Quick question on drop pods and Tau

[Z00Z]

Hi brothers, 

 

Do you guys mind clarifying something I can't work out. If you deploy a drop pod and disembark your troops behind the drop pod, what exactly is the rule of visibility against them? The reason I ask is I can't quite understand if they 1) get a cover save of sort, or the very nature of the drop dop opening its sides that the models are 100% visible.

 

How would this work vs. Tau interceptor for the models?

 

Thanks in advance for the clarification.

 

 

[Bulldogging]

Hi brothers, 

 

Do you guys mind clarifying something I can't work out. If you deploy a drop pod and disembark your troops behind the drop pod, what exactly is the rule of visibility against them? The reason I ask is I can't quite understand if they 1) get a cover save of sort, or the very nature of the drop dop opening its sides that the models are 100% visible.

 

How would this work vs. Tau interceptor for the models?

 

Thanks in advance for the clarification.

The exact specifics of visibility and drop pod doors is heavily debated on some forums, but for simplicity reasons yes your squad on the other side should definitely have a cover save, assuming there is some obstruction even with the doors open.

[Squark]

I'd say that you qualify as obscured, but the general rule of thumb is that drop pods never block line of sight.

[bluffster]

Drop pods when deployed are treated as Line of Sight blocking so you would get a 5+ if he's shooting through it (unless he has removed cover using markerlights!!)

 

Also, if your podding near a riptide, make sure its dead close so it makes him think twice about intercepting with that template!

[Captain Coolpants]

This is probably gonna sound stupid now... But wouldn't the interceptor shots shoot the pod and not the troops inside? As the pod comes in from reserve with the troops embarked? Because the pod comes in from reserve, and 'then' the models 'disembark', disembarkation moves are made in the movement phase only. So you can surely only shoot the pod? Otherwise, what's the point in it having any armour value at all if it doesn't actually provide any protection from interceptor fire?

 

Or am I just completely wrong? Lmao

 

Cheers

[Rathstar]

Intercepter is done at the end of the movement phase, so deploying from a pod doesn't help you.

 

However being at the end of the movement phase you could use a rhino that was on the board from a previous turn to move up 12" and block line of sight to most of the Tau army.  Eldar do this the best, they outflank with war walkers out of line of sight (preventing interceptor shots) and then use battle focus to move into line of sight in the shooting phase.

 

Rathstar

[Valerian]

This is probably gonna sound stupid now... But wouldn't the interceptor shots shoot the pod and not the troops inside? As the pod comes in from reserve with the troops embarked? Because the pod comes in from reserve, and 'then' the models 'disembark', disembarkation moves are made in the movement phase only. So you can surely only shoot the pod?

The clarification is probably gone now with the transition to 7e, but the FAQ folks did at one point clarify that both the Pod and the Embarked troops count as having entered play from Reserves, so a model with Interceptor, or Coteaz's "I've been expecting you," would be allowed against both the unit as well as the transport.

 

Even if it is no longer codified, this remains a reasonable interpretation of the rules.

 

Back to the OP, you simply use True Line of Sight, just as you would to resolve any shooting attack. So, when you deploy your troops from the Drop Pod, the adversary should get down to check the Model's Eye View from his shooting unit to your target unit. There will certainly be some obscuration from the Drop Pod, so you ought to get the Cover Save nearly every time (5+, I think).

 

V