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I'm still in the learner phase of 8th, playing as I am only with my wife and introducing it to some friends so far. Today I noticed something about Overwatch:

RAW wrote:
Overwatch is resolved like a normal shooting attack (albeit one resolved in the enemy’s Charge phase) and uses all the normal rules except that a 6 is always required for a successful hit roll, irrespective of the firing model’s Ballistic Skill or any modifiers.

Now this means that Heavy Bolters get 3 shots, Flamers auto-hit for D6 hits and so forth.

Does it also mean that Bolters (and Plasma Guns, Storm Bolters, etc) get to rapid fire since it's happenign less than 12" away? I'm assuming that it does, since it says "all the normal rules" - but I'd like to see it confirmed by player(s) that have played more than me. Which is going to be most people in this forum. ...cus we missed that bit entirely until tonight.

Yes, if a rapid fire 1 gun is within 1/2-range then it fires 2 shots, that is the number of shots that weapon has just like the heavy bolter having 3 shots.

Note that this range is checked per firing model, and it is half-range nit within 12"(an 18" range rapid fire weapon will not be able to fire 2 shots at >9"

Yup, all shooting happens completely normally, except you hit on 6s.

For example, if you charge a unit of flamers from more than 8" away, the flamers can't overwatch, as you are out of range.

And if you have a weapon like the necrons that causes 3 hits on a roll of 6 to hit, every roll of 6 causes 3 hits.

Thanks guys! - and good note on the flamers as well.

 Kommissar Kel wrote:

Note that this range is checked per firing model, and it is half-range nit within 12"(an 18" range rapid fire weapon will not be able to fire 2 shots at >9"

out of interest, where did you get that ruling from? A Bolter's range is 24", so half range is still 12" if we're following all normal rules, right?

 Azazelx wrote:
Thanks guys! - and good note on the flamers as well.

 Kommissar Kel wrote:

Note that this range is checked per firing model, and it is half-range nit within 12"(an 18" range rapid fire weapon will not be able to fire 2 shots at >9"

out of interest, where did you get that ruling from? A Bolter's range is 24", so half range is still 12" if we're following all normal rules, right?

Why need a ruling when the second paragraph of Rapid Fire indicates the range of the model firing the weapon to the target, not the unit's range to the target?

RAW wrote:
A model firing a Rapid Fire weapon doubles the number of attacks it makes if its target is within half the weapon’s maximum range.

Seems pretty cut and dry there to me. If something is within 12" of a bolter which has a max range of 24" (including overwatch - thanks guys) then it can rapid fire.

OH, I see - I misunderstood/misread Kel's initial reply. I thought he was saying half of the range to the target, rather than half of the weapon's max range. Yeah, I've been doing all of that correctly!

He was saying an 18" weapon has a Rapid Fire range of 9". These weapons therefore wouldn't get double shots at a Charge beginning 9-12" away, e.g. against a 'deep striking' unit that Charges.

Yep, agreed - as I said, I misread/misunderstood what he was saying there.