Setup

Setup is the mandatory sequence required to transition the Play Area into an active state for combat resolution. This sequence initiates after the finalization of Army Lists and determines the active Mission Card, the coordinates of Objective Tokens, and the starting positions of Units within their designated Deployment Zones.

1. Environmental Integration And Terrain Placement: Players establish the tactical landscape collaboratively prior to the assignment of player roles unless a pre-made map or standardized layout is utilized. Participants alternate placing terrain features across the Play Area until the environment is finalized. This sequence is governed by pre-role placement logic, mandating that the board state is locked before players possess knowledge of their starting table edge or the active scenario parameters. This requirement ensures participants prioritize a balanced distribution of environmental features.

2. The Bidding Protocol And Player Alignment: The Bidding Protocol determines the hierarchy of selection authority for the remainder of the Setup sequence. Players compare the total numerical point value assigned to their respective Army Lists. The participant who spent the lower quantity of points wins the bid and selects the Red Player or Blue Player designation for the duration of the Match.

• The Blue Player provides the tactical context of the engagement and must reveal the contents of their Mission Deck to the opponent.
• A Mission Deck consists of exactly three unique Mission Cards, containing exactly one card from the Aggressive, Defensive, and Maneuver categories.
• The Red Player exercises selection authority and must select exactly one of the Blue Player's Mission Cards to serve as the active scenario for the Match.

3. Mission Calibration And Objective Token Placement:

The active Mission Card serves as the definitive authority for the coordinates and quantities of Objective Tokens. Players position these markers according to the scenario diagram provided by the active Mission Card. Every Objective Token utilizes an omnidirectional 3-inch radius for the purpose of contesting and control evaluation.

• A Unit satisfies the technical requirements for contesting an Objective Token if any portion of a Unit Base resides within the 3-inch radius of the token center point.
• Units possessing the Shaken status are prohibited from contributing to contesting counts and are ignored during the evaluation of Objective Token control.

4. Army Deployment:

Units are transitioned from the Army List to the physical Play Area within the boundaries defined by the active Mission Card. Unless specified otherwise by scenario-specific rules, players alternate placing one Unit at a time until all forces are positioned.

• Every Unit Base must be assigned a final orientation upon placement to define the front Firing Arc.
• All Units are restricted to a 180-degree front Firing Arc for the resolution of Shoot Actions.
• A Unit is eligible to receive the Cover status only if 100% of the physical Unit Bases comprising that Unit are positioned 50% or more within the perimeter of a terrain feature that provides Cover.
• If any single Unit Base is positioned less than 50% within the terrain perimeter, the entire Unit is ineligible for the Cover bonus.
• Setup is finalized once the last Unit is placed and all pre-game Keyword abilities are resolved, at which point players immediately initiate the Activation Phase of the first Round.