>>[why do Hoplites need spells to make them want to form shield walls]
>> Because a) Gloranthans make no distinction between extreme pyschological
>> states and magicially induced ones.
>Well, thats debateable. Must be, Nick and I where debating it just
>then. I still think they do. But I am not sure its relevent.
Oh? So the Gloranthans have pyschology 100%? Are Ulerian Courtesans faking it when they cast Erotocosmatose Lucidity? Are Uroxi Beserkers calm and rational when they charge Chaos? The relevance of this is to what the Standfast spell represents.
>I don't see 'having more armour points' or 'being more difficult to
>knockback' as being particularly psychological in nature.
No, but the Standfast spell represents the hoplite being imbued by the Spirit of the *Phalanx* rather than the hoplite enhancing his combat capabilities. Since one cannot form a phalanx by himself, it follows that the hoplite cannot call upon the Granite Phalanx spirit for the blessing if he is *not* in formation.
A similar spell could be crafted giving the hoplites a chance to fight out of formation. This would be *counterproductive* to the Phalanx's tactics and would not be taught to the hoplites for this reason. When members of the Phalanx are caught out in the open, the Standfast spell encourages them to get back in line. The similar spell would encourage the hoplite to be Joe Hero which would destory unit cohesion. IMO the spell would also cost more (3+ points) since the principle of similarity cannot be invoked with the ideal hoplite unit.
A similar parallel could be drawn with the teaching of mobility. The Hoplites are not taught the Mobility spell. Why? Surely a faster moving phalanx is good? But when the Hoplite is caught out of formation by Horse Nomads, the mobility spell *encourages* him not to form formation by giving him a chance to run for cover. And denial of the ability of one's own troops to run away has been a often used RW military tactic. So I don't see what is wrong with the Standfast spell as is written.
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