Terrain, hidden and solid floors

[Galron]

Ok, maybe this is because I played the last two editions on essentially set it up like we want boards and the three different groups I play with play each differently but how does terrain work? By playing differently I mean, one group played with the bottom floor closed, one group played closed but windows and doors were still open and could be shot through, the last group played book rules where if you were in the terrain you were visible but got a cover save. It was always annoying remember the rules each time I went somewhere. Even worse when I suffered a brain fart and was playing mixed rules at the same time and not even realizing it.

 

So with the new rules, is terrain open thus utilizing the new hidden mechanic for units that dont shoot out of it or are the bottom floors closed and no one can shoot in or out? How do vehicles toe into terrain and shoot out like I keep hearing if the latter is the case? The one game I have played we just played everything as closed for simplicity's sake but neither of us nor the adjacent table playing knew the real correct answer. 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

This is all set out at page 50 of the Core Rules PDF.  Basically, 11th ed. characterizes terrain in 2 ways:

   a) terrain areas - the footprint or template of the terrain.

   b) terrain features - the vertical elements of the terrain.

 

For the below, its important to remember that "in" means any part of the model or its base being in - so includes models that are just touching the terrain area.

 

If all models in an infantry, beast or swarm unit are in any terrain area and/or are obscured (so, LOS is partially or wholy blocked) by terrain areas or features get the benefit of cover (so, get the benefit of -1 BS).  Other types of units cannot get the benefit of cover from terrain unless there are other rules that specifically say they can - they are either in LOS or they aren't.

 

Hidden is on a model by model basis - any infantry, beast or swarm model that is in a unit that didn't shoot in the previous shooting phase that is in a terrain area with light or dense terrain features (PDF just says dense, but this has been FAQed) can be hidden.  While a mdoel is hidden, enemies can't draw LOS to that model unless they are within 15" (plus/minus any modifiers).  The FAQ seems to suggest that if you have LOS to a non-hidden model, you can measure range to shoot the unit to a hidden model, but that seems a bit odd to me and we will see how that works.

 

There is also something called Go to Ground that affects hidden, but to my knowledge at this moment its only in the app, which I don't have, so I can't comment on exactly how it works.

 

Light terrain features are basically low walls.  Dense terrain features are typically high walls.  Dense terrain features have Solid, which means that the bottom 3" of the feature (so, the actual model) blocks LOS regardless of any holes or gaps in the model.

 

So, lets say you have a unit in a fairly typical terrain feature, where on the "front" edge there is a large wall piece at one end, and a small wall piece at the other end, with a gap between them.

 

a)  for a unit fully on the other side (so are not in the terrain area) where no line can be drawn to it from the firing unit without crossing the terrain area, there is no LOS even if you can physically see the model across the terrain.

 

b)  for models in the terrain who can't be physically seen because terrain features are in the way, there is no LOS to those models.  If there is no LOS to the unit as a whole (whether because the models are behind the terrain area as per a), lack LOS because of the terrain features, or are hidden), the unit can only be shot by indirect fire.

 

c)  for models who can be physically seen through a terrain feature, if the feature has Solid (so, all Dense terrain) you pretend you can't and you don't have LOS to that model.  If the feature doesn't have Solid or you can physically draw LOS through it above 3", there is LOS to the model, but the unit may have the benefit of cover (see examples below).

 

d)  for a unit, it has benefit of cover if all models in the unit are in a terrain area, wholely behind a terrain area, or partially behind a terrain area or feature.