Onyx wrote:
I see no way an engaging formation can enter into or start in the ZoC of an enemy unit and not be compelled to move towards it (Infiltrate aside) with it's full movement.
Because the rules don't say you have to, they say you can also move away... They don't say you lose that option by choosing an engage action.
You must move away or charge. You must therefore choose an action that allows you to do one of those things. i.e. you cant declare "sustain" and then say "oh well, if I could move away I would but sustain doesn't allow me to move". It is saying that the need to move takes preference over the player's choice of action.
Option 1: charge the unit. Action required: engage
Option 2: move away. Action required: advance, double, engage, march, hold
It's fine to think it should work a certain way, buy in the absence of rules being being explicit then it is open to interpretation, and I think it can go either way. Even when it comes to it, I don't think it's a given that the ZoC rules are there to force you to charge THAT formation, or to CC instead of FF, they are designed to stop you picking and choosing specific units in the formation you have chosen to target. I think it is more odd to compel FF troops to blindly charge into combat just because some scouts are nearby, so if the rules don't say so then I don't think we should.
For me the most contentious point would be: if you engage the same formation, should you be allowed to leave the zoc, and then re-enter the zoc of a different unit from the same formation. This would seem very weird to me.