A question about Drilled Troops

[JocaRamiro]

My belief is that, if my unit is drilled, I can move to the end of the alloted distance, and then rotate to any desired direction. It seems to me this used to happen, but it no longer does.

For example, I would like to retreat my heavy infantry two spaces, and then flip them back to face the enemy, but I don't seem to be able to do that now. Could an explanation be offered?

[TheGrayMouser]

My belief is that, if my unit is drilled, I can move to the end of the alloted distance, and then rotate to any desired direction. It seems to me this used to happen, but it no longer does.

For example, I would like to retreat my heavy infantry two spaces, and then flip them back to face the enemy, but I don't seem to be able to do that now. Could an explanation be offered?

You USED to be able to do that, and I am happy you no longer can because players used to just retreat away a phalanx battle line from mine ad infinitum without ever exposing their rears!

Your drilled troops have already made facing changing by moving 2 hexes backwards, they cannot flip around again

[deadtorius]

it was a change they made in one of the updates. Trying to stop all the dancing about the battlefield, and drilled troops had way too many advantages over the undrilled guys.

[JocaRamiro]

Ok, so I am now wrong, given that the rules changed.

Can you articulate the new rule? Can it be, that a drilled unit can make one facing change - by more than one hex facing - without penalty?

I note also that undrilled troops can sometimes whirl in place. Is this when they stop moving before using all their allowance?

JR

[dazzam]

Yes I'd appreciate it if someone could define how the new rule works with drilled troops. I have some drilled english longbows who sometimes can change their angle of facing while other times they can not. Can anyone shed light on what the new rule allows?

[deadtorius]

Not positive but I believe if you start moving through your front rank you can change facing at the end of your move. If you move outside your front rank you can not change facing. This may of may not also apply to undrilled, as I seem to find I can sometimes turn them at the end of a move as long as they went straight forward.

Based on a vague recollection of some other forum posting and observations.

[TheGrayMouser]

Not positive but I believe if you start moving through your front rank you can change facing at the end of your move. If you move outside your front rank you can not change facing. This may of may not also apply to undrilled, as I seem to find I can sometimes turn them at the end of a move as long as they went straight forward.

Based on a vague recollection of some other forum posting and observations.

the easiest thing to do would be to load up a scenario and practice moving around different troops but i belive this is right:

Drilled
*can move into their fwrd arc and then change facing
*can move full move directly away from their front, no facing change allowed after (they will now be facing South instead of north)
*can change face and then move full allowance into their "new" frontal arc

undrilled
*can move into frontal arc and then change face
*can move directly away from their facing , but lose a move hex, cannot change facing afterwords
*if they change facing at all prior to a move, they lose all move....

basically, undrilled lose a movement "point" (which generally translates to a hex of movement) if they move outside their "arc" this is why drilled mediums can do the 2 hexes back, once hex foward (to gain space but still face there foes to fire, he he....) undrilled mediums cannot do so

This is why undilled heavies can be so difficult to manage.... they can go fwrd but god help you if you need to reform your battle line at right angles, it will take too long for when you go to change a face , no more move..

Note, if you do practice try it w double moves off as dm's gives the illusion that units are much more maneverable than they really are, but the same rules are truly in place....

Hope this helps, truly a picture is worth a thousand words....