Topic: Changing the shooting in combat rules and possible side effects.

[Alexis]

My good friend is not happy with the rule which allows shooting in combat. It's mostly from a fluff perspective (which I agree with) especially shooting out of your combat into another combat. It just seems silly. We discussed it and he wanted to house rule it out, so no shooting in combat. I was quite concerned by this because I believe many units are balanced on shooting. (for example, I believe the Free Company are worth taking because they have a shooting and combat attack, which balances out their poor stats.)

Throwing it out there, do you guys think house ruling it out of the game would break the design of many units or would it have minimal effect? I want everyone playing to be happy and enjoy it and I hugely disagree with the idea of shooting in combat, but if the game is balanced with this, then I'd worry changing it would be a very unfair alteration.

Thoughts?

[Lord_Crom]

I have never thought about shooting at a different combat. That is the fault of me assuming it couldn't be done but I can see that it can. I agree with you I do think the Empire at least would be nerf but why not house rule out shooting at units outside the combat or the firing unit can only shoot in the first time it is engaged as it wouldn't be able to reload after?

The first I have found no real draw back as like I said I never knew you could do it.

[Oxycutor]

There are some units, archers I think and crossbowmen that have benefits for shooting if they are not in combat.

Remember a unit must have line of sight, and it specifically says models in their own unit do not block line of sight.  So you could argue if you are in combat, then models in front block line of sight.  I'd certainly say so if your shooting unit is smaller than the engaged unit, but probably not if it was the other way around.  Taller models should be able to see over.  And of course you would have line of sight of the unit directly in front of you, so if I were to houserule, I'd just say units in combat, can only shoot at units they are in combat with

[StealthKnightSteg]

I think shooting into / out of combat is indeed pivotal in the game balance as well as for the game speed! But I also agree from a fluff standpoint that it's rather silly. But to minimise the loss of the effect this has on the game and still maintain a certain degree of fluff reasoning I propose the following houserule:

1. Shooting by engaged models (base to base contact with an enemy model) can only shoot their first shooting fase (a loaded weapon firing, but to occupied to reload) and only at the engaged unit (only thing in their sites)

2. Shooting my models in the combat unit but NOT engaged, can shoot and reload at the enemy unit in combat and every unit they can see (backing up their comrades that are in melee)

3. Shooting IN TO combat at models that are not base to base in combat, allowed as you can imagine that they take aim at the back unengaged models, if their are none then it's not a viable target. Still the unit most be visible not though your own friendly unit