OTS Rule Clarification

[Corien Sumatris]

So I looked through revious threads and I couldn't find one that matched this situation. If there is that someone knows of please let me know.

Situation: Front charge on a unit of Bret Realm Knights with ghouls and a vamp on the left corner. Flank charge with GG and a vamp on the "Front" corner (I don't know quite how to phrase that). 1 vamp has OTS and they both have ASF. They are both touching the same knight except the vamp without the OTS is also touching the unit champion. I only directed my attacks at the unit and not the champ and made him reroll all ward saves from both vamps. I don't believe that I cheated him but he seemed very upset that both vampires forced him to reroll his wards.

So here is my big question. Would he have had to reroll all of his wardsaves due to the fact that my hero (Not OTS) killed 4 models even though he was only in base contact with 2 (One being the champ) due to the "Step forward" rule?

 

[Smogg]

You played it right. The attacks from both your vampires were directed at a model in base contact with OTS and therefore had to re-roll ward saves. Step forward does not change this and furthermore casualties are removed from the back. So basically your two vampires direct all their attacks on the same model, but the unit loose casualties from the back.

 

[Corien Sumatris]

Fantastic! I didn't want to ruin his day and cheat at the same time! Thanks for the back-up!

 

[SnEaKyGiT]

Do you think that's how they intended it to work? seems pretty potent for a 15 point magic item.

 

[Corien Sumatris]

I doubt that was their idea but that's the awesome thing about RAW!

 

[Narenzade]

It is intended otherwise they'd have worded it differently or errata'd it by now.

Remember, it also makes your models in B2B reroll their ward saves too.

 

[Smogg]

yeah and about the whole intended thing in general. Actually the rules are intended to be used in ways the game designers never considered in the first place.

I think Jervis Johnson expressed this very well :" ... precisely because the designers knows what he wants the rules to achieve, they can end up subconsciously playing their game or using their army list this way, even if the game mechanics allow for other - often more efficient - ways of using them. Players other than the designers, unburdened by these preconceptions, are much better at spotting clever and innovative ways of using the game rules, often in a way that the game designer themselves had never thought of."

Of course if people are so creative that it completely breaks the balance of the game, it would be errata'd as Narenzade pointed out.

 

[Corien Sumatris]

Jervis Johnson said it well! That is exactly what I was trying to say! just in fewer words