Tank shocking while engaged

[bjoluemblem]

I had an interesting situation come up in a game today. I had two combat squads of tactical marines surrounding an enemy rhino. My opponent decided to tank shock through the units, Death or Glory happened, I blew it up (only six marines could fit, they failed their morale check, couldn't go anywhere due to my marines being in the way, and died. First time I've ever seen that happen). I had surrounded it in such a manner that a combat squad with a melta gun was on the back half of the tank, and a regular combat squad was on the front half of the tank.

 

It looked like this:

 

Rhino facing to the east, "y" is combat squad 1; "x" is combat squad 2, with "x" being squad x's melta. The rhino tank shocked in the "southern" direction, but if he had gone "east" what would have happened?

 

    x  x  y   y

x  RHINO  y

    x   y   y  

 

 

Question is this: If my opponent had chosen to tank shock straight ahead, he would have only traveled through models from the combat squad with no meltas. If that happened, would the marine with the melta get to death or glory as he was engaged with the rhino's side arc from the previous assault phase? The enemy rhino wouldn't move through the unit, but would move through the 1" of allowable distance. We decided that since he was moving through the 1" bubble, both squads would get to Death or Glory. Any thoughts?

[Interrogator-Chaplain Ezra]

Haven't got the book in front of me, but AFAIK DoG can only be performed by a model that is actually in the path of the vehicle. Check the vehicle section, it should be there.

[brother_contagion]

The Marines inside the Rhino should have made an Emergency Disembarkation, 6" from any part of the vehicle's hull.

[Raeven]

The vehicle exploded.  That puts the disembarking squad all in the middle of the other models.   They might have been able to place a single model or two.

 

As for the rest, Ezra has the right of it.  Only models in the path of the vehicle can perform the DoG.   "..., one of it's models in the vehicle's path can stand and attempt to destroy it, rather than move out of the way."

 

Only models the vehicle is actually travelling over actually have to move.  The 1" bubble makes no difference in a tank shock.  The tank must only stop and resolve the Morale check and DoG when it physically contacts another model in it's path.  This means that, even though a rotating tank would sit on models behind it, they do not have to be moved from their position and are unaffected (other than by the whole unit failing the morale check) by the Tank Shock.

[Jacinda]

Question is this: If my opponent had chosen to tank shock straight ahead, he would have only traveled through models from the combat squad with no meltas. If that happened, would the marine with the melta get to death or glory as he was engaged with the rhino's side arc from the previous assault phase?

Here's a funny thing about infantry and non-walker vehicles; they are never really "engaged"  except for the asault phase.  Either one can simply move away if they want to.  They are also allowed to break the 1" rule because they don't have to move away either.  The infantry squad could stay in base to base, fire at a 3rd unit and still attack the rhino in the assault phase.

 

Since tank shock happens in the movement phase, only those models actually moved over get to react.  The rhino was not locked in combat and could freely move away from the melta gun if he wanted to.

[Rogue]

But if you fire at one unit, you can only assault that unit, so how would that example work - firing at one unit, then assaulting the tank?

[Jacinda]

Yes, but ... you are not assaulting!

In the assault phase you can always attack whatever is in base to base contact.  In fact, you must.  No assault, just an ongoing combat where no one is locked in combat.

 

It is pure rule shenanagins and will almost never come up but it is possible.