A guide to help you play the Combat Patrol game mode.
← Back to Warhammer 40k'As our bodies are armoured with adamant, our souls are protected with loyalty. As our bolters are charged with death for the Emperor's enemies, our thoughts are charged with wisdom. As our ranks advance, so does our devotion, for are we not the Space Marines? Are we not the chosen of the Emperor, his loyal servants unto death?'
Welcome to Combat Patrol! Whether you are a new recruit to Warhammer 40,000 or a seasoned veteran, Combat Patrol is all about getting your forces into action as quickly as possible. It's the quickest and simplest way to start collecting and playing Warhammer 40,000. In Combat Patrol games, each player will command a compact army of Citadel miniatures in tactical clashes that should last up to one hour.
Typically comprising the contents of a Combat Patrol box, every Combat Patrol force is a great starting point for any aspiring Warhammer 40,000 general. As well as being amazing tools for collecting, the models from each one can face off against each other in quick and exciting pickup games. There is no need to create an army list and add up points values; simply choose your favorite faction, assemble your miniatures and prepare for war.
Combat Patrol games are fast-paced and action-packed; victory is determined primarily through expert tactical play, but a healthy dose of good luck never hurts! Games revolve around a set of missions you and your opponent will need in order to play. These are prefaced with a short and simple sequence that leads you through steps such as creating a battlefield prior to deploying your forces.
Each mission gives the players a different set of tactical challenges to master, as well as describing the strategic goals that they must strive to achieve in order to score Victory points. At the battle's end, when the smoke has cleared, victory will go to the player who has scored the most Victory points, so players must keep in mind the objectives of their chosen mission at all times. Combat Patrol missions are designed to ensure that neither player can claim an advantage at the battle's onset, meaning they are perfect for casual games and friendly competitions alike.
As well as being the best way to play quick games of Warhammer 40,000, Combat Patrol is a great opportunity to try out different factions and familiarize yourself with the unique tactics and play styles of each one. Whichever you choose, you will soon learn your army's strengths and weaknesses and gain the skills needed to claim victories on larger battlefields.
In addition to needing two Combat Patrols to face off against each other, players will also require a battlefield on which to play. In Combat Patrol missions, it is up to the players to create the battlefields their armies will fight on, and they can use any flat surface and terrain features they have in their collection.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to use Battlezones, each of which contains a board and a set of terrain features for your models to navigate and fight around. The photograph on the right shows how a selection of Battlezone terrain, set up on two Battlezone boards, can be arranged to create a war-torn environment from the 41st Millennium. This is but one example, however; this terrain can be set up in any number of ways to ensure you never fight over the same battlefield twice.
Playing games of Warhammer 40,000 is a shared experience that we all want to look and feel great. To reflect this, you will be rewarded for having a fully painted 'Battle Ready' army. Here we explain what that means, and where to find achievable online tutorials and painting guides to get your army ready for action.
When you play a game of Warhammer 40,000, there are 10 Victory points available if every model in your army is painted to a Battle Ready standard. Battle Ready means your models are fully painted with a detailed or textured base.
This is considered to be the minimum standard of miniature painting for Warhammer 40,000 games, as well as a guaranteed method of scoring some Victory points before the dice even start rolling.
The Citadel Colour range includes all the paints and hobby supplies you'll need to paint your miniatures quickly and efficiently. In fact, Contrast paints were created especially to help you get your armies Battle Ready in no time — just one coat of Contrast paint lays down both a base colour and a bit of shade — while Technical paints give you a textured base with one application.
On the right you'll find some examples of models painted to a Battle Ready standard, and you can find many more — along with full painting tutorials — on the Citadel Colour website.
A Combat Patrol game is waged by following the sequence below. Note that the first step can be completed before you even get to the gaming table.
Select the Combat Patrol you will be using for the battle. Your army consists of all the units listed on that Combat Patrol, and the model designated as 'Warlord' is its Warlord. Each unit's wargear is also listed within the datasheets found in that Combat Patrol. Any additional rules a Combat Patrol's units have access to are also listed.
Your selected Combat Patrol will list two Enhancements that can be used to upgrade a unit in your Combat Patrol (typically your Warlord). By default, you will use the Enhancement marked 'default', but if you wish to replace this with the one marked 'optional', do so now. All Enhancements make your Combat Patrol more powerful, but if you are new to using this Combat Patrol we recommend sticking with the default for now.
Each player must declare which Combat Patrol they will be using, and which Enhancement they have selected, before proceeding. Note that if a player uses a Combat Patrol painted to a Battle Ready standard (pg 4), that player will receive a bonus 10 Victory points (VP) at the end of the battle.
