Deploying massive units

By Sam Tomahawk, in Imperial Assault Rules Questions

Ok, so this came up last week. We peacefully resolved it, but I want to know what the forum thinks. I should be able to keep this spoiler free.

We were playing Indebted (Garkhaan's mission) and you can see it is several buildings connected to a forested area. We played it far enough along that there was enough threat to make the ATST a viable option. Problem is, there are points where the only active deployment points are *inside.

Rules say massive units can't go on indoor tiles. Rules say deploy to the nearest legal point. Knowing those rules, we came up with a couple options.

1) deploy the ATST to the doorway as its the nearest legal space (even if that happens to be 8+ spaces from the deployment point)

2) piss off, no ATST for you this mission, bring something else

Anybody have any idea how to rule this? The rules seem to favor option 1, but the distance stretches the bounds of reasonability. I dont know, and I haven't found anywhere this specific question was asked already.

I would have to say #1 sounds like the right answer, but the spirit of the game would have to be #2. The Imperial gets to see the map and deployment points, and if the only deployment points are inside I would argue that you can't bring the AT-ST as a group.

Massive figures cannot enter interior spaces, this includes deployment. If you cannot legally place the AT-ST, then you would not be able to deploy it.

So, #1 would be the letter of the law. Deploy the AT-ST as close as you can to an active deployment point.

From what the rules say on Massive, my take is that you would have to place the AT-ST on or adjacent to the deployment point, and any units that are there get moved based on RRG pg. 17:

A Massive figure can end its movement in spaces that contain blocking terrain and/or other figures. Any figures in its spaces are pushed into the closest empty space of its controller’s choice (taking impassible terrain into account). The player moving the Massive figure pushes friendly figures first, and then other players push their figures.

While this isn't exactly a movement, it's the closest thing I could find in any of the documents regarding massive deployment. However this may need clarification from FFG.

I would focus more on "entering" the space. Deployment is not movement.

I would focus more on "entering" the space. Deployment is not movement.

Some interior spaces are named though. As an imperial, I'd say it's not allowed to deploy a massive if the deployment point is placed interior.