Remedial Assault Hex Exiting

[treadasaurusrex]

Here are questions are about two different, but related, assault hex exit situations that have arisen in recent play-throughs:
1) If a leader unit must exit a hex when all his accompanying combat units are eliminated, and he is not captured by the enemy units in the hex, but  must displace one hex outside the assault hex -- does the opposing side remaining in the assault hex get a free "Parthian" shot at the departing leader on the way out?
2) If 2 demoralized combat units remain in an assault hex, and one is forced out for whatever reason, is the other demoralized combat unit able to act a a rear guard to protect the one that is departing from a "Parthian" shot on the way out of the hex?

[joe_oppenheimer]

1) this isn't really well spelled out in the rules but I've always played that the roll to see if he's captured is instead of the parting shot.

2) One of the two demoralized units can (and likely should) act as a rear guard. In that situation it makes sense to rally them separately so at least one has a decent chance to get away.

[treadasaurusrex]

1) this isn't really well spelled out in the rules but I've always played that the roll to see if he's captured is instead of the parting shot.

2) One of the two demoralized units can (and likely should) act as a rear guard. In that situation it makes sense to rally them separately so at least one has a decent chance to get away.

Thanks Joe!

[waynebaumber]

You don't get a parting shot at a lone leader

I thought there was a rule which said that if all Dem units do leave an assault  hex then they are attacked in one shot, cannot find that rule now though. It makes sense though a DEM unit is in no state to cover its own ass let alone another unit's.

[triangular_cube]

You don't get a parting shot at a lone leader

I thought there was a rule which said that if all Dem units do leave an assault  hex then they are attacked in one shot, cannot find that rule now though. It makes sense though a DEM unit is in no state to cover its own ass let alone another unit's.

The key word being ALL. If you attempt to recover morale for all the demoralized units in one activation, and they all fail, they will be subject to the free shot. 

If you spread it out to multiple activations and they all fail, only the last fleeing unit would be subject to the free shot; those that fled on the previous activations get away unmolested.

[Grognard Gunny]

Now my interpretation of the rule is that ALL demoralized units must "get outta Dodge" ASAP. This seems to preclude one of them staying behind to cover the other's retreat. (It doesn't make any sence at all to expect a group of demoralized folks to stay behind anyway.)

GG

[Blackcloud6]

This all depends on if you have to attempt recovery all at once or can-do units one at a time in separate action segments.

Let's look at the actual wording of 12.12: "If, during a given action segment, ALL of a player's combat units exit an assault hex (leaving no combat units to guard their retreat), then ALL the exiting units (not just the last unit to leave) may be assaulted by the enemy units in the assault hex using the Assault Table."

The 14.4 says "Units attempting recovery and leaders assisting them must be activated and may conduct no other action that turn."     This is vague, because it says that all the units in a recovery attempt must be activated.  But it lacks "in a hex" or a qualifier like that.

Then looking back at 12.12, if all fail, they all flee, and the bad guys get to shoot them.  

If I was the supreme poo-bah of PG rules, i would rule, due to the vagueness, that they all units in hex that need recovery must attempt n the same action phase.   Being demoralized means the unit is not good order and unable to effectively fight and thus could not effectively be a rear guard... which BTW is a difficult thing to do.   Since both rules cited above use "all", it implies to me that they mean all.

[cjsiam]

I think the RAW allow the player to activate only some demoralized units in a hex in a single activation.  Thus, the drippling out
of Demoralized units due to failure is allowed--as written.

BUT....in the spirit of my House Rule suggestion for FOW---where All Demoralized units which have NOT attempted to recover before FOW
sets in--MUST roll to recover (and suffer any consequences thereof) immediately on FOW occurring(with no officer help--if you'd wanted officer
help, you would have activated and done so earlier...).  The rational was that YOU, the 
player/commander, are no longer in control of Demoralized units...you don't get to game the system to avoid failing Demoralization by
trying to wait out FOW.....the fact they are Demoralized means they are beyond your control....

I kinda think the same rational should apply here...
I tend to think that if two platoons were both demoralized---and one platoon saw the other getting outta dodge....I doubt they'd stand
up and say---"Hey, 1st platoon is leaving, let's stay behind and cover them"----I think they'd get outta dodge as well.....The point is,
YOU as the player/commander are NO LONGER IN CONTROL of that Demoralized unit---it's gonna operate to save itself...

So---maybe the house rule should be that recovery in an Assault Hex happens for ALL Demoralized units at once---you can't piecemeal the
rolls---it would imply a level of unit control by player/commander of Demoralized units which no longer exists for those units....

NOW---the presence of an officer might offset that---perhaps an officer CAN allow the piecemeal-ing of the recovery??

[Juiceman]

3.1 Action Segments An action segment consists of any one of the following:

• A single unit or leader self-activating;
  

Based on 3.1 Action Segments, a single demoralized unit, of two or more in a hex, could self-activate, roll for recovery, fail and exit the assault hex without a parting shot since the other demoralized units did not activate this segment.  Or a leader could activate and activate one demoralized unit of two, fail and exit the hex without a parting shot.

1.1 Summary of Concepts
Action Segments: In an action segment, a player can activate one unit, or a stack of units, or a leader and all units of his type (regular or tank) in his hex...

1.2 Definitions
Action Segment: The activation of a unit, leader, or stack of units, or a group of units and subordinate leaders under the direction of a single senior leader. Activated units may perform either fire or movement (morale recovery is a move action and assault is a fire action) (3.13).

14.3 Demoralization
A demoralized unit or leader:

• Must attempt to recover morale (14.4) on its activation.
  

Based on 1.1, 1.2, 3.1 and 14.3 you can activate one unit at a time or a leader and one unit.  Either way you are going to lose a step or two if your inactivated demoralized units are assaulted by the enemy before they can recover.

[cjsiam]

Question about what Juiceman has pointed out...
"a stack of units"....
Does this mean that BY DESIGN All the units in the hex--you can pick a leader, A Unit, or ALL THE UNITS IN THE HEX?? or only a curated subset of the units?
1.1 says "all units of his type--in his hex".....does that mean it MANDATES ALL UNITS (thus all the demoralized would go at once) or just the ones we choose?

I think we've all played that it is a selected subset of the units in a single stack--if we so choose---but is that right?
Have we been fast and loose in our activations?
?