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I had an interesting situation come up in a game a few weeks ago, and my opponent and I are still trying to figure out how the heck it really should have been resolved. I figured I may as well submit out dilemma to the dakka hive mind. As a Tau player, all my opponents vehicles are skimmers. He had maneuvered one of his hammerheads on top of a building (something I'm still not sure the rules support, but so far haven't found anything that rules either way). He already had some fire warriors in the building, so, I decided to take out two birds with one stone, and bring the building down around his ears. One assault phase and four S10 PK attacks from my warboss later, and the building was destroyed (wrecked). The rules are pretty clear about what's supposed to happen to the infantry garrisoned in the building, but we were both clueless about what should happen to the hammerhead. Should it simply float down to the smoking pile of rubble that used to be the building and go on it's merry way? Should the vehicle be forced to "disembark" and exit the area terrain left over by the destruction of the building? We were clueless, and couldn't find a rule to address the situation (my primary point in stating that putting the hammerhead on top of the building shouldn't have been allowed in the first place). So I guess I've really got two questions:

1. Can skimmers end their movement phase on top of a building?
2. If so, what happens if that building is destroyed?

Obviously a "No" to the first is going to render the second question moot. Any help you folks here could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Depends on what a "building" was being classified as. If it's just difficult terrain than yes, however he'd need to take a terrain test when ending/beginning his movement there IIRC.

Skimmers can end their movement on top of any type of terrain assuming there is actually room to set down the model.

Buildings becomes wrecks in the same way that vehicles does.
Here you (as in "you and your opponent") have a decision to make. Either classify the building-model as difficult/dangerous terrain and leave it in place, or replace it with a ruin.

The first option is pretty simple. The outcome is that the skimmer is standing on top of a piece of dangerous terrain and will have to take a dangerous terrain test when leaving it or moving around on it.
The second option requires you (same "you" as above) to find a ruin-model and replace it with the original building-model. As the rules doesn't describe what happens if the skimmer cannot be placed on top of the ruins I suggest you pick a ruin that allows for just such a placement. There is no need to invite an unresolvable rules-situation by insisting on using a ruin that doesn't allow placing the skimmer back on.
Should no such ruin-model exist use the first option. After all, replacing with a ruin is optional.

Should the building suffer an Explodes! result on the vehicle-damage table, the building is replaced with a piece of area terrain following the same guide-lines as vehicles (though worded slightly differently). The rules have no specific answer as to what happens to skimmer "parked" on top.

The fact that the rules are woefully unclear as to how a skimmer landed on top interacts with the destruction (fully or partially) of the building, does not prevent the skimmer from landing on top of it in the first place. Those rules are thankfully clear.




....

Skimmer, jump packs and jet bikes can all land on otherwise Impassable terrain, as long as there is room, by taking a dangerous terrain test.
So the Building roof IS otherwise impassable, so it is perfectly fine, if a little dangerous, for the skimmer to land there.

Steelmage gave you the alternatives there - if you just Wrecked it you have the easiest solution, if you exploded it then you need to have the skimmer find room in the crater for the embarked troops AND the skimmer

I thought the rules clearly stated that.other units may not be on top of an occupied building. It'd be like you landing a landspeeder on top of a rhino. Check the building rules.

Saptilladerky wrote:I thought the rules clearly stated that.other units may not be on top of an occupied building. It'd be like you landing a landspeeder on top of a rhino. Check the building rules.

You thought wrong.

Steelmage99 wrote:

Saptilladerky wrote:I thought the rules clearly stated that.other units may not be on top of an occupied building. It'd be like you landing a landspeeder on top of a rhino. Check the building rules.

You thought wrong.

Pg 79, left hand side, 3rd paragraph under 'Occupying Buildings', last sentence. Saptilladerky is partially right.

Indeed, I stand partially corrected.

The presence of enemy models inside the building does prevent my skimmer from landing on top of it.

But the presence of an enemy skimmer on top of the building does not prevent my troops from embarking into it.

Pg 80, right hand side, second paragraph, last sentence: BUILDINGS AND RUINS: Use Your Imagination!: "As with most other things that we have discussed in this section, the only limits are the buildings you own and your imagination."

That's right Muppet Babies, YOU get the chance to make up any fun, playable, realistic or not ruling YOU want when it comes to Buildings and Ruins. This is definitely a British sport, as being a Gentleman and coming to a mutual agreement with your opponent trumps any written or implied rule in the game.

I would let your skimmer land and disembark troops on top of a building even if it was already occupied inside, just to give it the +1 to Vehicle Damage Table result and to have the Skimmer take a Dangerous Terrain Test upon landing. If I Wrecked the Building, then everybody would be forced to disembark and take a Pinning Test, including the skimmer who would take a Dangerous Terrain Test. Emergency Disembarkation rules would apply. If I Destroyed the building, then everybody would take a S3 hit. If the building was replaced with a ruin, all of the models would be placed in the ruins. If the Building was not replaced by a Ruin or they didn't all fit, they would Emergency Disembark next to the building. The Skimmer takes a Dangerous Terrain Test whether it is placed inside or out of the Ruin.

Once again, this comes down to having fun and a mutual agreement over an intentionally vague aspect of the game.