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My game club is disputing this point in challenges. The rules state that "Whilst the challenge is ongoing, other models locked in the combat can only allocate wounds to the models involved in the challenge after all other enemy models that are locked in that combat (if any) have been removed as casualties, even if the models fighting in a challenge are the closest models."

The two interpretations going on are that
1: If I get 15 wounds on a 5 man space marine squad and the sergeant is in a duel with my nob, then if the space marines fail 5 or more of their armor saves the sergeant gets killed by the boyz.

2: same as above, but also models can attack into a duel if the only enemy remaining is the character locked in the duel.

Thoughts?

2 is correct. The big thing to notice is that challenges only change how you allocate wounds and nothing else so you still roll to hit normally (against the enemy unit) and then you go to allocate wounds and the rule you quoted kicks in.

Challenges no longer prevent wounds from going to the guy in the challenge, or protect them in any way from damage. It only means that they're always the last ones to be hit by anything originating from outside the challenge. Nothing more, nothing less.

That is the way I read it, I had a Chaos player using Abbadon who got a bit mad when my Nob squad, boyz squad and Nob bikers ambushed his Abaddon deathstar and ripped it apart :-P. Kinda ballsy deep striking them in the middle of that mass of death dealing orks but it didnt work well :-P

In 7th, there are no longer rules preventing you from attacking into a challenge; its combatants are still just like any other unit that you can direct attacks towards. The only restriction is that you can't allocate wounds to them until there's no one else left to take them.

I recently ran into the following situation:
The rules state that you can allocated wounds into a challenge if all other models have been removed and there are wounds left to allocate.

However: The rules only speak of allocating wounds into a challenge. Nowhere does it give you permission to roll to hit and to wound against a model in a challenge.

So in short the following can happen:
You have a space marine chapter master joined by 2 tactical marines charge into a 30 strong ork mob with powerklaw. The chapter master challenges the nob and they slug it out. The 2 tactical marines are butchered and after armour saves there are 5 excess wounds left that are allocated towards the chapter master as is stated in the rules. Nothing new here.
In the second turn the challenge continues (chapter master failed to do anything). The normal ork boys are not allowed to strike into the challenge and since there are no other models to strike against, they are unable to generate wounds that can be allocated to the chapter master.

Summary: If you play with the RAW it is unwise to bring along friends into a challenge, because they will only get you killed.

aekold wrote:
However: The rules only speak of allocating wounds into a challenge. Nowhere does it give you permission to roll to hit and to wound against a model in a challenge.

Because challenges has no effect on rolling to hit and to wound. It only changes how you allocate wounds. Challenges do nothing to prevent you from attacking.

As above. You already have permission to roll to hit and to wound against the unit, so it does not need to reiterate this position.

@aekold

Echoing others, in the change from 6th to 7th, I think many players have struggled seeing the RAW on challenges without a little 6th ed baggage slipping in unawares.

In your example, the SM CM is toast on turn 2, its just that the challenge means the nob has to deal with the hits generated by the CM and can't LOS! them away

I have reread the rulesbook and you are absolutely right. THanks for pointing it out.