Match Setup Flow

Overview#

Player input guides both players through a structured sequence of steps before and during the game. Each step collects specific game data before moving on. Both players must complete a step before the match advances to the next one.

Step 1: Attacker / Defender selection#

Each player selects whether they are the Attacker or Defender. How this is decided depends on your game system -- in Grimdark 10th Edition it's typically determined by a roll-off (both players roll a die, highest roll wins), in Fantasy 4th Edition it may be defined by the mission. Follow your normal game rules and record the result here.

The match setup advances once both players have confirmed their role.

Step 2: Secondary type#

Each player independently chooses how they want to handle their secondary objectives:

• Fixed -- choose 2 secondary objectives from a set of 8 pre-defined cards. These stay the same for the entire game. Simpler and more predictable.
• Tactical -- draw randomly from a deck of 19 cards throughout the game. More strategic, with draw/keep/discard decisions each round.
• Manual -- same 19-card deck as Tactical, but you pick your card from a list instead of drawing randomly. Ideal for players using their physical card deck who want to track results digitally.

Step 2.5: Fixed secondary selection#

This step only appears if a player chose Fixed in Step 2.

The player sees all 8 available fixed secondary cards and picks exactly 2. These two cards stay locked in for the rest of the game -- no swapping allowed.

Card images are displayed so both players can clearly see what they're choosing.

Step 3: Roll-off winner#

Record who won the roll-off. The rules differ by game system:

• Grimdark 10th Edition -- the roll-off winner goes first. Mark who won and the app sets the turn order automatically.
• Fantasy 4th Edition -- the roll-off winner chooses who goes first. Mark the winner and then select who takes the first turn.

The result is displayed on the turn indicator overlay.

Step 4: Round scoring#

This is where the bulk of the game happens. Step 4 runs for all 5 rounds of the game. Each round, both players enter:

• Primary score -- victory points from primary objectives (up to 50 VP total across all rounds)
• Secondary scores -- points from each of their 2 secondary objectives
• Command Points -- current CP count

Players can navigate between rounds to review or correct earlier entries. See Scoring for details on how score entry works, and Secondary Management for how tactical deck mechanics work.

What's next?#

Learn how score entry works round by round in Scoring.