Art De La Guerre

[Zoltan]

[Pebbo]

I’m not sure if putting units immediately in front of battle troops is an historic tactic. My understanding of battles in the Carthaginian wars is that light infantry screens were pushed well ahead of the battle lines (to screen them whilst they deployed) but were withdrawn well before the battle lines clashed.

However threading say a HI exactly between two LI does seem rather cheesy. We could argue that this degree of precision simply isn’t possible but some people will insist they can do it.

[Nightingale87]

Just a comment on the "elbow of death"

I only have a problema with that if I look at the table and see squared bases sliding around scenery on a table. But...

If I consider that those bases represent gropus of men trying to do their best to stay alive, and obbey orders as per training received, then I see/understand that those slinger, unfit for melee, and trained to eveade the enemy, as they see an enemy unit going round their flank, they start to waver, and the second they are charged by another unit to their front, they relize there is no way out, and disperse. The unit disbands, and is no longer a proficient forcé on the battlefield, it´s no longer posible for the general to control those men, since there is no time in the battle to reorganize them.Thus, withdrawing the base from the table. IN the "represented reality", maybe not one of the slingers died, but in the focus of the game, that is irrelevant to us.

This is the way in which i try to interpret any rule in any game. That´s why I cant consider it "cheesy".

[Hazelbark]

Also it should be noted that this tactic is mitigated by having a clear line of skirmishers less than 1 UD from their battle support troops. If you send off skirmishers willy nilly in penny packets, they can get mugged.

[Zoltan]

[Hazelbark]

Zoltan. Potentially yes but there is a point where the gnat's todger works against you not for you.

Most of the time that extra distance is unnecessary risk.

[Viking709]

So why not  allow evaders to interpenatrate supporting units just as they can ignore enemy Zoc when evading.  This would still prevent all troops interpenatraing units in support position except when evading?

[Hazelbark]

That would be an acceptable change if the DT and El Kreator wish it.

[Viking709]

The amendment would only effect lights.  Lights can interpenatrate supporting troops in an evade move as long as they are the type of troops they can interpenatrate 
ie. LI can evade through supporting HI but LH could not

[Mike Bennett]

I am not convinced. Plausibly when the enemy are near you close up ready for combat, and so interprenetation becomes blocked, like the rules currently have it. When battle lines get close skirmishes should get out of the way before they are trapped.

And as Tim says in many cases if engineered it is a lot of pips and other troops fighting at disadvantage.

[MKennedy]

Last weekend while gaming, this topic came up (again) and I wanted to review the outcome of this threads discussion. I thought this had been resolved back in March by the DT, but I don't see it anymore (glitch and/or redacted?). Can someone point me to where the final decision is posted?

Michael

[Mark G Fry]

I am confused here folks

I am convinced that LF acting as an overlap cannot evade of charged, so would be destroyed immediately on contact by enemy HF

Also if the friendly HF in the middle is deemed as a supporting overlap, the LF to its front cannot evade through it, if the LF is deemed not to be an overlap, as you cannot evade through troops in combat and an overlap is deemed to be in combat

So for the LF to escape being destroyed by the enemy HF to its front both it and the friendly HF to its rear must not be supporting.
That then leads to the question can an overlap friendly unit opt not to be a support?

Have I summed this all up correctly?

[Kal5056]

I believe that you can evade if you are only in support provided the front edge of the LF is not engaged with the enemy. 

Gino

[Mark G Fry]

That is a different interpretation from what we (Slimbridge, Cardiff, Clevedon) are currently playing.

I haven't got my rules with me but will double check later.

Overlap is effectively contact/combat and so the LF cannot evade if contacted and would be destroyed (in open terrain) by heavier troops

[Commodore]