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I don't really like painting vehicle interiors, so I would be inclined to glue the doors shut and leave the pod closed up. However, does this provide an unintended advantage on the tablerop, since you can draw LOS through an open pod but not a closed one? Or do I just say you can always draw LOS through all pods and leave mine closed?

There´s no actual ruling on this iirc. You are not required to leave the doors so that they open, just like your Rhino doors don´t need to be able to open for example. For this reason, the Drop Pod blocks LOS even when shut. However, the weapon of the drop pod can´t draw LOS outside if the doors do not open RAW.

The Drop Pod blocks quite some LOS even with opening doors though, as the harnesses in the center take up quite some space, next to that there´s the "pillars" between the doorways. Quite often you can´t open all the doors anyway if you end up near terrain. Most of the time all of this comes down to agreeing with your opponent about the shady bits.

I would just spraypaint the interior black, and paint rest of the pod normally. Doesn´t take almost any effort, and it makes it so no one will really pay inquisitive attention to the interior. It´s there for gaming purposes, but that´s pretty much it.

Most Dakkaites feel the doors should always be treated as open regardless of how it's modeled.

We went ten pages on it here.

TL;DR: 65% of Dakkaites say play the doors as always open. 28% say play it as modeled. 7% were unsure or abstained from making a decision.

I don't like to paint interiors either.
But a 'bad' swipe with two or three colours should be enough to make it look like it's painted.

I would say that RAW it does block Line of Sight.
On the other hand I would probably raise an eyebrow and find a different opponent next time if people really started to do that.
In my opinion it's incredibly lame.

I had forgotten about the pod's weapon being inside. Hmm. There's definitely a cool factor with the doors open, too. Though, it creates a giant footprint all opened up. Kind of a pain in the ass model, innit? Whatever I decide, I'm not looking to screw my opponent over, so some gentleman's agreement will have to be agreed upon.

You could always put magnets on it.
Though I have to say my doors just remain shut when I close them, I have to apply pressure to open them.
So you could always ask your opponent what he prefers.

Here's a really easy guide on how to build it. Honestly, I didn't paint the interior, I primed it black and then painted the outside black, gold and green, and I always leave mine open after its deployed.

http://fromthewarp.blogspot.com/2011/05/definitive-guide-to-building-and.html

Its up to you and your opponent, but all drop pods are usually treated as being open for LOS, but usually give a 5+ cover.

Kangodo wrote:
On the other hand I would probably raise an eyebrow and find a different opponent next time if people really started to do that.
In my opinion it's incredibly lame.

Why is it a big deal? You trade a very slight increase in LOS blocking (that affects your own army as much as your opponent's) for losing the abilty to fire the pod's weapon. It has no other impact on the game whatsoever.

I was wondering something similar: a Drop Pod lands and guys come out who, in the ensuing psychic phase, become Invisible (Telepathy). Ordinarily, blast or template weapons could not target them, however, if the doors of the pod are opened, they can target the extremities of the doors and clip a great deal of the squad, as the marines can only move 6 inches out of the pod, and the doors are pretty long. So, is there a way to close the doors? Do you have to open them in the first place? In not sure RAW wise, however I can see it as being a major dilemma in a game.

Blast markers have to be placed over the centre of a model.

Here is a thought.
Are the drop pods recovered after the mission is over, or do the marines just make more and more and more of them. If they are just left behind, cant you say that your doors are "blown off" with explosives so when you land, you just take them all the way off.

My opponents and I have always kept them closed, but counted them as open in our games. It makes life a lot easier, especially in games with tight terrain where it would be hard to open the doors.

danpieri wrote:Here is a thought.
Are the drop pods recovered after the mission is over, or do the marines just make more and more and more of them. If they are just left behind, cant you say that your doors are "blown off" with explosives so when you land, you just take them all the way off.

I would imagine that if they won the battle, the pods would be recovered. Honor the machine spirits and all that stuff... The doors probably have explosive bolts just like the hatches they had on the old solid-fuel rocket crew modules and the canopies on older fighter aircraft that had ejector seats. That way, it doesn't require power to open the doors and any damage done to the door wouldn't interfere with mechanical latches or locks.

