Slitherine

The rules state that a unit may make a free shift of one base width if outside 6mu of enemy and the BG makes it's full move distance.

Now in a battle line of Knights and Cav is the "Full" move of the Cav considered to be the 4 mu's that they must move with the knights thus allowing the Battle line the shift.

This could also apply to a single bg in terrain that slows movement. Can a unit that must move less than it's full movement "in the open" take the free shift if it is making it's full movement in the current circumstance?

I would appreciate the author's opinion on this as it can clearly be read both ways.
Thank You
Gino
SMAC

As its all bases move full distance forward you can shift with a BL of troops with the same movement speed only.

Think of it as troops with similar movement methods having a bit more communal flexibility.

Or at least that's how I have always played it.

I can see how one might think differently though.

Done the above way it encourages MF to go with MF and HF with HF etc, which I think is a good thing.

Si

I would think that since the furthest a Battle Line can move is the distance its slowest can move then it has done a full move at 4MU if Cav, LH, and Knights. 3 Mu if LF, MF and HF. So it can shift. But then I'm not an author.

Yes I will be interested to see how people play it.

It does actually say all BASES move fill distance, not BG or BL. See page 45.

Not that I would be overly fussed if I found RBS and TS play it differently to me. It doesn't really break or make anything much. Must admit I have spent a fair bit of time designing armies to keep troops with the same speed in BLs for that reason. If its played the other way I needn't strain the brain so much.

So how do the experiencd players play this one then?

Si

I have to read this as phil does. The rule refers to an "advance" and "all bases move the full distance straight forward" which I think clearly refers to the full distance of the advance, however that full distance is set by battle line or terrain.

Mike

Cool keep them coming. Maybe I am over restricting myself!!

Si

I've been playing it the same as Phil and no-one thus far has objected.

Pete

Sounds so far that I have been rather voer diligent in my army desings and have a bit more felx than I was imagining. Amusing.

Assuming few if any have been playing it my way I suggest we treat it as the max move as part of the BL and I will get back to shifting with my WOR with the billment and bowmen together!!

Unless TS and RBS have been playing it that wau as well - have posted it across to them.

Si

Whilst I would never claim to be as experienced as some of these gents, I have also played that a battle line with HF/MF can shift. In this case its normally my HYW English MF longbow with HF behind ready to march go through if needed. Would sort of spoil things if they couldn't now shift when the MF do.

cheers
Jim

gibby wrote:Would sort of spoil things if they couldn't now shift when the MF do.

Just another case of shiftless billmen -- idle while the archers do all the work.

I've played it the same as Phil, Pete and Jim - seems the natural reading to me.

nikgaukroger wrote:I've played it the same as Phil, Pete and Jim - seems the natural reading to me.

I agree.

"• Battle lines have the move distance of their slowest battle group. "

So if they move the full move distance of their slowest BG they have moved "the full distance".

We play it the "everyone except Si" way too

Paul

yup, never played it any other way than the way everyone but Simon plays it! Glad to be in a majority!

Martin

Yup I'm convinced. Seems I have been over restricting myself. Excellent!!

Si

Third bullet on page 41 Si: "battle lines have the move distance of their slowest battle group"

I know graham but it refers to bases in the shift bit, and I always figured that was kind of cool as it locked together troops of the same speed. But not unhappy the other way. As the guy said at the outset it can be intepreted either way.

I always like to be different - even if a minority of 1!!

Anyway happy to play it this way so no need for further discussion.

Si

Simon,

No, make that a minority of 2. I was the person who objected to the interpretation of the rule. In my mind, it really boils down to which rule takes precedence. See my comments below, but please understand that I don't have the rules in front of me at the moment so I am going on memory.

In one case (the shifting rule) it states that a unit must make a full move and stay outside of 6 inches of enemy. In the other rule (the battleline rule) it states that in some instances a group of units _may_ (my emphasis) be able to do certain actions as one group. Here it seems that most think that the battleline rule controls. My reading is that for the battleline rule to work, the base rule should be followed, i.e., the unit must move a full move.

Remember, what this shift represents is an oblique movement, however slight, a difficult maneuver possibly not perfected until Frederick the Great. Once you combine units with different speeds, in my mind you make the oblique move more difficult.

At this point, instead of working so hard to stop others from using the rule, I will spend my time working with Elephants and Heavy Foot!

Hilton

Well good to have some company Hilton

Si

CaryGrant wrote:In one case (the shifting rule) it states that a unit must make a full move and stay outside of 6 inches of enemy.

It makes NO reference to a unit, or to a battle line for that matter. Very well written.

The rule refers to an "advance" and "all bases move the full distance straight forward"

The advance must be the full distance. Of what? It can only be the full distance of whatever it is that is advancing. The full distance of a BL is quite clear.

Mike