Attacking

Defeating enemy Mobile Suits is a dominant theme throughout the Gundam franchise and a pivotal piece of Gundam Assemble. Players will position their units to attack enemies to remove them from the board and to gain victory points. Players will follow the steps below when making an attack.

Declare an Attack

Players must declare their intent to attack at the outset by announcing both the target of their attack and the weapon they’ll be using. This starts the attack sequence. Players must use any desired abilities before the attack starts, as many abilities cannot be used during an attack.

Choose a Weapon

Each unit is equipped with one or more iconic weapons, each of which has the following attributes:

TL Cost: This is the number of spaces the unit’s Timeline token will be moved forward on the Timeline track as part of making this attack.
Range: This value indicates the maximum range of the weapon.
Strength: This value indicates the number of attack dice the player will roll when making an attack with this weapon.
Weapon Effects: Some weapons, like the Beam Saber pictured here, have persistent effects that trigger each time the weapon is used for an attack.
Critical Hit Effects: Each weapon also has a special effect that triggers when a player rolls a critical hit while using that weapon.

Choose a Target

Players can only attack enemies that are both in range and within Line of Sight.

Range

Each weapon has a range value indicating how far its attacks can reach. Weapons with a range of 1 may only be used against adjacent targets. Weapons with a range of 2 or greater may be used to attack enemies a number of hexes away up to the weapon’s maximum range.

Any ranged weapons or abilities also require you to have Line of Sight to the target. Elevation and terrain do not affect the range to your target, but they may affect Line of Sight.

Within Range [x] versus Within [x] Hexes

All attacks and abilities with a stated range require a player to also have Line of Sight, as noted above. Abilities that affect targets “within [x] hexes” do not require Line of Sight.

Line of Sight

When making an attack or using an ability at range 2 or greater, units must have a clear Line of Sight to their target. Line of Sight does not apply to attacks or abilities that target adjacent allies or enemies.

To determine Line of Sight, draw an imaginary line from the center of the hex containing the acting unit to the center of the hex containing the target. If necessary, you may use a ruler or other straightedge to draw this line.

The results of the line drawn will vary depending on the elevation of the units involved.

Line of Sight is blocked in any of the following situations:

The line drawn passes through a piece of terrain at a higher elevation than both the attacker and the target.
The line drawn passes through enemies other than the target who are at the same elevation as both the attacker and the target.
The line drawn passes through an enemy structure, such as a Base, that is at the same elevation as both the attacker and the target.

When the acting unit and its target are at different elevations, Line of Sight is also blocked if:

The line drawn passes through a piece of terrain or an enemy (or enemy structure) other than the target at an elevation equal to whichever unit is on higher ground.

If none of the above scenarios are true, then Line of Sight is clear and the attack or ability can proceed.

In any scenario in which the line drawn passes exactly between two hexes, the acting player chooses which of the two hexes to use in determining Line of Sight.

A red unit and a blue unit face across a highlighted elevated terrain hex; red arrows pass through it, and the diagram is labeled “No line of sight.” A linked blue example box explains that the terrain is higher than both units. — In this example, Line of Sight is blocked for both units, as the line drawn passes through terrain with a higher elevation than either unit.

A red unit on elevated terrain and a blue Gundam are connected by green arrows; the diagram is labeled “Line of Sight is clear.” The adjacent blue example explains that no terrain higher than the target or equal to or higher than the attacker crosses the line. — In this example, Line of Sight is clear for both units. While Char’s Zaku II is on elevated terrain, the line drawn does not pass through terrain at a higher elevation than the RX-78-2 Gundam, or through terrain at an equal or higher elevation to Char’s Zaku II.

A red unit and a blue Gundam are separated by terrain at different heights; red arrows cross the terrain and the diagram reads “No line of sight.” The blue example box explains why both units are blocked. — In this example, Line of Sight is blocked for both units. The line drawn passes through terrain at a higher elevation than the RX-78-2 Gundam, and through terrain at an equal elevation to Char’s Zaku II.

