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I am sure this one has been answered before but I cannot remember and found nothing suitable with searchy.

If a WWP is surrounded by enemy models can skimmers such as a raider still fly out after they come in from reserve. I am aware that the WWP is treated like a board edge.

Thanks for your HELP!



- G

As the author of the 40k online DE FAQ this comes up quite a bit.  After months of discussions and going back and forth we settled on this answer:

Q:  Does a fully surrounded Webway Portal still allow your reserves to enter play?
A:  Note that it says in the FAQ that you have to surround the portal, i.e not park on it.  Two camps on this one and this is hotly contested, so ask before hand.  However the vast majority of players believe that a skimmer can enter play because it is not blocked by enemy models, as a matter of fact you can fly over enemy units with Slave snares.  Just be sure to end their move more than 1'' from the enemy.  Page 70 of the rulebook:  "Skimmers can always choose to move over enemy troops and this neither impedes their movement nor harms the troops below."  Unless they have slave snares of course hehe.  Footslogging models can still be blocked by your opponent in this manner, and a Talos could be viewed as a footslogger since it is not really a skimmer.

So the two camps are this for a skimmer.  Is the skimmer denied entry onto the table from reserves if the Webway portal is surrounded by enemy troops?

No, if you consider that its first action on the table is measured at the end of its movement onto the table.
Yes, if you consider that its first action on the table is measured at the start of its movement onto the table.

This based on a combination of several rules being that of “a model may not move within 1” of an enemy model except when charging or in assault”, “skimmers can always choose to move over enemy troops, this neither impedes their movement or harms the troops below”, the reserves rule of “When available, reserves move onto from the player’s deployment zone board edge” and the Webway portal rules of “using the portal marker as a small piece of your own table edge.”


My interpretation has always been that skimmers are not blocked and footsloggers are.  But, if you remove the offending models around the WWP then footsloggers can the pour out.  In the DE FAQ it says to protect your portal for a reason, so every tournament I go to and plan on using portals I ask in advance for a ruling.  Everytime so far at tournaments and at my local Battle Bunker Memphis it has been ruled that skimmers fly over models surrounding the portal.  But, ask first is my best advice.

By the GW FAQ as written, no.

By the way most of us believe it is intended to be played, yes.

ah this is handy thanks guys