[Skirmisher]

Fighting only happens when two gangs have ordered thier units into the same map on the same round, or a HQ is assualted.

Losing your HQ unit.

This is very bad indeed.

This is when the player that killed the HQ gets all remaining enemy units after the battle in that map. And of course the player with the dead HQ is finished.

This is the only way a player can be eliminated other than assualting the base map. In the event a player loses his HQ all other forces belonging to the player vanish from the map. Keeping HQ unit at HQ base might solve any worries of that type.
But then troops fight better with the HQ closebye.