Here's a question that just came up:

Say you have a formation of ME figs with a central shooter (let's say 4 Phookas and a Snake).
If they're all line up properly, and can make a 5-fig combined ranged attack, I know that the Phookas will add +1 attack/+1 damage. But is their ME also active?
I'm counting 12 DAMAGE here!

My guess is that this does indeed happen, but does anyone know for sure?

Em....from what I see, it would only do 10 damages because if your figs are lined properly for a ranged formation attack, then that means that only two phookas touch Snake....Thus, 4 base damages, +4 for the formation and +2 for magic enhencement. But I may be wrong.

(Of course, if the 4 phookas touch Snake and if you can still make a ranged formation with the 5, then yes, it would do 12 damages.)

Xenomorph is exactly correct.

and i thought ranged attacks were +2 attack +1 damage....although i have been fooled before...

yeoldtwnsman, it's +2 to the attack only in rebellion games, and +1 attack +1 damage in conquest games.

ahhh thanks for the clearifacation, back to the box my draconum go

From what I can see you can do 11 damage with that formation if you position Snake sideways and have 1 phooka beside him touching his fornt arc, another in front of him inside the indent of his base and a third right next to the second one touching his rear arc. The fourth one could be touching any of the other Phookas.

Ok here's another one:
The maximum damage with this formation would be 10 because: If I remember correctly, a mage spawn can only make a formation attack if he's in base contact with a shyft who is also part of the formation attack. Thus, I think it's impossible that more than two phooka could attack with a shyft (of course I may be wrong because I'm no expert in geometry and I'm tired). So it would be 4 damages for Snake, +2 for the formation, and +4 from magic enhencement if you put the 2 other phooka anywhere else in base contact with Snake.

Great Warrior is almost correct. He points out correctly that you can get 3 Phookas in base contact with Snake so that all 4 have range on a target. In this case, with Snake as the primary shooter, you will have a 13 attack (10+3) and Snake's 4 damage + 3 for the Phookas in the ranged formation. That's 7 so far. Now if the fourth Phooka is in base contact with Snake, i.e., not just with one of the other Phookas, then you get 4 enhancement for a total of 11.

DragonVenom

In conquest formations the Shyft just needs to be in the formation, it doesn't need to be touching all the Phookas.

That's only for movement.... The Shyft still needs to be in base contact with every member of the combat formation.

The movement formation rules for Conquest only require a Shyft in the formation, not contacting all of the Mage Spawn. The rules for ranged and close combat did not get this change, however: it is still required that each MS touch a Shyft and that the Shyft participate in the attack.

Really? That sucks:(. Well you would still do 12 damage if you set up the formation the way DragonVenom said then add in a ranged shyft touching one of the Phookas. This will give you a ranged formation that will kill anything it hits as long as it doesn't have invulnerability or dodge.