Jupiter Games Warhammer 40,000 Tournament Rules

by Bryan Graham | Mar 11, 2020 | Miniatures Corner, Store News

By entering into a Tournament, Players have agreed to obey the following rules while participating in Jupiter Games Warhammer 40,000 Tournament. Failure to follow these rules will result in a loss of Sportsmanship Points, and up to a Disqualification from the Warhammer 40,000 Tournament

Sportsmanship: 

Players will begin with 3 Sportsmanship Points. If they violate the rules of the Tournament, they will lose a sportsmanship point. If a player loses all of their sportsmanship points before the end of the Tournament, they will be disqualified.  The number of sportsmanship points deducted will be at the discretion of the Tournament Organizer

 Tournament Participants at Jupiter Games will:

Respect the property of tournament participants and Jupiter Games.

Refrain from engaging in harassing, bullying, or stalking behaviors.

Aggressive outbursts will result in a loss of sportsmanship points, and up to a tournament disqualification.

Refrain from arguing, acting belligerently toward or insulting Tournament Organizers, Jupiter Games Employees, Other Players or Spectators.

Refraining from violating the personal privacy or safety of any persons at Jupiter Games.

Refraining from using social media to bully, shame, or otherwise intimidate any persons at Jupiter Games.

Follow all Instructions by Jupiter Games Staff or Tournament Organizers.

Participants will not proxy models during Organized Tournaments at Jupiter Games unless outlined explicitly in the event rules. Custom models or “kit bashes” must visibly represent the model that they are supposed to be. Any custom models or “kit bashes” must be presented to the Tournament Organizer when the participant registers their army list.

Participants will abide by the “What you see is what you get” rule.  Models must be accurately and clearly represented on the table for Tournament Organizers, Jupiter Employees, and other participants to see.

Participants will be required to bring all the materials required to play. This includes, but is not limited to, dice, tape measurers, army lists, templates, tokens, codex’s, and ancillary rules documents. Electronic documents are permitted. All these supplies MUST be on hand with the Participant at the table they have been assigned to play on. Failure to do so will result in the loss of sportsmanship points up to disqualification.

Participants may preregister before the Tournament begins. If they choose to preregister, they must contact Jupiter Games before 5:00 PM the night before the tournament begins. Preregistered participants will receive their mission packet the day they preregister for the event. 

Participants must have a minimum of three copies of their army list by the beginning of the Tournament. One for their opponents, and then one for themselves and one for the Tournament Organizer. If a participant emails a copy of their army list to the Tournament Organizer, they must email it by 5:00 PM the day before the Tournament. If they wish the Tournament Organizer to print their army list they will be charged $1.00.

Participants will be on time for the Tournament. Tournaments will follow the schedule below.

11:15 AM – Announcements

11:30 AM Round One Begins

1:45 PM Round One Finishes

2:00 PM Round Two Begins

4:15 PM Round Two Finishes

4:15 PM – 5:15 PM Lunch Break

5:30 PM Round Three Begins

7:45 PM Round Three Finishes

Participants will be required to be on-site and prepared to play by 11:30 AM, participants that do not arrive on time will be given time penalties.

Participants that are not at their table, ready to play within 5 minutes from the beginning of the round, will lose sportsmanship points.

Participants that do not begin play by fifteen minutes into a tournament battle will receive a round loss. 

Tournament Battles automatically end after five rounds.

If a battle exceeds the time limit of their respective tournament round, Participants must play as rapidly as possible to complete the battle round. Additional battle rounds should not begin if there is less than fifteen minutes left in a tournament round.  

Tournament Scoring

Participant’s Tournament Scoring will follow the rubric below.

Victory: If a player accomplishes their core objectives, they will receive nine tournament points plus any secondary objectives they have achieved.

Bye: If a Player receives a bye, they will receive five tournament points and will not score any secondary objectives.

Draw: If a battle results in a tie, each player receives four tournament points, and whatever secondary objectives they completed. 

Loss: If a player loses a battle, they receive zero tournament points, plus any secondary objectives they have scored.

Concession: If a player chooses to concede a game before it reaches turn five, due to victory being unobtainable. The opposing player then receives a game win and is considered to have scored all their secondary objectives. A game where both players choose to end the game before turn five due to time limits is not considered a concession.

Forfeiture: If a player chooses to forfeit a game due to reasons other than victory being unobtainable, they will receive a game loss and be ineligible to be placed in the tournament standings despite their other round scores.

Secondary Objectives: Each player must select 4 secondary objectives per battle. They may be only scored once per battle. These will be considered secondary tournament points.

Tie Breakers: Tie Breakers will be judged on total primary tournament points, then total secondary tournament points, paint quality, and sportsmanship.

Sportsmanship: Players will begin with 3 sportsmanship points. If they violate the rules of the Tournament, they will lose a sportsmanship point. If a player loses all of their sportsmanship points before the end of the Tournament, they will be disqualified.  The number of sportsmanship points deducted will be at the discretion of the Tournament Organizer.

Paint:  Players with the best-painted army will receive the final tiebreaker points. The Tournament Organizer will determine army painting points. 

Secondary Objectives

Each Tournament round, a player, will select four secondary objectives before the battle begins, but after armies have deployed. These objectives cannot be scored more than once, and do not stack (Example: Slay the Warlord does not stack with Assassinate)

Each Secondary Objective is worth 1 victory point.

First Strike: Completely Destroy an enemy unit during the first turn of the game. 

Slay the Warlord: Kill an enemy Warlord.

Line Breaker: At the end of the battle have a single unit entirely within an enemy deployment zone.

Last Strike: In the last round of a battle, destroy an enemy unit.

Deployment Secured: At the end of the last round of the battle have a single unit entirely within its controller’s deployment zone.

