Art De La Guerre

[KevinD]

In order to move at Open Terrain speed +1 a unit needs to move entirely along the road. (Penultimate bullet, page 29.)

But what if a unit wishes to use the road to cross slowing terrain and then move off the road when it reaches open terrain. Can it treat the road as open terrain through the slowing terrain and then leave the road once it exits that terrain and use its full open terrain movement allowance?

Say for example there is a light cavalry on a road in a village 2 UD from the edge of the village. Can the LC move 2 UD along the road in the village and then, once it leaves the village continue moving off road for another 3 UD (for a total of 5 UD) since it is allowed to move 5 UD in the open? Or is it limited to moving 2 UD in total if it leaves the road since it can only move 2 UD in difficult and can’t claim the road bonus of moving at the open terrain rate if it does not spend its entire move on the road?

Similarly can a unit in bad terrain move at the road rate (Open Terrain Movement Rate +1) if it stays on the road but does various moves like make 1/2 or 1/4 turns such as turning from column to line while on the road or contracting units not on the road into a column behind a unit which is on the road (or vice versa expanding them)?

[Longtooth]

Hi Kevin,

The bullet point that you refer to says that the unit has to move entirely on the road in order to use the 'open' movement rate. As such, I do not think you are allowed to step off the road once you have cleared the terrain.

The bullet point also refers to 'manoeuvres' on the road, so you are allowed to do 1/2 and 1/4 turns whilst on the road.

Jesse