Mahou Galaxy Tactics Rules

Army Building

Each player plays with an army. This army must conform to a given faction and point size depending on the game scenario. A standard army has a point size of 500 points.

Factions

Before building their army, the player must choose which faction their army represents. This choice will limit what units they can use and how much certain racial abilities cost when applied to squads. You may choose from the following factions.

Golden Alliance

Limited to squads with the Golden Alliance faction. Human, Mythic and Demi-Human racial abilities cost normal, all other racial abilities cost double.

Castaways Treaty Systems

Limited to squads with the Castaways Treaty Systems faction. Human, Demi-Human, Redeemed, Demi-Human, and Mecha racial abilities cost normal, all other racial abilities cost double.

Angelic Protectorate

Limited to squads with the Angelic Protectorate faction. Human and Divine racial abilities cost normal, all other racial abilities cost triple.

Galactic Anarchists

Limited to squads with the Galactic Anarchists faction. Human, Deviling, Mecha, Redeemed, and Demi-Human racial abilities cost normal, all other racial abilities cost double.

Elemental League

Limited to squads with the Elemental League faction. Human, Elemental, Spirit, and Shape-shifter racial abilities cost normal, all other racial abilities cost double.

Legion

Limited to squads with the Legion faction. Legion racial abilities cost normal, all other racial abilities cost triple.

Joint Forces

May choose two factions to play with squads from. All racial abilities cost triple.

Mercenary Army

May choose squads from all factions. Cannot use racial abilities.

Army Composition

Squads

Squads refer to any single-unit or team, represented in play by one or more minis. Check a unit's unit card to determine the base cost of units in that squad and the minimum and maximum number of units in that squad. If the Squad rating is a single number, the squad must consist of that many units. If the Squad rating is listed as a range, the squad must consist of a number of units within that range. Multiply the base cost of the squad by the number of units in the squad to determine the squad's base cost. You may also increase the cost of your squad or its units by taking Equipment, Racial Abilities, or Spells, as described below.

Equipment

Equipment that a squad can use is listed on that squad's squad listing. Equipment with a listed cost of 0 is automatically assigned to that squad. For any other equipment, you must spend the listed point cost for each unit within the squad that you wish to assign that equipment. A unit cannot be assigned more than one copy of any piece of equipment. If a squad loses units, you may reassign any equipment assigned to lost units onto remaining units if doing so would not assign an identical piece of equipment to that unit.

Racial Abilities

Depending on the faction chosen during army building, you will have access to a number of racial abilities which you may assign to a unit within a squad for the cost shown on that racial ability's listing. You may only assign a single racial ability to any unit.

Spells

If a squad listing shows any magic slots, you may purchase for the squad a single spell per slot matching one of the elements in that spell slot. The squad retains access to that spell regardless of how many units are lost.

Round Progression

Stage 1: Initiative

For each squad under their command, each player rolls that unit's listed initiative dice. This determines the turn order for the round. If two or more squads are tied for initiative, the squad with the lowest point cost goes first. If the tie persists, all squads roll their initiative again until a winner is resolved, determining the order in which they act on the original initiative roll.

Stage 2: Squad Actions and Movement

During their turn, a squad may perform a single movement and one other action. They may do these in any order, unless affected by an ability that says otherwise.

Movement

The squad may move up to their listed movement range. When scaling up walls or over difficult terrain, the amount moved counts as double. For example, a squad with 10" of movement could move 3 inches towards a wall at a cost of 3 inches, climb 2 inches up that wall at a cost of 4 inches, then move another 3 inches across the roof of that building. To make a move, choose a single unit within that squad and measure from the edge of that unit's base to the desired location. Move that unit to that location, then move any other units in that squad until they are in base contact of another unit that has already made this move.

Melee: A squad which moves into base contact with another squad is now engaged with that squad. Melee weapons require engagement to be used. When a unit engaged in melee uses a ranged weapon, the defender may remove a single attack die from each attack. A squad may choose to disengage from melee when taking their movement action, doing so allows them to move at 1/2 their movement speed and removes their attack action if they have not already spent it.

Other Actions

Attack

A squad may attack another squad which has a unit which is at least partially visible and within range of the squad's weapons, as listed on those weapons. If a single unit in a squad is within range, all units in that squad are within range, regardless of which unit is equipped with which weapon. Two squads which are engaged in melee(see below) are always considered to be 0 inches from each other. The sequence of actions in an attack are as follows:

Attacker chooses weapon

The attacker must first choose which of the squad's weapons will be brought to bear in the attack. Only one weapon's range, attack, skill and special abilities will be considered for the attack, though other units in the squad still participate in the attack, as explained in "Attacker rolls attack". The attacker chooses how many of those weapons are firing directly, while the other weapons of that type are fired as supporting fire. The attacking squad must be engaged in melee with a defending squad in order to choose a melee weapon to attack.

