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Old 06-24-2014, 07:12 AM   #12
Talorien
Former Ogre Line Editor
 
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Join Date: Dec 2011
Default Re: Official Rules Update and FAQ (Draft versions 1.01 - June 21)

The most illuminating conversation I've had about this with Steve is that, thematically, grouping literally represents "these guys are together over here, and those guys are together over there" in the 1.5-km wide area.

So the FAQ pretty much just clarifies what I think has been Steve's intent all along:

- All the guys on a certain vehicle are one group (they don't have a choice - this is made clear by the fact that they all share the same die roll as the vehicle).

- All the guys on vehicle A are not a group with all the guys on vehicle B (because the infantry have no control over where vehicles A and B are in the hex. They could literally be at opposite ends).

- All the guys on a vehicle are not grouped with other guys not on any vehicle, for the same reason as above (i.e. they are highly unlikely to be at the same spot during incoming fire)

Put another way: guys forming a group represents infantry tactically working together, hence the ECM overlap. Being mounted instantly nullifies that tactical option (except that everyone mounted together gets the ECM overlap anyway, just from proximity).

I know there's the potential objection "groundpounders and tanks have always worked together! So the infantry not on a vehicle could be next to the infantry on them!".

I think that this is where we say, that, at this scale, the commander has lost the overall option to do that (i.e. to get that granularity, the rules would have to track how fast the vehicle is moving each turn. By forgoing that level of bookkeeping, we also forgo the tanks-at-infantry-pace defensive grouping option).

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The clarification, to my mind, makes a lot of sense:

- Thematically, it works (see above)

- Gameplay-wise, it is simple and clear to resolve (it avoids the kinds of rules tangles involving 5.11.3 which Kevin has brought up)

TLDR: I'm pretty sure that Steve never intended infantry not on the same vehicle to be able to group defensively
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