Rules to play The Cadre
The Cadre was designed to be a very narrative Campaign/Story game mode. Easy way to put the rules is, you play with Warhammer 40k points, stratagems, and selection combined with Killteam's game rule system. It's up to you the extend of what rules are played. Its recommended to use all Killteam rules for Initiative, movement, shooting, charging, basically all their rules with 40k unit choice. You are not bound by 40K/Killteam limitations on models being deployed. If multiple of the same named character are being deployed, one of the players must change out that character.
Formation
You play with one Infantry team with their drones, you directly control the team leader. Once you unlock a suit or vehicle you may operate that instead and a Cadre member will take your old place. If playing another faction you use one of their basic teams and rank up in their progression.
Game is best played with multiple players playing together against one enemy
Balance
Point value of all Tau Empire models combined is the amount the enemy force can play. Equal points. Tau will end up dominating with their addition to special abilities and what not, but this will only add to the unique story and battles that their character will go through.
*Important... Player with lower deployed points with their team must match opponents points for a kinda more balanced game, its still a campaign and nothing is balanced in actual warfare. Something to keep in mind*
Moments before your selected member dies you will extract him to preserve his progression.
NPC
If there are more than two factions at play, the third/fourth/fifth faction can play as a Harassment force and play equal or less than the highest Deployed Points force in this battle. Allied factions must equal same Deployed Points as the opponent. 300 point Ork army vs an allied Tau and Guard army must have the Tau and Guard Equal or close to the same Ork Deployed Points.
If chosen to not use your character you can deploy a narrative character in their place, or employ both your characters. If your Narrative character is in play, you may deploy this model with any kind of models in support. Make sure the models chosen would make sense lore/story wise. Farsight can be spotted on the battlefield with a Battlesuit heavy force.
Units
Teams drop into the warzone as a unit, and from there on all abilities that might affect the unit example; 10+ models gives D3 mortal from Smite instead of the 1 mortal, the way this can be interpreted is that as long as there's 10+ models within 3" (cohesion) in any kind of daisy chain. For abilities that say something like a "a unit can reroll one failed hit roll" will work for only one model for the unit that dropped in together. So separate Fireteams doesn't mean you now have multiple units that can do this.
Fireteams
Cohesion is 3" from the nearest model in your Cadre, regardless of what unit that is. In the same rule, your models don't need to be in cohesion to function, models that are not in cohesion get a -1 to leadership and +1 to nerve test rolls. Lowest formation in a Unit and the size is Two models regardless of what it is. An infantier is just as effective next to a tank as it is next to a soldier. For initiative, model count purposes, and real Fireteams, every Fireteam will shot together as a unit. It'll be smart to divide your team into Fireteams and move in section formation. One group moving while the other group covering (readied weapons) to close in with and destroy the enemy or take the objective. Any model within your direct control work together as a team. Kroot Carnivores with Leadership 6 will follow and benefit from a Shas'vre piloting a Riptide with Leadership 8. This rule applies to all models. As long as your models are in cohesion, you will use the highest Leadership value.
Warlord
Every side has one Leader directing the combat in this mission. Traditionally the Warlord would be the highest ranking member on your side, that member can have a Faction specific warlord trait additional to any abilities already on that character. From time to time a Subject Matter Expert can be the Warlord for a mission even if that character is not the highest ranking.
Ballistic Skill
Your Ballistic Skill gets affected from a few different thing; when an enemy model is past half way of your weapons range you get a -1 BS penalty for engaging a further target example; If your weapon range is 20", BS is 3+ and enemy is 12" away, your BS is now 4+. If a target is point plank range or maximum efficient range of your weapon system, 1/4 the range you get a +1 BS while hitting your enemy and the example is; if your weapon has a 20" range, enemy is 4" away and your BS is 3+, you get a +1 benefit to your BS and its now a 2+. Your character's stats cannot go backwards based on model they entire. Exception being heavy hitting models.
Shaken
Models that break from leadership moral roll get a -1 to their BS and WS. No model will run from the battle.
Deployable Units
You can deploy multiple teams per mission as long as you have multiple characters, regardless of how much experience each might have. You can deploy your characters without their supporting infantry as long as one of your Leaders has their group with them. Tailor your force against the mission at hand.
Narrative Character Progression
If chosen to use the narrative progression along with your character that's progressing from the bottom, you may use the character progression abilities and add write it down and add it to your character. Example; My Shas'ui that's piloting a XV8 has the following abilities- Auto-Loader, Finely Balanced, Deadly Marksman, and Stealth Assault with his Fusion Blades.
Special Forces
If chosen to not deploy the progressing character, you can equip your Detachment with any model in your Faction that you'd like. If you want to employ a Leman Russ tank commander with another tank, that just means your enemy must catch up on the points and be equal point value. That creates a story and mission for your Opposing force to try crush these tanks.