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Glossary

Ability

All units possess some number of abilities printed on their unit card. Some abilities require Energy to use. Abilities require Line of Sight unless otherwise specified. Effects granted by Tactics cards are also considered abilities.

Accuracy

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.

Activation

When a player activates a unit, they may use any actions available to that unit. The time from when a player begins using a unit’s actions to when they finish is considered one activation.

Additional

Some abilities allow a unit to take an additional action, such as Advancing, Attacking, Dashing, or Rescuing. These are in addition to the unit’s Primary Actions.

Advance

Advancing is a unit’s standard move action. A unit may move up to three hexes when Advancing. Some cards and abilities will also allow a unit to Advance. These effects are in addition to a unit’s normal Advance action.

Ally (or allied)

An ally refers to a unit, Garrison, Remote Weapon System, or structure that belongs to you.

Area of Effect

Some weapons and abilities affect a pre-defined area, rather than a single target. Weapons and abilities with an area of effect will include a diagram indicating the position of the acting unit and the area affected by the attack or ability.

Attack

Attacking is one of the Primary Actions a unit can take during its activation. When a unit makes an attack, it must choose both a weapon to attack with and a target for the attack.

Attack Dice

When making an attack, a player rolls a number of attack dice equal to the Strength of the weapon being used, plus or minus any modifiers.

Away

Some effects allow or require a unit to move away from another unit or object. In this case, each hex moved must be further away from that unit or object than the previous hex, as determined by counting the number of hexes between the unit moving and the unit or object you’re moving away from.

Battlefield

The battlefield consists of all hexes printed on the game board. Units currently on the game board are considered to be on the battlefield. Units in a player’s Reserve are not on the battlefield.

Capture

When a unit successfully contests a neutral Objective, they capture that Objective and mark their control of the Objective with an Objective control token. Captured Objectives are typically worth victory points to the player controlling them at the end of a Phase. Some Tactics cards and abilities allow a unit to capture an Objective without following the standard process for contesting. When an effect instructs a player to capture an Objective, the capturing player gains control of the Objective immediately, regardless of the number of allied or enemy units adjacent to the Objective or the Objective's current state.

Carrier

Some scenarios will include a Carrier as part of each player’s squad. Carriers are considered units and follow most of the same rules, with some exceptions.

Challenge

The Challenge ability allows a unit to swap with an ally in order to become the target of an attack. When this occurs, exchange the positions of each miniature or token involved in the swap and treat the Challenge unit as the target of the attack. Note: If the defending ally cannot swap positions, Challenge cannot resolve and the defending ally remains the target of the attack.

Collision Damage

Push and Pull effects can result in a unit, Garrison, or Remote Weapon System (RWS) colliding with another unit, Garrison, Remote Weapon System, Carrier, structure, or piece of terrain. When an ally or enemy collides with a structure or a piece of terrain, it takes 2 damage. When an ally or enemy collides with another ally or enemy, all parties take 2 damage. Allies or enemies that are defeated by an attack or ability that also Pushes or Pulls will still collide. Collision damage is prevented by Shields.

Combat Damage

All damage dealt by resolving hits from attack dice, critical hit effects that modify attack damage, and damage applied by Fracture is considered combat damage.

Command

The term command refers to Command abilities, which can only be used while activating a unit.

Contest

When a unit ends its activation on or adjacent to an Objective, it contests that Objective. Contesting Objectives allows players to gain control of them in order to score victory points.

Critical Hit

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 and can trigger a weapon’s critical hit effect. Some weapons require multiple critical hits to trigger their critical hit effect.

Dash

Dashing is one of the Primary Actions a unit can take during its activation. Dashing allows a unit to move up to two hexes for the cost of two Timeline.

Deactivated

When a Shield prevents damage, it becomes deactivated. Deactivated Shields cannot prevent further damage and are re-activated the next time the unit possessing them is activated. Some abilities may also deactivate Shields.

Defending

A unit targeted by an enemy attack is considered defending.

Deploy (and Redeploy)

The first time you activate a unit, it must be deployed from either a Base or Carrier. The first time you activate a unit after it has been defeated, it must be redeployed from either a Base or Carrier.

Disarm

A unit that has been Disarmed must re-roll all attack dice that result in a hit during its next attack and cannot trigger critical hit effects during that attack. Disarm triggers After Attack Roll, after the attacker resolves any other abilities they wish to use during that timeframe. See “Status Effects.”

