So, I’ve played SBG here and there for years, but I still very much consider myself a beginner. With Battle Companies there’s been a significant uptick in the number and frequency of games we’ve been playing, and a few rules keep popping up as...not exactly clear...over and over. I’ve put it here instead of Rules Questions just because of the sheer basic ness of the questions, but please feel free to delete or move these questions if they should properly be in the rules section instead of the Beginners.

Ok, In The Way rolls: these seem simple enough, but upon close rereading of the book, we’re still new enough that we’re...uncertain of the exact interactions with them. How, exactly, do you determine what IS in the way?? Is it a straight line from the mini? From the base? Is it like Warmachine, where you draw a line from each side of the minis base to the targets base? How exactly do people work it? I’ve seen many examples, but they’re all REALLY obvious In The Way, and don’t leave doubt...

Elevation: this gives no bonus or debuff to shooting or being shot at, correct? Does the shooter have to take an In The Way roll for, like...the lip of a cliff or building if the target is up there??

Sorry, as I’m writing this I’m realizing these probably SHOULD be in the rules section, but they are about ‘beginners’ with ‘beginners’ questions!

Looking forward to some answers!

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You have but one question to answer: How shall this day end?

Line of sight is almost as simple and straightforward as it seems, mainly complicated by assuming there are abstractions such as those in other game systems (although in some cases, a similar, more organised system could be useful!). To answer the question of what a figure can see, have a look from the actual point of view of that miniature: its eyes (or in the case of Ringwraiths that hollow area under their hood I guess). From that one point, you basically draw lines to every part of an enemy model. To see it, at least one line must obviously be unobstructed (otherwise it's completely hidden from view). If some lines are and others aren't obstructed, there will be an in-the-way roll to get past that obstruction. Worth noting that if the only visible (unobstructed) parts are wings, tails or weapons, the target still isn't visible (so as not to penalise particularly large or dynamically posed figures) and a model won't obstruct its own line of sight (basically 360 degree vision from the centre of their head). Hope that clears it up a bit?

Following from that, elevation will sometimes allow you to see over intervening models and terrain, but has no explicit effect: judge it on a case-by-case basis.

So, if you’re 12” from a target, and a rocky outcropping is 6” away, but from a model’s-eye view obscures the target’s foot and some of the leg, I’d need to make an In The Way?

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You have but one question to answer: How shall this day end?

Exactly. (That said, my regular opponents and I would often ignore in-the-ways if only a tiny portion of a figure was obscured, but for the sake of official gameplay, any obscurance will do. Which has its advantages too, as there is little room for argument, while deciding whether e.g. at least half the model is in cover or so is much less clear. Hence the rule being as it is, I presume.)