Counter Charging issue

[hazelbark]

Had an issue I was asked to adjudicate at a tournament and could not find anything certain.

F1> <R1 <F2

All are 8 MU apart. All are Heavy Cavalry.

If F1 charges frontally R1, R1 must countercharge.
So does that mean F2 is ineligible to charge as R1 will move out of range?

[KeefM]

Good question. If it was me I would have ruled that there was no counter-charge by R1 on the basis that a countercharge is only permited for a unit frontally charged (page 30, 2nd bullet, left hand column). Thus if R1 was charged by both F1 and F2, it wouldn't be permited a counter-charge because it was being assaulted from the rear (by F2) - ie R1 isn't being solely frontally assaulted.

[terrys]

If you follow the rules strictly - the target would counter-charge the unit charging it frontally.
The rear unit would probably not make contact.

Consider what would happen logically...The unit being charged probably wouldn't know the unit to its rear was charging until its counter-charge had begun.
Therefore wouldn't take any notice of it, unless the charge was from so close that it would contact anyway.

I wouldn't bother charging from the front. You'd be much better charging purely from the rear (with a double POA and an automatic loss of cohesion).
You could then move the non-charging unit up really close so that the enemy can't retire far enough to avoid being caught within 1/2 pursuit move, and therefore fight again immediately.
(and probably testing for being charged while wavering).