defender routing ( village )

[bahdahbum]

The situation is this :

The defender in a village is wavering . They are charged . If I am not mistaken, even defending a village they have to test morale for being charged . being brave "Marie-Louise" , poor , conscript, they fail the test even with 2 dice . So they run away ( rear bases touching the village ) . Now what about the charging unit, does it enter the village , all the way in ?

[MDH]

I would have said not as they have to be touching the village at the start of their movement phase. But as they will have declared an assault in their active player's turn they will be able, other things being equal, to enter in their movement phase without the non active player being able to do much about it unless he has units that bring can fire to bear at the assaulter from a flank or rear or hybrid position and can make it waver or have to test to advance .

Only problem I can see is what if there are two units in the village to begin with? So I would guess after cohesion tests they fight in the combat phase which gives the assaulting player the chance to bring up support etc .But I don't have the digest of all the buildings rules to hand. And as I have yet to experience the result of driving a unit out of a village ........

[Saxonian]

But as they will have declared an assault in their active player's turn they will be able, other things being equal, to enter in their movement phase without the non active player being able to do much about it

I have a vague recollection of this being discussed once before, but can't remember if it was on the forum.
This seems a little strange to me. It seems to imply that when a unit declares a charge and the wavering target flees, the chargers just stand there and watch them go. The question I have is, what exactly did the chargers do to make the target run away? Yell "BOO" in a very loud and threatening manner?
If the target of an assault runs away, the chargers are permitted to re-direct the charge on to another target within 2MU of the line of charge. This seems to imply that movement - a charge - is taking place. But if no such fresh target is available, they simply stand there?

I would suggest that if the target flees the charge should go in to the full move of the chargers, essentially becoming a pursuit.
That way, the chargers have the opportunity to destroy their target if they catch them - light cav charging a unit of wavering foot within 2MU for instance. If infantry rout as the result of a combat with cav, they are destroyed, but if they run away from the charge they have the chance to rally, and that seems a little generous.

In the example given, this could be applied as follows - the charging unit 'pursues' into the buildings to occupy them. If their target had broken in combat, they would be permitted to do this anyway.

[pugsville]

I would have thought the routes go a full rout move not just exit the village.

[bahdahbum]

When a unit routs out of a village it goes "out" and is placed with the rear bases touching thge village .

[bahdahbum]

So still no reply ?

If the defender fails morale test, being wavering in a village, it routs but what to do with the assaulting unit . Does it deply in the now abandonned village or enters simply and stays "in" the village ?

[Blathergut]

As to what the routing unit does:

• A unit leaving a building either voluntarily or through an outcome move will end its move in tactical formation with as much of its rear edge touching the building as possible. If their position is blocked by friends they can slide sideways to be placed adjacent to them, in which ever direction leaves them with more of their rear edge touching the building. If there is no position that fulfils this requirement, they will pass through any blocking friendly unit(s) causing a cohesion test on them. If the unit is making an outcome move, it measure its movement distance from this point.

[Blathergut]

There are also all the postings here:

http://slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=188&t=40032

But I'm not so sure there was a definitive answer ever given???

In my opinion, I would consider the situation as if the two units had been in combat. Rout move the broken defenders. Allow the chargers to pursue into the building, occupying it. This gives the original defender an opportunity to counter-charge the newly-occupying unit.

I know this was discussed by Terry at some point, but I cannot find the postings. They could have been in something not titled 'buildings'.