Drop pod: how to measure when deploying for charging units?

[XeonDragon]

So, question about deploying a drop pod.

 

Say you find a little spot in your opponents screen - more than 9 inches from each enemy model. Does that spot have to be big enough for the drop pod to be placed as you want?

 

By that I mean  would there have to be 9 inches from the base or 9 inches from the door?

 

Reason for asking is I played someone who found a spot, and yes, the drop pod could fit and yes, it was 9 inches from the base but then he deployed it with the doors open, got his vanguard vets out and only had a tiny charge to make.

 

I was cool with it, but some other players I spoke with later got into a very... animated discussion about whether that was rules compliant or not.

 

What thinks ye fellow players, what thinks ye?

Edited November 2, 2020 by XeonDragon

[Dr_Ruminahui]

In 9th ed, for any model without a base, every part of the model counts for measuring distance - so much so that if you rotate your turret, you need to measure how far it travelled and that counts out of your move distance.  There is no longer any rule about falgs, wings, etc. being ignored.

 

So, if you deploy the pod with doors open, the doors must be more then 9" from the enemy.

[Marshal Valkenhayn]

Furthermore, the vets that jump out of it have to be 9 away as well, so he couldn't have left the doors closed and jumped the vets out within 3" from the base to have a 6" charge either. 

 

In general, unless your opponent is playing an army that has a strat or ability specifically stating it lets them deploy within 9", they can't loop hole it to happen. Armies that can do that are Custodes, GSC, Assassins, etc, and they have conditions.

Edited November 2, 2020 by Marshal Valkenhayn

[XeonDragon]

Thanks all, good to know for the next time I play him! 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

IN case you want to have a better argument than "2 guys on the internet said so", the rules for measuring distances are on page 199 of the Core Rule Book (page 58 of the Grand Tournament 2020 Mission Pack) - the important bit is that "Hull = any part of a model that does not have a base" (my emphasis).

 

As for the part where I talk about turrets rotating counts as movement, that's at page 206 of the Core Rule Book (page 63 of the Mission Book), in the second paragraph under "1. Move Units".

 

As for the rules regarding whether models disembarking from the drop pod have to be outside of 9", that would be in the rules contained on the drop pods datasheet - I don't have the codex, so I can't give you a page number or the name of the rule on the datasheet - sorry.