Arena Rex Forums

As I read it, there is no such thing as "line of sight" in Arena Rex. This is deemed unnecessary because there are no ranged attacks.

But you do have attacks that have a range. All attacks have a basic 1" range. And certain attacks and actions have an extended 3" range.

Is it intentional and accepted that as far as I can tell from the rules, nothing physical on the board can block these attacks?

An example that happened in one of my two games - if you have a classic "fence" type hazard, can Zahra stand on one side of it, attack a model on the other side with her 3" attack, and pull it into the hazard?

It seems like yes, she can - but when you consider that she would also be able to do so if the hazard was a 10 foot tall concrete wall, where logic dictates that she would have to attack *through* it as opposed to over it for this to work, it starts getting problematic with suspension of disbelief.

And the same basic principle is there when it comes to models. It doesn't seem to say anywhere that you cannot attack through models. So if I form a wall of gladiators in base to base contact, trying to protect a model behind them, this is not possible? As long as I get Zahra within 3" of the model, she can attack it, even with other gladiators blocking all access?

Attacking through models doesn't seem like a big deal. But when it comes to terrain, I feel like maybe the rulebook should open up for a similar principle that most other miniature games have - that you should discuss the placed terrain with your opponent before the game, and have the option to decide that certain pieces block attacks when the attack is drawn across it. "Blocking line of sight".

You could argue that this is common sense and you can choose that without the rulebook allowing it - but when the rulebook doesn't mention anything about it, it becomes this question where you are left scratching your head about what the intention is. If the rulebook mentions the issue in some way, it becomes easier to relate to.

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This is a good question.

I had a similar situation with Zahra.

Patiently awaiting some clarification.

I think, as of now, any decision to have a piece of terrain affect the engagement range of a model would have to be considered a house rule.
As written, the rule book specifies how terrain interacts with models (as hazards, chains, and duel zones) and it makes no restrictions on engagement ranges, so to me at least, that means there are none.
I know there may be some instances of cognitive dissonance when we see a piece of terrain, like high wall, that should block access to another model, but per the rules as written that wall can really only represent a form of hazard, and as such, has no effect on engagement ranges.

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Yeah, that's also where I am at.

I guess the bottom line is just that it seems weird that nothing in the game can block attacks from being made by being in the way. Hazards and models can block movement, but they cannot block attacks. Since the rulebook doesn't say that they can.

It seems like a little thing, because it basically only ever becomes relevant with Zahra. At least she is the only one I can think of that has more than a 1" melee range. But her 3" melee range lets her comfortably attack models on the other side of hazards and other models, and therefore the question arises. And Zahra is a popular and often seen model because she is in the Morituri starter.

We can say that a "hazard" does not need to have a rule saying that it blocks attacks, because we can just think of them as entirely 2D areas of the board, like pits. And of course you can attack across a pit.

But probably the most iconic hazard type in AR is the grecian pillar. Which is definitely a 3D feature on the table, and seems like it should have rules that reflect a 3D presence... at least it will puzzle new players if it doesn't.

I would think that all it would take is one paragraph added to the rulebook. Something like:

"When you add a normal, wounding or lethal hazard to the gaming table, mutually agree with your opponent(s) whether the hazard is open or blocking. Open hazards would be features like pits and light barricades, and blocking hazards would be tall walls and pillars. Open hazards do not block attacks or actions, and thus a model with sufficient reach to do so can target another model with an attack or action across the area of the hazard. In contrast, a blocking hazard blocks access to models on the other side, and so attacks and actions cannot target a model if all lines that would connect the two models at the appropriate range would pass over the blocking hazard."

Makes sense?

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I understand your point, and it would definitely be a simple enough solution. Line of sight is a common enough concept in miniature games that almost everyone can easily understand. But it still adds a little bit of unnecessary clunk to the game that I believe the makers were trying to avoid. Arena Rex, as I see it, is a super streamlined abstraction of gladiator combat that tries to capture the feel of an arena fight with as few rules as possible. They eliminated some potential elements of hyper-realism in favor of quickplay.
For example, your gladiator dies if he gets pushed into a lethal hazard, regardless of whether he barely touched it or half his body went into it. Not the most realistic rule for a pit... but one that makes sense because it simplifies the game without really taking away any functionality.
That's how I feel about line of sight. Adding line of sight rules would create more rules without really adding to the game. "How much of my model does a hazard need to block before an attack is no longer allowed? Half? Any of it? All of it? Do I draw line of sight from the center of my model? From any edge of the base?" There are thematic arguments against and in favor of each of those interpretations and they all add additional steps to a fight that I feel are not necessary.
Right now Zahra the only affected model and it's not like she is OP and needs a nerf. Her "ranged" weapon is a whip, which can easily be justified as going around a column to reach its target. I think even in the future, other ranged weapons could be justified in a similar manner.
Thematically, I also think that being able to take cover behind terrain would go against the exhibitionist nature of arena combat. If you have a wall that's high enough that a gladiator on one side of it is safe from attack from a gladiator on the other side... then it follows that spectators on one side of the wall might be unable to see a fight happening on the other side of it.

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True enough, very good points. I can appreciate the idea that you are not supposed to be able to "hide" in an arena. So hazards aren't actually meant to be "terrain" in the sense you might see in other games of this type. If you put a big stone wall in your arena, you're doing it wrong. All hazards in the arena are meant to be open hazards, as per my suggestion above. Even the stone pillars are just meant to represent something that you can bash someone's head into, not something you can hide behind.

I'm very satisfied with that answer, but would suggest that it might be a good note to put in the rulebook somewhere. Both about models and hazards really. Just pointing out that attacks and abilities are not blocked by either intervening bases or hazards, and in the terrain section, note that the hazards are intended to hinder movement and be dangerous, but not block attacks across them. (Which is why they are called "hazards" and not "obstructions".)

That would get the point across to the readers from the beginning, rather than being something that you only realise after you have already built a bunch of ten foot tall concrete walls (intended to stop Zahra from attacking you) for your arena.

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My Arena Rex painting log

Agreed. Line of sight is such an integral part of most other miniature combat games that its elimination should be noted as part of the game design rather than simply left out.

There is a chance that some future releases will have ranged attacks (in an attempt to keep the models feeling unique) and maybe line of sight will be addressed then. It may have been purposefully just left out for now to keep their design parameters open for when they need it.

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Morituri te salutamus.