AoS Objectives and Verticality

[Dan32234234234324]

Hey guys,

Ran into this issue with my opponent in our last game.

Essentially, we were playing a standard objective based game of AoS. From the rules for controlling objectives:

• To do so, you and your opponent must count up the number of models you have within 6" of the centre of each objective; you gain control of an objective where your count is higher than your opponent’s count.

Okay, seems clear enough. The problem arose because I had 10 skinks on a terrain feature about 4 inches high and three inches away from the objective. My opponent had 3-4 units on the ground right next to the objective.

So if I held the measuring tape exactly horizontal, I had all ten skinks within 6". If I held the tape at a diagonal, I still encompassed about 7 skinks. Either scenario gave me the objective.

However, my opponent argued that since my skinks would have to travel about 7" (4 inches down, three across the ground) to reach the objective, I was actually 7" out, and therefore did not have the objective.

I googled around and couldn't find a definitive answer. We ended up playing the objective as a sphere of 6" (i.e. the diagonal measurement from the center of the objective was the true measurement).

Does anyone know of any definitive rules that cover this scenario? My opponent was not pleased with the outcome. I think that a 6" sphere around the objective makes sense (after all, the rules simply say within 6" - they do not say within a non-flying unit's run distance).

Let me know - thanks!

 

[Dan32234234234324]

Here is a horrible, not mathematically correct diagram (don't kill me on the geometry here)

 

[LizardWizard]

Technically the rules themselves leave the topic open. In most events that I have played in you would have had control of the objective. "Aura" effects are normally measured as being infinitely tall. This is something that players will normally discuss before the start of the game.

 

[Canas]

For the sake of simplicity I'd stick with a straight line (so diagonal in this case). Pretending the aura is infinitly tall effectivly negates terrain. And the approach your opponent suggest runs into issues if you had had a flying unit instead of skinks (or better yet, a temporary flying unit with our Slann's command ability).

Though in the end what we really need is better rules for how terrain interacts with the measuring of distance. I've seen several examples now where RAW certain rules lead to very weird situations where you're "in range" despite physically being blocked by an obstacle.