Scott Monsour writes:

1. Can Skirmish infantry -SI- move through Infantry with Locked shields. [Yes, skirmish infantry can move through any troops.]

2. Are cavalry afraid of Elephants and Camels? Are they minus when they charge them? [They are disordered by them. Their minuses will be a -1 for fighting Elephants (under opponent's armor class) and probably another -1 for Enemy in Superior Order (cavalry are disordered, Elephant or camel probably isn't unless already in that state)].

3. While in melee can you throw JAV (2nd round of combat) like Thureophoroi? [No. Javelins count only in the first round of close combat. After that it's whatever other weapons, if any, you have.]

4. What weapon on the Chart does Scythed Chariots use? Various? [Unless specified as having a weapon in the army lists, it counts nothing for this...it's tough enough as it is!]

5. If the charging unit doesn't make contact against a missile weapon opponent does the opponent have to take a +1 still in missile fire? [Yes, as it is still firing at a charging target.]

Also if another unit shoots at ones that make contact do they have to take the +1 or is that only the unit being charged? [They also take the +1...it's any unit charging (moving fast into contact) making it a more difficult target to hit.]

6. Can you about face and wheel? [You get a 'free' about face at the beginning of the Orders Phase. If you mean under Retreat, yes, you turn and then can wheel 45 degrees to avoid running into friends, etc. or even drop back stands to do this. Normally, the Retreat is straight away from the threatening enemy unit.]

7. Does locked shields help from bowfire from the flank or rear? [No.]

As an aside, my urstwhile opponent took 2 Scythed chariots, I shot them into the dirt with Camel archers. He did come into base to base with one of them, but I won combat anyway (I did one hit and he died) So his opinion at 17 pts they are not worth it. [If they do manage to get going against FOOT, they are deadly. The foot have to test morale, the chariots get a +2 in close combat, besides their charge d6 roll, as well as the frenzied +2. I've seen them take out entire units... if they can get to them...and you used the right tactic to stop them cold.]

Snebjørn Andersen writes:

I am reading through the complete AW text and have come across a few things that I think need to be clarified:

1: Is there such a thing as close order cavalry, ie. cavalry with a strength of 4? It would seem so from the explanation in "Organization", section 4, but in some of the other parts of the rules dealing with different troop types do not mention close order cavalry. I do not see them mentioned in any of the army lists, either. [Yes there are. They have a strength of 4. The Sassanian Persians haveCataphracts as close order cavalry, as do others including the MiddleImperial Roman army and the Later Roman army list, for instance.]

2: Is there any movement penalty or special order requirement for generals joining or leaving units? [No. They ride up and attach or detach and ride away. If the General is with a unit, he is assumed to be in the front rank and is susceptible to taking casualties.]

3: Can orders be sent to units absolutely anywhere on the table (ie. Well beyond command range) if 2 order markers are expended? [Yes. Now this may not seem excessive, but believe me, if you have a Stalwart general trying to control a flanking maneuver while also attempting to maintain command control for units all around him, it is impossible. Consider fast couriers, audio signals, etc. as how he carries this out.]

4: Units with advance orders may wheel 45 degrees before they start moving. Is that "exactly 45 degrees" or "up to 45 degrees"? [Up to.]

5: "Any unit may shift stands into its rear ranks in order to avoid running into other units, terrain or obstacles." Is there a limit on the number of stands that can be juggled around this way? [No. the penalty is that you lose your formation and go into a mass...not very effective for fighting unless you are LSp or Pike armed.]

6: "Charging units normally may not fire missiles....". What are the exceptions? [Under Optional Rules at the back, elephant and Chariot crew (another late addition) and rear ranks of charging mounted armed with B or LB may fire while charging counting the enemy as in contact for a +1 die roll modifier.]

John Underwood wrote:

Played my first game of MW yesterday (finally). Now I have a few questions; First - Generals: Can generals give orders to any unit on the battlefield. In an instance yesterday a General sent an order (using 2 since it was over 12 inches) to a unit lierally 7 1/2 feet away on the other edge of the table. [Literally, yes he can. Justification can be found in the use of 'fast' couriers, a decent signal system, or a very good local commander who can react to a given situation, etc. Remember, in MW/AW, you are taking the place of the CiC, generals and the local unit commanders as well. In the instance you note, I would say that the unit in question had a very good unit commander.]

This game was a Viking vs. Scottish encounter. Gael/Gall/Huscarls (Two-Handed Axeman) - This instance happened during Melee, How can these units get both a +2 for having an axe and the pluses for having a shield and being in a shieldwall??? I would think you could have it one way or the other but not both, if the unit is in shieldwall, how are they wielding their two-handed axe??? [Reenactment societies have successfully shown that axes could be wielded in tight formations. I remember being impressed at a reenactment where several 'axemen' held a narrow bridge in very tight formation, and fought successfully to deny the enemy access to crossing the river. As for being shielded, stands of axemen count shielded in the first round only, due to the reach and lethality of their weapon. After the initial round of close combat, axemen are unshielded. They lose both the shield factor as well as the shieldwall factor - you cannot be in SW unless you count as being shielded - so their protection lasts for only the first round.]

Last question - A unit of fanatics who are engaged in combat and required to charge and then continue to follow up as long as there is a target. How can the enemy unit they are fighting just retreat and not take any casualties except a disorder...and since Charges go first and we were already engaged I cannot follow-up until the next turn, effectively now being able to pull my fanatics deeper and deeper behind his lines and his only negative is being Disordered????? [First of all, the enemy unit cannot just retreat. They must be given a Retreat order. Your fanatics then will 'pursue' them. This takes precedence over charging other units. As fanatics, they have to follow up or pursue any enemy they are in contact with (see pg. 21 in MW, bottom of page, "Charging or Countercharging units...must follow up or pursue contacted enemy.") If they catch them, the enemy unit will have their backs to them, be immediately disordered and shieldless and will take double casualties...not a pretty picture. I know, I've been there....]

