Slitherine

I had a disagreement with my opponent last night about the seemingly super effectiveness of supporting LF in melee. Apparently this is the way that these bow only armed LF operate.

The formation was:
LF LF HF
HF HF HF

1 dice per front & second rank HF base (swordsmen) and, to my bewilderment, 1 dice per second rank LF as well!
This continued even when:
LF LF
HF HF HF

Nothing I could say would change my opponents mind. I can understand why a single second rank LF will get a dice but was under the impression that more than one reduced the number of melee dice.

What is the correct way to play?

LF in hand-to-hand combat lose 1 dice per 2 bases. So in your example they would start off contributing 2 dice, and if a LF base is removed they now contribute 1 dice, if another LF base is removed they still contribute 1 dice.

(Unless they are fighting against LF, in which case they don't lose dice at all...but I am guessing this wasn't the situation!)

But...how did a second rank LF base get removed? If they are only fighting opponents to the front, it is front-rank bases that get removed, and LF from the rear rank would fill in the gaps in the front rank.

And finally - is that a valid BG? I can't remember ever seeing in any list an option for a BG of 1/2 HF and 1/2 LF - usually it's 2/3 and 1/3, or 3/4 and 1/4.

His BG is 2/3 and 1/3 in the first pic. The 2nd pic shows a HF casualty being removed.

Your BG is exactly how I run my Dominate Roman Legionaries.

If you go 3 wide you would end up with 5 dice in melee if you have suffered no losses in impact. That is 4 dice for the HF and 1 dice for the 2 LF.

Interestingly I sometimes run mine 2 wide with a single LF in the 2nd and 3rd ranks. Assuming no losses in impact I still end up with 4 dice in melee so at that point the LF aren't hurting me (unless you count the shorter frontage).

Rob

The previous answer appears to have not noticed that one of the rear bases is HF.
It is therefore a standard 4HF+2LF. Deployed as 3HF on the front rank and 1HF + 2LF on the rear rank.

The 2 LF on the rear would therefore provide 1 support shooting dice at impact if vs mounted as you lose one per 2LF. The front rank being 6 dice (2 per base)

In the melee you would have 5 dice, the LF fighting as the front but losing one per 2.

After the base loss this would become 4 dice as the LF again lose one per 2

Paul

Thanks for the replies. I was right then, I should have asked someone last night - that extra dice I played against really cost me!

I'm sure a sneaky moderator must have changed the text since I looked at it

Caliph wrote:I should have asked someone last night

Considering the elysium answer was from someone there last night Brian, yes