Obscured and Cover

[Iorwerth]

According to the rules, a target is Obscured when terrain hides part of the target model. Cover is defined as any peiece of terrain that models may move through and still have LOS drawn to them, and it includes walls, woods, hedges and ruins.

My question is, what type of things would count as Obscuring terrain rather than cover, if cover includes walls, hedges etc?

 

[Hiromoon]

Trees? Rose bushes...smoke... civilians...

 

[Iorwerth]

What about a hedge made up of rose bushes?

 

[Hiromoon]

That'd be cover.... if you've managed to grow a series of bushes into a hedge...

Look at the bobcages of Normandy as a good example of how tough a good hedge can be.

 

[Iorwerth]

Cheers Hiromoon. So really it is a judgment call about individual pieces etc?

 

[Hiromoon]

Effectively. I mean, if you're using guns in an traditional japanese dojo, I'd rule that the paper walls would be obscuring. But if you're fighting against a force holding a castle type of building, that'd be cover.

 

[Turtle]

Also note that obscurement takes effect no matter how far away a unit is from the obscuring object. So if you have a unit with its front most guys in cover and the enemy shoots at you. The front guys get cover, and the rear guys get obscurement.

Or if an enemy is shooting at you from across the table and there's a sandbad wall between you and him, you still get obscurement.

 

[MongooseMatt]

Hi guys,

It is easier than that.

You get cover if you are in or touching. If you are neither, but are partly hidden, you get Obscurement.

 

[Iorwerth]

Thanks for the replies!

So basically, if the target model is in or touching the cover he gets the Cover bonus. If he is not in or touching the cover, but the shooter has to trace his LOS through that cover, then the target is considered Obscured.

Is this right? I realise I may not be seeing the wood for the trees!

 

[Paladin]

At what point is cover only LOS obscurement on vees?

By strict interpretation, simply being within base-to-base with terrain, my tank could hide behind something as small as a postal drop box or wastebasket and get a +2 to be hit.

Unless I'm reading something wrong... (please tell me I'm wrong)

 

[MongooseMatt]

So basically, if the target model is in or touching the cover he gets the Cover bonus. If he is not in or touching the cover, but the shooter has to trace his LOS through that cover, then the target is considered Obscured.

Correct!

 

[MongooseMatt]

At what point is cover only LOS obscurement on vees?

By strict interpretation, simply being within base-to-base with terrain, my tank could hide behind something as small as a postal drop box or wastebasket and get a +2 to be hit.

Correct - however, this is not going to come up often, unless you are playing on a superdetailed table that includes post boxes and watsebaskets. In which case, everyone reading this forum is jealous of you.

 

[DM]

Hmm, that'll be me then

nearly anyway - my WW2 "Home Guard vs. the Germans" games included typical British street furniture of the 1940s, but I sold it all off a few years back (and regretted it ever since!)

 

[Paladin]

At what point is cover only LOS obscurement on vees?

By strict interpretation, simply being within base-to-base with terrain, my tank could hide behind something as small as a postal drop box or wastebasket and get a +2 to be hit.

Correct - however, this is not going to come up often, unless you are playing on a superdetailed table that includes post boxes and watsebaskets. In which case, everyone reading this forum is jealous of you.

Well I had an alterior motive. I was going more for prevention of arguments with ruleslawyers parking 1/8" of the edge of their tank behind a wall and claiming cover, which is about the same thing.

 

[Lorcan Nagle]

LOS is measured from centre of model to centre of model, so if soemone begins ruleslaweyring just point out that the tank will only count as being obscured if the terrain falls along that very thin line.

 

[Paladin]

LOS is measured from centre of model to centre of model, so if soemone begins ruleslaweyring just point out that the tank will only count as being obscured if the terrain falls along that very thin line.

Well, that's at least some consolation. I was hoping for at least 50% hidden for cover but that makes it at least a little more difficult.