Optional rule 17.1 Consolidation

[leeboy24]

When referring to the "morale condition" in the above mentioned rule, is it the current morale of the unit(good order disrupted etc...) or the morale level assigned to it at the start of the scenario?

[Poor Yorek]

When referring to the "morale condition" in the above mentioned rule, is it the current morale of the unit(good order disrupted etc...) or the morale level assigned to it at the start of the scenario?

The former, in my opinion.

[leeboy24]

Thanks Yorek you'll always on the spot with quick answers!!!

[Shad]

PY is correct. Definitely their current morale, and likely for simplicity's sake. If you merged a good order with demoralized you'd need a way to determine the resulting morale.

[vince hughes]

Have not ever played anybody that uses this rule.

[campsawyer]

Have not ever played anybody that uses this rule.

Vince, years ago I did but stopped because of the power it gives reduced morale units. As we have discussed so time back, it's main advantage its to raise the morale of disrupted and demoralized troops before they recover.

As the rules states, the units must be of the same morale status to combine. So you cannot combined a good order reduced and disrupted reduce units. But two disrupted units can and raise there morale back up for a subsequent morale recovery on the next turn. Also, because demoralized units can do this, this is also a way to avoid taking morale checks for both of those units in the turn as it consumes a activation. So it give move options to reduced morale units.

[Poor Yorek]

^
Optional rules are just that, options. But I believe this one makes sense.

Safety in numbers ... one's morale status is not unlikely to improve as one "finds" comrades in arms (and even if no "leader" counter is present, there are likely leaders of a sort amongst the unit survivors). The units are "out of action" so-to-say by using an activation to combine (and however many turns needed to get into the same hex) and, in the case of DEM, they are still DEM and even THEIR higher morale as full-strength can sometime fail to recover, even repeatedly.

Sometimes, too, one may not wish to combine simply so that one can have units to occupy/hold given terrain: six reduced units can control six town or hill hexes whereas three full-strength units only three.

I'm simply saying that there are some checks and balances.

[Shad]

I have used this twice during solo play that I can remember. Once it was helpful in a small scenario as the units that combined were adjacent to an assault hex and then were able to dive into the assault the following turn, giving me more punch with my 3 unit stacking limit. The other time it had no outcome on the battle whatsoever.

I never really stopped to consider the merit of the optional rule, but next time I play head-to-head I'll be sure to ask my opponent what they think.