There is a setting (found on the crusade in-game screen, *not* in game settings) that performs battles automatically. And importantly, the game tells you the result of the auto-battle and then you can choose whether to accept that result or fight the battle manually.
This has been a huge help in limiting the number of easy-but-tedious battles I have to sit through.
It was on by default in beta and it was all sorts of messy, for the record. Like, giving you a flawless victory on some super-tough unwinnable battle or a crushing defeat on something that was a complete pushover if done manually.
Oh yeah, it's a very messy system and would be completely terrible if you didn't get the choice to accept the auto-result or fight manually. Based on my experiences, my theory is that the auto-battler doesn't use General abilities. So if you're up against an army with lots of high-DR monsters (that your General's spells would easily kill), then the auto-battler sucks. But if you're facing an enemy army that is tough because of their General's abilities, then the auto-battler makes the fight much easier.
