@OutsideLime:
Interesting, yes.Â
Recommendable, in my humble opinion, no.
Giving the attacker movement-control over the defender’s unit is far more anomalous to the rules (and thematically, well, weird) than simply defining when the defender must land his errant Fighter. The most logical time seems to be between the attacker’s Combat and Noncombat Move phases, with the unit’s owner choosing between any legit locations.
~Josh
What’s more anomalous?
Defender being able to move as a result of combat?
a Player moving his pieces during another players turn?
This for sure is a unique situation that can not be compared to another any where else in the rules.
During a players turn, moves will be made to further that players position. Why would an attacker want/allow a defender to be able to move his piece into a more favorable position on his turn?
Withdrawing is an attackers privilege and I might be stretching this, but I can see landing the defending fighter elsewhere (other than the embattled seazone) as a type of retreating… so the attacker would be privileged to control such.
Notice I said the CD-Rom played it that way, so this does have a precedence I looked in the 2nd, 3rd and Revised Operations Manual and there is no reference to who makes this move.
We certainly can discuss this ad nanauseabut if someone else has not done so by this evening, I will post on the Larry Harris board this dilema in an effort to get an ‘official’ answer.