Slitherine

I had another puzzling result today that I'm hoping someone could explain:

I had an elephant unit steady at 100% strength in clear terrain. It attacked a medium infantry unit in clear terrain, suffered 2% losses, and immediately dropped to Fragmented, even though it was at 98% and had only been involved in one combat. Elephants generally seem a bit fragile (ie, often lose cohesion even if they only suffer 2-3% losses), but this was a rather extreme...

76mm wrote:I had another puzzling result today that I'm hoping someone could explain:

I had an elephant unit steady at 100% strength in clear terrain. It attacked a medium infantry unit in clear terrain, suffered 2% losses, and immediately dropped to Fragmented, even though it was at 98% and had only been involved in one combat. Elephants generally seem a bit fragile (ie, often lose cohesion even if they only suffer 2-3% losses), but this was a rather extreme...

Check out the Cohesion Tests part in the index, its a little convoluted but if a unit suffers a major defeat in any one impact or melee combat it rolls with on a negative modifier on the cohesion loss table, if it rolls badly there it can suffer 2 drops in cohesion from one combat (the # of men/elephants is inconsequential)
I believe the definition of a major defeat isnt directly defined but suffering more hits than it gives in that one combat etc give you cumulative penalties when rolling for cohesion loss.... roll bad in the combat and then roll bad for the cohesion test you could lose 2 levels

Yeah, I've seen this before if a pike unit crushes a LF unit, for instance, inflicting 25% losses or something...but 2%?? I mean really, how by any reasonable definition can that be called a "major defeat"? Many other times I've seen units lose up to 20% without losing any cohesion (of course usually they do lose one level, but...).

Okay, must have taken 1 hit (and got the minimum 2%) and scored no hits itself. So it lost the combat and had to roll cohesion.

It then rolled either 2 on its cohesion test (a 1 in 36 chance) and ended fragmented. I assume it was in command and so got +1 on its test.

Equally, 20% could be 4 hits. Assuming in command and still above 75% strength, the unit passes on a 7 or more so just over half the time).

I had a situation today where a Fragmented LF archer in melee with steady Armoured Cavalry actually won (or if it was a draw then it killed more than lost).

I'm not worried by this though, because it is probably the only the second time I've seen anything like this over 3.5 months playing (and a play for a few hours every day... thinks - must join the thread on FoG taking over life ), so it just highlights what is possible, not probable

Unfortunately, it routed on the next go

Morbio wrote: over 3.5 months playing (and a play for a few hours every day... thinks - must join the thread on FoG taking over life

Acknowledging you have a problem is the first and biggest step. You are more than welcome to join the thread