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Hey guys I'm in a ten dollar bet with a friend on how cover works in 6th ed 40k. I'm going to need about 3-4 sources to win my bet so I was hopping you guys could help me out with 1 of them.

My friend and I got into a fight last night about the idea of cover in 40k. I said that when a unit of guys was 25% in cover (obscured by an object, or in a ruin) the entire unit got the cover save. Thus if you wanted to ignore the cover save and only hit the guys out of cover you used focus fire.

For simplicities sake lets say 10 of my boyz are in a ruin and another 10 (in the same unit) are outside of it and my friend shoots at my unit (the boyz outside would be in front) would the boyz outside the ruin get a cover save if he didn't focus fire.

I'm more interested in getting the rules right than getting my ten dollars...so tell me who owes who.

You're out ten bucks. The 6e book is explicit on determining cover saves by model.

I do own a rule book I just thought that it was based on unit instead of individual model. so if you aren't in cover you aren't in cover period correct?

So for example my boys get 20 wounds Ap2, I take models away from the front until I reach my guys in the back in the ruin who take cover saves?

Does that mean if it's AP nothing I role for each individual model to make sure I pull the correct saves?

Suppose you have 5 models with 5+ armour save in your unit and they take 5 wounds at AP5.

Closest model is in cover and so gets a cover save.
Say he fails. He's dead.
Next closest model is not in cover. he's dead.
Next model is in cover and makes all three saves.
Next two closest (not in cover) are unharmed as your now out of wounds to assign.
Result: 2/5 dead.

Now consider foucs fire against the models in the open.
All three would die.

Its on a model by model basis.

With shooting you roll to hit and wound as normal.

Then you start allocating wounds and taking saves.

The closest guy takes a wound. You then check for cover, if the model is 25% obscured by cover he gets the appropriate save. He then rolls the save.

If he lives, he then gets allocated the next wound, rolls and save and so on. When/if he dies, the next closest model gets allocated the next wound.

Continue till all wounds have either been saved or suffered.



Sorry, looks like you are $10 poorer.

You are out $10. Sorry.

Wow. I totally thought it was still units as well.

But seems I/We are wrong.
Page 18, 2nd paragraph: Determining Cover Saves. Definately says model, not unit.

So Focus Fire is only good if the guys in cover are closer to you, AND maths says its better not to just let loose.

Focus fire is also handy if by some fluke you can spot special models in a squad that are out of cover, i.e. heavy weapons or sergeants, etc.

I've found focus firing to be useful if you are firing with something like bolt pistols before a charge and don't want to take off the closest as it would reduce your charge odds, so if they have a few stragglers out of cover 8 inches away you can bolt pistol them and then charge the guys in cover straight in front of you.