Something that's been running through my mind for a while, and remembered when reading the IG/Necron Obelisk Battle Report. ZomboCon kept his Warbarque offboard early to deny BTS.

From the FAQ

Q: Do Spacecraft count for the Break Their Spirit goal if they are the
most expensive formation in an army?
A: No. Spacecraft (or any off-board units or formations) do not count towards
goals.

How does this work for temporary off-board units? Or is it exclusively meaning stuff that never makes an appearance (in the same way SpaceCraft do).

Just off the top of my head.
Teleporters
Fliers
War Machine Fliers
PlanetFallers
Tunnellered Units
Portalled Units

Because if temporary off-board don't count, how's that affect the game. What happens if a BTS is claimed before the BTS unit arrives? Example, I kill my opponent's currently most expensive unit during Turn 3, and tie on VP. He then teleports in his Terminator w Supreme. Do I then need to kill that?

And if they do count, isn't it possible in certain popcornish armies, to just never bring them on? Lose an activation, and mebee <~10% of your army to completely deny one of the 5 objectives?

Morgan Vening

I'd _say_ going by intent is that you'd consider the most expensive formation on the board during the game the BTS goal. That is if I keep my ultra pimped terminators off board for the whole game, and they off my 25-points-cheaper tac detachment in the meanwhile that they achieved BTS.

But I don't know if that's the way RAW works.

Also remember that victory conditions are not checked until the end of the 3rd turn.

Holding a BTS formation offboard until the 3rd turn does mean that the player has played 2 turns with less points so there is a slight disadvantage in doing that.

That's how I'd play it.

If the most expensive formation hasn't appeared on the board by the end of the game, count the next most expensive formation isntead.

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I'd agree, the condition isn't checked until turn 3. It's potentially possible to have scored BTS on turn 3 then lose it again on turn 4 when a bigger formation teleports in.

Note that Necrons are slightly different to other races in this respect, as offboard formations for them count as dead for BTS and victory point purposes. This is necron special rule however.

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Epic: Hive Development Thread

This was extensively debated some time ago with respect to Eldar keeping BTS formation off-table etc. and whether it was illegal, 'immoral', just plain cheesy, or a legitimate tactic

IIRC views were divided, but in general they agreed with the views above; at the end of the third turn when victory points are considered, you get the BTS if you have destroyed the largest on-table formation. So this cannot be a spacecraft, but otherwise it could be any other formation including aircraft that was destroyed during the game. If the biggest formation failed to deploy or it phased out, the next largest one counts.

It is a legitimate tactic, that has hampered that player for two turns while denying the opponent the possibility of destroying the formation (though some people also consider this a bit cheesy').

An intruiging question is what happens if the game goes to a fourth turn - have you still gained the BTS if the largest formation finally makes an appearance? I think most people would play that the goal is reset and all goals are re-evaluated at the end of turn 4#.

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Sir Hemry Newbolt

Goals (and objectives) have no memory, their status is only checked in the End Phase of a turn; at any other time they're not considered and haven't been "achieved".

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Agreed that's how I'd play it.

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