Battle Setup
Use this procedure unless the scenario states otherwise.
Standard Battle Set-Up
Use this procedure unless the scenario states otherwise.
Battles are fought on a 3' × 3' battlefield.
1. Place Terrain
Scatter terrain across the battlefield to set the scene — ruins, walls, woods, and wreckage that break sight lines and give fighters somewhere to duck out of the crossfire.
Pack the battlefield densely. Noctvale rewards cover, Hide, and short-range firefights; a sparse battlefield leaves every fighter exposed and the fight flat. Before you deploy, agree which pieces count as difficult terrain, which are impassable, and how each major piece affects cover and line of sight.
Stairs and ladders use normal movement unless the players agree that a particular piece is difficult terrain or impassable terrain.
If the scenario uses Looting Buildings, mark each building's footprint before deployment so everyone knows which area counts as inside when fighters Loot.
2. Place Objectives
If the scenario calls for objectives, markers, or other setup pieces, place them now according to that scenario's instructions.
3. Determine Initiative
At the start of the game, initiative goes to the player with the lower activation count. At deployment, every fighter is Active, so this is the number of fighters in the retinue. If both players have the same activation count, each player rolls 2d6; the higher result has initiative. Reroll ties.
4. Choose Deployment Edges
The player with initiative chooses a battlefield edge for deployment. The opposing player uses the opposite battlefield edge. Each deployment zone extends 6" inward from that battlefield edge.
5. Form Deployment Groups
Each player divides their retinue into 3 deployment groups as evenly as possible. If the fighters cannot be divided evenly, that player chooses which groups contain the additional fighters.
6. Deploy Retinues
Starting with the player with initiative, players alternate setting up one deployment group at a time within their deployment zones until both retinues have been deployed.
Difficult Terrain
Difficult terrain is area terrain — ground that is hard to cross but not impassable. Examples: rubble piles, long grass, marsh, woods, rocky ground, steep slopes, and cluttered building interiors.
- Fighters cannot Move or Charge through difficult terrain.
- Use Scramble to move across difficult terrain at half Movement (see Actions — Scramble). A fighter may end their movement on difficult terrain, but they must be placed standing on their own. If that is not possible, move back along the path of movement until the fighter can be placed stably.