If the rear companies are elevated and the front companies are off the hill can the rear companies see and shoot over the front companies, not as support but as direct fire?

I say yes but I'm just wondering how others play it.

_________________
http://drinkingwotr.blogspot.com/ - Links to my CrAzY House Rules, Games and 'poor man's' terrain.

Hm, that's interesting. Logic would say they can, but I think the rules state that rear companies always deliver support fire. Or is that "companies that can't see the enemy", because then they certainly can.

_________________
"... Telchar wrought it in the deeps of time."
-On Andùril, The Lord of the Rings

Page two of the official update asks:
Can units on a hill block the line of sight of other units on the same level of a hill?
A.Yes.
To me that suggests that if the other units are higher on the hill,then yes they can see and fire. Thats just my view though.

_________________
Veni Vidi Vici

I would say to clarify with your opponent before the game starts

The same would apply vice versa. On lower ground, rear companies would have line of sight of an enemy on a hill.

_________________
http://drinkingwotr.blogspot.com/ - Links to my CrAzY House Rules, Games and 'poor man's' terrain.

The line of sight mechanic in WoTR is probably one of the most simplest I know, but the way it's written lends itself to misinterpretation. Even the FAQ could have been clearer, the problem lies with GW using the term "units" instead of "formations"

Here's my interpretation :

Rear companies of a formation never have line of sight through the front rank of companies, whether they're shooting at units on a hill or from the top of a hill, hence they always provide supporting fire.

Where there are two separate formations on the same level of a hill, the rear formation would have no line of sight through the formation in front, nor can it be seen from the ground.

Where you have separate formations on different levels of a hill, the higher formation would have line of sight over the formation in front and would be visible from the ground, or indeed from behind a forest! (This I've never really understood but as I said, LoS in WoTR is meant to be straight forward, not literally of course!)


As Generalripphook mentioned, this definitely should be agreed upon before the game begins, as many types of hills poorly represent multiple levels due to their size and shape. The old Citadel hills for example are really only one level, so you would be either on or off the hill but never half hay up so to speak

_________________
If you're looking for an opponent or a place to play regular games of the Hobbit SBG in London, visit: http://www.thetitans.org.uk

A ruling by the Manager of the GW store in Los Angeles the "L.A. BUNKER" (Funny, its actually in Orange County), says yes, this is allowed. You can fire over the heads of troops if they are on a level higher.

My group has taken this and made limits. Given a Realm of battle Board, the hills are 3 parts, ground, slope, and top, so that the firing would be allowed if rank 1 was on the slope and rank 2 was on the top, or rank 1 was on the ground, rank 2 on the slope, and rank 3 on the top. It would not be possible for 2 ranks on a slope to fire, unless we judged the hill to very higher than normal.

Brian

The manager of a GW store isn't the be all and end all of a rules interpretation though (I know - I worked in one). Correctly, the rear companies can't see through the front companies: if it was two separate formations, then they could.