Combat and predictions?

There seems to be indications that combat itself is either turn-based or real-time:

Warlords are said to be able to "direct" battles, and we've seen examples of specific targeting, even followed by fleeing.

Ansom seemed to arrive to the battle with the wounded dragons after the battle was started.

But then, how exactly does mathamancy/predictamancy/luckamancy work?

Being able to predict the exact outcome of a battle in percentages seems to defeat the idea that the battle itself can be directed, as does being able to be particularly "lucky" unless it refers to unit bonuses.

I see no problem with the concept of combat being turn based like D&D, old final fantasy games, etc... each round or turn of combat of course being far far far shorter than the length of a "world turn." Warlords can still direct things turn by turn, people can try to flee when it's their turn, etc.

I realize that, but how can one *calculate* excact odds of winning a battle then?
Simply by comparing unit numbers and ignoring strategy, or is it some sort of actual divination?

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Originally Posted by Yenkaz

I realize that, but how can one *calculate* excact odds of winning a battle then?
Simply by comparing unit numbers and ignoring strategy, or is it some sort of actual divination?

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Mathamancy is magic, so i persume a divination. It can take different strategies into account the same way one predicts opponent's movements in chess and makes decissions basing on that assumptions.

Also in-combat decissions could be just an outcome of some hidden dice rolls, but it seems a bit farfetched. Personally i would choose the first option.

of course, Its possible that they use an Initiative system like in Games Workshop games. and I think the mathamancy odds predictor is just a number cruncher, like the mathematic calculations one goes through to determine whether Abbaddon or a Greater Summoned Daemon wins in a fight. (It's the Daemon if Abbaddon rolls poorly on his daemon weapon attack number rolls, but if Abbaddon gets a couple of high attack number rolls, like a four and a six, he wins.) so, It takes into account leadership bonuses, specials, yadda yadda, and feeds all the information into an algorithm, and spits out a probability of winning the fight.