My question is about units surviving combat. In particular, I'm thinking of Empire; Battle Wizard and Free Company.

If Battle Wizard defends, I believe it's ability would not trigger if I played called back on him after damage has been assigned but before being dealt, as regardless of whether he is considered to have survived combat this way, his effect is not in play to trigger at the time of having survived combat. However, what if I played Forced March on him and put him into another zone after combat damage is assigned? Is the assigned damage still going to nail him if he moved to another zone? If so, what if I moved him after choosing him as a defender, but before combat damage is assigned? Is he then considered to have survived combat, triggering his effect? I would like to apply the same scenarios to Free Company; if he moves during either action window described and is still in play in the new zone at the end of combat, is he considered to have survived combat, forcing the opponent to lose a random card due to Scout?

Personnally, I'd say NO.

By sending back the Scout to your hand it leaves play and did not ''survive'' (it somewhat ''fled'' but I dont thing the game makes that kind of difference).

I think that ''surviving'' suppose the unit stays in play.

bitva said:

If a unit is moved to another zone after the beginning of combat, it is removed from combat, unless it is specified on the card that it can attack or defend from other zones. But if it already had combat assigned to it, that damage will still be applied.

I'm not aware of any official clarification on the following, but to me it's obvious that a unit that has been removed from combat can't be considered to have survived the combat.

Agreed, I don't know of any specific ruling, but I think the word "removed" is pretty clear. For the other questions, if you return a unit to your hand, it's "survived combat" ability isn't in play at the end of combat, so it can't be triggered. i.e. you can't activate Scout from your hand.

Well, if I Forced March my unit into another zone, and it still takes the combat damage it was assigned in the original zone, I would not consider the movement to another zone as "removed from combat". If the march to a different zone cancels the assigned damage or prevents the unit from dealing combat damage, I would consider it having been removed from combat.

bitva said:

It does actualy.

When an attacking unit is moved out of the battlefield, that unit is no longer considered to be attacking. When a defending unit is moved out of the zone it is defending, that unit is no longer considered to be defending.

1.4 FAQ

bitva said:

Damage that is assigned has to be applied. Movement to another zone doesn't change that, but leaving play does (as do damage cancellation or redirection of course).

See: http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_foros_discusion.asp?efid=154&efcid=4&efidt=262543&efpag=0

No one posted the actual definition of Scout, just the part of surviving combat:

Scout
After combat damage is applied, the controller of
any surviving participating unit(s) with the Scout
keyword forces his opponent to discard one card at
random from his hand for each of his participating
units with Scout that survived the combat.

So as long as the unit is still alive (and in play) after the "apply combat damage" phase, scout ability will trigger. It doesn't say anywhere that the unit can't leave combat before all phases are resolved, in order for scout to trigger. But still the unit will suffer all damage assigned to it, even if it is moved to another zone, as said in some of the posts.

That quote speaks of "surviving participating unit(s)". If the unit has been removed from combat, it is not participating in that combat anymore.