Monday, November 22, 2010

New 40k Rulebook FAQ Summary

If you didn't know, a new FAQ has been released for the 40k core rulebook. Oh no, have Games Workshop screwed it up? Has one army suddenly become overpowered? Did they answer any questions that were frequently asked? Well for all the lazy people out there I will now give you a summary of the changes that seem important.

Q: Who gets a cover save when two units are intermingled? (p21)
A: The unit with the model closest to the enemy that is firing does not have a cover save.

This is a great ruling, the "my units get cover from each other" defense is no longer usable. Not that I have ever seen this locally, but apparently it is a common occurrence in Europe? Of course, this just points out how stupid it is that units give each other cover in the first place.

Q: If a unit of multiple wound models has already suffered a wound, must the next wound taken be allocated to a model armed the same or can it be allocated to a differently armed model? (p26)
A: It can be allocated to a differently armed model. Note that this can potentially leave multiple differently armed models wounded at the same time.

Damn it I wish that this had been ruled the other way! I got all excited when I read the question. But the answer is of course as it is already played. Wound allocation flaws are one of the major fails of 5th edition.

Q: When a model that can move outside of the Movement phase, for example jet pack infantry, is falling back, can it use this move? (page 45)
A: Yes, though it must follow the Fall Back! rules to determine the direction it will move in.

So Warp Spiders can't teleport forwards any more when running off the board! Sensible.

Q: An Independent Character attached to a unit that is reacting to being assaulted, or making a pile-in move, must move before other friendly models to attempt to get in base contact with an enemy. What happens if the Independent Character is blocked from getting to enemy models by friendly models around him? (p49)
A: If it is possible to move friendly models out of the way to make space for the Independent Character then they must move first. Followed by the Independent Character and finally the rest of the unit can move. If the Independent Character is still unable to make it into base contact he must move as close to the enemy as possible.

Wow, that came out of nowhere! This is good, you don't have to worry so much about the placement of ICs before assaulting. They will usually get to grips with the enemy now.

Q: In a multiple combat involving opposing vehicles (except walkers) and non-vehicle units how would a pile  in move work? (p63)
A: Pile in moves must be used to try and make it into base contact with the non-vehicle units.

This is an interesting one to bear in mind.

Q: If a transport vehicle is completely surrounded can a unit inside disembark by moving through the enemy models? (p67)
A: No. Models that disembark are still subject to the normal movement rules regarding moving through other models as per page 11.

Right. I assume this does not apply to emergency disembarkation. It was near impossible to deploy a model less than 2" from the vehicle when it was surrounded anyway. I guess now all you need to do is block the exit door, not the area around it.

Q: Can models moving out of the way of a tank shock after passing their Morale test be forced to move off of  the board if that is the shortest distance to get out from underneath the vehicle? (p68)
A: No, they must move the shortest distance that also keeps them on the board.

Oh well. I don't think I ever managed to pull off this maneuver anyway.

Q: During the first turn of the game does a scout move count as the preceding Movement phase when working out any saves from shooting, for example the 3+ cover save from turbo-boosting, and the to hit rolls in combat against vehicles? (p76)
A: Yes.

Damn those Vendettas!

Q: When a vehicle is destroyed by a Destroyed – Explodes! result on the Vehicle Damage table you replace the vehicle with a similar sized area of difficult ground. What, if any, cover save does this area of difficult ground confer? (p61)
A: It will confer a 4+ cover save to any eligible unit.


Really? This doesn't explain anything GW. What I want to know is does the area of difficult ground count as area terrain? If it doesn't, then what does a model have to do to be "elligible"?

Q: If only some of the models in a unit have the Stealth special rule, does the whole unit benefit from the +1 cover save? (p76)
A: Yes. In effect the ones with the Stealth special ruleensure their colleagues also find good places to hide.


Well that is stupid. At first I couldn't think of anyone this applies to, but apparently Space Wolf characters can take a saga that gives them stealth. So now we have Fenrisian Wolves with a 3+ cover save? Wow the puppies really needed that boost GW.

Well that's all folks, not really very much to digest. It looks like there are roughly 50 Qs and As in the document - which you can check out here. Most of them however aren't questions that I have ever seen a serious dispute over.

2 comments:

  1. Well I didn't think the fact that an IC with Stealth being able to share it with the unit was important, until I listened to the 11th Company podcast and they pointed out that one of the Sagas give Stealth to the IC. So I have added it to the above list.

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  2. Page 92 – Pitched Battle, second paragraph.
    Change “His opponent then deploys in the opposite half.”
    To “His opponent then deploys in the opposite half and more than 12” from the table’s middle line.”

    this made me laugh big times.

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