40K: Check Your Datasheets: Rules Breakdown
We’re back with our “rules you might have missed” series – this time, check your Datasheets!
The rules are still fresh in everyone minds and folks are already starting to take short cuts in learning/memorizing all those rules. In previous editions (really from 3rd through 7th) the basics were pretty similar. Unfortunately the core mechanics in the game have shifted enough that players everywhere are confusing one rule with another or a previous version on the rules. That’s why we are here to say loud and clear: Check the Datasheets & read the rules!
Unlearn The Old Rules
For a lot of folks, that seems like a no-brainer. But for a lot of other players, myself included, I’m used to having a “that guy” around to explain the rules. That worked before because (again) the previous editions didn’t have that big of a shift in rules – Warhammer 40k 8th is actually a lot different thanks to those subtle rules tweaks. I’m not saying don’t trust your friends – they (hopefully) aren’t trying to mislead or trick you. I’m saying that it’s a new edition and everyone is learning together. Read the rules and apply logic. Here are some handy tips and examples to illustrate what I’m talking about.
Re-Rolling 1’s
So your unit has an ability that lets you re-roll 1s. (No, I’m not getting into how Re-Rolls and Modifiers work, we covered that – stick with me.) But are you sure you’re applying it correctly? Let’s take a look at the Termagant ability Hail of Living Ammunition:
If the unit has 20 or more models, it gets to re-roll wound rolls of 1 when it shoots. Pretty simple right? Now let’s look at the Tervigon’s Broor Progenitor ability:
Termagants within 6″ of the Tervigon get to re-roll 1’s when shooting – what’s the big deal, right? WRONG. Read it carefully. The re-roll hit rolls of 1 only applies in the SHOOTING phase. That means for purposes of things like Overwatch, you DON’T get the re-roll.
There are lots of units with rules that allow re-rolls in the game now. It’s very easy to get them mixed up when you’re learning. Especially when you’re new and playing against someone else who is new and you both have similar but different rules. Look at the T’au Multitracker:
It’s basically the same thing, right? Yes, but would apply anytime the model is shooting all of it’s weapons at the same target, including during Overwatch. Until you’re absolutely sure of your rules, keep your Datasheets handy and don’t be afraid to double check.
Flying High
Flyers in this edition have gotten a major re-work. There is something majorly different about how Fly (keyword) works vs how it used to work. This is an example of why you need to flush those old rules out of your system.
There are only two things the Fly Keyword gives to a unit: The ability to ignore terrain and models when moving and the ability to shoot after falling back. That is it.
There is no Jink. There is no penalty for shooting at a unit with the keyword Fly. There are different abilities that are granted for those things:
Airborne limits the units that can charge it or be charged by the unit with Fly. Supersonic restricts the movement of the model. And Hard to Hit is what negatively impacts units attempting to shoot at the unit with Fly. Those are not included just because of the Fly keyword so don’t mess that up!
There are also units with bonuses to shoot/hit units with the Fly keyword, like the Tau Velocity Tracker for example:
So does that mean it helps counter the Hard to Hit ability? Yes. Does it also add 1 to rolls vs units with Fly that don’t have Hard to Hit? Yes! Watch out Stormboyz!
And while we’re on the subject of flyers I want to point this out for the movement stat as well:
Above is an example of a Flyer Unit with a minimum movement stat of 20″ and a max move of 50″ and please note the “-” to indicate this is a range band.
This is the movement characteristic for a Hive Tyrant. This is listed in case you decide to equip the model with Wings. The first number is the movement of the model without wings, the second is the movement of the model with wings. Here is the special rule:
Please note the “/” as well. I have seen people make arguments that a Tyrant with wings has a minimum movement of 9″ and this is just plain WRONG. Tyrants with wings have a can move up to 16″ as it’s a single number. Really, all units movement stats should read 0″-X” so it would crystal clear. I think GW trusts the players enough to understand that. Unfortunately people also love to argue.
Fire in the Hole
A while back Games Workshop released a teaser about the Cities of Death Special Rules. We talked about it and there was an interesting quote from the teaser:
It’s not going all Infantry’s way of course. There are solutions to dug-in enemies. Grenades for example. Any Grenade thrown at a unit in ruins will always count as having rolled the maximum number of shots (6, in the case of a frag grenade) and can reroll to wound thanks to the “Fire in the Hole” mission rule.
Wow! That’s awesome right? It makes Ruins and Grenades extra deadly sounding. There is a catch – that’s not a core rule. Here’s the core rules for Grenades:
And here are the core rules for Ruins:
No where in the rules for Ruins or Grenades does it say that they get to “count as having rolled the maximum number of shots” – so what gives? The issue is that the special rule is found in the Cities of Death section:
The Fire in the Hole special rule only applies if you’ve agreed to use it or are playing in a Cities of Death game of 40k. “Okay, this seems like quite the rabbit hole, why bring this up?” Because I was at a game and someone brought this rule up. I had forgotten about it and the person couldn’t remember where they heard about it. The player’s response was “Oh well, someone must have lied to me then.” That stuck with me and I spent the time to dig this up and I want to warn others about it.
Now I don’t think the player was trying to cheat or be malicious, they legitimately didn’t remember where they heard it. And it is technically a rule – an optional rule, but a rule none the less. My point is that before the game came out there was a lot of misinformation flying around. We got teasers of rules and didn’t have the full picture. Now that we all have access to the core rules and the Rulebook is widely available, there is no reason to be lazy and trust what some other player says.
Take the time and look things up, especially if you’re new or learning. If you don’t know the rule, ask the other player to show it to you. This is the time to do that; We are all learning together. And if another player asks you to show a rule to them, give them the benefit of the doubt. They probably aren’t trying to be a jerk – they may not know the rules as well. Take the time to show it to them. Be a “Rules Sherpa” and not a “Rules Lawyer.”
Well, that’s another wall of text from me – hope that was at least helpful to you! Have you come across any of these instances where you thought a rule worked when it didn’t? Or was there an ability you assumed a unit had that it didn’t? Let us know where you stumbled in the rules so we can all avoid those pot-holes together!
