AoS Who fights first?

[Kilvakar]

Pretty common question I'm sure, but I'm still pretty new to AoS and I was just hoping someone could clarify for me a little bit on how the so-called "activation wars" work.

From what I understand in the rules, if it's your turn your units are supposed to fight first in that combat phase. Is this correct?

I know that certain armies have abilities where they can get to fight before you even if it's your turn. But in several Youtube battle reports I've watched, the players take turns on who fights first based on each individual combat.

For example; Seraphon vs Khorne, Seraphon player's turn. The Seraphon player has his Dread Saurian attack a Bloodthirster, killing it. But then a unit of Flesh Hounds fight first against a Carnosaur, which doesn't fight back at all. Then the a unit of Rippers attack a Bloodsecrator, then another Bloodthirster attacks a unit of skinks, then the Carnosaur finally gets to fight back against the Flesh Hounds.

My question is whether that's how combat is supposed to work and I just read the rules wrong, or if the players I was watching were doing it incorrectly. Are you supposed to alternate combats each combat phase regardless of whose turn it is? Or is the player whose turn it is get to have their units fight first (barring specific abilities that let the other player go first)?

 

[LizardWizard]

Combat activations rotate between players. The persons who turn it is activates a unit first. Then the other player/s activate a unit and it continues to alternate. There are lots of ability that interaction with this process though.

 

[Kilvakar]

Ok, good to know. But doesn't that mean that you don't want to charge multiple enemies most of the time, since you'll lose units before they actually get to do anything?

 

[LizardWizard]

Ok, good to know. But doesn't that mean that you don't want to charge multiple enemies most of the time, since you'll loose units before they actually get to do anything?

It all depends on the situation. But generally, it is a bad idea to provide an even number of activations if it is your turn. Target priority and gaining favorable match ups is more important than having advantage on total activations though.

 

[Kilvakar]

Cool, thanks for the clarification!

 

[Aginor]

Also noteworthy:
There are still people who play AoS wrong in that regard, mostly people who play 40k (at least here).
In 40k units that charged always go before all others, that's not the case in AoS.

 

[ILKAIN]

Also noteworthy:
There are still people who play AoS wrong in that regard, mostly people who play 40k (at least here).
In 40k units that charged always go before all others, that's not the case in AoS.

all the damn time..... my store is full of 40k players and the two rules changes they have the most difficulty with is charge doesn't equal fight first and yes, normal wounds spread across models.

 

[Kilvakar]

Also noteworthy:
There are still people who play AoS wrong in that regard, mostly people who play 40k (at least here).
In 40k units that charged always go before all others, that's not the case in AoS.

Very good to know. I had a recent game against an Ironjawz player who kept confusing AoS rules with 40K rules. He wasn't being a jerk about it, he just had a lot of assumptions that most everything worked the same in both games.

 

[LizardWizard]

Very good to know. I had a recent game against an Ironjawz player who kept confusing AoS rules with 40K rules. He wasn't being a jerk about it, he just had a lot of assumptions that most everything worked the same in both games.

IJs Smashin and Bashin lets them continuously activate their units to fights so long as they fully kill a unit with the activation.

 

[Kilvakar]

Yeah, that went off a couple times. However, the AoS/40k confusion was more along the lines of "consolidation," which is basically getting to pile-in *after* killing a unit, which is apparently a thing in 40k.

 

[LizardWizard]

Yeah, that went off a couple times. However, the AoS/40k confusion was more along the lines of "consolidation," which is basically getting to pile-in *after* killing a unit, which is apparently a thing in 40k.

In AoS, if a unit charged, then it can still be chosen to pile in and attack even if there are no modles they are currently in combat with. You do still have to follow the other rules governing piling in though.

 

[Kilvakar]

Yeah, the confusion was that he thought you could get an extra pile-in after wiping a unit, called consolidation.

 

[Kilvakar]

Still a good game though. We were playing on Tabletop Simulator, and ended up calling it a draw as it was around 2am when we finished, lol!