Apologies if this has already been answered somewhere. I think I know the answer but I'm not certain. 1) Since troopers (friendly or enemy) can block LoF and thus put another figure in Full Cover, can they also give that figure Partial Cover (friendly partially covering another friendly) if they are 'in contact'. I presume the answer is NO because a figure is not considered scenery (partial covers specifically refers to needing to be in contact with scenery), but the rules for Full Cover actually refer exclusively to scenery in most places in the book as well so it's a bit confusing about whether semantically a figure is considered "Cover" or if it just obstructs LoF and is technically not considered Cover. 2) Related somewhat to the above, is it possible for a figure within a blast template (circular or direct, if it makes a difference) to technically provide Full Cover and thus block the effects of a template weapon from hitting another figure that is 'behind' them relative to the blast focus? In the case of a circular template I'm not referring to the target of the attack (around which the template is placed) doing the blocking, but rather a second figure next to the target could block the template from hitting a 3rd figure. I presume the answer is YES
1) No. Need to be in base contact with scenery and figures are not scenery. Rules text with bold emphasis added: "A target is in Partial Cover when they are in contact with a piece of scenery that partially obscures their Silhouette." 2) No. Again, the rules governing this is explicit that it needs scenery to block LOF to the blast focus. Rules text with bold emphasis added: " or if the Template's Area of Effect has been blocked by Total Cover from intervening scenery elements. "
So it sounds like, from a rules standpoint in general, despite the potential for completely blocking LoF... standing behind another figure is not *technically* considered to be Total Cover (or any form of cover) since classifications of cover are exclusive to scenery elements (definition of cover on p46). It's a different kind of lack of LoF, along the lines of how a figure being outside your 180 degree arc also means they're out of LoF, but is also not the same as them being in cover from anything. I guess it's there in a literal reading of the rules.
Total Cover requires scenery, yes, but for most other situations not having LOF and Total Cover are indistinguishable.
Does it even matter in Guts? The fleeing unit's first obligation is to leave LoF of the attacking troop. You could move into total cover (blocked by scenery), or to a spot where LoF was blocked by another model or smoke, or into the attacker's back arc. If you can't leave LoF then your second obligation is to move into total cover. That seems to be redundant, though - if you weren't able to leave LoF, then by definition you also won't be able to move into total cover. (If the obligations were in the reverse order, then the distinction would matter. You'd have to hide behind scenery if possible. If that wasn't possible, you'd have to hide behind smoke or another troop or in the attacker's back arc.) It seems like for all game purposes "no LoF" and "Total cover" are synonyms.
I think the major application of the distinction is: Templates are blocked by Total Cover. And troopers, deployables, etc. aren't. I had to double check what Guts said these days. I think it's important to note that "Total Cover" isn't the first goal, it's the last one before just going prone. Reformatted slightly: The Trooper must move up to 2 inches to completely leave: The LoF of the Enemy or Enemies (for example, in the case of a Coordinated Order, or multiple AROs) that have performed Attacks against the Trooper. The danger zone or Area of Effect of Attacks that did not require LoF If this is not possible, the Trooper must move up to 2 inches to gain Total or Partial Cover from all attackers. If the two previous options are not possible, the Trooper must go Prone, facing in any direction its player chooses. So if an S2 trooper gets shot at and can move those two inches and hide behind a TAG (don't where the TAG is, as long as it's blocking line of fire), it will. Same thing with the corner of a building, or a bunch of intervening scenery. Or the attacker's friends, for that matter. It's when that trooper gets shot at and can't do that, that you refocus on scenery only. What's also surprising to me, compared to N3, Guts no longer contains the section forbidding movement towards the attacker. There's still the prohibition against making base contact with enemies or scenario objectives, but you can move towards the attacker if that's what satisfies the other requirements.
I remembered the change about direction, and I think it's a good one. It was always annoying when a model was forced to drop prone in the open instead of going 1/4" forward towards cover.
