Hi Guys,
Well, a protracted bout of flu scuppered my plans for rejoining the list last week, and it's taken until today for me to clear my desk to the extent that I can actually sit down and read yesterdays emails. To show that I'm really back I've collected together the questions I've come across and answered them below. Sorry for not crediting those that sent in the questions, but in many cases I don't have the original mail.
Jervis
1) page 20 under the heading "Individual Models"... It says you can move an individual (characters) model 3 times his normal move rate. We have been playing this to mean on foot or mounted on a horse. Does this also apply to chariot mounted Generals and Battle Standard Bearers too? I would guess it would but it has never come up yet.
This rule is included to allow characters to move at the same rate as a column making a 'fast march', in effect the character 'fast marches' on their own. As chariots can't fast march, then characters mounted in them are limited to moving at double rate in a light chariot and normal rate in heavy chariot.
2) page 34 under "Units Reduced to Less Than 5"... It says a unit of less than 5 auto breaks if it loses a round of combat. This happens without even taking a Ld test. Does everyone follow this verbatim?
------ I hate this rule!!! it screws many things up, if your stubborn phalanx with 4 remaining Light cavalry who hit their opponent in the flank happens to lose the combat...well it was stubborn so it doesnt do the puny -1 Ld check, but the cavalry auto break now causing the Stubborn boys to check ld anyway- with my luck usually off they go!!! A perfectly happy Stubborn unit which is run down after paying all 90 extra points because the opponent said well if we can send all two ranks at the cavlary on our flank and reduce them below 5, etc...
Sorry, but to me a unit reduced to less than five models looks silly, so I've put this in to make the use of small units much more risky, and to 'clear away' units reduced to such a small size as to be ineffective. The fact that it makes small but very powerful units rather more brittle is, I think, a good thing.
3) page 39 under the heading "Chariots and Elephants"... Remember last week the question I posted about chariots and panic/break tests? This ties into that and the above too. It says for break/panic tests for chariot units you use the number of crew to determine the number of models for tests. If a unit has three chariots and loses one the whole unit (assuming each has two crew) is gone! Isn't that a bit harsh? Some would say to then make sure you only use larger units. Fair point but it still makes chariots even more brittle...and expensive in the long run.
Again, I like harsh rules like this. It keeps small but potentially powerful units in check and stops them dominating the game. If you've played much Warhammer (fantasy) you'll know why I consider this important... As an aside, note that it doesn't apply to elephants, who have their own stampede rules instead.
Assyrian 4hse 3 man Chariot stats 8 4 4 3 4 2 4 2 8 97 points
no -1 move/shoot
Hittite 2hse 3 man 7 4 4 4 4 1 4 3 8 52
2 man 8 4 4 3 4 1 4 2 8 38
Egypt 2 hse 2 man 8 4 4 3 4 1 4 2 8 40
no -1 can, shoot when charging
What on earth has happened to the Assytian chariot?????
Assyrian 4 horse chariots are heavy chariots. Following discussions on this list as to the effectiveness of heavy chariots, I decided to put their points values up, and this is reflected in Chariot Wars.
... the nomads tried to evade (flee) but did not run far enough. So the Nomads are still fleeing when caught from behind and destroyed unless they outnumber the spanish by 2/1 in which case they could have rallied under the FBIGO rule.
Nomad horse that flee are *not* destroyed if they are caught. Instead the unit that charged them counts as charging. The rule in AoA is written rather poorly, but this is the intent. Also note that the falling back in good order rule _only_ applies to failed *break* tests, and not at any other time.
Hope that helps,
Jervis