Slitherine

just wanted to confirm autobroken behaviour.

1) troops in mellee take casualties during the mellee phase and this drops them to their autobroken level
2) they break straight away and neighbors test for seeing friends break as normal
3) they are broken so do an immediate route move at the end of the phase
4) they route again in the JAP as per the normal route/Jap rules
5) at the end of the JAP they are removed

Is this correct

part B what about elite 2 base battlegroups.
they are not at thier autobroken level even on only one base so presume they woudl continue to fight as normal with no route etc.. until the very end of the JAP when troops autobroken or reduced to 1 base are removed. Is this corrrect?

Anthony

Being reduced to one base is auto-broken.

Your sequence looks correct. Being auto-broken is no different to being broken by failing cohesion tests other than the BG will certainly be removed at the end of the JAP.

A) correct

B) a 2 base elite BG does not break immediately on losing a base but the BG is removed in the JAP and at this point I believe it counts as having broken. Having not fought many 2 base elite BGs I have not had to use that rule much.

In the rules it states that a unit that is reduced to 1 base auto breaks regardless, from experience of having those 2 base elite companions and having one fail its 1 hit death roll That makes for a quick auto break alright. Blathergut is always hoping I will roll a 1 for my death rolls on them.
Keep in mind that a unit that auto breaks and is in melee with an enemy will force that enemy to pursue them, and if they are still in base contact at the beginning of the JAP they will still have to pursue, can end up with them in some not so good spots depending on how the rout works out. Then you remove the routers and leave the pursuers all alone out there.

As per page 116 of the rules, Elite (and Superior) 2 base BGs which lose 1 base do NOT autobreak at the end of the phase in which they lose the base (therefore they can fight on in the subsequent melee phase if they lost the base in impact). They are removed from play in the JAP phase and at that point are treated as broken, triggering CTs for nearby troops.

Tricky wording, guess my boys could have made some last stand suicide fights in the past, will have to keep that in mind for future battles.

DavidT is quite correct - 2 base BGs of both Superior & Elite troops are only removed at the end of the JAP when they lose a base.

See page 116 - final paragraph.