Defenders roll defense

For each unit in a defending squad, roll that squad's defense die or dice. The defending player then assigns each of those dice to a unit in the defending squad. If a defense stat has more than 1 dice, that is how many dice must be assigned to each unit in the squad.

Cover: Terrain pieces are given a value of either Light or Heavy cover. If any units in a squad are in contact with a piece of terrain, the squad is considered to be covered by that terrain. When under light cover, a squad may reroll up to its command rating in defense dice while defending against a ranged attack. If a squad is under heavy cover, that squad gains a number of d4s equal to the squad's command rating that they may assign to any unit in that squad defending against a ranged attack.

Attacker rolls attack

For each of the chosen weapons firing directly, the attacking player rolls the attack dice listed for that weapon. Then, for each unit equipped with the chosen weapon but providing supporting fire, the attacking player chooses one of the rolled dice and places either a +2 hit or a +2 damage token under it. Next, for each unit not equipped with the chosen weapon, the attacking player chooses one of the rolled dice and places either a +1 hit or a +1 damage token under it.

Height: If an attacking unit's base is at least 1 inch or higher than the defending unit's base, the attacker gains a +2 hit token that they may place under any one of their attack dice.

Attacker assigns damage

The attacking player takes each of their rolled dice and places them, along with any hit tokens they might have, against one of the defending squad's units. The attacking player may only place up to the weapon's skill rating of dice on any single unit. If the attacker is engaged in melee and uses a ranged weapon, the defender may remove a single attack die and any tokens under it from each assigned attack. Any extra dice are removed. After the attacking player does so, the defending player may swap the defense dice among their defenders, making up to the defending unit's command rating in total swaps.

Wounds are dealt

For each defending unit, the unit's defense dice are totalled and subtracted from the total of the attack dice and any damage bonus tokens on those dice. If the result is greater than 0, the unit takes a single wound. If the result is 5 or greater, the defending unit takes an additional wound for every 5 over 0 the result is. This is the defender's wound threshold, and some abilities, spells, and equipment may change the wound threshold number. If the number of wounds on a unit is equal to or greater than the squad's listed HP, that mini is removed.

Regroup

The squad regains 1 MP, up to their total MP. Remove one each of any tokens you desire from the unit, not including wound tokens.

Aim

The squad gains two Aim tokens. A unit may spend an aim token to reroll a number of attack dice from their attack pool up to their command rating.

Hunker Down

The squad gains a Hunker token. A unit may spend a Hunker token to reroll a number of defense dice from their defense pool up to their command rating.

Charge

The squad moves an additional 6", removing any aim or hunker tokens from the unit.

Stage 3: Token removal

At the end of each round, remove one token of each type on each squad, not counting wounds.

Other Rules

Keywords

Keywords exist as common abilities that can be permanent on a unit description or granted temporarily through spells or abilities. Most keyword abilities are passive. They can be beneficial or detrimental.

Flight--Unit can enter flight mode, removing cover from the equation for movement, attack, and defense. Is considered to be at least 1" above any unit without this keyword.

Hover--Unit can drop without spending extra move for vertical and does not take fall damage from being pushed.

Acrobatic--Climbing doesn't take extra movement.

Attentive--Can save attack to counter a ranged attack.

Spotter--Can add to nearby units' attack rolls.

Steady--Can trade movement for attack roll.

Guardian--Can take attacks meant for nearby units.

Rugged--Takes less/no damage from environmental hazards.

Stealthy--Gains extra bonus from cover.

Lucky--Unit can reroll one die each turn.

Willful--Unit takes half detrimental keyword tokens.

Keen--Unit gains bonus to hit obscured or covered targets.

Burly--Unit can trade their attack action to move objectives or light cover.

Adaptive--Can merge with allied squads of the same faction and a lower point cost, becoming generics of that squad.

Concussive--Can trade damage dealt to move targeted enemy unit.

Cloaked--Unit is always considered to be under at least light cover.

Armored X--Unit's wound threshold increases by X.

Armor-piercing X--Unit's attack ignores the first X points of enemy armor.

Hardy--Unit can remove a detrimental keyword token once at the beginning of each turn.

Astute--Unit can lower their rolled initiative down to -1 as desired.

Coordinated--Unit can take a bonus of +2 to their skill by attacking only a single enemy unit with their base weapon.

Enraged--Cannot choose to disengage when in melee range of an enemy unit.

Cumbersome--Cannot use both move and attack actions.

Brittle X--Unit's wound threshold is lowered by X, to a minimum of 1.

Exposed--Unit takes additional damage from environmental hazards.

Awkward--Unit cannot climb onto cover.

Blinded--Unit's ranged attacks have half their listed range.

Reckless--Unit cannot use its special abilities.

Deafened--Unit cannot benefit from command abilities.

Frightened X--Unit takes a -X penalty on melee attacks.

Obvious X--Unit loses X from defense rolls against ranged attacks.