Can we get this post stickied, please.... I expect many more posts will show up here eventually

On ‎3‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 3:50 PM, Undeadguy said:

Agreed. Terrain is designated cover types at the start of the game based on the 50% rule to be obscured. Then during the game, if LOS is traced across that terrain, the benefit of the terrain is granted as cover so long as more than half the unit is behind it.

Here is the order these rules work.

1. Custom terrain piece
   1. Does this cover 50% of a unit of troopers?
      1. Yes
   2. Does this cover 50% of an AT-ST?
      1. No
   3. What type of Cover does it provide?
      1. Heavy
2. LOS is traced across the terrain.
   1. Is the defender a trooper?
      1. Yes
   2. Is more than 50% of the unit "behind/touching" the terrain?
      1. Yes
   3. Heavy Cover is granted
3. LOS is traced across the terrain
   1. Is the defender a trooper?
      1. Yes
   2. Is more than 50% of the unit "behind/touching" the terrain?
      1. No
   3. No cover is granted
4. LOS is traced across the terrain.
   1. Is the defender an AT-ST
      1. Yes
   2. No cover is granted

Where is the confusion in the cover/LOS rules?

I agree FFG needs to clarify all of this and not trying to be a jerk.

So if I have a building (heavy cover) with a totally flat roof, with trooper unit #1 standing on top of it, lets say 1mm from the edge, and another trooper (#2) shooting at it from off of the building, how much cover do I assign? If I follow this flow chart then the unit on top of the building will get heavy cover even though I can 'see' 99% of his mini.

...Upon further review maybe this is not such a bad thing since the trooper on the building could be narrated as laying down and taking advantage of the high ground... but what if trooper #2 is on its own building that is the same height or taller than trooper #1's building?

59 minutes ago, Rettere said:

So if I have a building (heavy cover) with a totally flat roof, with trooper unit #1 standing on top of it, lets say 1mm from the edge, and another trooper (#2) shooting at it from off of the building, how much cover do I assign? If I follow this flow chart then the unit on top of the building will get heavy cover even though I can 'see' 99% of his mini.

...Upon further review maybe this is not such a bad thing since the trooper on the building could be narrated as laying down and taking advantage of the high ground... but what if trooper #2 is on its own building that is the same height or taller than trooper #1's building?

The rules allow you to have multiple terrain characteristics for buildings, so I would say the top open area does not provide cover, unless the attacker is shooting from an angle that obscures the defender, such as being 5 ft away from the building and shooting up (like the diagram on pg 10), and under that condition the cover can have a separate value. This means true LOS is important in determining which type of cover is granted, and to make sure you can see every defending mini in the unit.

This results in 3 cover values.

1. In the building - heavy cover
2. On top of the building - no cover
3. Shooting up the building while adjacent to it - light

PG 9

Large objects like buildings, moisture collectors, hills, and high walls have a substantial impact on the environment, often blocking line of sight and movement completely. Some terrain pieces do not fit neatly into a single category, but are instead composed of several different terrain types. This is most commonly found in buildings. Buildings come in all shapes and sizes, from the simple huts of Tatooine to the fortified bunkers constructed by the Galactic Empire. For the sake of simplicity, most buildings are generally best treated as large pieces of impassable terrain, but sometimes players may wish to incorporate more nuance. In particular, buildings will sometimes have parts that are impassable while the rest is open or difficult terrain—a mini may be able to move through a doorway or a large window as open terrain, but the building’s walls are impassable. When using a piece of terrain with mixed types, players should clearly define the terrain so that there is no ambiguity.

1 hour ago, Rettere said:

So if I have a building (heavy cover) with a totally flat roof, with trooper unit #1 standing on top of it, lets say 1mm from the edge, and another trooper (#2) shooting at it from off of the building, how much cover do I assign? If I follow this flow chart then the unit on top of the building will get heavy cover even though I can 'see' 99% of his mini.

...Upon further review maybe this is not such a bad thing since the trooper on the building could be narrated as laying down and taking advantage of the high ground... but what if trooper #2 is on its own building that is the same height or taller than trooper #1's building?

Also, just to reiterate, this is why the RRG repeatedly says that you should work out exactly what each custom terrain feature does with your opponent before you start playing.

You might decide that a specific piece of terrain provides heavy cover in one game, then after playing realize that it isn't as realistic/accurate as you thought, and decide that it only provides light cover in the next game.

You guys recognize what a mess that suggested route is, right?

Let’s predefine the multiple cover types this building has before the game. Let’s rememeber all the positions that those various cover values apply to. Then let’s multiply that across 10+ pieces of terrain.

Where as if you apply the 50% rule based on current Los & position(rather than pre game), you only need apply 1 cover type to the building. Then judge it based on how the game currently sits .

Much less cognitive load. You can judge cover based on the type of material and your agreements pre game, then figure out how it applies based on current position.

The suggested route isn’t going to remove any arguments, it’s just that the arguments will be about what the agreement was for the 30 different variables, rather than whether Los to 50% of a model is blocked.

28 minutes ago, Thoras said:

You guys recognize what a mess that suggested route is, right?

Let’s predefine the multiple cover types this building has before the game. Let’s rememeber all the positions that those various cover values apply to. Then let’s multiply that across 10+ pieces of terrain.

Where as if you apply the 50% rule based on current Los & position(rather than pre game), you only need apply 1 cover type to the building. Then judge it based on how the game currently sits .

Much less cognitive load. You can judge cover based on the type of material and your agreements pre game, then figure out how it applies based on current position.

The suggested route isn’t going to remove any arguments, it’s just that the arguments will be about what the agreement was for the 30 different variables, rather than whether Los to 50% of a model is blocked.

You can do either one. The rules allow for both. Some people want simplistic, some people want realistic. No one here is forcing you to pick which one to do, and just because it's too much for you to handle does not mean it's too much for me.