Interpenatration by broken troops

J_Pattison · Post by **J_Pattison** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 2:10 pm

We had a Biblical game last night of Middle Kingdom Egyptians Vs Sumerian. During the game the following happened. I think we did it right but want to check. In the lists it states Egyptian close fighters can interpenatrate medium foot bows and vice versa.

Facing up the table I had a unit of close fighters with a unit of bows directly behind and facing the same direction.(the close fighters had just moved through the bows as the enemy were getting very close). A unit of sumerian Heavy chariots charged the close fighters. The Egyptian close fighters eventualy broke and moved back through the archers(legal interpenatration and got an extra 2'' rout movement). The archers tested for friends breaking and passed. The H chariots then persued and hit the archers. This was then fought in the next impact round. The Heavy chariots were then broken by the archers after the melee phase(The Egyptians were quite elated at seeing the Heavy chariots running away from measley archers, although the sumerian players were a bit miffed at throwing badly for mellee then very badly for morale).

The point we weren't sure about was should the bowmen have been disrupted by the close fighters breaking and moving all the way through them. We thought not, as close fighters and bowmen moving through each other front to back and vice versa is a legal interpenatration and doesn't do any disruption.

One other point that came up was the formation bows are allowed. To maximise their effect the bows were in 2 ranks. The front rank being 4 figures the rear rank only 2 figures. Should they have stayed in 2 even ranks. The only point we could find in the rules state 'only the rear rank can have fewer bases'.

dave_r · Post by **dave_r** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 3:42 pm

You covered both points correctly - it is possible to rout through friends without disrupting them if it is a legal interpenetration.

Likewise - you quote the rule correctly, in that it is possible to have a rear rank fewer than the front rank - in this case a 4 - 2 formation. Be careful that when you shoot you only count half of the second rank that is actually there!