Skirmishers

Skirmishers, or skirmish units, are fast-moving, lightly armored troops, often armed with missile weapons such as bows and arrows. They are more mobile than other kinds of troops, and for this reason skirmishers are often used as an advance force that can move out ahead of the main body of an army and make contact with or shoot missiles at the enemy (often preventing the enemy from moving any farther) in preparation for a full-scale assault by the units that are following them into battle.

Skirmishers must be mounted one figure per stand, on bases that are larger than those used for other kinds of troops: 25 mm square for smaller than man-sized infantry; 30 mm for man-sized infantry; 30 or 35 mm for large creatures; and 40 mm square (or larger) for giant-sized creatures. Cavalry skirmishers are mounted on rectangular bases: 25 or 30 mm wide for small-sized figures, 30 or 35 mm wide for man-sized, and at least 35 mm wide for larger types of creatures.

Formation

Skirmishers cannot enter regular or irregular formation. Each figure in a skirmish unit must be at least 1/2", and not more than 1", away from another skirmisher in the unit. All the figures in the unit must be linked together through a loose chain of bases; it is illegal to split up a skirmish unit into groups separated by more than 1".

The figures in a skirmish formation must obey this restriction at the end of their movement step. If the figures are spread too far apart (or packed too tightly) at that time, the unit routs. If combat losses or some other factor drive the unit apart during a later part of the turn, the unit still has until the end of its next movement step to regain its formation.

Movement

Unlike figures in other units, skirmisher figures are moved individually. However, one figure must complete its move before the next is moved—and, as with all types of troops, the entire unit must be moved before the figures of another unit can begin to move.

Each figure in a skirmish unit can change its facing (by turning or wheeling) at no movement cost, paying only for the distance actually moved from one location to another on the battlefield. Also, each figure pays for movement separately; for example, if part of a skirmish unit moves on a path that takes it across an obstacle, only those figures that move through the obstacle are required to pay the cost of doing so.

A skirmish unit can move through another friendly skirmish unit at no movement penalty. When the skirmishers are finished moving, however, the two units must be separate from each other—you can't intermingle figures from two units of skirmishers into a single formation. Skirmishers cannot move through a friendly unit that is not also a skirmish unit.

Skirmishers can move through light woods without incurring a movement penalty, and they treat dense woods as light woods. Skirmishers can cross obstacles by paying only half the movement penalty assessed to other troops (usually 2" instead of 4", but may vary per obstacle).

All other special terrain affects the movement of skirmishers as it does all other troops.

Combat

Skirmishers perform in combat the same as all other troops, except for these differences:

Charging/Contacting Enemy Troops: Skirmishers cannot declare charges. They cannot advance into contact with the front sides of enemy figures in regular formation. They can advance to contact the flanks and rear of a regular formation unit, or against any side of an irregular unit. They can stand and defend normally if an enemy unit moves into contact with them. (Also, see Skirmisher Withdrawal and Charging Skirmishers, pages 55-56.)

Melee Casualties: When melee combat inflicts casualties on a skirmish unit, those casualties must be accounted for by removing skirmishers that are in contact with enemy figures. If all skirmishers in contact are eliminated, additional losses are taken from the skirmishers nearest the casualties.

Missile Casualties: When missile combat inflicts casualties on a skirmish unit, the attacker chooses which of the defender's skirmisher figures are removed. Losses must come from skirmishers within the proper range category (or closer) of the middle of the firing troops. For example, it is illegal to take a medium-range shot at a skirmish unit and then take casualties from skirmishers at long-range distance—unless all the medium- and short-range targets are first removed, and those removals do not account for all the hits inflicted.

Skirmisher Withdrawal

Skirmishers can perform a special kind of movement, called skirmisher withdrawal. Like an opportunity charge, skirmisher withdrawal always occurs during the opponent's movement step. Skirmisher withdrawal can be declared while the opponent is charging with or moving a non-skirmish unit, unless one of these conditions is true:

1. The opposing unit that is moving or charging has a greater movement allowance than the skirmish unit.
2. The opposing unit is charging, and it has a movement allowance equal to that of the skirmishers.
3. Any figure of the skirmish unit is in contact with an enemy unit.

When a player declares skirmisher withdrawal, the opponent immediately ceases his movement. The skirmishers can then withdraw a distance of up to half their movement allowance.

If the withdrawing skirmishers have missile weapons, and would normally be entitled to fire them during this movement step, they can fire before they withdraw. Whether or not they shoot, withdrawing skirmishers can always be moved backward a distance of up to half of the unit's movement allowance.

Each figure in the withdrawing skirmish unit must move to the rear (angling no more than 45 degrees to either side), and at the end of its withdrawal, its facing can be changed to whatever direction the owning player desires. A withdrawing skirmisher cannot move into contact with an enemy figure. A withdrawing skirmisher that moves as close as 3" away from an enemy figure must cease moving at once. If it begins withdrawing when it is 3" or less away from an enemy figure, it can only move in a direction that takes it farther away from that enemy.

If a figure in a skirmish unit is confronted by enemy figures from more than one direction, it must withdraw along a path that takes it away from all of the enemy figures. If any figure of a skirmish unit cannot withdraw because it is surrounded by nearby enemy figures (or impassable terrain, or friendly units that are not skirmishers, or a combination of all three), then that entire skirmish unit cannot withdraw.

Skirmisher withdrawal can only be performed once per turn by any given skirmish unit. If, after the unit withdraws, an advancing enemy unit still makes contact with it, the skirmishers must fight a normal melee. Skirmisher withdrawal does not affect a skirmish unit's ability to move during its own movement step.

Skirmisher withdrawal is never required; a unit of skirmishers can stand and meet the advance of the enemy. Once a figure in a moving unit (in any formation) comes into contact with a skirmisher, that figure must cease moving. As with any unit, other figures can keep moving until they, too, come into contact with skirmishers or reach the limit of their movement allowance.

Charging Skirmishers

When declaring charges for his units, a player can designate an enemy unit as the target of the charge even if the path to that unit goes through one or more units of enemy skirmishers, because it is possible for a charging unit to blast through a line of skirmishers and continue its charge against units beyond.

If a charging unit contacts enemy skirmishers before it has gone its full normal movement (not including the charge movement bonus), a special melee combat is resolved immediately.

If all skirmisher figures in the path of the charging unit are eliminated as a result of this combat, the charging unit can continue its charge. However, the charging unit also has the option of calling off the charge after the combat (in case the skirmishers scored enough hits to severely weaken the unit).

A charging unit with sufficient movement can attack and pass through several groups of enemy skirmishers during a single charge.