Great Leader Generation (mystery solved)

[Artifex]

I have noticed that I never get great leaders attacking out in the open with elite units. In all my games played the only time a Gl is generated is when I am killing off the >>Last<< defender in a city with an elite unit and thus taking the city. This usually comes when attacking a city with many defenders...and I usually have taken heavy casualties.

For example it goes like this. 12 horsemen attack 6 fortified spearmen in enemy capital city. I take bad losses lose 75% of my force..the last spearman is down to 3 bars. My elite horsemen attacks. He wins barely with one red bar.. *poof* rename unit screen GL created.

I am convinced that great leader generation occurs only when attacking a city. I am also thinking that it occurs possibly when an elite unit takes a city. I am also seeing that it happens after a tough battle when an elite unit almost dies (in the red).

I have tested this out over the last week playing sevreral games as Germany.

So to get a great leader.

1. Attack a city
2. wait until the last defender in the city is standing, then attack with your chosen elite unit (and cross your fingers).
3. Luckily if all goes well there is a 1/16 chance that that Elite unit will generate a leader whilst taking the city. I believ this is the only way you have a 1/16 chance to make a GL.

[DeepO]

You never had a leader appearing in the open? I had leaders in the open, both on attack and defense. I'm very certain, as I got 2 of them last night, both on attack... I think your theory is flawed

DeepO

[Artifex]

I never have them appear in the open. They always appear in the situation I described to a T.

[Solver]

It's just you... I have generated leaders in the open, and I have generated leaders by attacking yet another defender in city.

[Harovan]

I saw a GL generating in the open lately (the AU-101 game). Not my GL, but the AI's. I attacked a greek elite infantry in the jungle with a veteran tank. The tank died, and suddenly I saw 2 units on the infantry's place instead of one before. The 2nd was a GL ("Hector"). Sure, that I put all my effort in to kill it .

[Artifex]

Hmm. Guess I'll change my theory to "I'm unlucky".

[DeepO]

But of course, if you start to believe something, and then save your elites just for that specific situation, there is no way you will have another GL appearing... if you really want proof you have to almost exclusively test other situations than what you believe to be true. Proof by refutation, I believe the English term for it is

DeepO

[DeepO]

Sir Ralph, I saw over 5 AI GLs appearing last night... once it is finished you should try the MT V scenario, it is brutal. 5 GLs in 4 turns, while I got 2 myself, all in the open. But those 4 AI GLs could not be stopped without too much losses, so a few turns later 4 MA armies would have appeared... if only I could have hold my territory this far

DeepO

[Gastric ReFlux]

GLs will definitely appear in the open. I once had Xerxes send a stack of doom into my territory (it had about 150 infantry, riflemen, and immortals). I pounded it with artillery, and in one turn of dismantling the stack, I generated 4 GLs. The first one got made into an army which then was victorious. The second then rush-built the Heroic Epic, and I believe the next two hurried factories in two cities.

[candidgamera]

Gastric Reflex:

Thought that you could only have one GL at a time - that not so from your comments?

Self: last game during a 30 year war with Russians and British as Americans generated 3-4 GL's in the same 3-4 square area. Later founded a city nearby named "Sacrifice River" in commemoration.

[RedBird]

Originally posted by candidgamera
Thought that you could only have one GL at a time - that not so from your comments?

Only one at a time, but not only one per turn. There is no limit to the number per turn. Just use the GL so your leader box is empty again (in the mil advisor screen), and you're ready to go (provided you don't use an elite which has already gen'd a GL).

[Gastric ReFlux]

Originally posted by candidgamera
Gastric Reflex:

Thought that you could only have one GL at a time - that not so from your comments?

Self: last game during a 30 year war with Russians and British as Americans generated 3-4 GL's in the same 3-4 square area. Later founded a city nearby named "Sacrifice River" in commemoration.

You need to be wise in the way of using them. When I got the first leader, he immediately formed an army. Then the next immediately ran back, over railroads, to a city and built the Heroic Epic. And so on. Get one, use it as fast you can so your elites have chances again to produce GLs.

[RedBird]

Originally posted by Gastric ReFlux
Get one, use it as fast you can so your elites have chances again to produce GLs.

Just so long as you remember not to use the same elites.

[Blake]

I've never had a GL generated by attacking in the open. (I have generated them by attacking cities, but NOT always taking the city).

My best example of a GL generated by defending was a single elite musketeer in the middle of the AI territory (he got evicted into a single tile of neutral ground, two dozen tiles from friendly territory). So I fortified him and forgot. Many years pass and I go to war, he gets attacked. He generates a GL. He gets attacked some more. He dies, along with the GL. Well, not a happy ending. But he sure did generate the GL

And I've definitely got GL's when defending cities from infantry stacks of doom.

[Boris Godunov]

In one of my early games, I recall getting a GL when an elite unit of mine was attacked. Maybe my memory is faulty, but does anyone else recollect that happening? Lately, I've only earned them while on the attack.

But yes, you can certainly get them out in open combat.