Battles at fortresses

licker · #1 October 24th, 2008, 10:03 AM

Not storming forts, but breaking siege, or using your forces on patrol when the enemy first attacks the province.

Assuming the defender routs, where do the retreaters go?

Can they retreat into the fort or do they scatter to adjacent owned provinces?

Further if you rout while being stormed I assume everything dies, even if there are adjacent provinces.

From the manual it looks like I only found the 'break siege routs result in elimination' bit.

Psycho · #2 October 24th, 2008, 10:08 AM

Manual is wrong there. If there are adjacent provinces that you own, your fleeing army will scatter to them in each of the cases you described.

vfb · #3 October 24th, 2008, 10:44 AM

I think the manual is unclear, not wrong. It says "Units which retreat are eliminated instead of being able to retreat into the fort..."

To me, that could mean that if all other avenues of retreat are closed (all surrounding provinces are held by the enemy), then instead of being able to retreat into the fort, units which retreat are eliminated.

licker: If you route when being stormed you can sneak out through the tunnel into a friendly province, if one exists.

licker · #4 October 24th, 2008, 10:52 AM

So if you take all the surrounding provinces, and then attack the province with the fortress, do the patrolers get to retreat to the fort? Or do you never get to retreat into the fort?

vfb · #5 October 24th, 2008, 10:59 AM

Units fighting in a province where there is a fort, including patrollers, never ever get to retreat into the fort.

Poopsi · #6 October 24th, 2008, 01:29 PM

Does anyone have any useful hint for keeping my mages alive during sieges? That´s the bit I hate the most about assaulting fortresses. In fact, if avaiable, I try to bring about some expendable generals to lead the final assault without magical assistance.

licker · #7 October 24th, 2008, 01:40 PM

What is it that kills your mages?

Just back them off from the fort ranged stuff, or give them some missile protection.

Tifone · #8 October 24th, 2008, 01:44 PM

I continue to believe it would be better IMHO if they would retreat inside the castle. And if they rout at the siege, that they would be killed. Much more realistic and thematic, I think.

MaxWilson · #9 October 24th, 2008, 06:53 PM

I'm guessing your problem is that your mages die to the generic, built-in missile weapons? Two things I can think of:

1.) If there's not a large army inside the fort, leave the mages out of the fight. It may or may not be useful to storm the fort with a single scout on the turn ahead of the main assault.

2.) Bodyguards help protect mages against missile weapons. With 3 units in the square instead of 1, you have 1/3 the likelihood of being the target even though you have a greater chance of losing the missile check opposed roll.

I assume you're already doing things like spreading mages out.

-Max