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Let's get this out of the way up front. I know that this issue has been talked about a lot, but, the searches I've done indicate not recently and not exactly ifrom this angle. If you have a link to a previous discussion that answers my question, please post it, otherwise, please weigh in.


As I understand it, the 'general consensus' is that drop pod doors are ignored for the purpose of determining distance to enemy models. All distances are measured to and from the hull. Because of this, many players have simply glued their doors shut. Playing strictly by the rules, however, the door petals need to be opened due to the TLoS rules (and also because the pod's weapon is inside those petals). What happens when a pod succesfully deep strikes and deploys the model(s) it is transporting, but then cannot drop some or all of its petals? They measure much more then 1 inch in length. Do they stay up? Do they get dropped down later? Do you fudge it?

The Crippler wrote:Let's get this out of the way up front. I know that this issue has been talked about a lot, but, the searches I've done indicate not recently and not exactly ifrom this angle. If you have a link to a previous discussion that answers my question, please post it, otherwise, please weigh in.


As I understand it, the 'general consensus' is that drop pod doors are ignored for the purpose of determining distance to enemy models. All distances are measured to and from the hull. Because of this, many players have simply glued their doors shut. Playing strictly by the rules, however, the door petals need to be opened due to the TLoS rules (and also because the pod's weapon is inside those petals). What happens when a pod succesfully deep strikes and deploys the model(s) it is transporting, but then cannot drop some or all of its petals? They measure much more then 1 inch in length. Do they stay up? Do they get dropped down later? Do you fudge it?

The door Petals do not need to be opened.

RaW, if you don't, then the Storm Bolter cannot fire however.

Most people simply ignore all the doors for all purposes. I personally magnetise the doors so they either are On the hull or completely off. Makes life easier.

Gwar wrote:The door Petals do not need to be opened.

RaW, if you don't, then the Storm Bolter cannot fire however.

Hmm. I read the transport rule (p.69, codex Space Marines) as saying I have to open the doors. "Once the Drop Pod has landed, the hatches are blown and all passengers must immediately disembark." I know there's no rules definition for 'blown hatches' but I think the intent is clear. The fire points and access points paragraph also seems to back this up by saying 'Once deployed the Drop Pod is no longer a sealed environment and is therefore counted as being open-topped."

I actually like what you're suggesting as friendly way to handle the problem, however. If you can't open the petals, you can still deploy your models as normal, but you cannot fire the drop pod's weapons system.

I interpret the hatches being blown as the doors falling completely off, so no petals and an empty "core" of the pod.

That's why trying to determine the "intent" is not a good idea, it just leads to problems.

You have to agree pre game what to do.

I have had my opponent lift his models up then place them back on the doors if needed just making sure they are not closer than 1" to my hull. But some times terrain prevents them from opening completely or at all and then we just play them as they are not there.

Well if you really want to open them you have two options.

1. Pick up the models and put them on top of the door

2. Open the door and leave it resting on the models it covers.

The first represents that even though the are static on the table, in the real world they would move if a door was going to fall on them.

The second simply is what would happen if that model did not move and a drop pod landed. The doors would not care what they hit as they are blown open.

As for the rules, they are effectivly igonored.

I had mine magnatized and I always leave them closed unless my opponet asked me to open them. If there was a LOS question with them closed, I just gave my opponet the benift of the doubt so that I didn't have to try to make them fit open on the table.

Just don't be 'that guy' who tries to argue that the doors are a part of the vehicle and that you only need to deploy within two inches of the doors that happen to get opened in whatever direction favors him the most. Seriously, don't do this. People will hate you. A lot.

Everyone I've played that isn't pants-on-head stupid like the above has just assumed the doors aren't there, even if they glued them shut.

Well since the doors get blown and clearly are open to some degree to allow the models to exit, why not just treat the deployed pod as area terrain, thereby just conferring a cover save to anything behind it?

Please note that there is no requirement for you to model your Drop Pods with doors at all. You can simply leave the petals off altogether. It's as legal as a Rhino with open hatches. This allows you to fire the storm bolter without having to worry about which way you're facing the damn thing when it lands.

Then again, two S4 shots at 24", OOOH FEARSOME. Personally I wouldn't give two hoots if the storm bolter could or couldn't fire.

as above, I would suggest magnetizing them for coolness sake but when they get in the way, don't worry about it.

Like everyone else, we play that the doors just flat out don't exist. However, I painted my doors and all of the interior damn it and if possible, I open them and deploy my guys onto them. But if the doors just can't be opened for what ever reason, so be it. The stormbolter still shoots and LOS can be drawn through the door however, cover saves are allowed since if you actually look model eye view through a drop pod, the center console and restrains very much block most LOS.

SaintHazard wrote:Please note that there is no requirement for you to model your Drop Pods with doors at all. You can simply leave the petals off altogether. It's as legal as a Rhino with open hatches. This allows you to fire the storm bolter without having to worry about which way you're facing the damn thing when it lands.

Then again, two S4 shots at 24", OOOH FEARSOME. Personally I wouldn't give two hoots if the storm bolter could or couldn't fire.

It's not the stormbolter, it's the Deathwind Launcher, which spells death (+wind?) for my poor huddled masses of DE warriors.