Fire and manoeuvre are the keys to success and making the most of cover and good firing positions are therefore crucial to both sides. There will be times when rapid movement is called for, either to take a position ahead of the enemy or to mount an assault in the face of enemy fire. Other situations will call for a cautious advance with the benefit of covering fire from stationary units nearby.
A unit carrying out an Advance action can move up to its basic move rate. This is usually 6” in any direction for infantry; simply move each model up to a maximum of 6”. Remember that a unit must maintain a formation, so once the whole unit has moved no model can be separated from the formation by more than 1”. Remember that it is also necessary to leave a space between different units of more than 1” for the sake of clarity as already explained. A Running infantry unit can move as described above but at double its basic move rate, i.e. usually 12”. Note that we permit our infantry to change direction any number of times during their move, allowing them to move round corners, around rubble, around other models, and so forth. This does not matter so as long as the total distance moved is not greater than 6”.
When a unit of infantry moves we allow individual models to move through the positions of other models in the same unit, or of other friendly infantry or artillery units. Just move the models through their friends. We assume that individuals get out of the way to allow their friends to pass. However, remember that once a unit has finished moving it must be more than 1” from any other unit as already explained. We don’t allow tanks or other vehicles to move through friends, or to be moved through by friends. Vehicles must negotiate their way around friends whether they are infantry, artillery or other vehicles.
Terror stalks the night − German Schreckwulfen hunt their prey.
At the beginning of the game, before choosing sides and deploying any troops, it is necessary for the players to rate the various terrain features on the battlefield as described below. It is likely that most of the battlefield will be clear or open ground, where troops and vehicles can move without impediment. Other parts of the battlefield, such as woods, ruins, waterways – and perhaps quarries, escarpments, sand dunes or marshes – can be harder to move over or through. Remember, it is up to the players to decide how to rate the various features used to create the battle scene. There is no need to be rigid or even consistent about such things. For example, a light scattering of woodland might be counted as either open ground or as rough ground – both are perfectly plausible.
Some features on the battlefield can be rated as completely impassable. This means all units must go round these features: no units can move onto or through them. The most obvious examples would be a steep gorge, a soaring rocky crag, a large body of deep water, or a very high and substantial wall. Other things that might be considered impassable include wrecked vehicles, collapsed or burning buildings, dangerous marshes, quicksand and fortifications that are intended to present impassable barriers to the enemy.
We use the term rough ground to describe areas of terrain that are difficult to move through, and which will therefore slow down troops and in some cases prevent them from moving altogether. Different kinds of troops are affected in different ways, as shown on the table overleaf. Infantry are only allowed to move through rough ground by means of an Advance, for example: they cannot move through at a Run.
The sort of features that would typically be rated as rough ground include dense woodland or undergrowth; difficult ground such as deep mud, sand or scree; and areas of ruinous buildings or rubble.
By obstacles we mean things such as field hedges, dry-stone walls, ditches, and perhaps streams or other waterways that present a barrier to movement. Obstacles are useful to the opposing armies because they make troops difficult to see and often provide cover. Infantry are only allowed to cross an obstacle whilst advancing and not whilst running. Other kinds of units are affected differently as noted on the terrain table.
We will consider buildings at greater length in their own rules section. Buildings can include domestic houses, industrial buildings, and military installations such as bunkers or pillboxes. We normally allow infantry to enter and fight from or within buildings, but some players are happy to treat buildings as impassable in order to simplify matters. This is up to players to decide for themselves.
If you are fighting around a village, in the outskirts of a town, or even around a farm or factory, it is likely there will be roads or lanes to facilitate transport within and through the area. Although these roads make no difference to infantry, they enable vehicles to move more quickly as noted on the terrain table.
The terrain chart indicates how different kinds of troops are affected by different terrain.
OK – The unit can move through the terrain without hindrance – this is the default or normal rate for all kinds of troops over open ground.
OK* – The unit can cross this kind of terrain without hindrance unless it has been designated as an anti-tank obstacle, or impassable bocage, or the equivalent, in which case it is impassable to all types of vehicle.
OK** – Can cross this type of terrain without hindrance unless designated impassable to walkers.
No Run – The unit cannot cross or move within this kind of terrain if undertaking a Run action, but can cross or move over with an Advance action.
No – The unit cannot enter or move within this kind of terrain at all.
No* – The unit cannot enter or move within this kind of terrain, except that it can be deployed within the terrain at the start of the game. In this case it cannot move once deployed. This represents situations where guns are 'dug in' to positions prior to the battle as discussed later in the section on Artillery.
No (!) – The unit cannot enter or move within this kind of terrain, except that heavy and super-heavy tanks and walkers may move through and demolish some buildings in some situations. See the rules for buildings.
×2 – The unit’s move rate is doubled if it moves entirely along a road or track. This enables vehicles to move rapidly along roads where the opportunity permits.
Moving On: In some situations models will begin the game ‘off table’ which means they are waiting behind the area designated as the battlefield, or perhaps they are executing a flanking manoeuvre off to one side. When these units move on to the battlefield, the player picks a point on the table edge and measures the unit’s move from that point. Units that move on to the battlefield must be given an Advance or Run order to do so, but note that they are not allowed to make an assault upon enemy units in the same turn. We will explain how assaults work later on (see here).
Moving Off: Units cannot voluntarily move off the area designated as the battlefield except in circumstances where the rules specifically indicate otherwise. Where a unit is allowed to move ‘off table’, it is removed in its entirety as soon as any of its models moves into contact with the table edge.
