@Boldfresh:
so it is the first die roll that locks in the move, not the posted combat moves. is that correct?
Posted? If you’re playing by e-mail or forum, it’s entirely up to that venue what constitutes a declaration of completeness. I can only speak to face-to-face games, as that’s the “native” environment of the rules.
@Boldfresh:
my point is, if i present my combat move to my opponent but have not yet rolled dice on any battles, is that combat move “complete” ie, locked in.
If you say that it’s complete, it’s complete. If you roll a die, you implicitly say so by moving from the Combat Move phase into the Conduct Combat phase.
@Boldfresh:
I’m saying it is superfluous at best and contradictory at worst.
I disagree. The statement is for emphasis.
Scrambling occurs at the end of the combat movement phase. As such, all of the attacker’s moves must be completed (as they would be normally at the end of the phase) before it can occur. The statement in question is emphasizing that fact. In contrast, intercepting occurs in the combat phase. As the combat movement phase is already over at that time, there is no need to make a similar statement there to emphasize that point.
@Boldfresh:
in other words, once again, if the rules intended to lock in combat moves prior to dice being rolled, they would explicitly state such. they do not because it is beyond ridiculous to lock in the combat moves if no dice have yet been rolled. even then, there would be rational for doing so - for example, in poker, the concept of a string bet. or of putting a bet out and then taking it back - hoping to get a reaction from your opponent. in practical terms, no one i have ever seen plays that way - the combat move is always subject to change until dice are rolled.
There is no need to “lock in” combat moves prior to rolling dice if there are no scramble or interception opportunities. In such case, the first roll of the dice is a perfectly fine way to declare the completeness of your movements. However, in scrambling/interception situations there is a need to declare the completeness of movement, and the rules provide for that. If there is no declaration by the attacker that his/her movements are complete, how is the defender to know? By asking the defender to make a decision regarding scrambling/interception, the attacker implicitly declares that his/her moves are complete, as this completeness is required by the rules.
@Boldfresh:
That is why the statement of “The attacker may not change any combat movements or attacks after the defender has scrambled” could be confusing. If the turn is already complete and unchangeable the moment the turn is presented to the defender, then whether the defender scrambles or not or even what the definition of the word “scrambled” is unnecessary and potentially misleading.
I have already addressed this point.