Warhammer allows you to fight battles with armies of troops, war machines and monstrous beings. It is up to you as the commander of your forces to find the best way to use your cavalry and infantry to achieve victory. The Citadel miniatures used to play Warhammer are simply referred to as models in the rules that follow. Each model is an individual playing piece with its own capabilities and characteristics.

In most cases, models band together into units. A unit will usually consist of several models, but a lone heroic character, a single, very large and powerful model such as a chariot, a monstrous creature like a Dragon or Great Cannon and its crew are also considered to be a unit.

Units have different capabilities and are divided into several types as explained below. For example, when the rules refer to cavalry units, all troops that fall under the category of cavalry must follow those rules.

Units are arranged in a formation that consists of one, two, three or more ranks. As far as possible, the unit always has the same number of models in each rank and, where not possible, it is always the rear rank that is left short. The last rank is filled from the centre.

Infantry includes all units of foot troops, be they Dwarfs, Elves, Men, or any other of the myriad Warhammer races fighting on foot. A typical infantry regiment is at least 10 strong but can include 20, 40 or even more! Infantry forms the backbone of most Warhammer armies.

As well as units of warriors fighting on foot, the armies of Warhammer include troops riding horses, giant wolves, and other creatures. The term cavalry refers to riders mounted on horse-sized creatures which have only one Wound in their profile. Bigger creatures are referred to as monsters and these have special rules as described later. Cavalry operates much in the same way as an infantry unit, although it moves faster than foot troops, and often the steeds ridden by the riders can fight as well. Rules for cavalry are discussed where appropriate.

A cavalry model is treated in all respects as a single model. Should the rider be slain the entire model is removed from battle. Cavalry models always use the rider's Leadership for all tests that require it. When the model is attacked, it is the rider's Toughness and Wounds that are used. The mount's Toughness, Wounds and Ld are never used, but are included on its profile because these creatures sometimes appear on their own.

These are usually huge, lumbering machineries of destruction, such as the Great Cannons of the Empire, Stone throwers of the Ores or bizarre and deadly Doomwheels of the Skaven. War machines are often fielded together with their crew and form a unit on their own. Some small war machines, such as Skaven Warpfire Throwers, are regarded as infantry instead of war machines and follow the rules that are given for infantry.

Many races make use of chariots pulled by creatures such as horses, boars or reptilian Cold Ones. Chariots move faster than infantry, roughly at the same speed as cavalry. A chariot's crew, as well as the creatures pulling it, are considered an integral part of the chariot, and if it is destroyed they are killed along with it. Powerful characters can also ride in chariots. In most cases, chariots fight individually.

Creatures such as Giants, Pegasus, Dragons, Chimeras or War Hydras are called monsters. These are creatures that fight as units of one model, and move individually, their size, strength and magical nature making them a match for units of lesser troops. Sometimes monsters are ridden by powerful Heroes, and follow a slightly different set of rules.

Units of troops commonly include a Standard Bearer who carries the unit's banner and a Musician such as a hornblower or drummer. It is also usual for units to be led by a Champion, an experienced and able warrior.

The Champion, Standard Bearer and Musician are placed in the front rank of the unit whenever possible. When a unit turns to face its side or rear, they are automatically rearranged in the new front rank.

As we shall see later, a unit can also be joined by a character, in which case these models are also arranged into the front rank alongside the Champion, Standard Bearer and Musician. Don't worry about this for now – the rules for characters are explained later.

Warhammer has several rules (such as outnumbering, panic, etc) where the unit with greater impetus, size or hitting power gains an advantage over its opponents. To establish the relative power of all these different creatures, you need to determine Unit Strength. In most cases this is worked out by simply counting the number of models in a unit. However, some huge creatures such as Trolls, war machines, chariots, etc, are individually clearly more powerful than a single man on foot! These creatures have a different Unit Strength.

The table that appears above gives you Unit Strength value of each troop type. The Unit Strength listed is for each model in a unit. To figure out the Unit Strength of an entire regiment, count the number of models in the unit and multiply it with the appropriate number given. In the case of several types of models with different Unit Strengths in the same unit, simply add these together.

Eg, a unit of three Ogres has a Unit Strength of3 (3x3 =3).

All models taking part in the battle are assumed to face directly forward from the front of their base. This applies equally to units of troops as to large monsters fighting on their own. This is important because a model can only see things that lie in a 90" are in front of it. Being able to see the enemy is vital when it comes to shooting and deciding whether units can charge their foe.

The being rule is shown on the diagram opposite. It is worth remembering this rule right from the start as it is very important.