Casualties & Retreat

[RtG]

Hi guys, I've read the manual but am not quite sure on one thing about combat. I understand that casualties are dead and so disappear but what about retreating subformations? I think but am not certain that they are returned to an HQ unit and then need to be transferred - can anybody confirm if that is the case and any logic behind it? (i.e. how long they take to return to the HQ, whether they go up to the next HQ or all the way to the top)

Thanks,
Rob

[seille]

retreating troops go back to a neighbour hex under own control.
If encircled they surrender.
 
 

[Snoman]

During an attack some of your troops may retreat. It isn't untill there are no more troops fighting that the unit retreats. If you are defending and there is a hex nearby to retreat to, the unit moves there. If you are attacking, the attack is called off.
The other possibility is that some troops will retreat, but the unit will still win the battle. In this case, there is no effect other than the loss of readiness the unit will suffer.
I hope this explains your question

[seille]

Yes, you´re right snoman.
I calculated with only dead/retreating troops and no survivors [:D]

[RtG]

If you attack a unit and say kill 50% of the unit, cause 25% to retreat and 25% remain then the 25% that retreat don't appear to stay in the unit but rather go back to the nearest HQ... or am I imagining that?

[seille]

It´s like Snoman said.
In your case the 25% retreating are just out of the combat for the remaining rounds, but they would stay in the hex since there
are survivors and not the whole unit retreated. After the batle you would have a unit in bad shape with 50% of the original troop numbers.
Play some turns, fight some battles and you´ll see how this works.
 
 

[mtvaill]

It would be better to use the term 'disengage' than retreat, when talking about some unit members retreating during the battle while others are still fighting. Think of them as cowering in their foxhole or hiding behind a tree while the rest of their unit continues to fight. Only if all the members (survivors) of a unit disengage does the unit itself change hexes. Or surrender/get annihilated if they were surrounded.