And They Shall Know No Fear / Sweeping Advances

[servitob]

Hi B&C,

 

Firstly my apologies if this has been asked before but I need some clarification regarding ATSKNF and sweeping advances.

 

A marine squad loses in close combat, fails it's leadership, falls back and is caught in a sweeping advance. It is now subject to 'No Retreat!'. When does it start taking extra casualties? Our gaming group plays it from the next round of close combat, following a conversation with a GW employee.

 

However, the rules state 'In this round of close combat.' This to me sounds ambiguous at best because technically this round of close combat is finished, the marines lost and have already fallen back. With this interpretation no extra casualties are ever going to be scored. Technically though, you could apply the results of the combat that caused them to fall back and apply extra casualties from that.

 

I believe in the wisdom of crowds, so what's the general concensus? Thanks in advance!

[Legatus]

"No Retreat!" wounds are suffered instead of the unit taking a morale test. Usually the rule only applies to units that are 'fearless' or have a similar rule that automatically lets them pass the morale test in combat.

 

Normal progression:

determine assault result --> the unit lost --> the unit makes a morale test

 

progression for 'fearless' unit:

determine assault result --> the unit lost --> the unit suffers extra wounds

 

The difference with ATSKNF is that they do take the morale test and the following retreat test. In this case, the unit will suffer the extra wounds immediately after you have determined that they are caught in the sweeping advance. The advance is what the "no retreat" rule is supposed to balance out. Normally a unit is in danger of being destroyed if it fails a morale test in combat. Since fearless units will never fail a morale test and thus are not in danger to be destroyed, they at least might suffer a few casualties instead.

Space Marines with ATSKNF are likewise not in the danger of being run down in a sweeping advance, so they too suffer the extra wounds instead. (Luckily the power armour helps against those.)

[servitob]

Very elegantly put Legatus, thank you very much!