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.

I did a Night Fight search, but didn't see a thread about this immediately so:

Searchlights make the enemy 'receive no benefit from Night Fighting'. Does this mean the enemy only receives no extra cover saves from the Night Fight? Or can weapons fired after the Searchlight be farther away than 36"? I wasn't sure if the range limitation is an enemy's 'benefit' of Night Fighting.

The 36" range is a restriction on firing units. If the rule had said something along the lines "During Night Fighting enemy units greater than 36" away can not target you" then it would be a benefit of Night Fighting.

Long story short, no it is not a benefit.

This is one of those subjective things.

Is not being able to be targeted by the enemy a benefit? Of course it is.

Is having stealth or shrouded a benefit? Of course they are.

Depends on how you play it.

As the rules for night fighting don't say that any of the effects of night fighting are benefits, then it really wouldn't have any effect at all.

I always play it as, night fighting effects do not apply to the unit hit by a searchlight. RAW a search light has no effect on night fighting.

Idolator wrote:Is not being able to be targeted by the enemy a benefit? Of course it is.

Sure. But there is no rule that says that your unit can't be targeted... Just one that says that the firing unit can't choose a target more than 36 inches away. This is a restriction on the firing unit.

As the rules for night fighting don't say that any of the effects of night fighting are benefits, then it really wouldn't have any effect at all.

Why not?

Being Stealthy in the darkness is a benefit
Being Shrouded in the darkness is a benefit
Being hidden in the darkness ... isn't a benefit

Yeh that makes sense.

This is such a painful argument to watch.

RAW no, you can't target a unit 36" away, even if it has been spotted.

HIWPI you can. But then, I play tau and daemons, neither of which care.

That only works if you use an arbitrary meaning for benefit, which has no written definition.

Uptopdownunder wrote:
That only works if you use an arbitrary meaning for benefit, which has no written definition.

Agreed. Even if it could be defined, I would argue that even though the restriction is on the firing unit, that restriction would be a benafit to ANYTHING targeted by that unit. Either way, I think RAI is pretty obvious here. I allow searchlights to ignore the range restriction.

 extremefreak17 wrote:

Uptopdownunder wrote:
That only works if you use an arbitrary meaning for benefit, which has no written definition.

Agreed. Even if it could be defined, I would argue that even though the restriction is on the firing unit, that restriction would be a benafit to ANYTHING targeted by that unit. Either way, I think RAI is pretty obvious here. I allow searchlights to ignore the range restriction.

I also agree. The rule is worded a bit funky, but it's easy to see why. The target unit is still bound by the drawbacks (ie: it's own ability to target other units) however it won't receive any of the benefits (ie: can be shot as if it's in the clear). The so called limitation on the shooting unit is absolutely a benefit to the target when you consider the second half of the sentence " - such units are completely hidden in the darkness." This "benefit" is the ONLY reason that the shooting unit can't target them.

So, I believe RAW and HIWPI are identical. Illuminated units can be targeted from more than 36" away.

While I can understand what they where intending, as from a Rule and Narrative Point it makes sense to have the spotlights worse then everything else, I can not agree with how crippled they are compared to every other Night Vision type ability out there. These things are not much better then having nothing at all for the first round, Night Fighting is not a guaranteed outcome and even then one's opponent not being equally equipped to deal with it. Outside of having a few points left over and nothing else, there doesn't appear to be all that much benefit from giving these even a brief reading over.

I'm more then willing to let my opponents House Rule Spotlights to be more useful.