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Pursuit Distance and Pursuing\ Units

(Rule)

Description: Each Pursuing unit now performs a Pursuit Move, which is divided into three consecutive steps.

Impassable Terrain, enemy units that Fled from the combat involving the Pursuing unit, and friendly units that were not part of that combat are considered to be obstructions for the Pursuit Move. Models cannot move into or through obstructions during Pursuit Moves. All friendly units that were part of the same combat are treated as Open Terrain for steps 1 and 2 of the Pursuit Move.

Before moving any unit, check:

• Which Pursuing unit would Charge an enemy unit (see 2.2 Enemy Unit below). Ignore other Pursuing units.

• Which Arc the Pursuing unit is Located in for each enemy unit that may be Charged later in this process. If the Pursuit Move will lead to a Charge, it will be in the Facing determined at this point.

The Charging units will be moved first, in the order that best satisfies the priority order of (see figure figure/two_units_pursuit). Afterwards the remaining Pursuing units will be moved, in an order chosen by the owner.

1. Pivot

The Pursuing unit Pivots so that it is facing the same direction as the Pursued unit, or if destroyed, the direction the Pursued unit would have had, had it not been destroyed. Ignore the Unit Spacing rule during this Pivot.

After the Pivot, one of the four situations below will arise. If more than one is applicable, apply the uppermost one.

• If the Front Facing of the Pursuing unit would overlap the Board Edge, the unit Pursues off the Board (see ).

• If the Front Facing of the Pursuing unit would overlap the Unit Boundary of an enemy unit that did not Flee from the same combat, it declares a Charge against that unit. If there is more than one possible target, the Pivoting unit chooses which to Charge. The Charged unit may not perform any Charge Reactions (not even if already Fleeing). Remove the Pursuing unit from the Battlefield and then place it back on the Battlefield with its Front Facing in base contact and aligned with its target, in the Facing determined before the Pivot, maximising the number of Engaged models as normal but keeping the Centre of the unit as close as possible to its starting position while doing so. Ignore the Unit Spacing rule when placing the unit. The unit is considered to have performed a Charge Move. If there is not enough room to place the Pursuing unit, or if the Pursuing unit performed a Post-Combat Reform in the previous Player Turn, treat the enemy unit as obstruction instead.

• If the Front Facing of the Pursuing unit would overlap an obstruction, the unit instead Pivots so that it faces as close as possible towards the direction of the the Pursued unit, while following the Unit Spacing rule (normally this means stopping 1" away from the obstacle), and then moves no farther (i.e. ignore steps 2 and 3).

• If the Front Facing of the Pursuing unit touches neither of the above, proceed to step 2. Note that only the Front Facing needs to be clear: Unit Boundaries, Impassable Terrain, or the Board Edge overlapping other parts of the unit are ignored during steps 1--3.

2. Forward Ahead

Without moving the Pursuing unit, check what the first obstacle (Board Edge, enemy Unit Boundary, or obstruction) within the rectangle directly ahead of the unit formed by its Front Facing and the rolled Pursuit Distance would be. The Unit Spacing rule is ignored when doing this check and for all movement during Forward Ahead. If more than one is applicable, apply the uppermost one.

2.1. Board Edge

If the first obstacle would be the Board Edge, move the unit straight forward until it touches the Board Edge and then follow the rules for Pursuing off the Board.

2.2. Enemy Unit

If the first obstacle would be the Unit Boundary of an enemy unit that did not Flee from the same combat, the Pursuing unit declares a Charge against that unit, using its Pursuit Distance roll as its Charge Range. If the Pursuing Unit performed a Post-Combat Reform in the previous Player Turn, it treats the enemy unit as obstruction instead. If there is more than one possible target, the Pursuing unit chooses which to Charge. The Charged unit may not perform any Charge Reactions (not even if already Fleeing). The Pursuing unit immediately performs a Charge Move (following all the normal Move Chargers rules) towards the previously determined Facing.
If the Pursuing unit joins a combat that has already been fought or was created during this Melee Phase, it will be resolved in the next Melee Phase (with the Charging unit still counting as Charging). If the Pursuing unit joins a combat that wasn't created during this Melee Phase and that hasn't been fought yet, the unit will have a chance to fight and Pursue again this phase.
If the Charge is not possible to complete, the unit does not perform a Failed Charge Move but treats the enemy unit as obstruction and proceeds to 2.3 instead.

