Clarification Rule needed on Rule 14.35

[Blackcloud6]

14.35 reads: Demoralized units in an assault hex that fail a morale check must exit the hex, and may move only one hex when doing so (12.13). On later activations they flee at their full movement rate if they fail to recover.

So if I have an assault hex with a Soviet tank and only a demoralized German 1 step infantry (which is marked fired/moved) and the Russian fires artillery into the assault hex and the demoralized German infantry fails the resulting Morale Check by just one, a disruption result, it is not eliminated because it did not fail with a demoralization, but it did fail, is it then moved one hex?  If so, who moves it and does the Russian tank get a fee shot?

[plloyd1010]

I always took that rule to mean the recovery roll. The wording says moral check, but the context is recovery failure and fleeing. I'll leave this one for Matt & Danial.

[Blackcloud6]

I actually like it  to mean any morale check becasue it mitigates leaving demoralized units in an assault hex to contest control.

[Shad]

I would defer to 14.3 and 14.31, which make it clear that fleeing only happens when failing a morale check during one's own activation, not as a result of an enemy-initiated combat action.

• Must attempt to recover morale (14.4) on its activation.
  
• If it fails to recover, it must flee (14.31) from enemy combat units
  

[Blackcloud6]

Matt Ward has clarified on Facebook that 14.35 does mean a morale check. So the German unit in my OP would have to vacate the hex when it failed the MC caused by the Russian artillery.

[Shad]

Unless I'm missing something, then that makes this the only time a unit may move without being activated. Leaders can be relocated if caught alone in a hex and passing the capture role. But units? I don't agree with Matt.

[Hugmenot]

A unit cannot move if not activated. Leaders are not units but can be displaced as Shad indicated.

The fourth bullet in 14.3 shows a demoralized unit must flee when it fails a recovery attempt. The first sentence of 14.31, Each demoralized unit and/or leader that fails to recover must move away from enemy units that could hurt it,  again refer to failed recovery attempt only.

That's the way Matt and I have always played it ftf.  I have not seen his Facebook post so I cannot comment on it.

== 

Edit: Scratch that, I missed the reference to 14.35 initially.

In 3rd edition, it was: "Demoralized units in an assault hex that fail morale must exit the hex, and may move only one hex when doing so (12.13). On later activations they flee at full movement rate if they fail to recover."

It 4th edition, it is "Demoralized units in an assault hex that fail a morale check must exit the hex, and may move only one hex when doing so (12.13). On later activations they flee at their full movement rate if they fail to recover."

The addition of check in 4th edition make it very explicit that demoralized units that fail a morale check must exit the assault hex.  Why this was not added as a bullet in 14.3 is very strange to me if this was really what was meant in 14.35.

[plloyd1010]

It might be another example of John S. over correcting without understanding the nuance.

[Hugmenot]

No comment 

There is a reason why I wanted to write 5th edition.

[plloyd1010]

I have a comment. I must admit however, we missed that particular point.