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<blockquote data-quote="Chimera" data-source="post: 1624960" data-attributes="member: 2002">I recently had this discussion with a new game group I joined, asking (rhetorically) &quot;why do the last two Orcs stand and fight to the death when all their buddies have been slaughtered like flies?&quot;&nbsp; I pointed out that IRL combat, 20% losses would be considered severe, 50% losses would be considered catastrophic, with entire units disbanding and the battle turning into a rout.IMO, it's one of the problems of gaming, and not just RPGs.&nbsp; This &quot;every battle must go to the bitter end&quot; mentality.&nbsp; The old adage is &quot;paper soldiers never die&quot;.As far as individuals running off to chase down those who flee, that's another issue that's distorted by the mechanics of gaming.&nbsp; Would you seriously run off into the trees to track down a retreating foe?&nbsp; (Sure, you might move faster, but can you catch me in the trees?)&nbsp; What happens when, 300 yards away and out of sight, you are ambushed by more of his friends, or by something completely different?&nbsp; &quot;I dunno, Bob ran off and never came back.&nbsp; We never found him...&quot;&nbsp; It also makes me think of the Mongol tactics, where they would deliberately retreat, simply to lure the overconfident enemy into an ambush.And that's besides the entire issue of earning a reputation for doing such things (and how that can be used against you).</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Chimera, post: 1624960, member: 2002"] I recently had this discussion with a new game group I joined, asking (rhetorically) "why do the last two Orcs stand and fight to the death when all their buddies have been slaughtered like flies?" I pointed out that IRL combat, 20% losses would be considered severe, 50% losses would be considered catastrophic, with entire units disbanding and the battle turning into a rout. IMO, it's one of the problems of gaming, and not just RPGs. This "every battle must go to the bitter end" mentality. The old adage is "paper soldiers never die". As far as individuals running off to chase down those who flee, that's another issue that's distorted by the mechanics of gaming. Would you seriously run off into the trees to track down a retreating foe? (Sure, you might move faster, but can you catch me in the trees?) What happens when, 300 yards away and out of sight, you are ambushed by more of his friends, or by something completely different? "I dunno, Bob ran off and never came back. We never found him..." It also makes me think of the Mongol tactics, where they would deliberately retreat, simply to lure the overconfident enemy into an ambush. And that's besides the entire issue of earning a reputation for doing such things (and how that can be used against you). [/QUOTE]

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