[Throwback] 5th Edition Vehicles and Assaults Rules Question

[FLAKPANZER]

Hi folks,

 

Some friends and I have been playing 5th Edition 40k, and a question came up regarding vehicles in assaults. 

I'm hoping some of you can put on your wayback hats and help answer.

 

If a vehicle that is not a Tank has enemy models that are around it after surviving an assault phase, can it simply move through them as if they are not there in the Vehicle's subsequent Movement Phase?

 

Normally, you can't move within 1" of an enemy, but the enemy models in this case are already in contact with the vehicle due to the assault, so we are wondering how this is handled.

 

P. 57 notes that during the Movement phase "Just like other units, vehicles cannot move over friendly models." It doesn't mention enemy models in this section, but I assume that enemy models are included.*

 

P. 63 notes "The vehicle and the enemy remain where they are and are free to simply move away in future turns."

The same page also notes "Enemy models that are in base contact with a vehicle are not locked in combat and can therefore be shot during the shooting phase," followed by "If a vehicle pivots on the spot (to shot at its attackers for example), move these models out of the way as you shift the vehicle and then place them back into base contact with the vehicle."

 

P.68 under "Tank Shock!" notes "This is an exception to the rule that enemy models cannot be moved through."

 

Thanks in advance for any insight!

 

 

*Was there ever a 40k 5th FAQ available? If so, does anyone still have a copy or a link to a website where it might still be found?

[templargdt]

Hi Flak, yes, there were FAQs back during 5th edition.  There was no set schedule and they just randomly appeared on the website with no announcements as I recall.  In this way, GW has become 100 percent better.

I delete all the old FAQs off my computer, so I no longer have them.  A search on the wayback machine may yield some results.  I have some other suggestions that I will PM you.

 

As to the specific rules question, its obviously been a very long time, but if the vehicle in question is not a vehicle (Tank) and cannot Tank Shock, its probably just stuck in combat.  I recycled my 5th edition rulebook a long time ago, sorry.

Enjoy 5th!  Aside from the awful 5th edition codex: space marines, it was a lot of fun.  It's the edition I started playing in.

[Dr_Ruminahui]

templarknight has it right, I think - my recollection of pre-8th (for me, 3rd, 4th and 5th are all kind of a blur) is that the only way for a vehicle to drive through other models was by tank shock, which only models with the "tank" rule (keyword?) could do.

 

As well, if your unit could fly, you could also leave combat if you were a vehicle, but that's because you could move over rather than through models.

[Dam13n]

5th didn't have keywords. It did, however, have unit types.

 

Units with the type "Vehicle (Tank)" were permitted to use a Tank Shock in order to move through an enemy unit. The rules for which are found on page 68 of the 5th edition rulebook.

 

Vehicles that were not Tanks are unable to perform Tank Shocks, so may not move through enemy units. With 2 exceptions: 1 - Skimmers can ignore intervening units when moving (they move over them, rather than through them); 2 - Ork vehicles with Ram upgrades could perform Tank Shocks despite not being tanks thanks to the Ram's special rules.

 

So:

 

If you have a vehicle that cannot move away without moving through an enemy model and you lack either of the "Tank" or "Skimmer: Vehicle sub-types (or a special rule that permits Tank Shocks), then you are effectively locked in and unable to move. You can, however, still target the enemy unit(s) with shooting attacks and/or assault them with your own infantry in an effort to drive them off or kill them.

 

To the best of my recollection, there was no FAQ that affected these rules as presented in the Rulebook.