Hades Breaching Drill - the Mawloc of the IG!

[mountaincycle661]

I got my new IA Apocalypse II book, and I was immediately drawn towards the hades breaching drill. Its an incredible model, heinously powerful and (yes, ill admit it) waaay undercosted for its effectiveness. But now that Ive got three of them in the mail towards me, I came across a rules problem.

This thing really is like a mawloc for the IG. Its always kept in reserve, arrives from underground and on the turn it arrives unleashes a potent melta blast before the model is placed on the board. The very next turn (no need to roll for it) the mandatory veterans attached to the vehicle become available from reserve and come up from the drill's entry point. Just like the mawloc.

So, a few questions:

1. The turn it arrives, you scatter a blast marker. Where it lands, models underneath take a railgun profile melta blast. This is not a shooting attack, as it does not happen in the shooting phase. However, it has a AP value LIKE a shooting attack. Can one claim cover from this "attack"? It even says in the entry that small terrain features should be removed from the table because its whirring powerblades utterly destroy them. Also, in a thread on warseer, a similar question was posed when the mawloc comes up and puts out his st6 attack; can a vehicle claim "smoke" cover? (over there, the general concensus was just reduce the cover save to a +5 because the two players couldnt agree).

2. Ok, so you've placed you're blast marker, you've done your damage and resolved casualties, etc. Now the actual breaching drill model is placed on the board (enemy units move the minimum distance out of its way, usually 1"). Because it deep struck, albeit a variation of the normal deep strike rules, it does not move anywhere else on this turn. Lets just say it survives till the next turn. The veteran unit that MUST be attached to the drill when purchased automatically comes in from reserves the next turn following the drill. The wording makes it seem as though they MAY come up from the hole the drill initially breached, just like little bugs following a mawloc. Reserves are placed BEFORE the movement phase. Therefore, before the drill even has a CHANCE to move off the hole it burrowed out of, the veterans cannot "come up for air". Essentially, they are trapped and cannot come out of the hole. So, because of the wording it seems like the alternative would be to have the veterans come on from your normal board edge instead.

My answer to question number two would be to work out out the way it was obviously intended to work out. Rules as intended. I know, its a weak argument, but seriously. Why would these guys make a set of rules that so blantently contradicts its purpose? I dont think the forgeworld guys are stupendous at making rules, just really great models :-) I would say that the veterans could be placed immediately AFTER the breaching drill moves off the hole in the ground. Or, say that they come up around the drill and are placed in a fashion resembling "unit coherency" with the drill when they become available. The only exception to this might be if the drill becomes immobilized on top of the hole it drilled.

By the way, how big is this hole supposed to be? When the vets come up, they are treated as walking on from their own board edge, so may move shoot and assault as normal. But how big is the hole, initially? How much room do i have to play with when placing the models before they move?

[harrybuttwhisker]

I would say simplest thing would be to treat them like they are disembarking from the drill a la a vehicle.

[Xas]

about smoke cover against mawloc/drill:

there is a beatifull rules bit that clearly states that smoke launchers grant a cover save IN THE SHOOTING PHASE.


the hole-stuffed-problem onl exist if the rules state that the unit first has to be placed ON the hole. if it simply treats the hole as their board edge or are placed within 6" of the hole (like trygon one) there is no problem from a rules mechanic POV

[mountaincycle661]

excellent! I do believe you're right. The book says the veterans treat the hole as a board edge and walk on to it from there. Therefore, they dont have to be placed on the hole, THEN move. They are put down anywhere within six inches of the arrival point. Thanks!

As for the smoke cover save, Ill have to get out my big rule book and check that out. That sounds like a pretty solid case for "no cover save". Which honestly makes sense. I dont care how much smoke you're wreathed in...if a gigantic array of whirrling power blades and mining equipment comes bursting up underneath you, smoke is not going to save you! (nor would it obscure the drills vision of the target...its underground for chrissakes!)

thanks again