Small Arms fire through openings in buildings

[Mark Prichard]

Infantry inside a building usually get the hard cover bonus when getting shot at with small arms fire. What happens if a unit advances right up to the same openings and fires into the building? Is it treated like an obstacle where neither side gets the hard cover or does it play with the same rule, i.e. the unit in the building gets hard cover and the one outside the building gets no cover bonus.

[Yuriy]

Mark Prichard, a very good question, the rules do not consider this situation separately, so you should play by the General rule, that is, cover bonus is only for those who are in the building. you can change the situation with home rules.

[Stuart Harrison]

The approaching unit wouldn’t be allowed to get within 1″ unless assaulting – there is no exception provided in the building rules for the general rule, p35, Units, One-inch gap. The occupying unit would be considered to occupy the whole footprint of the building (or their room/section or a large building that has been divided as per the rules) so no other unit can approach within 1″.

Same applies to an obstacle – unless the obstacle is over 1″ wide, you couldn’t have units on both sides.

[Mark Prichard]

Yes the one inch rule is a good point. If the obstacle is over an inch wide then you could position a unit and fire directly at another unit behind it and not suffer a -2 for hard cover, but that is a big “If” so will have to take that into consideration. As far as buildings, I think its clear it doesn’t matter, use the building rules.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 6 months ago by Mark Prichard.

[Mark Prichard]

Stuart,

So how do you work the 1 inch rule if a unit is against the outside wall of a building then an enemy unit runs into the building from the other side? I am assuming it does not stop the other unit from running into the building, so does the unit on the outside have to move away front the building 1 inch?

[Stuart Harrison]

Technically it should prevent them occupying the building – without an exception to the general rule, the rule applies and it’s effects need to be taken into account.

The alternative is writing exceptions/provisions into the other rules interactions with it – who benefits from the cover, defensive position etc.

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