" 1. Do the infantry count as being "in cover" or not
2. Does the transport take a Dangerous Terrain test to pick them up?
3. How do other people play 'units in cover'? "
The way we play it. And based on SM1, Infantry on like First Fire[FF]. Meaning they are not moving, just firing. And usually no matter what the terrain. In this case the Infantry is prone/laying making themselves a smaller target. So they always get a cover bonus.
As far as Dangerous Terrain, it depends on what it is. Like swamps or marshes Infantry can cross at 1/2 speed. But an APC going to pick them up will most certainly get stuck [believe me !] SM1 and even SM2, etc. had a chart the designated for each: Infantry, Vehicles and Titans what is dangerous for each and the affects. Then in SM1 based on the unit type. They could do a Dangerous Terrain Test[DTT] when crossing into Dangerous Terrain. On a die roll of 1 ... your stuck. In End Phase you much roll to see if the free themselves. A die of 4-6, IIRC and your out. And of course, in some cases based on the unit type, some terrain is Impassible.
E.g. we played with the rule that troops in PA can cross a river, doing a DTT. Where other type Infantry can't cross a body of water unless at a ford, bridge, etc.
As far as cover in general a target must be 50% under cover to get the bonus. Infantry would not get a "double" bonus for being on FF behind a wall. But in a structure they would.
Cover is basically two things. Cover = something solid that could stop in coming fire. Like a stone wall, trench, etc.
Or Concealment = it blocks Line of Sight. So the enemy can't [clearly] see the target. But the concealment won't stop in coming fire. E.g. bushes, trees, crops, etc..
And we even used this concept for Titans. I.e. they are hiding behind a low structure, etc.. So they get a cover bonus. The target is only partly visible and part of it was behind cover/concealment.
When in doubt about cover & concealment ... just role off 1d6. If the attacker gets a higher roll, then the target does not get cover. Or vis versa ...
Hope that helps ...
