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A few questions have come to mind with the new Tau supporting fire special rule. I will number them and add more in updates if people are interested in discussion.

1. Do all overwatch shots coming from multiple squads get fired at the same time or separately for each squad participating?
Example: 3 fire warrior squads A, B, and C are standing side by side 5" apart A on the 'left' B in the middle and C on the right. Each squad has 2 marker drones. Squad B in the middle gets targeted for assault, squads A and C elect to assist them with supporting fire.

Possibility A. Squad A shoots first and hits with a marker drone, squad A can not benefit from their marklight hit as it is fired at the same time as their pulse rifles. Then it comes to squad B's turn to fire their overwatch the assaulting squad has a marker token from A's shooting and can use it, if B hits C can then use their Marker.

Possibility B. All Overwatch is fired simultaneously and none of the participating squads can benefit from a markerlight unless it has specific rules allowing it to benefit the squad as it shoots.

2. Can you use a flamers "Wall of Death" effect in conjunction with Supporting Fire? I can imagine this leading to some VERY dumb situations where a flamer could Wall of Death around 42" away.

3. Does supporting fire count as actually firing over watch for the purposes of special rules? I.E. darkstrider's running away, gravity drones, etc.

More to come!

1. All overwatch fire directed at a single charging unit occurs simultaneously per the term "immediately" in the overwatch section of the BRB.

2. Yes, unless otherwise stated in the supporting fire rule, all other rules regarding weapons and overwatch interactions would still stand. EDIT: And now that it has dawned on me what you're talking about, yes, that IS ridiculous. lol

3. Yes, unless it says otherwise. However, there is a special circumstance that -could- have an impact, which I will outline below.

Because of the way the BRB words overwatch fire, RAW would indicate that it was possible for a unit to fire more than 1 overwatch volley so long as that specific unit wasn't being charged. I don't have the new tau dex, so I can't attest to what it says there, but in the BRB, it only says that a unit is limited to firing overwatch once per turn if they are being charged. So, if they are NOT being charged, RAW would allow them to fire overwatch more than once. If supporting fire doesn't word that any differently, then in your example:

Unit A, B, and C are in a line. Unit A is being charged, and Unit C is being charged. Unit B could potentially offer supporting fire for both units, unless the Tau codex says otherwise.

1. The way the overwatch would work for supporting fire would, I imagine, follow the rules for multiple overwatch on pg 27 BRB.

This would mean you can fire units in the order you choose.

2. Until there is an FAQ that states otherwise the unit that has the flamers is firing overwatch as normal and thus there is the "Wall of Death."

3. Yes for darkstrider, No for the drone.

Based on wording alone. There is nothing that states that darkstrider's unit has to be the unit being charged to take advantage of his special rule. However, I imagine this will be in a FAQ at some point.
The wording for the drone requires that the drone and his unit are being charged for it to take effect.

Ah, lovely. I, for one, look forward to imagining a flamethrower being shot from kilometers away with precision accuracy to assist some friends. Talk about supporting "fire" ha haaa.

1) Marker light tokens affect overwatch firing and since they expire at the end of the phase in which the markerlight is fired that means markerlights that hit during overwatch need to be abel to pass their effects on to subsequent units firign as a part of the same overwatch sequence, so each unit overwtches in sequence.

2) Technically possible, but not that the unit with the flamer needs to have a model within 6 inches of the unit being charged. So there is a practical limit on how far away it can be done from. Also remember that other than the Flamer other overwatching weapons have to follow the rules regarding their range.

3) Yes, units that do supporting fire have engaged in overwatch as they are not able to then overwatch again later. So rules that apply to them after firign overwatch still apply.

Just imagine 3 TL-flamer and Flamer suits sitting in between a bunch of fire warriors. Assault the FWs, get wall of death'd by 6 Flamers (3 Twin-Linked!). I can smell the tears already.

I don't have the Codex handy, but it does specify that units can only perform overwatch once a turn regardless of the source.
It then goes on to include special character Longstrike, who alone is allowed to break this restriction, but even that specifies he can only overwatch against each particular enemy unit once.

Yeah, I actually got a PM from someone quoting the rule from the Tau codex, saying that it specifically outlines that supporting fire counts as overwatch, and is limited to 1 instance of overwatch per turn.

Indeed Support fire is overwatch, it says in parentes in the supporting fire rule reminding the reader that you can only overwatch once with every unit per phase.

So if you want to assault a bunch of firewarriors, you might want to have a back-up plan and have multiply assaults so the unit you want to charge with doesnt get hit by fire.

To expound upon this idea, here is a situation: Unit A is locked in combat with an enemy, Unit B and C are within 6" of Unit A. Another enemy unit declared a charge into Unit A. Unit B and C Overwatch into this charging enemy.

Since the rule says that units within 6" of the charge's target may fire Overwatch can we assume they they fire, even if the unit being charged cannot fire Overwatch itself? The rule doesn't say that units with this rule may "also" fire Overwatch or anything that would lead me to believe that you must fire Overwatch with the original unit being charged to take advantage of the rule.

Just looking for clarification to see if I am understanding the rule properly.

