"Help! Blucher close combat" Topic

Two Russian units charge a French one
The Russians roll 5 and 1 hits
The French roll 3

How does that work? Do you compare the 3 with each attacker separately?
ie 5v3 – attacker wins, French 2 hits, Russians 1
Then
1v3 attacker loses, Russians take hit for combat, then 1 for losing, total of 2. French take 1 hit for combat.

Russian #2 retreats for losing matchup, French retreat for losing to #1

Thanks.

Combat outcomes on page 59

Roll each attacker dice. Roll defense dice once. Compare each attack dice vs the one defense score.
5 vs 3
1 vs 3

Resolve Defenders first, if defense score is lower than attacker, lost combat by difference. Defender takes fatigue hits equal to difference and must retreat. If defense score is =/> than attacker the defender wins but still take one fatigue hit.

Attacker resolved next, All attacking units take 1 fatigue. If defender won a combat and defender not broken, then attacking unit takes another fatigue. If attacker lost combat but defender broke then the attacker only takes original fatigue hit.

Passive player chooses the sequence.

In this case the defender would take 3 hits(1 for the Russian unit that lost and 2 from the Russian unit that won) and then retreat.

The Russian unit that rolled low would take 2 hits and retreat, the other Russian unit that won would take 1 and may advance.

Thanks. So you resolve each one separately?

The example given (Halket) muddies the situation, as it shows a draw on one combat, and I'm not sure that it does what you (and the actual rules) say it should.

I'll look again tomorrow.

Last Hussar,
We total the hits.
So in your case 6 vs 3,
Both Attackers acquire one fatigue for being in melee and defender takes three for losing(the difference)and retreats.

D6.
After I posted I reread them again.
The problem is it implies – implies – it is a 1 on 1 match up, but the example of how to allocate dice on p57 just says things like "for a total of 11 dice (ouch)"

In think you are right. What is the most likely if all things are equal?
When writing rules one of the things i look at is what happens on perfectly average rolls.

Average unit has 6 elan. It hits half the time. Defenders win draws.

1v1. Defender wins
1v1 then 1v1 , defender wins both. Across the spectrum of all combos i think defender has betters than 25% of beating twice the attacking force.

I'm right in thinking there is no "closing fire"?

Hey LH

We read the rules of multiple attacking units vs a single defender that you total all hits together for the attackers. So the result is as per D6's post.

Re closing fire in theory if the ‘defending' unit doesn't move in it's turn the attacker would have had to get to within in 2BWs of it to charge so you'd get a shot in at it at that point.

Cheers!

That's what I thought in the end – its just the way the rules are written it hints you match each up separately. I think he just forgot to make it explicit you roll all attack dice together, and a certain viewpoint on the rule can pick up the wrong interpretation.