Empty Hex

An empty hex is a hex that contains no units, Garrisons, Remote Weapon Systems (RWS), structures, or other tokens of any kind.

Enemy

An enemy refers to a unit, Garrison, Remote Weapon System, or structure that belongs to the opposing player.

Energize

Energizing is one of the Primary Actions a unit can take during its activation, allowing it to gain 1 Energy for the cost of two Timeline.

Engaged

While an allied unit is adjacent to an enemy unit or Garrison at the same elevation, it is considered Engaged. Engaged units receive a -1 hex penalty to any movement action initiated while Engaged and must target at least one of the enemies they’re Engaged with when making an attack.

Fracture

The next time a Fractured unit would take three or more combat damage from a single attack, it takes an additional three damage instead. Fracture triggers immediately when damage is dealt by an attack.

Fueled

Each time a Fueled unit deploys, it gains 1 Energy.

Garrison

Most Gundam Assemble scenarios will instruct players to place Garrisons on the map. Allied Garrisons can be rescued to earn victory points, while enemy Garrisons can be defeated for the same purpose. Garrisons block movement, Line of Sight, and cause Engagement as if they were units.

Hit Points

Units, Garrisons, Remote Weapon Systems, and Carriers all have some number of hit points, which are depleted when they take damage. When an ally or enemy’s hit points are reduced to zero, they are defeated.

Hover

Units with Hover ignore terrain and elevation penalties while moving.

Impassable Terrain

Units cannot move through Impassable Terrain unless they have Hover. No unit may end its movement in a hex containing Impassable Terrain.

Jump

When a unit begins a move on elevated terrain, it may Jump. Jumping allows units to bypass intervening terrain and enemies at lower elevation.

Line of Sight

Players must have a clear Line of Sight in order to make an attack or use an ability with a defined range. Line of Sight is determined by drawing a line from the center of the active unit’s hex to the center of the target’s hex. Allied units, Garrisons, and structures do not block Line of Sight. Enemy units, Garrisons, and structures block Line of Sight only when they are at the same elevation as both the attacker and the target.

Mass Produced

Players can include any number of Mass Produced units with the same unit card number in their squad, up to the number of units specified by their scenario.

Move

Some abilities allow players to move a unit or Garrison. These abilities are considered movement actions but are not the same as Advancing or Dashing. These abilities will specify how far to move and this distance is affected by enemies and terrain like any other movement. Movement is always optional, and players do not have to move the full distance allowed.

Movement Types

All of the following effects are considered movement and can trigger abilities that depend on movement.

  • Advance.
  • Dash.
  • Move.
  • Pull. (Typically initiated by your opponent and ignores typical movement modifiers.)
  • Push. (Typically initiated by your opponent and ignores typical movement modifiers.)
  • Reposition (caused by some abilities).
  • Swap (caused by some abilities).

Non-Combat Damage

All damage dealt outside of an attack or by an effect that is not the result of resolving hits from an attack, critical hits that modify attack damage, or Fracture is considered non-combat damage. This includes collision damage.

Ongoing

Ongoing abilities are active at the start of the game and remain so until the game is completed.

Phase

Each game of Gundam Assemble includes two Phases, each of which consists of 10 rounds. Players will score victory points at the end of each Phase as dictated by the scenario.

Primary

Primary is a keyword included on some Tactics cards indicating that playing the Tactics card counts as your active unit’s Primary Action for that activation.

Pull

A unit affected by Pull is moved toward the source of the Pull up to the number of hexes specified by the effect. This movement is not affected by typical movement modifiers. An enemy that is already adjacent to you at the same elevation cannot be Pulled. Pull can cause collision damage.

Push

A unit affected by Push is moved away from the source of the Push up to the number of hexes specified by the effect. This movement is not affected by typical movement modifiers. Push can cause collision damage.

Range

All weapons have a range value. A weapon cannot be used to make an attack beyond its stated range. Many abilities also have a stated range that players must take into account. Attacks and abilities with a stated range also require a player to have Line of Sight to their target.

Reinforcements

Some units are able to deploy Reinforcements to the battlefield. When this occurs, tokens are placed both on the board and on the Timeline track to represent the new unit. Reinforcements are considered units. When a Reinforcement is defeated, remove the token from the game board and remove the corresponding Timeline Token from the Timeline. Reinforcements cannot be redeployed.

