Turn Initiative

Winning the turn initiative is a very big plus. Not only do you decide whether your opponent moves before or after you, you also decide from which flank to begin charges, movement, shooting and close combats from. The one advantage the person moving first has, is that he aligns stands involved in ambiguous close combat situations.

Weapons Use

Normally, all weapons may be used in any terrain. the exceptions are:

• Long Spear, Lance, Pike and Halberds (in MW) may only be used by a front rank while moving in any type of woods.
• If the unit is halted in the woods and not moving that turn, or if they move completely out of the woods during their charge/movement, they count normal ranks as fighting.

This allows some flexibility while still addressing my concerns re: moving in woods with pole weapons. If you elect to charge or advance out, you take your chances with trying to clear the terrain. If you make it, fine, if not, too bad! This also gives us a bit more edginess to ambushes. If they work, they can be devastating. If your unit fails to make it completely out of the woods, not so good.

I just went through the AW rules before sending them in to Bryan Ansell for final editing. There are a couple of things that I 'tweaked' in them, which are also applicable to the MW rules.

1. MW page 5, under Table Definitions, "Flank - A unit must have a complete stand behind the front of the enemy unit in order to count as a flank attack."

2. A clarification here. A unit of cavalry in wedge or conrois is already disordered. They have been charged and lost the resulting close combat. They are forced to fall back.

This causes them to become fragmented. The wedge/conrois special formation is immediately lost due to this fragmentation (you cannot be in a special formation when fragmented), so they do not have to take the 'double jeopardy' disorder penalty of falling out of wedge/conrois too.

The unit cannot be in wedge/conrois formation when the unit is fragmented. Because of this, they are not routed, only fragmented...as if that were not bad enough!

3. Both sets in regards to skirmish infantry:

Skirmishers are not considered a required target for frenzied units, but they are a required target for Fanatics or Wb(F) that have not fought an initial round of a close combat yet.

Frenzied SI will move up to close firing range of the nearest enemy. They are not required to charge closer ordered foot or any cavalry and if charged or moved into will lose the frenzied marker and retreat.

Terrain Delay and Disorder Chart