40K on VASSAL Tutorial
So, you're interested in joining the cool kids and play with us on VASSAL. You think you can 'hang' with us, then? Well, I'll tell you now – all the cool kids are expected to go through the tutorial first. Lucky for you, you're already reading the first part of it, so all you have to do is keeping reading and follow along.
First things second.
To start the tutorial, you're going to need two things. First, you're going to need the VASSAL program. You can find this program in multiple places, but the official site is located at VASSAL Engine Web Site. Just go to the download section and grab the latest version, then install it.
However, VASSAL is just a shell of a program. To pay 40K with it, you're going to need a module. The module we're using is written by Rimciv, with added help from many other project contributers. For now, you will need to have someone who has the file to send it to you. If you can't find someone, post in this thread with your e-mail information, and someone will send you the module file. After you have the file, all you need to do is move the .zip file into someplace easy to find. The best place to put it is the same folder as your VASSAL program.
Edit -
For now, the module file can be DL'd here -
100Uploads - Host Your Files For Free
On to the games!
Now that you have the proper tools, you can start getting your hands dirty. To launch the game, find the VASSAL.exe file and run it. A small window will appear, with a few buttons on it. To load the module, click the 'Play Module' button, which should be in the upper left.
When you've clicked the 'Play Module' button, a browsing window will appear. The window should default to the VASSAL folder, which should hold the module .zip file that we downloaded earlier. If it isn't there, simply navigate to wherever you placed it, then tell VASSAL to open that file.
If done correctly, you should see a new window with a bunch of buttons across the top, some of which are greyed out. There is also a chat bar at the bottom. We call this the 'Command Tray.'
Next, we have to connect to the game server. In the command tray, find the server controls button. It looks like two arrows pointing in different directions. It should be the third button from the left. If you can’t find it, you can always use the Alt+S shortcut.
Clicking on that button (Or using the Alt+S shortcut) will cause the Active Games window open up to the right. There will be another dual arrow button just like the one you pressed; clicking on that will cause the module to connect to the game server.
Connected, but still not playing...
Now that you're connected to the game server, you can start setting up your game. If at any time you want to disconnect, simply click the button next to the Dual Arrows. It looks like two lines with breaks in the middle.
When you connect, you'll start in the Main Room, and there may or may not be other people there with you. If there are any games going on, you'll see them listed underneath the Main Room.
Chatting with anyone in the same room as you is accomplished by using the text entry bar at the bottom of the Command Tray. Your text will be displayed in a different colour as the other chatters, to help differentiate your text from everyone else's. This can be changed in the Preferences, under the 'File' menu.
Creating a New Game
Next up in the tutorial is teaching you how to create your own game. The first thing to note is that games may not be played in the Main Room. You must create a new room.
Creating a new room is thankfully simple, if but a bit misleading. Just above the Room listings in the Server Controls menu is a Text Entry box labeled 'New Game.' To create a new room, simply input the name of the desired room and press enter. The room will be created, and you'll automatically be moved to that room.
To keep things moving smoothly, let's also lock the room so we can retain our privacy. To lock a room, right-click on the room's name in the Server Controls window and click on 'Lock Room' in the drop down menu. Now that the room is locked, nobody else can join the room until you unlock it. Also in the drop down menu is the 'Join Room' option – remember that for later.
Now that we're in a room, click on the 'File' button in the Command Tray and select 'New Game' from the menu. You'll be asked as to how you want to join. For now, select 'Player 1' and click 'OK.' Next, the game will ask you for a table size. From the menu, select any table and then click the 'Ok' button.
At first, you may think nothing has changed. However, up above in the Command Tray, the 'Table' button has become active. Clicking on that button will display the currently blank virtual table.
The table has a few options. The 'Thread' tool allows you to measure distance from two points. Try it now by confirming that the board measures 72 inches by 48 inches.
Next to the thread tool are two magnifying glasses. The one with a 'plus' sign will allow you to Zoom in upon the map, and the other will Zoom you out. The final button will remove all 'Moved' statuses from all models. More on that later.
Setting up the board.
The first thing any board needs is Terrain. Click on the ‘Pieces’ button in the Command Tray. This will cause a new frame to open on the left side with multiple tabs. These tabs each hold sprites pertaining to their category. For instance, if you click on the Tyranids tab, you’ll be given a list of all the sprites that fall under the Tyranids category.
Please note that VASSAL 40K is a community driven project, and not all races may be fully up to date with current sprites. Not all models may be available at all times.
Now, click on the ‘Terrain’ tab. You’ll be given a list of all available terrain pieces that have been created for our module. Scroll down the list and pick any terrain piece that catches your eye. You’ll notice that a preview is shown to the left to give you an idea of what the piece looks like.
