Star Wars: Battle of Hoth usually ends when one side reaches the medal target stated by its scenario. Yet a medal can come from a destroyed unit, control of a map hex or a special scenario rule. Terrain decides whether a unit can reach a hex, fire from it, be seen or withstand an attack. This reference brings the most easily confused base-game cases together; always read the chosen scenario’s setup and special rules first.
Three kinds of map objective
| Objective | When it counts | What changes later? |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary medal | The designated side holds the marked hex with an eligible unit | Leave through movement, retreat or elimination and the medal returns to the hex |
| Permanent medal | An eligible unit enters the designated hex | The medal stays earned even after that unit leaves |
| Sudden death | The named side fulfills that scenario’s condition | The battle ends at once under the scenario rule |
Example: a Rebel trooper controls a temporary medal hex. An attack scores a retreat but no hit. If the unit is pushed away, the Rebels lose the medal immediately. On a permanent medal hex, an earned medal remains even if the unit later retreats. Do not assume every marker works alike; the scenario specifies the side and condition.
Which eliminated units award a medal?
Ordinarily, eliminate the last miniature of an enemy unit to gain a victory medal. Taking one figure from a four-miniature infantry unit is a casualty, not a medal. The number of surviving miniatures normally does not weaken the unit’s firepower. The rulebook explicitly excludes Imperial probe droid units and Rebel artillery units from ordinary elimination medals. A scenario may still give them other importance through positioning or special text.
An AT-AT has one miniature but a special durability rule. A would-be hit is rerolled to confirm it, and at least one blast on that confirmation is needed to eliminate the walker. It ignores retreat results and cannot claim normal terrain protection. This combination makes it a tempting but unreliable final medal target if another ordinary unit can be finished instead.
Terrain at a glance
| Hex | Movement and attacking | Cover and sight |
|---|---|---|
| Ridge | AT-AT cannot enter; other units have no special entry stop | Usually one fewer attack die against a unit there unless attacker is also on a ridge; blocks ordinary sight |
| Rocks | Entering ends movement; cannot attack that turn | Reduces attacking dice by one for nonvehicles or two for vehicles; blocks sight |
| Serac | Impassable | Always blocks sight |
| Building or wreckage | Entering ends movement and prevents attacking that turn; a vehicle attacking from there loses two dice | Target gets cover, generally one die versus nonvehicles or two versus vehicles; blocks sight |
| Trench | No general entry or attack restriction | Infantry there gets one die of cover and may ignore one retreat; trench does not block sight |
| Crevasse | Impassable except to flying units such as snowspeeders | Does not block sight |
Terrain protection and penalties to an attacker can both apply. Do not use the table as a substitute for the printed summary sheet when a special unit or scenario adds another rule.
Line of sight: the center-to-center test
Imagine a straight line between the centers of the attacking and target hexes. Intervening units on either side can obstruct it, as can rocks, seracs, ridges, buildings or structures that block sight. Terrain occupied by the attacker or the target itself does not block the line between them, though it may still modify the attack dice. Trenches and crevasses do not block sight.
Ridge exception: when both units are on ridges, the intervening obstructions that matter are other units on ridges and seracs. If only one unit is on a ridge, use the usual line-of-sight test. Lines that run exactly along hex edges have a further rule: obstructions on only one side of the line do not block it, while obstructions on both sides do. The illustrated examples on the rulebook’s last page are useful for close calls.
Retreats can create casualties and lose objectives
Apply hits first, then each retreat symbol normally pushes the target one hex toward its controlling player’s baseline. Its controller chooses a legal retreat path. It cannot pass through occupied or impassable hexes; when a required retreat cannot be completed or would leave the board, it takes one casualty for that uncompleted hex. Terrain such as trenches can cancel a retreat under its own rule. A unit cannot volunteer to lose a miniature if it has a legal route to satisfy the retreat. On a temporary medal hex, even a harmless retreat can still cost the medal.
A four-step check before rolling
- Does the scenario or a special unit alter the usual medal or attack rule?
- Is the target in range and visible through intervening hexes?
- What is the attack’s base dice count, and which terrain modifiers apply?
- Would a retreat move the target off an objective or into an impossible path?
For the complete turn sequence, see how to play; for choices among targets, see strategy. Source: Days of Wonder’s English rulebook, especially objectives, terrain and line of sight, checked October 3, 2026. Consult the scenario booklet for exceptions.