Can Good models shoot into combat?

Can the Ranger shoot at the Black Númenórean?

Today we’re diving into a surprisingly interesting rules question: can Good models shoot into combat? It seems like a question with a simple answer, and in the end it is, but not necessarily the one you’d expect. And, given that the relevant rules have remained unchanged for the last two editions, they’re probably likely to stick around into the next edition as well. As such, it’s worthwhile understanding how this trick works and how you can use it to your advantage.

When shooting through combats, I had always heard that you did an In The Way roll to see if the shot hit the combat, then another In The Way roll to see which model in the combat is hit. But if you’re shooting through a combat involving more than two models, how do you know which model gets hit? Do you randomise between each side and then again within each side, or is it the closest model? I'd heard differing opinions, so I went digging to find out.

As it turns out though, the answer was something totally different to how I (or anyone else) had been playing it. It took me down a rabbit-hole of digging out old rulebooks and comparing different rules, but I think the final answer is surprisingly clear. And once you follow the thread of application, all sorts of cool tricks become available, including (kind of) Good models shooting into combat!

The rules

Before we get to there though, let's look at the rules on shooting through combats to see what we have to work with:

Rules for picking a target:

All screenshots are from the updated rulebook unless otherwise noted

Rules for In The Way tests:

I've included the whole In the Way section for completeness, but the key aspect is that it only refer to models being in the way

Rules for models being In The Way:

    Rules for shooting into combats:

Note that these rules are for shooting at models engaged in combat

Straight away, we notice something is missing. Where are the rules for shooting through combats? Where is the rule that says that you do a second In The Way rule to see which model in the combat gets hit? Where is the rule to clarify for multiple combats, so we can determine which model gets hit? We have rules for shooting through models, and rules for shooting into combats, but there just aren’t any rules for shooting through combats.

Those rules… don't exist. They aren't in this book, and they aren't in any FAQ. They did exist in the One Rulebook to Rule them All of 2005, but they appear to have been cut in the move to The Hobbit rulebook of 2012. I can’t find any reference online to why those rules were cut (Games Workshop isn’t in the habit of publishing explanatory memorandums or second reading speeches), but I imagine it came from a desire for simplicity and to reduce rules bloat.

There we are! The 2005 rulebook has the rules we're looking for!

But come the 2012 version, they're nowhere to be found!

Applying the rules

In the absence of the rules that were in the 2005 rulebook, the rules we do have are remarkably clear. When there is a model In the Way of your target, you do an In The Way test to see if you hit that model. If you pass then the arrow goes past them, if you fail then it hits the model that was obscuring the target model. That’s true regardless of whether the model is in combat; there's no second In The Way check for shots going through combat, because the rules never tell you to do one. The In The Way roll isn't to see if the shot hits the combat, because there are no rules for combats being In The Way, only for models being In The Way. Every time the rules refer to In The Way tests, it's on a model-by-model basis (unlike the references to combats being In The Way that can be found in the 2005 rulebook).

Couldn't do this before 2012!

The only times that combats are relevant for In The Way rolls is when you're shooting at a model in combat. In that case, you do the combat In The Way to see which model you hit, and if you hit a friendly model then it hits the closest friendly model. However, it's clear that through a combat, you can't be shooting at a model in combat: in the picture above the the Ranger's target (the model you're shooting at) is the Black Númenórean, so the Morannon Orc can't be his target as well. So, if we're not shooting at a model in combat, then the rules governing this just don't apply. Instead, the ordinary rules for shooting through a model will apply, and we'll do a single In The Way roll to see whether we hit that model.

And finally, the craziest bit: the restriction on Good models shooting at a model in combat only stops Good from shooting where there there is any risk of striking another friendly model. But in this situation we keep going back to, Good taking a shot at the Black Númenórean has no risk of striking the Warrior of Minas Tirith (because the In The Way roll will only be to see if the shot hits the Morannon or the Black Númenórean), so the Ranger can take the shot! This allows Good models to snipe enemy models out of combat with careful positioning, without any risk to their own models. They're still not technically shooting into combat, but mathematically it's even better (there's still a 50% chance of hitting the enemy model in combat, but if that doesn't happen then you just hit the enemy model you actually targeted instead. Win-win!).

In practice, this means that the Ranger can shoot at the Black Númenórean, with a chance of hitting the Morannon but no chance of hitting the Gondorian. This would work exactly the same for an Evil model shooting through a model in combat as well.