Players determine which mission will be used for the battle; you can choose from the Combat Patrol missions in this book, or in other publications. This will determine the deployment map to use, as well as the specific mission briefing. You can either agree which you will use with your opponent, or you can randomly select one of the missions available. If this is your first battle, we recommend playing the Clash of Patrols mission (pg 7).
If you are randomly selecting a mission, roll a D6 and consult the table below.
Each mission has a mission rule that applies for the duration of the battle and a primary objective that awards VP to the players. Read and familiarise yourself with these before proceeding.
Players now create the battlefield by setting up terrain features and objective markers. Combat Patrol missions are played on a rectangular battlezone that is 44" x 30" in size (such as the boards found in some Battlezone products). Players should set up terrain features to create an exciting battlefield; we recommend that a sufficient number of these are distributed evenly across the battlefield so that units from both sides can benefit from cover as they battle each other.
Each mission's deployment map will also show the players how many objective markers they need to set up and where each should be placed.
Players agree which battlefield edge is the Attacker's and which is the Defender's. The players then roll off and the winner decides who will be the Attacker and who will be the Defender — this will determine which player uses which deployment zone in the coming battle.
In the order stated below, both players now secretly note down:
When both players have done so, they declare their selections to their opponent. In a Combat Patrol game, Reserves units can never arrive on the battlefield in the first battle round. Any Reserves unit that has not arrived on the battlefield by the end of the third battle round counts as having been destroyed, as do any units embarked within them.
Players alternate setting up their remaining units one at a time, starting with the Defender. A player's models must be set up wholly within their deployment zone. If one player finishes deploying all their units, their opponent then deploys the remainder of their units.
Players roll off and the winner takes the first turn.
Players alternate resolving any pre-battle rules units from their armies have (such as the Scouts ability), starting with the player who will take the first turn.
The first battle round begins. Players continue to resolve battle rounds until the battle ends.
The battle ends after five battle rounds have been completed. If one player has no models remaining in their army at the start of their turn, the other player may continue to play out their turns until the battle ends.
At the end of the battle, the player with the most VP is the winner. If players are tied, the battle is a draw.
Note that in some missions, VP scoring in the final turn may differ from previous turns for the player going second. This is to ensure that the choices made by that player can still affect the outcome of the battle even up to its closing moments. Remember, if every model in a player's Combat Patrol is painted to a Battle Ready standard, that player is awarded a bonus 10VP.
In Combat Patrol missions, at the end of each Command phase, if the player whose turn it is controls an objective marker and one or more Battleline units from their army (excluding Battle-shocked units) are within range of that objective marker, then that objective marker is said to be secured by that player.
While an objective marker is secured by a player, it remains under the control of that player, even if they have no models within range of it. An objective marker ceases to be secured if their opponent controls it at the end of any subsequent Command phase.
Your forces have been dispatched to a crash site in search of vital intelligence stored in surviving data-cores in the wreckage. High command insists you do not return empty-handed, but warns of enemies converging on the crash site. Secure the area, and the data, at all costs.
Mission Rule: Retrieve Intelligence: In each player's Command phase from the second battle round onwards, the player whose turn it is can select one objective marker they control and recover data from that objective marker. Each time a player recovers data from an objective marker, if their Warlord is on the battlefield (or is embarked within a Transport that is on the battlefield), they gain 1CP. Each objective marker can only be selected for this rule once (by either player).
Primary Objective: Take and Hold: In the second, third, and fourth battle rounds, at the end of each player's Command phase, the player scores 5VP for each objective marker they control (to a maximum of 15VP per turn). In the fifth battle round, the first player scores VP as described above. The second player scores VP at the end of their turn instead of their Command phase.
Your forces are moving to retrieve valuable archeotech. Augur readings indicate the artefacts' power cells are being irradiated by battlefield emissions. If they succumb, you will be left with mere shards of scrap. Secure and extract any active archeotech, before it degrades.
Mission Rule: Irradiated Power Cells: At the start of the third battle round, the Defender randomly selects one objective marker in No Man's Land to be the Gamma objective. At the start of the fourth battle round, the Gamma objective is removed. The Attacker then randomly selects one of the two remaining No Man's Land objectives to be the Beta objective, which is removed at the start of the fifth battle round.
Primary Objective: Recover Archeotech: In rounds 2-5, at the end of each player's Command phase, the player scores 5VP for each objective marker they control (to a maximum of 15VP per turn). At the end of the battle, if a player controls the last objective marker in No Man's Land, they score 10VP.
