War machines have two profiles, one for the war machine itself, and one for the crew.

You always use the Movement, Weapon Skill, Ballistic Skill, Strength, Wounds, Initiative, Attacks and Leadership of the crew. The Toughness of the war machine is used against ranged attacks and the majority Toughness of the crew is used against close combat attacks. The crew's armour save (if any) is used against both ranged and close combat attacks. Once all the crew are slain, the war machine is removed as a casualty.

Any characteristics tests are resolved against the characteristics value of the crew.

A war machine unit comprises the machine itself, plus its crew. As the crew aren't really a combat unit, per se, we ignore them for most gaming purposes, treating the war machine itself as the extent of the unit. When the war machine suffers a wound, remove a crew model. Once all the crew have been removed, the war machine itself is removed from play. Similarly, if the war machine is removed as a casualty, all remaining crew are also removed. The crew are used only to indicate the remaining number of Wounds and the number of attacks the war machine can make in close combat, so players should simply arrange their crew in a pleasingly aesthetic fashion within 1" of the war machine.

The crew cannot be charged, attacked or otherwise affected separately from their war machine – if they are found to be blocking movement or line of sight, the controlling player simply alters their position, just as you would for any other battlefield marker or counter.

War machine models that do not have bases do not use the usual convention of measuring to the model's base. When measuring to and from the war machine, measure to or from the body of the machine, by which we mean the central part of the chassis or the weapon itself (ignore any spikes, piles of cannonballs, sprockets, banners and so on).

When firing a war machine's weapon, ranges are measured from the muzzle of the gun (in the case of a cannon, volley gun or similar) or the crossbar (in the case of a stone thrower or similar catapult). If your war machine is particularly unusual and does not have any of these features, you should choose a suitable point from which you will measure all your shooting attacks, so long as you are consistent.

We assume that a war machine's crew are able to wheel or drag it short distances at a time. The war machine can move using the rules for lone models. Use the crew's Movement characteristic to determine how far the war machine can move. Remember that all distances are measured from the war machine model itself – move the war machine and then place the crew within 1" of it.

War machines can never charge or march. If charged, a war machine can only choose to hold – even in mortal danger the crew are loathe to abandon their pride and joy. If forced to flee (because of a failed Break test for example) the war machine is destroyed. In such cases we assume that the crew sabotage their war machine to prevent the enemy making use of it, before fleeing the battle with no intention of returning.

War machines treat all terrain other than open ground and hills as impassable. That said, a war machine is permitted to deploy in a building or terrain, but if it does, it cannot move during the game except to pivot on the spot.

Even though most war machines do not have bases, units charging a war machine must still attempt to 'close the door' to align to the centre of the war machine's body (as defined in 'The War Machine' above).

When shooting at a war machine (including spells and template attacks), resolve the attack as normal, using the Toughness value of the war machine – the crew are doubtless cowering behind their war machine, using its iron and timber hide to preserve their altogether more fragile ones. The crew's armour save is still used to attempt to prevent any wounds inflicted, as it is they that the attack is attempting to slay.

In case the crew of the war machine is made up of models with different profiles, such as a character or other unique crew model; allocate the hits between the crew as you would for shooting at characters in a unit (see the Characters chapter).

Unless specified otherwise, all weapons in this section (and all other weapons mounted on war machines) have the Move or Fire and Slow to Fire special rules. Each type of war machine weapon is fired differently, as described in its own set of rules. Line of sight is always taken from the chosen firing point (i.e. its muzzle or crossbar, in the same way as for its range). Unlike other lone models, pivoting the war machine during the Movement phase counts as moving for war machines, and thus they cannot fire in turns they do so. Before you fire the war machine, pivot it to face your chosen target in the Shooting phase so the war machine faces it directly in a straight line – note that the target must be within the war machine's forward arc as normal.

For war machine weapons that require Ballistic Skill, use the highest Ballistic Skill amongst the crew to resolve the shot. Unless specified, War Machines do not suffer To Hit penalties for Moving and Shooting or firing Multiple Shots.

