petedalby wrote:voluntary charge must drop back.
FWIW I agree.
I must disagree with Ethan's post though - sorry Ethan. If the pike didn't choose to charge - and then failed it's CMT to initiate a charge without orders - it cannot choose to drop back. See Page 58 - If it fails, it must burst through the friends.
On the contrary, as they can avoid bursting through the friends by dropping back a file, they do so.
Otherwise, if shock troops would normally be required to test to prevent them from charging without orders, the following rules apply if they could not contact the enemy without passing through friends, even by wheeling and/or dropping back bases:
They do not test (and will not charge) if the friends are shock troops or already in melee.
They do not test (and will not charge) if all the enemy in reach are skirmishers.
Otherwise the battle group must take a CMT as normal. If it fails, it must burst through the friends. (Note that a player cannot choose to allow his shock troops to burst through in this way, they can only do so if they fail their CMT and charge without orders).
The bullets (including the burst through bullet) are only triggered at all if they cannot contact the enemy without passing through friends, even by wheeling and/or dropping back bases.
In this case they can contact the enemy without passing through friends by wheeling and dropping back bases, so
none of the bullets apply. Hence they don't burst through.