These rules let you place units into Strategic Reserves – a special type of Reserves you can use to keep units off the battlefield until you require them. Note that while all Strategic Reserves units are also technically Reserves units, the reverse is not true, and so these rules do not apply to units that are using other rules that enable them to start the battle in Reserves (e.g. Deep Strike). Such units are instead set up as described by those other rules.

Before the battle, when you are instructed to Declare Battle Formations, you can select one or more units from your army to be placed into Strategic Reserves (excluding FORTIFICATIONS).

The combined points value of all the units you wish to place into Strategic Reserves before the battle (including those embarked within TRANSPORT models that are themselves placed into Strategic Reserves) cannot exceed 25% of your total points limit for your chosen battle size, as shown in the table below.

Units that are placed into Strategic Reserves are called Strategic Reserves units, and can arrive later in the battle during the Reinforcements step of any of your Movement phases except during the first battle round.

Any Strategic Reserves units that are not on the battlefield at the end of the battle count as destroyed.

Where on the battlefield a Strategic Reserves unit can be set up when it arrives depends on the battle round, as follows:

■ During the second battle round, Strategic Reserves units that arrive must be set up wholly within 6" of any battlefield edge, but no model in those units can be set up within the enemy deployment zone.

■ Starting from the third battle round, Strategic Reserves units that arrive must be set up wholly within 6" of any battlefield edge.

In any case, Strategic Reserves units cannot be set up within 9" horizontally of any enemy models. All other rules that apply when setting up Reserves units also apply when setting up Strategic Reserves units.