War machine crews are not especially known for their valour, and will normally defend their machine from behind, beneath (or within) its frame. This is a valid defensive tactic, as there is a limit as to how many enemy warriors can physically crowd around a war machine. As such, enemies charging a War Machine lose all charge bonuses (including bonus from special rules).

At the start of the Close Combat phase, before any blows are struck, the player whose unit(s) are attacking the war machine must choose models worth up to Unit Strength 6 who will fight in the combat (the assault party, if you will) – the rest cannot get close enough to land blows. This is regardless of the number of units that are fighting the war machine. Note that you may always allocate a minimum of one model to fight, regardless of their actual Unit Size.

All models chosen for the fight are considered to be in base contact with the war machine. Models that are in base contact with other enemies cannot be chosen to be part of a war machine's assault party – they're too busy fighting their more immediate foes.

The combat is otherwise resolved normally. In particular, casualties are taken from the 'back' of the unit as normal – models step up and join the fight in place of fallen comrades, assuming there are enough survivors to do so. All surviving crew model fight as normal using their Weapon Skill, Strength, Initiative and Attacks. Enemy models strike against the crew normally, resolving their attacks against the crew's Weapon Skill and Toughness. The crew can then take any saves to which they are entitled.

A war machine does not have any flanks or a rear for the purposes of combat results. If a war machine manages to win its combat, it is not allowed to pursue and restrains pursuit automatically. The crew always hold their ground and continue the business of operating the machine. If the war machine loses the combat and fails its Break test it is destroyed.

If a war machine fails a Panic test (due to friends being destroyed within 6", Terror and so on) it does not flee. The crew dive for cover underneath their machine and cannot shoot in their next Shooting phase – this does not prevent the crew clearing jams or other misfire results.

Bolt throwers are huge crossbows that shoot a spear-sized missile. A crew of two or more is required to wind back the powerful torsion arms and position the huge bolt ready for firing.

To fire a bolt thrower, select a target according to the normal rules for shooting. With the target chosen, pivot to face the target like any war machine, and roll to hit using the crew's Ballistic Skill, just as you would for a normal missile weapon. All the normal To Hit penalties (except firing Multiple Shots) apply to a shot from a bolt thrower – it is essentially just a massive crossbow, after all.

If the shot misses, the bolt hits the ground or sails into the air, only to land harmlessly some distance away from the target. If the shot hits, damage can then be resolved using the rules given below.

If the target is a unit of five or more ranked-up models, the bolt will always strike a regular trooper (as opposed to a character in the unit) in the unit's first rank if the bolt thrower is in the unit's front arc, or the last rank if the bolt thrower is in the unit's rear arc. If the bolt thrower is in the target unit's flank, the target's files count as ranks for the purposes of resolving the shot.

The sheer mass of a bolt thrower shot means that it can hurtle through several ranks of troops, piercing each warrior in turn. If the shot hits, resolve damage against the target using the bolt thrower's full Strength of 6. If this model is slain, the bolt then hits one of the warriors in the rank behind, although it will have been robbed of a little force – this next warrior is hit with -1 Strength (normally Strength 5). If the second trooper is slain, a model in the next rank is hit at -2 Strength (normally Strength 4) and so on, until either the unit runs out of ranks or the bolt fails to slay a target (remember that all hits, at any Strength, inflict multiple wounds).

If the rank hit by the bolt is made entirely of characters, or if the total number of rank and file models in the unit is less than five, it will be necessary to randomise which model in the rank is hit.

Cannons are devastating, if sometimes unpredictable, weapons whose manufacture is limited to few races. When they work, cannons can shatter the most determined enemy, slamming roundshot after roundshot into massed formations. However, cannons can go wrong. The black powder charge can fail to ignite, or explode prematurely. Worse, weaknesses in casting methods can leave minute cracks or other deficiencies, which lead to the cannon exploding when fired.

There are two different kinds of cannon profile, representing the differing size and power of various cannons.

Cannon

Great Cannon

Cannons do not use their crew's Ballistic Skill and instead rely on their crew's expertise in judging distance, elevation and the correct amount of black powder to propel the shot the desired distance.

To fire a cannon, first pivot to face the target following the normal rules for war machines. Then, nominate a model or building within the cannon's line of sight, outside of its minimum range and within its maximum range.

