Supporting Fire Shenanagins

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**4oursword**

Ok, I was reading 1D4Chan at college today and I found this interesting bit.

Supporting Fire: One of the new biggies, this rule lets all units within 6" Overwatch as if they were members of the charged squad. Note that each model can still only Overwatch once per phase. This is absolutely vital; it can stave off assault by a turn or more. It can be especially devastating when combined with copious amounts of Markerlights. It allows your infantry (and some battlesuits) to become a "wall of pikemen" of a sort. If you keep the units tight together, the enemy charge will not break, but it will be much more painful for them if they try it, and they will be likely to lose a few models just closing the distance. The survivors will still kick your blue ass though, so do not count on it. This is especially hilarious when combined with 30 man Kroot squads stretched out from table edge to table edge, allowing for units 30 inches from the assaulting squad to auto-hit with flamers.

I am not within reach of my Tau Codex, but from this entry it gives the impression that the Supporting Firing unit fires "as if they were members of the charged squad."

Surely, by definition, this means that range is measured from the unit being charged? If anyone has the exact wording, that would be fantastic.

**grendel083**

4oursword wrote:
I am not within reach of my Tau Codex

Best wait until you are, then check the rule. Remember this site is not a replacement for a Codex/Rulebook.

**Mywik**

I wont quote the whole rule but the relevant portion.

"can choose to fire overwatch as if they were also the targets of the charge"

This means flamers would autohit d3 hits if no errata steps in.

**loreweaver**

Wall of Death is handy, other stuff won't get that many shots.

Also... uhhh... shot them? Shoot them from the middle, watch your opponent try and move them back into coherency.

They're T3 with a 6+ save.

**Kommissar Kel**

grendel083 wrote:
4oursword wrote:
I am not within reach of my Tau Codex
Best wait until you are, then check the rule. Remember this site is not a replacement for a Codex/Rulebook.

He does have a for real rules question(along with having an improper statement from 1d4chan).

4oursworld: remember, excepting flamers all Overwatch shots I resolved exactly like normal shooting attacks, so range and LOS from the firing models to the charging unit is required.

**4oursword**

That seems to me to be an open-and-shut case then. Thanks all!

(Should have waited for my codex to be within reach, it's true. Will make sure to next time)

**cowmonaut**

That is truly gross and abusive! I expect that to get FAQ'd if it becomes a problem.

HIWPI: Flamer templates are 8" long so can't Wall of Death if its farther than 8" away.

Or I'll let the enemy try to abuse Wall of Death and have fun destroying him in other ways!

**pretre**

You don't check range for Wall of Death:

Template weapons can fire Overwatch, even though they
cannot fire Snap Shots. Instead, if a Template weapons fires
Overwatch, it automatically inflicts D3hits on the charging
unit, resolved at its normal Strength and AP value. Don't
worry about comparing the length of the template with the
distance to the enemy. If the charge is successful, it doesn't
matter anyway. If the charge failed, we can assume that the
enemy ran into range of the Template weapon and were
driven back.

Emphasis mine.

edit: Ahh, you said HIWPI. Oh well.

**Brothererekose**

A minor point not addressed:

4oursword wrote:
Ok, I was reading 1D4Chan at college today and I found this interesting bit.

Supporting Fire: One of the new biggies, this rule lets all units within 6" Overwatch as if they were members of the charged squad.

This is wrong by one crucial word. Not units, but "models" within six inches.

A rather essential item greatly reducing the number of shots if you've got a spread out gun-line, instead of a blobbed cache of your army.

**rigeld2**

Isn't it units with a model within 6"?
IIRC the wording is funky but its still every unit.

**Mannahnin**

Pretty sure rigel's right on that. A unit just has to have a model within 6" of the friendly unit being charged.

Wall of Death does ignore range, but not LOS.

Supporting Fire is awesome, but a) you can draw it off by using sacrificial or very durable units, and b) you can reduce the damage a lot by using LOS-blocking terrain or other units (like tanks) to block LOS from/to some of the units that want to do it.

**ToBeWilly**

Brothererekose wrote:
A minor point not addressed:

4oursword wrote:
Ok, I was reading 1D4Chan at college today and I found this interesting bit.

Supporting Fire: One of the new biggies, this rule lets all units within 6" Overwatch as if they were members of the charged squad.
This is wrong by one crucial word. Not units, but "models" within six inches.

A rather essential item greatly reducing the number of shots if you've got a spread out gun-line, instead of a blobbed cache of your army.

The rule does infact say units. "...all friendly models with this special rule in units within 6"..." Codex: Tau Empire, page 32.

**Brothererekose**

Ninja'd:

Mannhnin wrote:Pretty sure rigel's right on that. A unit just has to have a model within 6" of the friendly unit being charged.

Let's get a quote:

Page 32: ".... all friendly models with this special rule in units within six inches of the charging units target .... "

Hrm. Now I'm flipped over. I initially played a few games as all units within 6", but then changed to *just* models within 6". Now ... ? Crap. The "in units" makes for your case, Rigeld & Mannahnin.

I really need a GW rules writer's neck between my constricting fingers.

Either that, or Reality Gnomes continue to change rules text every time I look at them and hiding my wallet & car keys.

**Super Ready**

Blast, I can't seem to find the thread now... but we did cover the whole "models or units" thing recently. The majority opinion was that it's all models in a unit, provided at least one model in that unit is within 6". It's written this way so that models without the rule don't contribute, like attached allied ICs.
If it were just the models within range, then why is it not worded 'models with this rule within 6"'? No reason to bring up units at all.

**stripeydave**

ToBeWilly wrote:
The rule does infact say units. "...all friendly models with this special rule in units within 6"..." Codex: Tau Empire, page 32.

If this is a direct quote (which it appears to be) then there's 2 ways you can go:

1. (all friendly models with this special rule in units) (within 6")
2. (all friendly models with this special rule) (in units within 6")

I'd also be inclined to go with 2. Mainly because all models are in a unit - even if they're in a unit of 1. So, I'd agree with SR.

This means if there's a unit within 6", all friendly models with the special rule count for SF. Normal rules of overwatch (BRB pg21) would apply unless stated otherwise.

**Elric Greywolf**

Super Ready wrote:
it's all models in a unit, provided at least one model in that unit is within 6". It's written this way so that models without the rule don't contribute, like attached allied ICs.

This is correct. GW was clever for once, and cut out the whole Allied ICs debacle before it could even get started.

**Mannahnin**

If the unit is within 6", all models in that unit can contribute.

**Happyjew**

Mannahnin wrote:
If the unit is within 6", all models with the Supporting Fire rule in that unit can contribute.

FTFY

**rogueeyes**

Also remember that when you fire overwatch range does not matter. The unit is assumed to be charging within range of all weapons and if you act as being charged then all weapons are within range.

**Happyjew**

rogueeyes wrote:
Also remember that when you fire overwatch range does not matter. The unit is assumed to be charging within range of all weapons and if you act as being charged then all weapons are within range.

Citation required.

**Elric Greywolf**

rogueeyes wrote:
Also remember that when you fire overwatch range does not matter. The unit is assumed to be charging within range of all weapons and if you act as being charged then all weapons are within range.

BRB p21, "Resolve Overwatch" 3rd paragraph.

Read that.