Whfb 5th edition changes

START OF TURN
A new phase has been introduced at the start of the turn, basically to remind players to take appropriate tests, such as Panic tests due to fleeing friends with 4"

MARCH
Units can now march if they start more than 8" away from an enemy. Units can move to within 8" of their foe as they march, whereas before units were obliged to stop as soon as they got to 8" away. This speeds up play and obviates the need to measure out your approach distances.

CHARGE
The charge rules have been described specifically to forbid chargers from wheeling to deliberately reduce the number of models fighting - an annoying trick that defies the spirit of the rules... and now the rules themselves too! Any wheel that you make has to bring more models into combat, not less.

FLANK CHARGES
A unit which is charge in the flank or rear by an enememy unit of 5 or more models now loses all its rank bonuses for resolving combat.

7+ TO HIT
Shooters can now hit on scores of 7 or more by rolling a 6 followed by a 4+(=7),5+(=8) or 6+(=9) in the same way as in Warhammer 40,000

LAPPING ROUND
A unit which wins a combat can lap round models from rear ranks, lapping round up to 2 models per side. These lapping models now don't count as part of the units formation for the purposes of rank bonuses, but they do get bonuses for flank or rear attacks if the entire unit ammounts to 5 or more models. Flankers are returned to their rear rank if the unit is beaten.

RANKS
For purposes of working out combat results, a units ranks are counted at the start of the combat, and a rear rank of 4 or more models counts towards the bonus. The rank doesn't have to be a full rank necessarily, although the unit must be at least 4 models wide as before.

PURSUIT
The age old question of whether pursuers need to equal or beat the distance of fleeing troops is settled once and for all! Pursuers now have to outpace their enemies in order to overrun and destroy them - they have to roll more than the fleeing unit. If both units roll the same the pursuers are placed behind and slightly out of contact.

PANIC
Panic tests must now be taken for every unit if their General is killed. Panic tests are also required if a unit flees from a charge and is caught.

FRENZY
Frenzy is now automatic - troops start the game frenzied. As well as fighting with double attacks, frenzied troops must charge enemy within reach and must always pursue enemy they defeat.

LEADERS ET AL
Leader models are always placed in the centre of the front rank, whilst standard, musicians and character models must be placed as close to the centre of the front rank as possible. Charqacters cannot be deliberately placed in rear ranks when there is space for them in the front.

CHARACTERS IN COMBAT
Characters who are part of a unit fighting in hand-to-hand combat, but who are stranded in a position that cannot fight, may swap places with an ordinary warrior in their own movement phase. This can mean they lose a turn's fighting if the unit is charged from an unfavourable direction.

CHALLENGES
Only models which are in base to base contact with an enemy may issue a challenge. In a challenge, any excess wounds inflicted on the foe do count towards working out combat results. This is called the Overkill rule. This is intended to rectify the situation where a Lord on a Dragon is easily defeated by a unit with a champion simply because the champion issues a challenge and he only has one wound to lose.

AERIAL COMBAT

These rules have been extensively re-worked as follows

Flying troops beaten in hand-to-hand combat but who do not flee as a result of their break test, are now driven off 3d6" rather than off the tabletop altogether. The victors do not pursue, but hold their ground.

Flyers can now fly high and attack and attack a high flying enemy in the same turn.

When flying high, flyers can only strike glancing blows. Attacks are worked out as normal in your own turn, but no blows are struck in return. No magic or missiles can be used when flying high.

WARMACHINES
Warmachines can fight in units of the same type called batteries, and when placed with 5" of each other are always considered to be a single battery. A character can be placed with a battery, as with any other unit, but he cannot help to operate a machine.

When crews are charged, all the crew in the battery can be positioned to meet the attackers individual models moving up to a normal move to do so. This includes any characters who might be with a battery.

When shooting at war machines, hits are randomised as follows: (D6) 1- 4 = machine, 5-6 = crew. Templates hit the models beneath them as with chariots etc.

Surviving crew from one machine may be used to operate another of the same kind.

CAPTURING STANDARDS
Standard bearers cannot be slain in combat, as it is assumed an ordinary trooper wil step in and take up the flag if its bearer is killed or wounded. The player can always choose to remove an ordinary model in preference, and onl;y remove the standard bearer if their are no ordinary models left.

A standard is automatically captured if the unit breaks and its enemy pursues. The standard bearer model is placed behind or beside the unit that captured it. If pursued by several units the fastest wins the standard.

A captured standard is worth 1 victory point at the end of the game and units which capture standards can gain elite status in future battles.

MUSICIANS
As with standard bearers musicians are not removed as casualties as it is assumed the drum is picked up by some musically ambitios ordinary trooper.

If your unit includes a musician and the enemy unit does not, then you'll win any tied combat result by 1. If both sides have musicians, roll a d6 for each, and the side with the highest individual dice roll wins the combat by one. If both sides roll the same score, the combat is a tie after all!

SKIRMISHERS
The rules for skirmishers have been revised fairly extensively, and what follows constitutes a basic summary of the differences and clarifications.

Skirmishers can only reform into a close formation if they include a musician.

Skirmishers always move at double pace, ignoring movement penalties for terrain, but cannot shoot if they move further than their movement allowance.

If the unit is engaged in combat, any skirmisher models which are not engaged in the fighting must move into the combat in their movement phase, moving up to their normal double pace to do so.

Skirmishers have no flanks or rear and so cannot be attacked in the flank or rear. They have no ranks or files and so derive no rank bonuses in combat and fight in only one rank even if armed with spears.

Casualties are removed from the back of the unit as normal, even if those models are removedfrom those actually fighting. This represent s individuals rushing forward into the gaps in the same way as ordinary troopers.

Skirmishing units always test on their basic leadership valiue. They cannot test on the leadership of a character with the unit, nor on the leader ship of the general with 12". They cannot re-roll a break test if the army standard is within 12"

BUILDINGS
Any units wishing to move into buildings, or into built up ares such as courtyards,fortresses and suchlike, can adopt a skirmish formation as they do so

BOUND MONSTERS
Many of the larger semi-independant monsters have been redefined as bound monsters in the bestiary. Bound monsters must be magically bound or carefully trained in order to fight without riders, but must take a bound monster test at the start of their turn. This is basically a Leadership test and if it is failed roll a D6: 1 Deserts the Battle, 2-5 will not move or fight this turn, 6 fights on normally.