RNG
The randomness built into damage, penetration and shell placement, and the standard explanation for any shot that went wrong.
Also known as random number generator, rng gods.
Three rolls happen on every shot: where in the aiming circle the shell lands, how much penetration it carries, and how much damage it deals, each varying by up to a quarter around the average.
The spread is deliberate, and it is why a single battle proves nothing about a vehicle and why statistics are read over thousands of them. It is also why a shot that had to land, did not.
Related terms
DispersionThe size of the aiming circle at any moment, which grows with movement and shrinks as the gun settles.PenetrationHow much armor a shell can defeat, in millimetres, rolled plus or minus 25 percent on every shot and compared against the effective thickness it hits.Alpha damageThe damage a single penetrating shell deals, before the plus or minus 25 percent the game rolls on every shot.BattlesThe number of battles on an account or a vehicle, and the sample size every other statistic has to be read against.