Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Can you do it? This just happened between 2 friends playing. We couldn't find anything in the rulebook so we just ruled that you couldn't, though the Tau player wanted it to work so he could knock some troops off an objective.

Thoughts?

No you can't read the tank shock rules it strictly forbids you tank shocking through any of your units as soon as it reaches a friendly uinit the tank shock ends. If the tau player wanted to do that he'd have to move his other skimmers out fo the way. If they could not move because of immobilized/stunned then no he couldn't do it...

Good, then I'm glad we/they ruled it the right way.

Uh... aren't all Tau tanks skimmers? Aka they could fly over the intervening skimmers?

Yes, thats right, assuming a few things here:

The Tau player was using a Tau skimmer to do the TS, then yes, he could fly over the friendly models, and then TS the enemy troops on the other side.

Eldar are the same way, happens all the time.

Augustus wrote:Yes, thats right, assuming a few things here:

The Tau player was using a Tau skimmer to do the TS, then yes, he could fly over the friendly models, and then TS the enemy troops on the other side.

Eldar are the same way, happens all the time.

If you rule like this (does everyone play like this?) where does the tank shocking skimmer end up being in this situation:

Infantry is screened by other vehicles directly in front of the unit.
The tank shocking skimmer flies over the vehicles, intends to tank shock the infantry.
Infantry successfully performs a "Death or Glory", immobilising the skimmer?

Good question!

I don't have an answer for that.

Off the top of my head I would say that I would place the vehicle anywhere there was space along it's strait path before it moved over the other tanks. I am not basing that on any raw I can quote however.

What do you think?

Personally, I would avoid it by not allowing a Tank Shocking skimmer to move over intervening units. But that is likewise not RAW. Or rather, it's based on a selective application of the rule requiring a Tank Shocking vehicle to move in a straight line.

The rulebook says you have to shock straight forwards. I suppose it doesn't say you can't bob up and down as you go.
@ Nivoglibina I suppose as close to the unit as possible without breaking any rules. Or don't allow it as they are sheltering behind the vehicle (Tank would have to shock almost straight down).

If you do bob up and down you have NOT traced a straight line - it is straight in 2D, but not in 3D, and nothing tells you it only has to be a straight line in a 2D plane

going up and down while moving forward is not a straight line...

Like this:




Automatically Appended Next Post:

usernamesareannoying wrote:going up and down while moving forward is not a straight line...

What if it turns sideways to fit between the gap in the rhinos?

: )

I would use a modificationn of what Insaniak said.

You can go over your own units, but only if there is room between your unit and the target for the tank to fit.

Thanks for your thoughts all!
I always figuered you had to move the skimmer close to gound level, making it impossible.
I don't think that that's exactly RaW, because a straight line- not allowing height differences-, would mean a tank could not tank shock in hilly terrain which is clearly silly.
However, disallowing the skimmer "hop" removes other RaW issues so that's an easy fix?

usernamesareannoying wrote:going up and down while moving forward is not a straight line...

But actually enforcing that means that tank shock for non-skimmers only ever works on a perfectly flat table. The smallest bump along th way would stop it.

Hence my pointing out that my take on it is a 'selective application'... I have no problem with tanks moving over small obstacles along the way, but draw the line at moving over other units or larger terrain features.

Well spoken.

I actually have been generally convinced by the "not a strait line" argument. I think that's a better way to play.

I think the rules are nebulous, but I also think erring on the side of the least advantageous interpretation is probably best.

Everyone in this thread see a lot of Tank Shocking objective tactics eh? Particularly with Tau and Eldar and last turns?

In a Tank Shock, friendly models cannot be moved through. The rules specifically say it cannot be attempted if friendly models are in the way.
Even though Skimmer rules say friendly models can be moved over, a Tank Shock is not a normal move. It's described as a tank shock attack that you can declare "instead of moving normally".
So I would say RAW is that Skimmers cannot tank shock through friendly units any more than other tanks.

insaniak wrote:

usernamesareannoying wrote:going up and down while moving forward is not a straight line...

But actually enforcing that means that tank shock for non-skimmers only ever works on a perfectly flat table. The smallest bump along th way would stop it.

Hence my pointing out that my take on it is a 'selective application'... I have no problem with tanks moving over small obstacles along the way, but draw the line at moving over other units or larger terrain features.

agreed and was actually what i was getting at.