Warhammer Wheeling Maneuver

A Scientific Study
Ever since I started playing Warhammer miniatures the wheeling rules, as loosely described in the rulebook, have
always bothered me, but not to the point where it interfered with the enjoyment of the game. The main reason why is
because of the wide interpretation made by players when measuring the distance of a wheel.

According to the rulebook, a wheel is measured by rotating a unit in an imaginary circumference using one front
corner as the point and swinging the other end (last model in the front rank) around. Then, to determine the
distanced wheeled you measure how much the last model moved from its original position. Pretty straight forward
until you see how many different ways players measure this distance. Is there a true exact way of determining this
distance?

This study which perhaps will be meaningless to most players of the game, and that is ok by me, will un-rabble
the mystery behind the wheeling rule and place an exact method of how much a 3-inch wheel, or 4, or 5-inch
wheel will turn your unit. The ideas presented here are by no means the only way wheeling should be measured and
should not be forced upon your opponent if he chooses not to abide by them. The method used here is for those who
are anal about rules and really want to know how much a unit turned when making a wheel.

The main thing to consider is that the wider the front rank the
less of a turn a 1", 2", 3", etc. wheel will buy you. The only true
way to measure this is by using degrees of angles. You know, a
90° or right angle, 45°, 180° and 360° all around turn. To apply
this method during a game you will need a protractor, like the
ones you probably used at one time or another in school.

To determine the angle a block of unit rotates and the cost in

inches for that wheel maneuver I present you with a formula, A =
D ÷ C x 360°. This formula will seem complicated to a few, but I
have done all the work for you and included some useful Angle-
of-Wheel Tables.

Angle-of-Wheel Formula

A = D ÷ C x 360°

A: Angle. This is the result and the angle you may turn your unit based on the inches you want to spend.
D: distance in inches you want to wheel.
C: the circumference (360° turn) in inches your block of troops can make determined by the length of your front
rank. The formula to determine your unit's 360° turn is Length x 2 x pi (3.14). To make things a little more
complicated the Warhammer bases are in mm (20mm, 25mm and 40mm) but distances are measured using inches.
So you first have to convert the length of your front rank from the metric system to the English system. The
conversion is 0.04 inch equals 1 mm.

ANGLE-OF-WHEEL TABLES

These sample angles-of-wheel tables are for the most common unit formations for each base size. Most blocks
are 5 bases wide except for the 40mm, which rarely contain more than 4 models. Using the formula above you can
custom make a table for each unit based on the length of their front rank. I have only worked out results for up to a
6" wheel since most foot troops move 4" and march up to 8". In the 5x25mm unit I have included up to a 12" move
since most cavalry fall under this base size and their move can be up to 14"+. Each angle is rounded off to the
nearest tenth of a fraction. For practical purposes I would round off to the nearest whole degree or half a degree
during game play.
 5 x 20mm 5 x 25mm 4 x 40mm
24.7" = 360° 30.9" = 360° 39.6" = 360°
1" = 14.6° 1" = 11.7° 1" = 9.1°
2" = 29.2° 2" = 23.3° 2" = 18.2°
3" = 43.7° 3" = 35° 3" = 27.3°
4" = 58.3° 4" = 46.6° 4" = 36.4°
5" = 72.9° 5" = 58.3° 5" = 45.5°
6" = 87.5° 6" = 69.9° 6" = 54.5°
7" = 81.6° .
8" = 93.2° .
9" = 104.9° .
10" = 116.5° .
11" = 128.2°
12" = 139.8°

GAME APPLICATIONS

Now that we are done with all the math

computations I will show you the best way to apply it
in game terms. You will need a protractor and a
straight edge of some type (ruler, stick, pencil, etc).
The protractor can cheaply be found in any store for
less than a dollar or you can just print the one found
here on paper or transparency using your printer.

To make a wheel, determine how much of a

turn your unit needs to make by looking at the
battlefield conditions. You can guess an angle for
your unit or base your wheel on how many inches
you want to move. Either way should yield an angle
and the distance in inches (i.e. for a unit 5x25mm a
3" turn equates to a 35° wheel).

Next, place your protractor with the center as

close to the corner where the unit will pivot from. If
your unit turns left then the pivot point will be on
your left corner, if turning right then on the right
corner. Using a straight edge mark the angle and then
move your unit accordingly to the new position.
Below are a couple of diagrams depicting wheel
turns.

Complications in measuring can arise. For example, another unit or terrain feature may be too close to place the protractor in front
of the unit. In this case, if using a clear protractor you can raise it above the unit to determine the angle, although this method is not as
accurate.

There you have it. I hope this study clarifies how wheeling really works although I doubt the creators of the game intended to make
it this complex. The truth is that there is no need to get this exact with wheeling. Most players are happy enough with just quickly
guessing and stating "close enough".

-emip