Subverted army can't join allies in battle.

[Dead Guy]

Just thought I'd share this since I haven't seen anyone mention it.

Two Date stacks were hanging out near my stronghold yesterday, both with lots of Samurai. They had so many Samurai archers that I actually doubted I could defend the stronghold without some serious losses.

So I sent a ninja to sabotage one of the stacks and tried attacking the other one, and the one I sabotaged didn't get to join in the battle. Aftewards it was forceably moved out of my victorious army's zone of control and I could move back to the stronghold.

Quite a nice trick if you don't want to invest three points to get night battles capability!

I think I'll be training a few more sabotaging ninja in the future...

[Zim]

Interesting, there's a new use for my ninjas.

[econ21]

Yes, I've observed that. First time I tried it, it did not work so I wrongly posted to that effect in the skills strategies thread. However, it did work last night (ironically with a general I'd just invested in the night fighter skill with). I suspect the first time I subverted one army and then attacked that same army rather than the free one. Yet another Homer Simpson moment in my Daimyo's career.

[Monk]

Did this a few times myself in my Chokosabe campaign, and it gave me a whole new respect for ninja. By the end I had the max number of ninja supportable, and 3 dedicated to sabotage/spying. My armies don't go anywhere without a man of the shadows looking after them.

[econ21]

OK, now I am sure that this does not always work. I subverted an army next to a city and it still came on to reinforce the garrison. This leads me to think that my previous observation of the same phenomenon was not in error. I am not sure why sometimes subverting an army stops it joining it's allies and sometimes it does not, but my experience is that it is erratic. Best to get the stealthy/night fighter trait to be sure, I reckon.

[HopAlongBunny]

The program may "see" the adjacent army differently than the player?

It could be the way city defenders are coded: if it's adjacent then it is part of city defence. That way it is not a reinforcement, but part of what you are attacking.

Exception to the rule? or just variable as you said.

Worthy of some research methinks :)