Charging Enemy Already in Contact with Friends

[mceochaidh]

I need advice on the following:

BG of 4 LF in single rank charges 2 BGs of enemy 6 LF each in 2 ranks of 3. Enemy BGs choose to stand. Friend is shown as A below. Enemy BGs are shown as B and C below. Friendly HF Shock Infantry (shown as H below) move up behind friendly LF A bases touching rear of "A".

BBBCCC
BBBCCC
AAAA
HHHH
HHHH

What are options for BG "H"? Can it move forward and join mele with the leftmost file? Can it charge in with this file? In both cases, this file would maintain contact with the other files of BG "H". Can BG "H" contract into one file (single base column) and then charge in subsequently? Must BG "H" test to charge without orders and thus displace BG "A" in the mele?

Or must BG "H" just wait for result of mele?

Thanks.

[mceochaidh]

Sorry,

The way this shows on the screen it appears that all bases of "H" were behind all bases of "A". I intended to show that the LF BG "A" was in contact with the middle two bases of "B" and the middle two bases of 'C", thus having an open space for the leftmost file of "H" to move into contact with enemy "B".

[zoltan]

I think H may be stuck and have to wait for the outcome of the melee. You can only drop back one file to avoid friends when charging; it looks like H needs to drop back three files to get past A. So A will surely die and rout back through H, but H may be able to kill both B and C in subsequent charge and melee.

[Vespasian28]

H may be able to kill both B and C in subsequent charge and melee

Assuming it can catch them?

[pyruse]

On the other hand, if H had come up beside A, rather than behind it, it could join the melee.

[philqw78]

__





'H' now needed to be in this formation when it moved up. It could then drop a file and charge, then expand to overlap in manouver, though would get away and past if dies

Nobody could join the melee in manouver phase to help as there is no legal overlap position available

[mceochaidh]

The original sequence was that in the impact phase LF A declared charge against enemy LF "B" and enemy LF "C". "B" and "C" chose not to evade. Then in the Manoeuvere phase, HF "H" moved up. I believe "H" could move its full move of 3 MU to place it behind 'A", who was then already in contact with "B" and "C". It seems that "H" should have contracted during movement by 2 bases, from 2 ranks of 4 wide to 4 ranks of 2 bases wide. "H" was drilled so did not need to make a CMT. Then in the subsequent friendly impact phase, "H" could do as Phil suggested by dropping a file and charging enemy LF "B", who was actually still in mele with "A". LF "B" would have to stand to receive charge as it was still in mele.

One more question. The rules say that contractions can be one or two bases in a movement phase. If the desire is to contract from 4 wide to a single column, does this take two movement phases, as it is more than "one or two bases" ?

[kevinj]

Yes, both your assessment of what H should have done and your reading of contracting from 4 to 1 wide are correct.

[philqw78]

The original sequence was that in the impact phase LF A declared charge against enemy LF "B" and enemy LF "C". "B" and "C" chose not to evade. Then in the Manoeuvere phase, HF "H" moved up. I believe "H" could move its full move of 3 MU to place it behind 'A", who was then already in contact with "B" and "C". It seems that "H" should have contracted during movement by 2 bases, from 2 ranks of 4 wide to 4 ranks of 2 bases wide. "H" was drilled so did not need to make a CMT. Then in the subsequent friendly impact phase, "H" could do as Phil suggested by dropping a file and charging enemy LF "B", who was actually still in mele with "A". LF "B" would have to stand to receive charge as it was still in mele.

One more question. The rules say that contractions can be one or two bases in a movement phase. If the desire is to contract from 4 wide to a single column, does this take two movement phases, as it is more than "one or two bases" ?

Its things like this you learn as you go along. Being able to anticipate this sort of thing makes you a better player. However a better oppoenent would have anticipated that and stood with and evaded with giving no option to charge with your HF. However if your opponent then double bluffed your move he could have......... etc ad infinitum (ignoring any other BG that could have had an effect)

I find being unpredictable helps a lot

[mceochaidh]

Thanks Phil:

Learning how to use LF; in this case it may have been ok for enemy LF "B" to evade and for "C" to stand as another friendly HF was in line with "H" and could have charged "C". Also friend LF "A" was javelin and "B" and "C" were bow, so "A" would have a reasonable chance on impact against only one of the enemy LF, especially if the HF could charge in next impact phase, or so I thought!

[philqw78]

THE TACTICAL SITUATION EXPLAINED

in this case it may have been ok for enemy LF "B" to evade and for "C" to stand as another friendly HF was in line with "H" and could have charged "C". Also friend LF "A" was javelin and "B" and "C" were bow, so "A" would have a reasonable chance on impact against only one of the enemy LF, especially if the HF could charge in next impact phase, or so I thought!

Exactly what I said

[grahambriggs]

The original sequence was that in the impact phase LF A declared charge against enemy LF "B" and enemy LF "C". "B" and "C" chose not to evade. Then in the Manoeuvere phase, HF "H" moved up. I believe "H" could move its full move of 3 MU to place it behind 'A", who was then already in contact with "B" and "C". It seems that "H" should have contracted during movement by 2 bases, from 2 ranks of 4 wide to 4 ranks of 2 bases wide. "H" was drilled so did not need to make a CMT. Then in the subsequent friendly impact phase, "H" could do as Phil suggested by dropping a file and charging enemy LF "B", who was actually still in mele with "A". LF "B" would have to stand to receive charge as it was still in mele.

Yes it was the way that H moved in the manouver phase that meant they could not engage. On option was to contract instead as you say. However, there is another way to do it. LF A is in one rank, so (assuming 15mm scale) only 2cm deep. The overlapping base on B is 4cm wide. So it is possible that H could have been positioned so that a charge including a wheel would hit that overlapping base base of B before contacting A. You need to get H to a point where it is in range to charge B with a wheel, but not so close to A that the geometry doesn't work. So about 2MU from the rear of A should be about right.

The other problems that you have in this position are that A has to survive an impact and two rounds of combat. Also, that even if H catchches B and creams it, you'll probably lose A anyway so an even trade.