Reinforcments

[easytarget]

I must have missed a change in the reinforcement dynamics at work in Rome 2. I've found on multiple occasions that two stacks standing literally on top of each other do not get listed as reinforcing each other when brought into battle. The AI has repeatedly in my current campaign run up and engaged one of the two stacks and my expectations that the two stacks for my side would combine did not come to pass, creating some problems for me.

Is there a new games mechanic at work here? I never recall encountering this in Shogun 2, if I had the yellow arrow indicating the two stacks were close enough to reinforce then when an engagement took place that's exactly what happened.

Now I've repeatedly had that not happen, and in this last occasion I purposely put the two stacks standing as close to each other as you could place them. Nothing?!

What am I missing here?

[Hooahguy]

Agent attacks frequently prevent reinforcing armies as a side-effect. Pretty nice actually when it works in your favor. With enough agents you can whittle down a bunch of enemy stacks close to each other to something more manageable with agents.

Though if there were no agent attacks on your forces, then I dont know whats up. Though I will mention that if the enemy agent does an action that prevents your army from reinforcing then an enemy army attacks, you wont know until after the AI turns are done.

[easytarget]

Ok, I'll keep an eye out for agents at work in the vicinity. I'm already in the habit of accompanying the troops with agents to keep an eye out, now I'll make double sure to have them around on the look out.

Speaking of agents hindering stacks, how exactly do I verify the results of my agents success? For example, on any one of the options it is listed as a percentage to success, does that mean then if it is a success the stack affected is completely hindered from moving, and not just to the percentage listed? IOTW, the percent listed is percent to occurring and not percent of effect. Right?

[Hooahguy]

Its the percentage of the chance for success.

Check the enemy character's stats, under their portrait. I remember it would show on the right side, it will say any penalties they are incurring (red circle I think, such as they cant act or move next turn. Of course they will only be stopped if you had either a successful attack or you were able to hinder them.

Hint: if an enemy agent is hindered, dont bother sending any more agents against them until next turn. Not only is their resistance to your attacks increased (I believe they have an added +10 chance to foil or kill your attacks after the first attempt), they cant act the next turn anyways so why waste the money and more importantly, the lives of your precious agents?

[easytarget]

Ok, when I jump back into this one I'll look for that, thanks!

[Slaists]

If an AI agent succeeds with any kind of mission on your army, the side-effect is that the target army cannot join as reinforcements.

There are alternative scenarios though. If the AI has a general with night attack ability: he can pick your armies off one by one (no agents needed). This is highly unlikely however. The AI usually does not get their generals specialized this way.

Another possibility is that all your armies are in forced march stance. Armies in forced-march stance can be ambushed. Ambushed armies do not get reinforcements.

[easytarget]

Very good deduction Slaists, I believe at the time I had forced marched both stacks to get them across a body of water (this is up in Britannia), so while they were standing right on top of each other they were both forced marched to the spot where one of them was ambushed.

And that brings up a good reason to seek out the night attack for my generals, something I'd not pay much attention to up to now.

[Bramborough]

And that brings up a good reason to seek out the night attack for my generals, something I'd not pay much attention to up to now.

Worth noting, the pre-requisite is +movement%, which is also great. So it's not a case of having to select some meh attributes in order to get to the goal. I rather like the Cunning tree for generals.