| 4.3.1 Melee with a skirmish line | When a skirmish line has one or more figures within 15 cm of its soutien, at the time an attacker reaches the point of melee zone contact, ref. 1.3.3, the skirmish line may choose to be forced back, ref. 4.2.0, even when an attack is announced specifically against the skirmish line. If the attacker arrives at the point of melee zone contact with the soutien, the attacker may carry out an attack against the soutien or stop at the point of melee zone contact, ref. 4.1.2. When the attack is directed against the position of the skirmish line, the attacker must stop in that position. When a skirmish line is in melee on its own, the figures in the skirmish line that are within 15 cm of the opponent, are counted in the number of figures that participate in the melee and constitute units of melee. The outcome of the melee, including the right to continued advance and attack, as well as loss and moral effect, will apply to the entire skirmish line, but not to its possible soutien. In order to receive a positive factor for soutien, ref. table 8, a skirmish line must have one or more figures within 15 cm of its soutien. |
| 4.3.2 Melee with a soutien | An infantry unit that is in melee with infantry, will receive a negative factor for not being covered by a skirmish line, if it is not the soutien of a skirmish line that is placed entirely or partially in the melee zone between the soutien and the opponent during the melee, ref. 4.2.0. This does not apply to units behind cover, including units placed in buildings, ref. 6.1.2. When a skirmish line has one or more figures within 15 cm of its soutien, the outcome of the melee, including the right to continued advance and attack, as well as moral effect will apply also to the entire skirmish line. The figures in the skirmish line that are within 15 cm of the soutien, are counted in the number of figures that participate in the melee, without regard to differences in valour and other conditions. This applies even where the unit receives a negative factor for not being covered by a skirmish line. When a skirmish line is placed entirely or partially in the melee zone between the soutien and the opponent, the figures in the skirmish line that are within 15 cm of the soutien, are counted also in the number of figures that constitute units of melee, and loss is distributed proportionally between the entire skirmish line and the soutien. When a skirmish line has one or more figures within 15 cm of its soutien, and the skirmish line has fired during the bound, the soutien will receive a negative factor for firing during the bound, ref. table 8. A mother unit will receive this negative factor irrespective of the position of the skirmish line, ref. 4.1.3. |
