about charge wheels

[deadtorius]

Just want to make sure that I have the wheeling charge restrictions down properly.

The rules state something about you can only wheel as long as you bring more of your enemy to your front when you charge, which I happen to like since it stops a lot of the silly wheeling charges we saw in the other FOG rules.

In our last game the French wanted to charge a large Austrian unit 2 wide and 3 deep. The French were not directly to the Austrians front but were about 1 base to the side of the Austrian unit. The French wanted to avoid an intercept and so they wanted to wheel away from the interceptors, but I said the French wheel had to stop once their far left corner crossed the Austrian right rear corner. (hope that was clear enough)

Under the rules (by my interpretation) the French now have the whole front and side of the Austrians to their front, if they continue to wheel they will move so that the rear base of the Austrian unit is not longer to their front (which is what the French wanted) and probably their other corner would have passed beyond my front but not sure.

So is the term enemy to your front meant to include target unit depth as well as target units frontage, which is how I have always interpreted it?

[BrettPT]

The rules on this pretty clear. Page 29, wheeling during an assault:

"They may not wheel to place less of their target to their front or past the point at which the centre of the targets front edge is directly ahead of the centre of their own unit

So if your dodgy French opponent turned away from your unit (ie placed less of your unit to his front) then you can tutt tutt and refer him to page 29.

Also, if he tried to wheel past the middle-to middle of the front of the two units, then no can do.

From your post however, maybe he was ok. I'm not sure I agree with your "the French wheel had to stop once their far left corner crossed the Austrian right rear corner" So long as the French continued to wheel so that there were Austrians ahead of all French bases, they were meeting the 1st rule criteria (not less of target to front).

(If the French did wheel so that their other corner would have passed beyond my front then this would be contrary to the 'not place less in front' rule and prevented).

Also, if they didn't wheel past centre-front to centre-front, then they would have been ok on that requirement as well.

So maybe the French were right on this one?

Cheers
Brett

[deadtorius]

As I said it depends on the definition or intent of the rule, does the term enemy to your front include depth or just frontage. Have to keep in mind the whole middle to middle thing too, so much to try and keep straight in the old brain department.

However if his wheel took his right corner past my front left corner then he is now facing blank space on at least part of his units frontage which seems to not be bringing more of my unit to his front. Lets face it charges should most likely be pretty much straight into what ever you are charging and these rules seem to restrict it the best so far.

[BrettPT]

Yeah, I agree the rules generally do a pretty good job of dealing with the thorny area of opponents trying to weddle their way out of trouble...

[deadtorius]

Still waiting for a clarification on whether passing center of target with your center or less of unit being brought to front takes precedence. Also need to know if term more of enemy to your front includes target unit depth, Terry have any thoughts?

[terrys]

Still waiting for a clarification on whether passing center of target with your center or less of unit being brought to front takes precedence. Also need to know if term more of enemy to your front includes target unit depth, Terry have any thoughts?

The 'centre' of the UNIT is just that - the point where all bases touch for a small unit in tactical.
Generally it's a point directly behind the center of a units front:
15mm behind if in single rank
30mm if in double rank
45mm if in 3 ranks
(or the equivalent if using 5 or 25mm scales).