Elephant screen

[Pyrrhus17]

I am just returning to Ancients and got a hard copy of the rules
My question is, armies that have an elephant that has an elephant screen ability have to use it that way only ? Or do you have a choice not to use the battle card?

[David Kuijt]

I am just returning to Ancients and got a hard copy of the rules
My question is, armies that have an elephant that has an elephant screen ability have to use it that way only ? Or do you have a choice not to use the battle card?

All battle cards are optional. Both in general (you don't need to use the battle card rules to play the game) and in specific (no army is forced to purchase a particular battle card -- except in tournaments where usually you choose only one army makeup for the whole tournament, so a choice freely made at the start is binding for further battles in that tournament).

And in this case, elephant screen gives you the option at deployment to use it or not, even if you have purchased it.

There are a number of such "deployment choice" battle cards -- one version of dismounting (deployment dismounting, appropriately named), elephant screen, supporting bowmen, something that the Burgundians used, maybe one or two others.

[Pyrrhus17]

Thank you !