When you have chosen your target, place a small marker over your target in the correct position as a reminder of where the shot is intended to land. Note that you are not allowed to place the marker over friendly models, or enemy models from a unit that is engaged in combat, as the crew refuse to deliberately target their allies (although the shot might well go wide and hit friends by mistake as we'll discover later).

Once the marker has been placed, roll for scatter using a scatter dice and an artillery dice. Assuming that you didn't roll a misfire on the artillery dice, it's now time to find out whether or not your shot was on target.

If a hit is rolled on the scatter dice, the shot has landed on target. In this case, we ignore the number shown on the artillery dice – the hit is all we need. If an arrow is rolled, the shot has missed its original target and scatters off elsewhere. Move the marker a distance in inches equal to the result of the artillery dice divided in half, in the direction shown on the scatter dice.

Using your tape measure, extend a 'shot' line from the cannon's barrel all the way to the marker – this is the direction the cannonball travels straight forward. If you roll a misfire, something goes wrong when the cannon fires. You'll now need to roll on the Black Powder War Machine Misfire chart to discover the seriousness of the situation. Regardless of the result rolled, the cannon does not shoot this turn.

Assuming that the cannon did not misfire, then hopefully the cannonball will bounce straight forward and crush any targets in its path.

To determine how far the cannonball bounces, roll the artillery dice again. If the result is a misfire then the cannonball does not bounce – it thuds into the ground and comes to rest. Any model under the spot where the cannonball comes to rest is hit, but they are the only victim!

Assuming you don't roll a misfire, then the cannonball bounces the distance rolled – extend your tape measure a distance equal to the roll of the dice. If the cannonball bounces into impassable terrain that would, in reality, stand in the way of the shot, such as a sheer cliff, it stops immediately.

The bounce of the cannonball is treated exactly like a special kind of template, which we assume to be about the width of the cannonball itself.

On most occasions, any model whose base is between the point where the cannonball first strikes the ground and where it eventually comes to land is hit automatically! However:

• A maximum of one model per rank struck can be hit. If the cannon is in the target's flank, the target's files count as ranks.

• If the cannonball bounces into a monstrous infantry/beast/cavalry or monster, that model suffers a hit. However, if the monster or monstrous infantry/beast/cavalry model is not slain, the sheer bulk of the creature robs the cannonball of all momentum and the shot travels no further.

Damage is resolved differently depending on whether or not the cannon ball hits a model directly or not. Normal Cannons have both the Multiple Wounds (D6) and (D3) special rules. It inflicts D6 Wounds only if the cannon ball lands directly on a model (that is, where the marker is placed after the first artillery and scatter dice are rolled), models hit by the bounce only suffer D3 Wounds. Great Cannons on the other hand, inflicts D6 Wounds on both direct hits and the bounce.

Instead of firing normal shot, cannon crew can opt to fire grapeshot. They do this by loading the gun with rusty nails, handgun bullets and other small projectiles – effectively creating a huge blunderbuss.

To fire grapeshot, select a target according to the normal rules for shooting. With the target chosen, roll an artillery dice and a D6 to find out how many shots are fired. If the artillery dice result is a misfire, roll a D6 on the Black Powder War Machine Misfire chart to find out what has gone wrong.

Assuming that a misfire did not occur, roll to hit the target with a number of shots equal to the number rolled on the artillery dice plus the D6, resolving any successful hits using the grapeshot profile.

Stone throwers are destructive weapons that lob large rocks into the air, sending them crashing down into the enemy ranks. The largest stone throwers can hurl a projectile big enough to flatten monsters or knock down city walls.

Unless otherwise specified, a stone thrower has the following profile:

You'll notice that a stone thrower has two Strength values, one of which is in brackets – don't worry about this for now.

To fire a stone thrower, first pivot to face the target following the normal rules for war machines. Then, nominate a model or building within the stone thrower's line of sight (ignoring other models within the same unit), outside of its minimum range and within its maximum range. Then, take the small round (3") template and place it with the centre directly over the target.

The template cannot be placed over friendly models, or enemy models from a unit that is engaged in combat, as the crew refuse to deliberately target their allies (although the shot might well go wide and hit friends by mistake as we'll discover later).

