The dangers of feigned flight

[arnimlueck]

wednesday evening we encountered a situation that we could not resolve:

• my own light horse were fighting Thomas' troops way back on the board trying to reach his baggage
• his knights where fighting my pikes in the center

Now he calls a feigned flight, his knight run away, but also two light horse that were part of this command. These run towards my light horse actually putting one in a threat zone. Are they fleeing? and in consequence dying by approaching an enemy? Or are they feigning the flight and laughing at the occasion to use the feigned flight to catch my troops?

Puzzled
Arnim

[LawrenceG]

As I understand it you are allowed to flee and end nearer to enemy if there is no other flee path available that does not end nearer to enemy. You are only destroyed if you contact the enemy.

[arnimlueck]

feigned flight is defined as moving towards the base/entry edge. Can you still deviate from that path to avoid enemy, terrain etc? I did assume "yes" but re-reading the rules I am less sure about that.

[LawrenceG]

feigned flight is defined as moving towards the base/entry edge. Can you still deviate from that path to avoid enemy, terrain etc? I did assume "yes" but re-reading the rules I am less sure about that.

Don't have my rules, but the wording in 1.1, which I believe is identical is that a feigned flight triggers:

"an immediate flee outcome move"

So it can deviate like any other flee move. It is not defined as a move towards the base/entry edge.  The flee direction is as you state, but all flee  moves have a direction defned for them and they are all allowed to deviate from it.

[MikeCampbell]

Not so much allowed to deviate from it as REQUIRED to do so!

[arnimlueck]

OK, but just to be 100% clear:

if my opponent would call a feigned flight in a situation where an element feigning flight is forced to move closer to an enemy within 800p (compare p41), would it then die? or would it just say "hey I was just kidding"? My point of confusion is that on page 41, section "fleeing elements" I do not see any exception to the things to avoid for march movers.

Thus in theory 4 LH(F) placed in various spots in the rear and flanks of a command doing a feigned flight would scare them to death?

Sorry for being nitpicky on this topic

[MikeCampbell]

You are not killed by having nowhere to flee to that doesn't take you closer to enemy within 800p.

You must avoid those if you can, but if you have no alternative then you go closer to them anyway - you are only destroyed by enemy that you cannot actually AVOID ie actually contact.

and yes FF'ers have the same restrictions.

[LawrenceG]

You are not killed by having nowhere to flee to that doesn't take you closer to enemy within 800p.

You must avoid those if you can, but if you have no alternative then you go closer to them anyway - you are only destroyed by enemy that you cannot actually AVOID ie actually contact.

and yes FF'ers have the same restrictions.

However, it is not very clear from the actual form of words whether the thing which causes you to be destroyed if you can't avoid it is

 enemy

or

 ending closer to enemy within 800p

[MikeCampbell]

"It is destroyed by enemy or impassable terrain it cannot so avoid."

we've had this discussion before......there's nothing in there that says it is destroyed by getting clsoer to enemy, and while it would certainly be better to have alternate wording there should be no doubt that it is only enemy who cannot be avoided that are the killers.

[LawrenceG]

"It is destroyed by enemy or impassable terrain it cannot so avoid."

we've had this discussion before......there's nothing in there that says it is destroyed by getting clsoer to enemy, and while it would certainly be better to have alternate wording there should be no doubt that it is only enemy who cannot be avoided that are the killers.

IIRC it says :

"...list of things you must deviate to avoid including
Ending closer to any enemy element not beyond a river unless it would then be more than 800p away.
...

...It is destroyed by any of these that it cannot so avoid."


Unfortunately I don't have my copy of the book with me, so I can't check.

[MikeCampbell]

I do, and I gave the exact quote.