I can't grasp the movement templates aspect. Maybe as more is revealed it will make sense. I got a few questions though.

Can we about face, or are we stuck doing wheel like rotations to turn around? I don't see anything that looks like a reversal on the dial.

Why would blocks of infantry have to guess where another block of infantry will end up?

Having to pick straight, slow turn, or quick turn in secret seems out of place. These aren't fast moving vehicles. I could see picking a template after seeing the opponents move. So the unit would stay in formation or something. Guessing though. What for? If both units are moving forward they would most certainly meet.

Can we side step?

Again don't see anything like that on dial.

There's footage of a demo that explains some of this. There are short side steps, or shifts, to allow backing up or moving to the side. Also a reform to allow you to pivot a unit around its center to face Many direction.

Why would blocks of infantry have to guess where another block of infantry will end up?

Having to pick straight, slow turn, or quick turn in secret seems out of place. These aren't fast moving vehicles. I could see picking a template after seeing the opponents move. So the unit would stay in formation or something. Guessing though. What for? If both units are moving forward they would most certainly meet.

You could think of the secret planning + templates as the delay from obeying their general's (your) orders. In the era of formation battles, the General would go around the field on horseback shouting orders (and having a powerful voice was an advantage).

It also simulates nicely the fact that things are happening simultaneously.

Also, even though infantry units are slower, the distances at which they engage are much smaller than for space/air units, so you could argue that the "engagement scale" remains the same.

Finally, from the pure mechanical aspect, in my opinion, what has made X-Wing so successful is the secret planning and the maneuver templates. It makes games faster, tactically more interesting and less fiddly. I hope they manage to get it also right with this one, as it would give some fresh air to this kind of miniatures games... I'm quite intrigued to see what the final result is. If it is so interesting as X-Wing and Armada, I'll definitely jump in (plus I think we'll probably be able to use our Descent models because apparently they are using the same scale).

The mechanic isn't meant to be taken as literally as it is in X-Wing or Armada, where you have ships physically doing breakneck manuevers to shake pursuing opponents.

In a more abstract sense, it's a representation of the Clausewitz theorems of battlefield friction and fog of war, that is, the uncertainty and confusion troops face on the battlefield, particularly in an era of history (or setting, in this case) that lacks instant battlefield communication and relies on fairly numerous, regimented bodies of men as the basic operating chunk of a force.

If your regiment of spearmen fails to make contact with a regiment of skellingtons, that isn't meant to represent the skellingtons literally outpacing your men, disappearing from their peripherial vision and shaking them off their tail like a fighter pilot would in X-Wing. It abstractly represents a fog of war/battlefield friction scenario. That might be, for example, that your general's order messenger got delayed and the unit leader was hesitating over whether or not to engage, some of the men got anxious and started going in, pulling the entire regiment out of position. In game terms, this got your unit stuck in a potentially vulnerable position with a Panic token (apparently that's a thing if you fail a charge or make contact outside of a charge).

Why would blocks of infantry have to guess where another block of infantry will end up?

I think I get it now.

At first all I could see is two units that may have wanted to engage each other, not do so due to selections on the movement template. They instead walk right past each other. Which seemed absurd.

Now I can look at it as they are just repositioning to engage later. I feel now the timing is more on a micro scale (I think I will do this. Oh no you did that. I didn't see that coming. I'm going to have to try this.) Rather then engagements being based on instant reactions. (I see you did that so I'll do this.)

Hidden move choices are a good representation of how add the mind game to the battle. When you look at your opponent and they smile back thinking that's exactly what I thought you would do, and they spring their trap. I am liking this much more now.

Thanks for the input.

The way initiative can be increased/decreased based on the maneuver modifier dial adds a very strategic element to the game, sure you can charge, but you could charge earlier (faster) in the turn if you do X, but that may affect the outcome you want. I see the dance of the units being a key factor in the game. Very intrigued.

If your regiment of spearmen fails to make contact with a regiment of skellingtons

Skellingtons, I like that, it makes me want to paint Ardus or Waiqar if he comes out like the pumpkin king.