Mutual attacks - where do they fight?

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by Graeme Dice:
They _have_ responded, and confirmed that it works exactly as described in the manual.

So it's been officially denied, then? That more or less proves it, then.

[Tris]

That isn't what you are suggesting.

Yes it is!

I would see this in game as the big army being unable to form into march column without little bits being hit by hit and run attacks, supply columns being hit by raiders, so the main army must spend most of its time foraging, rather than marching, and must provide patrols to guard each foraging party, or have them go missing...

The net result of which is that it is difficult to move a strategically slow army when under constant attack from reasonably large and strategically fast armies.

[PvK]

Er, but you can already do that by throwing small attacks - if it turns out that your attacks get resolved first, then the battle will take place at the enemy location, and the enemy won't move. Numbers are probably what tips the odds, so if you draft a mob of cheap militia or something and have it attack the enemy main force with Fire and Flee or something, and enough commanders to keep gathering the rabble and re-attacking, you have a good chance of delaying or temporarily stopping a superior enemy force.

Seems like the current mechanic allows this tactic, yet doesn't make it automatic, and favors the larger force. Sounds about right.

PvK

[Norfleet]

Actually, there's no guarantee the army will fail to move. I've had armies which get attacked, in their province of origin, crush the enemy, and then move to attack the target.

[PvK]

But it does sometimes prevent movement even without taking serious losses, right?

Could the criteria be that if a squad routs or a leader is killed from a moving group, then the group stays put, or something?

PvK

[ May 13, 2004, 06:39: Message edited by: PvK ]

[Tris]

If it does work to allow that then that's brilliant.

If you have to cause routs to prevent movement then that isn't so good.

Does anyone know how this actually works?