Intercept charges

[DaiSho]

Hi All,

I have a question which came up twice in the last little while which I couldn't find a solution in the rules.

I'm sure some of you rules experts will say 'it's explained in full on p98' without having to look it up, but the couple of people I played couldn't so I ask you to help.

The big red unit (which happens to be knights) charges the big blue unit (which happens to be Cataphracts).
The small blue unit (which happens to be Auxilliaries) wishes to intercept charge the big red unit and so declares an intercept charge. The small red unit is a unit of light infantry.

So, I can see two arguments:

Firstly, the intercept charge cannot be made as there is a unit in between; - or -
Secondly, the intercept unit can charge, and the light infantry would have to test to stick around. If they stick around then they are charged instead but if they run away then the interception takes place.

As time goes by I tend to swing toward the first interpretation, however it does seem odd that a unit of medium or heavy infantry even consider the lights any kind of threat. Additionally (to add a confundus charm to the mix) what about the situation where the light infantry is offset from the intercept path such that an intercept charge will contact the light infantry but will also contact the charging knights as an intercept either by stepping forward or not!

Any thoughts?

Ian

[richnz]

they cant intercept- you need to have a totally clear, straight ahead path to the chargers.

in this case the light foot are performing a legitimate (and historical) screening function.

intercept charges are much harder to engineer than regular charges

[DaiSho]

they cant intercept- you need to have a totally clear, straight ahead path to the chargers.

in this case the light foot are performing a legitimate (and historical) screening function.

intercept charges are much harder to engineer than regular charges

Ok, I'll accept that, but can you point out a rule?

Ian

[MCollett]

they cant intercept- you need to have a totally clear, straight ahead path to the chargers.

Ok, I'll accept that, but can you point out a rule?

As so often in FoG, the answer is in the turn sequence: intercepts move before evades, so the LF can't evade from the intercept. And intercepts can't contact enemy, except as a legal flank or rear charge on the BG being intercepted, so the auxiliaries have to stop short of the LF.

Best wishes,
Matthew

[hammy]

they cant intercept- you need to have a totally clear, straight ahead path to the chargers.

Ok, I'll accept that, but can you point out a rule?

As so often in FoG, the answer is in the turn sequence: intercepts move before evades, so the LF can't evade from the intercept. And intercepts can't contact enemy, except as a legal flank or rear charge on the BG being intercepted, so the auxiliaries have to stop short of the LF.

You were doing so well until the last part of the sentence

The Auxiliaries cannot intercept at all as they cannot move to place themselves in the path of the charge or to legally contact the flank of the chargers. As a result no interception is possible to so the auxiliaries don't move.

Actually assuming that the diagram is accurate even without the light foot the auxiliaries can't intercept as interceptions have to be directly forwards and a directly forwards move will not contact the knights.

[MCollett]

As so often in FoG, the answer is in the turn sequence: intercepts move before evades, so the LF can't evade from the intercept. And intercepts can't contact enemy, except as a legal flank or rear charge on the BG being intercepted, so the auxiliaries have to stop short of the LF.

The Auxiliaries cannot intercept at all as they cannot move to place themselves in the path of the charge or to legally contact the flank of the chargers. As a result no interception is possible to so the auxiliaries don't move.

Yes, richnz already said that. I was just filling in a couple of the missing steps in the argument.

Best wishes,
Matthew