New N3 FAQ v1.0 - Affects on Caledonia

Sometime today (9th of December) Corvus Belli released new FAQ document for N3. It does clarify a lot of things which change some gameplay features. I will not go through the whole document (but you can find it here: http://infinitythegame.com/archive.php), instead I will pick out all of the things that will have some impact on Caledonia Highlander Army gameplay, in my opinion and from my own experience.

Not all of them will be about gameplay changes, some are just general useful things that might come up when playing Caledonia or against it.

Please let me know if I missed anything or if you see it differently! Cheers.

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In the reactive turn, when can you measure the Zone of  Control?
Immediately before declaring a Zone of Control ARO.
(Page 2, Basic Rules)

This is a very board one and applies to every army the same, but its good to know you can measure the ZoC before you declare AROs. It will avoid situations loosing an ARO by guessing the ZoC wrong.

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Is it obligatory to declare that the ARO is delayed when waiting for the second Skill when a troop in Camouflage or Impersonation State is activated?
Yes, it is obligatory.

(Page 2, Orders and Order Pool)

I don't see why people wouldn't say they are delaying ARO, but since Caledonia does have plenty Camo markers options, its good to remember just in case there is a discussion around it.

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Can a miniature throw a Smoke Grenade to protect another figure from an attack?
No. In a similar way to a Dodge, the Special Dodge provided by throwing a Smoke Grenade can only protect the throwing trooper. 
(Page 2, Combat)

I think we all been there when using Smoke for the first time, but here its in black and white you can only use Smoke Dodge for the Smoke Grenade carrier.

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Can you do Speculative Fire or Guided Attack from or into a sealed room? 
No you can’t, because there is no way to trace the trajectory of the Attack.
(Page 2, Combat)

Personally I think it is a bit silly that this needed clarification, but since Caledonia does have access to lots of Grenades that do have Speculative Fire (and other weapons with this trait), remember not to try shoot into a complete closed room.

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How does Speculative Fire interact with enemy troops in Targeted State? For example is the attack affected by Camouflage or Cover?
The Attack is performed without the -6 MOD for Speculative Fire and with a MOD of +3 for being against a troop in Targeted State. The negative MOD imposed for Camouflage, for example, do not apply to a Speculative Fire and the Cover ARM/BTS bonus also does not apply as it is an Attack with a Weapon Template.
(Page 2, Combat)

This is AWESOME, like it makes Forward Observing even more useful than it already is. The more I am discovering about FO, the more I think its brilliant. Only S.A.S. have FO in Caledonia, so at least one is almost a must-have for any competitive ITS list.Might as well remember to make use for it if your opponent has troublesome units bunkered down behind walls and such.

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Can you declare Discover + BS Attack to Discover a trooper but shoot at a different trooper?
Yes.
(Page 3, Combat)

This is also very general to any army with Camo (so all but Morats), but it sounds like something that will be useful to keep in mind and also be aware of it if your opponent will try to do it against your Camo markers.

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Can you split the Burst between several troops, when you declare Discover + BS Attack to discover a trooper and shoot at a different trooper?
Yes. Losing the shots at the target of the Discover if the Discover fails.
(Page 3, Combat)

Same as above, just keep it in mind. 

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What happens if a miniature with a 25 mm base moves inside a room with a Narrow Access receives a successful Engage attack from a model with a 40 mm base?
Both figures will end their movements inside the room, ignoring the Narrow Access.
(Page 3, Characteristics and Skills)

You know how Cameronians can't get inside some buildings? Well now they can if there is an enemy within 2" to Engage in your Reactive Turn. While it does sound little like exploiting, it can stop your opponent hiding troops in a doorway. Though I think most of the time it'll be easier just to chain rifle inside.

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How many D-Charges can be detonated at a time?
One per Order or ARO.
(Page 5, Special Skill)

I got very much used to detonating up to three D-Charges with a single Order/ARO, so this does make some things more Order intensive (like blowing up objectives) and will require some Order planning.

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Baggage can cancel the Unloaded state. Does this mean that the trooper gets one more use or reverts to their full capacity?
All weapons and pieces of Equipment with the Disposable Trait are replenished to their full capacity.
(Page 6, Equipment)

I never seen this being an issue but since Caledonia has Baggage units (like every other army) it is useful to keep in mind.

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When a group of troopers activate simultaneously (using a Coordinated Order or a Fireteam, for example), and they receive an ARO from a Template Weapon, does the attack affect all the troops that traverse the area of effect at any time during the Order, or does the Reactive Player have to declare the exact moment where he places the template, affecting only some of the targets?
The template affects all the troopers that get in contact with the area of effect during this Order, as everything happening during the Order is simultaneous.
(Page 7, Advanced Rules)

When you are playing Caledonia, there is a really good chance you have at least one Chain Rifle. This is useful to know and keep track of how the enemy moves his troops because you might be able to hit them all at some point during their movement even if they end up more spread out.

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Is possible to activate more than one objective Marker (Antennas, Console...) at the same time through a Coordinated Order?
No, because it is necessary to select the Marker as a target, and in the Coordinated Order the target has to be the same for all the participating troopers.
(Page 7, Advanced Rules)

This does changes a lot for me personally. Same as the question about detonating D-Charges, it will make some mission more Order intensive as I have often activated up to three different Objectives with two S.A.S. troops and Uxia. Its not a huge change, but it does mean you have to do things in a different order.

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How does the Targetless trait interact with Coordinated Orders or with increased Burst in reaction, for example when throwing Smoke Grenades is it necessary to target the same point?
Yes, in both cases.
(Page 7, Advanced Rules)

Doesn't happen often but few times I think I did use more than one Highlander and/or Cameronian to throw Smoke on their path. Just means only one of them can do it, or they have to target the same place.

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Does the Regular Order used for a Coordinated Order need to be from the same Combat Group as the coordinated troopers?
No.
(Page 7, Advanced Rules)

This surprised me a lot (and judging my Facebook reactions, lot of other people too). In essence it means you can spend up to 14 orders on the same trooper instead of 10 (15 if you count Lt Special Order). It certainly will make Order manager little bit easier and make it more appealing to have more troops in a second combat group. Plenty of times I found myself in situations where I had nothing useful to do with second combat group Orders but would been nice to have more for my first combat group.

I think it also somewhat negates the impact of loosing 2 Orders if you have the first turn and your opponent chooses to remove them. But it makes it more appealing to spend a Command Token to allow your opponent to use only one One Command Token if the First Turn. Since now people might use Coordinates Orders even more often.

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Can any trooper pass through a Narrow Gate in a Prone State?
Yes, because prone troopers have a Silhouette value of 0, so they fulfil the Requirements to pass through the Narrow Gate.

(Page 9, Scenery Structures)

Another way for a Cameronian (and McMurrough) to enter buildings, simply by going Prone. Keep in mind it doesn't make their base smaller, it stays at 40mm.

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With 3rd Ed rules, can the players apply the burst bonus provided by the Fireteams to any kind of attacks?
No, in 3rd Edition, players can only apply the Burst Bonus to Ballistic Attacks (Short Skill/ ARO).
(Page 9, Fireteams)

This threw me off at first because I thought it meant we'd lose +1B on Smoke Grenades, HOWEVER, throwing any Grenade is still a BS Attack, just uses PH instead of BS, so nothing changes.

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Overall I think the FAQ made certain things more Order intensive but also now you have potentially more orders to spend on one Combat Group so nothing major that would change how to play Caledonia. I am also happy Cameronians aren't always going to be stuck outside of buildings with small doors.