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Among the first conclusions drawn from early batreps was the necessity to limit charges to one per turn, because of the alternance in melee.
Do you have a comment on this tactical aspect?

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Split topic from First game of AoS, DE vs Warriors of Chaos
Calisson

Calisson wrote:Among the first conclusions drawn from early batreps was the necessity to limit charges to one per turn, because of the alternance in melee.
Do you have a comment on this tactical aspect?

This is an interesting perspective, but I think I would disagree, in general. I think it is more important to still make the charges when you can in the places where you want, regardless of whether you will get first attack. Sometimes there are benefits to charging (for example, the Dreadlord on Cold One does an extra mortal wound if he rolls a 4+ on a charge), but it's still important tactically to be able to control where the close combat occurs and which units get paired up. And most importantly, with the ability to pile in, going second in combat isn't really that big of a deal until you are down to just a few models left in the unit. I also watched part of a game between High Elves and Orcs, and it was particularly important for the Orc player to engage all the elves immediately so he could start killing models, since every unit the Elves had on the table had missile fire ability (Orcs won that battle, btw).

You have quite a bit more flexibility with where you charge now too, since the movement/charge rules have removed the ridiculous 90 degree charge arc and movement restrictions from previous editions. For example, at one point in this game I positioned the hydra to charge the Chaos sorcerer, but burnt him to a crisp during the shooting phase. I had several options as to where to charge, including the Daemon which was behind the hydra. In this case I still chose to charge forward because I didn't want to take the hydra away from the bulk of the fighting, but I had the choice. In the Orc/High Elf game I referenced above, the Orc player was able to do some interesting "cross charging" when he closed with the Elves and wanted to match up the fighting a little differently than their deployment had dictated. It was much easier for him and didn't slow down his advance at all. I don't think it could have been done in previous editions without seriously compromising his position.

Calisson wrote:Among the first conclusions drawn from early batreps was the necessity to limit charges to one per turn, because of the alternance in melee.
Do you have a comment on this tactical aspect?

I think it depends on how your battle is arrayed. For example, suppose it's your initiative (I'm red, you're blue). Sorry about the pictures, Photoshop hates me! Anyway, you charge my line with a heavy-hitter:



Your unit hits first, then mine, but by maintaining an orderly battle-line, I have another unit that piles in:



That is bad for you. The blue unit is encircled and has to divide their attacks. Then it's my turn, and I move to block your way so that you can't come to their help and they remain isolated:



So in this case, making only one unsupported charge against an orderly battle-line was a bad idea. On the other hand, suppose you do this:



You have to choose whether to hit first with A or B. One of them has to take a beating before they can deal one out. B is protecting A, but at the cost of having to anchor that flank. You could decide to hit first with B to make it a little easier on them, or maybe A are your heavy-hitters and B have to 'tank'. In that case, it would be best for 'B' to have lots of bodies and for 'A' to have lots of attacks.

Another option might be this:



You charge with 'A', and do not charge with 'B', but move up close behind in support. 'A' hits first, then red, then IF Red piles into the combat, 'B' can pile in too, and not have to take ANY blows in that turn.

Finally, what if you have some Witch Elves (for example) already fighting on your left flank? (Witch Elves in purple!)



Witch Elves hit very hard, but have no save. If they don't hit first, they may lose and you'll have another red rectangle threatening you on that side. If you charge and you choose for the Witch Elves to go first, then the unit that you charged with is going to have to go second. In this case, maybe it's better not to charge at all and close the gap in your line instead (black arrows). If you position your troops carefully, it can be better to receive a charge than to make one.

So it really depends

Multiple charges and even charging one unit into multiple enemy units is a major component of AOS. As is the order that you choose to fight during the combat phase - ideally you have only one combat at a time ensuring that you optimise your results - if not then having an odd number of combats is much better than having an even number.

HobbyKiller wrote:if not then having an odd number of combats is much better than having an even number.

A well known military truism. All of the great generals, from Alexander the Great to Marshal Zhukov have been well known for their ability to commit their units to engage in an odd number of combats and avoid even numbers of combats at all times.

Joking aside - the tactics look very handy - many thanks for doing them