Forward movement inside zone of control

After having read the official DBA 2.2 rules as well as "Bob's commentary on DBA 2.2" and "Tactical movement in DBA 2.0" from jerboa, I'm still not sure about the correct movement of an element once inside an opponents ZOC :

Upon the very moment the single element "A" enters an opponent's (element "B") ZOC,

- element A may proceed straight forward but must not leave the ZOC or contact element B

or

- element A may only proceed forward after having lined up facing element B ?

I'm not sure if this question is of very high importance for the game, but I'd like to play it correctly.

Originally posted by Maerk:
After having read the official DBA 2.2 rules as well as "Bob's commentary on DBA 2.2" and "Tactical movement in DBA 2.0" from jerboa, I'm still not sure about the correct movement of an element once inside an opponents ZOC :

Upon the very moment the single element "A" enters an opponent's (element "B") ZOC,

- element A may proceed straight forward but must not leave the ZOC or contact element B

or

- element A may only proceed forward after having lined up facing element B ?

The way I understand Bob's commentary and how it is played in Italy is that, provided you have enough movement allowance, if you enter a ZOC, you must end the move aligned or in contact.

So it is something like your second option, but it is not a 3-way process: start out of the ZOC, align, move forward into the ZOC,
but a 2-way process: start out of the ZOC, end aligned or in contact inside the ZOC.

I'm not sure if this question is of very high importance for the game, but I'd like to play it correctly.

It has some relevance. Without this limitation you could enter with a single element tilted in front of a group and force your opponent to split the group to contact you or to proceed against you, resulting in a terrible pip drain.

Other DBx games have different ways to deal with this problem.

I intended to be more liberal in the interpretation. I think you that once a part of an element is inside the Base Width Distance Area of an enemy, that it must move only toward aligning with the enemy or toward legal contact. Alignment comes prior to contact but you can move toward both at the same time. Thus the further you move toward the enemy, the more you align. Or you align without moving toward contact.

The rule uses the term -- line up facing. This means the front edges are parallel and the side edges are in line.

"CROSSING AN ENEMY ELEMENTS FRONT
An element directly in front of an enemy element or an enemy-controlled BUA or camp at or closer than 1 base width with no other element even partially between, can move only to contact or line up facing 1 such element or contact that BUA or camp, or directly to its own rear without changing direction, or as an outcome move."

The word "to" is used in the sense of "toward." Once line up facing, an element can move "toward" contact but it need not end the move in contact.

An element can enter the Base Width Distance Area with less than enough movement to end the move lined up facing or in contact, but it must be moving to achieve that orientation.

I think the diagram below shows the appropriate options - A or B.

Originally posted by Bob.:
I intended to be more liberal in the interpretation. I think you that once a part of an element is inside the Base Width Distance Area of an enemy, that it must move only toward aligning with the enemy or toward legal contact. Alignment comes prior to contact but you can move toward both at the same time. Thus the further you move toward the enemy, the more you align. Or you align without moving toward contact.

If you enter the base width distance with one corner and at an angle do you need to align first before moving any further forward or could you proceed a little further and stop without changing your angle - as long as you keep moving toward the element exterting the BWD (ZOC).

Example: Units A and B are moving down toward XY. A wants to contact X using B to overlap but B needs to enter Y's base width distance with its outside corner (Note Y is at an angle facing up essentially a convex line of battle)

AAAABBBB
XXXX
. . . Y
. . . . Y
. . . . . Y
. . . . . . Y


We didn't allow it this weekend figuring that B was not trying to make contact with Y even though it was moving forward toward Y. But i could be convinced otherwise.

[ December 20, 2004, 11:38: Message edited by: Roland Fricke ]

An interesting variation in the problem from Roland, below.
AAAABBBB
XXXX
. . . Y
. . . . Y
. . . . . Y
. . . . . . Y


Groups moving into contact with elements not in groups have some special considerations. I think this rule applies

"Other troops can move into contact with enemy elements only if a single element or at least one element of a group ends in both front edge and front corner-to-front corner, or full front edge to rear edge, contact with an enemy element or overlaps enemy already in close combat. If there is a gap between enemy elements less than an element base width wide, some may be in edge but not corner-to-corner contact, so will not take part in combat this bound. "

This would be the case if the configuration were like this
AAAABBBB
XXXX YYYY

So A lines up facing X and into contact and B sticks with A and can ignore Y. This is one of the few cases where an element (but part of a group with one element making legal contact or alignment) can ignore an enemy Base Width Distance Area.

Maybe I got the situation wrong. Let me know, thanks

Originally posted by Bob.:
So A lines up facing X and into contact and B sticks with A and can ignore Y. This is one of the few cases where an element (but part of a group with one element making legal contact or alignment) can ignore an enemy Base Width Distance Area.

I don't think that particular rule applies here. A and B are allowed to move forward into contact with X, but only because B is making a legal move with respect to Y's ZOC. In other words, even if A and X weren't there, B would be allowed to make that move.

But you can't ignore Y's ZOC. For example, what if you had this situation:

</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">AAAABBBB Y
Y
Y
Y
XXXX</pre>[/QUOTE]A and B face down, X faces up, Y faces left.

Even if A and B move as a group to contact X, they can't ignore Y's ZOC. In this situation, B cannot advance to overlap X. You have to evaluate each element's move with respect to all of the enemy ZOC's to get the right answer.

- Jack

Jack, Do you say that this move is not allowed

AAAABBBB

YYYY XXXX

to

AAAABBBB
YYYY XXXX

This is the straight ahead move that lets B ignore the BWDA of X.

After we resolve this we can move to the other case of moving into an L shape situation.

Originally posted by Bob.:
Jack, Do you say that this move is not allowed

AAAABBBB

YYYY XXXX

to

AAAABBBB
YYYY XXXX

This is the straight ahead move that lets B ignore the BWDA of X.

After we resolve this we can move to the other case of moving into an L shape situation.

That move is perfectly fine. B does not cross the front of X, and the contact is allowed (even though B and X are not corner-to-corner) because of the rule that you had previously quoted.

Bring on the L! [img]smile.gif[/img]

- Jack

Originally posted by Bob.:
An interesting variation in the problem from Roland, below.
AAAABBBB
XXXX
. . . Y
. . . . Y
. . . . . Y
. . . . . . Y

With respect to Roland, in this case I believe Bob is correct. For the simple reason that B is in this case still moving closer to Y as part of the group.

Jack is entirely correct however regardly the situation he presents.

Marty

[ December 21, 2004, 13:01: Message edited by: Martian ]

I can agree with that. At the time we were unsure and so made a quick (incorrect) decision. Allowing B to continue its move seems to make sense and match some of the wording in the rules. I can also see how in the L shaped situation B would be blocked blocked since it would be crossing.