Question ref defending cities

[Drambuie]

Hi,

Quick question - do you need to have units in the city to stop the city being taken by an attacking force or do entrenched forces outside stop this? Or is it the case that the entrenched forces outside have a chance to intercept but sometimes miss this and allow the enemy to 'walk in' with no resistance if there are no forces actually defending in the city?

Thanks

[Mosby]

I'm pretty sure that the enemy would have to attack the force camping outside of it, due to that "enemy has to switch to an offensive posture" rule.

[soloswolf]

Inside the city: Forces who are defeated are completely destroyed.

Outside the city: They will defend the region and prevent the city from being taken. All the same, I usually put a token force inside the city to establish entrenchments that I can fall back into if it is a particularly valuable city.

[jackfox]

Hi,

Quick question - do you need to have units in the city to stop the city being taken by an attacking force or do entrenched forces outside stop this? Or is it the case that the entrenched forces outside have a chance to intercept but sometimes miss this and allow the enemy to 'walk in' with no resistance if there are no forces actually defending in the city?

Thanks

I've never seen this happen. The attacking force would have to engage your entrenched forces and defeat them in order to occupy the city.

[Drambuie]

Hmm strange then - I was holding Mobile and Pensacola with forces entrenched outside (for many turns) and suddenly they have both been taken by Confederate Alabama Defense and Florida Defense formations that seem to have appeared from nowhere - perhaps landed by sea. But there is nothing obvious in the turn messages at the bottom of the screen - no battles fought or anything, just 'Confederates have captured x' messages and my formations are still sat there in lvl 7/8 entrenchments. They were also passive but i'm almost 100% sure they weren't set to passive before (at least I never changed them to it deliberately)

Maybe i'll check the combat logs and see if anything is there

[soloswolf]

If you had conquered the city, then moved all forces ouside to hold the region, state militia can spawn to retake the city. This happens when there is a high degree of loyalty, and little troop presence to quell uprisings.

By the name of the CSA forces, it sounds like state milita spawns.

[Drambuie]

Ahh mystery solved I think ... reloaded the previous turn and they were indeed set to passive. Can't recall setting that at any point but must have done.

Thanks for the replies - did want to check the situation ref defending in/out of cities anyway *cough*



Ahh just saw the last message - guess they must have popped and moved in while my boys looked the other way!

[arsan]

This is a pretty theoric and strange situation but i guess that an enemy stack on evade combat (maybe cavalry) and orders to enter the structure could evade your army entrenched outside and take the empty city.
Just in case a left a little unit inside as garrison and my big stack outside.
Thats is effective also against popular uprisings who can pop up on very unloyal areas.
You never know how sneaky can the enemy will be
Regards

[Brochgale]

Hmm strange then - I was holding Mobile and Pensacola with forces entrenched outside (for many turns) and suddenly they have both been taken by Confederate Alabama Defense and Florida Defense formations that seem to have appeared from nowhere - perhaps landed by sea. But there is nothing obvious in the turn messages at the bottom of the screen - no battles fought or anything, just 'Confederates have captured x' messages and my formations are still sat there in lvl 7/8 entrenchments. They were also passive but i'm almost 100% sure they weren't set to passive before (at least I never changed them to it deliberately)

Maybe i'll check the combat logs and see if anything is there

Militia randomly spawning. It happens several times in various CSA cities that have been taken by Union but Union then moves it forces out of city and you have nothing to crush rebellion?

[Bertram]

I just have attacked the region in which Winchester is located (on all out assault). It was defended by a corps in the region and a militia unit in the town. I just fought the militia unit (destroying it in one round) and ended up in the town. The enemy unit outside the town was still outside....

My guess is that with the enemy in two stacks, you engage one (in random fashion?). The other stack has a chance of being added in the second and further rounds. If the enemy is destoyed in one round, no second rounds are fought, and the other stack might not engage. This might be influenced by the fact that after destroying the enemy in the town, you are supposed to be inside and the remaining enmy stack is outside and in defensive stance.