Art De La Guerre

[KevinD]

Suppose an impetuous unit (A) charges an enemy (X) who can evade. X does in fact evade. A now roll a 6 and adds 1 UD to its movement. It the strikes another enemy (Y) on the side edge. So A’s front corner is touching Y’s side edge. However A did not start beyond Y’s front edge and thus can’t make a flank charge on Y. What happens?

Does A:
1. Conform to the front of Y and count charging Y’s front?
2. Remain in partial conformation on Y’s side and count as a frontal charge?
3. Remain in partial conformation on Y’s side and count as a flank charge?
4. Stop a mm short of Y’s side even though it is an impetuous unit charging who has not expended its full move?

The last two bullets under point 6 on p 43 seem to require A to keep moving until it strikes Y, but this seems to be in tension with p 41.

[SteveR]

Hi Kevin,

Take a look at the last bullet of the errata on page 41 - it covers pursuit but is illustrative.

[KevinD]

Thanks, Steve.

I agree it’s very similar, but does the fact that it specifies “ during a pursuit” when the other two bullets speak about charges, mean the third bullet does not apply to charges (even involuntary ones chasing after evaders)?

If Taco Bell has a sale “10 tacos for a $1 in the Drive Thru window”, do you get the discounted price if you drive your car into the Dine In register?

[SteveR]

Kevin, you are wise to bring in Taco Bell as an analogy. The sublime dining experience is indeed a lodestone we all look to.

You can make your case even more general. Have the unit slide and charge so that no wheel is allowed. It strikes the side edge of an enemy who was positioned in a way that the charger did not start on the flank. I think we would all agree it would then conform to the front.

Look at the example of incomplete flank conforming on page 53 for a unit which teleports from a side to the front.

Remember the line that a unit making flank contact that cannot legally conform can "always conform to the front" in the V3 errata?

Look at it this way. If you make contact you must conform. Unless you begin on the flank you may not conform to it. A + B = conform to the front as it obeys both principles.

[Neep]

I think it simply stops just short of contact.

There is only a small window of circumstances where this can happen, and you can almost always avoid it with a judicious wheel or slide so that you contact the front corner. With an uncontrolled charge, you must consider the possibilities of the initial target evading and to my mind that implies you must arrange to strike the secondary target as well.

The example on page 53 is making contact with the front corner as stated in the text.

Note that the second bullet under Contacting secondary targets on page 44 calls out contact restrictions, so they have considered them.