Author Topic: Moving into Flank edge contact  (Read 1664 times)

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Marcel Bos

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Moving into Flank edge contact
« on: April 24, 2021, 01:36:12 PM »
I am using DBMM version 2.0 and am strugling with Flank edge contact.
There are 4 examples moving Cv A into Flank edge contact with Ax V, see the attachment.

Is example A correct? Its is a full edge contact and Ax W is blocking Cv A lining up in corner to corner contact with Ax V.
Or does the blocking Ax W have to moved out of the way, as in example B, making it impossible to move Cv A in Flank edge contact because of the TZ-rules?

Example C should be correct. Its is a full edge contact and Ax W is blocking Cv A lining up in corner to corner contact with Ax V.

Example D should not be possible, because in this case Cv B (not an enemy) is blocking Cv A lining up in corner to corner contact with Ax V.
That would be very strange, because of the absolute requirement that troops that would move in close combat in real life must do so in the game.

What do you think?

LawrenceG1

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Re: Moving into Flank edge contact
« Reply #1 on: April 24, 2021, 03:38:27 PM »
A is correct. Because this is an allowed contact, the blocking element does not have to be moved out of the way.

C I think is ambiguous. You could argue that "any element in close combat" is preventing lining up which would mean the move is not allowed. Or you could argue that lining up is blocked by enemy, which means you don't need to line up (so the fact it is also blocked by a friendly element becomes irrelevant). Using the "must move into contact " principle suggests the "is allowed" argument should prevail.

D Now only a friendly element is blocking lining up, and the blocking element is in close combat, so the move is not allowed. Note, even if the friendly Cv was not there, you would still not be allowed to do the move as the TZ of the enemy would prevent lining up; you would have to line up with the front of the 2nd enemy element instead.

FYI the most recent edition of the rules is 2.1 (2016) Available from   https://www.lulu.com/shop/phil-barker/shop/phil-barker/de-bellis-magistrorum-militum-version-21/paperback/product-1vgrmpyz.html?page=1&pageSize=4

By the way, the forum at  https://groups.io/g/DBMMlist gets more traffic than this one, but this one has a better signal-to-noise ratio.

Marcel Bos

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Re: Moving into Flank edge contact
« Reply #2 on: April 24, 2021, 04:12:53 PM »
Thank you Lawrence for the explanation!  :)

I have attached another example E.
This movement won't also be allowed by the rules, am I correct? Because Cv A can't line-up correctly.
Do you understand why the most important rule 'absolute requirement'... 'in real life' etc. should be dismissed in this case?

By the way, it is not so easy to buy the rules 2.1 (at a normal price) in the Netherlands  ;)
I have to wait, and try to buy one at a wargame-fair (when it is organized again).






LawrenceG1

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Re: Moving into Flank edge contact
« Reply #3 on: April 24, 2021, 08:01:49 PM »
If we ignore the fact that Ax W's TZ prevents the flank contact, the 2nd sentence in the moving into close combat section (In my edition 2.1, I think it is the same in 2.0) starting "A move is cancelled ..." is clearly intended to be an exception to the "absolute requirement" (otherwise there would be no point in its being there).

Marcel Bos

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Re: Moving into Flank edge contact
« Reply #4 on: April 24, 2021, 08:23:36 PM »
It is a lot clearer now, thanks!