash of Columns |
Descriptions of each Mission, along with deployment maps, can be found on pages 76-79.
The Battlefield
Deployment Map
Once a Mission has been determined, the battlefield is set up - terrain is deployed as described on page 73. The Spearhead Assault Missions presented in this book assume a battlefield size of 5'x4', and all deployment maps are written with this in mind. However, players are free to agree amongst themselves the battlefield size, adjusting deployment zones and Objective marker placement as needed.
Players must then determine who has 'control of the battlefield'. To do this, both players roll off once terrain has been set up, with the winner of the roll-off choosing which player has control of the battlefield. The player with control of the battlefield chooses a deployment zone, with the other deployment zone going to the opposing player.
Once deployment zones have been chosen, players deploy any Objective markers, as detailed in the Mission's deployment map.
Objective Markers
In Legions Imperialis, places of vital importance are represented by Objective markers. Objective markers can take many different forms, from simple coloured tokens or bases to custom terrain pieces built to match a player's Army.
Unless otherwise stated, an Objective marker in Legions Imperialis should be represented by a token or base 32mm in diameter. A model can end its move in base contact with an Objective marker and can move through it without issue but cannot end its move overlapping one. Regardless of their appearance, Objective markers do not block line of sight.
When deploying Objective markers, the centre of the base is used when measuring - if an Objective marker needs to be placed 18" from a battlefield edge, the centre of the base must be 18" away. During a battle, any measurement to an Objective marker is measured from the edge of the marker. Objective markers cannot be deployed within an area of Impassable terrain, nor can they be deployed overlapping a Structure.
When deployed, some Objective markers will be deployed outside of either player's deployment zone. Objective markers outside either player's deployment zone are referred to as neutral objectives. Neutral objectives often give different Victory Points when captured, depending on the Mission being played.
Determine Secondary Objective
Once the battlefield has been set up, both players determine a Secondary Objective for themselves (or one Secondary Objective per side for more than two players). Each player has a separate Secondary Objective that can be different from their opponent's.
To determine a Secondary Objective, both players roll two D6 on the table below, re-rolling a dice if duplicates are rolled - they do this until they have two unique numbers. They then compare the results against the Secondary Objectives table to determine which objectives are available to them.
Once this is done, both players secretly choose one of the two Secondary Objectives available to them - the other is discarded. Once both players have chosen their Secondary Objective, they reveal their own to their opponent simultaneously.
| Result | Secondary Objective |
|---|---|
| 1 | Armoured Dominance |
| 2 | Rescue |
| 3 | Dominate the Battlefield |
| 4 | Tip of the Spear |
| 5 | Glory Kill |
| 6 | Inviolable |
Deployment
After the battlefield has been set up and all objectives have been determined, the armies are deployed. Players take it in turns, starting with the player who has control of the battlefield, to deploy all Detachments within a single Formation - if a player runs out of Formations to deploy and the other has not fully deployed, then they deploy all of their remaining Formations. Once both players have deployed their armies, the battle begins.
Reserves
Some special rules state that a Detachment can be deployed in Reserve. This means the Detachment in question does not start on the battlefield and instead is placed to one side - the Detachment is referred to as being in Reserve. To do this, the controlling player simply states that a Detachment that can be deployed in Reserve is doing so, which is done whenever that Detachment would normally be deployed upon the battlefield. Detachments in Reserve can arrive on the battlefield during the course of the game. How they arrive depends on the special rule that placed them in Reserve; Detachments with the Flyer or Drop Pod special rule can arrive in the first round, while Detachments with the Deep Strike special rule can arrive in the second round onwards. In general, the rule in question will state how and where the Detachment can arrive from. If it does not, then the Detachment can move onto the battlefield from the second round onwards - place the Detachment's models in base contact with the battlefield edge, after which the Detachment can complete its activation as normal (i.e., move if its Order allows, etc.).
Detachments in Reserve do not count as destroyed and are counted for the purposes of determining a Formation's Break Point (i.e., the total number of models in the Formation during Army creation is used, not the total that were deployed on the battlefield). If a Formation becomes Broken while one or more Detachments within it are in Reserve then those Detachments do not have to take a Morale check but are classified as Broken when they arrive on the battlefield.
Detachments in Reserve must be issued an Order as normal and activate when their Detachment does. When activated, Detachments in Reserve can do nothing and thus stay in Reserve, or arrive on the battlefield if their rules allow. As previously stated, Detachments that are in Reserve must be activated after all Detachments on the battlefield, unless they are arriving on the battlefield.
Unless instructed otherwise, if a Detachment in Reserve has not arrived on the battlefield by the end of the fourth round, it counts as destroyed, can no longer arrive and can take no further part in the battle. The sole exception to this are models with the Flyer special rule - as Flyers move into and out of Reserves during the course of the battle, they are not destroyed as described previously. Any Detachments Embarked upon a Flyer Transport, however, must have arrived on the battlefield by the end of the fourth round.
Battle Begins
When the battle begins, any effects or special rules which happen at the start of the battle take place. If a player has more than one effect which takes place at this time, they can choose the order in which these effects happen. If both players have effects that take place at the start of the battle, the player with control of the battlefield resolves their effects first. The first round then begins.
Game Length
Unless instructed otherwise, Spearhead Assault battles last five rounds.
Determine Victor
Once the battle ends, both players determine the total number of Victory Points (VPs) they have earned over the battle. The player with the most VPs is victorious. If both players have the same number of VPs, the battle is a draw.
Scoring Victory Points
In Spearhead Assault battles, VPs are earned both during the battle and at the end. VPs are earned for the following:
Seek and Eliminate: At the end of each round, the player who destroyed the most Detachments from their opponent's Army during that round scores a number of VPs.
Armoured Breakthrough: At the end of the battle, each player scores a number of VPs for each Detachment from their Army that is wholly within their opponent's deployment zone.
Each Mission will detail how many VPs are scored for each of these objectives.