If you're on foot whilst the rest of your unit remains mounted, how long before you become separated from your mounted comrades?

If they plan on withdrawing next round (in order to disengage and therefore give you a chance to remount out of combat say), would you be able to keep up with them? Or do they have to opt for a 'rescue a friend' extended combat phase in order to get you remounted before they attempt the withdrawal?

Regards
Luke

How I've played it in the past depends very much on the situation and I think the rules leave space for various responses depending on the nature of the game (plot and game time pressures etc.) (Note, I'm answering without refering to the book, it might be that I'm recalling playtest material that got changed, lost etc!)

I'd say that if the unit are withdrawing and not actively rescuing the unhorsed man, then they will get automatically separated in the round where they withdraw.

Ways around that?
If you want to keep the game simple and quick - this is what I was doing at Continuum for example and in my group play where we don't have much time - deal with it in the squire rolls at the end of the round where the knight is unhorsed. If the squire makes the role, he surrenders his horse to the player - the knight remains with his unit but loses a squire who is now on foot and legging it out of the battle as fast as he can. If he fails, bad luck, you're squire wasn't in the right place at the right time. This option also makes squire rolls become important - if you lose squires, then you can find yourself stuck...

If you want the complicated option, then you need to use the rescue a friend extended melee round. we discovered when play testing the game that this can be brutal - it takes time which is fine if everyone is involved, brings potential for more wins and loses towards unit results - but can also make for great story telling which the simple squire roll does not.

Of course, the other players might not want to spend time and risk damage by being burdened with rescuing a friend... * insert cruel player face here *

Also, don't forget a critical in squire rolls means that a squire captures a lone horse, may be useful if he surrenders his, or his Lord needs another.

I'd say that if the unit are withdrawing and not actively rescuing the unhorsed man, then they will get automatically separated in the round where they withdraw.

Sounds good. So on round X the knight is unhorsed and doesn't get remounted for whatever reason.

Round X+1, he's afoot and the unit commander decides to Withdraw. Would you rule that the knight participates in that battle round as part of the unit (and is separated from them afterwards) or is he rendered Alone immediately?

Regards
Luke

The way I read it, if you're still unhorsed after making a squire roll, you're separated immediately unless the unit chooses to extend the round to rescue a friend.

The rescue seems pretty dangerous to pull off. There's one enemy per knight, including any being rescued. The rescuing knight can't fight and presumably neither can the knight being rescued (it isn't clear whether the knight on the ground can fight if conscious - the procedure seems to assume he's unconscious), so there are then two extra enemies that must be taken on by somebody.

in my experiences with the system , if the knight isnt re-horsed by the end of the round , then the other knights have to make the effort to rescue him , or he is seperated for the battle's duration. Usually at the end of a round the rest of the unit moves forward , or perhaps backwards. If they somehow DONT move a zone in that round then next round they can attempt to rescue. But if they moved ( which is likely ), then no rescue is possible unless they make an effort to gget into the zone that the lone knight is in.

If you're on foot whilst the rest of your unit remains mounted, how long before you become separated from your mounted comrades?


As soon as the unit changes zones, the unhorsed knight is Alone.



If they plan on withdrawing next round (in order to disengage and therefore give you a chance to remount out of combat say), would you be able to keep up with them?


No
A man afoot never keeps up with the mounted unit when it moves



Or do they have to opt for a 'rescue a friend' extended combat phase in order to get you remounted before they attempt the withdrawal?


As others have said, the Squire Roll might do it.
If not then Rescue a Friend is necessary that round

If the unit doesn't move, then they remain with the unmounted man, so he's not Alone, but he's still unmounted.