Kevin Boylan wrote:

1) Lets say that two opposing units are directly opposite one another, and are both given movement orders. The first to conduct movement moves far enough forward that it is closer than half of the enemy unit's movement distance. Now, since that enemy unit must move at least half of its movement distance, is it FORCED to contact the first unit and initiate close combat? Or, could it halt just short of the enemy unit if it so chose? What if the unit that would be forced to move into contact is an SI unit that would be eliminated because the opposing unit is not SI? [You MUST move at least 1/2 your movement allowance. In the situation above, I'm assuming that even by wheeling at double movement cost, the SI would still contact the enemy, which they may not do. If they can't move at least half, their movement is cancelled. Others will simply run into the enemy unit unless they too can wheel enough to avoid it.]

2) Non-Indian horse within 1/4 engagement range of Elephants is a cause of disorder. How does this work? Since disorder effects are cumulative, would a cavalry unit that was already Disordered become Fragmented when an Elephant came too close; or would one that was already Fragmented be Routed? [The disorders are cumulative. An already disordered cavalry unit would pick up an additional disorder for the elephants, now it's fragmented. If already fragmented, it would rout.]

Or, in another situation, let's say that a cavalry unit was disordered by an elephant that subsequently moved beyond 1/4 engagement range. If the elephant moved back into 1/4 engagement range in a subsequent move (even as the result of a rout in the same turn), would the same cavalry unit gain another level of disorder and become Fragmented? [No, it's already disorderd by the elephants, it won't be double-disordered by it.]

Finally, can a cavalry unit that is within 1/4 engagement range ever be in good order? That is, if the unit is already Disordered (either by the elephant or any other cause), can it Recover to good order while remaining within 1/4 engagement range? [No, it will always be disordered so long as it remains within 1/4 Engagement Range of the elephants.]

3) Can an SI or SC unit that's already moved or charged (but is not in contact) choose to Retreat if a hostile unit tries to move into contact that same turn? (If so, I assume that it would gain a level of disorder by exceeding its normal move?) [Yes, you are correct. It would move again, but if it exceeds its normal move, it is disordered.]

4) If the target of a charge Retreats, the rules say that the charging unit must Pursue it. Does this mean that the Charging unit must move DIRECTLY towards the Retreated unit as far as it can (or at least up to 1/2 movement anyway), or does it only need move closer to it? The particular case in question involved a situation where the Charging unit would have been obliged to present its flank to a different hostile unit at a range of 1" if it had to move directly toward the retreated unit. Instead, the owning player wanted to reduce its vulnerability by consuming a fair bit of 1/2 move distance in a wheel that took the charging unit towards the Retreated unit, but neither as far or as directly as possible. [You do have a bit of latitude here. If the retreating unit outruns the pursuer, a non-frenzied pursuer can move 1/2 speed and wheel so long as it continues to move closer to the retreating enemy. Frenzied pursuers must move their entire move.]

5) If a charging unit that makes contact is itself contacted in the flank by an enemy unit, does it retain its own charge bonus in the ensuing close combat? [Yes. It will be disordered, however, and the flanking enemy gets a huge combat bonus.]

Would it make any difference whether the enemy unit that contacted it in the flank was charging or merely conducting tactical movement? [No.]

More Questions and Answers:

1) Let's say you have two units, A and B with an enemy unit C within its normal movement range of both your units.

Unit A  (HC Veterans) with Advance orders
OOO OOO
OOO OOO  

	O   O   O   O
      O   O   O   O  Unit B (SC Warriors) with no orders

      	X X X    X X X
            X X X    X X X  
Enemy Unit C (HC Warriors) with Charge orders

The enemy HC (Unit C) has a Charge order against the SC to its front. Assuming unit C is Irregular, it elects to attempt to go Frenzied. Roll a d10 and it must roll a 4 or more to succeed (it is Warrior morale, meaning it passes on a 4-10 roll). If rolling 3 or less, the charge is cancelled and the unit suffers the morale consequences on the Morale Results Table. Let's assume the roll is a 5, the unit passes and goes frenzied.

The SC can elect to Retreat, skirmishers always have the option to Retreat if charged. They wisely do so.

Unit A, with Advance orders may now elect to change to a Countercharge as Unit C is now coming right at him! Advance orders may be changed to a Countercharge in this instance, HC being charged. He cannot attempt to become frenzied as his was not an ordered charge, but a countercharge. Counterchargers do not get to roll for frenzy. Unit B would first Retreat, dropping back stands so as not to run through Unit A and disorder both of them. Unit C and Unit A would now roll for their Charge Move distance and meet halfway. Fight the close combat.

2) Unit A has Advance orders and must move first. It is 6" away from the enemy Unit B also with Advance orders.

    OOOO OOOO
    OOOO OOOO Unit A (HI Warriors)

     XXXX    XXXX
     XXXX    XXXX  Unit B (LAI Warriors)  

Unit A elects to move 5", if it moved the full 6" it would contact Unit B and walk into a close action with no charge bonuses, not something you normally want to do. Since the two units are now only 1" apart, Unit B cannot move at all as you must move at least 1/2 of your normal move distance in order to Advance. It cannot even wheel, as this would only be 2" of movement and close order troops in 25mm on large bases move 6", so it would have to move 3"...and it cannot do so. It's order is cancelled and unit C sits there this turn.