Big Game Hunter: Kill a model that started the turn with 10 or more wounds.

Massacre: Kill a unit that began the turn with 10 or more models.

Take and Hold: Control more than 50% of the Objectives Markers on a table that has at least 3 Objective Markers in a single turn. This may not be scored on turn one.

Assassinate: Kill a Character Model with more than 4 wounds in a single round. This does not stack with Slay the Warlord.

Titan Hunter: Deal over 50% of a single Titanic model’s full wounds in a single round. This does not stack with Assassinate and/or Slay the Warlord. 

Scour the Skies: Kill 3 Units with the fly keyword.

Aerial Supremacy: Kill 1 unit with the “Flyer” keyword in a single turn, this may count as one unit with the fly keyword for Scout the Skies. 

Abhor the Witch: Deny 2 psychic powers in a single turn.

Master the Warp: Successfully Channel 3 psychic powers in a single turn.

Tournament Round, Battle Round and Player Turn:

Tournament Round: The Tournament Round is the battle currently being fought by all players in a tournament.  Each tournament will consist of three Tournament Rounds.

Battle Round: A Battle is made up of five Battle Rounds, during each battle round both players will take a player turn.

Player Turn: During each Battle Round each player will have a player turn where they will complete all phases of the player turn. 

Cover, Line of Sight & Terrain Feature Rules:

Cover: If a unit is entirely on or within any terrain feature, add 1 to its models saving throws against shooting attacks to represent the cover gained from the terrain. Units do not gain the benefit of cover during the fight phase. Invulnerable saves are not affected by the benefit of cover. 

Line of Sight: Line of sight is the term used to determine if a unit can see an enemy unit to target them with a ranged attack. To check this, line yourself up as best you can with the firing model and check to see if you can see any part of the enemy unit. For the purposes of visibility, any model can see through the other models in its unit. If unsure of line of sight, ask a Judge for assistance. 

Terrain Features: Any of the items listed below are considered terrain features; if players have any questions on what may or may not count as a terrain feature, they can contact a Judge for assistance. 

Woods:  Infantry units that are entirely within a wood (On its base, or within its established perimeter) receive the benefit of cover. Other Units only receive the benefit of cover if at least 50% of every model is obscured from the point of view of the shooting model. (Use line of sight, as for a judge as necessary)

Units are slowed whenever charging through a woods feature, if when a unit charges and any models base moves over any portion of the perimeter of a wood that unit must subtract 2″ from its charge distance. 

Ruins: Only Infantry, Beasts, Swarms and units that can fly can be set up or end their moves on the upper floors of ruins (any units can do so on the ground floor) Infantry models are assumed to be able to scale walls and traverse through windows, doors, and portals readily. These models can, therefore, move through the floors and walls of a ruin without further impediment. 

Infantry units that are entirely on or within a ruin receive the benefit of cover. Other units that are entirely on or within a ruin only receive the benefit of cover if at least 50% of every model is obscured from the point of view of the shooting model.

Craters:  Infantry units that are entirely within a crater receive the benefit of cover. 

Units are slowed when charging across craters. If a unit charges one or more of its models have to move across a crater, that unit must subtract 2″ from its charge distance. 

Barricades: When a model targets an enemy Infantry Unit that has all of its models within 1” of a barricade, the target unit receives the benefit of cover if the shooting model is closer to the barricade than it is to the target and the target is at least partially obscured from the point of view of the shooting Model.

When a unit charges a unit on the opposite side of a barricade, the charge is successful if the charging unit can end the move within 2” of the target unit instead of 1”.  In the fight phase, units on opposite sides of a barricade can be chosen to fight with and can make their attacks if there is an enemy unit within 2” instead of 1”.

Munitorum Armored Containers: Units do not receive the benefit of cover when they are on top of a Munitorum Armored Container. 

Obstacles: There are two kinds of obstacles: tank traps, and tangle wire. Tank Traps affect vehicles and monsters, and Tangle wire affects anything else. Units are slowed when they attempt to move over obstacles. If, when a unit advances or charges and one or more of its models move over an obstacle, you must halve the units Advance or charge distance as appropriate (rounding up). Titanic models and models with the Fly keyword are not slowed by obstacles. 

Sector Mechanicus: Sector Mechanicus Terrain follows all the rules for ruins with the following difference. Unless they can fly, infantry, beasts, and swarms must scale ladders, girders, or walls to ascend or descend between the different levels of a Sector Mechanicus structure. Infantry is also assumed to be able to traverse around girders, buttresses, and hanging chains and so move through them without impediment. 

Thermic Plasma Regulators: Thermic Plasma Regulators follow all the rules for Sector Mechanicus structures. 

Death World Forests: When a model targets an Infantry unit that has all of its models within 1″ of a Death World Forest Terrain piece the target receives the benefit of cover if the shooting model is closer to the terrain piece than it is to the target and the target is at least partially obscured from the point of view of the shooting model. Also, when resolving an attack made with a melee weapon by a model within 3″ of any Death World Forest terrain pieces, subtract 1 from the hit roll. This represents limbs being entangled by sentient roots or minds being fogged by eldritch energies. 

Hills: Hills are not considered battlefield terrain and do not grant units the benefit of cover. Some large hills may block a model’s line of sight to a target, and players must then check line of sight to see if they might target units obscured by hills. 

Unique Terrain Features: Terrain Features such as Bunkers, Noctilith Crowns, and Eldar Webway Gates all have their individual rules. They should be used accordingly when purchased within any player’s tournament force; if the TO places them for the duration of the Tournament, they are considered area terrain and do not confer any of their datasheet benefits. Ask the tournament Judge for direction on what terrain feature they will count as. 

Macro: Jupiter Games does not use the “Macro” rule for Macro Weapons in organized play.