Slitherine

If a battle groups containing two types of troops turns 90 degrees is the player making the move free to choose which bases end up in the fron rank? For example, consider a Byzantine Cavalry BG with 3 Cav lancers in the front rank and 3 Cav with Bow in the back rank. If the BG makes a 90 degree turn to the left then it will form a column 2 bases wide by 3 bases deep. Can two of the lancers form the new front rank, backed by 2 Cav with bows with the remaining Cav Lancer and Bow forming the 3rd rank, or must the Bows form the left hand file of the column and the Lancers the right?

Regards
Martin

IIRC there are no constraints in the rules on how the bases are arranged, except the one at the old front/ new front corner can't be changed.

if you look at page 44 and try to picture what is going on there, even though they appear to be Romans not mixed cav, I would think you would turn the first group of bases left in the order they were in the original formation. In your case lancers followed by bows. The next group would fill in beside that group in the same order and so on so yes I guess you could do it as you wanted or as lawrence said it apears in the rules you can form the new formation how you like it. Hope you don't get ruled lawyered over that one

When turning the old front rank become the new front rank

But if a BG is 3 x 2 it becomes 2 x 3 after turning, so you have a "spare" front rank base. I assume that you can put this at the back.

You can put the spares anywhere proving you are a legal formation

philqw78 wrote:When turning the old front rank become the new front rank

That is only for 180 degree turns

so a three rank deep BG of romans with supporting archers ends up with LF in the front rank after a turn?

No it doesn't do that. The front corner base is still, the front corner base - just facing a different way. So you still have legionaries on the front. Build the rest around it as you wish up to the required width/depth. So effectively you get them on the front again.

The 180 addition was just to make this clear, as in this case there is no single front rank base turning litetlly onto the new line. I was just to avoid someone turning all the bases literally and ending up in reverse formation as well as reverse gear!!

Si

So on a 90 degree turn, apart from the base at the corner turned on, can you put your bases where you want?

No its still uses the front edge bases to form the new front edge.

See top of page 45.

Si

shall wrote:No its still uses the front edge bases to form the new front edge.

See top of page 45.

Si

Thanks for pointing that out.