By following the spcifications of the rules, and only allowing units to take move actions until they are fully on the battlefield, making them wait precludes several other sticky situations.

While most heavy walkers entering from the edge of the table will not be able to fire the turn they first move onto the table, that's not a bad way of showing some of the maneuver problems of the big vehicles without causing too many problems. Allowing them to partially enter, and then complete entering the next turn, gives the heavy a free space of uncontested movement where they are not able to be engaged, while allowing them to always fire on their first full turn of entry.

If you allow a partial entry, but retain the stipulation not allowing other actions, explain why the opposing player can't fire at the parts of the vehicle that are on the table. If you instead allow other actions to be taken while only partially on the table, you could wind up with players placing a heavy walker in a corner with only one square worth of vehicle on the table for far worse issues.

There are already scenarios where regular units might not be able to move onto the table on the turn they should. Think of scenario 4 from Operation Blue Thunder. Without having holes blown through the wall in scenario 3, the attacker has a three space wide entry area between lines of impassable terrain. Without Fast, Scout, or Move 2 units, they can move a maximum of eight units onto the table, but only if they flank with infantry. With that, three units could only move on one space.

While that scenario at suggested force sizes shouldn't cause a problem, play it at 300 points, or a similar starting zone for a different scenario, and the attacker could easily wind up with units waiting for another turn to enter.

By making the heavies wait until they can fully enter to start entering, you avoid other issues, and make them enter just as other units would for some scenarios.

Under "Entering the Battlefield" on page 12 of Cerberus, it says:

"Like any other unit, large vehicles must use a MOVE action to enter the battlefield. Unitl they are completely on the battlefield, large vehicles cannot perform any actions other than the MOVE action, and cannot be targeted by an attack. Because of their size, some large vehicles cannot fully enter the battlefield with a single move action. These units must perform a second MOVE action to enter the battlefield."

By my interpretation, this seems to mean that the large unit may half-enter, and can "hang out" as long as it is blocked. I understand that "doing nothing" is an action, but if the unit is doing a MOVE action, but has no legal moves, I still believe that it is using a MOVE action.

For rules balance, however, our group uses, "The large unit must move onto the board at the first opportunity, and cannot perform a FIRE action on the turn it enters." The second part is to prevent players from half-moving their unit onto the board on the first turn, (thus making it invulnerable.) just so that they can MOVE and FIRE on the second turn with no risk to the unit from enemy fire on the first turn.

(Note the use of "our group". In no way am I saying that this is how the rules state that this situation must be handled. I'm just stating how our group handles this particular issue.)

What purpose does half-entering accomplish other than allowing an effective extra space of movement the turn they finish entering?

Considering that extra space of movement could be the difference between entering, and entering and moving out of line of sight with only the possibility of a reactive fire attack, I don't see a reason for it. Scout Vehicle is negated if it can't be used on the first turn, but allowing a partial entry would be doing allmost as much, and doing it with immunity in the first space entered.

Waiting off the board when there is no available entry, and then fully entering when possible, causes the least disruption within the rest of the rules. The rules are clear that only movement actions can be taken until the unit is fully on the board, so allowing the heavy to take a 'do nothing' action goes directly against that.

Wombattangofoxtrot said:

A unit is either in play or not in play. It is either deployed or undeployed. There is no explicit notion, anywhere in any rules version, that would lead me to think otherwise.

Think of it this way: If there really was a third state of deployment (semi-deployed, as many suggest in here) - how come there isn't even terminology for it in the rules or FAQ? One might assume that the logical answer is that there is no name for it because what does not exist does not need naming.

The intentions of the rules are not to create "the third deployment state": If it were, then it would be explicitly written. You know, that is also the point with rules - to be explicit. There is no such writing. If there is not, then why insist on believing that there is? And what makes anyone think there is when nothing of the sort is expressed even remotely as the game designers intentions?

While I have yet to paint my heavies, when I do get an opponent to play i'm going to try using the simple rule "if its on the board it can be shot at". I think this eliminates any doubt or rule bending options to come into play. Plus like all games you need a few house rules at times and that seems like a fair one to resolve a possible issue.

Agreed, house rules can help fix a lot of unfun situations. Now knowing that the heavies have to use 2 move actions to enter the board it changes what I saw in play over the weekend. And likewise it gives that slow lumbering giant the logical disadvantage that it didn't just show up out of nowhere.

The word Must is a key word here. They must make a second movement. As noted above, there is not semi-deployment state. With the exception of any scenarios allowing for later round entry, I thought the understanding of the rules was all units used in the game had to enter first round. Not makeing a decision is still a decision. So not entering into play fully, is not deploying at all. I'd say if you don't deploy it in the first round...it's out. If you're going to use that big son of a gun...at least be a man with it.