I don't get it.

[nuts]

So I'm playing as germany on regent, doing fine, have France boxed in, taking their cities. I get down to two left, I sent my 9 swordsmen in thinking It will be over soon. I wait a turn until they all can attack, then proceed. I then sit in horror as all 9 of my swordsmen are completely destroyed by one spearman. Yes I am sure it was one, I was able to do a single bar of damage, which remained the same throughout the slaughter.

Am I missing something about the combat system here? There were no walls, the city population was 4, and on a plains square. Is there some sort of modifier I'm not getting? Or does the computer just out right cheat me? I've seen it build spearmen on the turn it captures a city, with 1 population and despotism, It wouldn't shock me if it had a magical hat of %500 defense.

[Bubba_B]

Its happened to me both ways, he slaughters me I slaughter him. There might be a calculation bug or somthing that causes this. Its as if the defenders HP stick at one point and don't move.
Don't happen often(and not to the scale you described), but it has happened to me.

Still like the game.....

[General Ludd]

Damned computers and their magical hats!!

I've also experienced this both for and in my favor. Although it is rather annoying, I personally don't mind vast streeks of luck like that... adds to the chaos that war really is.

[Altuar]

I saw the same thing as well - down to riflemen (d:6) defending against modern armor - where the said riflemen got 4 tanks in a row. Oh well. I had 30 more bearing down on that city so I didnt care much.