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This came up this weekend; as I rarely face drop pods locally, it was new to me.

A drop pod came in and scattered.  My opponent claimed that it slid across the table, but stopped if it couldn't pass between two other pods.  It ended up scattering less than half the full distance, and wedged up next to the pods already down.  The full scatter would have put a dreadnought where my heavy weapons could have shot it, rather than behind a wall of pods.

My reading to date has suggested that the move backward is only to avoid landing on impassable terrain or troops, and isn't a slide across the table.  Since I wasn't worried about it, and had no inclination to hunt up rules at the time, we went with it as he said.  I just wonder which way the rules support, for future knowledge.

Yeah man.  Your "friend" is  a big fat smelly cheater.

Seriously- you got jipped.  You shoulda positioned it where the scatter told you to.  He was making up rules.

Not exactly Morticon.

The wording of the auto-correct on the pods is ambiguous. It can be read either way. It simply mentions scattering 'into' as opposed to on top of, so it can be read such that scattering toward impassible terrain or enemies, even if you would overshoot them, stops you.

But again, it's ambiguous.

I have to say I disagree with that. The Idea of a Drop pod "Sliding" across the floor on a scatter is fairly ridiculous, The only thing that reduces the length of a scatter is certain terrain types and troops. Unless of course, one of the pods had been destroyed changing its classification to difficult or impassable terrain (i think).

I don't think your opponent is right. A droppod is a hollow piece of metal fitted with retrothruster for some compensation during the flight. But it will drop down into the ground, and not skit. The deviation of the scatter can be explained due to atmospheric disturbance, incoming flak, etc. But skidding, no way.

I would ascertain that the pod's physical end in movement be the determining factor, not the act of moving. The wording IIRC invloves "landing", not moving? Quote is mine as I am asking a question.