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.

I searched the forum and couldn't see anything to answer this (unless I suck using the search function ).

My opponent had a Wave Serpent that he used to tank shock my troop.... however, I had a battle wagon between the serpent and my troop.

My question: is he allowed to fly over the battlewagon to tank shock my troop (or can he fly over multi-floor ruins to tank shock)? Or, would he have to ram the battlewagon first (and destroying it) in order to reach my troop?

He claims that his skimmer can fly over models as per skimmer movement rules, but I said that tank shocking goes by different movement rules.

On pg 68 of rule book, it states "move the vehicle straight forward until it comes into contact with an enemy unit or it reaches the distance declared - no other changes of direction are allowed druing a tank shock".

To me "straight forward" and "no other changes of direction" implies he could only move in a linear straight-line direction.

Am I wrong here?

whembly wrote:I searched the forum and couldn't see anything to answer this (unless I suck using the search function ).

My opponent had a Wave Serpent that he used to tank shock my troop.... however, I had a battle wagon between the serpent and my troop.

My question: is he allowed to fly over the battlewagon to tank shock my troop (or can he fly over multi-floor ruins to tank shock)? Or, would he have to ram the battlewagon first (and destroying it) in order to reach my troop?

He claims that his skimmer can fly over models as per skimmer movement rules, but I said that tank shocking goes by different movement rules.

On pg 68 of rule book, it states "move the vehicle straight forward until it comes into contact with an enemy unit or it reaches the distance declared - no other changes of direction are allowed druing a tank shock".

To me "straight forward" and "no other changes of direction" implies he could only move in a linear straight-line direction.

Am I wrong here?

The rules are not clear, in that they do not tell you what to do either way.

As such, there is no RaW on the matter and you have to make something up.

That being said, I have not come across anyone who finds it acceptable to pick and choose what units to interact with during a tank shock. It's all or nothing.

And don't worry, the search is not the best on Dakka sadly, but Lego is rumoured to be almost done with his prayer to Gork and Mork (involving a lot of Ale).

Personally i Tank shock/ram in a straight line, without flying over anything, with my skimmers.
But to make things more interesting...

whembly wrote:To me "straight forward" and "no other changes of direction" implies he could only move in a linear straight-line direction.

If you restrict up/down movement what happens when you tank shock/ram up/down an incline/decline?

Clearly if you tank shock going up you fly off the table. You just fly away. Like the pansy space elf you are.

I mean...





duh.

♪I would fly to the moon and back if you'll be my baby.♫

It's all relative to what you put the most weight on. That a skimmer can move over enemy models, or that a tank shock moves until it comes into contact with an enemy model. One could also argue that if it is possible for the skimmer to tank shock over enemy models, is it even possible for the skimmer to come into contact with an enemy unit (barring at the extreme end of the move, when it has to touch down on the ground)?

So... I'd just advice to treat a skimmer like a regular ground-based tank in case of tank shocks. Saves headache and argument.

Mahtamori wrote:So... I'd just advice to treat a skimmer like a regular ground-based tank in case of tank shocks. Saves headache and argument.

I agree. Although it's a perfectly good argument that skimmers can fly over something before they tank shock, and realisticly it would be possible (that is if you have a flying tank) but i think it'd be much more simpler that way. Either that or i'd take the roll a dice option.

I didnt think Skimmers COULD tank shock... fluff-wise they could 'buzz' overhead, but I thought they couldnt in the rules...

Either that or the dudes who I play against are pulling my leg.

AvatarForm wrote:I didnt think Skimmers COULD tank shock... fluff-wise they could 'buzz' overhead, but I thought they couldnt in the rules...

Either that or the dudes who I play against are pulling my leg.

If the skimmer has the "tank" rule then yes they may, if they are not then no.

Looking at the rules, I'd say that you can't hop over units.
You don't target a unit with the tank, you declare a direction, and move.
If there is a unit in the path of the tank shock, you have to TS it.

AvatarForm wrote:I didnt think Skimmers COULD tank shock... fluff-wise they could 'buzz' overhead, but I thought they couldnt in the rules...

Either that or the dudes who I play against are pulling my leg.

They can tank shock and they can also fly overhead, it's the skimmer player's choice.

What's not covered by the rules is how selective those two rules are when they are mixed, so just discuss it with your opponent if you feel the need to make a selective tank shock/ram

Thes would be my skimmers and the unit could be "targeted" as the wagon did not block all LoS. As As some people have pointed out there are no rules specifically for this pro or con. This is how it is played at the FLGS and I can see this interpretation. Ramming is a type of tankshocking but tank shocking is not ramming. If a vehicle is in between you and the target of the tankshock it cannot be rammed and units in the way of a ram or after a ram would be tankshocked if you move through them.

Ramming is specifc as to the decalration of the direction and distance (Full speed) and I recall that there are no other actions that can be done by the vehicle during this turn. Can't embark or disemabark (Fast vehicle specific) or shoot. While Tank shocking is less specific, declare the shock and distance. If distance is within cruising speed then fast vehicles may fire. Since normal movement rules allow for skimmers to move over impassable terrain,friendly and enemy units, can we assume that these rules apply? or is it the same as ramming which is specific as to the speed and what is allowed. I would think it is not the latter, as ramming is considered a type of tank shock with specific rules for the movement, but tankshocking is not ramming and the rules for normal movement apply.

You do not target with a tank shock, you simply point in a direction and specify a distance.

You can still disembark or embark passengers after a tanks shock/ram. It is moving flat out that prohibits this for a fast vehicle.

Target is a loose term in decalring your direction and distance you have targeted a squad or squads.Eldar tanks are fast vehicles and ramming requires maximum speeds(flat out) so no embark/disembark. It also makes tank shocking and ramming very differant since you can shock combat speed >0 but must max out for ram.

Instead of starting a new thread with a similar question, I'll just post here: When a skimmer tank shocks and ends passing through a unit standing in difficult terrain, which the skimmer will stop in, when does it take the difficult terrain? As soon as it enters, or only when it ends its movement?

When you end your movement and "land" in it

After reading the rules 5 times I have to agree. you stop were you landed.

I think you have to think of it in real life terms (well as real life as a flying tank is....). If you're the pilot of a flying tank, you're going to go up and over an obstacle to ram the unit beyond the obstacle. In a real battlefield, is a tank that is trying to run down a enemy going plow into a vehicle instead? You're either not going to run down the enemy, or you're going to go around the obstacle (unless the driver is blind, in which case maybe he does ram the obstacle). Same thing with a flying tank. You'd assume the pilot would go up and over the obstacle, seeing as the tank has the ability to fly, unless your specific intention was to ram the obstacle.

Therefore, if it was me, I'd say yes you can go up and over the obstacle, though I may charge a couple inches for the vertical movement (i.e. 2-4 inches taken off the distance you're traveling for going up and then back down).