Warhammer 40K: Gaunt’s Ghosts Are 40K’s Deadliest Unit – Meet ‘Bragg’s Infinite Frags’

Thanks to some wonky rules, the new Gaunt’s Ghosts unit can kill anything in the game – in one turn!

Gaunt’s Ghots, the Tanith First and Only, have a snazzy new box set and rules. These rules, with are fully match play legal, breathe some new life into the Guard, and are on the whole pretty good and cool. However, one little bit of them seems to have… accidentally, made them the most deadly unit in the game. Let’s take a look at this.

Try Again Bragg

Trooper “Try Again” Bragg is one of the 6 characters in the Tanith unit. He has a special rule that among other things includes this part “In addition, in the shooting phase, each time this unit has resolved its attacks, if no hits were scored with Trooper “Try Again” Bragg’s autocannon, this model can immediately shoot again.” So when the unit shoots if Bragg doesn’t hit with his Autocannon he can shoot again, if he still doesn’t hit he can shoot again and so on, until he does hit. In essence, this rule is meant to guarantee at least one hit with his Autocannon. Seems cool and flavorful, but not overpowered.  It is after all, just one autocannon and once it hits the rule is over.

Bragg’s Infinite Frags

So how do we get from one autocannon hit to killing anything in the game? Well, the key starts with the phrasing of the rule, it says “if no hits were scored” not “if the attack misses”. While this might seem like nothing at first, let me draw your attention to the fact that Trooper Bragg is not just armed with his Autocannon, but also with frag grenades. Thus he can, during the shooting phase, chose to fire them instead of his autocannon if he is within 6″ of any enemy troops, and since the unit can infiltrate outside of 9″ is a good chance he can get within 6″.

If Bragg throws a frag grenade, no matter the outcome of the attack, the unit will have scored no hits with the Autocannon. This means that Bragg can shoot again, taking another attack with frag grenades. Once that attack has resolved, the unit will still have scored 0 shots with the Autocannon, meaning he can attack again. Indeed thanks to this Bragg can make INFINITE frag grenade attacks, in effect allowing him to kill anything within 6 inches of his model. This is the power of “Bragg’s Infinite Frags”. From a single Grot to a pair of Warlord Titans nothing is safe from him (except for the Paragon warsuits whose current un-FAQ’d rule allows them to reduced damage to 0, meaning theyand Bragg will sit there for all time the one throwing unlimited frag grenades, the other taking no damage)…cool!

Is This Legal?

Based on my reading of the rules, yes. RAW Bragg’s Unlimited Frags works.  That does not mean it’s intended or that you should use it, but it works on a technicality. There is an argument that page 361 of the BRB, which discusses rules that let you shoot again caps you at one additional shot. However I don’t read it that way, I read it as meaning each time the unit can shoot again, the models/units can only shoot once. Since Bragg’s rule explicitly says “each time this unit has resolved its attacks”, I take it to be clear that he can do this as many times as needed/wanted. Page 361 does make one thing clear, once he starts using his grenades he cannot switch to the autocannon later that round, though he can target different units.

Not Long For This World 

While the rule technically works this way I certainly wouldn’t expect it to last. I’m certain with people pointing it out GW will be quick to FAQ, maybe Bragg will only be able to shoot one additional time. Hopefully, instead they will change it to only work if he does fire the Autocannon, or just take away his grenades, I’m not sure I’d want someone with the nickname “Try Again” to be throwing grenades anyway.

Let us know what you think about this little trick, down in the comments! 

Author: Abe Apfel

Abe is that rare thing, an Austin local born and raised here. Though he keeps on moving around, DC, Japan, ETC., he always seems to find his way back eventually. Abe has decades of experience with a wide range of tabletop and RPG games, from historicals, to Star Wars to D&D and 40K. He has been contributing to BOLS since almost the start, back when he worked at and then owned a local gaming store. He used to be big into the competitive Warhammer tournament scene but age has mellowed him and he now appreciates a good casual match. He currently covers 40K tactics and lore, as well as all things Star Wars, with occasional dabbling in other topics. Abe remains in mourning over the loss of WFB to this day.