Battle

Battles are one of the most important features of the game. They are why troop leaders command units -- why they are called "troop leaders" in the first place! Through battle, realms live and die. Fortunes and reputations are made and lost.

When does a battle take place

A battle will take place when:

• The armies of two enemy realms meet in the same region.
• The armies of two neutral realms meet in the same region, and at least one unit is set to aggressive.
• The armies of two allied realms or two realms who are in peace meet in the same region, and at least one unit is set to murderous.
• The armies of any realm meet a rogue army.

In order to take part in a battle you will only have to travel to the region in which the battle will take place. You shouls also make sure that your unit's settings are set properly (you don't want to end up slaying, or get slaughtered by, your friends).

Rogues are hated by all. Rogue troop leaders represent a huge challenge to the very core values of BattleMaster society, just by virtue of holding armies, but swearing allegiance to no realm. Therefore, they are always attacked on sight. Monsters and undead, when they appear, are always rogue.

Preparing for a battle

There are several things which can be done on the eve of a battle, if one is anticipated. Line settings are usually given out, in whichever manner is chosen by that realm -- usually line settings are given as orders.

The realm which holds the field may dig in, constructing very basic fortifications around their camp as a mild deterrent and safety measure. So long as the unit remains behind their fortifications, they will be slightly safer than in the open field. Digging in takes a solid six hours of work, however.

Individual units may also decide that they do not wish to take part in the battle, and may either travel to a different region, or give orders to attempt to evade battle. Many commanders may consider this cowardice, however, and a troop leader who flees battle may face considerable repercussions.

How it works

All battles are calculated during the turn change. Battles take time -- especially long battles may take so long that you are left with too few hours to do anything time-consuming (such as digging in) the following turn.

The armies left standing when the battle is over control the field. The realm that controls the field often has many more options available to it than they would otherwise. Even if your realm won the battle, if your unit was driven from the field, it is considered defeated.

Only a troop leader whose unit held the field until the very end of the battle may:

• Do civil work
• Do police work
• Repair or tear down fortifications
• Looting
• Forage the battlefield
• Hunt defeated foes
• Attempt to take over the region

(These actions are of course subject to other constraints, such as unit size or ownership of the region)

When you win

Taking part in a battle will gain you Honour and Prestige. How much you will gain of either, depends on:

• The size of the battle.
• How long the battle lasted.
• How much honour and prestige you already have.
• How often you participate in battles.

Depending on what kind of unit you command, you might also improve your personal skills. Commanding any unit in battlefield gives you experience in Leadership. Commanding an Infantry or Special Forces unit will improve your Swordfighting skill. Commanding a Cavalry unit will improve your Jousting skill. There is no Archery skill, so commanding an Archer unit will not gain you anything special. The chances of improving your skill depend on:

• The size of the battle.
• The current level of your skill. The higher your skill, the harder it is to improve.

Your unit might also gain some training and/or cohesion. Again, the amount of each depends on:

• The current training/cohesion value of your unit.
• How long the battle lasted.

When you lose

During a battle both sides probably suffer casualties, to both the troops and troop leaders involved. Casualties include both the dead and wounded. Wounded troops stay with your unit until they either die or are nursed back to health. Wounded troop leaders and dead heros have their own problems.

Additionally, armies will seek to capture enemy troop leaders in the thick of battle, to be taken back to prison and held for ransom. Even armies which are defeated can still take captives. This occasionally leads to the situation where a person is captured even when their side won an overwhelming victory!

See also

• The Unit Settings page
• The Diplomacy page
• The Character page

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