Charge Query

Horizon · Post by **Horizon** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 8:19 am

I am sorry but I cannot see an answer to this in the rules or the forum but I presume it must be as this must happen often.

I had 2 units of light chariots lined up 8 wide but the 2 units were not base to base and were facing a unit of 4 auxiliary cavalry like this,

...........OOO
...........OOO

..........XXXX XXXX

On the first turn I charged with the chariots opposite the cav like this,

............OOO
............OOO
...........XXXX
.....................XXXX

There was no effect and so on the next turn I charged with the other chariot squadron and here came the problem. When I wheel in is this a flank charge? I cannot contact the front facing of the unit but the rules say that this is not a flank charge!!

We resolved this on the night by lining the chariots up and saying that the second lot were an overlap but this was not really satisfactory.

Anyway over to the big brains.

H

philqw78 · Post by **philqw78** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 9:58 am

The diagram is a bit confusing, was it 4 bases of cav or 6? Either way the frontage of your first charging Chariots was greater than the Cav so the conforming in the movement phase before melee could only be against 6 Cav:

__

__

or

__

__

or
____

____

In the third example the left hand chariot could be fed in as example 2. Your other chariots in the melee BG cannot move behind as they are not conforming, meaning they do not add dice to the combat. Your only option, since there is not a legal target for the next BG to charge in examples 1 and 2, as all cav are in combat in front rank is, in the movement phase, move as an overlap. As to wether or not the rear element of cav on the right hand side is a legal target depends on how you define in combat to front. IIRC the bases contributing dice, not as an overlap, are in combat to front so can only be charged by a legal flank or rear charge. Which this is not. The situation with a 4 base target would mean that you could not conform leaving space for a second charge.

philqw78 · Post by **philqw78** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 10:03 am

I perhaps got a bit over wordy with this, carried away with the diagram. The Chariots cannot perform a legal flank or rear charge and have no legal target to charge so can only move up into overlap during their movement phase.

Horizon · Post by **Horizon** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:36 pm

Sorry I redid the original diagrams as they had gone a bit wonky.

philqw78 · Post by **philqw78** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:18 pm

Yes, the right hand BG of chariots can only move into an overlap, not charge. What they should have done is moved forward after the impact and turned left. In their next impact they could flank charge, providing they pass a cmt to turn and move and they are safe to do so.