SST - Status of Air units that land

[Adastra]

Amen to worries about exchanging models on a points basis - it's what some call "false economy". I'm rather thankful that my local MI opponents still refuse to target my Plasma or Brain bugs with Pee-Wee tipped Flamberge missiles, on the grounds that they would be spending 350 pts of assets to take out 300 pts of bug. Even though I've pointed out to them more than once that the balance would be more than made up by the survival of their own troops that would otherwise become casualties to those same bugs.

BTW, isn't tunnel combat supposed to be done at point-blank range, with both sides getting simultaneous shots at each other until one or the other is eliminated? Or do Pathfinders have some special rule about being able to range fire in a tunnel?

 

[JoseDominguez]

Yup, if pathfinders ready they can react and shoot underground (up to 12").
Very, very good. A squad with a loadout of flamers/snipers can really mess with tankers underground as they don't get to shoot back, so it's move into range, pathfinders shoot, move another 5" get shot again. Pretty devastating considering pathfinders could have three snipers/flamers per unit.

 

[MarkNorfolk]

so the MI brings on a unit of eight cap drop troopers all spaced 3" apart. Ripplers charge in, you switch out the good target for morita MI, ripplers kill 3 models max (size two so each can only target one drop pod).

If a size two model has a PBR of 2" doesn't mean that he can cover 4" (2" either side)?

Don't forget the command range of the squad leader either!

Cheers
Mark

 

[JoseDominguez]

so the MI brings on a unit of eight cap drop troopers all spaced 3" apart. Ripplers charge in, you switch out the good target for morita MI, ripplers kill 3 models max (size two so each can only target one drop pod).

If a size two model has a PBR of 2" doesn't mean that he can cover 4" (2" either side)?

Don't forget the command range of the squad leader either!

Cheers
Mark

Yes, it's a radius so it's all around, but you place him in the middle and radiate the rest of the squad out 3" apart from each other. Make sure your support weapons aren't adjacent and you can swap freely. Best the bug can do is load up one side and possibly leave one of your support weapons unable to swap.

 

[5.56 Surgeon]

If the rule for air to ground targets gets changed, then drop pods loose their value. A drop pod is suppose to allow the MI to drop into enemy held territory, if we can't do that we might as well walk them onto the board. Not point in spending 10-25 points in pods just for them to come in on your side of the table.

 

[JoseDominguez]

I think you've misread something, I haven't seen any mention of that being changed. Or have I missed something?

 

[CudaHP]

I have to agree with you JoseDominguez, at least if it is being changed I have seen no mention of it.

 

[JoseDominguez]

Yup, can't see them changing the range drop pods can fly to.
The only thing I'm still not sure on is whether drop pods/flyers are in addition to your normal reserves models. E.g. if I have defend orders, can I still bring on flyers? by the same token, when on attack can I keep half of my army in reserve AND keep the rest of because they are in drop pods?
I know all flyers are reserves, but does that mean you can only use flyers if they are reserves? Or you can buy flyers even if you can't use reserves (not on attack orders).
See what I mean? Seems odd that an entire army of defending MI could actually drop in, doesn't seem very defensive.
It's never come up in one of our games yet, but it's got me wondering.

 

[5.56 Surgeon]

I think you've misread something, I haven't seen any mention of that being changed. Or have I missed something?

Eh, Adastra is my bug player and he was hellbent on having his Plasma react fire on my landed pods. Well, we decided to look it up after the game, and it turns out he is full of crap, I got to nuke his Brain Plasma w/Enhanced Overshield and there was nothing he could do about it. :twisted: :twisted:

Although its kinda cheesy to base an argument off of your of Topic from a month back that never got resolved. I swear he likes winning far to much.

 

[JoseDominguez]

This one was resolved, pods stay as air units until the end of the air phase they land in. So they stay airborne until the air phase is over. This means that a pod that arrives first can still be engaged by hoppers in the air but can't be shot at by ground units without AA.
I thought Matt sorted this one, air units that land are air units until the end of the air phase they land in, not just for the duration of their action.
It's good, it means bugs don't get to charge at your pods as they land.
Think about it, if this wasn't the case, then hoppers etc... would be unable to intercept drop pods in the air phase.
So a drop pod would enter like this: enter board and fly at burn (any enemy aa within 20" react/36" plasma) second action: Land (enemy get to react again... it's still an air unit until this air phase ends).

Just drop them in front of plasma bugs, that fised arc is really restricted.

 

[JoseDominguez]

I wrote the rules masters about this one specifically (It's in my thread about Size and LoS) they claim that air units remain air units until the end of the air phase. So AA will get to react to them. It seems perfectly reasonable to me, as it prevents things like the aformentioned Caps dropping in right infront of a Plasma Bug and not being able to be fired on. It also prevents Hoppers from dropping in near Exosuits effectively, or anything with AA weapons.

Does that cover it? That's the way we have been playing it. Makes a lot more sense.

 

[5.56 Surgeon]

This one was resolved, pods stay as air units until the end of the air phase they land in. So they stay airborne until the air phase is over. This means that a pod that arrives first can still be engaged by hoppers in the air but can't be shot at by ground units without AA.
I thought Matt sorted this one, air units that land are air units until the end of the air phase they land in, not just for the duration of their action.
It's good, it means bugs don't get to charge at your pods as they land.
Think about it, if this wasn't the case, then hoppers etc... would be unable to intercept drop pods in the air phase.
So a drop pod would enter like this: enter board and fly at burn (any enemy aa within 20" react/36" plasma) second action: Land (enemy get to react again... it's still an air unit until this air phase ends).

Just drop them in front of plasma bugs, that fised arc is really restricted.

Anyone got a like to Matt sorting this out? And I forgot about the fire arc, I should keep that in mind, but I'm not concerned about ground reactions as by the time I drop in, the only bugs on the bug side of the board are the brain and plasma.