With the table still open, click and hold on the terrain piece, then drag it to the table where you want it to be. You’ll notice that the scale of the piece will automatically resize itself. To date, there is no way to resize terrain pieces without making new sprites. Whenever you find a good location for your terrain piece, let go of the mouse button. The terrain piece will be transferred to the table, and a message will appear in the chat browser letting everyone in the room know that you’ve created a new piece.
Important note – Sometimes pieces may not drop onto the table on the first try. This is usually caused by the thread tool being in use when trying to drag sprites. Before moving sprites, make sure the thread tool is no longer active.
If you try clicking on the terrain piece, you’ll notice that you’re not able to select it. This is by design. To select a terrain piece, hold down the CTRL and shift keys when you click on the sprite. This will highlight the entire terrain piece and allow you to interact with it. By clicking and dragging the piece, you can move it around the table. You can also right click on the selected piece after it's been highlighted to bring up a list of commands, such as rotations or cloning.
Cloning allows you to make an identical copy of any piece(s) you have selected. The newly created pieces will come automatically highlighted and will appear perfectly on top of the old piece. This can be confusing at first. To see what I mean, try cloning the terrain piece, then dragging it to another section of the table. If done correctly, you’ll now have two duplicates of the terrain piece – the original will stay in the first spot, and you’ll be dragging a newly created piece.
Cloning is especially handy for duplicating large units, such as Necron Warriors. You can create the first group, then clone them to quickly make the second group. Just don’t get carried away with cloning, or your opponent might wonder why you have a bunch of extra models!
Keep practicing with moving and creating terrain for as long as you feel comfortable. When you have sufficient terrain, continue on to creating your army.
Terrain? Bah! I want action!
After you’ve set up the board to both yours and your opponent’s satisfaction, you are ready to start creating your army. Your models will be represented with sprites, exactly like how the terrain is. However, there are a few minor differences.
First, start off by creating a small squad of Space Marines. Five should do just fine. You can pick whichever models you think will represent your unit best. Simply drag the sprites from the preview pane onto the table as you did with terrain.
The first big difference you’ll notice is that you don’t have to CTRL+shift-click to select your models. Just clicking on one will highlight him. However, if you want to select more than one at a time (for instance, moving an entire squad at once), you have two options. You can either Shift-Click each individual model, or you can click-drag a box around the models.
Once you have your entire unit highlighted, try moving them. Pick a spot nearby (don’t bother measuring yet), and move them. You’ll notice that the models are marked with a black tag afterwards. This signifies that they were moved, and is useful to prevent multiple movements of a unit in a single phase.
Next, Right-click on the selected models to bring up the list of commands and their shortcuts. The same commands appear as they did with terrain, except you have the addition of ‘Mark Moved.’ This command will both remove tags if they exist and add tags to models without them. To save time, there is also the ‘Mov’ button at the top of the table that will strip the tag from all models on the table.
I’m lazy, and someone else did the work for me.
Joining a room is just a bit more complicated than creating your own, but not by much. Start by finding the room that you want to join. Right-click on the room’s name in the Server Controls window and click on ‘Join Room.’ You’ll leave whichever room you’re in currently and move to the selected room.
Now, the tricky part. On the far right of the server controls will be displayed a list of all people in the room. Right click on one of the names, and in the drop down menu find the ‘Synchronize’ command. Clicking on that will cause the player to send you the game’s information, allowing you to see the table and pieces. You’ll also be asked to choose to be a player or an observer – if you’re not participating in the game, it’s best to join as an observer. For now there is no functional difference, but soon we’ll be limiting the ability to move pieces and terrain for observers.
Enough talk. Time for kill!
Now that you know how to create or join a new game, populate the board with models and terrain, and interact with the sprites on the table, you’re ready to start playing. All that’s left to do is find an opponent and challenge them!
However, let me leave you with some quick tips.
* Dice should be rolled using the VASSAL’s dice. It is properly randomized (regardless of how badly it likes to screw me over), and can be easily confirmed by all parties involved.
* Scattering is handled slightly differently than in normal table top. First, to determine if a shot scatters, roll the Scatter Check button. If the result says Miss!, determine in which direction it scattered by rolling the Scatter Direction button and applying the result as if looking at a clock face on the table. For instance, if you rolled a six on the Direction, the shot would scatter directly to the south of your target. Then, roll distance as you normally would.
* The thread tool will not stay up while you move models. We are working on a fix for it, but for now when moving models, you’ll have to measure, mark the spot with a finger or something, then move the unit. Edit - Rulers can be found in the Templates section.
That ends the basic tutorial of how to log into VASSAL 40K and play a game against anyone else. Any questions or comments can be directed to either Firedrak28, Rimciv, or myself.
Thanks for reading![/b]
