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Front Rank

(Rule)

Description: Front Rank specifies where in a unit the model may be placed and how the model moves inside its unit.

Models with and models without Front Rank must be placed inside their units so that the following conditions are satisfied as best as possible, in decreasing priority order:

• 1th priority: The Front Facings of models without Front Rank must be placed as far backwards as possible.

• 2th priority: The Front Facings of models with Front Rank must be placed as far forwards as possible.

When making an Advance Move, March Move, or Reform with a unit that includes models with Front Rank, these models can be reorganised into a new position (still as far forwards as possible) as part of the move. This counts towards the distance moved by the unit (measure the distance from the starting position to the ending position of the centre of the model with Front Rank to determine how far it has moved).

A model with Front Rank can either have a Matching Base or a Mismatching Base.

Matching Bases

In Combined Units containing Characters and R&F models, a Character is considered to have a Matching Base if:

• The model has the same base size as the R&F models.

• The model's base is the same size as a multiple of the R&F models' bases (such as a 40×40 SI base in a 20×20 SI unit).

For Combined Units consisting entirely of Characters, Matching Bases are determined differently as these units do not contain any R&F models. The R&F base size for the purposes of Matching Bases must:

• Correspond to the base size of at least one of the Characters.

• Result in as few Characters as possible having Mismatching Bases; the owner chooses in case of a tie.

For example, in a unit consisting of a 25×25 SI Character and two 25×50 SI Characters, that base size is 25×25 SI as it does not result in any Mismatching Bases in the unit.

If the first rank is occupied by models with Front Rank, a model with Matching Base is placed in the second rank instead. If this rank is also occupied by models with Front Rank, it is placed in the third rank, and so on. Matching Bases are subject to the following rules and restrictions:

• If the model has a larger base than the R&F models, it is considered to be in all ranks its base occupies for the purposes of calculating Full Ranks. For calculating the number of models in the unit's ranks (e.g. for Full Ranks, Line Formation, Area Attack), the large base counts as the number of models it displaces, or would displace if there aren't enough models.

• If a model with a Matching Base has a longer base than the R&F models in the unit, the unit is allowed to have more than one incomplete rank if all incomplete ranks after the first consist entirely of models with such bases (for instance, the rear parts of long bases such as War Platforms are allowed to form several incomplete ranks).

• A model cannot join a unit that has more than one rank if its base is wider than the unit it wishes to join, nor can a unit Reform into a formation that is narrower than any model joined to the unit.

If a model with Front Rank moves inside or leaves a unit that has more than one rank, or if it is removed from such a unit as a casualty, the model's spot must be filled with models without Front Rank. If there aren't any models without Front Rank available, move models with Front Rank instead. Sometimes models with Front Rank must be redistributed in order for all such models to be as far forwards as possible. When this happens, immediately move as few models as possible in order to have all models with Front Rank as far forwards as possible.

If a model with Front Rank moves inside or leaves a unit that has a single rank, or if it is removed from such a unit as a casualty, gaps may be created in the unit. If this leads to an illegal formation (there can only be gaps in an incomplete rear rank; see Units), follow the rules in .

Mismatching Bases

Anything that is not a Matching Base is a Mismatching Base (such as a 50×75 SI base inside a 25×50 SI unit).

A model with Mismatching Base is always placed in base contact to the side of the unit, aligned with its front. Only two Mismatching Bases can be joined to a single unit (one at each side). These models are considered to be only in the first rank, but are ignored when counting the number of models in each rank in order to establish the number of Full Ranks and whether or not a unit is in Line Formation. They form a file of one model each.

During Advance Moves, March Moves, and Reforms, models with Mismatching Bases can only be moved to the other side of the unit as part of the move.

Figure figure/front_rank shows how models with Front Rank can be placed in a complex case.

../pics/front_rank.pdf_tex
Illustration of the Front Rank rule.Yellow models have Front Rank, green models do not.
a) A Character on a Mismatching Base is placed next to the unit. Characters on Matching Bases are placed inside the unit, as far forwards as possible. This unit is considered to have 3 Full Ranks.
b) When a model with Front Rank joins the unit, the small model with Front Rank in the second rank must be moved to the side in order to have all models with Front Rank as far forwards as possible.