Cavalry charging around 1 unit to hit another

[Jamie_Ibz]

Hey,

 

I'm new to Bolter & Chainsword, and although I played 40K back in 3rd & 4th edition, I have just gotten back into 40K after a 2 year break. I used to play IG and picked up a Space Wolf battalion box a month or two ago. I'm re-learning all the rules and how much they've changed and with my new army, I happened to choose the most 'special rule heavy' army there is.

 

I've spent about 2 hours reading the 'Thunderwolves and power fists' threat but I have a different question.

 

Let's say I'm in my assault phase and my Thunderwolves are going to charge, say, an Ork Warboss. They have 12" of possible movement, assuming there is no difficult terrain to interfere. (This isn't about difficult terrain, it's about whether you can charge on a curve).

 

The Ork Warboss is, 'as the crow flies', 8 inches away. Well within 12" of charging distance.

 

However, he's got some boys in front of him. He's far enough away that he's not in coherency with them, and I'm not within 1" of the boys because I can't be unless I'm in CC with them.

 

------/--------------------Total 8"-------------\

TWC -- 2" -- Ork Boy on a 1" base -- 5" -- Ork Warboss.

 

Assuming that the total length of the curve necssary to get around the Boyz is 12" or less, can I charge around the Boyz to get at the Warboss? Keeping in mind that I've got to stay at least 1" away from them during the entire charge?

 

We got into a bit of a discussion at our local gaming store about how you must charge in a straight line and how if you could charge on a curve it'd "totally break the game". My response to this suggestion was that you just need to spread your Boyz (or whoever) out more and keep the model equally protected on both sides, or else curve your screening unit to make sure there is no open flank for the cavalry to hit you on. But the other player disagreed and said he'd competed in tournaments where this was not allowed.

 

During the discussion, we looked at page 33 ("Bear in mind that models may have to expend some of their movement to move around impassable terrain or other models in order to reach the enemy") and page 34 ("Move the model into contact with the nearest enemy model in the unit being assaulted, using the shortest possible route"). The other player felt that because the shortest route was through the screening unit, the charge would not be legal. I disagreed and said that it was the shortest possible route to the unit being assaulted that kept me 1" away from models not being assaulted. He countered that you can't just read the rules as written because everyone knows you have to charge in a straight line and that's how it's been for ages. I pointed out page 33 again, and it went downhill from there. He told me to look up the diagram, but there didn't appear to be one. He told me to look up the FAQ, and it wasn't there either. He told me there was another FAQ, that was more like 40 pages long instead of 6, and I couldn't find it, and neither could he. But what it boiled down to appeared to be that I had to refer to earlier editions' rulebooks because 'that's how the game is played'.

 

Second Question:

When 'Defenders React' to an assault, if they have enough movement to get into base to base with an assaulting unit, must they move that far? Or is getting within 2" of another model in base to base close enough? I was playing Wolves vs. Tyranids and the lone survivor from my bloodclaw pack, Lukas the Trickster, charged two Carnifexes that were in a unit together. The argument was, did both Carnifexes need to 'Defenders React' move into B2B with Lukas, knowing he would be clobbered and knowing his stasis bomb would likely take them both out? To my logic, the bullet points on page 34 are pretty clear.

 

1 - They must remain in Coherency.

2 - Bearing that in mind, they must move into B2B with an enemy that wasn't in B2B with anyone (Didn't apply - Lukas was the only one remaining and he was in B2B with one Carnifex already)

3 - There were no such models in reach, so the Carnifex (only 4" away) had to move into B2B with Lukas.

 

The same player I mentioned above (who wasn't actually my opponent) felt that getting within 2" of the Carnifex that was in B2B was good enough and so wouldn't be taken out with the stasis bomb.

 

Please help?

 

Jamie "Aer Kildar" Ibz

[Interrogator-Chaplain Ezra]

If you can reach them, you can charge them. And the prohibition against getting closer than 1 inch is not there in the assault phase, so you can skirt the boyz so long as you do not touch them (that would mean assaulting them).

 

So yes, the Boss is a viable target.

 

And yes, Defender Reacts, they *must* move up to 6 inches to get into base contact.

[dswanick]

I find the Warhammer 40,000 Rulebook is sometimes an invaluable aid to learning the rules of Warhammer 40,000. :)

DELARE ASSAULTS

The maximum distance most units can move during an assault is 6". As you cannot measure the distance to the enemy before declaring the assault, if you misjudge the distance and the unit is unable to reach its target then the unit does not move and that assault is ignored. Bear in mind that models may have to expend some of their movement to move around impassable terrain or other models in order to reach their enemy.

Hey,

 

{{snip}}

 

He told me there was another FAQ, that was more like 40 pages long instead of 6, and I couldn't find it, and neither could he. But what it boiled down to appeared to be that I had to refer to earlier editions' rulebooks because 'that's how the game is played'.

This sounds like he was referring to the INAT FAQ. If so, this is just a web-published compilation of some groups house rules and unless it is known that they are being used, is less "official" then GWs FAQ. Also, INAT FAQ tends to be broken in several areas, and if used can lead to direct contradictions of rules and GW FAQs.

[bystrom]

As for the second question, just going through the bullet points you've pointed out should make it clear to them that the carnifex would've been forced to move into BtB (all to make it as bloody as possible, no holding back!).

The coherency part is followed regardless if the carnifex is within 2" or in BtB.

The carnifex can't move to BtB with another enemy model not in BtB already.

It can move to BtB with Lukas, so it does.

[Jamie_Ibz]

Thank you both on both accounts. Glad to hear I'm not crazy.

 

Cheers