partisan barbarians won't attack your partisans

[geofelt]

In a recent game, an exploring spy tipped a hut and was surrounded by barb partisans. I bribed two, leaving the spy to be attacked. The two partisans were ignored by the barbs! I moved them freely with the horde for several turns, and no attack. I suspect that if I had hidden the spy with a bribed partisan, it could have escaped.

[finbar]

Interesting theory. Sometimes - well, not very often, I have to say - the barbs simply don't attack, regardless of their unit. I've tipped huts, found barbs, waited for the demolition job, and the barbs have disappeared in another direction. Maybe they get called home for dinner or something.

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[Smash]

seems to happen to units with ignore ZOC flag more than others.Same thing will happen with explorers and dips/spys.I've had those units surrounded by hut barbs.Sometimes they attack sometimes they don't.Other times 1 or 2 will attack while others head off.I've seen it with freights also.

Barb partisans definitly seem to prefer pillaging and fortifying to attacking.

[East Street Trader]

Yes, they don't attack cities either.

[Scouse Gits]

Yes, many times I have been surprised that the barb partisans don't attack a unit opening a hut. Recently, whilst playing on a gigamap, they even left my spy alone!

During the same game, I was capturing cities where partisans were appearing. On one occasion my army of occupation was rather small, so a spy bribed a couple of partisans to boost the garrison. One turned out to be vet, the other not!

SG (2)

[tonic]

Agree with Smash that they tend to pillage and fortify which was one of the points in my concurrent thread. It is frustrating if one doesn't have the gold to bribe or sufficient attack units to clear their locust-like hold.

[SlowThinker]

In the past I noticed another situation where barbs neither attack nor move. I run a test:

It looks the scheme is roughly the following:
Barb has its target (in my test it was the closest city, but I suppose the target may be different). He wants to move to this target using the go-to path (Interesting observations on the effects of roads on trade). If there is a dip on the square in the go-to direction then the barb attacks without any hesitation. But if the dip don't stay directly on the go-to path and his ZOC hinders the barb to move to his target then the dip is unnatackable. The barb can 'sleep' many turns this way.
There may be no other types of units on the 'unattackable square', only dips and spies. Also partisans and explorers don't work.

[Ming]

Originally posted by finbar
Interesting theory. Sometimes - well, not very often, I have to say - the barbs simply don't attack, regardless of their unit. I've tipped huts, found barbs, waited for the demolition job, and the barbs have disappeared in another direction. Maybe they get called home for dinner or something.

As good a reason as any

I've noticed that too... every once in a while, your early searcher warrior will tip a hut, a barb horse appears, and then strolls away instead of attacking. Rare, but happens...

[Straybow]

Reminds me of someone's sig (roughly):
"I am Homer of Borg. Resistance is… oh, donuts!"

[rah]

Yes, it's always a plesant surprise when the hut barb doesn't attack and just takes off. Unfortunately it only seems to happen 1 every three games.