diff --git a/data/campaigns/Delfadors_Memoirs/utils/sides.cfg b/data/campaigns/Delfadors_Memoirs/utils/sides.cfg
index 6e6cef32eade..58fc451e5f13 100644
--- a/data/campaigns/Delfadors_Memoirs/utils/sides.cfg
+++ b/data/campaigns/Delfadors_Memoirs/utils/sides.cfg
@@ -262,21 +262,18 @@
 
     {CLEAR_VARIABLE delfador_store}
 
-    # FIXME: Relies on an implementation accident.
-    # This sequence of declarations happens to put the units where we want
-    # them - Shock Troopers and Royal Guard north of Delfador, towards the
-    # enemy, and the White Mages behind him - but this is an accident of the
-    # vacancy-finding algorithm.  Ideally we want to use formula syntax to
-    # say things like x,y=$({X}-1),$({Y}+1) below, but  that doesn't work
-    # reliably yet in 1.7.0 (units randomly fail to appear when it's tried).
-    {NAMED_UNIT 1 (Royal Guard)   {X} {Y} Clogrin _"Clogrin" (facing=nw)}
-    {NAMED_UNIT 1 (White Mage)    {X} {Y} Theorsten _"Theorsten" (facing=nw)}
-    {NAMED_UNIT 1 (White Mage)    {X} {Y} Igler _"Igler" (facing=nw)}
-    {NAMED_UNIT 1 (White Mage)    {X} {Y} Larsin _"Larsin" (facing=nw)}
-    {NAMED_UNIT 1 (White Mage)    {X} {Y} Aldrin _"Aldrin" (facing=nw)}
-    {NAMED_UNIT 1 (Shock Trooper) {X} {Y} Gren _"Gren" (facing=nw)}
-    {NAMED_UNIT 1 (Shock Trooper) {X} {Y} Droni _"Droni" (facing=nw)}
-    {NAMED_UNIT 1 (Shock Trooper) {X} {Y} Artor _"Artor" (facing=nw)}
+    # "n" tells us if {X} is even or odd. If it's even, "n" is equal to 1;
+    # otherwise, it's set to 0	
+    {VARIABLE n "$(if(({X}/2.0 = {X}/2), 1, 0))"}
+
+    {NAMED_UNIT 1 (Royal Guard)   "$({X}-1)" "$({Y}-(1-$n))" Clogrin _"Clogrin" (facing=nw)}
+    {NAMED_UNIT 1 (White Mage)    "$({X}-1)" "$({Y}+$n)"     Theorsten _"Theorsten" (facing=nw)}
+    {NAMED_UNIT 1 (White Mage)    {X}        "$({Y}-1)"      Igler _"Igler" (facing=nw)}
+    {NAMED_UNIT 1 (White Mage)    {X}        "$({Y}+1)"      Larsin _"Larsin" (facing=nw)}
+    {NAMED_UNIT 1 (White Mage)    "$({X}+1)" "$({Y}-(1-$n))" Aldrin _"Aldrin" (facing=nw)}
+    {NAMED_UNIT 1 (Shock Trooper) "$({X}-2)" {Y}             Gren _"Gren" (facing=nw)}
+    {NAMED_UNIT 1 (Shock Trooper) "$({X}-2)" "$({Y}-1)"      Droni _"Droni" (facing=nw)}
+    {NAMED_UNIT 1 (Shock Trooper) "$({X}-1)" "$({Y}-(2-$n))" Artor _"Artor" (facing=nw)}
 #enddef
 
 # At the end of Shadows (14), control of side 1 needs to be handed