Stupid rule question

[Hear da Lamentation]

I feel I have most of the rules sorted now ... but weirdly my friends and I are still a little confused over some of the intricases of close combat with a unit with a HQ in it.

 

We know that in effect they fight as 2 different units in CC.

 

So, for an enemy model to attack something, it has to either be in base to base contact with something - OR within 2" of a friend in base to base contact. That seems clear.

 

BUT - for a HQ in a unit to attack - does this rule not apply? Does he/she/it have to be in actual base to base contact in order to attack? Or does he/she/it just have to be within 2" of a friend in base to base contact?

 

We have been playing it as the last option - but from reading between the lines of some posts recently - it looks like it may well be the former .... has to be in actual base to base contact to fight.

 

If this is the case, then does the HQ not count as a "friend" for the purposes of the rest of the unit "being within 2" of a model in base to base"?

 

Stupid question I know ... but we have just never properly sorted this out.

 

Thanks,

 

H.D.L.

[Iacton Qruze]

When you assault, the HQ unit attached becomes, in effect, a separate unit that must meet its own btb contact rule in order to fight. Consequently, enemy models in btb with your HQ may only allocate attacks against your HQ, and not the unit he was attached to.

[DapperDave]

The IC has to actually be in base to base with enemies to be able to partake in the comabt. He is not engaged in the combat if he is only within 2" of a base to base model.

[Wolfeslad]

Hi Brothers,

 

This may be a Bloodclaw question, but a round of ale for the first person to point me in the direction of where this is in the rules?

 

 

 

 

For Russ

[Legatus]

On page 49 of the BRB it explains that independent characters that have joined a unit are nonetheless treated as a separate one-model unit for the purpose of resolving attacks. So if enemy models only are in base contact or within 2" of models in base contact with the Independent Character, they have to attack him, not the unit he is with. If tehy are in contact with both the Independent Character and the unit he is with, they have to chose between attacking him or the unit.

The Independent Character himsels follows the usual rules for his own attacks. So he has to be either in base contact or within 2" of a squad member of his unit in order to be allowed to attack, but since he counts as a unit all by himself, and NOT as part of the unit he is currently attached to, for the purpose of attacks, merely being within 2" of any of those models would not let him attack. Since for attacking he himself is a one-model unit, he has to be in base contact with an enemy model to be allowed to attack.

[Wolf Guard Dan]

There is a really good diagram example on page 49. Take a lok at that

[Hear da Lamentation]

Great answers - thanks guys. That's the way I was thinking.

 

That said, bearing in mind you have to put the IC at the front of the unit when attacking ... how do people "arrange" it so that an enemy IC is prevented from attacking?

[Legatus]

That is almost impossible. Even if you don't contact the enemy IC yourself, the rules require attached ICs to be moved first in a charge reaction, so it will almost allways get into contact unless there was no room or no possible way for it to move into combat. The enemy IC cannot move throu your or his own models, so if the IC happened to be surrounded by his own men and you can contact them all, then the IC cannot get out of there to move into contact. Or if the enemy unit is standing in a narrow pathway, with the enemy IC behind a line of his own men. If you contact all the models blocking the path, then the IC might not be able to move throu to contact your models.

What people usually try to do is to contact the enemy IC with your squad leader with powerfist, and then move your own IF in contact with the enemy unit (while also contacting the enemy squad leader with some of your models so he does not threaten your IC). That way your squad leader can try to take out the enemy IC while your own IC can attack the weaker squad members.

[Commander Sasha]

Remember that your Powerfist Sergeant is not an IC, so he doesn't HAVE to be in base contact with the enemy IC, as long as one of his squad is.

[DapperDave]

Great answers - thanks guys. That's the way I was thinking.

 

That said, bearing in mind you have to put the IC at the front of the unit when attacking ... how do people "arrange" it so that an enemy IC is prevented from attacking?

 

Actually, the rule you're thinking of is moving IC's during Defenders React and the subsequent Pile-In after the first round of combat (BRB 49) - IC's must be the first to move during those phases. Otherwise, it goes Closest to Closest first, everyone else after. So if you have an IC leading a squad that's stretched out, and it gets assaulted from the other side, it's quite easy for the IC to not make it into the first round of combat.

[Wolf Guard Dan]

Remember that your Powerfist Sergeant is not an IC, so he doesn't HAVE to be in base contact with the enemy IC, as long as one of his squad is.

 

Wrong. Take a look at page 49 of the ABR rulebook. A Powerfist Sergeant has to be in base contact with the IC or within 2 inches of a member in base contact with the IC without touching a model in enemy unit. If they are in base contact with an enemy unit, they must attack the enemy unit. Again, look at the diagram on that page. It makes it pretty clear on what you can and cannot do in regards to targetting IC's in combat.

[Hear da Lamentation]

Thanks Wolves. Great rule advice as usual