Jump Packs, Deepstrike, and Combat Squaddin Oh my!

[Lord Fancy Pants]

Rulebook page 94 paragraph 3:

"players may choose not to deploy one or more units in their army and instead leave them in reserves"

reserves =/= deployed

 

BA:Codex page 23 Combat squads: tells you everything else you need to know, including that the two squads may be deployed in "seperate locations", with no restrictions on distance apart.

 

The FAQ did not change any rules. It simply clarified that you cannot CS a squad that is currently being held in reserves, that's it. And because you must wait until deployment to CS, you cannot mount half the squad in a transport, and cannot make half arrive via DS and the other half from the board edge, or half out-flanking and not the other half, etc.

 

 

Well said.

[marine77]

That is well explained. That makes perfect sense. Thus, in my situation, with Dante and the priest in a unit of 10 VV, I would roll a single reserve roll, rerolling if needed. Then when it was time to deploy, I would deploy Dante and the priest with one combat squad and they would not scatter, then I would deploy the second combat squad on the table wherever I needed, also without scattering due to Dante's rule. Is this correct?

[JamesI]

That is well explained. That makes perfect sense. Thus, in my situation, with Dante and the priest in a unit of 10 VV, I would roll a single reserve roll, rerolling if needed. Then when it was time to deploy, I would deploy Dante and the priest with one combat squad and they would not scatter, then I would deploy the second combat squad on the table wherever I needed, also without scattering due to Dante's rule. Is this correct?

No, only one combat squad will be with Dante so only one squad will not scatter

[marine77]

I see. Confirmed. Thanks for the help guys.

[BigBaals]

Generally I'm a very RAI kind of player and most of my opponents are too so rule arguments are fairly rare. I'm good with GW not defining an end-clause for Sanguine Sword, it's not a big deal. This Combat Squad vs. Reserves needs to get ironed out very clearly though.

 

We play it as one squad makes one reserve roll. Upon making that successful roll its controlling player may then choose to combat squad, rolling scatter for each. The Dante thing hadn't come up since it seemed obvious enough to us that only the Combat Squad he is attached to would not scatter. I have to roll my eyes at Combat Squading Vanguard with one half attached to an I.C. and one half using Heroic Intervention. Surely that's not what was intended.

[Vincent Black Shadow]

There seems to be a bit of a disconnect happening here in regards to where the 2 combat squads can be placed after the single reserves roll is made. Morticon's explanation has them deploying as one squad, ie one bunch of marines who are separate squads in one concentric circle. The other deployment that's come up is that of rolling once for the squad and then placing the 2 halves in separate areas of the board. I've always played the latter case, so I'm interested in know how Mort's method works in regards to the Dante + Priest + VV example. I believe that with Mort's method one roll is made, one model is placed, doesn't scatter, then the rest of the models circle the initial model. At that point the combat squad without the ICs can Heroically Intervene and the other 7 can shoot or run? Seems like an amazing "use" for Dante's special rule.

 

I believe the first interpretation would be illegal in any case. In order for an IC not to be part of a unit, they must be out of coherency with that unit. Not only that, the combat squadding is done at the same time as deployment... which is what you're rolling scatter for. Dante would not be part of the unit when you are deploying him, because he can only be attached to one unit.

 

The second is the correct one.

 

The rule is clarified so that you don't deploy one half of a squad and reserve the other half. You have to deploy the entire original squad at the same time, but can combat squad when they are deployed. The original FAQ answer was in regards to deploying one combat squad and then deepstriking the other half in a drop pod. I think it's fairly obvious, especially given the rules clarification from the UK GT, that you can combat squad a unit when the entire unit comes on from reserve, but you cannot place a single combat squad in reserve while deploying the other combat squad. They are treated as one squad until the moment they are deployed onto the table.

 

For purposes of flanking, I would interpret this to mean that both combat squads come on from the same table edge on the same reserve roll, but can come on anywhere along that edge. For the purposes of deepstriking with jump packs, see above. For purposes of vehicles, I would interpret this that only one combat squad may be embarked in a dedicated transport, but both combat squads and the transport must be deployed simultaneously, either at the beginning of the game, or when they come on from reserves.

[BigBaals]

Combat Squads happen at Deployment. Reserves are not Deployed, although you do choose your Reserves and their organization during the turn 1 Deployment phase. Reserves and Deployment are two different game mechanics. The BA FAQ didn't actually change anything except to clarify that you don't sit in Reserves in Combat Squads - thus forcing two different Reserve rolls.

 

Small rulebook, page 94:

 

"Rolling for Reserves (second paragraph): Once all of the units have been rolled for, the player picks any one of the units arriving and DEPLOYS it, moving it onto the table as described later. Then he picks another unit and DEPLOYS it, and so on until all arriving units are on the table. The player may then proceed to move his other units as normal."

 

Combat Squads, Blood Angels Codex page 23 (second paragraph):

 

"The decision to split the unit into combat squads, as well as which models go into each combat squad, must be made WHEN THE UNIT IS DEPLOYED. Both combat squads can be deployed in separate locations. The one exception to this is a unit that arrives by Drop Pod - the player can choose to split such a unit into combat squads when it disembarks"

[Judaz]

I think that all of us here on B&C should lead with good example and use the correct terms:

 

HOLD in reserve

 

and

 

DEPLOY on the board

[MrDante]

So what happens when you cs a 10 man squad and 1 squad mishaps and rolls to go back in reserve?

[Judaz]

That is a good question. The Combat squad rule says: "If you decide to split a unit into combat squads, then each combat squad is treated as a separate unit for all game purposes from that point."

It does say "...for all game purposes..." so I guess that combat squad would go back into reserves.

 

I have never encountered this problem, my DS-ing squads always land where they should :lol:

[JamesI]

That is a good question. The Combat squad rule says: "If you decide to split a unit into combat squads, then each combat squad is treated as a separate unit for all game purposes from that point."

It does say "...for all game purposes..." so I guess that combat squad would go back into reserves.

 

I have never encountered this problem, my DS-ing squads always land where they should :cuss

Seems like the right answer. Probably the only way to get a combat squad on the table and the other part in reserve.

[Grimtooth]

A question on

[Morticon]

Mnnn, im iffy on this.

 

I dont know if im just basing my thinking on my groups decision, but down here we roll once deploy the entire 10man squad, scatter, THEN only combat squad.

 

Thoughts on this?

[Lord Fancy Pants]

BigBaals posted the correct info a few posts above you. The BA codex specifically states that "both combat squads can be deployed in separate locations".