It is an exciting time for Armoured Clash Generals; not only are all eight factions now released and waging war over the battlefields of the Dystopian Age, but we have been hard at work on a superb series of reinforcements to bolster your forces. First, however, it is time for Armoured Clash’s third Global Update is almost here!

For those unfamiliar with our Global Updates, we periodically take some time to review every faction, unit, special rule, and points value in the game, informed primarily by the feedback that you - the battle-hardened Generals of the Armoured Clash community - send to us. We then use all this data to make targeted improvements to enhance every General’s gaming experience. So, before we proceed, let me first of all say thank you to everyone who submitted feedback; your diligence and input is vital to shaping Armoured Clash and making it even better. To find out more, please visit our first blog post on Global Updates.

If you believe you have spotted an error or would like to give us feedback about anything in Armoured Clash (and not just the changes made in this Global Update) then please fill in the Community Feedback Form with your thoughts. We review submissions regularly, and as we said above, they are our first port of call when it comes to future updates and changes.

This blog, then, aims to highlight some of the more significant changes being introduced in this upcoming update, and what the impacts might be for you in your games. It should also be noted that this Global Update also coincides with new unit rules for the Imperium Teutonic Battlegroup and the Crown Superheavy Regiment (so Imperium and Crown Generals have even more reason to rejoice). There is an existing blog article that talks about  incorporating the new Imperium units, which can be found here, and a separate blog post that focuses on all the new Crown units, which can be found here. Rest assured that all Imperium and Crown units have been reviewed as part of the Global Update as well, and the latest ORBATs contain the rules for these new units as well as any tweaks we have made to existing units as part of the Global Update.

Fix Bayonets!

Perhaps the most common feedback we have received is that many melee-dedicated units are finding life in the Dystopian Age more difficult than their rifle-wielding counterparts. As such, we have reviewed the cost of all melee units (that is, units whose primary role or method of dealing damage is in close quarters) and generally they have been decreased across the board. All factions should see a benefit here, from the Crown’s Horse Guard Cavalry to the Sultanate’s Persian Immortals - melee units should now be seen in greater numbers than ever before.

ken this update as an opportunity to clarify that units cannot confirm Target Acquisition against enemy units that are in base contact with units from your own side. This means that units wishing to resolve Opportunity Fire against a charging unit must do so before that unit moves - once its charge has hit home the risk of friendly fire is too great. This is a small update, but one that should help melee units get into combat without getting gunned down as they charge in. 

Finally, we have updated the Overrun special rule so that the Combat Rating Penalty no longer applies should such a unit get to fight a second time. If a General is able to pull off a second charge, in our humble opinion, they have worked hard enough and deserve a bit of a break! In fact, the new version of Overrun worked out so well in our playtests that we looked to add it to a few melee units that we felt needed a bit of a boost. One of these was the Callisto Assault Gather, which, along with its improved damage output, is now a much more terrifying prospect to face.

Mount Up!

Encouraging Generals to field more melee units only works if they also have the means of delivering those units into combat. The main way of achieving this, or course, is to embark them within a Transport. As such, we have reviewed all dedicated Transport units (that is, units whose primary role is to Transport units, rather than battle tanks with the capacity to carry troops) and again, typically, reduced their points costs. The combination of melee units within Transports is therefore a double saving.

If that was not enough, we have made a small improvement to several Battlegroups that enables Generals to bolster an additional Armour unit - but only if that unit is one of the aforementioned Transports. This should help Generals carry their bolstered melee units into the heart of combat without sacrificing the ability to bolster a unit of battle tanks as well.

Behemoth Transports have not been forgotten either. Most gain a little something extra, either in terms of Attribute increases, new Special Rules or opening up new synergies with other units. Perhaps the most noteworthy update is to the Sovereign Landship, which gains both the Open Topped and Strongpoint special rules; truly a mobile fortification to be wary of!  

Subterranean Units (and Tractors!)

Whilst all factions should get a boost from the changes above, we felt that the armies of the Commonwealth needed a little more. As a result, we have reduced the cost of nearly every Commonwealth unit (this means that most Commonwealth melee and Transport units get a double reduction). 

