SURROUNDED HEXES in HASL CGs

[ross]

The question below has arisen during the 19PM-19N Refit Phase of the OVHS CG, but it can apply to almost any CG that uses the following wording (as seen in Pegasus Bridge, KGP, OWHS, OVHS, etc) from page Z28 of the OVHS rules:

Z2.5054 SURROUNDED HEXES: Each Uncontrolled-Territory, and each unoccupied Strategic Location that is currently completely enclosed within a Setup Area of only one side becomes part of that Setup Area.

Here's the question. How do board edges figure into the determination of Surrounded Hexes? For example, if part of the Canadian perimeter goes from A11-C12-C18-A19 are hexes such as B14 surrounded and thus considered part of the Canadian's setup area?

BTW, the OVHS CG has so far been very exciting and is highly recommended.

Thanks for any help,
Ross

 

[WaterRabbit]

Well, the short answer is they don't. The example perimeter you gave is not a legal one as far as I can tell. You draw you perimeter by joining Setup Areas. A Friendly Setup Area is within 2 hexes of a Controlled Strategic Location. In OVHS the Strategic Location types are:

Buildings, rubble, entrenchments, and crossroad hexes (H10, AA24, and JJ11). If you also have an Armed, immobile AFV that can be a Strategic Location as well (see definition).

Here would be an example using your original (assuming you are German) [see attachment]. Note: I added a FH to make the example more clear.

 

[ross]

Let me attach a snapshot of the western edge of the Riley's Road map right before start of the our 19N CG Date.

The Canadians control all strategic locations in the attached area, and thereby their perimeter extends to the western edge. As an aside, the Canadians have one big setup area that runs west to east along both sides of the Goch-Kalcar road with a bulge southward in the center of the map, so the same question applies to all uncontrolled territory that extend to the north board edge.

The question remains then, are the uncontrolled territory hexes from A12 to A17, B12 to B16, C16 and C17 all considered Surrounded Hexes now. If yes, then the Canadians can setup units within those hexes.

 

[WaterRabbit]

I would say no, since the only reason they appear to be surrounded is the board edge. If you were to extend the map another 20 hexes to the left, would your perimeter join back up to enclose them? No.

This is what you would need to do to meet that requirement. Note, without either FH the enclosed area could not be considered surrounded. As the ASLML Elitists like to say, COWTRA. So, in reading the rules, what would lead you to beleive that the board edge would count as part of your perimeter? If you were playing the ER campaign it would be much clearer I think. In ER both sides have off-map Setup Areas that can be used to draw a perimeter. Thus, the question you ask would be unlikely to come up.