Rules-as-intended

Rules-as-written, it's entirely clear how we're meant to play this. It's also arguably much simpler and easier to understand than the pre-2012 version, because you just do an In The Way roll for whatever models are actually In The Way and that's the end of the story. But is this rules-as-intended, or are we diverging from how these rules were supposed to work?

As ever, looking at the intention of the rules-writers is a bit hairy (which is why I think it’s often not the best test). In legal analysis, the intention of rules-writers is very important, and does a lot to influence how one chooses to interpret those rules. But that intention is ascertained by looking at what the rules-writers have written down and said (and what they have omitted!), not on some kind of loose vibe. Put another way, the relevant intention comes from evidence of their intention, not from our sense of how things ‘should’ work.

The fact that GW chose not to write any rules for shooting through combats (or even reference it in any way) implies that they didn't intend anything complex or unusual to happen, and just meant for the ordinary rules of shooting through models to apply. That’s particularly true because they actually removed the rules that used to govern this situation; if the pre-2012 method was how GW wanted the rules to work, then why would they remove the text that made it work like that? The fact that they substantially changed the text of the rule implies that they wanted to change how the rule was played from its 2012 version.

If GW intended us to continuing using these rules, then why did they take them out of the rulebook?

It seems quite likely from this that GW were interested in simplifying the rules, by removing the bespoke text for shooting through combats and making it just follow the ordinary In The Way rules. We don’t know for certain, however, and anyone (other than Jay Clarke or Adam Troke) who's telling you they do is lying.

Impact on the game

Beyond asking how the rules do work, it is worthwhile asking whether this interpretation produces a worse game experience.

In my experience playing with both interpretations, it’s overall a net neutral: shooting gets a bit better at close range, and players can be sneaky to line up surprise shots, but it also allows for skill expression by making sure that you don't leave anyone out of combat in the wrong spots. It’s a rule that you can totally play around if you know what you’re doing, and I often have done so in tournament and practice games. This interpretation’s impact on archery is also mixed: it can actually make In The Way rolls for Evil archers more risky, because when shooting through their own model in combat they will now hit a friendly model 50% of the time instead of 25% of the time. Playing these rules correctly boosts some models (Good archers and especially Avenger Bolt Throwers) and weakens others (mounted heroes and Hunter Orcs in particular), but overall it doesn't make too much of a difference to game balance.

Pre-2012, the Tracker would have a 75% chance of hitting a Good model if he shot at the Knight. Now it's 50%

Playing these rules correctly can produce some weird outcomes (‘How come I can shoot at this model standing behind the enemy, but can't shoot at my real target directly?’), but it also resolves some other edge cases. In the 'traditional' interpretation, if you shot at a Haradrim standing behind a Mûmak you could end up hitting someone fighting the Mûmak, who could be more than a foot away from the model you actually aimed at. That was bizarre, and the changes made in 2012 remove this as a possibility entirely. You can only hit models that were actually obstructing the model you were shooting at, which makes a lot of sense.

A final note: I personally hate shooting, and haven't taken a shooty list to a tournament since April 2022 (that was Ugluk's Scouts, and I didn’t even get to shoot much with it). Since I discovered this rules quirk, I've often pointed out to opponents that they're able to take more shots than they think, and occasionally been punished badly for doing so (Hunter Orcs don't like facing double Avenger Bolt Throwers!). It’s honestly against my interests for this knowledge to become more widespread. But I think it's better when all players are on the same page, and aren't unwittingly handicapping themselves with a self-imposed restriction that hasn’t been part of the rules since Obama’s was first President of the United States (putting it in American terms on the assumption that US political discourse is tragically inescapable).

Pictured: two Avenger Bolt Throwers gunning down any Hunter Orc that dare to show their faces

In saying that, if you are planning to take a shooty list to a tournament and make use of this rule, then be sure to get the tournament organiser onside before the event starts. The pre-2012 version of the rules is still how most players are used to playing, and there's no sense in risking an unpleasant disagreement during a game when it can be easily sorted out beforehand.

So, in conclusion, Good and Evil models can shoot enemies while they're in combat (in certain circumstances), with absolutely no risk to friendly models. So eat your heart out Legolas, even a basic Gondorian archer can do (a fraction of) what you can do.

He's still the best archer in the game, but it turns out that everyone can (kind of) shoot into combat

Why do you think GW made this change back in 2012? And have you been playing this rule correctly for years, and it’s just the Australian scene that’s been so slow in catching on? Or is there some hidden rule that I’ve missed, and none of this is actually possible? I’d love to hear from you in any case.

Until next time, may your archers always be able to get cheeky In The Way kills when you need them!