If I fire indirectly using an artillery squad, do I check for obscured line of sight from the artillery squad, or not at all?

By artillery squad, are you talking about the observer team?

For determining cover, we counted the LOS from the firing unit. We imagined these are all relatively low trajectory rounds, which could hit intervening terrain. For off board, (Long Tom), it doesn't matter since it ignores cover. The observer spots, just to call the target in, but the rounds ultimately come from the firing unit.

Grim6 said:

I'm talking about squads with the artillery strike ability, which aren't necessarily observer teams (can be any squad with a radioman.)

The rules specifically say you do not use LOS from the firing unit for artillery strikes, but use the LOS for for the squad with the artillery ability. Obviously you use it to determine what unit you can fire at, but I'm wondering if you use it for obscured LOS as well. I think the rules definitely state you wouldn't use the firing unit to determine obstructed LOS (the whole point of doing indirect fire is that your unit doesn't have LOS.)

Looking at RAW, it just says use LOS from the mini with artillery strike (any radioman), without any distinction between LOS for blocking and obscured. In my head, I had a notion that it's observer (arty strike mini) to check for blocked LOS (basically, can the observer see the target), and then a line from the firing unit for obscured, but I think that's me trying to impose my own ideas…

So, RAW, it seems like it's all from the observer, for both blocked and obscured.

That's what I'm thinking too. Still not sure if it makes sense, but rules as written, that's how it goes. Hopefully another thing that will get clarified in the FAQ (which is starting to sound like it will be as long as the original rulebook, ha.)

I think it makes sense. Think of it as if the target is obscured, it will be more difficult to get pinpoint coordinates to the firing unit, and so the incoming fire will be less effective . . .

Craig in NH said:

Yup, I think you're right. That is how I will play it until/unless I hear otherwise from FFG.

Thanks guys for helping me think through this.

Sorry for coming back to an old thread but I got the situation just today. I was using the Hans with the Granatwerfer for indirect fire and my radioman was having LOS so no blocked targets, however for obscured line of sight I just assumed to trace the imaginary line form the center of the radioman (instead of the center of the Hans) to the center of the target miniature I was able to see, which was behind some low walls and therefore behind hard cover, so we ruled that the unit was having right to hard cover as we were not able to find any info on the book about indirect fire and cover (so no indication about indirect fire ignoring cover).

Is any rule we were missing ? do the models targeted by indirect fire have the right to get cover ?

That's the way I've been playing but I agree it's not clear - definitely something I hope is clarified in the next FAQ update.

Actually, my buddy and I spent about 20 minutes on just this issue Saturday. We came to the conclusion that they do, based on the Artillery Strike special ability which reads…

"Miniatures with the Artillery Strike ability have the equipment necessary to accurately call in supporting fire. Other friendly units with weapons using Indirect Fire (such as Artillery weapons, see page 57) may draw line of sight from the Artillery Strike miniature instead of from themselves. "

If the LOS from the radioman spotter would give the target cover. If its in the clear to the radioman, then no cover.

We also think the Hans got accidentally herded when they decided to change Spray to not include the ability it obviously had at some point (read the Nebelwerfer weapon text), and made rules for Burst and Grenades. A Grenatwerfer is a Grenade Thrower which throws giant grenades. If anything should ignore cover, I'd say that qualifies. However, we're playing it doesn't until/if FFG Errata's it.

Sounds logical to me now what you say about the Hans, the errata in the Nebelwerfer is a clear pointer to the changes in the rules…