Flyer deployment question.

Howdy, know its been a while since ive posted anything (Just got back finally from Afghanistan) anyways so I head down to my local gaming store and I face down my first opponent since ive been back. In his list he has 2 helldrakes. Now here is where my question comes in. When a flyer deploys I am under the impression since they must move atleast 18 inches in a straight line that they must be atleast 18 inches away from his own deploymeny zone. My opponent argued that he can effectivly move anywhere within 36 inches from his border ( effectively only moving one inch from his deployment zone if he wanted). I managed to convince him for this game that it was my way of reading the rule not his. Am I incorrect on the interpretation of the rule??? Thanks. Oh yeah I was Grey Knights as always :P not that it matters lol

Welcome back amigo, may your days be filled with beer and good games of 40K!

Welcome back! You're correct. A flyer's minimum voluntary move is 18", unless it's Hovering. Your opponent may have thought that, as the flyer is coming from off the board, he could start it an arbitrary distance away from the edge and thus get most of his 18" move in off the board. This is incorrect. As page 124 says, "Each model's move is measured from the edge of the battlefield, as if they had been positioned just off the board in the previous turn and moved as normal." Reserves always start their move from just off the board, whether you want them to or not.

I have always come 18" off the back of the board edge.

You can, however, move the flyer 18" on a diagonal so it ends up less than 18" from your board edge.

Theoretically, your flyer could come on 2" from the right hand table edge, then fly, essentially parallel to your own board edge and end up 6" from your board edge.

You must deploy from your own deployment zones table edge. This is a lot harder to work out if you deploy using the Vanguard setup (center line running from corner to corner). No matter where your flier comes on from, it can come on at any angle and travel between 18 and 36" in a straight line with up to a 90 degree turn at the start and the whole base of the model is on the table, and does not sit 1" from enemy, or over your own troops.

I have on occasion, especially if the enemy has decent ranged AA weapons, run a flier along my table edge/deployment zone at a tight angle and attacked outflanking/ deep striking enemy forces (I have 2 Helldrakes with Baleflamers).

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Originally Posted by Daemonette666

You must deploy from your own deployment zones table edge. This is a lot harder to work out if you deploy using the Vanguard setup (center line running from corner to corner). No matter where your flier comes on from, it can come on at any angle and travel between 18 and 36" in a straight line with up to a 90 degree turn at the start and the whole base of the model is on the table, and does not sit 1" from enemy, or over your own troops.

I have on occasion, especially if the enemy has decent ranged AA weapons, run a flier along my table edge/deployment zone at a tight angle and attacked outflanking/ deep striking enemy forces (I have 2 Helldrakes with Baleflamers).

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Agreed. You have to move 18" in a straight line, but the word "straight" refers to the shape of the line, rather than meaning "straight out at a 90 degree angle from your deployment table edge".

Alright so it seems from the majority that basically he can place his flyer anywhere within 36 in, aslong as he claims to move from some point on his deployment zone? crazy... I dont really like that at all

It's not any different than any other unit coming on from Reserve. The only requirement, in all cases, is that you end up fully on the board and you make a normal move starting from some point on your deployment zone.

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Originally Posted by Animus Silvanna

Alright so it seems from the majority that basically he can place his flyer anywhere within 36 in, aslong as he claims to move from some point on his deployment zone? crazy... I dont really like that at all

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well, no, he has to place it on the board edge then do the move, thats important because Flyers can only change angle, by up to 90 degrees in either diection, at the start of the movement phase, if you just let him plop it down, then it wouldn't be angled correctly, which for most flyers, as their weapons aren't always turreted, has a huge effect