I decided to play a few quick battles to sharpen my skills as a general. I still don't know if I won this one.
It was a battle where I as Vikings stormed a Pictish fort in winter. The Viking forces are total crap - three artillery units (valor 2), two peasant units and 5 or 6 Raider cavalry units (IIRC, one of them valor 2, the rest 1 or 0, some of them have weapon upgrades). The Picts have 2 or 3 dismounted noblemen units, a mangonel (which is the general), a couple of pictish cavalry units (without crossbows - ) and one unit of Celtic warriors. The fort has a bailey.
I tried several tacics breaching walls of the inner courtyard (from the outside), or the outer courtyard in two places with the same result - total routing of my Vikings. It was the third or the fourth attempt that succeded (in a way). I knocked two holes in the walls of the bailey, exterminated the garrison and then my troops breached the inner wall in two places and one unit of Pictish cavalry and Celtic warriors came down upon my rather battered army. It was routed after a fierce melee and the Picts went out of the fort to pursue it. I managed to rally the rest of my forces and routed the Picts. And here starts the inexplicable.
I got a message that my enemy was fleeing the field. As you might know, in siege battles if the besieged are routed, they don't leave the battle field but escape into the fortification and stay there until they are totally exterminated. It was exactly the way it happened in my battle - but with the outcome that when I pursued the rest of the Picts (who were fleeing the field, as I was told) into the fort they turned at bay at routed my Vikings again, this time finally - my troops fled the field and I was asked to wait until the conflict is resolved. The Picts stayed put and I waited and waited - and nothing happened. Then I hit esape button and saw a window which informs what units were engaged in battle and what are their casualties. At the top of the window I had the name of my general (something Hardrada) and the word "victory" beside it. When I pressed the OK button on this screen I got another window which pops up at the end of each quick battle to say what are my and my enemy's casualties and valor. And guess what - the top of this window proclaimed my defeat.
So, what is it anyway - did I win or did I lose?
Bookmarks