Warrior Ancient and Medieval Rules

[joncleaves]

Pat asked some good questions about target priorities, shooting arcs and
'prolonging the front'

First off, Pat, I tried downloading your picture twice. Both times took a great
deal of time and came out blank (at least on my monitor). If the answers below
don't take care of it, could you resend as a JPEG?

1. Prolonging the front (important for both 8.5 and 8.82) will be defined in
the definition section, with a picture.
2. Shooting arcs will permit an element to shoot at a target directly in front
of it or in front of an element next to it ('prolonging the front') EVEN IF
THERE IS NO ELEMENT THERE. All that rule was ever meant to do was avoid having
to have some 'arc template' like Napoleonic games have for shooting. (You know
the ones that allow a guy to sneak in against a long unit as the angle is placed
at the center of the unit's front.) What happens here is arguments that a unit
can only use the 'prolonging the front' of the arc rule if there is actually an
element there. What about the end guy? How come his arc is smaller just
because he has no one next to him? We are fixing this with a picture.
3. Target priorities are on an element by element basis. Just because one
element has a certain prority does not mean the one next to him does. I will
make sure this is clear too.

Jon

[Phil Gardocki]

Over the weekend we ran into a couple of questions regarding shooting and prolonging the front.

In the example below, there are 3 units.  Units A and B do not have missile weapons.  C is separated from B by some distance, but by less then 1 element.

    A
    A

BBB CC

With A aligned perfectly on B's corner, is it an eligible target for C based on the "phantom" element prolonging the front?
If A charges B's corner, can it receive support shooting from C?
If the answer is no to the above, than does the answer change if B is also a shooter?
If C's position changes by being retarded behind B's forward line, does any its situation change?

Phil

[joncleaves]

Phil asks:

<<In the example below, there are 3 units. Units A and B do not have missile
weapons. C is separated from B by some distance, but by less then 1 element.

A
A

BBB CC

With A aligned perfectly on B's corner, is it an eligible target for C based on
the "phantom" element prolonging the front?>>

First, let us not confuse terms. "Prolonging the front" only matters in support
shooting. Your first question seems to really be about shooting arc, and yes,
in your diagram (the way you have explained it) C can shoot A.

<<If A charges B's corner, can it receive support shooting from C? >>

No. You have said there is some distance between C and B. If so, C cannot be
prolonging the front of B. If C is not prolonging the front of B and does not
meet any of the other requirements of 8.82 (which it does not), it cannot shoot
at A as it charges B.

<<If the answer is no to the above, than does the answer change if B is also a
shooter? >>

No.

<<If C's position changes by being retarded behind B's forward line, does any
its situation change? >>

Not unless it is retarded so far back that its left most element cannot see A
through B.

Jon