Quote Originally Posted by English assassin
I might be wrong but calling off the attack before entering the battle gets you the "hesitant" vice whereas starting the battle but marching your whole army straight off the battlefield does not. I am not quite sure though because once I am on the battlefield I usually think I might as well have a go. I am sure that if you withdraw your general, rather than have him rout, he doesn't get "good runner" (but if he goes too many battles without combat he eventually starts down the "not so bold" line).

By way of a footnote to this, I'm playing my first ever MTW campaign at the moment and I've had princes who have the 'good runner' vice right from the first turn where they have appeared in the game, which at least one has retained through his period as king, even though he either hasn't been in battle or at least hasn't lost any of them.

I've read elsewhere that the V&V's are somewhat random. The number of characters I've seen where they have two completely contradictory V&V's (eg 'courageous' and 'good runner') at the same time is quite surprising to me.

It's also true that these can be acquired through combat results though. Having checked the stats of an AI general I've just beaten, they do pick up 'good runner' when they definitely didn't have it previously.

I have aborted an attack (see next message) but haven't come across 'hesitant' V&V yet - at least not on any of my generals.