About Face

[East Norfolks]

Hello all – quick question on movement.

The rules allow units to “About Face” 180 degrees (p36) but what is the movement deduction for this, if any?

If I have a line facing due north but want to wheel it to face south-west (say an enemy unit suddenly appears coming round the flank and rear) , do you:

(a) assume the whole line wheels 135 degrees anti-clockwise around the leader base (measuring the outer corners of the flank bases for movement) or

(b) assume each base does a complete 180 degrees first, then the whole line (now with a reversed facing) wheels just 45 degrees clockwise around the leader base (again measuring the outer corners of the flank bases for movement).

Obviously (b) would use up less movement allowance, unless you deduct something for the About Face?

Not sure what the real life drill would be in such a situation?  Would each company simply about face?

Would welcome your usual good insight.

Thanks!

[Garry Wills]

Entering potentially difficult terrain here … but here goes. There is no wheeling required in this game, so the bases would be simply turned around, the key point is that it would need to be ordered or an initiative move with all that that implies.

 

Regards

Garry

[Big Al]

Technically, it is a formation change, so should take a full move, as does a Turn to Face. However, Some feel that that is a bit steep considering that a man just turns around on the spot (even ancient pikemen just pointed their stick at the sky and was able to do that pretty quick) and suggest that it takes only half a move. It is a change of face or facing but does not require the full moving of virtually every man in the unit like a Turn to Face does, although they would still have to redress the line and everything.

So really, I would suggest talking it through with your opponent and agreeing on it taking, say, half a move. Remember that the unit cannot charge anything in the Move that it does turn about because the front of the unit had no clear line of sight to any possible target at the start of the move. Also, 6 inches of movement might just get you into more trouble. Remember that you have to declare the order and if you don’t get a low command roll or you’re doing it on initiative you could find the unit in an awkward spot.

[Garry Wills]

Hate to disagree Alex, but I will anyway, p.36 of BPII includes reversing facing (i.e. about face) as part of normal movement rather than a formation change. So it is free provided that the unit is ordered. This will seem too easy to some although the 28th Foot at Alexandria would beg to differ, I suspect.

All the best

Garry

[Big Al]

Don’t worry about disagreeing, Garry. I know the rules fairly well, but some bits slip through and that change is one of them. It was always a bone of contention in v1 and my suggestion wasn’t far off the change that is in V2. I’d still suggest some movement reduction in the turn around, to be honest, but if the rules state otherwise…..

[East Norfolks]

Thanks both.  Sorry to keep coming up with these technical points but at least your discussion above shows I wasn’t being slow on the uptake and that it is, in fact, not completely clear!

As per my initial post, I was also looking at the rule on page 36.  My thought now is that, strictly by the wording of the rules, you can reverse each base of the unit in line (keeping the same formation) but would have to deduct some movement for the distance travelled by the model on the outer edge of each base i.e. satisfying the rule “no models move further than the distance allowed“.

Basically, as you say, use a bit of common sense and agree the rule with your opponent at the start.

[Garry Wills]

Just for clarity, the same wording I referred to is in BPI, it is not a change. I, like Alex, think some movement is appropriate, so measuring any movement from the back rather than the new front of the unit could work.

All the best

Garry

 

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