Close Combat and Flanking and Facing Clarification

[trooper6]

So there was a melee with three people: A, B & C, and some dispute has come up about facing and maneuvering.

Kromm says in this post: http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.p...7&postcount=24

that in close combat there is no side, only front and back halves to a hex. Keep that in mind.

So.

Person A steps into close combat with person B (A1), and person C steps into close combat with person B from the person B's rear (C1).

It looks like this (with + indicating the front half of the hex):
A+.+B.+C

B shifts facing to look south to get out of the front rear thing (B1). At first the people I was debating with argued that this would look like this:

A+.B.+C
.....+

with B getting the -2 for attacks from the side and not being able to two hand grapple either one, etc.

I pointed out that there are no sides in close combat, so B's changing facing to look south would basically have put both A&C in his front half, making it look like this:

....B
....+
A+.+C

where everybody is now facing each other.

They have countered that A could just rotate to make it front and back again like so (A2):

A
+
B
+
+
C

But I think that in order for A to actually get behind B like above, he would have to pass through B's half and that would call for an evade maneuver. ETA: Or he could sidestep out of close combat circle around to the back of B and step back into close combat from A's rear...if you do a Move and Attack that would be a runaround at -2...and B would probably just change facing again to keep A&C in his front half.

So what do you all think about this RAW?
You may change your facing freely with the Step part of a Step and Attack...so if you don't take the step part of your attack, can you still change your facing freely? (i.e. can B make that facing change on his turn?). Can you change facing in close combat? Once everybody is facing each other in close combat, is there any way to get behind someone else without making an evade--but just by changing facing? I don't think so...not for A, nor for B.

And before answering it would be good to read the whole [Martial Arts] Choke Hold thead to see what Kromm said about attacks from the sides.
http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=35160

ETA: In all the above examples, just to clarity, everybody is all in the same hex.

[Not another shrubbery]

Given Kromm's clarification, the reasonable assumption appears to be that B can decide which opponent he wants in front of him, and that the other is automatically behind. You might want to check with him directly.

[trooper6]

Originally Posted by Not another shrubbery

Given Kromm's clarification, the reasonable assumption appears to be that B can decide which opponent he wants in front of him, and that the other is automatically behind. You might want to check with him directly.

Just got an email back from Kromm...and what you said is what he said. Just so anyone lurking in this thread knows.

:)

[TJA]

Thanx!

(Need to write more ...)