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.

Under what circumstances - if any - can a unit charge into an assault with multiple targets? I was under the impression that you could only assault a single enemy unit, and if you fired any "assault" or "pistol" weapons in the shooting phase, you had to assault the unit you shot at. Apparently, however, my understanding is incomplete.

The specific tactic I'm thinking about involves a ton of Vanguard Veterans with jump packs and meltabombs heroically intervening up the noses of a parking lot of tanks, but I'm curious about the rule in general.

The first model moved must move into contact with the unit the assault is declared against (and only that unit) following the rules for moving assaulting models.

Subsequent models may then move to make contact with models in other units, provided they end their move in coherency with a model that has already moved and that if possible they make base contact with an enemy model that hasn't already been contacted in a unit that is being assaulted (any unit that you're choosing to assault as part of the multiple assaults.) Again, that's subject to the rules for moving assaulting models.

A bad time to ask this question, what with the "Mandatory Multiple Assaults" thread/debate raging on this board right now. Not your fault though, it's just that time of the month here at YMDC.

The most commonly played and commonly understood (in my experience at least) interpretation of Multiple Assaults is as follows:

1) Declare assaults. If you shot and can still assault, you must declare your target to be the unit that you shot at, if you choose to assault.

2) Move the first model into base contact with the target unit, following the rules for moving assaulting models as you normally would if you just wanted to assault a single target.

3) Begin moving other models in the same way. If any one of these models can reach a different enemy unit from the one it initially targeted, it may "add" that unit as a target and move into base contact with models from that new enemy unit. Remember that assaulting models must still maintain coherency.

4) Continue moving models, either engaging new nearby units or moving models into base contact with the enemy unit (or units) already involved (as per the assault move instructions).

5) Once all models on both sides have made their legal moves, then resolve the combat as a Multiple Combat if necessary (the rules are somewhere in the assault section, with a major paragraph added in the BRB FAQ as well).

So that's basically the gist of it. You just get to add a step in the middle that lets you charge other units "in your path" so to speak.

Hope this helps. Once you get that down (as I said, that's how most players I've met interpret the rules) you can take a look at the controversial debate about whether multiple assaults are a mandatory action if it's possible to perform one. (Thread is on this page somewhere).