Eternus wrote:
I read it like this: In the LRB, the attacking and defending units roll their attacks, either CC or FF depending on whether they're in base contact or not, and then after this, any other formations not directly involved in the Assault, can add supporting fire using their FF stats if they're within 15cm, before the Assault results are worked out.
In the Errata, this sequence has been altered, so that you make attacks using the attacking and defending formations, and then work out if the assault has been won outright by either the attacking formation if all the defending units have been wiped out, or by the defenders if all attacking units within 15cm have been killed. If either of these things has happened, then the assault is over, and no supporting attacks are made. If the defenders are not wiped out, or any of the attackers within 15cm are alive, then you make supporting attacks from other formations and make a result roll with modifiers to determine the result of the Assault.
The updated Rule Book PDF on GW's site has (or should have) the same wording as the Errata PDF, but they are both changed from the original Rule Book.
Quote:
I assume this is because the previous rules allowed people to take an Engage action with a small relatively cheap formation, and rely on the massed supporting fire this would trigger from friendly formations positioned nearby to do serious damage to the enemy? Now, you have to attack with enough force to either wipe out the defenders or at least have attackers remaining alive within 15cm of the defending formation to benefit from any supporting fire. Is this right?
Correct, usually called a "token assault".
In extreme cases you could have a lone surviving unit from a formation (rhino/rough rider/jetbike etc.) perform an engage action on a much bigger formation and call on whatever support was available. The "token assault" unit was usually willingly sacrificed in the assault to kill of as much of an enemy formation as possible, sometimes enough damage was done to break an opponets formation.
