Rhinos and units

[McElMcNinja]

I see many players embarking multiple units in a rhino (7 Plague Marines, a Choas Lord, a Plague Caster.. etc), but I want to run a 20 man unit in 2 rhinos. From everything I've read while they are disembarked is the only time they need to keep unit coherency, while embarked they don't count as being on the table. I was told I couldn't and when I asked them to explain why not, their response was "it's always been that way".

 

Can someone point me to where this is covered?

[Kristoff]

Is there an allowance for part of a unit to be embarked?

[Mr. Shine]

Have you tried referring to the 'Transports' box on page 183 of the rulebook?

 

In particular it says when all models in a unit are within range of a transport they may embark within it.

 

"They" of course being "all models in a unit".

[Stoic Raptor]

I don't think that was his question.

I'm just not even sure a 20-man squad could embark on anything with less than a 20 capacity.

[Toasterfree]

that was his question, if he could put a 20 man unit into 2 different transports. which no you cant. so a 20 man unit wont go into a rhino until its 10 or less. it can how ever go into one of the super heavy transports (I forget the name off hand)

[Lord_Caerolion]

It's the rules for Embarking that prevent this. "If all models in a unit end their move within 3" of a friendly transport, they can embark within it. Remove the unit from the battlefield and place it to one side - it is now embarked inside the transport." Not "part of the unit", just "the unit". Either they all go in, or none do. All references to the transport are singular, nothing indicates multiples, and the rules are permissive, rather than restrictive - they tell us what we can do, not what we can't (other than when specifying, of course).

 

That, and I'd also argue that moving units into two different transports is inherently moving them out of coherency, regardless of whether they're "on the table" or not while embarked, as the two Rhino's could move in opposite directions, one could get destroyed requiring the troops to exit while the other continues, etc.

 

They probably should specify this in an FAQ or something, just so we've got a concrete answer, rather than cobbling together ways it doesn't really work from a variety of other sections.

[Jolemai]

To add, the Transport rules tell us that a unit can only embark or disembark once a turn. If it is getting into two Rhinos, then it is embarking twice which breaks those rules.

[Kristoff]

I don't think that was his question.

I'm just not even sure a 20-man squad could embark on anything with less than a 20 capacity.

 

That is part of his question.  In order to embark a 20-man squad in to two Transports, only part of the unit would be Embarked on any Transport at some point.

Edited December 8, 2017 by Kristoff

[Lord_Caerolion]

And to put a final nail in the coffin, the rulebook states that "a unit must be set up and finish any sort of move as a group". Even though they're 'not on the table', it'd be hard to say that embarking in two different vehicles is finishing your move as a group.