Typo in shatter rule

[Courtenay]

The RAC 11.16.5 states:

SHATTER
If the result includes an ‘S’ (shatter) or a ‘B’ (breakthrough), put each surviving defending land unit in the production pool if it could have retreated. These units will arrive as reinforcements next turn. Destroy any units that could not have retreated. Clarification: If it is possible for only 1 unit to retreat and there are 2 or more units to retreat, then all the units will survive and the excess placed in the production pool to arrive next turn – provided the attacker changes the S/B result to a retreat.

It looks to me like that clarification is exactly backwards, and should read "provide the attacker does not change the S/B result to a retreat."

[Orm]

I suspect that this is the FAQ post that the clarification is based upon.

Q11.16-11 11.16.5
Question: 3 units are B'ed in a hex where only 1 unit
may retreat. If the attacker declines to
convert the result to a R, do all 3 units
survive to be placed on the spiral?
Answer: Yes.
Date 29/11/2007
Rule Quote: 11.16.5: If the result includes an ‘S’ (shatter) or a ‘B’
(breakthrough), put each surviving defending land unit
on the production circle if it could have retreated.

[Courtenay]

Yes, I think you are right. But whoever wrote the clarification got things wrong.

[paulderynck]

If you get S/B'd and you can't retreat, your units are eliminated and must be built again from scratch. If you get S/B'd and you can retreat, the attacker may force your surviving units to go to the next turns' reinforcements on the production spiral. But if the attacker instead opts to retreat the units, then they are retreated per the retreat priorities.

So the FAQ question (post 2) was asked. The answer essentially was: if the attacker wants to keep the S/B result then there is a retreat path and they all go to the spiral. If the attacker converts the result to a retreat, then retreat priorities are followed and two of the three units are eliminated. This amounts to the attacker choosing which two die, because he decides who retreats in what order and can retreat them one-by-one.

The only thing that strikes a bit odd is the wording in the question "if the attacker declines to convert the result to a R". It might have been better to word it: "If the attacker does not choose to convert the result to a R".

In any event, the games designer wrote the clarification. Some may disagree that that should be how it works, but I'm unsure why you would say it's wrong.

[Courtenay]

I understand and agree with the FAQ statement. The clarification, however, does not say what the FAQ says.

The FAQ says that if the attacker keeps the S/B result as an S/B, all the defenders will survive and be placed on the production spiral. Fine.

The clarification says:

all the units will survive and the excess placed in the production pool to arrive next turn – provided the attacker changes the S/B result to a retreat.

To repeat, the clarification say that all the units will survive and be placed on the production spiral if the attacker changes the S/B result to a retreat, which makes no sense at all. If the result is changed to a retreat, no unit will ever go to the production spiral. It might stay on the map, or it might be destroyed, but it won't be going to the production spiral.

The FAQ answers the question "What happens if the attacker does not change the result to a retreat?"
The clarification answers the question: "What happens if the attacker does change the result to a retreat?", and answers it with the same answer as the reply to the FAQ.

Now, I don't think for a moment that this is what the person who wrote the clarification meant to say, but it is what he said.

[paulderynck]

Yes, I see now. The RAC statement is incorrect. Not sure if this has been tested to see if the code follows the RAC or the FAQ.

[Courtenay]

It never occurred to me that the game might actually try and implement what was written in RAC. I just tested it, and MWiF behaves correctly: A convert to retreat destroyed two of three units, with one surviving, and a shatter put all three units on the production spiral. (Even if it isn't a spiral anymore. [:)])