Warhammer 40,000 3rd Edition
Rules Clarifications
by Jervis Johnson
Assaults
Just to make things clear, in order to take part in an assault, at least one model from the unit must be in base to base contact with an enemy model. Just being within 2" of an enemy model is not enough (models within 2" provide _support_, but can't initiate an assault). This means that a teleporting terminator unit can never be involved in an assault on the turn it lands. It also means that a unit which launches an assault into difficult terrain may end up not making contact, in which case no combat will take place (though the charging unit will still get to make its move).
As an aside, originally Deep Strikers were allowed to assault when they landed, but play-testing showed that this just made them too powerful, especially in the case of Terminators. As a general principle we've tried to make sure that elite or special troops are useful, but not overpowering, and keeping a lid on special rules such as infiltration and deep strike was one way we went about this.
Jervis Johnson
Ork Transports
Ork transports come with an integral krew, just like any other vehicle. It is the intgral crew that are killed in the destruction of the vehicle, while the passengers get a chance to survive its destruction.
While on the subject of surviving destruction of transport vehicles, you might like to try the following rule we're testing for the Ork codex for Wartruk mobs. Basically, trukker boyz get pretty used to falling out of their transport vehicles, and have learnt to try and make sure that they land on their heads in order to avoid any serious injury. Because of this they only take a wound when their truk is destroyed if the opponent rolls a '6', rather than on a 4+ as is normally the case. Note that this only applies to the boyz in wartruk mobs, and is not a universal Ork rule.
Jervis Johnson
Independent Characters' Wargear
Gee, I think some of you guys are really tying yourself up in knots over this stuff!
Basically, when you pick a independent character, you tool them up with Wargear, then add the Command Squad (or equivalent). The character stops being independent if a unit is assigned to him, but as the wargear was purchased previous to this point, it doesn't stop him having it.
The note that Jump Packs and Bikes may only be used in the rest of the unit has them only applies if the character is part of a unit (i.e. has been assigned a command unit or equivalent). It does not stop the character joining other units during the game if he remains an indpendednt character during army selection. It's also a good example of a 'fail-safe' rule. As it is, it's redundent in the Space Marine Codex, because the Command Squad can't have such things, while models like vetern sergeants are caught by the 'IC Characters only' limitation, but we know from experience that rules about common items this have a tendancy to be 'cut and pasted' and used again, and in other lists there might not be the other limitations that there are in the Space Marine Codex.
Jervis Johnson
Allocating Hits in Assaults
It has to be said that the rules for allocating attackings in close combat are at best unclear and in some cases contradictory. This has mainly come about because we forgot to include a discrete section telling *how* to allocate a units close combat attacks at the start of a close combat phase rules. Andy will be covering this in Chapter Approved in White Dwarf, but for the time being, here's my version of how to do it.
There is an important difference between the way you allocate shooting and close combat attacks. Shooting attacks are made by a _unit_ at an enemy _unit_, while close combat attacks are made by a _model_ at an enemy _unit_ or _character_. This means models from the same unit can attack different enemy units in the close combat phase. Attacks are allocated in initiative order when a model is due to fight.
A model can allocate an attack against an enemy unit or character. You must pick an enemy unit or character that is in base contact if possible, or an enemy unit or character within 2" if no enemy are in base contact. If several enemy characters/units are eligable, you may choose which the model will attack.
VERY IMPORTANT: Characters that are part of an enemy unit, including character upgrades like veteran sergeants or nobs, are treated as seperate units for the purposes of allocating attacks in close combat. So if you were fighting an Ork mob led by a Nob, and the Nob was in base contact, you'd have to allocte the attack against him. If both a boy and the nob were in contact, you could pick to have the model either allocate the attack against the unit or the character.
Attacks allocated against a character can only wound that character; excess wounds don't carry over to other models nearby. Wounds from attacks allocated to a unit are first taken on models in base contact with the attacker, then on models within 2", and then on models further away. Where there is a choice between equally eligable models, the defedning player may choose which models he will lose. Please note that in a multiple combat excess wounds do not carry over from unit to unit; if you wipe a unit out any 'left over' wounds are wasted. In other words, you can only harm the unit or character that the attack was allocated to.
In order to speed up play we _highly_ recommend rolling all attacks against a single unit at the same time, rather than on a model by model basis. So if several models allocated attacks against the same target unit, you simply should roll all the attacks together, and then have the defender removes models starting with those in base contact, etc. The only time you *have* to allocate attacks made on a unit on a model by model basis is if models in the unit have differing toughnesses or armour saves.
Phew! Hopefully this will cover most of the questions about allocating attacks in close combat. If not, watch out for Andy's version in White Dwarf in a couple of months time.
Jervis