someone please explain what I did wrong

[lodilefty]

http://www.ageod.net/agewiki/Retreat_and_Routing

http://www.ageod.net/agewiki/Retreat_Chance_formula_and_modding

[Altaris]

Okay, I'm wrong about it being the same as the green setting, I think I must've been looking at the green offensive stature instead (which is 100). So as far as retreating *before* battle goes, though, there's no difference between orange and blue?

[lodilefty]

Okay, I'm wrong about it being the same as the green setting, I think I must've been looking at the green offensive stature instead (which is 100). So as far as retreating *before* battle goes, though, there's no difference between orange and blue?

Look again.
First two rounds are same...

[Altaris]

I'm talking about the retreat before battle (round 0). They are both 100.

As I've said multiple times already, I'm not so much miffed that they retreated, but that they just gave up their positions without any sort of fight at all. Especially in VA, I could've counterattacked if they had done just a little bit of cohesion damage, but leaving a fully intact force in place and giving up tremendously good defensive ground is very, very frustrating.

Like all wargames, it's one of those numbers things, I'll get used to it, but it's really been kicking my a$$ in this current game, which sucks, as I think I'd be sitting in very, very good position if I hadn't had several of these "retreat without a single shot despite good terrain and lvl 4 entrenchment" situations.

[Longshanks]

It's WAD. You know what to do to get a fight.

[Altaris]

Thanks for all the feedback guys, it's been really helpful. Think I know how to avoid both these problems well enough going forward.

[HMSWarspite]

I think the discussion here may have explained the game mechanics. However it never really explored the rationale behind it. These regions are 10's of miles across. In your example, Polk is well dug in, in good terrain, but that does not mean it is like WW1, with continuous trenches. Grant, with superior forces would not have crossed the river into a trench line. He (as a superior general, with superior forces) would have reconned the position, and screened it (put enough troops nearby to ensure Polk cant move to interfere), and then moves round the position. Polk withdraws rather than wait for inevitable destruction. As was pointed out, 400cp is not enough to dominate an area.

IIHO, the game should reflect that in RL, in the above situation, a really bad general should be forced to defend without fortifications as he leaves it too late to withdraw and has to fight on the attackers ground or just surrender...The battles in regions are approxmations of (up to ) 15 day mini grand tactical exercises, not single hex attacks in a tactical game of an ACW battle...

[plau011]

I was just reading this read. The below question that was asked never seemed to have gotten answered.
Anyone have any ideas on this? It seems odd, or?

Well, I've been asking about ways to avoid this. In particular, I'd like to know how to avoid having 3 or 4 supply wagons go through a region I have 100% control over, have 1000 CP in, and have cavalry regiments in. If there's something I'm missing, by all means, please tell me! I think it's absolutely crazy that I can physically see the wagon in the region with intel, but it continues to evade combat with my forces!
So what works to get rid of them?? More cavalry??

[Altaris]

The suggestion that was made was to create a separate stack with 1 cavalry unit in it, and set that 1 unit to offensive stance. Since cav have a high patrol value, they will normally spot sneakers and engage them. Then the remainder of the "big" stack can stay on defensive in case of an attack.

I did this and it did seem to help, but by the time I learned of it, it was too late and the pocket was opened. Shame really, that could've been a nice bag of Union pow's.

[veji1]

I think the key here would be to have lone cavalry regiments on offensive posture/green : It's enough to intercept a wagon, but would try to retreat rather than fight a big force.

Still it might be interesting to try to mod the retreat before battle odds a bit. It might not be purely historical, but when you put a general with a certain amount of force in a region you deem important, if you give him the orange posture it is because you want him to fight for it and retreat only if he either risks massive losses or realises he is massively outnumbered.

Basically for me the postures should be interpreted as :
red : fight till you can#t take it anymore, ie willing to wreck your force.
orange : give battle, you might then want to retreat quickly if the odds are very bad (and you might fail you retreat roll and risk massive losses, make it a difficult choice)
Blue : conservative approach, ie avoid battle altogether if the odds are not good and if committed, probing type of fight with high odds of retreat
green : evade combat.

WE can rationale all we want but when I give an orange posture to a stack I want it to give battle. Sure we might have to leave and learn we painful defeats where Polk in this example gives battle and then tries to retreat and fails and gets annihilated, but at least he gave battle...