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My search function tends to include every post ever made where someone mentioned the words I've input. Is there a way just to search thread titles?

At any rate, my question is about something that's come up occasionally about charging into a combat that's already going on. Say I have a daemon prince fighting some space marines. I kill a few, they wound me, they hold, onto my opponent's turn. He charges me with a captain. I want to use my higher initiative to kill the charging captain before he gets a chance to hurt me with his power weapon. Occasionally I'm told I'm not allowed to do this, and people try to point me towards the multiple assaults section of the rulebook.

Problem is, when I read that, I don't see anything wrong. Here's the relevant rules:

Multiple Combats, page 41

First of all, the very first thing it says to do, is that when you charge into an enemy that's already fighting someone else, they still get a reaction move and so they'll still move any models not in btb into btb, even if it's against the new unit.

Then it says:
"In multiple combats, when it is time for a model to attack, the following extra rules apply:

- Models that were engaged with just one of the enemy units at the beginning of the combat (before any model attacked) must attack that unit.

- Models that were engaged with more than one enemy unit at the beginning of the combat (before any model attacked) may split their attacks freely between those units. Declare how they are splitting their attacks immediately before rolling to hit."


Now if it said the start of the assault phase, I'd agree with these players but first it says you move people into combat. Then, when it's time for the model to attack, the only point you check is the "before any models attacked" thing. At the start of this combat, the multiple combat we're dealing with now, my prince was engaged with both the space marines and the captain. It must be this way. Before the captain joined in, I was of course only engaged with one unit. But it's not a multiple combat then. Only when the captain jumps in, which means he's now engaged and I'm engaged with multiple units, is it a multiple assault.

Thus, when we look at who is engaging who at the start of this combat [which started when the captain joined in], I'm engaging more than one enemy unit and can attack whoever I want.

I think the only time the first rule will ever come into effect is when a model is in btb with enemy unit A, but within supporting attack range of a friendly model that's fighting enemy unit B. Should the enemy from unit A that's btb with my guy die before my guy gets a chance to attack, he must still lend his attacks against what is left of unit A, because that's what he was engaged with. He can't support my guy fighting enemy unit B, because he was engaged only with enemy unit A.

Aside from that, I can't see there to be much point to this rule.

The problem is simply people getting confused between the start of the round of combat and the start of the phase.

It's a very common issue, but you're spot on with your interpretation of the rules. The start of the round of combat is the point at which you are beginning that specific group's attacks... which happens after chargers are moved and defenders react.

Take a look at the BBB FAQ too, they changed some of the wording on those rules.

Yeah they change "combat" to "round of combat" which pretty much seals the deal.

They also add a third bullet point which describes the situation I just lined up in my last example, so yeah. Hooray, no more "your defiler has to attack termagaunts while my tervigon pummels him into the ground" BS.

yeah this issue used to make my head spin when people would try and use it to their advantage in a tournament game. Only to be made worse when the TO didn't get it either....

I misunderstood this rule and misplayed this in a Ard Boyz semi two years ago. It made my lesser daemons a bit nastier. I was really embarassed afterward when I realised my mistake.

Spellbound wrote:Yeah they change "combat" to "round of combat" which pretty much seals the deal.

They also add a third bullet point which describes the situation I just lined up in my last example, so yeah. Hooray, no more "your defiler has to attack termagaunts while my tervigon pummels him into the ground" BS.

How i see it and it may be the same as you. If you are talking about a group of space Marines and a IC when the first assaults starts , they are counted as one unit until the attacks are resolved. So this would not be a Multiple combat.
Now if the IC came after they were locked into combat for a round and then jump in it would then be a Multiple combat. If you read page 48 and 41, this is what i took from it because of the wording. You are right about when IC or the other unit joins the Assault, as long as they are in btb or 2" way from there own model that are base to base. They then react as normal and attack either group. This is how i read it ?