Keils and Formation Change when charging

[CYRANOINLONDON]

In our first game at Badcon Kevin Johnson drew my attention to the errata requiring a keil to reform as soon as possible if it has lost bases and thus no longer has the required 2 columns of 4 deep pike. I wondered how this interacted with the rule that prevents formation changes when charging. It's not unusual to lose a base from a keil when you move into charge range (after all you are likely to take 2 rounds of shooting at close range). So what happens next?

It seemed to me that they were 3 possibilities:-
1. The unit can't charge because it was a keil but has lost its 'keilness' and its priority must be to reform into keil formation. This seems a bit harsh because (by definition if it is in a position to charge) it will have enemy within 3" of the front so it will only be able to reform on passing a CMT. That could leave the keil dithering around within charge reach for a considerable period of time.
2. Although the errata does not say this the obligation is meant to be that it must attempt to reform in the next Movement Phase. This would allow the charge by the unit even though it had lost its 'keilness'. The unit obviously won't have quite the impact it might have had in keil formation (no + for pike 4 deep for example) but at least it feels sensible that having marched into charge range the unit keeps going.
3. The rules on permitted and prohibited formation changes allow formation changes for Swedish brigades and Early Tercios in order that they can fight properly in impact. When the rules were written the reforming obligation for keils wasn't contemplated, so it would be reasonable to assume that on charging the keil is allowed to reform into keil formation by contracting by one base width and creating at least 2 columns of 4 deep pike. Again this feels sort of right; the keil keeps going but closes ranks as the losses mount.

So:-
a) What do we think the position is under rules as written (with errata)? I suspect the answer is 1 - the dithering keil.
b) Do we think that a further errata allowing solution 2 or 3 above would be sensible?

Regards
C

[kevinj]

My understanding of this is that the BG must attempt this at the next opportunity but this would not prevent it from charging if it had a target in its next impact phase. Obviously it would lose the benefits of the Keil formation until it reformed.

[Vespasian28]

Similarly, what happens when a keil takes losses in a melee?

We had a situation this weekend when a keil in melee, three wide, took losses and ended up with files of four,three,one. Does it contract the one to form another file four deep? We decided not as you are supposed to leave a base in contact with each enemy BG but could that have been done if it was the same BG? In other words does maintaining a keil overide the usual rules about removing losses?

[Vespasian28]

it will have enemy within 3" of the front so it will only be able to reform on passing a CMT.

I missed this bit. I wasn't aware you had to pass a CMT to reform and I still can't see it in the rules so which page have I missed please?

[kevinj]

You're right, you don't need to pass a CMT (P94), you restore your BG to a legal formation during the manoeuvre phase following the base loss that causes the BG to no longer be in a legal keil formation. (We didn't lok this up when it happened on Saturday because Chris and Paul were in a position where they could move 3mu and contract which gave the desired result).

[CYRANOINLONDON]

I had missed page 94.

I think that solves the issue.

Thanks
Chris