Imperial Guard Orders

[commissarkai]

Just grabbed the new IG Codex the other day, dusted off the old regiment and gave em a play. I had some confusion about the way you can use Orders though.

 

Are you able to issue orders at the start of your opponent's Shooting phase as well as your own? It is always ambiguously referred to as "the Shooting phase" in the entry, and it says "...have the ability to issue one or more orders each turn", sort of implying that you can do it, as "turn" in otherwise an otherwise undefined way is usually interpretted as "each player's turn" (usually something I hear in arguments about using certain psychic powers in your assault phase and then your opponent's assault phase in relation to the "Limit 1 psychic power per turn" rule), but I wasn't really sure.

 

This came up when he was shooting at my Heavy weapon team and I wanted to go-to-ground to preserve them. I remembered the Order that would aid them in going to ground, but had at first thought orders were only for my Shooting phase, making that order seem somewhat awkward in practice. After a bit of detailed discussion with my two opponents and a 40k-playing GW employee, we came to the compromise I could use that specific order outside my turn when going to ground, which didn't sit right but it basically came down to "Let's hope for an errata on this soon".

 

The way "Incoming!" works makes me thinks orders can be issued off-turn, because if you could only issue Orders in your own phase, "Incoming!" would become incredibly awkward. Not only do you lose this turn of Shooting with this unit (because the order puts them to ground at the start of your Shooting phase), but the next one as well as said in the wording ("...Note that this means the squad will not be able to act normally until the end of the player's following turn.")

 

So what do ya'll think of it? Everyone around me seemed to agree that me being able to use the shooting orders (ie, Bring it Down!, Fire on my Target!, and First Rank, FIRE!... all make a unit shoot immediately) outside my turn was something of a cheesy misinterpretation, despite the textual evidence.

[Seahawk]

Since it's your first post, I'll not be too caustic :huh:. There is a search button in the upper right portion of the page; use it, and you find that we already discussed this exact topic for a while. Here is the link for it: linky.

 

RAW can be issue on any turn, RAI is obviously only on IG turns. As it is they can only be issued on the IG turn. Take a read through the arguments back and forth in the link.

[gil galed]

Orders

 

Discussion Here

 

edit: grrr beaten already

 

suffice to say, the answer is probably yes, you can use orders in both

[Legatus]

I think the quotes I cited here really do make it discernible that it is the Imperial Guard player's own turn, even if it is not explicitely spelled out.

 

"Orders must be issued before the officier and his Command Squad shoot or run."

 

"When an officier has finished issuing orders, he and his Command Squad can shoot/run normally if the player wishes."

 

"If the test is failed, there has been a breakdown of communications. The order does not take effect, although both the officier's squad and the ordered squad may otherwise act normally in the Shooting phase."

[Grey Mage]

And my gaming group went ahead and just house ruled it that way.... the IG players thought it was pretty strait forward and were suprised I even brought it up.

[Scott-S6]

I don't know why this keeps coming up.

 

The BRB says that "Turn" means player turn unless it specifies "Game Turn".

 

One of the few occasions that GW have properly defined rule terms without adding extra problems.

[Legatus]

If it was each "game turn" someone could still argue that they could issue orders during the enemy player's turn if they did not already issue orders during their own turn. The point is that it is only possible during the IG player's own turn, not in any player's shooting phase of one game turn.

[Steelmage99]

RAW is perfectly clear. Orders can be issued in your opponents turn (some might not have any effect though)

 

Most will houserule it by RAI. Limiting Orders to the IG players turn.

[Legatus]

Yes, "most" probably will do that. I don't think anyone will play a second time against imperial guard where half of the infantery can shoot in both player's turns.

[gil galed]

Yes, "most" probably will do that. I don't think anyone will play a second time against imperial guard where half of the infantery can shoot in both player's turns.

 

anyone who tries this is stupid, if they insisted they could do it i'd just pack up and leave, where as i think "incoming" clearly may be allowable (as it makes sense to declare incoming if you're being shot at)

[Tonoshi]

It seems like all the orders are supposed to be issued on your turn, including "Incoming!!!". The whole entry for issuing orders could be written better.

[gil galed]

It seems like all the orders are supposed to be issued on your turn, including "Incoming!!!". The whole entry for issuing orders could be written better.

 

all GW rules could be written better