A red Char’s Zaku II, a red Zaku II: Minelayer, and a blue Gundam are shown with opposing green and red sight lines. The diagram labels the green line “Line of Sight is clear” and the red line “No line of sight.” A red unit and a blue Gundam face across an intervening Base. Red and green sight lines show opposing results; the labels read “No line of sight” and “Line of Sight is clear.” — In these examples, Line of Sight is clear for one unit but blocked for the other, as the line drawn passes through either a unit or structure belonging to the opposing player. Char’s Zaku II can shoot through the Zaku II: Minelayer but RX-78-2 Gundam can’t, while Gundam can shoot through an allied Base but Char’s Zaku II can’t.

Char’s Zaku II on raised terrain has a green sight line over an intervening lower RGM-79 GM to a blue RX-78-2 Gundam; the diagram says “Line of Sight is clear.” — In this example, Char’s Zaku II is able to target the RX-78-2 Gundam at ground level, even though the RGM-79 GM is between Char’s Zaku II and his target. Because the RGM-79 GM is not at the same elevation as Char’s Zaku II, Char’s Zaku II can shoot over it.

A blue RX-78-2 Gundam has a green sight line over an intervening lower allied unit to Char’s Zaku II; the diagram says “Line of Sight is clear.” — In this example, the RX-78-2 Gundam is able to attack Char's Zaku II even though Char's Zaku II has an ally between the RX-78-2 Gundam and its target. Because the ally in this example is on a lower elevation, the RX-78-2 Gundam can shoot over it.

Some abilities require their target to be within a certain range in order to be eligible to receive an effect. These abilities require Line of Sight in addition to the stated range.

A diagram shows a red allied unit and a blue RX-78-2 Gundam with a green “Line of Sight is clear” arrow. Below it, the MP-02A Oggo card highlights “Artillery Support”; the boxed example explains that the Oggo needs Line of Sight to the enemy Gundam, not to its allied Zaku II. — Player A has positioned their MP-02A Oggo to provide firing support to Char's Zaku II. The MP-02A Oggo's "Artillery Support" ability allows it to deal damage to enemy units attacked by its allies. In the example, the MP-02A Oggo must have Line of Sight to the RX-78-2 Gundam in order to deal damage to the RX-78-2 Gundam in Response to Char's Zaku II's attack. Note that the MP-02A Oggo does not need to have Line of Sight to Char's Zaku II, as it is specifically the enemy unit that must be in range, not the other allied units.

Ignoring Line of Sight

Some weapons and abilities ignore the usual Line of Sight rules. When using these weapons or abilities, players must still determine if their target is in range, but do not need to factor in the Line of Sight. As such, these attacks and abilities can target units on the other side of elevated terrain or hiding behind other units.

Area of Effect Attacks

Some units feature weapons that target all enemies within a specified area, called an area of effect (AoE). These weapons are accompanied by a diagram indicating the position of the attacking unit and the pattern of hexes affected by the attack.

When declaring an area of effect attack, the attacking player must first choose how the weapon’s pattern is applied by selecting a set of hexes that matches the diagram.

Targets must still be in range and within Line of Sight in order to declare an attack with an AoE weapon—unless the weapon ignores Line of Sight—but all AoE attacks ignore units and Garrisons when determining Line of Sight.

Once the attack pattern has been placed, all enemies within Line of Sight and contained within the chosen hexes are targeted simultaneously. The attacking player does not choose individual targets and may not exclude eligible enemies.

An RX-75 Guntank card is connected by an arrow to its hex-pattern diagram. A gray hex marks the Guntank’s position and red hexes show the area affected; the boxed explanation notes that “SP” in the Range value indicates a special area of effect. — The RX-75 Guntank’s Quad Bop Missile Launcher is an area of effect attack. The grey hex in the included diagram shows the RX-75 Guntank’s position, while the red hexes show the area that will be affected by the attack. The “SP” in the attack’s range value is another indicator that the attack has a special area of effect.