Once the template has been placed, roll for scatter using a scatter dice and an artillery dice. If a misfire is rolled on the artillery dice, something has gone wrong – roll on the Stone Thrower Misfire table to discover just what that is. Regardless of the result rolled, the stone thrower does not shoot this turn.

Assuming that you didn't roll a misfire on the artillery dice, it's now time to find out whether or not your shot was on target.

If a hit is rolled on the scatter dice, the shot has landed on target – any creature foolish or unlucky enough to be nearby is going to regret it very soon. In this case, we ignore the number shown on the artillery dice – the hit is all we need.

If an arrow is rolled, the shot has missed its original target and scatters off elsewhere. Move the template a distance in inches equal to the result of the artillery dice, in the direction shown on the scatter dice.

Regardless of whether or not your shot landed exactly where you intended, it's time to see who's been flattened by it.

The model (if there is one) under the template's central hole is unlucky enough to be hit directly by the stone thrower's massive payload – they take an automatic hit at the higher of the stone thrower's two Strengths (normally 10). If the template has scattered, there's a good chance the centre hole will lie over two or more models. Nonetheless, only one can be hit by the higher Strength, so select one randomly.

Other models wholly or partially beneath the template avoid being clobbered by the main payload, but instead are showered by bits of loose rock and, after the payload has landed, fast-moving chunks of battlefield (and possibly bits of the warrior who took the full brunt of the shot). Such models are hit automatically at the stone thrower's lower Strength (normally 4).

The stone thrower's Multiple Wounds (D6) special rule applies only to the high-Strength hit caused against the model under the template's central hole – unsaved wounds from the low Strength hit are not multiplied. This makes the stone thrower very good at disposing of enemy monsters and other resilient models as well as dealing horrendous damage to massed ranks of enemy warriors.

As a stone thrower lobs its shots in a high arc, it can be used to attack enemies that are hidden from its view. Such shots are inaccurate at best, as the stone thrower's crew essentially have to guess where their foe lies, working from fragmented and often unreliable information provided by other warriors.

If you wish to fire indirectly, declare that you will do so before taking the stone thrower's shot. An indirect shot does not require line of sight, but is otherwise treated as a normal shot and has the usual requirements (the target needs to be in range and outside the minimum range of the stone thrower).

An indirect shot is not as accurate as one where the crew can see their target. If an arrow is rolled on the scatter dice, resolve the scatter as normal. If however, you roll a Hit! on the scatter dice, the shot does not land on target (as would normally be the case) but merely scatters less – how much less depends greatly on the skill of the crew. You'll notice the Hit! symbol has a small arrow at the top of it – this indicates the direction of scatter for an indirect shot – the distance travelled is equal to the score shown on the artillery dice minus the crew's Ballistic Skill characteristic (to a minimum of zero!).

Other than the aforementioned inaccuracy of the scatter, an indirect shot from a stone thrower is treated exactly according to the rules given for normal shots given above.

Though its designs are many and varied, a fire thrower always consists of an airtight copper-lined barrel and a fluid chamber filled with a sticky alchemical sludge - normally a mixture of sulphurous compounds, black powder and combustible oils.

When triggered, the fire thrower sets loose a burst of these noxious chemicals, which immediately set light upon contact with the air, incinerating anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in the blast.

Unless otherwise specified, a fire thrower has the following profile:

Place the teardrop-shaped template with its narrow end touching the fire thrower barrel and the large end aimed at any enemy model or building in line of sight. Roll the artillery dice and move the template directly forward the number of inches indicated – this is where the burst of flame lands. The template can overshoot a target, representing the crew firing in too high an arc. Some fire throwers might also have a range value. In this case, place the template with its narrow end anywhere within this range, measured from the fire thrower barrel as normal.

The template cannot be placed over friendly models, enemy models from a unit that is engaged in combat, or in such a way that the template might hit a friendly unit as the crew refuse to deliberately target their allies.

All models underneath the template are hit automatically. A unit suffering any casualties must take a Panic test. Fire Throwers are not physical attacks.

A misfire means the weapon does not fire – roll on the Black Powder War Machine Misfire chart to find out what went wrong.