Buildings with multiple emplaced auto fire weapons

[Guest]

Might be doing this wrong. I've been considering each auto-fire weapon as its own unit on my FSR. I shoot one TL Icarus, resolve entirely, then shoot the next one. Do buildings fire all the weapons as one unit's shooting, or is each emplaced weapon one unit? It doesn't matter if models inside are firing, as they have normal targeting restrictions, but with the auto-fire it matters a good deal.

 

So, three ways I can see this one being played out:

 

1) Shoot as one unit. All guns must target the same closest unit, as they don't have a special rule to grant targeting multiple units.

 

2) Shoot each gun as it's own unit. Each gun target's their closest unit and resolves their shots entirely. This one matters a good deal, as doing it this way means more grounding tests for shot FMCs. This also means that units may be destroyed by one gun, which changes what the second gun must target. This also means that I may be forced to divide my fire between two targets, even if it would be more beneficial for me to target a single unit with both sets of guns.

 

3) Shoot as if one unit that can target multiple units, despite a lack of GW rules to support this behavior. Model effectively has a modified Power of the Machine Spirit, all shooting is resolved simultaneously. This eliminates the multiple grounding tests of #2, while retaining the potential disadvantages of having to split fire.

 

Personally, I've been using #2, but it I've more recently seen other players use #1. I've not seen anything in the GW book to definitively clarify it one way or another. The #2 method does have an advantage against FMCs, hence the need for me to task the boards if I'm doing it wrong. On the other hand, it has clear disadantages at actually killing targets if I have two targets I'm forced to split my fire upon. I've had games where my guns targeted two flyers and it was great, while other games see my guns each target a different IG infantry unit....

 

I've not seen anyone use #3, nor are their GW rules to support it, but it is the third way I can see it being resolved.

-Pax

[WestRider]

#1 seems clearly wrong, given that Pg.96 specifies that each Weapon targets the nearest Enemy Unit, which can easily be different.

 

It is, however, still one Building, so #3 actually seems to be the correct way to go about it to me. It's how I've been playing my FSR, tho it's never actually come up yet.

 

I also chose #3 as the option that gives me the least advantage, going with Jervis's Razor, which is one of the few really good things he's come up with.

[AbusePuppy]

Definitely #3. The normal rules prevent a unit from shooting at multiple targets, but there are plenty of exceptions to those rules, and buildings are one of them- Stronghold Assault explicitly specifies that you check the nearest unit from each gun individually. However, the building is still only one firer, since no particular exception is given there, so all of the weapon fire is resolved simultaneously against its various targets.

[Threejacks]

For clarification..can we still manual fire the weapons at different targets? or would the "one model,one target rule apply?

[Guest]

For clarification..can we still manual fire the weapons at different targets? or would the "one model,one target rule apply?

My understanding is that the unit that uses manual fire must fire all of that unit's weapons at the same target, including any emplaced weapons. I may need to look this one up again.

 

The other interesting one in the SA book is that models on the battlements cannot fire emplaced weapons because they are considered being in ruins, not in the building. The building is the one with the emplaced weapons.

-Pax

[Threejacks]

My understanding is that the unit that uses manual fire must fire all of that unit's weapons at the same target, including any emplaced weapons. I may need to look this one up again.

 

The other interesting one in the SA book is that models on the battlements cannot fire emplaced weapons because they are considered being in ruins, not in the building. The building is the one with the emplaced weapons.

-Pax

If that's the case then I could always have one model "Man" one of the guns and let the other one auto fire at the closest target...with Orks bs 2 its no loss of accuracy to get two targets under fire in this case.And since auto fire takes place at the end of the shooting phase I wouldn't be bound to fire at the closest target.

[Guest]

If that's the case then I could always have one model "Man" one of the guns and let the other one auto fire at the closest target...with Orks bs 2 its no loss of accuracy to get two targets under fire in this case.And since auto fire takes place at the end of the shooting phase I wouldn't be bound to fire at the closest target.

First part is correct. Auto-fire still has to shoot at the closest target unless it has a special rule that says otherwise (like the FSR).

-Pax

[AbusePuppy]

For clarification..can we still manual fire the weapons at different targets? or would the "one model,one target rule apply?

 

All weapons that a particular unit manually fires will have to shoot at their target, as usual- you treat those weapons just as you would a weapon the model is carrying, for the most part.

 

 

The other interesting one in the SA book is that models on the battlements cannot fire emplaced weapons because they are considered being in ruins, not in the building. The building is the one with the emplaced weapons.

 

Do remember, however, that a unit on the battlements can fire any weapon emplacements (such as a Quad Gun or such) that happen to be mounted on the battlements.