Pursuit to/through friends?

[TERRYFROMSPOKANE]

I have two BG of non-shock MI fighting side by side against two enemy BG's. In my next Impact Phase I charge the enemy BG facing my left hand MI in the rear with Medium Archers. During the my Melee Phase, this enemy BG routs. Since it can not move, neither my MI nor MA can make an initial pursuit. Since the enemy BG can not complete its rout, it is broken and removed at the end of the melee phase leaving my MI and MA facing each other with the two base depth area formerly occupied by the enemy BG in between. My MI is now free to act as an overlap in future turns for the melee still in progress to its right.

Now in my opponent's turn, his other BG routs. Since my MI mentioned above was now acting as an overlap, it should make an initial pursuit. It rolls a VMD high enough to pass right through the area occupied by the above mentioned MA. Pg 48 says impact foot burst through. It also says evading or routing troops burst through. My MI do not fit any of these categories. I presume they simply stop when they reach my MA. Is that right?


Thanks. Terry G.

[petedalby]

I presume they simply stop when they reach my MA. Is that right?

I believe so - yes.

[DavidT]

Do troops only fighting as an overlap pursue?
Page 101 of the rulebook states "An unbroken BG, all of whose close combat opponents (except those only fighting it as an overlap) have broken and routed this phase, always pursue ..."

[gozerius]

Troops that are only fighting as an overlap do pursue. BGs do not consider overlapping enemy BGs when determining if all their close combat opponents have broken. So if you break the guys in front of you, you pursue. Even if there was an overlapping enemy BG which did not break.

[TERRYFROMSPOKANE]

I agree with you "Gozerius". But in this case the question is, "What happens when a pursuer meets friends it can not avoid by contracting by one file.?" Since a non-shock pursuer does not meet any of the definitions for bursting through, I think it should stop when it touches said friends, but can find no specific text in the rules that covers this situation. I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something.

Terry G.

[gozerius]

I've always played that a BG halts if it encounters friends that can't be avoided by dropping back one file of bases. Same as charging. The rules for pursuit don't define how many bases can be dropped back though.
Punt.

[donkiesrus2003]

Page 108 States ""Pursuers follow routers, wheeling if necessary to do so. Thy can contract frontage by dropping back bases if necessary to avoid friends. Unlike the rules for evasion that states that the frontage con only be contracted by a base if no shift takes place this bulletpoint states bases.

[TERRYFROMSPOKANE]

That is an interesting point and indicates a pursuer can contract more than one file to avoid friends. However, in my case the whole frontage of the pursuing group was blocked by friends so no amount of contraction would allow them to pass by. Again, I assume they simply stop since the pursuers do not meet any of the conditions that call for a burst through.

Terry G.

[donkiesrus2003]

In that I would assume so, as your opponent would bo none to happy for them to pass through the other guys with neither BG experiencing a penalty.