Bataille Empire

I was reading the rules again and, as usual, came upon something I had never noticed before. I apologize if this has been asked and answered before, but i couldn't find anything in my search of the forum.

I see on p. 25, under discussion of formations, that large units are deployed only 1 UD wide instead of the usual 2 UD when moving along a road or crossing a bridge. In such a march column formation these units lose the +1 modifier for being large.

Straightforward enough. My question is having such a unit change to a regular 2 UD wide attack column require a formation change? I honestly can see either answer to this as regular size units in their normal 1 UD column face no such issues, so it can be argued why should large units suffer further indignities. And how would these large units move through a village at speed unless in this march column formation (which interestingly the note on p. 25 claims is not represented because it is not a combat formation. Very odd). On the other hand, the RAW singles out large units for special attention in this regard.

Thoughts?

A base width is wider than a 'march column' should be. To make everything correct, we would probably need to go to a single figure basing system. What we have is the easiest compromise. It might be possible to have a rule penalising units on roads, but then it would be necessary to distinguish between units marching on a road and those in a wider formation advancing astride it.
I think just accepting that the bigger a unit is, the harder it is to deploy from marching to an attack formation. Any 'cure' would be worse than the problem.
Small cavalry units count as line and column getting the best of both with no penalty. Just another compromise for neat basing.

Thanks Roger, but I'm not clear on what you are saying. Is a formation change needed to go to attack column or not? If not, then when does this transformation happen? In response to a charge? Would this preclude any possible counter-charge by the unit? When the division is activated the unit can just change the arrangement of it's bases and move as normal. In the middle of a move (perhaps to permit the large unit to clear a village so it has room to deploy in attack column)? Seems to me it matters.

Reading page 25 again, I would suggest that the large unit just fights like a medium unit until it gets the opportunity to change to a wider column.
Nothing suggests that the change is a 'formation change'. I would be quite happy to let my opponent do the change when space permitted.
It would be nice to have this ruled officially.

Well Roger, that essentially is what the rule as written does. Your suggestion sounds reasonable to me. Agree that it would be a boon to civilization if this, and the many many other obscurities, double-speak, and oversights in the RAW could be addressed authoritatively.