John the OFM | 16 Apr 2014 8:12 a.m. PST |
What is required for the Native player to claim that he has killed wounded Imperial figures to lower their morale? In which phase does this take place? |
Florida Tory | 16 Apr 2014 8:17 a.m. PST |
We do it at the end of the turn at the time morale checks would take place. Our thought is that the natives have to hold their proximity to the wounded figure(s) after fire and combat, not just move there during the turn. Rick |
John the OFM | 16 Apr 2014 8:50 a.m. PST |
So, do you check morale before after the blood curdling screams rend the air? |
anleiher | 16 Apr 2014 8:59 a.m. PST |
Shouldn't the morale of the Imperial troops go up? After all murdering the wounded leaves no reason to surrender and even less to break ranks. Just sayin'. |
doc mcb | 16 Apr 2014 9:36 a.m. PST |
"If you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains and the women come out to cut up what remains, just roll to your rifle and blow out your brains and go to your God like a soldier." |
piper909 | 16 Apr 2014 10:54 a.m. PST |
From another post of mine in a different thread in this section: How about at the end of the turn, after all Morale checks are made? Each figure may kill or capture one enemy wounded figure within 1". Or you might rule this occurs when a unit activates. Either way, you end up with situations where wounded get knocked before there's any chance to rescue them, but I'm not sure how this can be prevented without other compromises. After Morale checks are made and not before so that a unit that breaks morale and Routs is not able to kill/capture enemy wounded before it does so. You have to pass morale before you start cutting throats. |
piper909 | 16 Apr 2014 10:57 a.m. PST |
"Shouldn't the morale of the Imperial troops go up? After all murdering the wounded leaves no reason to surrender and even less to break ranks." That's a valid argument. But it could be also claimed that some troops (recruits, colonial levies with no real stake in the conflict) might well be frightened in the face of such open bloodthirstiness, and think about making an early exit from the field. But from a play-balance point of view, it is a mechanism to compel the Imperial player to conform to historical practices by looking after his wounded despite the risks. |
Col Durnford | 16 Apr 2014 11:07 a.m. PST |
"Shouldn't the morale of the Imperial troops go up? After all murdering the wounded leaves no reason to surrender and even less to break ranks." Not to my mind. "You left Bill out there, what if I'm hit next". Makes a man a little less likly to engage the enemy and risk being left behind. It's all about abandoning your wounded to thier fate. |
corporalpat | 16 Apr 2014 4:06 p.m. PST |
Thanks doc mcb, that says it all. And from a primary source too (yes, Kipling WAS there)! The Brits have an easy enough time slaughtering the unwashed masses. Give 'ol Fuzzy a break says I! |
Smokey Roan | 16 Apr 2014 5:06 p.m. PST |
I think the Brits pretty much knew what would happen to captured freinds, so no factor. Abandoning wounded, on the other hand, is a factor (and the rules take it into account) |
Florida Tory | 17 Apr 2014 9:46 a.m. PST |
So, do you check morale before after the blood curdling screams rend the air? I'll have to make an arbitrary & capricious ruling on this the first time it comes up in one of my games that a morale check is required the same turn that a wounded figure is killed, rather than captured. Oddly enough, it never has. Rick |
SgtGuinness | 19 Apr 2014 7:57 a.m. PST |
I must play with a more blood thirsty crowd as this has happened many times in the past 30+ years. Just like each game is different, each time this happened the circumstances were different. A couple of times the natives either killed the wounded when they moved into a position with imperial wounded, or they killed the wounded after winning a melee and took the position. Either way it happened before the end of the turn so it affected the imperial troops in the morale phase. In other circumstances they had captured imperial troops, be they wounded or not and chose to torture them in the fire phase or melee phase. In one game the scenario was to rescue the captives from the natives and they chose to torture the imperial troops in the fire phase. In each case the dirty deed was done before the end of the turn. The morale reduction only comes into play when the unit in question must check morale due to falling below 50% strength, melee, or during the morale phase of that turn. Cheers, JB |
John the OFM | 25 Apr 2014 7:52 a.m. PST |
So, the mere fact that the Native player moved over wounded is sufficient to consider the Imperial wounded killed? |
SgtGuinness | 10 May 2014 10:59 a.m. PST |
OFM, yes that is correct, at least that's how we do it. JB |