Patrol Clash

What is this Guide?

This is an introductory guide to building and army ready to play Patrol Clash style games of
Warhammer 40,000.

Patrol Clash is a set of guidelines for choosing an army with which to play small, fast games of
Warhammer 40,000. It is a fine introduction to getting yourself onto the path of army building and
playing.

Patrol Clash style games of Warhammer 40,000 are used for the School League.

What is in this Guide?

• What is Patrol Clash? Page 1

• Patrol Clash fast- play guidelines Rules of Engagement Page 2
• Where to start? Page 2
• Planning your army Page 3
• Getting ready to play Page 3
• Your first Patrol Clash battle Page 4

What is Patrol Clash?

Patrol Clash is a short-form of Warhammer 40,000 in which the players command a small patrol of,
for instance, two squads and a light vehicle. This set of rules is designed to help players get a
regular game when time is the most limiting factor. It’s also a great way to start collecting a new
army, and try out games of Warhammer 40,000.

As you progress in collecting, playing and painting your Patrol Clash army you will slowly gather
enough models to play fully fledged games of Warhammer 40,000, from which Patrol Clash is
derived.

The greatest strengths of Patrol Clash battles are that you can fight with any army and that the
games take only a short time to play (normally about 45 minutes) this makes Patrol Clash great for
school club meetings, or for those wanting to get straight into the action.

Page 1
 Patrol Clash —Rules of Engagement
Your Patrol Clash force must meet the following conditions:
Army Limitations
• Armies are no more than 500 points
• You must have two Troops choices
• You may have one HQ choice but no more than one
• You may spend the remaining points from anywhere in the Codex
• No Special Characters
• No 2+ saves
• No models with more than 2 wounds
• No vehicles with a Total Armour value of greater that 33. This is calculated by adding the Front,
Side and Rear armour numbers. (only count the Side once)
• No Ordnance weapons
• No specialist Army Lists
• Games at the School League Finals will be played using one of the Scenarios in this pack
• Patrol Clash games should, ideally be played on a 4’ x 4’ area
These rules do not necessarily cover every army - some exceptions will need to be made while
remaining true to the spirit of the game. For Example Codex:Imperial Guard an Armoured Fist
squad is a Troop 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 its own patrols, so in Patrol Clash , the
Armoured Fist Squad can be taken on its own.

Beware Oddities!
When you play Patrol Clash , it is important to remember that these games approach Warhammer
40,000 in a way that it was not originally intended to be approached. This means that odd stuff
might crop up what you need to sort out. The best way to resolve these issues is to ask yourself
the following:
• Is there any existing Warhammer 40,000 rule that can be used as a precedent?
• What is the most reasonable thing that would happen in this situation?
• Agree on the two most likely outcomes and roll one six sided die; 1-3 = go with solution
one; 4-6 = go with solution two.

Where to Start?
Building an army for Patrol Clash may seem really daunting, but it isn’t as big a deal as you might
think. Here are some practical steps to help you get started:
1. Look at any miniatures that you already own and see if you can see any common groupings,
like having lots of Space Marines or Tyranid models.
2. Choose one of these groupings, for example Tyranids and focus on turning these into an
army
3. If you don’t have any models then have a think about what kind of models you like best. Is
there a character you really like?
It is wise to spend some time deciding which army you want to collect. This will help you to resist
changing your mind halfway through the collection!

Page 2
 Planning Your Army
How Plan Your Army
Once you have chosen the army you wish to collect, you can then set about planning it. To do this
you will need a copy of the relevant Codex. A Codex is a book that contains all the special rules for
your chosen army. For Example Codex:Tyranids contains all the information you need to field a
Tyranid Army.

Look through the Army List in the book and match up any models that you already own. Then you
need to do the following:

• Grab a pencil and some paper

• Read through the Army List organisation in your Codex
• Look at the guidelines for Patrol Clash in this pack
• Choose at least one Troop choice from the Army list, the rest of the patrol can be made up from
other choices from the Codex
• Total up the points value, including the costs of any equipment that you want to include. You
need to pay the points for things like wargear, extra weapons and transport
• Using the Standard Mission Organisation Chart—usually in the first page of the Army List sec-
tion of the Codex—use the points left and choose the rest of your squads
• Total up the points again and make sure they do not exceed 500 points. They can be less than
or equal to that value but never greater.
• Total up the number of models, as long as there are at least 5 models your force is ready to
build. If not then you must add models to the force as applicable. (But not exceeding the total of
500 points)
• Write the list out onto a Roster Sheet—there is one included at the pack of this pack.
• If there are any models that you do not own, now is the time to buy them—your Patrol Clash
army is about to become a reality!

Getting Ready To Play Having Trouble?

Once you have all the models you need for your Patrol Clash If you are having trouble with
force, you will need to start preparing them. This involves: building your army, assembling your
• Assembling them army or painting it, then the best
• Painting them thing you can do is go down to your
local Games Workshop store.
If you are new to painting your models, the best thing to do is The friendly staff there will be more
pop down to your local Games Workshop and get some free than happy to help you and will be
able to give you great hobby advice.
painting lessons from the staff. It is also worth having a look
at the Painting section of your Army Book, there will be hints
and tips on how to paint your army. There are also articles on the Games Workshop website in the
Warhammer section. There is also a great reference book called “How To Paint Citadel Miniatures”
which is available to purchase from any Games Workshop store.

Page 3
 Getting Ready To Battle!

If you have never played a game of Warhammer 40,000 and are not sure of the rules don’t worry
it’s a simple game to learn. Here are some ways to make the learning process easier.

