I have been following this thread with some interest, and would like to give my support to
Ronisan-Roland with a few clarifications and observations of my own (I’m glad that those CRIB SHEETS turned out to be of some use by the way
).
As I posted in another thread, I wonder if an over emphasis on making ‘legal contact’ is clouding the issue.
Because, believe it or not, making contact is not important.
It is ending the bound in a ‘legal conforming position’ that really matters.
Movement is a three part operation:-Elements are moved --> contact is made --> lastly, someone must try to conform.
If a lack of movement prevents
conforming (due to being too far away, or if slowed by terrain), then contact cannot happen…at least not this bound. You’ll have to move closer and make contact and conform next bound (see diagram 10 on page 20).
So there is no such thing as an ‘illegal contact’…it is only the failure to
conform properly that prevents contact.
And if it is impossible to conform due to a lack of space, even if you had lots of movement, only then are the ‘physically prevented’ rules on page 9 paragraph 10 applied (this is the situation shown in diagrams 13c and the infamous 13d).
Corner-to-corner contacts:-Much has been said about whether corner-to-corner contact triggers conforming.
But we must remember that there are two distinct types of corner-to-corner contact.
And they are as different from each other as apples are from oranges...one is hard, and the other is soft.
Overlaps do
not trigger conforming: i.e mutual edge contacts, or being in a corner-to-corner overlap position.
This is because no front-edges are touching the enemy.
Front-edge contacts
do trigger conforming, and must end the movement phase as listed on page 9 paragraph 9.
Note that front-edge contacts
prevent later voluntary movement…i.e. no breaking-off is allowed (I think of this as 'hard contact').
However, overlaps (be they mutual edge or corner-to-corner)
do allow later voluntary movement (I think of this as 'soft contact').
And ‘static’ troops such as Art, WWg, CP, Lit and CWg cannot make
any kind of contact, not even corner-to-corner.
(This proves that corner-to-corner overlap is a form of contact, but it is a 'softer' type of contact. See page 9 paragraph 11)
Here are some examples of corner-to-corner contacts.
The first picture does not trigger conforming, but the following pictures do:-
This
doesn’t trigger conforming, as page 9 paragraph 9 says elements
can end a movement phase in this formation.
It is simply an overlap position, even if the blue element is not in frontal close combat (see page 10 paragraph 8).
This is an example of 'soft contact', as both elements can move away from the contact in subsequent bounds,
although the blue element's movement options will be limited because of the red element's Threat Zone.
This
does trigger conforming, because elements cannot end a movement phase in this position.
In other words, the move has not finished yet…one party or the other still needs to conform, if they can.
If the conforming element lacks enough movement to conform, then the contact cannot occur.
(See diagram 12a on page 21)
Another example of corner-to-corner contact that causes conforming, as you can’t end movement in this position.
Again, the move has not finished yet…one party or the other still needs to try to conform, if possible.
Once more the conforming element needs enough movement to be able conform, or the contact cannot happen.
(Later Edit: due to the latest FAQ ruling, where only front-edge contacts trigger conforming and not corner-to-corner
contacts, it is the moving red element that must conform...even if it were part of a moving group contacting a single
stationary blue element. See the FAQ and fanaticus.boards.net/post/12626/ ) Note that although the last picture shows corner-to-corner contact, similar to the first picture, it is not an overlap.
ConclusionIn short, the basic rule of thumb seems to be as follows:-
"If you can't conform, then you can't make contact"Some potentially useful player aids can be found here, such as the “Quick Reference Sheets” from the Society of Ancients,
and the new “Army List Corrections” file: fanaticus-dba.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Reference_sheets_and_epitomes
And this is the latest January 2018 FAQ: fanaticus-dba.wikia.com/wiki/FAQ_2018
