Misplayed Rules

This is a new topic I have wanted to start. Doubt if I do one every week, but when I think of them I will post them.

This topic covers a rule that while easy to understand when you look it up in the rulebook, is very often misplayed. They are usually not in FAQs because it is spelled out clearly.

Today's misplayed rule of the day is splitting missile fire.
Many players misplay this rule all the time.

This often misplayed rule, is that if only a portion of your unit can shoot at one unit, then the other half are free to shoot at whomever they wish.

This is NOT the case.

The rule really says that if you can NOT fire at one unit, then the unit may shoot at 2 different targets.

Let me give a couple of examples:
This is your normal example of when people try to use the rule wrong.

In this example, E1 is the much juicier target and about half the archers can see him to target it. The other half are blocked by the woods but can see E2 to target him.

This is ILLEGAL.
The archers can shoot at E1, but only those that can see them.
Or they can all shoot at E2.

They canNOT split their fire between the 2, because they could all shoot at E2, if they want to.

Here is an example of when you can shoot at 2 targets.

In this example, E2 has moved up so close that the Archers on the right half can see no one exept E2.
And the Archers on the left can no longer target E2 because he is out of their 45 degree LOS arc for that archer. But they can see E1 to shoot at him.

So in this case, the archers have NO single target they can target, and so are allowed to split their fire.

I've found a lot of players do not understand this rule clearly, but if you look it up in the BRB under splitting fire, it is spelled out pretty clearly.

I hope that helps,

Ben