Ambushes

Certain Deathworld Veterans units are able to set up ambushes. Only units in Deathworld Veterans armies may do this; Deathworld Veterans in a standard Imperial Guard army may not set up ambushes.

You must decide if a unit will set up in ambush before you deploy your troops. If you decide to do so, you must inform your opponent that you are using the Ambush rules and let him read these rules, if he wants to.

Designer's note: It's important that your opponent knows these rules rather than having them 'sprung' upon him during the game, as otherwise he won't know to use his scanners or auspex to try and find an ambush. Assume that the enemy has run into several ambushes already and is therefore being cautious!

Once your opponent has read these rules you may set up the ambush. Divide your gaming table into 1' squares and give each a grid reference. Then write down the squares where your ambushing units are hiding (see the diagram below).

Diagram: Grid for a 3' x 5' table, labelled columns A–E and rows 1–3, with an X marked in square D2. Caption: "Right is the grid for a 3' x 5' table. The orders for an ambush in the marked square would be: 'Patrol led by Sgt. Graw setting up ambush in square D2'."

No more than one ambushing unit may be hidden in each square and ambushes may not be set in squares within the enemy's deployment zone. You must record where your ambushes are hidden before you and your opponent set up each of your armies but after table edges and deployment areas have been decided.

The unit stays hidden until you reveal it at the beginning of one of your own turns. It remains hidden, even if enemy units move through the square that it is hiding in! The unit can be spotted by an enemy model in the same square as it which is equipped with an auspex, scanner or some other similar device (see the Scanning Devices list below). The model scans at the start of the shooting phase and any ambushers that are detected must be placed on the tabletop immediately. This model cannot fire in the shooting phase if it scans for ambushers. Once the unit is revealed, either by yourself or because of a detecting device, set up one model in the square you recorded, at least 1" away from any enemy models. This model must be set up in jungle or woodland terrain. The other models in the unit are set up so that:

a) they are in squad coherency,

b) they are all in jungle or woods,

c) they are at least 1" away from any enemy models and

d) at least half the unit is in the square recorded.

Any models which cannot be set up are removed as casualties.

Units can't move on the turn that they are revealed. If revealed in their own turn they may shoot and do not count as moving for the purposes of firing heavy and rapid fire weapons. If they do not choose to remain stationary to fire heavy weapons etc, then the ambushing unit may make assault moves as normal.

Scanning Devices

Races that don't have scanners or auspexes include the following models which have the ability to detect ambushes and booby traps.