8th Ed. charging and allinging

so imagine a unit wants to charge my units and we are set up like this

----EEEEE
----EEEEE
----EEEEE

---C
----C
-----C
------C

----FFFFF
----FFFFF
----FFFFF

E= enemy
C= my chaff
F= my unit

Enemy wheels, he moves in a straight line, hits my unit corner to corner; now my questoin

Do we go like this

------EEEEE
C----EEEEE
--C--EEEEE
---C-EEEEE
--FFFF
--FFFF
--FFFF

jcaus he cannot move over due to my chaff unit, or do i slide towards him to maximise and obtain something like this

EEEEE
EEEEE
EEEEE
FFFFFf
FFFFF
FFFFFF

 

You should never "slide". That word appears nowhere in the rules, nor does any wording to suggest doing it. The rules suggest making various efforts to align the two combats, but you can align without maximizing contact. If it is possible by wheeling, you must maximize, but it does not say to stretch beyond the normal wheeling rules just to maximize contact.

That said, the written wording for resolving a problematic charge is awful, because it suggests "finagling" as a solution, basically making anything possibly legal. Maybe.

 

I would say it would end up like the middle picture, the unit that charges gets to maximize base contact, doesn't mean the opposing unit moves over to give him more contact.

 

If the enemy unit is outside of your chaff unit by 1" or more on the charge, then the chaff unit stays there. However, if the enemy unit declares a charge and will end up within 1" of your chaff unit, then he must declare a charge them too (page 18 BRB).

Looking at your diagram, the enemy *could* pivot/turn before moving, aligning it's right front to your units right front - as long as the enemy unit can do so if not within 1" of your chaff unit. Then, because your chaff unit is in the way for the enemy to close its door on yours, your charged unit needs to close the door on the charging enemy unit (also explained in the BRB).

IIFC, the rules state that if for some reason (terrain issues, units, etc.) your unit cannot fit into a charge, even if you have LOS and the charged enemy cannot close it's door upon you, then you cannot declare the charge.

This is how I understood the rules anyways. Hope this helps.

- Lord Cedric

 

but closing the door doesnt mean move over to the right for about 3 inches so you maximise contact right...

 

Correct. That's not what it means. Closing the door means that when the initial contact of a charge is met by both units and that meeting point is on an angle, then the charging unit gets a "free" closing the door move to bring the rest of the unit into contact with the charged unit. In other words, the charging unit pivots on that point of contact to bring the rest of the troops into contact - it doesn't move any inches sliding right or left. This is not when you are to maximize troops.. that is suppose to be done on the charge aligning move, IIRC.

- Lord Cedric