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Movement Clarification

2K views 22 replies 11 participants last post by  Zidi 
#1 ·
This came up at a game night for me. Can a unit move within 1inch of an enemy as long as it doesn't finish within 1 inch of an enemy. The rules don't make that very clear.

Ie. Can i leave a 1.5 inch gap between a vehicle and impassible terrain such that would stop models passing through the gap in the opposition movement phase? Or is it ok so long as they finish 1inch apart from the vehicle?
 
#2 ·
P11 of the big book says "A unit may not move within 1'' of an enemy model unless assaulting."

Seems fairly clear to me. Can't come within an inch of it at any time, regardless of where you end up.
 
#3 ·
Whilst I read the rules on this the same as ze_poodle I don’t play the game that way.

If there was a 1.5” gap to squeeze through between enemy models then I would allow it if the start and finish points were more than 1” away from them.

The rule concerned here is called “Models in the Way” and I don’t see anything in the way here, I am not going through any base or hull area, over or under it in any way and the game does not measure along the imaginary line of movement with 1” either side of it.

I am sure that this will be a can of worms though.

Cheers.
 
#4 ·
We came upon the same issue. It isn't particularly clear. Because i personally assumed it meant they could not move with 1inch of another model at any time. Which makes sense does it not? But its really a question of if it applies at end of movement or during movement.

I don't have a rule book on me, but does the "models in the way" rule refer to the problem in a way that implies you would be moving with 1 inch of something? Or does it refer to assault movements only?
 
#5 · (Edited)
The rule is for all phases of the game undeniably and can be broken only during the assault phase but I really don’t see that the “Models in the Way” rule should be “Models in the Way plus 1” room to move.

The enemies base area is the blocker during movement and the enemies base area plus 1” is exclusion zone at the end points of movement, at least that’s how I see it.

P.S. The end points only matter because thats where you can physically measure from. I know Fallback has rules for guided travel but I don't think that anything like that applies here.
Hmm, actually if you view the pic on Fallback you will note that there is no 1" gap between the travel lines and the Impassable terrain and since all models are treated as Impassable terrain...
 
#6 ·
A model which is not assaulting may never -at any time- move within 1" of an enemy model. (Page 11, big rulebook.)
Moves are not only measured from their end points. Moves are measured along the entire route of movement. Otherwise a squad moving around to the other side of some impassable terrain, for example, could move much further than allowed - measuring its movement distance from start-point to start-point. The entire route the unit represented by the model is imagined to move along is required to adhere all restrictions of movement - one of which is never moving within 1" of an enemy model unless assaulting. If we did not account for these restrictions along the move, we could end up moving models through gaps smaller than their base sizes or warp through impassable terrain and enemy units entirely, checking only start and end points for legal positions.
Note that the text is worded such that models can not move through gaps between friendly models smaller than its base size. For enemy models this gap must not be smaller than base size plus two extra inches (one on each side), thus making it impossible to move between two models of a coherent enemy non-vehicle unit even for the smallest base sizes available. And that enemy models are treated as impassable terrain does in no way nullify the additional restriction that models which are not assaulting may never move within 1" of them.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Hi Red,
I agree with how the rules play out, it’s more that I don’t play it that way usually.

If there was a gap slightly larger than my models base then I slide on through – but only if I start and end at least 1” away from the enemy so this very, very rarely happens and I have only done it with a lone character.

In other words I don’t use proximity along the travel line, as to me the model is not really there.

But let me ask you this, how do you play –
• A Skimmer that lands on a Ruin one floor up above an enemy vehicle but it’s within 1” of it,
• Friendly and enemy models either side of a very thin wall but within 1” of each other,
• After a round of close combat against a vehicle, the vehicle survives and refuses to move away. You want to fire your heavy weapons in your next shooting phase so are you forced to move away in your move because of the 1” assault rule and then you must deny heavy weapons fire?
Just curious about all this here, as I have allowed it in the past.

And there are exceptions to the 1” rule, it’s not the iron-clad beast we think it is. Tank Shock and Ramming come to mind and I am sure that there could be some Codex based ones also.

Thanks guys.
 
#8 ·
Agree with Red here. The rule seems pretty conclusive. Even in theory it makes much more sense, main reasoning being that in every other context the unit of models are a representation of the unit on the battlefield. They are moving and fighting together, shooting and ducking; they are not static pylons which you can skate around in practice and don't react to your movements. I see no viable reason to allow a unit or a single model to just skip through a unit of enemies.
 
#13 ·
Some surprisingly excellent points Wicky. I'm inclined to agree with you, but not in the case of moving past enemy models within 1". That inch, in my opinion, represents their reach, so it wouldn't make sense to just shimmy on by them. I see your case for the models not really being the actual position for the actual fighters (they are constantly moving about), but the models are still representative of their position, and movement rules should not be broken with that as an excuse.
 
#18 ·
Ok, I like that very much!

I can exist within 1” but I can’t move to within 1” of an enemy model unless assaulting.

Fair enough, I am done here mate and I can’t twist this thread to my evil designs any longer!

Cheers (dang, there goes my house rule up in smoke!)
 
#19 ·
I can exist within 1” but I can’t move to within 1” of an enemy model unless assaulting.
It's not as awkward as it seems. It's basically being in the assault, it just so happens that being in an assault with a vehicle without a weapon skill does not leave your unit locked and thus enables your unit to either move away and/or shoot weapons.
 
#20 ·
The rulebook actually makes it very clear(pg 63 "Successive Turns") that a unit that has assaulted a vehicle can remain in base contact with it during successive turns, and can continue to exist there until the next assault phase. In fact the vehicle can even pivot around without tank shocking them as well, as you are simply supposed to move the models back into base contact after it pivots.
 
#22 ·
I guess in my group it's just never really come up. We've always moved our models in what we've seen to be a "realistic" way, which of course is bound to be subjective. In the case of the skimmer we would've let it go there because skimmers hover, so I guess we just assume there's an unsaid sub-clause which allows Skimmers to be closer. As to the models within 1" of each other but split by a wall, we'd allow that too, since it doesn't effect the game too much and makes more sense. As far as I see it, the 1" rule is designed to prevent confusion in regards to whether a unit is assaulting another unit or not, which has never really been a problem for our group. Still, the rules are the rules, and unless you house-rule differently, then you play by them.
 
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