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Can a unit evade multiple times?

Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 9:17 am
by LordNytram
I have to admit that I always thought that a unit could evade only once in a turn. However I had an umpire ruling at Warfare last weekend that seemed to indicate that the unit can rout again in the same turn or even the same phase if need be. Before I change the way I've always played this in the club I'd be grateful if I could get confirmation of the position here?

So if you have an enemy light foot battle group screening and enemy non-skirmisher battle group and you charge it with something nasty, the LF evades behind its mates and I smack into the battle troops at impact.

Question, (1)if they break at impact or (2) if they break in the subsequent melee - and I pursue into the LF again, can they evade again? in either or both cases?

I can't see anything in the evade rules to prevent this so I'm wondering if its a general rule buried elsewhere that I vaguely recall but can't find? Perhaps something saying you can only move once in a phase or a turn?

Regards
Martyn

Re: Can a unit evade multiple times?

Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 9:26 am
by ravenflight
LordNytram wrote:I have to admit that I always thought that a unit could evade only once in a turn. However I had an umpire ruling at Warfare last weekend that seemed to indicate that the unit can rout again in the same turn or even the same phase if need be. Before I change the way I've always played this in the club I'd be grateful if I could get confirmation of the position here?

So if you have an enemy light foot battle group screening and enemy non-skirmisher battle group and you charge it with something nasty, the LF evades behind its mates and I smack into the battle troops at impact.

Question, (1)if they break at impact or (2) if they break in the subsequent melee - and I pursue into the LF again, can they evade again? in either or both cases?

I can't see anything in the evade rules to prevent this so I'm wondering if its a general rule buried elsewhere that I vaguely recall but can't find? Perhaps something saying you can only move once in a phase or a turn?

Regards
Martyn
You can evade multiple times in a turn, but only once in a phase... however it's hard to cash in on that, as you can't declare a charge (for example) after the charges start.

Re: Can a unit evade multiple times?

Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 9:40 am
by LordNytram
Thanks for your comments ravenflight, but what rules are you basing your interpretation on? The evade rules themselves don't appear to prevent multiple evades even in the same phase let alone turn?

Re: Can a unit evade multiple times?

Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 10:01 am
by grahambriggs
I think it is unclear. However, the way I play it (and I think you asked the primate umpire) is that while in theory you can evade more than once in a phase in practice the full sequence of play usually prevents it. i.e. it says make evades, and then make charges.

In the impact section of the rules it says that where it is complicated the active player descides the order of charges - so you might evade from one charge then from another perhaps. But that is clearly a specific variation to the sequence of play. If an impact is fought and someone breaks, you can't then evade as you've moved on in the sequence. That's my reading anyway.

Re: Can a unit evade multiple times?

Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 1:21 pm
by philqw78
grahambriggs wrote: (and I think you asked the primate umpire)
Monkey Boy Ruddock?????
Or Graham the Gorilla

Re: Can a unit evade multiple times?

Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 5:08 pm
by paullongmore
Graham said
If an impact is fought and someone breaks, you can't then evade as you've moved on in the sequence. That's my reading anyway.
Interestingly this logic is equally applicable whether or not the LF unit has previously evaded or not and therefore means you cannot evade from pursuits.

My sequence would be
declare charges,
move evades from charges declared upon you,
then move charges (if the evading unit is now in the path of another charge I would not expect it to get another evade) .i.e you have moved on in the sequence
If after impact there is a pursuit which would contact fresh enemy it counts as a charge and I would expect a skirmisher unit to be allowed to evade (whether it had evaded before or not)

Re: Can a unit evade multiple times?

Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 10:22 pm
by petedalby
I am inclined to agree with Mr Longmore.

The detailed sequence of play appears on page 178 but does not include every eventuality.

I don''t believe there is anything in the rules that prevents multiple evades during a turn or even during the same phase. On pages 116 & 117 we are told that an initial or subsequent pursuit move that could contact fresh enemy is treated as a charge and certain troops that could evade are permitted to do so. Indeed they are only prevented from evading if they are already in close combat.

The chargers are effectively allowed to move twice - charge then initial pursuit - so why not the evaders?

Based upon the OP I'd say the hirsute umpire called it correctly.

Re: Can a unit evade multiple times?

Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 2:08 am
by gozerius
The rule covering skirmishers being contacted by pursuing battle troops is explicit.
Skirmishers that would be contacted by pursuing non-skirmishers in open terrainmust evade (unless already in close combat other than an overlap).
Skirmishers in other terrain "can evade". So its clear that evaders can evade a pursuer even if they had previously evaded that turn.

Re: Can a unit evade multiple times?

Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 7:01 am
by zoltan
petedalby wrote:... I'd say the hirsute umpire called it correctly.
Cue King of the Swingers Phil, 'I wanna be like you (shop de waddy da)...'

Re: Can a unit evade multiple times?

Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 10:34 am
by grahambriggs
Yes Mr Longmore makes a good point. There are of course some restirctions in place i.e. troops cannot pass through friends that have passed through them in this phase etc. But to be honest it's a difficult umpire call when the rules are a biit vague.

Amusingly, when the call was made, monkey boy Ruddock and I were in the middle of removing his THIRTY BASES of lancers (7x4 BGs + 2 generals) from the field of play.

Re: Can a unit evade multiple times?

Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 11:21 am
by philqw78
Amusingly, when the call was made, monkey boy Ruddock and I were in the middle of removing his THIRTY BASES of lancers (7x4 BGs + 2 generals) from the field of play.
And I said nobody would be stupid enough to charge your 12's of legionaries graham. Obviously someone was.

Re: Can a unit evade multiple times?

Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 12:35 pm
by grahambriggs
philqw78 wrote:
Amusingly, when the call was made, monkey boy Ruddock and I were in the middle of removing his THIRTY BASES of lancers (7x4 BGs + 2 generals) from the field of play.
And I said nobody would be stupid enough to charge your 12's of legionaries graham. Obviously someone was.
Both 12s got to fight in all 4 games. They're hard to avoid. Dave Saunders managed to take them down by the scurvy trick of playing better than I did. The rest of the time it was a case of plough through frontally.

Re: Can a unit evade multiple times?

Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 9:29 pm
by RobKhan
Hi All,

What do you mean by 12's - is it possible to have a BG of 12 legionaries?

Cheers
Robkhan
(see you in Berlin Dave and Phil)

Re: Can a unit evade multiple times?

Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2014 4:26 pm
by philqw78
8 +4 lf

Re: Can a unit evade multiple times?

Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2014 4:29 pm
by philqw78
Rob wrote: Robkhan
(see you in Berlin Dave and Phil)
I'm already excited, a bit like Christmas