Warhammer 40,000 Combat Patrol Combat patrol is the short-form of Warhammer 40,000 in which players command a small patrol of perhaps two squads and a light vehicle. The games are designed to take around forty minutes to play (or less) and are meant to be fast and fun. This set of rules is designed to help players get a regular game when time is the most limiting factor. This is not a ‘light’ set of rules but rather a fresh way to use the armies you already have.

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT BEWARE ODDITIES When playing Combat Patrol, it’s important to remember that these games approach Warhammer 40,000 in a way that was not intended. This means odd things may crop up that you’ll need to sort out ‘on the fly’. The best way to resolve these issues is to consider the following: • Is there any Warhammer 40,000 rule you can use

as a precedent?

• What is the most likely and reasonable outcome of

the situation?

• Agree on two likely outcomes and have a roll-off.

The winner may choose which outcome will be

taken.

ARMY LIMITATIONS Each player will need a patrol that conforms to the rules bellow: • Armies are no more than 400 points.

• You must have at least one Troops choice.

• You may include a single HQ choice, but no more

than one.

• You may spend remaining points on anything else

in the codex.

• No model can have more than 2 Wounds.

• No special or Unique characters.

• No model can have a save better than a 3+ or 4+

Invulnerable.

• Vehicles cannot have a total Armour Value greater

than 33. Calculate this by adding the Front, Side

and Rear armour values (only count the side once).

• No Ordnance weapons.

These rules do not necessarily cover every army—some exceptions will need to be made while still remaining true to the spirit of the game. For example, in Codex: Imperial Guard an Armoured Fist squad is a Troops choice, but you must take an infantry platoon before you can take it. It is perfectly reasonable that a mobile unit like this would carry out patrols, so in Combat Patrol, the Armoured Fist squad can be taken on its own.

When it comes to army lists, you may, on occasion, find that units with compulsory characters that break one of the above rules. If such a unit is the only Troops selection available, then simply leave out the offending character and don’t pay the points for him. For example: A 3 Wound Shaper is compulsory in a Kroot Carnivore Kindred and Carnivores are the only Troops choice available to stand-alone Kroot Mercenary armies. In this case, don’t count the Shaper as a compulsory and take the unit without him.

This documents and its contents are not official and are in no manner endorsed by Games Workshop (GW). Warhammer 40,000 is the intellectual property of Games Workshop. Information provided in this document has been collected and in most cases copied directly from the following sources: Warhammer 40,000 rulebook—4th edition page 182 by Games Workshop, 40K in 40 Minutes by Tim Eagling and 40K in 40 Minutes Revisited by Che Webster.

OPTIONAL RULES To maintain the ‘spirit’ of Warhammer 40,000 and Combat Patrol consider using these optional rules to make your game play more exciting and fun. • All models must be WYSIWYG—’What you see is

what you get’.

• All models must be painted Citadel miniatures.

• No mission special rules.

• Victory Points (see the Warhammer 40,000 rule

book).

• House rules—Any house rules that you and your

buddies or gaming club may have created. COMMANDERS As you might not pick an HQ choice, the patrol should still have a commander, who gives the orders and against which Leadership tests are made. This, of course, would be the most senior ranking figure. In the case of two figures being of an equal rank then the player may choose which is the patrol’s leader, and only that figure may confer its Leadership bonus to friendly squads. When a patrol has taken 50% casualties it must start to take Leadership tests based on the commander's Leadership at the start of its turn or break from combat and subsequently lose the battle. If neither force breaks then at the end of the game the patrol inflicting the most damage wins.

WARHAMMER 40,000 RULEBOOK

TERRAIN Warhammer 40,000 battles are most commonly fought on 6’x4’ tables, but since Combat Patrol is meant to be a straightforward fire fight amongst small forces, using such a large table or complicated terrain will prolong game play. • Combat Patrol is best played on a 4’x4’ area.

TEAM PLAY If time allows, two players can team up with their two armies allied together and play against two other opponents. This could also be done for three or even four players per team. Keep in mind that each players army still needs to conform to the Rules of Engagement: Army Limitations.

SCENARIO Combat Patrol is played using the Annihilation mission found in the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook. Even though the mission is static you will still want to roll for deployment to keep things interesting.