Contesting with lightning pods?

[Starweaver]

Hey folks,

I hit the search but couldnt find any results that seemed to go towards this topic, sorry if it's been asked already.
This came up in one of our games last week, can the lightning pods that are deployed by the stormwall contest zones/objectives? We can see that they can't claim as they don't cost a point but contesting doesn't appear to have this limitation to the models?

Any help would be appreciated. We now played it as they can contest though half the players in our group doesn't really believe they should be able to hence why i'm checking.

[quindraco]

Hey folks,

I hit the search but couldnt find any results that seemed to go towards this topic, sorry if it's been asked already.
This came up in one of our games last week, can the lightning pods that are deployed by the stormwall contest zones/objectives? We can see that they can't claim as they don't cost a point but contesting doesn't appear to have this limitation to the models?

Any help would be appreciated. We now played it as they can contest though half the players in our group doesn't really believe they should be able to hence why i'm checking.

Certainly they can contest. The only models that can't are inert warjacks, wild warbeasts, fleeing models, out of formation models, and controlled models (meaning e.g. an enemy warbeast controlled by a friendly feralgeist).

[PG_Hacksaw76]

Certainly they can contest. The only models that can't are inert warjacks, wild warbeasts, fleeing models, out of formation models, and controlled models (meaning e.g. an enemy warbeast controlled by a friendly feralgeist).

This is correct.

[Starweaver]

Nice, thank you for the reply.
I thought that was how it worked but at least this will take away the discussion in the group, thanks

[sleet01]

I believe they can control an objective/zone, per the "Scenario Scoring - Exceptions" section of SR2012 1.3:

Model	Control (Y/N)	3rd Tiebreaker	4th Tiebreaker
...
...
Solos without a PC	Yes	2 Army Points	2 Army Points

[PG_Hacksaw76]

I believe they can control an objective/zone, per the "Scenario Scoring - Exceptions" section of SR2012 1.3:

Model	Control (Y/N)	3rd Tiebreaker	4th Tiebreaker
...
...
Solos without a PC	Yes	2 Army Points	2 Army Points

That reference is correct pre-Stormwall and was intended to cover no PC solos such as the Deathwalker and others that come with warcasters, etc. The exceptions list will be updated in SR2013 to cover recent releases. Lightning Pods cannot control; they can contest.

[sleet01]

What's the logic here, exactly? That they don't activate so they can't control? I'm guess I'm wondering, if a half-'jack or Deathwalker can control, what's the specific reasoning behind this particular model type not being able to control objectives.

[quindraco]

What's the logic here, exactly? That they don't activate so they can't control? I'm guess I'm wondering, if a half-'jack or Deathwalker can control, what's the specific reasoning behind this particular model type not being able to control objectives.

SR2012, page 30: For a solo to control a zone, it must have an army point cost of 1 or more.

Lightning Pods have no army point cost. Halfjacks also cannot control, nor can Deathwalker (she's Goreshade's free solo, right?).

[Valander]

SR2012, page 30: For a solo to control a zone, it must have an army point cost of 1 or more.

Lightning Pods have no army point cost. Halfjacks also cannot control, nor can Deathwalker (she's Goreshade's free solo, right?).

You are incorrect, as the exceptions listed on p. 32 specifically state they can control, which is what Sleet01 posted previously (and Hacksaw said so above, as well, though also mentioned SR2013 will have some changes here).

Edit:
To be clear, intent is that lightning pods can't control, but as currently written, nothing enforces this, other than Hacksaw saying "they shouldn't." That additional exception should not be taken to mean that other, zero PC models such as Deathwalker and Halfjacks, cannot control, since they clearly can given the current wording in the rules.

When SR2013 comes out, this should be made clearer, one way or another.