The player picks one of his units and announces which enemy unit it will charge. The enemy must make its
Charge Reaction before another charge can be declared.
Except in unusual circumstances (like special rules), you are never forced to charge. It's almost always your decision, so don't let a glib-tongued opponent tell you otherwise! However, charging is the only way for units to reach melee combat with the foe. If you want to attack an enemy then you must charge him – you simply cannot move into close combat without having declared a charge.
To declare a charge you must indicate which of your units is charging, and which enemy unit it is going to charge. For example, you might wish to declare that your Skaven Clanrat unit is charging the High Elf Spearmen.
You're always allowed to measure the distance between the charger and the potential chargee before declaring the charge, as this might well affect your decision whether or not to declare a charge!
When you declare a charge, one or more of the models in your unit must be able to trace a line of sight to the enemy unit, and the target must lie at least partially within the charging unit's front arc.
Can I Charge?
Not all units can charge. The most common reason for a unit being unable to charge is because it is already fighting in close combat, but other circumstances, such as fleeing, having already marched this turn, or the effect of a special rule, can also prevent a unit from declaring a charge. These other situations will be clearly explained when you encounter them.
A unit
cannot declare an impossible charge – i.e. one that it cannot possibly complete, either because the enemy unit is outside of the chargers' maximum possible charge range, or because intervening obstructions make it impossible for the unit to make a charge move that allows it to move into contact. Note that if such obstruction is another unit, and there is a chance that the intervening unit will move out of the chargers' way before the charge is completed, the charge is 'possible', and therefore can be declared (remember that you still need to see the target to declare the charge though!).
To make such a judgment, you'll need to know how a charge move is completed.
Editor's Note: If you encounter a situation where you believe a charge can be completed, and you roll enough distance, but find at the end of it all that the charge could not be completed (for example, due to intervening terrain that makes unit placement impossible), you could not declare that charge and the unit should be moved back to where it started. In such an instance, it is as if the unit did not declare the charge. It couldn't have, as it was impossible!
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