since this is a new game I thought people would appreciate a list of common (in my experience) misplays

1. Always assume you opponent has doom/exterminatus/warp storm

- while there is not a lot you can do about warp storm besides spreading your guys out (hard to do if you want to win planets)

2. while the warlord is ready assume an Eldar player has nullify

-I have on several occasions spent 3-4 resorces to play a critical event only for it to be nullified by the eldar player

3. remember mobile

-easy to forget

-also remember that if a mobile unit is at the first planet it can be trapped by your opponent

4. standing/readying effects

-Tau/Eldar/SM/Orks all have cards that can either ready themselves or supports to ready units

5. when considering a battle don't forget battle effects from planets other planets

-AOE 1,routing or moving a unit can all significantly affect the outcome of a battle

6. when attacking with your warlord always consider "if they attack my warlord with everything they have left will it be bloodied/die"

- if a warlord is bloodied that game is half won as they either have to avoid your units or sacrifice an attack to retreat their warlord

7.remember reducers

- you will hit yourself when you pass and realize you forgot to use your -1 cost support

8.if a SM players is pinging a high HP unit instead of a target they could kill (and would then be unable to attack) assume they have fury in their hand and shield (all or nothing)

Addition to number 3; you can also trap a mobile unit on the Last planet.

Some of my own misplays:

Don't assume that just because you have Initiative this turn that you'll have it in the Combat phase - if the enemy Warlord shows up to the party and yours didn't, you've forfeited your right to Initiative for this combat. Particularly important on the First planet.

And related:

Don't always assume your opponent is interested in capping the First planet this round. More than once I've attempted to ensure initiative by sending my Warlord in on turns when I have the token, only for my opponent to commit elsewhere - not only have I wasted my Warlord by sending him to a planet where he wasn't needed, I've dragged all the guys in HQ with him - and now they're stuck returning to HQ again at the end of this turn.

Very interesting thread...thanks guys.

I've played plenty and these all makes sense. The only thing I'm not quite following here is the thing about trapping a mobile unit? What do you mean by that, out of curiosity?

The only thing I'd say about the point regarding being aware of Nullify is that you can also spend too much time and effort trying to avoid a card that your opponent might not have. There's a value, of course, in playing around certain tough cards but there comes a point where you fall into your opponent's hands, too, by playing afraid of that card, too.

Let's say you have a mobile unit (like the Tau Vash'ya trailblazer) that you want to keep safe from combat.

If you place him on the first planet, there WILL be a battle there. No problem, you can always just hop away to planet 2, right?

Sure... unless the enemy Warlord is there.

In retrospect, that means it's much harder to trap at last planet, so I may have been wrong about that.

AH! I forgot that the Mobile stipulation is only to an adjacent planet. Duh! That's why it's somewhat "trappable." Right!

Very common misplay I see is: When an event is cancelled they refund themselves the "cost" of the event.

Typically people don't take the resources back, but very often if an event says "Exhaust an army unit to..." you still keep that unit exhausted because it's a part of the cost.

If you pay the cost of an event and that event gets cancelled, that cost is gone along with the resources and the other costs associated with the card.

Agreed, I've seen the issue of non-resource costs being a point of confusion a lot.

Some more commonly made rules mistakes or things that are overlooked:

1. Remember that even though you might have Initiative, if your foe brings their Warlord to a planet where you have NOT done so, they will have initiative there. (This is a big one that people forget.)
   
2. Remember that when your Warlord goes to any planet, in whatever state it was in before it went there, your Units arrive EXHAUSTED, ostensibly from the rigors of space travel.
   
3. Shield cards work against even re-assigned damage AND not only during combat but NOT against Moved damage.
   
4. Remember that if you BOTH bring a Warlord to a Planet in the Command Phase, only the NON-EXHAUSTED Units will count their Command Icons. Easy to forget this one, too.
   
5. Remember to analyze the Planet chain right away to try to ascertain where key battles will take place AND/OR where the game could end, potentially. Plan accordingly
   
6. Always pay attention to Planet Battle abilities - they can wreak havoc with your plans if you aren't aware of them!
   
7. Remember that with Ranged Units, if they're coming to a planet with your Warlord's posse, they're not going to get to use their Ranged abilities because they'll arrive Exhausted to that planet. If it's important to you to use a Unit's Ranged ability, your best bet is to Deploy that unit instead.
   
8. Finally, when you're deploying your cards in the Deploy phase, it's a good practice to play things like Supports or Events (or even Attachments) first, before your Units because the more you delay showing your plans to your opponent, the more you can counter-plan for their moves, and such.
   
9. And remember that ANY Action you use in the Deploy phase DOES, in fact, count as your action in that phase as part of the back and forth.

I missed 1 and 2. 2 is a huge change to the game and affects half of the other rules that you mention!

Well don't feel too badly. Since I've written this, I've played twice and missed a ton of these. Ugh. Talk about embarrassing. Sigh.

I've only played a few times(3?), and think I made at least three of those each time and led to me getting whupped. Thanks for posting this it'll be really helpful, just got to drum it into my head now!

*prints list and begins revision*

I've had people argue with me about this and seen other people argue about this. During deployment any ACTION or playing of a army/attachment/support is your action. I have seen to many times people argue to death that an event action does not use up your deployment action despite the rules being pretty clear on it.

That must be frustrating. I mean, it's right there, under 'deployment' in the timing section :/ I suggest hitting them with the page reference, and if they still won't see reason, find someone who will.

I had a 10+ min argument over octgn with someone over it quoting rule pages endlessly. It just came down to the fact he believed the rule book didn't explicitly state cards with a bold ACTION count for you turns deployment. I even pointed out how the turn structure gives no way to play events under "his" rules but no avail. In the end I just said we would play by his rules since it never mattered in my play for that turn and I just wanted the game over at that point.

I would have probably just quit out of frustration.

On a deployment turn, a player does one of the following:

deploys one card from his hand

uses one action ability on a card, by executing the instructions that follow its bold “Action:” trigger (see Rules Reference Guide, page 3)

passes

Sure, not explicitly clear anywhere in the rules.

/facepalm

I've updated my list above to include that fact. I had that one wrong too but once someone showed me in the rulebook, where I'd missed it stupidly, I stood corrected.

I would have probably just quit out of frustration.

After 5 min I was ready to quit and just agreed to play his way but he wanted to check more to get it right. Of course I had already quoted several pages that were pretty clear so nothing else could be found. I just finished the game to not be that guy that disagreed with someone and quit over it.

I don't know if this is a common mistake, but it came up a couple times while I was playing today, which was my first chance to play anything but the demo decks IRL.

When you put the 3 planets that are not in use this planet to the side, make sure they are well and truly off to the side. More than once today, we flipped up an 8th planet. In one game, we didn't even catch it till the round afterward, by which point one of us had already deployed a capping unit the previous round to this new, extra planet.

Ya that was mb those games I forgot to deal out the last two and just sat the whole stack down. I think I am just going to start dealing out 5 face up and 2 face down across the table like they suggest in the rules even if it cramps the play area for the first two turns.

Another missed one is:

Only one RANGED phase at each planet. If all units ready after first fight, there is no more RANGED only melee. Ranged units still strike, but it is melee.

That is correct right?

That is correct right?

Yes Ranged skirmish only happens once.

RRG page 25

That is correct right?

Yes Ranged skirmish only happens once.

RRG page 25

Also got this one wrong