Column Formation

A unit that is capable of assuming regular formation can be arrayed in a column, which is a specialized type of regular formation. (See the illustration on the facing page.) A column is made up of many ranks of troops, with no more than three figures of width. A column cannot be wider than 3 inches (75 mm if this restriction is impossible to meet with three figures, the column can only be two figures wide (or one figure, in rare cases involving very large figures that are mounted on bases 40 mm square).

Exception: If a unit of man-sized or smaller troops contains some figures that are mounted in stands of four or more, and players on both sides agree to grant the exception, then it is permissible to have a column formation that is more than three figures wide and which might also be wider than 3 inches.

A unit in column formation can take advantage of a special column movement bonus: The unit does not pay any movement costs for wheeling (changing direction) as it moves—it can snake its way freely along a winding road, or make turns while moving across open terrain, and still travel a number of inches equal to its full movement allowance.

The drawback is that a unit that employs this column movement bonus at any point during its move cannot move closer than 3" to an enemy figure during that same movement step. A unit in column formation that does not make use of the column movement bonus during a given movement step is not so restricted—it can move close to, or even into contact with, an enemy unit.