Steam Tank Attacks

[SpellArcher]

OK basic one here.

Does the Stank fight in our combat phase?

[dabber]

No.

[Enomiel]

I believe not since he has no steam point at our combat phase.

[SpellArcher]

Thanks guys.

[Prince of Spires]

doesn't the guy inside it get to fight? I though it was crewed by an engineer, and he gets to fight. Not that familiar with the empire armybook.

Rod

[teep]

Yes, he does

Another attack related question for you guys, please help a brother with the following.

Imagine a Stank going for four steam points - three go into moment (i.e. impact hits) and
one goes to shooting.

What happens if said Stank complety wipes out the unit he bumped into? These impact hits
are resolved before the actual close combat phase, right? Can a Stank then still shoot its canon
in the shooting phase, using the last steam point? Yes, it had technically entered close combat,
but since all foes were dead before actual CC started, I did not say anything
when my opponent fired the canon at my frosty, killing poor Mr Birdy...

[Teledor]

Impact hits are resolved in the combat phase - but before all normal attacks. This includes any attacks with ASF. So, no he cannot shoot unless there is some special rule allowing the steam tank to shoot out of combat.

[John Rainbow]

Impact hits happen in the CC phase so if the Steam Tank 'charged' then this is when those hits occur.

If the Stank is already in base contact though RAW seems to say the the 'grind' attack happens in the movement phase. I would, therefore, argue that the Stank can fire the steam gun in the shooting phase if it does not have anyone in B2B i.e. it kills them all with grind. The Stank obviously can't move though so it depends on what is in range.

As for the earlier attacks question the Stank does have an engineer who can open the top hatch and attack in each player's CC phase.

[teep]

Thanks for the quick responses, guys

To clarify: due to some desperate overrun on my BSB's behalf (don't ask why ^^) on my turn,
my opponent rolled for steam points, told me what he wanted to spend them on, then pivoted
his Stank to make contact with my BSB. According to the rules, that's a "charge", right?
Poor bastard died a horrible death from the D6 + 3D3 hits. Since all of this was resolved in the
movement phase, he then opted to use his last steam point to fire a canon ball.

If I understand John correctly here, we played this wrong because we treated the Stank's hits
like grinding attacks - which they technically weren't since this was'nt a drwan out combat, but
a charge type situation.

In all honesty, I'm kinda glad we did tho - lots of fun was had by all. After the Stank reduced the bird's
wounds to a meager one, his effin engineer then managed to shoot a bullet directly thru its happy
place, killing it

[John Rainbow]

To clarify: due to some desperate overrun on my BSB's behalf (don't ask why ^^) on my turn, my opponent rolled for steam points, told me what he wanted to spend them on, then pivoted
his Stank to make contact with my BSB. According to the rules, that's a "charge", right?
Poor bastard died a horrible death from the D6 + 3D3 hits. Since all of this was resolved in the
movement phase, he then opted his last steam point to fire a canon ball.

In this case they would be impact hits which happen in the CC phase. He could not fire the cannon. Your BSB is still likely to be ground to mulch beneath the wheels though

[teep]

Which is fine aka a lesson well earned - I just got a little ahead there, thinking I need to grab points to win,
instead of thinking about what I need to do in order to win...

Thanks for clearing that up for me, John. I hope I do a better job at tomorrow's rematch, but if I find myself
in that pickle again, I at least know the rules now

[Ladril Caledor]

If he pivoted his steam tank to make contact with your BSB, I'm not sure that's a legal charge. To make a charge you need to declare it against an opponent in your charge arc at the start of the movement phase, then roll for the charge. It sounds like the BSB was out of the Stanks arc.

The steam tank could pivot and use steam points to 'grind into the BSB if he was already in base contact at the start of the movement phase, but it sounds like this was not the case here.

[SpellArcher]

Steam Tanks do not declare charges, per pg 74.

Instead they pivot and if they roll high enough to reach an enemy, count as charging, even if that enemy lay outside forward arc before the pivot.

[pk-ng]

If he pivoted his steam tank to make contact with your BSB, I'm not sure that's a legal charge. To make a charge you need to declare it against an opponent in your charge arc at the start of the movement phase, then roll for the charge. It sounds like the BSB was out of the Stanks arc.

The steam tank could pivot and use steam points to 'grind into the BSB if he was already in base contact at the start of the movement phase, but it sounds like this was not the case here.

random movement

[Ladril Caledor]

My bad. Steam tank rules are so complicated. Thanks for the correction.

[manveruppd]

Isn't that sort of thing known as "railroading", which a lot of people consider to be legal? I mean putting things on either side of a stank so it can't pivot without hitting them, forcing it to only go forwards. I'm not saying I think it's legal myself, I'm just saying it's widely allowed.

[John Rainbow]

Isn't that sort of thing known as "railroading", which a lot of people consider to be legal? I mean putting things on either side of a stank so it can't pivot without hitting them, forcing it to only go forwards. I'm not saying I think it's legal myself, I'm just saying it's widely allowed.

It depends on the event/game. By RAW if you are 1" away from a Stank (or other random mover i.e. Hellpit) it can't pivot as that would bring it within 1" and break 'the 1" rule'. This is railroading. It keeps the random mover going in the same direction all the time.

I have never played at an event that allows railroading. Every game I've played against a random mover has allowed them, when railroaded, to either move in a straight line or charge the railroading unit by somehow fudging it to get into B2B.

[Nyeave]

****ing ridiculous rulles that allow nothing within 18 inches to be safe from being charged by something as silly as a steam tank...