Routing units

A question:
When all enemy units are routing and you are given the option to hunt them down or end the battle: does ending the battle let all those routing units get away? In other words do i need to continue the battle and manually hunt down the stragglers or does the computer kill off a certain % for me?

And a clarification:
All routing units are simply killed in RTW? Seems like no quarter given in Roman times but i was just curious because i do not remember seeing that listed in the differences between RTW and MTW.

If you let them go, they will fall back, regroup and merge on a friendly territory.
To make sure they won't come back, you have to hunt them down.
AFAIK, it gives no particular penalties, you'll just eventually gain the "bloodthirsty" trait.

true, routers bring less experience than fighting enemies,
but when it's time to chase routers, you no longer are here to proove your worth, are you ?

I always hunt down routers, though apparantly it gives you only a 1/3 or something like that, if i recall correctly.

And yes, i concour with Poulp, there're no penalties that i know of

The ai doesn't do it, so I don't do it either, unless they where my allies and decided to backstab me, then I may hunt them down.

I just put myself in the position of an army general. If i face an enemy, and i beat him, i want to beat him so hard, that it will never rise up against me. So every time i get the chance to kill the routers i do so. If i don't, then, those that i let to get away, will regroup and attack me again. Military speaking it isn't efficient.

I never feel happier than when I see a big 0 in the enemy remaining colum. After all over 80% of losses sustained on the batttlefield in ancient times were in a rout. After a man with his back turned on the enemy cannot defend himself so IMPO he deserves to die. I also have a rule of disbanding any unit that routs..... I am still waiting for CA to add the Decimation option for all units/legions

Usually I hunt them, but if campaign meant to be fairly played, I give them exception (unless they betrayed me :martass: ) or not all of them.

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it gives no particular penalties, you'll just eventually gain the "bloodthirsty" trait.

true, routers bring less experience than fighting enemies,

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In a bridge battle (with gauls for example) this "pig-slaughter" is so massive, that my general immediately gets this wretched bloodthirsty trait, but with plenty of exp anyway :grin2:

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At the suggestion of a member of this forum, I tried the option of letting them go by ending the battle, strictly because they did not have the option to do it to me.

After a few battles in which the same armies attacked me again and again, my patience wore through, and rarely do I "end battle" anymore.

Most battles I fight are usually against a former ally who betrayed me. I'm not going to hand them their army back on a silver platter but rather on some stretchers. It is good to see a zero for the enemy men remaining.

I'd never considered disbanding units that had disbanded as it usually takes too long to replace them, and I usually am besieged at the same place every turn for as long as an enemy can send troops, or until I take the next city or town down the line. Example, Egypt betrayed me and started attacking Thapsus. Once I took Lepcis Magna, they forgot about Thapsus and started on the other. Then Cyrene, and now I have Alexandria. Every turn, at least one, and usually two of them are besieged by large armies that Pharaoh had standing around not doing anything. Unfortunately for them, Pharaoh is too cheap to upgrade their armour. I sally with silver armour and some with gold. They run away getting cut up all the way to the red line. Very few cross it outbound.

Strength and Honor

Celt Centurion

If you allow them to depart they will usually retreat and regroup at some distance. This often involves them retreating about 2 infantry full moves directly toward a major base, though they prefer close-by forts.

Depending on the casualties in a given unit, all or some of those forces may melt away. When a unit falls below 8 individuals it has some chance of ceasing to exist rather than merging into a survivor unit.

However, on occasion, enemy forces that you allow to retreat simply melt away and cease to exist. I'm not sure how this is triggered as it seems inconsistent to me.

This can happen to you as well. I recall a force of 5 carefully purchased horse archers that attacked a Pontic group and shot themselves dry with zero casualties. To avoid retribution, I retreated all of these units off the map, figuring that I would "lose" the battle, but not really being concerned as there had been no casualties. My force melted away (100% loss). Live and learn.

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Originally Posted by ciprianrusu

I just put myself in the position of an army general. If i face an enemy, and i beat him, i want to beat him so hard, that it will never rise up against me. So every time i get the chance to kill the routers i do so. If i don't, then, those that i let to get away, will regroup and attack me again. Military speaking it isn't efficient.

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Agreed.

My battles usually finish with Cavalry or Chariots mercilessly hunting down Routers. Even keep a Unit back sometimes just for that.

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Originally Posted by Seamus Fermanagh

However, on occasion, enemy forces that you allow to retreat simply melt away and cease to exist. I'm not sure how this is triggered as it seems inconsistent to me.

This can happen to you as well. I recall a force of 5 carefully purchased horse archers that attacked a Pontic group and shot themselves dry with zero casualties. To avoid retribution, I retreated all of these units off the map, figuring that I would "lose" the battle, but not really being concerned as there had been no casualties. My force melted away (100% loss). Live and learn.

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I've had a few armies melt away after a defeat as well. However, your loss of horse archers must have been a real kick to the backside.

As Scythians, I used them quite effectively against Thracians, but what worked to my advantage was that usually, Thracians attacked me. (Real brains there, falxmen attacking horse archers) My HAs shot their quivers empty and I simply took them out of Cantabrian Circle and ran them from corner to corner letting the Thracians chase them while my HAs had brief rests in the corner. Time runs out, and I have a victory.

If you are attacked, all you have to do to win is have even one unit stay on the field. If you attack, you must drive them all off. Do not attack if you don't think that you have enough to do that. If, you attack and have shot most of them and have run out of arrows and there are just a few left, run them down! Draw sabres and charge!

Strength and Honor

Celt Centurion