• Go down to your local Games Workshop store and explain to the staff that you are part of the
School League and they will teach you the basic rules of Warhammer 40,000 by playing an
introductory game with you .
• Join their Beginners Programme.
• Get your school club to visit your local Games Workshop for Beginners Programme
School League activities. All of the Games Workshop
• You could play through the Black Reach book in the Assault stores run free beginners
on Black Reach boxed set. These exercises are tailored for programmes which you can go
new gamers and they, like a tutorial, will help you to master along to and learn how to play.
the simple basic rules that will help you to get by in your first
game. These programmes run regularly
• If you are playing in your club or with a group of friends, don’t and are a really fun way to meet
be afraid to ask more experienced gamers for some help. others interested in the hobby
Generally they will be more than happy to teach you how to and learn the rules.
play the game — after all the more people who can play the
game means more people to play with! Please ask the staff in your local
Games Workshop store for more
details.
Your First Patrol Clash Battle

There are three scenarios at the back of this pack which have been designed to give you an excit-
ing battle. Scenarios are a way of adding structure to the game and they give you a reason to fight,
some guidelines on setting up the game and victory conditions to tell you who has won.

Try the following scenarios for your first few games, after that you will probably want to start
making up your own.

Copyright © Games Workshop 2009. The text, rules, and all other materials contained herein are the exclu-
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UK and other countries around the world. All rights reserved.

Page 4
 Patrol Clash
Scenario One
Both sides have unexpectedly collided with the enemy
force whilst patrolling a disputed area of the war zone.

Set-Up

The Patrol Clash scenario should, ideally, be

played on a 4’x4’ area
Mission Objective
Each player takes 3 terrain pieces and alternates
placing the scenery where they choose. Once
Each army is attempting to crush the
these pieces are placed the players may continue
other utterly, so that their patrol is not
to alternate placing whatever additional scenery
discovered!
pieces they wish until they agree to stop.

For deployment, the table is divided lengthways

into two halves, by drawing an imaginary line
down the middle of the board. Players then roll
D6, with the highest choosing to go first or sec-
ond. The player that is going first then chooses
which board edge to deploy on, and sets up their
army at least 12 inches away from the table mid-
dle line, anywhere within their “Deployment Zone”
The second player then deploys their army on the
opposite board edge, again 12 inches away from
the centre line.
Once deployment is finished, the player that
chose to go first begins their turn 1.
Game Length: Five Turns
Victory Conditions
At the end of the game, each player re-
ceives one “Kill Point” for each enemy
unit that has been completely destroyed.
Characters and retinues with them count
as one Kill Point.
Player with the most Kill Points wins the
game.
If both players have the same amount of
Kill Points, use the Victory Points rules
to decide a winner. (P108 small rulebook
and p300 in the large one)
 Seize and Hold
Scenario Two
Your patrol is part of a larger force and are
searching for a vital resource for their leader, a
weapons cache, food supply or critical vantage
point for the following battle. Unfortunately the
enemy think they saw it first!

Set-Up

The Patrol Clash scenario should, ideally,

be played on a 4’x4’ area

The objective is placed in the centre of the

battlefield. This could be an ammo crate,
fuel dump, spore tower or warp gate— Mission Objective
really anything you think is worth fighting
over! Both players are trying to hold the
objective and deny possession to the
Each player takes 3 terrain pieces and other side
alternates placing the scenery where they
choose. Once these pieces are placed the
players may continue to alternate placing Victory Conditions
whatever additional scenery pieces they
wish until they agree to stop. The winner will be the player with unbro-
ken unit of over half strength nearest to
For deployment, split the board into quar- the centre of the objective at the end of
ters, (draw two imaginary lines through the the game. Characters, monstrous
centre of the board). Players then roll D6, creatures and vehicles may not hold the
with the highest choosing to go first or sec- objective.
ond. The player that is going first then
chooses their board edge to deploy on,
and sets up their army in one of the table
quarters on that table edge, at least 12
inches away from the centre point.

The second player then deploys their army

in the diagonally opposite quarter, again
Game Length: Five Turns
12 inches away from the centre.

Once deployment is finished, the player

that chose to go first begins their turn 1.
Capture & Control
Scenario Three
The battlefield is strewn with discarded equipment,
wounded comrades and other detritus of war that you
wish to recover. You must fight the enemy whilst
scouring the battlefield to secure as many vital
objectives as you can.

Set-Up

The Capture and Control scenario should,

ideally, be played on a 4’x4’ area
Before deciding deployment zones the players
must determine the position of D3+2 objec-
tives. The winner of a roll off chooses a point
on the table to be an objective. The opponent
then does the same and the players alternate
choosing a point on the table until the position
of the objectives has been determined. These
objectives may not be in impassable terrain nor
within 12” of another objective.
The table is divided lengthways into two
halves. The players roll off, and the winner
chooses to go first or second. The player that
goes first then chooses one of the long table
edges to be his own table edge. He can then
deploy his army. His opponent then does the
same in the opposite half, but must position his
units more than 18” from enemy units.
Mission Objective
Each army is attempting to secure as
many vital objectives as possible.
Victory Conditions
The winner is the player who controls
the most uncontested objectives—see
Warhammer 40,000 rulebook for details
of holding and contesting objectives.
As some objectives differ in size, before
the game starts both players must de-
cide where to measure the 3inches from.
If both players have control of one objec-
tive each use the Victory Points rules to
decide a winner. (P108 small rulebook
and p300 in the large one)

Game Length: Five Turns

 Roster Sheet
Name: School

Army Name: Total Points:

W
Unit S BS S T W I A Ld Save Notes Points

Armour
Vehicle Front Side Rear BS Type and Notes Points

Weapon Range Str AP Type Notes