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Are characters forced to stand in the front rank or can you stick your wizard in the second rank to avoid him getting hammered in combat?

Characters must stand in the front rank. The exception is when Command (which MUST go in the front rank) and /or other characters are enough to force characters onto the second rank

For example - 5 wide rank

full command (3) plus 3 characters would result in one character having to go on the second rank

Which is why Ogre characters are very safe.
Ogres only need to be 3 wide for ranks, and full command fills the front rank, leaving the ogre kingdom characters the safety of the 2nd rank.

While command must go up front normally, you may choose to "Make Way" to displace command models in combat to put heroes into base to base with the enemy. Or, you may choose to leave the command up front and the heroes sit tight.

Finally, just because you are in the 2nd rank, doesn't mean that you can't issue and accept challenges (you'd move up to accept).

Characters who aren't in the 1st rank do move up as soon as they can (like when the unit champ, or another hero in front dies).


That should cover just about everything with characters and position in units.

-Matt

It is worth noting that some characters have speciaol rules that allow them to be in the 2nd rank, mainly the Slaan mage-priests.

HawaiiMatt wrote:
Characters who aren't in the 1st rank do move up as soon as they can (like when the unit champ, or another hero in front dies).


That should cover just about everything with characters and position in units.

-Matt

Hey Matt, do you happen to have a reference on characters moving up to the first rank when there's room. I know that they can doing make way and deployment can force them to the first rank unless you use some of the strategies you described, however, I can't find anything that indicates that heroes/lords are forced to move up even if there's room.

Hamster,
BRB Pg. 97, "Position in the Unit"

For Orges 3 wide with a full command. Characters go into the 2nd rank.. For Bretronnia lance with a full command, Characters have to go in front, pushing command models to the 2nd and 3rd rank.

hamsterwheel wrote:

HawaiiMatt wrote:
Characters who aren't in the 1st rank do move up as soon as they can (like when the unit champ, or another hero in front dies).


That should cover just about everything with characters and position in units.

-Matt

Hey Matt, do you happen to have a reference on characters moving up to the first rank when there's room. I know that they can doing make way and deployment can force them to the first rank unless you use some of the strategies you described, however, I can't find anything that indicates that heroes/lords are forced to move up even if there's room.

It's in the FAQ.

HoverBoy wrote:

hamsterwheel wrote:

HawaiiMatt wrote:
Characters who aren't in the 1st rank do move up as soon as they can (like when the unit champ, or another hero in front dies).


That should cover just about everything with characters and position in units.

-Matt

Hey Matt, do you happen to have a reference on characters moving up to the first rank when there's room. I know that they can doing make way and deployment can force them to the first rank unless you use some of the strategies you described, however, I can't find anything that indicates that heroes/lords are forced to move up even if there's room.

It's in the FAQ.

Thanks Hover!!! Found it.

I ran into a player putting his goblin shaman in the second rank because he purchased two cheap heroes characters to force the shaman into the second rank. I couldn't find anything in the book that specifically said characters have to move to front except during deployment.

Here's the relevant entry:

Q: Must a character be moved to the front rank of a unit as soon as
a space becomes available? (p100)
A: Yes