Can a character make way out of combat

[bryanpetersmith]

So played a game with a friend of mine the other day and on the turn I charged his unit with Hierophant in it he moved the character out of the front rank which when I looked in the BRB it seems like this is a legal thing to do. I know this couldn't happen in past additions and think that it should be an option. Just wondering what the people on this forum think.

[Gidion]

You can only make way if the character isnt already in base contact

[Hell Storm]

If he was in the front rank and in contact with you he could not move to a back rank. The only may you could do that is if he refuses a challenge or if he is out of b2b and makes way to the flank or back to contact something that is there.

[T10]

The Make Way rule only allows a character that is NOT in base contact with an enemy to swap places with another model that is in close combat.

Presumably you cannot swap out a characters, considering that the rules only specify rank-and-file model or a command group model.

As far as challenges go, you can't reliably get your character to a safe position by refusing to accept: In most cases you cases you can refuse to accept the challenge (but see Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide, p.102), but if your opponent wants to avoid having to select your single character to retire he can simply refrain from isuing a challenge.

Also, getting retired to the back ranks is no guarantee that the model will be safe from harm: as the unit shrinks due to casualties the character can end up back in contact with the enemy, but he will still be denoed the opportuity to make any attacks himself: "The retiring character ... is not allowed to attack that round."

[excessiveswagger]

It was illegal for your friend to do that yes. I have a question though, if a unit is in combat with 2 units (say one in the rear and one in front) can a character fighting in the front do a reform from victory/defeat to move to the back rank and fight there?

[T10]

No, but that is because a unit that is engaged on more than one side cannot make a combat reform.

If the character's unit was fighting two enemies on it's same side, e.g. to the front, then, yes: the character's unit can reform so that the character is put in a position where he moves from being in contact with the first enemy unit to a position where he is in contact with the second. This is becaus you can, with a combat reform, rearrange the models freely as long as no model (friend or foe) that starts in contact with any enemy ends up in contact with no enemy.

-T10