Foot print size

A) The Orc can always challenge. You would do your best to move the models in B2B, if you cannot then you just ASSUME that they are.
B) You can combat reform after fighting a round of combat. Free if you won, with the same break test modifiers if you lost.
C) Yes. Although the only way this works if there's no challenge involved: If the empire knights contact the right flank you can make way! at the beginning of combat to the right side (assuming your not engaged) in order to be in base contact.


EDIT: I will say that if you're planning to join an orc character to a unit of goblins you may want to make sure that the unit is not so wide as to prevent that character from attacking if the enemy doesn't contact the unit on the side where the character is. Here's an example:




This perfectly legitimizes maximum base contact and keeps the Orc from ever fighting in the combat. You'd have to do a combat reform if you ever wanted the Orc to actually fight. 

You'd do a combat reform, and "slide" the unit to the left or the right in the direction you need. You'd end up with the Orc corner to corner and then 7 goblins in base contact. This is fine as you'd start the combat with 8 models in b2b and still have 8 models b2b after the slide. Unfortunately, even in close combat the orc can never be inside the goblin unit and must always remain on the corner due to his base size being different.

Or just issue a challenge.

"Decline", said every gobbo ever - 
to a chorus of "Booos" and jeers.

I thought that
- a challenge would not work since the ork cannot take the place of a smaller goblin
- a reform would not work since you cannot take goblins that are in base contact with the enemy out of base contact

I don't think you can argue that. If there are 7 goblins before the reform then there should be 7 after the reform.

But I think it could be argued, that's the thing. A combat reform simply states: "-it cannot be used to get a model (friend or foe) out of base contact with the enemy if it was in contact before the reform was made".

You're arguing "model" as "goblins", I'm arguing "models" as MODELS (orcs or goblins).

If it helps, here is what 9th Age v 1.0.0 had to say on the matter: (I kind of view this version of 9th Age as an unofficial FAQ for 8th edition)
"At the end of each Combat Reform, you must have at least as many of your models in base contact with an enemy as you
had before the Reform. Any Character models that were in base contact with an enemy must be kept in base contact
(although it can be with different enemy models). Furthermore, at the end of all your Combat Reforms,the exact same
enemy models that were in base contact with opposing models before the Combat Reform must still be in base contact
after the Reform (but they may be Engaged with different models or even units)."

I'm curious what other people think.

Then I guess we disagree as to what constitutes a "model" for these purposes.

6 Goblins and 1 Orc is still 7 "models", the same number as was in base before the reform.


EDIT: What about the situation where you have an empire general on horse in a unit of empire infantry? It's the same situation except now you're replacing "goblin" with "human" and you're replacing "orc" with "human" and your situation you just said doesn't work with the orcs and goblins all of a sudden works with humans.


I know this is just splitting hairs, and I'm fine playing it either way, I just wanted to play a little devil's advocate here and hopefully get people thinking about this situation.

I will also point out that because 9th age plays it my way that there are lots of other people out there who see(saw?) my side of things as correct.

Hopefully at the very least it makes people think twice about putting a character with an odd base size in a unit.