Cowards.

**johnhughthom** · 02-02-2010, 10:52

In my current Casse campaign I'm at war with the Romani. In a lot of battles I've fought their generals have routed off the field, one in particular kept running away then coming back with another army. I remember in MTW if generals ran off the field they got the cowardly line of traits, I didn't play vanilla RTW for any real length of time so I can't remember if it was part of that. So basically my question is, is it possible to give generals who run bad traits for doing so?

**Cute Wolf** · 02-02-2010, 10:57

Afaik in EB, they'll get coward line traits.... If they are your general (not the AI's own)

Well, that was done to give the players more challanges (BTW, in M2TW, coward line traits are quite punishing)
Next time you face him, bombard his tiny squad of Bodyguards with Iasotae, so He'll dead and cause you no more trouble

**johnhughthom** · 02-02-2010, 11:10

You know I have never had a general get coward from routing, it hasn't happened very often but when it does I always check.

Oh and don't worry, the Romani dog is dead already!

**Cute Wolf** · 02-02-2010, 11:31

That was happened because human players often protect their bodyguards, or use them in smart way, so they are more likely to die than routing (believe me, you never charge head on with one lone general unit don't you, except when roleplaying utterly brave (or stupid) general? But the AI often use near suicidal charges, but due to HP Bonus, their general will rout instead of die

**SwissBarbar** · 02-02-2010, 16:47

If a battle is lost, the general should retreat and come back with another army. That's smart, not cowardly. A Roman generla fighting like a Sweboz warchief to death? Noooooo

**athanaric** · 02-02-2010, 16:57

The worst kind are those who attack you with an inferior stack (2 Klerouchon Agema plus some crap unit vs your own, well-balanced full stack

), then withdraw through their own infantry unit, thereby escaping you (thanks to the engine's most retarded feature - auto-engage, which makes your pursuing cavalry fight the infantry unit instead). Then they come back, with a full stack of mercenaries they've conjured out of thin air.
I've even used assassins once or twice on these cretins, although I generally never use them on generals. But it's just so bloody annoying.

**Macilrille** · 02-02-2010, 19:58

If a battle is lost, the general should retreat and come back with another army. That's smart, not cowardly. A Roman generla fighting like a Sweboz warchief to death? Noooooo

I bet you the German warlord would drool at the offer/chance...

There are a few examples of Roman nobles becoming heroes be engaging Gallic champions in single combat and (of course as Romans wrote our histories of such), thus becoming famous heroes.

**Aemilius Paulus** · 02-02-2010, 22:08

Originally Posted by Macilrille

There are a few examples of Roman nobles becoming heroes be engaging Gallic champions in single combat and (of course as Romans wrote our histories of such), thus becoming famous heroes.

Tehehee, so I read too, but what of the ones that lost?

As much as I love the Romans, I bet hundreds of youthful Roman fools have thrown themselves on the swords of enemy chieftains... Only to be forgotten, due to the wounded national pride of the Romani...

**Weebeast** · 02-02-2010, 23:03

Actually one time my original Aurelius Cotta gained a command for retreating. It was either outside Ambrakia or Epidamnos (not sure) but it was wooded region without actually having the trees graphic on the map. I had bad intel. Since I was outnumber I tried to intercept the reinforcement and to my surprise the initial defending stack marched up hill to help. It was going down hill from then on. I didn't want him to die as you can see he starts at the beginning as rather a very young s/c/v family member so I had him retreat as soon as all my "fight to the death" units die. His army was down to no more than enough to not get 'deleted' from campaign map.

**johnhughthom** · 02-03-2010, 00:22

Originally Posted by SwissBarbar

If a battle is lost, the general should retreat and come back with another army. That's smart, not cowardly. A Roman generla fighting like a Sweboz warchief to death? Noooooo

I'm not necessarily talking about the entire battle being lost, just when his unit gets so decimated he routs. I doubt the Romans would have looked kindly at that, though probably more due to the stupidity of getting into such a situation more than cowardice.

**athanaric** · 02-03-2010, 00:51

Incidentally, the Romans took up this pre-battle (or instead of battle) duelling during later imperial times against the Sassanids. Though the two occasions I can recall off the top of my head, they named Romanized Goths as champions (who both won their respective duel against their Persian counterpart).