%losses to destroy a group

[gkmetty]

I recently had the experience of having a group destroyed when experiencing 76% losses in a battle.  There was no chaos, no extenuating circumstances.  The report says my leader ordered retreat at 76%, the group is destroyed.  No extra attack nothing.

I know that I have had battles where my groups dealt out 90% damage and the opposing force survived.  How can a group be destroyed with almost 25% of its troops remaining?

[Draugr]

I believe there is also a factor of how well the group retreats. So it is possible to start your retreat at 76% but take additional damage due to fighting a fast opponent or perhaps a bad “die” role during the retreat phase. I believe being surprised can also effect these results.

[gkmetty]

I believe there is also a factor of how well the group retreats.   So it is possible to start your retreat at 76% but take additional damage due to fighting a fast opponent or perhaps a bad “die” role during the retreat phase.   I believe being surprised can also effect these results.

Thanks Draugr,  the battle was against a pop center so there was no pursuit and the description does not indicate any additional damage was taken.  My experience with Alamaze and bad die roles has always been negative so that is always a possibility.

[DuPont]

I agree that the text is confusing; particularly given that it says that the retreat was handled 'fairly well'. From a narrative point of view, I see it as the defenders on the walls just raining down arrows and oil so even as the attackers try to retreat, they are killed off before they can get away. But as you say, it lists your casualties at 76%, not 100%. I think it's just a quirk of how the report is done - I've also had cases where it says my casualties are less than 100% and yet the group was destroyed with all leaders. It probably was an unlucky die roll - I've seen those myself, though of course, sometimes I get really lucky ones, too.

[Ry Vor]

I believe there is also a factor of how well the group retreats.   So it is possible to start your retreat at 76% but take additional damage due to fighting a fast opponent or perhaps a bad “die” role during the retreat phase.   I believe being surprised can also effect these results.

Thanks Draugr,  the battle was against a pop center so there was no pursuit and the description does not indicate any additional damage was taken.  My experience with Alamaze and bad die roles has always been negative so that is always a possibility.

The Gray Mouser tells me no one can exceed his bad die rolls.  Seven personalities at the falling capital = 7  gone.  His opponents have had opposite results. (Major digression, but barely connected: a fair coin has turned up Heads 3x in a row.  What are the odds of the next throw being Heads?) 

Anyway, there had been so many early on in the Resurgence we used 3 different random number generators and had players with relevant knowledge test those results and all the random number generators are about the same.

So, combat losses and group annihilation.  Again, what is coded and what were design are amazingly close but there are elements where there may have been an undetectable variation.   The design says a brigade should be eliminated at 70% casualties.  The survivors muster in to surviving brigades.  Experience may change on that in surviving brigades. 

A different point is retreat criteria.  The tactical choice is only the base, and is affected by traits, artifacts and spells.

[Calidor]

Worst rolls for me were in the Championship game as the Red Dragon. Failed 5 times trying to exceed my guaranteed spell training levels... Unable to dispell any regional effects or domes = DEAD DRAGONS. UGH.

[gkmetty]

Thanks for the explanation. Ry Vor, you have a wonderful game, thats why I play. Any game that uses chance rather that definitive actions will have occasional bad results. I had one turn when I tried 3 kidnaps, 80% chance of success, 80% chance of success, and 90% chance of success. All failed. In games I have bad luck. I feel I've been lucky in life. I'll take the trade off.

[Eregnon]

To answer your digression, the odds of the next throw being heads is 50/50. The dice have no memory, and neither do coins.

Now, the odds of getting heads 4 times in a row is .5*.5*.5*.5, or 1 in 16, if I'm remembering my probability math correctly, but that's predicting several outcomes.

As to bad rolls, in a recent game I threw 4 spells that each had a 75% success rate. One worked.

[Strongwill]

But are you taking in account that on some of those bad rolls (whether spell or other), that the opposing member may of had an item or spell or such active to reduce the chance of such said action, and you may not have been aware of this? Just throwing this out here..