Re: Engaged in mid move
 

Thanks again, guys. What Anaraxes said sort of cleared it up for me (I think). The guy passing by the shadow hex can't actually see the guy inside it (I think). But he can make a reasonable assumption that there is something inside it and decide to attack "into it". Since he can't actually see the foe inside the shadow hex, his attack suffer the -6 penalty.

Likewise, the foe inside the shadow hex can't actually see the guy running by but he can hear him and therefore "attack into the space" from whence the noise came...but he also suffers -6 or some other penalty due to poor visibility.

(I had started a habit of always thinking about attacking spaces instead of their occupants long ago that always served me well for these conundrums. Unfortunately, I had forgotten it.)

Re: Engaged in mid move
 

I don't think you can ever "run past" an enemy figure that you can see and that can see you. Once you have an enemy in your front hex, you are engaged and vice versa.

Re: Engaged in mid move
 

Here is the case for running into a not-really an image. No case for running past it.

Re: Engaged in mid move
 

This question is probably more for the RPG ITL than the war-gamey Melee:

If there is a two-hex wide alleyway and your thief is escaping the city guards, do you always have to engage if you pass the front hex of an unaware enemy?

If the thief is in disguise, and you want him to walk right on past without incident, I guess he still has to stop in the first engaged hex.

An engaged figure is one that is adjacent to an enemy figure, in one of that figure’s front hexes. MELEE page 5.

This would allow the guard a chance to roll to "see through" the disguise?

If he isn’t discovered, next turn the thief can shift 1 hex and try this again. On the third turn, he can shift again. Then he is out of there.

Whereas if he wasn’t forced to stop, as the thief wasn’t recognized as a threat, he could walk right past the guard on the first turn, be 4 hexes beyond on the second walk, and 4 more hexes beyond on the third.

I wouldn’t change the rules for this rare application, but this would be a place for the GameMaster to make a call.

Maybe being disguised, the thief is not an enemy of the guard and is not “engaged”?

Re: Engaged in mid move
 

Engagement is about combat situations where people know they are hostile to each other and are considered dangerous.

If a guard doesn't know someone is an enemy, or isn't ready to do anything about it, or isn't trying to stop someone, then there is no fight going on yet and no one gets engaged.

If you run past a guard though, he's liable to look at you and may get ideas, the outcome and timing of which is up to the GM to figure out.

Re: Engaged in mid move
 

In the arena or in the dungeon, when facing the "monsters" I would always use the engaged when entering the front hex rule

But in a Role Playing Game scenario, when guards in the city are on the lookout for escaping thieves, I would use opposed rolls of 3d using IQ (maybe make the guard roll 4d if the thief is using a disguise) and if the guard rolls lower it's

"Stop right there, let me see your hands" and draw a weapon as soon as the thief enters the guards front hex(s)

Re: Engaged in mid move
 

What is the walking pace for people who are traveling somewhere and not expecting an ambush just this minute?

Re: Engaged in mid move
 

My recollection is 3 hexes per turn (or 1 hex at the labyrinth scale).