Art De La Guerre

[KevinD]

There is a LI (L) on the edge of a straight feature (village “v”) facing out.

A friendly (F) unit’s front edge is 1 UD ahead of it. The friendly unit is in melee against one enemy unit (X). (The friendly unit F had advanced exactly 1 UD out of the village v as this was its movement allowance in difficult.)

Another enemy heavy unit (Y) wants to hit the friendly unit (F) in the flank.

The LI’s ZOC doesn’t stop this as it has no ZOC in the open. However the enemy Y’s side edge will be in contact with the front edge of the LI lining the village edge. Is it allowed for Y to move into a flank position against F like this and be in melee support of X even though the LI is on its flank?


XX
XX
FFYY
FFYY
vvLLvillage

X facing down. Knight
Y facing left. Knight
F facing up. Knight
L facing up. Light Infantry

[Hazelbark]

So to move to a position in all other circumstances where you would be melee against the LI in a village.

Why do you think you would be legally allowed to not contact the LI in your example?

[Neep]

I think it may be a very odd form of non-melee contact?
Y cannot attack the LI as it is not in front edge contact, and the LI cannot attack Y because it would be considered in open terrain and therefore auto-routed. I think the LI simply moves away next turn.

[KevinD]

Dan, I honestly don’t know. Hence why I asked. I guess P 41 requires the knight to charge the LI if it wishes to touch it with its front edge or corner. The LI’s lack of ZOC made me uncertain about this.

Neep, I don’t think the LI has to move away as it is in difficult.

[Neep]

The LI can stand if attacked while entirely in terrain, but I don't think it can attack out into open in its own turn. I think it has to move away.
Note that the LI can only charge Y if its entire front edge ends in the terrain, and I think "on the edge of terrain" does not count as being "in" in this situation.

[Hazelbark]

Kevin

You describe a point where a heavy unit would contact the front edge pf LI. The LI as you say can stand as this is terrain. So that contact is melee. I don't imagine any situation where the single units can do this.

[KevinD]

Thanks Dan, makes sense now.

[Neep]

Actually, I don't think the rules prevent Kevin from doing that, but I think it puts Y into melee with the LI at disadvantage. Y is attacking F in the flank and gets those benefits, but is not in melee support of X.

Artillery and unbladed WWg don't have ZoCs ever.

I believe you can end up in flank to flank contact with an unengaged enemy when moving into melee support against a different enemy.

[Hazelbark]

my read of his questions is he was putting his flank into an an unengaged enemy front

He also was moving from a position of not touching anyone.

[Neep]

Actually, the second paragraph on page 52 strongly implies you do not end up in the melee phase with an enemy front edge on your flank or rear unless you have your front edge on an enemy front edge (i.e. in melee).
That there is no prohibition on moving into a contrary position doesn't mean you can.

[KevinD]

That was the case, Dan.