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.

So an interesting scenario played out today and we were wondering how it should be resolved as per the rules.

I had 2 units of Sicarian ruststalkers and 1 unit of chaos raptors (who were BB for all rules and purposes because I play 'dark mechanicum').

Everything charges a Ork Boyz squad, numbering 27 boys. They kill all but 4 boyz and the boyz wiff just about everything (1 raptor dies). Now, they fail their morale check but stay in combat thanks to the Mob rule. It's the end of combat and we pile in our models. Now here's the deal, one unit of Sicarians cannot get a single model in base contact with the remaining 4 boyz.
Are they still locked in combat or do they pile in, getting as close as possible so they can attack next turn when they pile in again?

A couple of relevant rules:

Locked in Combat, p47 wrote:Units are no longer locked in combat if, at the end of any phase, they no longer have any models in base contact with an enemy unit.

Multiple Combats - Assault Results wrote:If none of a unit's models are in base contact with any enemy models, and the combined Pile In moves would be insufficient to bring them into base contact with a unit that is locked in that close combat, it Consolidates instead.

So regardless of whether the unit of Sicarians cannot get into b2b because there is no room, or because they are too far away and cannot reach, they consolidate and are no longer locked in combat when the end of the phase is reached.

But if the Sicarians get in base contact with your other unit that is locked in combat, isn't they locked in combat?

Wallur wrote:
But if the Sicarians get in base contact with your other unit that is locked in combat, isn't they locked in combat?

No, they must have at least one model in base contact with the enemy to stay locked.

What exactly is that bit about combined pile-in moves referring to though? Doesnt that mean if the 6" they get from the two pile-ins that could happen before the next phase gets resolved will get them into base contact, they stay locked?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also it says "insufficient to bring them into base to base contact with A UNIT locked in that combat" which seems to refer to both friendlies and enemies.

AncientSkarbrand wrote:
What exactly is that bit about combined pile-in moves referring to though? Doesnt that mean if the 6" they get from the two pile-ins that could happen before the next phase gets resolved will get them into base contact, they stay locked?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also it says "insufficient to bring them into base to base contact with A UNIT locked in that combat" which seems to refer to both friendlies and enemies.

I'm away from my rules now, so I can't post a quote, but the combined pile in moves referenced are the End Of Combat pile ins - combined as in the 3" each unit gets, for a total of 6".

And yes, you're right about it not specifying an enemy unit, so the Sicarians in question would pile in to b2b with friendly models from that combat, and then still be un-locked at the end of the phase as per the first rule I quoted.