Topic: Could I have made it?

[smesj]

I recently played a friend of mine and a situation came up that was really a deciding point in the battle.
I deployed like this ( purple = warmachine, light blue= spearmen and detachment, dark blue = knights)



Later my parent unit of spearmen was charged by his large unit of warriors. My detachment was going to counter charge but i had one knight in combat with one of his war machines. This lone knight was sort of in the detachments path. (the knight is green the enemy warriors are red and the detachment has the arrow above it)



Now, with this knight there, the detachment could not make initial contact with the enemy unit without making a big wheel to clear the back of the knight first. It may have had the movement to do so but this wheel was blocked by the other spearmen unit. I decided that the detachment had to just sit there.

Was i right? was there any way that detachment could have made it into the combat? Other than "don't be a moron and have your troops so bunched up next time!"

I'm only really an intermediate player and i haven't played for a LONG time. I decided to start playing again after finding these forums  .

[HC_andersen]

If you declare a charge with both, you can choose in which order you move the chargers, due to what you should be able to first move the spearmen block, and then the detachment. They would have ended up in the front, though. Second opinion?

[smesj]

His warriors had the charge my detachment was only attempting to counter charge so i had no real movement options. I think

[Knightime]

Some food for thought on this one. Keep in mind that detachments do not need ranks - which means that they do not need to be 5 wide. Many Empire players are now using the 3x3 method for detachments. Meaning that they are 3 wide and 3 deep. Remember that when you use detachments they only need to be unit strength 5 to gain their bonuses (meaning negating enemy ranks and gaining a flank bonus).
So, in this regard - Most likely you would have been able to wheel and countercharge being 60% as wide as before. Hope this helps. Cheers

[Midaski]

From the diagram given - I would have wheeled the detachment so that the 'outside' front rank trooper missed the back of the knight and then made contact with the side of the enemy.

This would have meant that the 'inside' front rank trooper was probably facing rank two ro three of your parent unit but you have maximised the number of models possible in contact.

As far as I know a detachment countercharge is under no obligation to engage the whole front rank.

[Elieress]

From the diagram given - I would have wheeled the detachment so that the 'outside' front rank trooper missed the back of the knight and then made contact with the side of the enemy.

This would have meant that the 'inside' front rank trooper was probably facing rank two ro three of your parent unit but you have maximised the number of models possible in contact.

As far as I know a detachment countercharge is under no obligation to engage the whole front rank.

My thoughts excatly.. but then i read the comment

It may have had the movement to do so but this wheel was blocked by the other spearmen unit.

I have had people state before that if two units stand with 0mm between them, then its is impossible for them to wheel away from each other, as the wheel will make the rear ranks go into the unit next to it.

If this is not the case, then yes.. you should have been abel to make the countercharge according to the pictures.

If this is the case, then 

[lonearcher]

Umm, where can I get those neat house and tree icons you used on your diagrams (sorry to interrupt this fine discussion on tactics).

[jlutin]

I agree.  If the wheel was impossible due to the proximity of the spearmen on the left, then no detachment charge was possible.

[dabber]

I agree.  If the wheel was impossible due to the proximity of the spearmen on the left, then no detachment charge was possible.

Another agreement.

[Mystic Force]

See the sticky thread about the battle report generator kindly provided by one of our members

[smesj]

I was using the battle report program to make these diagrams. My detachments were actually 3x3 i was just a little too lazy to make a custom unit formation  . Thanks for your help guys. next time ill just do my best to not bunch everything up so bad.

Oh and lonearcher, the trees and the building images are both on the version of the battle report program i downloaded.