Played our first game last night and finally figured out the differences between fresh, worn, disordered etc. but one thing puzzled us. A unit becomes disordered if it suffers damage (though if it passes its coherion test this will not transform into a loss of VBUs) If it was already disordered this "second" disorder means it loses a VBU anyway. If it lost its cohesion test then it would lose any VBUs determined by that process PLUS a VBU for suffering a second disorder.

What happens next melee round? Does it still count as being disordered and thus, if it once again suffers damage, loses another VBU in addition to any VBUs it might suffer if it fails its coheesion test? If so then it is possible for units to reduce in VBUs each melee round if suffering damage, even when passing every cohesion test?

Now a question about wheeling. 5.2 says units wheeling and moving forward are disordered. Is this also true if they only wheeled? This may seem like nit picking but it doesn't seem to say that wheeling units are disordered, only those which wheel and move forward in the same turn. Please clarify.

Thoroughly enjoyed the game and we will have a few more before turning to the full scale rules

ps. Am I the only person who finds the Forum's colour scheme almost unreadable? Black type on grey - yeuch' Can't we have something more legible?

Try this thread
http://impetus.forumsland.com/impetus-about214.html

You do not take an additional hit if you fail the test, just the number you failed by. You only take the hit if you PASS the test while disordered.

Here's another query. Lets take these two statements from the rules

1. rule 4.1.2 - "You can only activate one unit after the preceding unit has completed all its actions"

2. rule 7.6.3 - ". . if you are fighting as the main unit you cannot also be Support Unit or Main unit in another melee"

Lets take the case where one side has two units Y and Z in a group standing side by side facing two enemy units A and B who are not in a group. The player with A and B wins the initiative and elects to charge unit Y with A. The charge succeeds and the following diagram shows the position before that melee takes place

YYYYZZZZ
AAAA

BBBB

A fights Y but is Z allowed to be the support unit for Y if player AB says his intention after this melee is to attack Z with B?

If Z is allowed to be the support unit for Y's melee what happens after that melee when B charges Z. Z is now the main unit in a melee having already been the support unit for Y.

But the rule above says, in effect, you cannot be both a main unit and a support unit in two melees. Or is it possible to be the main unit in a melee having previously been a support unit but not to be a support unit having previously been a main unit?

Read that same thread, the answer to my second diagram question answers your question for the most part.
In the case of a group advance to contact, it is possible to have more than one melee. A unit cannot be the main unit in one of those melees and provide support to another




Hope that helps. The diagrams on the Basic Impetus pages here
http://www.dadiepiombo.com/exam01.html

are helpful as well.

Sorry but that doesn't seem to answer my question.

If a unit has already been a supprting unit in a melee this turn and is now attacked can it now be the main unit in that melee?

I understand from other clarifications that a unit can be a main unit in a melee more than once in a turn, in situations where, at the end of a melee it is still in contact with an enemy unit and a friendly unit come into contact with its opponent and adds its support to a new melee between the original two units. Presumably if that original melee had had support from yet other units they too would be able to give that suppoprt again to the same two main units who now have another round of melee. Thus units are also able be supporting units more than once in a turn.

My query is about what happens if you have already given support in a melee and, subsequently, you are attacked (or attack?) - can you now be the main unit in a new melee?

Apologies - I see now that you are talking about a group move which results in two (or more) melees taking place at the same time.

My query is about two different melees taking place sequentially during the same turn.

If you are a main unit in a melee, and are contacted again later in the turn, you fight again as far as I understand it.
Sort of like the DBA concept of "no memory", I believe Basic Impetus has "no memory" from one melee to the next. They are separate events.
Hopefully the author will be back from vacation soon and be able to clear this up for you.

I agree with barloph about 'memory' it is important all through BI and Impetus not just melee. Most restrictions last only for that unit/group activation. The rule 7.6.3 is read in context of sorting out how many melees and which unit fights in which during a group activation.

In the question about what happens if B attacks Z. Regardless of what happened in a previous activation (this turn or last). B and Z are main units with A supporting B but Y is not a support. A is a support as it is in contact with Z but Y is nor a support as it is not in contact with B.