Troops forming battleline - optional or mandatory?

[timmy1]

I am about to play my first game of FoG:AM v2. Page 30 (hardcopy, 5-3 iPad) defines a battle line as 'a collection of battle groups with each in at least partial edge to edge contact...'. I then states 'a Troop Commander cannot command a battle line of more than 2 battle groups'. There are similar restrictions for FC and IC (4 and 6 BG respectively).

Now, is the battleline
1/ a mandatory formation

or

2/ is it optional and decided at the point that the Commander wants to command it?

(Taking the example on page 30, if the FC were replaced by a TC, could the TC choose to command only the two red hatted HF BGs as a battleline or would that be disallowed on the basis that the battleline is already formed and has 4 BGs in it?)

If it is clearly stated in the rules, a reference would be helpful.

[Vespasian28]

Optional.

You can decide the exact composition of your battleline at the start of the manoeuvre phase, as long as a relevant general was already with the battleline at the start of the phase.
In your example the TC could just take the two red BG's as you said or the right hand red and the medium foot or the right hand red and the light foot. Any of those two are in edge to edge contact, are facing the same way and has the commander in contact with 1 BG in the Battleline.

[timmy1]

That's how I would like it to be but can't find where it states it is optional at the start of the manoeuvre phase. Can you point me at chapter and verse?

[rbodleyscott]

That's how I would like it to be but can't find where it states it is optional at the start of the manoeuvre phase. Can you point me at chapter and verse?

Not entirely sure it does, but it certainly doesn't say it is mandatory.