Is Consolidating optional?

[exeteroborach]

Hey everybody.



If after models in your unit make their melee attacks and after removing enemy casualties none of your guys are in base contact do you HAVE TO consolidate because the 3" would bring them back into base contact with the remaining enemy models? Or can you opt to not move for any reason ( in order to stay within objective range/ aura range etc.)?



Page 35 of the brb under Consolidate says "After a unit has finished making all of it's melee attacks, it consolidates. You CAN move models not in base contact up to 3".



It does not say you MUST move here although I think saying "it consolidates" implies the mandatory attempt to fulfill the stipulations of movement. 


However, the example picture C on the next page says "Each model MUST move up to 3".



So which is it?



I know they only move if they can get base to base/ engagement range or then into objective range.



I think it's a mandatory move in above situation but my opponent says consolidating is always optional. He also says when consolidating you don't have to move all your models. Just that if you choose to move any of them there are stipulations. (He wanted to hold back during that step because consolidating would have taken his guys completely off the objective behind them.)


Thanks.

[mattblowers]

Yes. As you noted, CAN means you make the choice.

For the record, your question is very confusing. Your post title: "Is Consolidating optional?" [sic]. Answer: yes.

First sentence: "do you HAVE TO consolidate?" Answer: no.

Depending on which they are answering will determine what answer is given. You could have both yes and a no answers that agree with the way the rule works (either way).

[yoritomo]

Remember, it is worded “up to 3”. Since zero is less than three you can always elect to move the unit zero inches. So even you are required to consolidate you don’t need to move the models.

[No One]

exeteroborach said:

It does not say you MUST move here although I think saying "it consolidates" implies the mandatory attempt to fulfill the stipulations of movement.

You're sort of correct on both here: the thing to remember is that you always go through the Consolidate step i.e. the unit always consolidates (...probably: there's a bit of imprecision whether you don't go through the step or just don't move when there's nothing in range). When you do so, you can move your models.

The optional component is easier to see in the rules com:

Rules Appendix said:

Consolidation Move: A 3" move that, if made, must see that unit
end within Engagement Range of one or more enemy units and
in Unit Coherency, or, if this is not possible, within range of the
closest objective marker and in Unit Coherency. If a unit is able to
end a Consolidation move within Engagement Range of one or more
enemy units, each model that makes a Consolidation move must
end closer to the closest enemy model, and in base-to-base contact
with it if possible. Models that are already in base-to-base contact
are not moved. If a rule modifies the distance a unit can Consolidate,
it modifies the Consolidation move that every model in that unit
can make.

Consolidating (without moving): When a unit Consolidates, if no
models in that unit are actually moved, either because you choose
not to move them or because every model is already in base-to-base
contact with an enemy model, that unit still counts as having
Consolidated, but is not counted as having moved.

However, the example picture C on the next page says "Each model MUST move up to 3".

Either just wrong or imprecise/misleading language: but we can see this being just wrong in how the btb models are not allowed to move.

yoritomo said:

Remember, it is worded “up to 3”. Since zero is less than three you can always elect to move the unit zero inches. So even you are required to consolidate you don’t need to move the models.

This isn't the right reason: if you move the model, you can't choose to move the model 0" if you could btb:

If it can also end that move in
base-to-base contact with one or more enemy models while
still satisfying all of the conditions above, it must do so.