Hidden Obstacles

[foxgom]

Hi

I understand the rules regarding HO as follows:

Enemy pikes cross my hidden obstacles using a normal tactical move of 160p.
I reveal the HO when their move is completed. (P16)
They count for in their bound and in my following bound as if in difficult going. (P16)
They also count as being impetuous troops (P30).
Even though they have already made a tactical move, they must now make an impetuous move of 160p forward, producing an irregular line (P30).

If I now attack them with foot, the pikes give no support because "as if in difficult", the lead elements get a -2 for being ""as if in difficult" and I can easily create two overlaps on the lead elements, as their line has become uneven.

Have I understood the rules correctly?

neil

[Tim Child]

All sounds right to me Neil.

I haven't seen HO used much (4 AP per element-width combined with the difficulty of getting enemy to move across that particular static spot makes it quite difficult to justify the cost) but on the few occasions I have seen them I've never seen the second (impetuous) move, because players tend to deploy quite close to the HO.

That said, it occurs to me that the impetuous feature could be used to break up enemy formations even without worrying about being in a position to attack the enemy as they come across them (to get the advantage of the pseudo DGo in both bounds).  A few single HOs scattered around the place, minefield-like, could be really nasty surprises for an enemy who move impetuously ahead of the TZs of the neighbouring elements in the formation.

Tim Child

[foxgom]

Hi

My experience matches yours.

I?ve only used them once and is was SO funny to watch Spanish knights charging at my poor helpless Bw(I) at exactly the place I had forecasted.   

Your thoughts also match mine, that?s why I asked the question.

Worse is if only half the pike reach the HO.
The front two ranks charge ahead, leaving the others behind.
If they hit Bd, they fight with a 1 againt 4.
I assume the front rank dies, the blades follow up and kill the second rank in the following bound.
The 3rd and 4th ranks watch this from the other side of the HO.

neil