Relapse wrote:My opponents and I have always kept them closed, but counted them as open in our games. It makes life a lot easier, especially in games with tight terrain where it would be hard to open the doors.

I'm thinking that that's the best middle ground: leave the doors closed, count them as open for LOS. I don't have to paint more than I want, but I'm not modelling for advantage.

I have a mix of open and closed, and I treat them all the same.You can shoot through the closed, and it gives the same cover save as shooting through the open ones.

Heirophant101 wrote:
... however, if the doors of the pod are opened, they can target the extremities of the doors and clip a great deal of the squad, ...

Most people who open the doors ignore them for all game purposes. Otherwise the drop pod's footprint makes it almost unusable if you're using too much terrain, and it grants the unit a ridiculously huge disembarking radius.

So, is there a way to close the doors? Do you have to open them in the first place?

There is no rule requiring the doors to be open.

There is also no rule allowing you to deploy the pod with them open and then close them later. It's one or the other.

 calamarialldayerrday wrote:
Blast markers have to be placed over the centre of a model.

No they don't.

 calamarialldayerrday wrote:
Blast markers have to be placed over the centre of a model.

As insaniak pointed out, this is not at all correct.

You are required to place the centre of the blast marker such that it is over a models base, but nothing requiresit to be centred on that models base.

When the drop pod arrives from reserves if will be deploying a unit, correct? Then the doors should be open. Game play should reflect that no matter if the doors on the model are down or not.

LOS would then be able to go through the pod but the target on the other side should get a cover save(+5) for firing through a unit.

nosferatu1001 wrote:

 calamarialldayerrday wrote:
Blast markers have to be placed over the centre of a model.

As insaniak pointed out, this is not at all correct.

You are required to place the centre of the blast marker such that it is over a models base, but nothing requiresit to be centred on that models base.

Oh, I've been told several times in game that that is the case. I stand corrected. I suppose people just make up rules and then others assume they are true.

 calamarialldayerrday wrote:

nosferatu1001 wrote:

 calamarialldayerrday wrote:
Blast markers have to be placed over the centre of a model.

As insaniak pointed out, this is not at all correct.

You are required to place the centre of the blast marker such that it is over a models base, but nothing requiresit to be centred on that models base.

Oh, I've been told several times in game that that is the case. I stand corrected. I suppose people just make up rules and then others assume they are true.

I think it was a rule in an older edition. Its a small enough change that people don't notice its removal and then never get corrected.

I can't tell you how many people claim you get ADL cover by standing within 2" of it.

Would be the drop pods recovered after the objective is over, or even perform the maritime simply make more and more plus more of them.

perrsyu wrote:
Would be the drop pods recovered after the objective is over, or even perform the maritime simply make more and more plus more of them.

lol wat?

Belac Ynnead wrote:

perrsyu wrote:
Would be the drop pods recovered after the objective is over, or even perform the maritime simply make more and more plus more of them.

lol wat?

For these types of post, the best advice is:

- Click on the username
- Click on "posts" (the total, next to "threads started")
- Have a glance through what they have posted recently.

You will usually notice (as here) that this is not a proper user but an internet Troll. Admins usually notice them (i've reported a few - they always knew before me) but just leave them be.

Best course of action: little yellow triangle at the top left of his post - label as "Troll content" or similar

Thanks for the advice - I'll try not to feed the trolls. The strange thing is that some of his posts actually appear to be kind of lucid.

But back on topic: I understand drop pods are something of a contested subject, and I don't actually mind painting the interior so that's less of an issue for me. How do people feel about the disembarkation radius measurement? Is it measured from the pod itself or it's doors? I'm going to be picking up my first drop pod this weekend for an ironclad in desperate need of some transportation and I'd like to get y'all's feel on the matter.

It seems to me that per the unit's Intertial Guidance System rule that if you scattered closed to a unit you'd be obliged to move the pod far enough away so that the doors don't clip them. I get that counting the doors for the purpose of disembarking would give the unit quite a large radius, but it seems unfair not to get that range if the doors are pushing you further away from the unit you want to incinerate.

