Patch 3.6 Core Rules and General Army Updates!

Patch 3.6 Overview

Dave and Harvey review the core-rule changes and general army updates for OPR’s 3.6 patch. They consider the update broadly positive: most changes tidy up rules, rein in particularly powerful strategies, or make unit choices more interesting.

They also note that the game still feels much like it did before the patch. Reduced lethality has not necessarily stopped games from becoming one-sided once a player gets ahead.

Core Rules

• Army size cap: At full match size—2,000 points in Grimdark Future and 1,500 points in Age of Fantasy—armies are limited to 100 models or 100 Tough wounds. The presenters think this may help rein in skew lists, though they discuss whether more structured force limits would be useful for organized play.
• Melee reach: Models now have a 3-inch strike range in melee. The hosts welcome the change for smoother play and greater flexibility with different model and base sizes, particularly for cavalry.
• Fatigue and special rules: Unmodified rolls of 6 made while fatigued no longer count as 6s for rules such as Surge or Ferocious. Counter and Brace also stop working while fatigued.
• Melee resolution: Combat is decided by comparing the total wounds each unit took during that activation. As a result, spell damage dealt while charging now contributes to combat resolution.
• Dangerous terrain: Roll only as many dice as the wounds needed to destroy the unit. The hosts see this as a normalization between single-model Tough units and multi-model units, though they question whether the rule is intuitive or impactful enough.
• Aircraft: Enemies shooting at aircraft now take -1 to hit. The presenters discuss this alongside the patch’s aircraft durability and weapon-range adjustments, but feel aircraft still need a broader redesign to make them more interactive.
• Artillery: Artillery gains Cumbersome: it may Hold or Advance, but cannot shoot after Advancing. The artillery rule also rewards holding position and shooting at targets more than 12 inches away. The hosts like the added movement and the choices it creates.

Other Core-Rule Adjustments

• Assault is now included in the core rules.
• Casters do not universally need line of sight; it depends on the spell.
• Counter and Brace are separate rules: Counter strikes first when charged, while Brace blocks Impact hits.
• Tough 9+ heroes can lend their Quality to nearby units’ morale tests while unshaken.
• Impact resolves before either unit attacks in melee.
• Indirect weapons can shoot at targets out of line of sight when using Hold.
• Scout units have more restricted deployment, including a 9-inch limit from their deployment area and spacing from non-Scout units.
• Shred and Surge are now core rules, making them available in more weapon loadouts.
• Unstoppable no longer ignores negative modifiers caused by the model’s own rules.
• Transport and Takedown wording has been clarified.

Age of Fantasy and Skirmish Changes

• Sergeants now gain AP +1 when attacking. The hosts find this useful for upgrading a model with a special weapon, but feel the rule is awkward and could be difficult to cost consistently.
• Banners now help only with morale tests triggered by shooting or melee. The presenters would prefer rules that call for a Quality check to be distinguished from morale tests, rather than adding exceptions.
• In Grimdark Future Firefight and Age of Fantasy Skirmish, units can use a nearby hero’s Quality for morale tests within 6 inches, reduced from 12.
• In Age of Fantasy Regiments, Ambush and Infiltrate units must deploy within 1 inch or 6 inches of a table edge. The hosts support limiting powerful rear-charge strategies, while wondering whether Ambush may need a different approach in the long term.

Advanced Rules Highlights

Progressive scoring now awards VP equal to the current round number: 1, 2, 3, then 4. The hosts strongly praise this version. It rewards early objective play without making an early disadvantage decisive, and gives flank or comeback strategies room to work.

Other advanced-rule updates include changes to casting and miscasts, living spells, political intrigue, movement-style guidance, Horde Mode, solo and co-op play, campaigns, random events, and mission cards. The presenters recommend trying the advanced rules, particularly Quest and Political Intrigue.

General Army Updates

• Weapons and unit options: Weapon stats have been adjusted broadly, and many heroes and units have access to new weapons. The hosts say the changes have not obviously reduced lethality as much as expected.
• Transports: Some units have gained transport options. The hosts see transports as potentially very powerful—especially when they let passengers shoot after moving—and would like transport types to have more distinct roles and trade-offs.
• Rules shared across units: Rules such as Regeneration and Fearless now apply when most models in a unit have them, making it easier to attach compatible heroes without removing the unit’s rule.
• Army-wide rules: Offensive, defensive, morale, and movement abilities now use more specific distance and action conditions. The hosts call this an interim solution and point out that conditional ranges can be hard to verify after models have moved.

Additional Changes

• Some short-distance placement effects now move models instead.
• Combat shields grant Armor rather than Shielded.
• Vanguard units must deploy at least 9 inches from enemies without Vanguard.
• Tag-style abilities can spread markers across multiple units; some targeting rules also clarify how many units can be marked.
• Regenerative Strength now deals wounds on rolls of 4+.
• Hazardous weapons with Blast X or Deadly X deal X wounds to the model using the weapon, rather than distributing the risk across its unit.
• Dodge no longer works while fatigued.
• Purge and Reap can work against shaken or fatigued targets.
• Mind Control can only be used once per battle round.
• Units created by Spawn or Split cannot seize or contest objectives in the round they appear.
• Many vehicles, monsters, and aircraft have updated Defense values, with some able to upgrade their protection.
• Jetpack- and wing-equipped units may have Flying and, in some cases, choose Ambush instead.

Overall Verdict

The hosts’ overall verdict is that 3.6 is a good, mostly clarifying update. They flag a few concerns—especially aircraft, transport balance, and army-wide conditions—but see the game’s development as moving in a positive direction. They leave specific army-by-army reviews for future videos.

People and Sources Mentioned

• Dave and Harvey — presenters of Don’t Think Just Charge.
• Tano/Tenno and OPR — discussed in connection with patch development and future army specialization.
• Adam Forge — mentioned in connection with Army Forge.
• French Chainsaw — referenced for a French organized-play balancing document.
• Ed and Mark — mentioned in connection with games and tournament play.
• Boss Fitz — referenced for an Orcs review.
• True Sight — referenced in discussion of another alternating-activation game.
• Envy — cited as inspiration for a possible “question of the day” segment.