Pursuit and failed rear attack 7.7.2

A unit of CL attacked a unit of disordered CP in the rear. The CL lost suffering disorder and one casualty. As a consequence the CL retreats, but can the CP pursue? 7.7.4 says pursuit is automatic, but it also says that pursuit is straight forward.

I presume that there is no pursuit (i.e. although the CP have fought off the attack they haven't turned around), but would be grateful for clarification.

Thanks

As there is no option to turn and pursue I'm sure you're right that in your example that pursuit, is not possible as any movement would be in the wrong direction. To me pursuit would only be possible if it had front edge contact in melee.

7.7.4 says that if the unit is no longer in front of the pursuing unit then the pursuit is not compulsory. So in your example I would suggest that the CP could pursue straight forward but is not obliged to (as it normally would.) This is one of the bigger changes from Impetus 1 where the pursuing unit would have been allowed to pivot to face the attacking unit as part of the pursuit. That is no longer the case.

Intersting point if that move is away from the enemy its just defeated it wouldnt be a pursuit it would be someting else.
It says if the unit is qno longer in front ..... does not have to pursue seems to imply in started in front off. So in your example i think the CM stay put as in this verion no option to about turn.
Maybe in your example the first out come would be for the victorious unit to have option to about face but that would be a house rule.

I realized that after I answered and went to bed that we play it as you suggest. If the attacking unit did not start the melee in defender's front box it cannot pursue. I agree that the rules do not cover this scenario.

Thanks for your reply. I thought I had read somewhere that the winner of the melee could pursue with a free pivot, but that was in the previous version of Impetus NOT Impetus 2. As you say that is an important change

A clear: "if the melee retreating unit does not start in the front the pursuit cannot be made" seems applicable in the case of flank and rear attacks.

However, (and I hate to nit-pick on this) in the case of a frontal attack if a unit retreats, but is no longer in front of the pursuing unit may the winning unit pursue (straight ahead, because of no pivot) and possibly pass the retreating unit? I quote 7.7.4 - my italics: "If the retreating unit is no longer in front of the pursuing Unit (out of the projection of the front) i.e. it was at the start of the retreat, but is no longer then the pursuit is not compulsory."

That of course would open the possiblity of using a pursuit to sweep passed an enemy line or to hit a different, non-retreating, enemy unit.

Absolutely. A pursuit could and often does cause the pursuer to hit a new non retreating unit. It also allows the pursuer to gain extra ground and perhaps turn a flank. It can also, though, cause the pursuer to become itself vulnerable to a flanking attack if it gets too far out in front of its own battle line. Support is critical in Impetus. I have won many a melee only to get whacked in the counter attack.

Agree with cassius comments but would add you wont sweep past the unit that withdrew you will very likely end up in its zone of control.