Basics

A war machine has two profiles, one for the machine and one for its crew. Always use the crew's Movement, Weapon Skill, Ballistic Skill, Strength, Initiative, Attacks, and Leadership. The war machine's own Toughness is used against ranged attacks, while the crew's majority Toughness is used against close combat attacks; the crew's armour save (if any) applies against both. A war machine's Wounds always equal the crew's remaining Wounds (as stated in its own entry) -- the Wounds value on the machine's own profile exists only for completeness.

Any characteristic test a war machine needs to take uses the crew's own values.

A war machine unit is the machine plus its crew, but since the crew isn't really a fighting unit in its own right, it's ignored for most purposes -- the war machine itself is treated as the whole unit. Remove a crew model whenever the war machine suffers a wound; once every crew model is gone, the war machine itself is removed from play, and if the war machine is removed as a casualty, any remaining crew go with it. The crew exist only to track remaining Wounds and close combat Attacks, so simply arrange them within 1" of the war machine however looks good.

The crew can never be charged, attacked, or otherwise affected separately from their war machine -- if they end up blocking movement or line of sight, just reposition them, the same as any other battlefield marker.

A war machine model without a base doesn't measure to a base -- measure to and from the body of the machine instead (the central chassis or the weapon itself, ignoring spikes, ammunition piles, banners, and similar decoration).

When firing, range is measured from the muzzle (for a cannon, volley gun, or similar) or the crossbar (for a stone thrower or similar catapult) -- for anything unusual enough to lack either, pick a sensible, consistent point to measure from instead.

A war machine's crew can wheel or drag it short distances, moving using the rules for lone models -- using the crew's own Movement characteristic. Move the war machine itself first (all distances measure from the machine, not the crew), then place the crew within 1" of it afterward.

A war machine can never charge or march. If charged, it can only Hold, since the crew won't abandon it -- and if forced to flee (a failed Break test, for instance), it's destroyed instead, its crew assumed to sabotage it before fleeing for good.

A war machine treats any terrain other than open ground and hills as impassable. It may deploy inside a building or other terrain, but if it does, it can't move for the rest of the game except to pivot on the spot.

Even though most war machines have no base, a unit charging one must still close the door and align to the centre of its body, as defined above.

Shooting at a war machine (including spells and templates) resolves normally, using the war machine's own Toughness -- the crew are assumed to be sheltering behind its bulk. The crew's own armour save is still used to try to prevent wounds, since it's really them the attack is trying to kill.

Unless stated otherwise, every weapon covered in this chapter has the Move or Fire and Slow to Fire special rules, and each type fires according to its own specific rules below. Line of sight is always taken from the chosen firing point (its muzzle or crossbar), the same point used for range.

Unlike other lone models, pivoting a war machine during the Movement phase counts as moving, so it can't fire that turn if it does -- pivot it to face its target directly, within its forward arc, before firing in the Shooting phase. For weapons that use Ballistic Skill, use the highest Ballistic Skill among the crew; unless stated otherwise, war machines don't suffer the usual To Hit penalties for moving and shooting or for firing Multiple Shots.

A war machine's crew typically fights from behind, beneath, or within its frame rather than in the open -- a valid tactic, since only so many enemies can physically crowd around the machine. Enemies charging a war machine lose all charging bonuses, including any from special rules.

At the start of the Close Combat phase, before any blows are struck, the attacking player chooses models worth up to Unit Strength 6 to form the assault party actually fighting the war machine (at least one model can always be chosen, regardless of its own Unit Strength) -- this applies no matter how many units are attacking. Every chosen model counts as being in base contact with the war machine; a model already in base contact with a different enemy can't be chosen, since it's too busy with its own fight.

The combat otherwise resolves normally -- casualties come from the "back" as usual, with surviving crew stepping up to keep fighting using their own Weapon Skill, Strength, Initiative, and Attacks, while enemy attacks resolve against the crew's Weapon Skill and Toughness (with the crew free to take any saves they're entitled to).

A war machine has no flank or rear for combat result purposes. If it wins the round, it can't pursue and automatically restrains -- the crew simply hold their ground and keep working the machine. If it loses and fails its Break test, it's destroyed.

A war machine that fails a Panic test doesn't flee -- instead its crew dive for cover beneath the machine and can't shoot in their next Shooting phase, though this doesn't stop them clearing a jam or other misfire result.