Let’s get this straight, moving miniatures along the tabletop can be fun, but one of the most important issues about this game is undoubtedly the Combat phase. This article is the first of two in which we will try to show you how it works and clear any doubt you might have.
Assaults
Whenever a miniature ends its movement in base to base contact with one or more enemy miniatures, it is said to have made an Assault. You always need a clear Line of sight on the enemy miniature at the beginning of your Assault movement. The Assault Action implies, besides the Movement made, an immediate, free Combat Action.
A miniature making an Assault will get a +1 bonus to its Combat attribute, thanks to the momentum of the charge, plus another additional +1 bonus for each previous consecutive Movement Action in which it had Line of sight on its target miniature.
The Junker with the Pumper gun makes 2 Movement Actions to Assault the Mutard Bobblehead, but as she didn’t have a clear Line of sight on him at the beginning of her first Action, she will only get a +1 bonus to her Combat attribute.
The female Ganger uses her two Actions to Assault the female Mutard. As she had a clear Line of sight from the beginning of her first Movement Action, she will get a +2 bonus to her Combat attribute.
You have bear in mind that it is necessary to keep a steady momentum to Assault, so a miniature Assaulting through Fucked up or Really fucked up terrain must succeed in all its Agility checks to move through it during its Action Turn in order to get the Combat bonus to its Assault.
The Mutard wants to Assault the female Ganger. The pool is considered to be Fucked up terrain, so he will need a successful Agility check to move normally. If he makes it, he will get a +2 bonus to Combat in his Assault (because he had a clear Line of sight from the beginning of his Movement Actions). If he fails his check but still gets into base to base contact (as a failed Fucked up terrain check means he will move half the distance) there will be an Assault, but with no bonus whatsoever.
Besides, it is important to keep in mind that, for the previous Movements to give Assault bonuses, the miniature must have advanced towards the enemy all the possible distance. For example, if there is an enemy in Line of sight at a distance of 3″, moving to one side and then Assaulting him with the second Action won’t give the miniature a +2 Combat bonus, as it didn’t fully move towards the enemy with its first Movement Action. It will only get a +1 Combat bonus for the second Movement Action.
Mass combat
Whenever there are two or more miniatures from one side involved in a Combat it will be considered a Mass combat.
Any miniature in base to base contact with at least an enemy miniature will be considered to be part of the Mass combat, but not if it is in base to base contact with a friendly miniature involved in it. As long as this condition is fulfilled, all miniatures involved will be part of the same Mass combat even if some of them are not physically touching each other.
Both Mutards and Gangers are involved in the same Mass combat, as they all are in base to base contact with at least an enemy miniature. But the Mongrelmorph, which is only in base to base contact with a friendly miniature, is not. The rest of the miniatures will be able to choose which enemy engaged in the Mass combat they want to attack when their Action Turn comes, even if they are not physically in base to base contact. This way, the female Ganger on the left would be able to attack the turtle Mutard on the right, because they are considered to be involved in the same Mass combat.
If at any point of a Mass combat a miniature ceases to be in base to base contact with any surviving enemy miniature, it will have to be displaced to a new position in base to base contact with the nearest surviving enemy, if any, without having to spend any Action to do so.