2.3. Obstruction or No Obstacle

If the first obstacle, if any, would not be an enemy Unit Boundary or the Board Edge, the Pursuing unit now moves its Pursuit Distance straight forward. If this brings the Front Facing of the unit into base contact with an obstruction, the unit stops.

3. Legal Position?

At the end of the Pursuit Move, check if the unit is in a legal position. It cannot be in base contact with a unit it didn't declare a Charge against, and it must follow the Unit Spacing rule, which includes friendly units that were part of the same combat. If the unit is not in a legal position, backtrack the move to the unit's last legal position where it follows the Unit Spacing rule.

Figure figure/simple_pursuit shows a simple example of a Pursuit Move, figure figure/two_units_pursuit illustrates a case where two units are Pursuing into an enemy unit, and figure figure/pursuit introduces more complex cases.

../pics/simple_pursuit.pdf_tex
Simple example of a Pursuit.a) Unit A Breaks from Combat. It Pivots to face away from unit B, and then moves the Flee Distance forwards.
b) Unit B Pursues. It does not need to Pivot as it is already facing the same direction as unit A, and moves the Pursuit Distance forwards.

../pics/two_units_pursuit.pdf_tex

Example of two units Pursuing into the same enemy unit.a) Unit D loses the combat, Breaks, and Flees 7". The owner of the winning units chooses to roll for unit A's Pursuit Distance first. 6" is not enough to catch the Fleeing unit. Unit B's Pursuit Distance is 7", so it is equal to or higher than unit D's Flee Distance: the Fleeing unit is immediately destroyed. Unit C's Pursuit Distance is 5".
b) When checking which units will Charge an enemy unit during their Pursuit, before moving any Pursuing unit, it turns out that both unit A and unit B will Charge unit E, so both units declare a Charge against unit E. Unit C will not Charge any enemy units.
c) Now units A and B perform their Pursuit Moves first. During this move, they can move through one another as they treat each other as Open Terrain. Otherwise, they move using the normal rules for Moving Chargers (one Wheel allowed, Maximising Contact). In order to maximise the number of models and units in base contact, unit A aligns its Front Facing with unit E's, while unit B moves into corner to corner contact with unit E. Afterwards, unit C Pivots and moves its Pursuit Distance straight forward.

../pics/pursuit.pdf_tex

Examples of Pursuits.a) Unit C is in unit A's Flank. Unit A wins combat, unit C Breaks and Flees, unit A Pursues. Pivoting unit A would make its Front Facing overlap a friendly unit, unit B. The Pivot is instead made as close as possible to the intended direction and the Pursuit Move ends.
b) Unit C is in unit A's Flank. Unit A wins combat, unit C Breaks and Flees, unit A Pursues. Pivoting unit A would make its Front Facing overlap an enemy unit, unit D. Unit A is removed from the Battlefield and then placed back on the Battlefield with its Front Facing in base contact with the Charged unit D's Front Facing, maximising contact while keeping the Centre of the unit as close as possible to its starting position.
c) Unit G Breaks and Flees from unit E. No obstacles are encountered during the Pivot. The first obstacle unit E would encounter during its move ahead is unit F. Unit E must now perform a Charge Move against unit F, Maximising Contact as usual.
d) Unit G Breaks and Flees from unit E. No obstacles are encountered during the Pivot. The first obstacle unit E would encounter during its move ahead is Impassable Terrain. Unit E is moved into contact with the Impassable Terrain. However, this position breaks the Unit Spacing rule. Unit E's Pursuit Move is backtracked to its last legal position.