Hello,

I have two quick questions about what happens after units move with a warlord to a planet. They are:

1) When a warlord arrives with a contingent of exhausted units and wins a battle at planets two through four, what happens to those units? Does he leave those units behind after winning a battle? Or do they return with him to the HQ?

2) When a warlord arrives with a contingent of exhausted units at a planet where the opposing player doesn't have any units at that planet, what happens to those units? Does he leave them? Or do they return with him to the HQ?

Thanks,

Cris

1. You can choose to exhaust the units and retreat them back to your headquarters at the conclusion of the combat turn in which you won, or you can leave them ready on the planet while your Warlord moves back to your HQ at the end of the combat phase. One of the ways of generating a stalemate would be doing so at the end of a combat turn prior to looping back to the beginning of your next combat turn which is where winning a battle is determined.

2. This is trickier as you win the battle at the beginning of your first combat turn, and would thus never progress to the end of a combat turn where the option of retreating units back to the HQ would happen if you had any other Ready units including your Warlord at the beginning of your first combat turn. In this case the units that arrived with your Warlord would be left behind. If you could somehow have nothing but exhausted units present at the start of your first combat turn you would be able to proceed as detailed in answer to #1.

1. The general answer to the question is that all non-warlord units remain where they are (and are not returned to HQ) at the end of a battle at planets 2 though 5.

1. You can choose to exhaust the units and retreat them back to your headquarters at the conclusion of the combat turn in which you won,

This is an overstatement. Units can only be retreated at the end of a combat round . The only way that you will have the option to retreat your units is if your last ready unit kills your opponent's last remaining unit - a very specific set of circumstances in which a new combat round must begin before the battle is actually won. Otherwise, if a battle ends in the middle of a combat round, you will not have the option of retreating the non-warlord units at the end of the battle. Technically, this is not the units being returned at the end of the battle, but rather taking advantage of the end of a combat round before the battle itself ends. It is actually a very, very specialized situation in which a player can force his own stalemate by retreating all his units between killing the last of an opponent's units and winning the battle.

2. The same general answer applies here (all non-warlord units remain where they are (and are not returned to HQ) at the end of a battle at planets 2 though 5), it's just that the battle ends sooner and, unless you exhaust your warlord and all other ready units before the battle actually begins, you will never be able to set up the circumstances wherein a new combat round needs to begin before the battle is actually won.

Thank you both. To clarify point two: If I commit my warlord and units in my HQ to a planet where my friend a) does not have units present b) has not deployed any units and c) has not committed his warlord, I leave the units at the planet in the state they arrived when my warlord returns to my HQ, correct?

Thank you both. To clarify point two: If I commit my warlord and units in my HQ to a planet where my friend a) does not have units present b) has not deployed any units and c) has not committed his warlord, I leave the units at the planet in the state they arrived when my warlord returns to my HQ, correct?

Correct. This will usually be exhausted (as units arrive at a planet exhausted when they commit to a planet with your Warlord); however some exceptions such as the Tau Experimental Devilfish exist.

Thank you both. To clarify point two: If I commit my warlord and units in my HQ to a planet where my friend a) does not have units present b) has not deployed any units and c) has not committed his warlord, I leave the units at the planet in the state they arrived when my warlord returns to my HQ, correct?

This is (usually) the result, but it's not the best way to think of the process. It is more accurate to say:

- If you commit your warlord and units in your HQ to a planet where your opponent has no units, there is a battle at that planet.

- When the battle at that planet ends (and it will end pretty much as soon as it starts since your opponent has no units), your warlord returns to the HQ (in its current state) and the units either return to HQ in their current state (if it was Planet 1) or stay at the planet in their current state (if it was Planet 2-5).

Essentially, Question #1 and Question #2 in the original post are the same question. The only difference is how long the battle is.

Ok, so this means that if a warlord arrives to any planet where the other player a) does not have units present b) has not deployed any units and c) has not committed his warlord , a battle occurs? If so, does that mean I would take the first planet in this scenario?

Yes.

If your warlord is present, there is always a battle at the planet, no matter how many units your opponent does, or doesn't, have there. And when you win (which you will in that scenario), you get the benefits of winning (collecting the planet, if it's the first, the battle ability of the planet, etc.)

Thank you both. To clarify point two: If I commit my warlord and units in my HQ to a planet where my friend a) does not have units present b) has not deployed any units and c) has not committed his warlord, I leave the units at the planet in the state they arrived when my warlord returns to my HQ, correct?

Unless you somehow arrive with all your units exhausted till the end of the first combat round yes.