FYI Multiple Overwatch as stated on 27 of the BRB does not apply the situation in #1 unless the it was a Disordered Charge(i.e. Charging more than one unit)

It does not state that resolving multiple overwatch has the prerequisite of a disordered charge. The rule may follow disordered charge in the sequence of when it was written, but it does not state under disordered charge to then resolve multiple overwatch. Now if you are saying it does not apply because it states that a unit must declare a charge against 2 units to resolve multiple overwatch, then i refer you to pg 32 tau codex where the supporting fire rule is further defined. It states that they can do overwatch as if they were ALSO targets of the charge not part of the unit being charged itself. This means declaring a charge against one tau unit, while not a disordered charge, is being declared against multiple units thus the multiple overwatch rule does in fact apply.

Zegz wrote:
It does not state that resolving multiple overwatch has the prerequisite of a disordered charge. The rule may follow disordered charge in the sequence of when it was written, but it does not state under disordered charge to then resolve multiple overwatch. Now if you are saying it does not apply because it states that a unit must declare a charge against 2 units to resolve multiple overwatch, then i refer you to pg 32 tau codex where the supporting fire rule is further defined. It states that they can do overwatch as if they were ALSO targets of the charge not part of the unit being charged itself. This means declaring a charge against one tau unit, while not a disordered charge, is being declared against multiple units thus the multiple overwatch rule does in fact apply.

Let's not get confused here. Page 27 of the Rulebook - "Multiple Overwatch" is a very specific thing, and that one comes into effect when more than one unit is declared the target of a charge - in other words, a Disordered Charge. So in that sense 40k-noob is correct.

Supporting Fire is a very different rule that allows you to fire Overwatch even if you were not the target of the charge. It's a very important distinction, as Disordered Charges entails disadvantages a normal charge doesn't, and is why there is a separate rule for it.

Jefffar wrote:1) Marker light tokens affect overwatch firing and since they expire at the end of the phase in which the markerlight is fired that means markerlights that hit during overwatch need to be abel to pass their effects on to subsequent units firign as a part of the same overwatch sequence, so each unit overwtches in sequence.

Your argument is circular and incorrect.

All overwatch firing that is triggered by a singular event takes place concurrently.

 azazel the cat wrote:

Jefffar wrote:1) Marker light tokens affect overwatch firing and since they expire at the end of the phase in which the markerlight is fired that means markerlights that hit during overwatch need to be abel to pass their effects on to subsequent units firign as a part of the same overwatch sequence, so each unit overwtches in sequence.

Your argument is circular and incorrect.

All overwatch firing that is triggered by a singular event takes place concurrently.

Could you please show me where?

I ask because it says that Markerlights can be used to increase the BS of Overwatch, however, the only unit left with Networked Markerlights is the Sky Ray.

This also leads to the question of using Darkstrider's consolidation after his Overwatch to allow more units to fire.

 azazel the cat wrote:

Jefffar wrote:1) Marker light tokens affect overwatch firing and since they expire at the end of the phase in which the markerlight is fired that means markerlights that hit during overwatch need to be abel to pass their effects on to subsequent units firign as a part of the same overwatch sequence, so each unit overwtches in sequence.

Your argument is circular...

That's not a circular argument. That's an argument that your interpretation of the rule, contradicts a related rule.

I don't think two units even can fire simultaneously without "treating them as one unit" or some similar modification of the shooting rules. Absent explicit rules to that effect, it simply can't be done; the shooting rules don't cover it. I would take the closest precedent, "Multiple Overwatch".

 azazel the cat wrote:

Jefffar wrote:1) Marker light tokens affect overwatch firing and since they expire at the end of the phase in which the markerlight is fired that means markerlights that hit during overwatch need to be abel to pass their effects on to subsequent units firign as a part of the same overwatch sequence, so each unit overwtches in sequence.

Your argument is circular and incorrect.

All overwatch firing that is triggered by a singular event takes place concurrently.

I can't find that rule anywhere, the only place that refers to multiple overwatches is in the BRB which says: "Resolve each unit's Overwatch shots separately in an order determined by the target units' controlling player."

It seems we can stack Overwatch however we choose.

Yeah, "resolve each unit's shots". It doesn't say "take each unit's shots".

If unit A fires overwatch, and unit B also fires overwatch, you can choose which order to resolve them in, but you cannot have unit A fire overwatch, resolve, and then have unit B fire overwatch and resolve.

 azazel the cat wrote:
Yeah, "resolve each unit's shots". It doesn't say "take each unit's shots".

If unit A fires overwatch, and unit B also fires overwatch, you can choose which order to resolve them in, but you cannot have unit A fire overwatch, resolve, and then have unit B fire overwatch and resolve.

I'm sorry but that just sounds weird, both units shoot at the same time but shots are resolved separately for each unit in an order determined by the controlling player? Why are they resolved separately then?

The controlling (shooting) player can already assign which wound pool your are taking, why should the units have to further split their fire then?

Furthermore, if this rule only is for resolving shot and not who shot first, where is the rule saying that all unit fire Overwatch at the same time?

so going with... "Resolve each unit's Overwatch shots separately" its says in the Overwatch BRB "Än overwatch attack is resolved like a normal shooting attack"

I take that to be following the five steps listed in the shooting phase section... Nominate Unit, Choose Target, Roll to hit, roll to wound, allocate wound and remove casualties.

So resolving each units overwatch shots separately would mean they happen one after the other, allowing for the chance of markerlights buffing the next unit to shoot.