The goal here is simply to help Commonwealth Generals bolster or field an extra unit or two, and better portray the massed ranks of the Tsar’s forces. Points reductions are just the start though. We have also updated the faction’s Subterranean Units rule, increasing the speed at which Subterranean Markers can move, and, importantly, enabling these units to emerge during the first round in order to deploy units within their own Deployment Zone. 

Now we know what Commonwealth Generals will say: “Points reductions and new tactical options for Subterranean units is nice, but what about the most important Commonwealth unit of all? What about the mighty Gerlach Gun Tractor?” Well, have no fear comrade - this mighty tractor has had its rules overhauled and it can now tow ALL Commonwealth field guns into position before the battle.  

Portals

We felt it necessary to make a few tweaks to the Sultanate’s portal rules - they were proving too punishing for opponents to contend with and left opponents feeling a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of units that were suddenly appearing on their flanks. It’s important to us that rules are fun to play with and against and on this occasion we felt that a few improvements were needed to improve player interaction on both sides.

One of these tweaks involves limiting the number of units that can be deployed through a portal before it collapses to just 1 (irrespective of the unit’s size). Sultanate Generals will now need to use the Portal Permanence commander bonus if they wish to deploy multiple units through the same portal without it collapsing, but this requires them to spend cards from their hand to do so. Sultanate Generals still receive a huge advantage in being able to deploy units from Reserves pretty much wherever they need, but if you want to do this a lot it comes with a cost.

Another update involves removing the free Advance move from Portal Strike. This rule already affords Sultanate units with the best advantage a melee warrior could ever want, but the Advance move afterwards greatly reduces the risk that these units undertake when using Portal Mastery (it used to enable them to scoot out of harm's way), leaving their opponent with not only an annihilated unit, but no way to enact vengeance on the offending unit. Portal Strike now has a better balance of risk-reward for both players.

A third change means that units no longer suffer damage by ending a move on a Portal marker, but instead become Suppressed. Portals are primarily meant to enable cool movement shenanigans, not be a death-dealing marker in and of themselves. Collapsing portals remains a viable means for an opponent to counter enemy Portals, and it still comes at some cost for those units, but it is now a less deadly one.

However, it’s not all take and no give for Sultanate Generals - we have expanded the list of units that can traverse through portals to include Cavalry - giving Macedonian Companions and Sipahi Monowheels a big boost and opening up new tactical options, especially in combination with the Armatoles Auxiliary Battlegroups‘ Klephtopolemos’ command bonus. 

Attributes and Armaments

The balance updates detailed here are not an exhaustive list. In addition to the changes above, we have scrutinised every faction - looking for those units that are not seeing the battlefield as often as they should or those that are not living up to their full potential. A handful of units in every Faction have therefore received a few tweaks to their Attributes, Armaments Grid or special rules. These have been made either to better define a unit’s battlefield role, or else help it perform that role better. 

For example, Defiance Fighters and Messer Interceptors have both had a boost to their existing ability to shoot down opposing Aircraft (the Messer has actually had a glow up all around actually), while Union Cavalry units have been reviewed to give them more distinct roles. If you want to find out more, check out the Change Log at the back of your faction’s ORBAT, as well as checking out the updated Glossary of Special Rules & Qualities. Here, you will find comprehensive lists of every Global Update change and its effect on your army.

Other Updates

Last, but not least, there are several updates that do not directly affect balance but help address some oddities, inconsistencies, and ambiguities that have been raised with some rules. This includes some “under the hood” improvements, such as clarifying that close combat ends should one side annihilate the other (regardless of how many casualties are involved) and how models’ footprints are defined (not the most exciting update, I know, but it prevents models like Aircraft and Rotorcraft from ending a move on top of other models, or vice versa). As always, we love hearing from our community, and if you have any observations you feel would help the game, please submit them via our feedback form.

We have also reviewed some of our older Tips and Tactics articles. The core concepts and tactics discussed in those blogs remain solid advice, but the point values within them will now be a little out of date. New regiments and battlegroup box sets are also being released all the time, and with each release, the state of play changes. Instead of tweaking those original articles, we will write a series of brand-new ones. These may repeat some of the core advice from predecessors, but they will also examine the opportunities the Global Update offers and how to make the most of them. 

All that remains is to wish you happy gaming, and we hope you have as much fun playing Armoured Clash as we have in developing it.

Robin Cruddace, Lead Games Designer 

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