What do people think?

"Open-topped vehicles do not have specific Access Points. Instead, all of the vehicle is considered to be an Access Point (regardless of any base they may have)."

Is the actual rule, so technically even the open doors would count?

I think it comes down to whether you count the "Open" doors as part of how the model is:
-Massive footprint
-Massive movement area coverage.

Or if (as i'd make the call - possibly not RaW) you discount the doors as "decorations". No models in 40k are allowed to be modified in-game, so the "door blast open" part is not possible.

Belac Ynnead wrote:
Thanks for the advice - I'll try not to feed the trolls. The strange thing is that some of his posts actually appear to be kind of lucid.

But back on topic: I understand drop pods are something of a contested subject, and I don't actually mind painting the interior so that's less of an issue for me. How do people feel about the disembarkation radius measurement? Is it measured from the pod itself or it's doors? I'm going to be picking up my first drop pod this weekend for an ironclad in desperate need of some transportation and I'd like to get y'all's feel on the matter.

It seems to me that per the unit's Intertial Guidance System rule that if you scattered closed to a unit you'd be obliged to move the pod far enough away so that the doors don't clip them. I get that counting the doors for the purpose of disembarking would give the unit quite a large radius, but it seems unfair not to get that range if the doors are pushing you further away from the unit you want to incinerate.

What do people think?

Measurement for disembarking is always measured from the hull. The pod it itself. If you get close enough to an enemy unit and cannot open the doors, then don't open the door on that side so you will not disturb the models but it will still count as being down.

Doors do not count for distance from enemy units. Just the hull/outside of doors. So when you deep strike the pod in it the hull will have to be at least 1" away from their unit.

Hope this helps.

Belac Ynnead wrote:

perrsyu wrote:
Would be the drop pods recovered after the objective is over, or even perform the maritime simply make more and more plus more of them.

lol wat?

Not part of the rules but to answer this particular question: It's stated in a couple of places that they use Thunderhawk Transporters to recover them.

Gundor2 wrote:
When the drop pod arrives from reserves if will be deploying a unit, correct? Then the doors should be open. Game play should reflect that no matter if the doors on the model are down or not.

Except gameplay reflects the actual, physical profile of the model as it is placed on the table.

There is no more requirement to physically open the pod doors than there is to open a land raider's doors.

LOS would then be able to go through the pod but the target on the other side should get a cover save(+5) for firing through a unit.

You don't receive a cover save for firing through the gaps in a single model. You get it for firing between models in a unit.

Models on the far side of a pod receive a cover save if they are sufficiently obscured by it.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 calamarialldayerrday wrote:

Oh, I've been told several times in game that that is the case. I stand corrected. I suppose people just make up rules and then others assume they are true.

It was the case in (IIRC) 3rd edition.

Yeesh, people wanting to get their 6" disembark from the tip of the open doors and others wanting to use that same tip to center blast templates on. How do some of you still have friends?!

 the_Armyman wrote:
Yeesh, people wanting to get their 6" disembark from the tip of the open doors and others wanting to use that same tip to center blast templates on. How do some of you still have friends?!

Possibly because their friends also like playing by the rules....


Ignoring the doors is a convention that many players find convenient. It's not universally played that way, however.

 insaniak wrote:

 the_Armyman wrote:
Yeesh, people wanting to get their 6" disembark from the tip of the open doors and others wanting to use that same tip to center blast templates on. How do some of you still have friends?!

Possibly because their friends also like playing by the rules....


Ignoring the doors is a convention that many players find convenient. It's not universally played that way, however.

A pod with opened doors has a humongous footprint. Adding in a 6" disembark, we're talking about something like a 24" diameter zone of disembarkation. You'd be okay with that? I wouldn't be. Maybe that's one of the reasons why I eschew pick-up games at this point. My friends and I disagree on rules all the time, but when we do, I'm reasonably sure that the other guy isn't just trying to bend me over.

I dunno. Whether the doors are open or not, I deploy from the hull. Seems like the decent thing to do.

Edit: LOL. Didn' t realize this had been moved to YMDC. No wonder...