Group contact on a corner and EMTLU

[nicholas]

I have been trying to understand the theory and application of the Extra Movement to Line Up in Close Combat rule on page 33 of the v.2 rulebook, and am having trouble.  I have searched this forum as best I could without coming up with the answers I seek, even though I see there has been quite a lot of discussion of this rule, so I apologize in advance if my question has been addressed and I am just not a good enough searcher to find the answer.

The situation we have run into in a couple of recent games is as follows:

I advance a line of 10 stands (a group) straight forward from the flank at an oblique angle (say 45 degrees or more) to my opponent?s line of 10 stands.  I don?t think it matters what kind of stands, but as it happens in both recent cases they were lines of Cv chariots on both sides.  Because I am coming in at an angle from outside my opponent?s TZ at the start of my move, I end up contacting his line (also a group) only with the front corner of my outside element on the front edge of an element of his line.  Again it is his outside element, though I don?t think that is critically important to the issue.  Under the Moving into Close Combat rule, I have satisfied the conditions for Corner contact.

First questions:  My first stand is now in combat.  My second and likely third stands (depending on the exact angle) are now in a TZ.  Under the EMTLU rule, the 2nd and 3rd stands therefore can undertake extra movement, but are not required to.  My fourth through 10th stands are outside TZ.  Under the rule, are they now required to wheel 80p forward to move towards lining up (the extra 80p will not bring them into contact nor, for most of them, into a TZ), since they start as part of the group, the first element of which is in contact?  If so, is there any limit on how far along the line this requirement extends (the movement rules limit wheels to 8 stands; would that therefore limit a wheel in this situation to a maximum of 8 stands?)?  Since I am not required to move the second and third stands, because they are in a TZ, does this mean that the group breaks into 2 groups if I don?t move the 2nd and 3rd stands (I could do so to maintain cohesion, but I?m not required to, and if there?s an 8-stand maximum on this wheel, if I did so I would have to leave stand 10 behind)?  Barring any other developments (of which more below), moving the 4th to 10th stands in this way would mean that they are now a separate group from the initial group that made the contact.  At the end of EMTLU they are now not in contact, and most are not in a TZ, so are not subject to EMTLU in subsequent bounds, correct?

Moving on; since my opponent is a group after I finish moving, he can choose to line up, but decides not to do so in order not to break up his front.  He therefore fights that first combat at a disadvantage.  However, say he rolls better than me (as usual!) and the end result of the combat is equal, so we remain locked in combat going into his bound.

Second questions: At the end of the combat, it becomes my opponent?s bound.  Is he now required to begin to wheel his line into contact with me?  Clearly not his 2nd and 3rd stands, since they are in my TZ, as I am in theirs.  But what about his 4th to 10th stands?  They are still part of a group in contact, but they are not yet lined up, because the angle between our two lines has not yet closed up enough.  So does ?extra movement? mean extra to the move of moving elements (in other words, EMTLU would apply to these stands only if he chooses to move them), or does ?extra movement? mean extra to all other movement on his side (in other words, EMTLU applies even if he doesn?t otherwise move those stands)?  If he is required to move, then that means I am effectively pulling his stands out of line towards me.  And again, how many stands; a maximum of 8, or his entire line from the 4th stand on?  And if he is required to move stands 4 to (say) 10, but not stands 1-3, then that means they will be pulled out of line into a separate group again that is not in contact and may still not be in my TZ, so EMTLU will not apply in the future.

That?s the detail.  Essentially the question boils down to whether EMTLU requires two lines that contact on a corner at a wide angle to begin to move towards each other in both sides bounds, regardless of whether they otherwise move in subsequent bounds?  With the result that, if the lines are long enough, they will begin to break up, and may be pulled out of supported positions.  Is this the idea?

Any guidance you can provide would be helpful.

Thanks.

[LawrenceG]

EMTLU is not explained in any detail in the rules, although figure 9 helps.

The first principle to remember is that the EMTLU is there to get troops into combat when the artificial geometrical constraints of the game prevent them from doing so.

EMTLU is compulsory for one side or the other when the elements are in contact and not lined up as specified in "moving into close combat" (which also specifies who has to line up).  Troops that are already in one of the specified geometries cannot EMTLU (except groups contacted on a corner have the choice, which must be exercised immediately).

EMTLU is also permitted for troops moving in a threat zone.

EMTLU is not permitted for troops standing still in a threat zone (unless in contact with enemy)

EMTLU is not permitted for troops not in contact and not in a TZ, except that if any troops of a group EMTLU then some or all of the others may join in the EMTLU in order to keep the group in its original formation. However, they must still obey TZ restrictions AND cannot move further than 80p. Therefore some elements would get left behind if they would have to move over 80p, or become constrained by other TZs. Personally, I would allow this to a group wider than 8 elements, based on the first principle above (in real life the line would have carried on moving straight ahead and collapsed onto the enemy line).
If different elements of a group are in different TZs or contacts, they must EMTLU separately to line up with the one that affects them. Note that sometimes in this situation the contacted elements must EMTLU, not the ones that moved into contact.

If you want to avoid having one element on a corner and others in the front, you can use the EMTLU on your group as soon as it enters a TZ (as it is moving in a TZ), then continue straight on into frontal contact without having to pay for the wheel. The EMTLU for each element is still limited to 80p max, so some may get left behind.

If a group is contacted on a corner and chooses not to EMTLU (or can?t for some reason), it cannot EMTLU automatically later on and will remain in corner contact. However, if the owner spends PIPs to move that group by wheeling it forwards, then it is moving in a TZ, which allows it to EMTLU. The owner is not compelled to spend these PIPs, so the lines won't automatically be pulled together.


Does this answer all your questions?

[nicholas]

That certainly makes things a lot clearer, and I now see the rule in a different light.  Thanks very much for your comprehensive comments.