Entering GITM Combat
When a unit enters a tac square containing a hostile unit, combat
begins. When units of only two states are present, then the state whose
unit moved into the square becomes the attacking state, and the state
whose unit was there already becomes the defending state. (If one unit
intercepts the move of another, the intercepting unit's state is the
defending state and the intercepted unit's state is the attacking
state, since it was the intercepted unit that initiated the sequence
leading to combat.) If additional units from those two states enter the
square later in the tac phase, they join their respective sides.
The situation is more complicated when units of more than two states
are present. In that case, the following procedure determines which
units fight on which side of the battle. First, the unit which began
the battle by entering the tac square of at least one a hostile unit
becomes the
attacking side. Second, all other units already in the tac square
choose a side. If they are allied to the attacking unit, they join its
side. If they are hostile to the attacking unit (there must be at least
one of these if a battle has begun), they join the
defending side. (They cannot be neutral to either side because the
defending unit cannot be stacked with a unit neutral to it, and the
attacking unit cannot enter a square containing a unit neutral to
it. This rule means that if a unit in the battle tac square is allied
to both
the attacking unit and the units that it is attacking, it will join the
attack. It cannot be hostile to both because if hostile to both, it
would have already started a battle when it entered this tac square.)
If other units enter the battle tac square during tactical movement,
they also choose a side. If they are allied to the unit that began the
fight, they join its side; if hostile to that unit, they join the
defending side. (If neutral to either side, they do not fight because
they are
not able to enter the battle tac square in that case.)
The selection of battle sides is straightforward except where there are
three (or more) sides, two of which are hostile to each other and a
third of which is allied to both. Example: Austria and France are at
war, and Prussia is allied with both. A Prussian unit and an Austrian
unit are in the same tac square (which is permitted as they are
allies). A French unit attempts to move to the tac square. No unit
neutral to France is present, so the French unit is allowed to make its
move. Since it is hostile to the Austrian unit, a combat starts. The
French side is the attacking side because a French unit moved in to
start the combat. The Austrian unit fights the French unit because it
is hostile to France. The Prussian unit joins the French side because
it is allied with France.
More complex example: Austria, France, and Prussia have the
relationships described above. Spain is allied to Austria and Prussia
and at war with France. Holland is allied with France and Prussia and
at war with Austria and Spain. Denmark is allied to Austria, Prussia,
and Spain, at war with France, and neutral to Holland. A tac square
contains units from Austria, Prussia, and Spain. A French unit moves to
the square. After that, a Dutch unit moves to the square. After that, a
Danish unit attempts to move to it. The French unit begins the battle,
and the French are the attacking side. The Austrian unit is on the
defending side. The Prussian unit joins the French side because it is
allied to France. The Spanish unit joins the Austrian side because it
is at war with France. The Dutch unit's attempt to move into the battle
square succeeds because it is not neutral to any of the states already
there. It is allied to France, so it joins the French side. The Danish
unit's attempt to enter the battle square fails because there is a
Dutch unit already in the battle square, and Denmark is neutral to
Holland. The resulting battle features all the French allies (France,
Prussia, Holland) against the French enemies (Austria, Spain). It is
the alliances with France that determine the battle lineup because a
French unit began the combat.
Maintained by Stephen Schmidt.
Last updated 3/22/11