Quantum tunneling?

[MarkShot]

Okay, I know that I can isolate units in one turn. And in the next turn I eliminate the pocket such that they ultimately are destroyed or surrender.

But I didn't have time and needed to keep advancing (or so I thought). So, I established blocking line preventing a dozen or so enemy units from getting to relative safety. The line was anchored by the sea on one end and a lake on the other. From the other direction I attacked these units. I expected that they were effectively trapped. But instead they retreated/routed through my blocking line. How do they pass through my units as opposed to being halted?

I suppose this means that it really pays to isolate, since this marks them for destruction rather than escape?

Thanks.

[tyronec]

How do they pass through my units as opposed to being halted?

Retreating units will take extra losses as they move past a ZOC, but they are not stopped by it.
Routed units don't move, they teleport.

[Joel Billings]

True, but the routing units do take extra "retreat losses" as part of the rout. But the best thing you can do I suppose is make someone retreat several hexes through zocs, and then rout, in which case they likely have more chances for retreat losses than if they rout immediately. Nothing you can control though. And yes, you must isolate units in order to prevent them from escaping a pocket. That's are way of dealing with a turn based system and weekly turns, with no time to react to an impending encirclement. The player has to decide does he want to focus on building a pocket to trap units, or simply making them rout away so he can keep moving faster.

[MarkShot]

Thanks for the explanation!

[tyronec]

But the best thing you can do I suppose is make someone retreat several hexes through zocs, and then rout, in which case they likely have more chances for retreat losses than if they rout immediately.

I don't think you can expect to accomplish this very often. Yes, force them to retreat through multiple ZOCs when you can and then attack them again for the rout but most of the time just going for the subsequent attack rout is going to do good damage. Rout casualties are way more significant than ZOC casualties in most cases.