Army Battles?

mepbmlist
#1

I'm making a new Army Calculator for the next revision of Automagic, and
I would appreciate any insight anyone might have.

The new revision will accept data for 2 armies, and will show what
should happen if they fight, (who should win, how much they'd lose,
etc.), as well as possible Pop Center assault results. However, as most
of you know, much of how combat works is still "secret", even though
some of it is described in the rulebook. So, I've had to make a few
assumptions to come up with something as close to accurate as possible.
I'm listing some of the assumptions I'm working under below. If you see
anything below for which you have imperical evidence showing it to be
incorrect, (as in BOTH sides actual turn results PDFs), please let me
know.

1. The "Combat vs. a Pop Center" Strength replaces the tactics modifier
with 100 and divides by 4. (Training, Weapons, Tactics, Relations) The
current army calculator dropped tactics and divided by 3, which was a
more conservative interpretation of the army combat description in the
rulebook. However, recent evidence SUGGESTS that the new interpretation
is the correct one.

2. For an army attacking a PC defended by an army, it assumes you'll
lose the same percentage of war machines that you lost in troops during
the initial army-v-army battle.

3. I currently have no strong feeling for how troop losses are applied
in a mixed force army. I know that lower constitution troops take a
higher percentage of losses, but beyond that I have no concrete numbers.
So, I'm just going to have the results give the percentage lost and
approximate number of troops left.

4. I assumed that War Machines reduce the PC fortification value by the
exact amount for the battle, regardless of whether or not the
fortification is actually destroyed. In other words, the formula for
fortification value is: Final Fortification Value = Initial
Fortification - (War Machines * 200)
So, for 15 war machines against a Fort, it would be: 6000 - (15 * 200)
= 3000

5. I do NOT take the rumored "destroy vs. capture" bonus into account at
all.

6. Though this hasn't happened to me, I'm assuming it's possible to
capture a Pop Center, but still lose your army in the battle. (I'm not
talking about the <100 disbanding, but actually losing the
army/characters in the battle.) This would only happen for an army with
a very high strength and low constitution. (Archers come to mind.)
Anyone know anything different?

Mike Mulka

#2

Mike:

I know you want data, and I've only got impressions and anecdotes,
but here are my responses just the same.

1. The "Combat vs. a Pop Center" Strength replaces the tactics

modifier

with 100 and divides by 4. (Training, Weapons, Tactics, Relations)

The

current army calculator dropped tactics and divided by 3, which was

a

more conservative interpretation of the army combat description in

the

rulebook. However, recent evidence SUGGESTS that the new

interpretation

is the correct one.

I can't quantify it, but I can say that I have often been surprised
by a successful capture in a marginal case, but never by a failure
when the Holger Eichmann program predeicted a success. I agree that
the Eichmann formula was probably too conservative.

2. For an army attacking a PC defended by an army, it assumes you'll
lose the same percentage of war machines that you lost in troops

during

the initial army-v-army battle.

I've definitely seen that verified in army-vs.-army combat with no
pop center attack, and apparently verified in the case of an attack
on a defended pop center, though of course there is no independent
report of war machine losses in the army combat when the attackers go
after the pop center in the same turn.

3. I currently have no strong feeling for how troop losses are

applied

in a mixed force army. I know that lower constitution troops take a
higher percentage of losses,

I think you may be in error about lower constitution troops in a
single army. When there are different troop types in a single army
they all suffer the same ratio of casualties. Where there are two or
more armies, however, the casualties are apportioned among armies by
number of troops, so an army made up of 1000 MA might be wiped out
while an allied army of 400 HC might survive the battle and be
victorious. Thus, in a multi-army battle the army with the lower
constitution may take a higher number of losses.

4. I assumed that War Machines reduce the PC fortification value by

the

exact amount for the battle, regardless of whether or not the
fortification is actually destroyed. In other words, the formula for
fortification value is: Final Fortification Value = Initial
Fortification - (War Machines * 200)
So, for 15 war machines against a Fort, it would be: 6000 - (15 *

200)

= 3000

Yes. I asked GSI about this some time ago. They confirmed that your
theory is correct, and my play experience bears it out.

Best,

Mark Jaede