Our observation post has spotted a similar enemy station within striking distance, likely filled with comms augurs that we can sabotage. Take a small force under the cover of darkness and cripple the outpost. But beware, the enemy have likely spotted us in return.
Mission Rule: Sabotage Enemy Comms: At the end of each player's turn, if they control the objective marker in their opponent's deployment zone, their opponent cannot use the Command Re-roll Stratagem for the rest of the battle.
Primary Objective: Vital Ground: In rounds 2-4, at the end of each player's Command phase, they score 5VP for each objective marker they control in No Man's Land and 10VP if they control the objective in their opponent's deployment zone (max 15VP). In the fifth battle round, the first player scores VP as described. The second player scores VP at the end of their turn instead of their Command phase.
The time for a decisive strike against the foe is nigh. Key targets have been identified and their continued existence can no longer be tolerated. Spread ruination throughout the enemy's territory and leave nothing but heaped corpses and blazing wreckage in your wake!
Mission Rule: Raze and Ruin: At the start of each player's Command phase from the second battle round onwards, if two or more objectives are on the board, the player can select one objective they control to be razed and removed from the battlefield. Restrictions apply to objectives A and B.
Primary Objective: Raze and Ruin: In rounds 2-4, at the end of each Command phase, the player scores 5VP for controlling one or more objectives, 5VP for controlling more objectives than their opponent, and 10VP for razing an objective this turn. In the fifth battle round, the first player scores VP as described. The second player scores VP at the end of their turn.
Grinding stalemate has paralysed the battle lines, but a decisive blow can lance through the enemy defences. Drive a spearhead through this area, clearing enemy objectives of resistance as you push forwards, but do not allow the enemy to encircle us and cut off our supply lines.
Mission Rule: Supply Lines: At the start of each player's Command phase, if they control the objective in their deployment zone, they roll a D6. On a 4+, they gain 1CP.
Primary Objective: Priority Targets: In rounds 2-4, at the end of each Command phase, the player scores 5VP for each objective marker they control (max 15VP). At the end of the battle, the Attacker scores 5VP for controlling Objective C and 10VP for Objective D. The Defender scores 5VP for Objective B and 10VP for Objective A.
Glorious victory in battle is a demonstration of our superiority, and the weakness of our foes. Such an opportunity has arisen. Wrest control of the enemy's symbolic sites of resistance and we can crush their fighting spirit — but beware the foe's spiteful resilience on the back foot.
Mission Rule: Break Their Spirit: Players cannot use the Insane Bravery Stratagem unless the unit is within 6" of their Warlord. Claim Sites: Objective markers in No Man's Land can be "claimed" by a Character model.
Primary Objective: Symbolic Sites: In rounds 2-4, at the end of each player's Command phase, they score 5VP for each of the following conditions they satisfy: control one or more objectives; control two or more objectives; one or more symbolic sites are claimed by a Character; one or more symbolic sites have been claimed by the same model for two consecutive turns. In round 5, the second player scores VP at the end of their turn instead of their Command phase.
Battle-forged: This unit gains a 6+ Feel No Pain. In addition, when it is the target of a ranged attack, subtract 1 from the hit roll.
Secondary Objective: Faith. At the end of your turn, score 5VP if you control two or more objective markers, or 10VP if you control three or more.
Stratagems: Miracle of Faith, Holy Edict, and Sacred Rite of Fire.
Battle-forged: When you activate this unit in the Command phase, you can heal 1 wound, or bring back 1 model.
Secondary Objective: Dynastic Command. At the end of your turn, score 5VP if you control two or more objective markers in your opponent's deployment zone, or 10VP if you control three or more.
Stratagems: Reanimation Protocols, Command Protocols, and Strategic Withdrawal.
Battle-forged: This unit gets a 5+ Feel No Pain. If this unit has been in engagement range of an enemy unit for at least one turn, it gains a 4+ Feel No Pain instead.
Secondary Objective: Ancestor's Grudge. At the end of your turn, score 5VP if you control one or more objective markers, or 10VP if you control two or more.
Stratagems: Ancestors are Watching, For the Votann, and Unstoppable Advance.
Battle-forged: This unit gains a 5+ Feel No Pain. If this unit has been in engagement range of an enemy unit for at least one turn, it gains a 4+ Feel No Pain instead.
Secondary Objective: Hive Mind's Will. At the end of your turn, score 5VP if you control one or more objective markers, or 10VP if you control two or more.
Stratagems: Hive Mind's Will, Unstoppable Advance, and Unending Swarm.