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.

Ok, this has been a long-running debate between me and a buddy. My friend has the idea that he can assemble a drop pod with the doors closed, and when it lands and deploys, using the true line of sight rules, can hide his unit (or usually a dreadnought) behind it, in most cases denying line of sight. I say that's modelling for advantage, since when a drop pod lands, its supposed to be open, and I should be able to see right through it (albeit he gets cover); why else do drop pods have the open-topped rule?

Who's right?

it's a long running point of contention with a lot of people:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/549436.page

I get that, but what I'm saying is my friend is actually GLUING THE DOORS SHUT, and using it as a wall to completely block line of site to his dread so I can't even target it, so it can assault next turn.

Tell him to grow up and just open the doors, if he glues the doors shut then tell him his models can not get out. and then ignore them.

At least he can not shoot the built in weapons this way as they have no line of sight!

If you were going into battle, and could protect your troopers lives and your own by leaving a door closed, I sincerely hope you would leave that door closed.

Seems to me a Space Marine Sargeant would do the same, no point in letting a bunch of mutants, blueys or heretics get some easy shots in!

Looking at the rules, I dont see what difference open topped makes. Why do you think this is important?

Your friend glued all the doors? Surely at least one door would have to open tho?

scommy wrote:
Seems to me a Space Marine Sargeant would do the same, no point in letting a bunch of mutants, blueys or heretics get some easy shots in!

I suppose he'd be having trouble trying to look through the windows to see what's outside.....

Can we get a clear statement from GW or something?

 cranney268 wrote:
Tell him to grow up and just open the doors, if he glues the doors shut then tell him his models can not get out. and then ignore them.

My Rhino, Razorback, Land Raider, and Stormraven doors are all glued shut. The logical extension of your claim is that my troops cannot disembark those vehicles. If you stick to what you said about Drop Pods, then you also have to apply it to all other vehicles. If this is truly what you're saying, then against you, I'd pack up my models and tell everyone else I met about TFG.

 Massaen wrote:
At least he can not shoot the built in weapons this way as they have no line of sight!

This guy has it right. Doors don't have to be open, IMO, but that means his Storm Bolter doesn't get to shoot.
Although, I'd definitely sacrifice 2 bolter shots in favour of an alive Dread.

Again as I said in the past thread about this.....gluing the doors shut is an attempt to circumvent the balancing factor of the unit. You get to drop in right in someones face.. the trade off for that is that you have to take a round of shooting to the face. Your opponent has to decide if he ignores what just landed, or if he now has to shoot the hell out of what landed. The major tournies in the USA (ie adepticon, nova etc) have already ruled that the doors must all open on landing and if they are glued shut, will be treated as open with lots of leway given for targeting and los.

Almost every opponent I have ever faced all agree that you can see through drops pods.

The argument has gone through even as far as showing the building instructions on the model that say don't glue the doors shut.

It's dumb. If you gotta be TFG so hard as to glue your doors shut, then be TFG AND not allow people to fire through them. I'll make sure to blow you off the table and not feel remorse. You can glue the doors shut and still allow LOS just because it's easier to transport.

 TheKbob wrote:
Almost every opponent I have ever faced all agree that you can see through drops pods.

The argument has gone through even as far as showing the building instructions on the model that say don't glue the doors shut.

It's dumb. If you gotta be TFG so hard as to glue your doors shut, then be TFG AND not allow people to fire through them. I'll make sure to blow you off the table and not feel remorse. You can glue the doors shut and still allow LOS just because it's easier to transport.

I'm sorry, but there is no rules requirement to open the doors. Thus, leaving them closed and using TLOS is well within the rules, and far from TFG IMO. (I don't play marines btw)

There was a 10 page thread on this some time ago.

A majority of players (65%) think that the doors cannot be used to completely block LOS, and that even if you glue them shut, they will still count as being open. 28% of players think that the drop pod can indeed have the doors shut and be used as a placeable fire shield. 7% had no opinion, a split opinion, or didn't understand the question. The dissenting opinion is large enough that you should keep it in mind, though, since almost a third of players fall into that category (at least among those that responded).

You should probably discuss it with your individual opponents, but gluing the doors shut to get cover always struck me as a little shifty. (If you DO allow an opponent to play it that way against you, remember that if the doors are glued shut than the drop pod cannot fire at all, since it cannot draw LOS from its gun to anything!)

In any event, I hope this helps.

scommy wrote:
Can we get a clear statement from GW or something?

Probably not, no. They're too busy rushing out more codexes and adjusting the formatting of existing FAQs to bother addressing actual issues that people are having.


As has been pointed out, this has been discussed to death on numerous occasions. The short version is that yes, so far as the rules are concerned there is no reason you need to open the pod doors. This does not have any effect on whether or not the unit inside can disembark, although it does stop the pod's weapon from firing since it can't draw LOS... and yes, the pod blocks LOS as per its actual profile. Whether or not the doors are glued shut won't really change this... there is ultimately no practical difference between a pod with the doors glued shut, and one with movable doors that are just left closed.

In actual practice, many players, and a number of tournaments, choose to play that you can draw LOS through the pod even with the doors closed. As it is obviously impossible to do this accurately, the general assumption under this house rule is that anything on the far side of a pod can be seen, but will receive the cover save for being obscured by an intervening model.

If in doubt, discuss this with your opponent. See the previously linked threads if you want to see the full arguments either way. I don't think that there is anything much to be gained by going over it all again just yet, as nothing has changed since the last time around...