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I have a query regarding the Gud Dokter. He and his unit have the requirement to move towards and assault the nearest unit "if possible". There is no requirement to shoot at or run towards the nearest unit. Can he use running or shooting at a different unit to avoid assaulting the closest one? What happens if I end up the same distance away from more than one enemy unit during the movement phase? Do I get to choose which unit to assault, or do I have to charge the original closest one first? I doubt I HAVE to multi-assault, so I imagine I would get to choose.

don't quote me on this, but i remember reading in the rule book that if you are equidistant when required to do something you get to choose

Ghenghis Jon wrote: Can he use running or shooting at a different unit to avoid assaulting the closest one?

No.

I don't recall off the top of my head if it's actually spelt out anywhere this edition, but in general you can't take a voluntary action if it would prevent you from doing something mandatory.

What happens if I end up the same distance away from more than one enemy unit during the movement phase?

The chances of you actually being exactly the same distance from two different units are fairly remote... but on the off-chance that it does ever happen, I would suggest just rolling off... Evens you assault this unit, Odds you assault that one.

insaniak wrote:I don't recall off the top of my head if it's actually spelt out anywhere this edition, but in general you can't take a voluntary action if it would prevent you from doing something mandatory.

This answers nothing if it is not written out. I'm pretty sure you are right about this, but I can't find it.

insaniak wrote:The chances of you actually being exactly the same distance from two different units are fairly remote... but on the off-chance that it does ever happen, I would suggest just rolling off... Evens you assault this unit, Odds you assault that one.

Actually, I was specifically referring to moving and stopping 1" from two different units, which does happen quite often. Once again, this answers nothing if it is not written out. Any ideas where these rules might be hiding?

Ork FAQ wrote:Q. Can Grotsnik board a vehicle if doing so will get him closer to the nearest enemy than if he moved normally? (p59)
A. In the spirit of the rule, if embarking in a vehicle will not prevent him from charging that turn and will also get him closer to the nearest enemy than moving normally that turn, he may do that. Once aboard, the vehicle must always move in such a way as to move as fast as possible towards the closest enemy and allow Grotsnik to disembark and charge the closest enemy as soon as possible.

If you look within it you will see that the "spirit" of the rule is that you cannot do anything that would prevent Mad Dok from charging this turn

Ghenghis Jon wrote:

insaniak wrote:I don't recall off the top of my head if it's actually spelt out anywhere this edition, but in general you can't take a voluntary action if it would prevent you from doing something mandatory.

This answers nothing if it is not written out. I'm pretty sure you are right about this, but I can't find it.

Does it really need to be written?

If you have something that you must do, and choose to do something that means that you can't do the thing that you must do, then you have broken the rule.

The 'if possible' on the end of the rule is simply there to cover those turns where he's not actually in range to assault anything.

You need to move towards the closest unit as fast as possible. You do not have to run as this would preclude you from assaulting. If you opt to shoot, it needs to be at the closest unit (i.e. the one you would assault).

Now, with some clever maneuvering, you could potentially move your models so they stay within 1" of the 1st unit and end up 1" away from another unit. At this point, they should have the option to assault either unit or both. And, to anyone who said this was cheesy or shenanigans, I would respond with a. I am playing within the context of a dumb rule b. you should not have left your guys so bunched up that I could pull this off.

Mad Dok's rule is the only rule with a 'spirit' of the rule. Doing something that breaks the 'spirit' breaks the FAQ and causes an argument.

insaniak wrote:Does it really need to be written?

Yes.

Green is Best! wrote:You need to move towards the closest unit as fast as possible. You do not have to run as this would preclude you from assaulting. If you opt to shoot, it needs to be at the closest unit (i.e. the one you would assault).

Now, with some clever maneuvering, you could potentially move your models so they stay within 1" of the 1st unit and end up 1" away from another unit. At this point, they should have the option to assault either unit or both.

A similar thread on Rage has given me a few ideas on how to treat this situation. The main thing is that there are only certain times you are given permission to measure which enemy unit is closest. I make this determination in the movement phase, and it does not change for that turn even if that unit is no longer the closest due to casualty removal in the shooting phase. If I Waaagh!, I can still run towards that unit and attempt to assault it. If I don't Waaagh!, the shooting phase gets a little funny. If I am indeterminably 5-7" away or so, I imagine I would have to keep with the spirit of the game and eyeball the distance to determine if I could Run or not, as this would preclude me from assaulting that turn. Even though shooting at the unit may prevent me from assaulting due to casualty removal, but I do not think it would the spirit of the rule would prevent me from doing so. I think he main idea of "the spirit of the rule" is that I focus on one unit determined during the Movement Phase and do everything I can to assault it. This would include not running while obviously within 6" to avoid assaulting that turn (for whatever reason). If I wind up equidistant from 2 different units at the beginning of my Movement Phase, I would get to choose which one I wish to assault, as the Mad Dok's inclination is not the blind rage of a psychopath, but the measured deliberation of a sociopath. As far as multi-assaults go, I also think that as long as I assault my original target first, I can attempt multi-assaults afterwards. What do you think?