Close Combat RT Style

[MadGav]

Getting back into RT, I've noticed one rule that I don't think I followed back in the day. I probably didn't read it!

In hand to hand combat "A model being charged may stand and fire at its charger/s.This is permitted even though it isn't the model's turn."

Do folks routinely follow this rule? It makes charging very dangerous given that the charging unit will be in close range and probably not in cover. I'm not sure it would usually make sense for a unit to start hth combat unless it significantly outperforms the opposing unit or has no ranged attack.

Just wondering if I'm missing something about the rule?

Also, in the first round of hth combat, do wounds caused in the stand and fire contribute to the total number of wounds for calculating which unit won the round of combat? If so then it feels like no sane commander would ever initiate hth combat!

Last question: if the charging unit suffers casualties of 1/3 or more in the stand and fire then can it be immediately routed instead of completing the charge?

 

[symphonicpoet]

We did usually use the rule, and it made charging somewhat more dangerous. I no longer recall how we dealt with the details, as we didn't use the psychology rules particularly well and it was a long, long time ago. My recollection was units really only charged into close combat if they were specially equipped for such a pass and the opponent was not. (Or if you were playing orks, which was mostly just about cool anyway.) My recollection is that it essentially made close combat somewhat less immediately deadly to ordinary troops, as they at least got a kind of reaction shot. (Figuring the best weapon most of them have is a bayonet or a knife after that initial shot. And that's if they're lucky. It was early days and there weren't so many close combat monsters back then.)

 

[Zhu Bajie]

Yes, this is the same as Warhammer Fantasy Battle 2nd Edition, the troops receiving the charge get a -1 to hit when they 'stand and fire', and the chargers get a +1 on their HtH.

Charging straight into HtH against troops with firearms seems like a desperate thing to do.

Last question: if the charging unit suffers casualties of 1/3 or more in the stand and fire then can it be immediately routed instead of completing the charge?

Yes, any unit should take a rout test if it loses 1/3 due to ranged fire.

 

[MadGav]

Thanks for your replies. That's helpful. It seems a little strange that the defenders can get to use their weapons twice in a single round (which isn't even their round). In WFB 2nd Ed, I don't think that hth combat involved the ranged weapon so that is slightly different. But hand to hand combat with firearms certainly is deadly so perhaps it makes sense overall.

I'm going to take it that wounds caused by "stand and fire" do not count towards calculating which unit won the round of combat - otherwise it could trigger 2 separate rout tests which doesn't seem right.

I'll play it like this and see how we get on.