Slitherine

can a second rank shift while the front rank does not.

Once a unit is in a formation if it wheels or moves forward can ranks other than the front move on their own.


Image one is the starting position with them moving forward



on this image can the unit in back shift after making a full forward move even if the front rank does not shift?




on this image is the single stand in the back allowed to move anywhere (even all the way across after a wheel or forward move)?



thanks guys.

smaul1 wrote:can a second rank shift while the front rank does not.

No. If you start in a legal formation then an advance cannot change that formation. If you want to shuffle rear rank bases around, you need to expand, contract or turn.

Best wishes,
Matthew

Why can't it shift like the front rank?

It has to maintain a legal formation, shifting about with the rear rank is not a legal formation change.
The only way he can move is if the front rank is in combat and he is not counting as an overlap or second rank in a melee, then he could possibly move into an overlap position if one was available.

Actually I am not sure that is even a legal formation with a single base out back, think you have to have same number of bases up front and out back if possible. Don't have the rules handy but that is what I thought was the general rule on that.

rear rank can have a different number of bases so formation is fine

as far as where the rear base has to be...am not sure...i'd think it can be anywhere...but not sure...couldn't find it specifically in the rules

but...if the BG was 3 and 3...and expanded by 2 as it moved...the remaining base could be in any rear position...

The shift is for the whole BG to move up to one base width, not just either rank. As Blathergut has pointed out, there's nothing wrong with the formation, as you're allowed to have a different number of bases in your last rank. But there is no formation change that specifically covers shifting of these last rank bases, so any movement would have to be as part of a move that is defined, such as a contraction, or feeding bases into combat.

we got a very good answer to this on another thread dealing with that question only.

Here's a link to the thread with his references.viewtopic.php?p=139915#139915

Steve