Engagement

While a unit is adjacent to an enemy unit or Garrison at the same elevation, it is considered Engaged. Engaged units must target at least one of the enemies they are Engaged with when making any attack. Area of effect attacks that target multiple enemies are valid while Engaged as long as at least one of the Engaged enemies is included in the attack.

Attack Timing and Responses

Each attack follows the order below. Players can respond to attacks using cards and abilities at the times indicated, starting with the attacking player.

Declare that you’re making an attack.
Choose an attack and check that you have range and a clear Line of Sight to your target(s).
Pay the Timeline cost of your attack.
Players may respond to the attack before dice are rolled with abilities that say Before Attack Roll.
Roll your attack dice.
Players may respond to the attack after dice are rolled with abilities that say After Attack Roll.
1. The Disarm status effect triggers after the attacking player resolves any other After Attack Roll abilities they wish to use, then the Disarm effect is removed.
Resolve critical hit effects.
Deal damage to your target equal to the number of hits rolled minus any opposing Shields.
1. The Fracture status effect triggers when damage is dealt.
2. Units with 0 hit points after damage is dealt are defeated.
Players may respond to the attack after the attack deals damage with abilities that say After Combat Damage.

Each step in this process must be resolved before the next step begins. In the event that both players want to respond to an attack at the same time, the attacking player's abilities are resolved first, followed by the defending player.

Attack Rolls

Each weapon has a Strength value indicating the number of 10-sided attack dice to roll during an attack with that weapon. Many abilities will modify the Strength of an attack by adding or subtracting from the number of dice rolled.

Once you’ve determined the number of dice needed, roll all attack dice simultaneously.

Attack Rolls with Additional Targets or Areas of Effect

Players will make a single attack roll when targeting multiple enemies with an area of effect weapon or another weapon that allows additional targets. Once the attack has been declared and targets have been confirmed, the attacking player rolls all attack dice simultaneously. Once rolled, players will calculate hits from the roll for each target individually, accounting for terrain modifiers that might change Accuracy for some targets but not for others. (If the attack would receive Strength or Accuracy modifiers from abilities for some targets but not for others, those modifiers apply to all targeted units.) Once hits have been calculated, damage is applied to all targeted units simultaneously, but the damage dealt to each unit may differ depending on the number of successful hits and other factors that increase or reduce damage dealt to some targets but not to others.

A blue RX-75 Guntank is surrounded by a red area-of-effect pattern that contains two red enemy units at different elevations. The diagram is labeled “Area of Effect.” A large boxed example below walks through one roll, per-target accuracy, a shared Strength modifier and simultaneous damage. — Player A is attacking with the RX-75 Guntank. We saw previously that the RX-75 Guntank’s Quad Bop Missile Launcher is an AoE attack. The red hexes represent the attack's area of effect. Both Char’s Zaku II and the Zaku II: Minelayer are inside the area, and the RX-75 Guntank has a clear line of sight to both. Player A collects their attack dice and makes a single roll for the attack.
Once dice have been rolled, player A calculates the number of hits scored by the attack individually for each unit targeted. Since Char’s Zaku II is on elevated terrain compared to the RX-75 Guntank, the attack receives -1 Accuracy against Char. Player A calculates the number of hits scored against Char before moving on to the Zaku II: Minelayer, which is at the same elevation as the RX-75 Guntank and does not receive an Accuracy modifier.
Player A is holding a Tactics card that would give their attack +2 Strength when attacking enemy units at a higher elevation. Char’s Zaku II is on elevated terrain compared to the RX-75 Guntank, but the Zaku II: Minelayer is not. In this situation, Player A could play the Tactics card to gain +2 Strength on the entire attack, since the modifier applies to at least one of the units targeted.
Once the number of hits has been calculated for each targeted unit, an appropriate amount of damage is dealt to all targeted units simultaneously.

