Last night I played my maiden games. Loved it!

Discovered, however, that Ranged really only ever gets used once: once that unit wins or loses, he is either dead, or goes to the HQ, subsequently always missing the Ranged step. Yes, I saw the Ork Teleporter...but I hadn't made this connection previously.

Same with the Ork that reduces the cost of any Ork unit deployed to his planet. Unless he is on a deep planet and you decide to really overwhelm that planet, this is a one-shot ability also.

Anyway. Fascinating game...but these were unique things I wanted to comment on.

In a single combat phase (from start to winner-determined), there is only one 'Ranged combat' section. After that ranged combat is complete, it goes to normal combat and stays at normal combat until the start of the next combat occurance (at a different planet or in the next round).

I think Kealios was commenting more on the fact that, assuming a Ranged unit survives its battle at the first planet, it goes to the HQ after the planet is captured. Then, when it commits with the warlord in the next round, it comes to the planet exhausted, thus unable to participate in the Ranged skirmish at the beginning of that combat.

@Kealios: Ranged only ends up as a "one-shot" if you deploy the unit at the first planet and only ever send your warlord to the first planet in successive rounds. Remember that combat takes place at any planet that a warlord is sent to, and that surviving units only return to the HQ at the end of combat at the First Planet. So you will get more than a "one-shot" use out of Ranged units that participate in combat at planets other than the First Planet (because they stay at the planet and ready -- still at the planet -- during the HQ Phase). Similarly, you can send your warlord and any ranged units in the HQ to a non-First Planet, so while they would not be able to participate in the Ranged skirmish in the round you sent them, they'd be ready to participate in the following round.

So, for example, if you don't particularly need to capture the First Planet this round, but really want to capture the second planet next round (when it becomes the new First Planet), you could commit your warlord and all the Ranged units you have in the HQ to the second planet this round, positioning all those Ranged units for effective combat next round.

That's one of the things I really like about this game: The way you play and position your units at planets can make a huge difference in their overall effectiveness.

OK...I must have missed that. Units only get returned to the HQ if they win a battle at the First Planet?

We would often send a Warlord to a deeper planet, along with his HQ units. Unopposed, they would "win" and then all get sent back to HQ...combined with units streaming home from Planet 1, we were getting SO MANY units at HQ by the end of the game

That would make Ready units at planets more useful. I'll look into it...

LTP Guide, p. 11 (and RRG, p. 26-27, sec. 3.2.10) : "When a player wins a battle at any other planet, his warlord (if it was committed to that planet) returns to his headquarters, maintaining the state (ready or exhausted) it was in at the end of the battle. The planet remains in play, and other surviving units remain at that planet, also maintaining their state."

So, a (potential) strategy for Ranged units would be to deploy them where-ever (since deploying doesn't exhaust the unit), but when being committed with the warlord, perhaps not moving to a planet combat is likely to happen, and leave them there for when the battle does come to that planet?

Though, i would imagine this strategy is more for those instances that you happen to have a lot of ranged units in your HQ. (Or a general strategy for a range-heavy deck).

So, a (potential) strategy for Ranged units would be to deploy them where-ever (since deploying doesn't exhaust the unit), but when being committed with the warlord, perhaps not moving to a planet combat is likely to happen, and leave them there for when the battle does come to that planet?

Well, remember that just committing your warlord to a planet ensures that there will be combat there that round. So it's probably better to say, "When being committed with the warlord, make sure you move to a planet where they're likely to survive the battle."

Remember that the slow and somewhat painful way to get a unit away from a First planet without having some other means to do so, is to send your Warlord to the first planet if the unit is there, because after that fight, if it survives, it'll go back to the HQ with its Warlord.

Clumsy but it works in a pinch.

Remember that the slow and somewhat painful way to get a unit away from a First planet without having some other means to do so, is to send your Warlord to the first planet if the unit is there, because after that fight, if it survives, it'll go back to the HQ with its Warlord.

Clumsy but it works in a pinch.

Units always return to HQ from the first planet regardless of if the Warlord is there (assumiing they survive) because the first planet is always removed from the planet line at the end of the combat phase (usually to a score area).

Barring any card abilities, units at other planets are stuck there until there's a combat with a chance to retreat.

Ranged units can attack during normal combat step too, dunno why you guys are thinking they are "one shot"

Ranged units can attack during normal combat step too, dunno why you guys are thinking they are "one shot"

They are referring to Ranged itself as a one shot when traveling with warlord as army units arrive exhausted.

RANGED is far better for "setting up future planet wins!" Make sure you have the Initiative for that Ranged planet and your enemy will stay away. Yes, they may committ there Warlord there, but the threat of you doing the same and you having Ranged and they having none = pretty risky for them!

Ranged units is a good way to take resources from Planets during command struggle. IMO.