Models and Units
(Rule)Description: In The 9th Age: Fantasy Battles, miniatures embody epic warriors, fierce monsters, and powerful spellcasters. Most warriors combine to form disciplined regiments called units, and several such units form the foundation of your army.
When forming a unit of multiple models, the following conditions must be met to form a viable formation;
• The models are placed in a tight rectangular formation and facing the same direction.
• The unit cannot voluntarily have more Ranks than Files unless the unit is wide enough to have a Proper Rank.
• For units that are always considered to have 0 Proper Ranks, such as units with Light Troops, apply this rule as if they could form Proper Ranks (e.g. a Height 1 units with Light Troop cannot have more ranks than files unless at least 5 models wide).
• Note that joining a unit with a Character is considered a voluntary action.
• The models are perfectly aligned and in contact with each other.
• The width of the unit is determined by the first frontmost rank. No models may extend past this width.
• Models not in the first rank must be positioned so that another model is directly in front of them, ensuring the entire front edge of their bases are in contact with the models in front of them.
• All ranks within a unit must have the same width, except for the rear rank, which can be narrower.
• It is acceptable for the rear rank to have gaps, as long as the models are aligned with those in the other ranks.
• An Incomplete Rank refers to a rank with one or more missing models.
When a rule, ability, spell, or any other effect affects a unit, all models of the unit are affected, unless explicitly stated otherwise.
Unit Arcs, Unit Facings, and Unit Boundariesa) This unit has 3 ranks and 5 files. The rear rank is incomplete and only contains 4 models. The Front, Flank, and Rear Arcs are defined by drawing lines from the corners of the Unit Boundary at a 135 angle from the unit’s Facings.
b) The Unit Boundary is the area drawn around the outer edges of the unit, shaded red lines. The Centre of the unit is the centre of the Unit Boundary.
c) A Unit Boundary cannot be inside another Unit Boundary, not even with parts that are not occupied by any models.
• 5 models for Height 0-2,
• 3 models for Height 3-4, and
• 1 model for Height 5.
For example, a Cavalry model consists of a rider and its mount. If a rule, ability, spell, or effect affects a model, all model parts are affected unless stated otherwise. During attacks or shooting, each model part uses its own characteristics and weapons.
h2 class='ruleTitle'>Maintaining a Viable Formation
Model
A single gaming piece placed on a base. Each model has its own profile, which consists of a statline of values, model rules, and equipment. The profile reflects the capabilities of the model.Rank-and-File model
Normal models in a unit. All models, except Attachable Models (such as all Characters), are referred to as Rank-and-File models.Base
The platform on which a playing piece rests. Bases are rectangular and represent the area of the battlefield occupied by the model. In the game rules, the base is the only physical aspect of the model that matters. Bases are measured in front-width × side-length, e.g., 25×50 mm for most horse riders.Unit
A group of one or more models that operate as a single entity, arranged in a rectangular formation. Models in a unit move and fight together, coordinating their actions on the battlefield.When forming a unit of multiple models, the following conditions must be met to form a viable formation;
• The models are placed in a tight rectangular formation and facing the same direction.
• The unit cannot voluntarily have more Ranks than Files unless the unit is wide enough to have a Proper Rank.
• For units that are always considered to have 0 Proper Ranks, such as units with Light Troops, apply this rule as if they could form Proper Ranks (e.g. a Height 1 units with Light Troop cannot have more ranks than files unless at least 5 models wide).
• Note that joining a unit with a Character is considered a voluntary action.
• The models are perfectly aligned and in contact with each other.
• The width of the unit is determined by the first frontmost rank. No models may extend past this width.
• Models not in the first rank must be positioned so that another model is directly in front of them, ensuring the entire front edge of their bases are in contact with the models in front of them.
• All ranks within a unit must have the same width, except for the rear rank, which can be narrower.
• It is acceptable for the rear rank to have gaps, as long as the models are aligned with those in the other ranks.
• An Incomplete Rank refers to a rank with one or more missing models.
When a rule, ability, spell, or any other effect affects a unit, all models of the unit are affected, unless explicitly stated otherwise.
Unit Boundary
The Unit Boundary is an imaginary rectangle encompassing the outer edges of a unit. Unit cannot be inside another Unit Boundary, unless the units are explicitly allowed to temporarily be overlapping.The Centre of a unit
A unit's centre is located at the centre of its Unit Boundary.Facings
A unit or a model has four Facings that correspond to the edges of the Unit Boundary or the model's base; a Front, a Rear, and two Flanks.Arcs
A unit's Arcs correspond to the area in front of the four Facings, divided by a straight line extending from the corners of the Unit Boundary at a 135° angle from the unit's Facings.Unit Arcs, Unit Facings, and Unit Boundariesa) This unit has 3 ranks and 5 files. The rear rank is incomplete and only contains 4 models. The Front, Flank, and Rear Arcs are defined by drawing lines from the corners of the Unit Boundary at a 135 angle from the unit’s Facings.
b) The Unit Boundary is the area drawn around the outer edges of the unit, shaded red lines. The Centre of the unit is the centre of the Unit Boundary.
c) A Unit Boundary cannot be inside another Unit Boundary, not even with parts that are not occupied by any models.
Proper Ranks
The number of models required to form a Proper Rank depends on the unit's Height:• 5 models for Height 0-2,
• 3 models for Height 3-4, and
• 1 model for Height 5.
Ranks and Files
Lines of models in the same unit that are side by side are called ranks, and lines of models that are directly in front and behind each other are called files.Model Parts
Some models have multiple lines of Offensive Profiles. Each line represents a different Model Part.For example, a Cavalry model consists of a rider and its mount. If a rule, ability, spell, or effect affects a model, all model parts are affected unless stated otherwise. During attacks or shooting, each model part uses its own characteristics and weapons.
h2 class='ruleTitle'>Maintaining a Viable Formation
Whenever there are gaps in the formation of a unit, or incomplete ranks other than in the rear rank of a unit, the unit’s formation needs to be reformed into a viable formation. However, remember that Unit Boundaries and model placement in units are frozen during a Round of Combat. In this case, only follow the rules below when these are unfrozen, just before moving Broken and Pursuing units.
When redistributingmodels to fill gaps in the units formation, fill gaps and incomplete ranks with models in the following priority order:
• Movemodels from the rear rank,
• Movemodels from ranks other than the front rank,
• Movemodels from the front rank.
Avoid changing the number of files in the unit. If this is impossible, such as for a unit that only has a single rank unit, fill gaps by sliding allmodels from one side of the gap towards the other side.
During a Round of Combat, the Unit Boundaries of involved units are frozen, and models are not moved around inside the units to maintain a viable formation; not even to fill empty gaps inside the unit formations. Apply this from the start of a Round of Combat, until just before Broken units perform their Flee Moves . See Combat Phase chapter for further details.
Remember that when calculating the number of ranks or files a unit has, gaps are considered filled bymodels in back ranks as normal, potentially reducing the number of ranks or files.
When redistributing
• Move
• Move
• Move
Avoid changing the number of files in the unit. If this is impossible, such as for a unit that only has a single rank unit, fill gaps by sliding all
Maintaining a Viable Formation in Combat
During a Round of Combat, the Unit Boundaries of involved units are frozen, and Remember that when calculating the number of ranks or files a unit has, gaps are considered filled by