An EMTLU question: do flanking elements slide immediately after close combat? Asked by Vince Cholewa, 28 January 2025

A question: after a recent game I’ve been thinking, does a flanking element slide immediately after close combat to create a legal flank contact? To me, the EMTLU rule on page 33 means it does. Is that right?

In the example in the pics, the light horse win the close combat and the front rank cavalry element is destroyed. Then, the flanking light horse must immediately slide to line up correctly.

My reasoning is the EMTLU rule says, “An element or group in edge contact but not lined up as specified above must … immediately move (expending no PIPs) the minimum extra up to 80p needed to end lined up with an enemy edge …”

My reading is that this applies whenever elements are in edge contact, and that would include after close combat. There is nothing in the EMTLU rule that says it applies only when moving into close combat. Your thoughts on this are most welcome. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/824840264342234/posts/2809696855856555/

The light horse are fighting cavalry, 2 vs 2

The light horse win and the front rank cavalry is destroyed. The flanking light horse is no longer correctly lined up as a flank edge contact.

The flanking light horse must immediately move (expending no PIPs) the minimum extra up to 80p needed to end lined up with an enemy edge

The EMTLU rule on page 33 of the rule book.

Philip Gates

Rising contributor

Think that is how most play it. I remember Ivan explaining it to me a few years ago.

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Vincent Cholewa

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Philip Gates, Ivan Truong might be regarded as a DBMM sensei 

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Barry Norris

Interesting question. I have always read this in the context of moving into close combat i.e. what is happening in the active player's bound. So if nothing else happened in the enemy bound, the move would happen as shown in your next bound. But I don't see why you get to move into combat, have that combat then miraculously jump sideways. I would expect that the enemy could move directly backwards out of the partial contact in their bound (and they must move directly backwards or forwards). Also (and I've had this happen to me) that the enemy unit would charge into the unit to its front if it had to do so impetuously - causing its own hard flank. I'd be happy with other interpretations though ...

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Vincent Cholewa

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Barry Norris thank you for this comment, too. I wonder if what is being represented is not a jump sideways but more gradual movement as the front element disintegrates. It looks like a jump because movement is made up of segments.

I think it is similar to, for example, light horse moving 319p to just contact enemy and then sliding another 79p to line up. Again, while this might look like a leap sideways, I think it represents some kind of change of direction as the light horse closed on their enemy.

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Barry Norris

Further - just checked the commentary. They say " EMTLU is considered part of the move that includes or ends with it." To my mind the LH have completed their move (which precedes combat) and don't get another one unless it's one of the reactions to combat results - recoil, repulse etc.

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Vincent Cholewa

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Barry Norris thank you for commenting, this is food for thought. I think the answer is that outcome moves are a kind of move. The top of page 28 in the rulebook has a section about movement that includes outcome moves.

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Barry Norris

Further - just checked the commentary. They say " EMTLU is considered part of the move that includes or ends with it." To my mind the LH have completed their move (which precedes combat) and don't get another one unless it's one of the reactions to combat results - recoil, repulse etc.

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Vincent Cholewa

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Barry Norris thank you for commenting, this is food for thought. I think the answer is that outcome moves are a kind of move. The top of page 28 in the rulebook has a section about movement that includes outcome moves.

John Garvey

p33, MOVING INTO CLOSE COMBAT, second para, line 2;

“An element can move into close combat by…or adjusting an existing contact with an enemy flank”.

This movement doesn’t cost PIPs.

I’m not sure when this happens. It sort of implies during the movement phase. But not a hill I would die on.

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Vincent Cholewa

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John Garvey I have just noticed that paragraph includes important wording: “An element can move into close combat … in either side ‘s bound by pursuing, or adjusting an existing contact with an enemy flank or enemy contacting its own flank.“

Raymond Dick

Vince in the commentary (pg. 31) if you had followed up with the element in front then the flanking element is moved in the pursuit phase.

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Andrew Bennetts

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Raymond Dick This is my view also

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Vincent Cholewa

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Thank you Raymond Dick and Andrew Bennetts for pointing that out. I read the EMTLU section of the commentary but had not thought to look under pursuit

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Barry Norris

Agree. But I think it does rely on the facing element pursuing. The flanking element can't "pursue" on its own.

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Vincent Cholewa

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Barry Norris, John Garvey pointed me to page 33, paragraph two, which concludes the wording: “an element can move into close combat … and either sides bound by pursuing, or adjusting an existing contact with an enemy flank or enemy contacting its own flank.” That does not seem to rely on the facing element to pursue.

Vincent Cholewa

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Thank you all so much for your comments - I appreciate you taking the time to think and reply. I will also reply to your specific comments 

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John Garvey

Note also on p33, it says “or enemy contacting its own flank.” So I would say the adjustment occurs in the next movement phase, either the Cv turn or LH turn. Then turn to face, etc at the beginning of Close Combat, depending on what else contacts the Cv.