Q.25 · I have an ability that only works after I’ve attacked an enemy, and only targets the enemy I attacked. What happens if I attack multiple targets with an area of effect attack?

Hits, Misses, and Accuracy Modifiers

By default, every attack die rolled that results in a value of four or greater is considered a hit. There are many factors that can affect a unit’s Accuracy, however, and these need to be taken into account when determining hits.

Any effect that raises or lowers a unit’s Accuracy adds or subtracts from the value of their dice rolls by that amount, excluding rolls of 1, 9 or 10. +1 Accuracy adds one to each die roll, for example, while -1 Accuracy subtracts one from each die roll. Rolls of 1 are always considered a miss, regardless of Accuracy modifiers, and rolls of 9 or 10 are considered a critical hit. Accuracy modifiers do not turn lower rolls into critical hits. See "Critical Hits."

Q.63 · What does "Accuracy" mean?

Elevation and Accuracy

Targeting a unit at a higher elevation results in -1 Accuracy, while targeting a unit at a lower elevation results in +1 Accuracy.

Char’s red Zaku II stands on elevated terrain opposite a blue RX-75 Guntank in highlighted water hexes. The boxed example explains that higher elevation gives +1 Accuracy and attacking a target in water gives -1 Accuracy. — Player B is targeting the RX-75 Guntank with Char’s Zaku II. By default, Player B needs to roll a four or greater on each attack die to score a hit. Because Char’s Zaku II is on a higher elevation than the RX-75 Guntank, however, it gets +1 Accuracy, which increases the value of each die rolled by 1. The RX-75 Guntank is also in the water, though, and attacking a target in water confers -1 Accuracy. This will subtract from each of Char’s Zaku II’s rolls and counteracts the bonus from being on higher elevation.

Critical Hits

Any time a player rolls a 9 or 10 on one or more attack dice, they score a critical hit. Critical hits succeed against a target regardless of any Accuracy modifiers.

Additionally, all weapons have a critical hit effect that triggers when a player rolls a critical hit with that weapon. (Some critical hit effects require rolling multiple critical hits to activate.) Critical hit effects may raise a weapon’s damage, inflict a status effect, destroy an enemy Upgrade, or any number of other effects.

Critical hit effects on weapons can only be activated once per attack, regardless of how many critical hits are rolled, unless otherwise specified by the effect.

Accuracy modifiers do not affect critical hit values; a player must still roll a 9 or 10 on one or more attack dice in order to score a critical hit, unless otherwise specified.

Damage and Shields

After you’ve determined the number of hits scored by an attack, you’ll need to determine the amount of damage dealt. Each hit against an enemy target deals one damage, but some units may reduce incoming damage through the use of Shields. Each active Shield prevents one point of damage from an attack. Any remaining damage reduces the target unit’s hit points.

Shields are applied against incoming damage after all other effects resolve. Cards and abilities that also reduce damage will do so before the damage impacts any Shields.

Critical hit effects apply even if Shields prevent all damage from an attack.

Some critical hit effects and other abilities will increase the amount of damage dealt by an attack. Effects and abilities that say an attack deals “Damage+[x]” increase the combat damage dealt by that attack by the value stated on the ability.

Defeated Units

When a unit’s hit points are reduced to 0, that unit is defeated and the opposing player earns victory points equal to the defeated unit’s victory point value. Remove the defeated unit from the board, return it to its owner’s Reserve, and immediately move that unit’s Timeline token two spaces forward on the Timeline track as a penalty. This represents the time it takes to repair a defeated unit. Reset that unit’s hit points to their maximum value and remove any status effects present on the unit. Do not reset the unit’s Energy or Upgrades. The next time that unit would act, it must be redeployed following normal deployment rules. If a unit is defeated during its own activation, its activation ends immediately.