Hidden and Open Lists
(Rule)Description: Rules are written and balanced based on the principle of openness, and we encourage players to share their full Army Lists with their opponents at the start of the game. This Army List should include all units, unit options, Special Items, special abilities, Point Costs, and so on. The only things that are not open to your opponent are things that are explicitly stated as hidden or secret.
Optional Rules for Hidden Lists
Some players may prefer to use so-called hidden lists, and for those players we have included the hidden list rules. Please note that the game is not balanced with these rules in mind. In this format, most of your Army List will be open, meaning that your opponent should know what your army consists of before the game starts. However, some parts of your army are secret or hidden. Both players should provide their opponent with the open part of their army before the game begins, referred to as a mundane Army List.
The following elements are included in the hidden part of your army:
• Special Items that are picked from the List of Common Special Items given in The 9th Age: Fantasy Battles -- Arcane Compendium
• Special Items that are specific to Army Books, as well as any option that follows the rules for Special Items such as Daemonic Manifestations and Runic Special Items
Anything not on this list belongs to the mundane Army List.
If an army has two or more units or models that are identical regarding their open part but have hidden differences, the player must be able to tell the units apart in the hidden list. For example, if a player fields two units identical in every way except that one has an enchanted banner and the other doesn't, the Army List may specify that the unit with the enchanted banner has a red banner while the unit with a blue banner possesses no such Special Item.
Special Items (or similar) must be revealed the first time they are used. A Special Item is considered as being used when it affects or could affect the game in any way. For example:
• It affects adice roll (even if the actual result of the dice has no effect).
• It alters an attack (such as an enchanted weapon, or anySpecial Item with a rule that affects an attack).
• It alters a saving roll (reveal theSpecial Item before making the saving roll). Note that a Special Item that affects the saving roll the same way as the non-Enchanted counterpart would does not need to be revealed.
ASpecial Item that increases movement only counts as being used if the unit moves farther than it could without it or when Charging (declare that you have the Special Item before rolling the Charge Range but after Charge Reactions are resolved).
When revealing RunicSpecial Items, only reveal the Rune that is being used, not the entire combined item.
The following elements are included in the hidden part of your army:
• Special Items that are picked from the List of Common Special Items given in The 9th Age: Fantasy Battles -- Arcane Compendium
• Special Items that are specific to Army Books, as well as any option that follows the rules for Special Items such as Daemonic Manifestations and Runic Special Items
Anything not on this list belongs to the mundane Army List.
If an army has two or more units or models that are identical regarding their open part but have hidden differences, the player must be able to tell the units apart in the hidden list. For example, if a player fields two units identical in every way except that one has an enchanted banner and the other doesn't, the Army List may specify that the unit with the enchanted banner has a red banner while the unit with a blue banner possesses no such Special Item.
Revealing Special Items
• It affects a
• It alters an attack (such as an enchanted weapon, or any
• It alters a saving roll (reveal the
A
When revealing Runic