Copyright Phil Barker and Richard Bodley Scott. The authors permit this document to be freely copied, but not altered in any way.
From time to time disputes over the implications of wording in the rules come to light on the dbm-list. Where these may have a significant effect on game play, we have issued official clarifications. The intention is to foster international consistency of interpretation in line with the authors' intended meaning. It must be emphasized that these official rulings are clarifications of the existing rules, not amendments.
Moving an element's front edge into contact with any part of an enemy element counts as initiating close combat, even if the enemy element is already in combat. Moving into an overlap position does not.
The only situation in which an element can make a move (other than an outcome move) such that its front edge contacts an enemy other than properly lined up (after any forced pivot/shift by the enemy) is when another element in the same moving group does make a legal contact - as per Figure 7.
Halts and moves are mutually exclusive. No element can take part in a halt and also any tactical or march move in the same bound.
An element in side edge to side edge contact with the rear element only of a DBE does NOT count as an overlap on the front rank element.
An element in side edge to side edge contact with a supporting element only does NOT count as an overlap on the front rank element.
[The P. 21 sentence - "If an element which is double based or providing rear support to friends in frontal combat with an enemy front edge is contacted to flank or rear, this is treated as a contact with the flank or rear of the front edge." - only applies when the contact is by an enemy front edge.]
25.03.01
Shooting
1)
The player
whose bound it is chooses the order of adjudicating shooting combats. If two
opposing elements mutually target each other they must be treated as the main
shooting element on each side, otherwise the owning player chooses which of his
elements counts as the main shooting element.
2)
Rear rank
bow elements can count as a 3rd element aiding the same friendly main shooting
element as the front rank element.
3)
If two
targets have exactly equal priority, the player owning the shooting element
chooses which one his element shoots at.
4)
An element
cannot shoot or be shot at if it is a position to give overlap support. For
this to apply, the overlapped enemy element must be in close combat to its
front. Hence:
a)
An element
in an overlap position can shoot or be the target of shooting if the element it
overlaps is not in close combat to its front.
b) If 2 or more elements are in an overlap
position on the same flank of an enemy element that is in close combat to its
front, none of them can shoot or be the target of shooting.