Compulsory Movement

Normally a player has full control over how their units move -- but sometimes troops go out of control, whether from terror, magical compulsion, or simple disorientation. The player has no say over these compulsory moves.

All compulsory movement happens after charges are resolved but before the rest of the army moves. Fleeing is by far the most common kind -- few generals go a whole game without watching some of their own troops try to run -- so it's resolved before any other compulsory move, though there's a chance to rally them first.

Rally Fleeing Units

For each fleeing unit, the controlling player takes a Leadership test -- if it's passed, the unit stops fleeing and immediately reforms. A unit down to 25% or less of its starting models has its Leadership halved (rounded up) for this test.

During the Compulsory Moves sub-phase, work through each fleeing unit in turn, attempting to rally it, in whatever order you like, until every eligible unit has had its attempt. A unit that started fleeing THIS turn can't attempt to rally yet -- there's too much momentum still carrying it away.

A unit that fails its Rally test keeps fleeing. One that passes stops immediately and makes a reform manoeuvre, so it's at least facing the enemy again -- though it can't act further this Movement phase, and loses its Shooting phase attack, as it's still busy reorganising. It can still cast spells normally.

Move Fleeing Units

Any unit that fails to rally (or can't attempt to) must immediately flee 2D6" in the direction it's currently facing. Fleeing troops are assumed to have broken formation entirely -- they ignore obstacles of any kind, running through other units (friend or foe) and impassable terrain alike. If the flee move would end the unit on top of, or within 1" of, another unit or impassable terrain, it instead keeps fleeing straight ahead until clear of the obstruction, then stops.

Fleeing through danger has real consequences. Each fleeing model must take a Dangerous Terrain test for every area of impassable terrain it flees through. Fleeing through a non-fleeing enemy unit inflicts one automatic Wound (no saves) per point of that enemy's Unit Strength. Fleeing through friendly troops forces them to take a Panic test once the fleeing unit finishes its move -- having your own allies stream past in a panic does nothing for morale.

A fleeing unit that reaches the battlefield edge flees the battle outright and doesn't return -- it counts as destroyed for all purposes.

Diagram showing fleeing models moving through impassable terrain and taking Dangerous Terrain tests.
As the blue unit flees through impassable terrain, any fleeing models moving through it (marked here in white) must take a Dangerous Terrain test. Two fail and are removed as casualties.
Other Compulsory Moves

Aside from fleeing, any other compulsory move otherwise follows the normal movement rules unless clearly stated otherwise. Further detail on any given unit's own compulsory move -- often a fixed speed or direction -- is given in its own entry in the relevant Warhammer Armies book. These other compulsory moves can be resolved in any order, as long as every Flee move has already been completed first.

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