Remote Weapon System (RWS)

Some units come equipped with abilities that allow them to deploy Remote Weapon Systems to the battlefield. These abilities and the abilities of the systems themselves are described on the relevant unit and Remote Weapon System cards. Remote Weapon Systems obey the following rules:

  • RWS may only deploy or reposition to an empty hex.
  • RWS do not block Line of Sight or movement.
  • Units may not end their movement in the same hex as an RWS.
  • RWS do not count as units, do not cause Engagement, and do not count when contesting Objectives.
  • RWS can be attacked and destroyed.
  • RWS can be Pushed or Pulled and cause collision damage.
  • RWS cannot be affected by status effects.
  • When an RWS is destroyed, it returns to the supply of the unit that deployed it and may be deployed again during a future activation.
  • Units cannot deploy more RWS than they have available in their supply.

Repair

When a unit Repairs, it gains a number of Hit Points up to the amount specified by the ability. Units cannot gain more than their maximum number of Hit Points.

Reposition

Some abilities allow a player to reposition units, Garrisons, or Remote Weapon Systems. When a player repositions something, remove the object from its current hex on the board and place it on a new hex as directed by the ability causing the repositioning. Repositioning is considered a movement action.

Reserve

Players begin with their units off the board, in their Reserve, and units return to a player’s Reserve when defeated. Units in a player’s Reserve cannot be targeted by attacks or gain status effects, and some abilities printed on those units may not be active until they are deployed.

Response

Response abilities can only be used in response to a specific situation or trigger specified by the ability. When a player uses a Response ability, resolve the ability in its entirety before resuming other actions.

Round

Resolving a single space on the Timeline track is considered a round. There are 10 rounds in each Phase of gameplay. The number of players that act during a round is dependent on the position of units on the Timeline.

Scenario Goals

All Gundam Assemble scenarios will have some number of scenario goals that players can complete during gameplay. Refer to your chosen scenario for details on its scenario goals.

Setup

Setup abilities affect the game during the setup phase. Resolve these abilities in order beginning with the first player to act during the game.

Shield

Each Shield a unit possesses prevents one damage from an attack or ability. Shields become deactivated when they prevent damage and will not prevent further damage until reactivated. Deactivated Shields are reactivated the next time the unit possessing them is activated.

Signature Tactics Cards

Each unit comes with a Signature Tactics card that can only be used by that unit. The unit named on the card is considered the source of any effects produced by these cards.

Slow

The next time a Slowed unit Advances, it moves 0 hexes instead.

Speed

Upgrades and effects that increase Speed increase how far a unit can move when Advancing. A unit can move one additional hex for each point of Speed.

Squad

A player’s squad includes all units and Carriers they intend to use during gameplay.

Status Effects

Many cards and abilities apply status effects to their target, represented by corresponding status effect tokens. Status effects may only affect units, they do not affect Garrisons or Remote Weapon Systems.

Strength

Each weapon has a Strength value indicating the number of attack dice to roll when making an attack with that weapon.

Structure

Many scenarios will include Bases or other structures belonging to one or both players. Rules for structures other than Bases will be provided with each specific scenario. In general, enemy structures block both movement and Line of Sight unless otherwise specified.

Swap

Some abilities allow units to swap with each other. When this occurs, exchange the position of each miniature involved in the swap. Swapping is considered a movement action.

Terrain Movement Penalties

The term ‘terrain movement penalties’ refers both to the movement penalty imposed by going up in elevation and to movement penalties caused by special terrain types like water.

Timeline Penalty

When a unit is defeated, it immediately moves two spaces up on the Timeline track as a penalty, representing the time needed to repair the unit before it returns to battle.

Trait

All units have one or more traits indicating their pilot, faction affiliation, or other unique characteristics. These traits are referred to by abilities and used to determine which Tactics cards a player can include in their deck.

Unit

A unit refers specifically to a Mobile Suit, Carrier, or other combatant with a unit card. It does not refer to Garrisons or Remote Weapon Systems (RWS).

Upgrade

Most scenarios feature Upgrades placed in hexes around the game board. Collecting these will allow players to improve the capabilities of their units.

Victory Points

Defeating enemy units and Garrisons, Rescuing allied Garrisons, controlling Objectives, and completing scenario goals will all award victory points. The player with the most victory points at the end of a game is considered the winner. Each unit has a victory point value denoting how many victory points it’s worth when defeated.