Possible retreat rule change for both BotB and DoM

[blahblah3502]

Something just happened in a game of DoM (benefiting me, rather than the AI - sorry, AI Axis general, your infantry crushed my infantry but your panzer spearhead is still cut off from supply by my single battered one point Soviet unit that couldn't find any space to retreat to ) which reminded me of a very similar situation in BotB (benefiting the other player, can't remember if it was AI or multiplayer) that happened to me before. I can only clearly remember it happening one time in BotB through many games I've played, so maybe that's why I didn't pay it much attention.
But the crowded and cramped "invasion start" situation at the beginning of DoM means I think that it will be much much more common in DoM. I wonder if a rule change might be called for?

The situation goes like this :

1) Player A sends in units that cut off a group of Player B's units from supply
2) Player B aims to rescue the cut-off units and attacks Player A's supply-blocking units with force.
3) Player B's killer panzer/T-34/Kelly's Heroes division stack (or whatever) batter Player A's blocking force and force them to retreat.
4) BUT! there is only neighboring space for 1 or 2 Player A units to retreat. 1 or 2 Player A units, even though they were battered down to 1 point strength,
are forced to stay in their original space, *so still controlling the space and cutting off supply to the beleaguered Player B units in (1)*!!
5) Player B throws up hands in frustration, this being the moment when the whole tide of war turns against the B side
6) [Note this situation could also happen in reverse - supply being maintained rather than cut off]
Suggested changes:
1) Let the can't-retreat Player A units stay in the space but *pass control of the space to Player B*
and maybe 2) penalize can't retreat Player A units with 1 extra damage point because they can't retreat( I think successful retreat already implies one point of damaged saved?).

[Meridian99]

I agree with you, had something similar happen to me where one almost dead unit stayed where it was. As I attacked it only with infantry I didn't have a breakthrough moved canceled, but I can see that happening too.

[s_nkarp]

Good points. There are also anomalous situations where an attacker wins a battle, forces a retreat, but is completely destroyed. Or both sides are destroyed. There's no "right" answer for what should happen with control (which is an abstraction in the first place) - as long as the game is consistent (which it is) the mechanic is really just a detail of the rules.