Ask Domus # 2 - Different Footprint Characters

Another Email in.  Asked and Answered.

*even got the Bear Prints!

From: Ryan Nicol

This occurred in a game last night and is in regards to the "differing footprints" rule in the BRB.  When a character model joins a unit that has a different footprint (in our case it was a skink priest joining temple guard) it has to be put on the side of the unit.

My question is what happens when that flank where the character is sitting is charged by a single model.  In our situation a lion chariot hit the skink priest in the flank (attached to the temple guard).  How do we play this situation?

A - I contact the skink priest and he is the only one in the flank on that side so is the only one that I contact and can combat

B - I contact the skink priest but we use the incomplete rank rules and the temple guard fill in around the skink priest thus allowing 3 temple guard to attack as well as the priest

C - I have to maximize so I don't hit the skink priest at all and instead contact the 2nd and 3rd rank temple guard directly allowing two temple guard to be on my corners and the skink priest then is on my chariot's flank

D - Something Else entirely?

I then asked

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Ryan,

How big was the TG unit?  5 x 4 + Skink or other?

Thanks,

Domus

To be sure I understood all the variables.

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Response from Ryan

The temple guard unit was 5x6 with a Slann so.... 26 of them I think.

We spent some time looking it up, but didn't want it to slow down the game since we couldn't find anything quickly we just chose option B and played it.

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My final answer (my gut response was to go with B also but I had to look up the rules to be sure).

 

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Ryan,

The Incomplete Ranks rule does apply (pg 49) in my opinion making option B the correct answer.  The text in bold right under the rule spells it out (Strange gaps where models are missing from a rank do not prevent warriors from fighting.)

You didn't have to come into contact with the priest though (say if he was a nasty hero you didn't want to fight) and could have just maximized vs. the unit (*say if you had hopes of impact hits killing enough models to get you a crew/beast shot at the Slann).

Cheers!

Domus