‘Warhammer: The Old World’- GW, We Need A FAQ For These Questions

We’ve got questions about the Old World, hopefully GW has answers! Can we get a bigger FAQ Please?!

Over the past month or so, we’ve all been pouring over the Old World rules. It’s a complex tome with a lot of rules and stuff in it. Now, while it might still be the best game GW has made in a long time, that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. No game is. A fair number of questions have been raised from reading the rules that need to be addressed. To be fair, I think most of the questions people had in the first few days were answered by reading the rules more closely.

But some conundrums still remain, even after GW put out a quick, and welcome, FAQ. Of course, this does mean we are in luck, and GW is working to answer everyone’s questions. To help get these noticed, here is a selection of rules questions I think need to be FAQ’d (in this case, I mean clarified, not errata or changed).

The Lone Model Formation Question

What formation is a single model in? The rules state that all units have to be in a formation. However both Close and Open Order say they are made up of two of more models. So what happens when you just have one model in a unit? What formation are they in? Characters are in skirmish, unless they have a rule that says otherwise, but that only applies to characters. What about the last model in a unit? Or what about some units, like Trolls, that can be taken as a signal model unit? What do they count as?

Lance Questions

Speaking of formations, we need some clarification on the Lance Formation. The lance rules state that every model on its outside is considered to be in the fighting rank and in base to base with enemy fight rank. That’s fine and means they get their full attacks. But how does it really work? For instance, is the whole enemy fighting rank also in base to base to with the lance? Or is it only the couple of models that can physically be in base to base with the first model. Also, what about directing attacks? Can the whole lance direct attacks vs an enemy character (and the other way around)? Do you need to draw some kind of line ahead of the models to see who is in base contact? We need a little more clarity on this one.

Also, how do Skirmishers form up against the Lance? Normally, only models that can move into base-to-base with the enemy can be in the fighting rank. So are Skirmishers stuck with say 3 models touching the lead model? Or do they all get to line up since they are all in base to base?

If a detachment Supporting Charges a charging Lance does the Lance become blunted?

Lastly, what happens when a Lance of Pegasus Knights gets blunted? Normally a blunted lance changes into Close Order formation. Pegasus Knights, however, don’t have Close Order as an option. Are they forced into it anyway, or do they move into skirmish?

Wizarding Hat Questions

Yes GW, I’m sorry but we do have some more questions about the Wizarding Hat. I’ll keep these short.

• Can a non-wizard who takes the Wizarding Hat now buy Arcane Items?
• What happens if someone who is already a wizard buys the Wizarding Hat? If for example a lvl 4 is wearing it and casts the spell he learned from it is it cast as a lvl 1 or a lvl 4? If they have something that gives them a buff to casting, re-rolls, etc. can they use it when casting the Hat’s spell?
• If the answer is no because the Hat is a separate Wizard, does it allow a model to know and cast the same spell twice?

A Few Weapon Questions

Here are a few questions we have that deal with weapons and their interactions:

• How does the Bow of Loren interact with Swiftshiver Shards? If it is on a lord with 4 Attacks do I get 2, 4, 6 or 8 shots?
• When you fire A Hail of Doom Arrow or a Wailing Arrow do they benefit from the Armor Bane on your Asari Longbow and/or from the rules grated by any Enchanted Arrows you’ve bought?
• Just to clarify, because people have asked, is lance only able to be used once? Or on any turn in which the wielder charged.
• If I use the spell Spectral Doppelganger to do 2d6 and have the Mace of Helstrum, can all of these hits be resolved with the two-handed profile as they are not attacks?

How The Heck Does Drilled Work?

This might be the biggest rules debate going around right now. But how exactly does the Drilled rule work? In short, it allows you to “make a free redress the ranks maneuver immediately before moving.  Once this maneuver is completed, the unit moves as normal.” It’s a nifty rule that can let you move from March Column in to Combat Order and vice versa with ease, along with some other tricks. However, it’s also raised a few questions:

• Can this be done before a unit charges? In short,  a unit in March Column can declare a charge, but not make a make a charge move. Can I be in March Column declare charge and then use Drilled to move into Combat Order allowing me to charge?
• Do I have to move after using Drilled? If not, do I still count as moving?
• Can I use Drilled as part of Giving Ground or some other forced movement?
• If a spell allows me to move, can I used Drilled before that?

Grab Bag Questions

Here are a few more random questions we have:

• If I start the game with a 20-model unit and a Character in it and the Character later leaves and 10 models die, is my unit at or below half the number of models it started the game with?
• Can you use your fly movement when making a charge or only your movement characteristic?
• If a spell or effect reduces your movement characteristic does it affect your fly move as well?
• When a unit moves, or makes a maneuver, can characters in the unit change their position or must they always remain in the same spot?
• Shield of the Lady allows a Handmaiden of the Lady to move to the rear ranks of a unit; is there any way for her to move back to the front?
• When does a Challenge end? If one model in the Challenge dies can the enemy attack the victor if they have not already made their attacks?

Well, I’m going to stop there. I think that covers a few of the big rules debates. There are obviously more questions, and maybe in the future, I’ll make another list of them. For now, hopefully, GW can give us some clarity on these.

Let us know what questions you’d like GW to answer, down in the comments! 

Author: Abe Apfel

Abe is that rare thing, an Austin local born and raised here. Though he keeps on moving around, DC, Japan, ETC., he always seems to find his way back eventually. Abe has decades of experience with a wide range of tabletop and RPG games, from historicals, to Star Wars to D&D and 40K. He has been contributing to BOLS since almost the start, back when he worked at and then owned a local gaming store. He used to be big into the competitive Warhammer tournament scene but age has mellowed him and he now appreciates a good casual match. He currently covers 40K tactics and lore, as well as all things Star Wars, with occasional dabbling in other topics. Abe remains in mourning over the loss of WFB to this day.