Re: [Epic] 40K/IG infantry Detachments

From: David Lado <lado_at_...>
Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 16:33:03 -0400 (EDT)

>>>From page 107 in the battles book (the figure is a crude reproduction)
>>>
>>>MOVING *PAST* IN THE ASSAULT PHASE. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? >Simply put,
>>>it means you can't deliberately move further away from the closest enemy
>>>when you make an Assault move.
>>
>> Ok , clear concise, I understand. I am blushing cause I forgot the
>>closest part.
>>
>>>However, you don't have to move towards
>>>the nearest enemy detachment...
>>
>> Again, don't have to move towards the nearest enemy, I understand.
>> Now we take two totally understandable sentences, string them together
>>and we
>> get ........mud. What the heck does it mean that I can't move away from the
>> nearest enemy but I don't have to move towards the nearest enemy?

Your interpritation was correct, you can move towards any enemy unit as
long as you stay within an "invisible circumfrence" around closer enemy
units. While this also strikes me as a little "gamey", I think it is
important in preventing even odder situations from arising. Consider
what the effects would be if you had to charge the closer unit always:

It would mean that the only way to flank an enemy army would be to put
a detachment on march orders, or put them on normal movement orders.
Thus you would either have to expose your unit to great danger (by being
on march orders), or be stuck with a situation where your flanking units
are moving half as fast as the units charging into the thick of battle
(which makes no logical sense). The other alternative would be to create
a new type of orders that allows a unit to move double rate, but not
necessarily towards the enemy (and presumably not into CC). This would
be possible, but it does not seem very necessary.

Basically, I see the "moving past" rule as a compromise to prevent units
from driving right past enemy units (a common feature in SM/TL), while
still allowing the players some lee-way to maneuver their detachments.

David
Received on Thu May 01 1997 - 20:33:03 UTC