If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know I’m a big fan of Too Fat Lardies Chain of Command. You’ll also know that my Dastardly Regular Opponent is also keen on the game. Before the Great Move, we had roughly scheduled gaming into our calendars once a month (the most frequent we could arrange due to the regular opponent being busy with other commitments). The problem with this arrangement was although we managed to hit pretty reliably, we ended up trying to play lots of different things. And as anyone bouncing around playing different rulesets can tell you, you end up having to relearn the basics every game.

Now we’re back to having free time, the Dastardly Regular Opponent and decided that it was time to begin anew. Time to focus on the game we both really enjoy playing, but then actually play it enough to really get the specifics of the game down. So for this reason, we’re planning on getting some Chain of Command campaigns going, playing that game within a framework that helps to make each mission have more of an effect than simply slamming the platoons against each other.

We’re going to need to do some planning (including selecting exactly where our battles will be taking place) but both the Dastardly Regular Opponent and myself are excited about getting to play some more Chain of Command

Before all of that though, we should probably actually play some of the game to make sure we still like the thing. And remember how the rules actually play.

Somewhere in Italy, sometime in the mid-war, a British Infantry platoon (commanded by myself) and German Falschjimgaer (under the Dastardly Regular Opponent) encounter each other around a substantial farming complex in the mountainous foothills. Each force is performing a patrol along the lines, resulting in what was supposed to be a meeting engagement.

The Germans rolled up a higher force morale value and managed to get a far better start to the patrol phase, a key part of CoC that effectively acts as a game BEFORE the game to determine how you’ll deploy. With the Germans starting their patrols in the centre of the board, they were easily able to advance and outflank the British, made worse by my troops arriving in the corner of the board that had the least cover. This means my jumping-off points (the position troops deploy from) ended up boxed in in the corner, right on the board edge or behind only light cover. Not ideal, but with the right amount of smoke or a double phase, a problem that could be fixed.

The Germans however decided to deploy quickly, jumping from their starting position into forward positions, attempting to stop the Brits before they could get anywhere. As well as FJs appearing in the main complex and the animal pens, a Recce team in half-track came racing down the road in what appeared to the British eyes as an attempt to Coup De Main my jumping off points.

Well, that had to be dealt with. And luckily the dice played ball.

Mostly – although I took a useful double phase early on, the fours (activating senior leaders) were unusable until I had enough to get my forces in position. I could have used the three to bring on an infantry section (and attach a senior NCO) to start advancing but they would still be vulnerable to Overwatch from the Germans in the buildings and all I had was, at most, light cover. Luckily I had something else in mind:

I will freely admit, the sensible reason for getting the Churchill on the board is to counteract the massive firepower advantage that German FJs have over British sections – it can churn out 6 HE dice (so 1 less level of cover) and 6 MG dice each activation all while in a package that would be tough work for the FJs to take out. But the main reason I want it on the board?

Tanks are cool. Chain of Command is mostly an infantry game, so it’s very rare that we actually get to put the heavy metal on the board.

And to drive my point home, my Churchill took the double phase, activated both times and in two shots utterly destroyed the Recce half-track barrelling towards it, including a kill on the team inside. Not a bad start! For a while, the tank would actually be my only unit on the board, putting gunfire while the commander was probably shouting over the radio wondering where his infantry support was.

Not that the tank actually needed it – the crew seemed pretty on the ball about dealing with any troops capable of damaging it. By holding back out of panzerfaust range, the tank was able to hammer rounds back and forth with little incoming fire. When the Panzerschrek team popped up in the animal pens, it only managed to fire two shots (neither of which hit) before a 75mm shell came right back at them, killing both members and almost injuring one of the German Senior Leaders.

Alas, not everything was going my way. The other team to activate in that second phase was the 2″ mortar team. Attempting to get myself some breathing room, I deployed these guys to drop smoke in front of the fortified position and prevent the deadly machine gun fire. Unfortunately, the first round dropped a little off to the right, leaving the mortar team entirely exposed. The Germans used this missed shot to hit me with two lots of MG fire and eliminate the team. A pretty major blow to my tactical planning as I was now without a smoke-laying device and still with my jumping-off points in the open.

The Germans were eager to take advantage of my corner deployment and decided to attempt another push around the flank to try and capture at least one of my jumping-off points. With one Trupp taking cover in the animal pens, the other pushed into the undergrowth and started advancing into a position where it could take my position. Losing a JOP would be a major issue in terms of morale, especially as Germans getting close enough to one would probably put them in place to advance and take the others.

In order to counter this, I managed to deploy one of my infantry sections as a desperate stand. They deployed, immediately fired (putting down some harm from close-range Bren and rifle fire)… and then almost immediately got caught in a crossfire from multiple enemy Trupps that broke them and forced them off the board in a single turn. It’s lucky I had done well rolling 5s that I could use a CoC dice to withdraw the JOP at risk, forcing the FJs in the undergrowth to have to cross the open space in front of the tank’s guns in order to fulfil their mission.

I start running out of pictures at this point but the basics were that the British found themselves boxed into a corner and unable to advance. Even deploying a section and then using a CoC dice to interrupt and push into the field still left me exposed and unable to make a breakthrough without getting ripped apart by MG42s. My last throw of the dice was attempting to push an infantry section in behind the tank, but this was quickly hit in the flank and forced into a gun line defence of the Jumping Off Points. Even this was not successful, with MG fire able to shoot over the tank and still cause some hits.

We sadly ran out of time but it’s safe to say the Germans had won this day. They would now be able to dig in on this map, prompting the British to have to come back for another attempt at pushing forward. Maybe with more armoured support.

Overall, this was a weird but fun game. The roll-off for spawn locations and the patrol phase basically took a hammer to my knee caps giving me probably the worse start I could have (not helped by dice that just wanted to roll 5s and 6s when you actually need a good mix). The Germans took advantage of this, managing to box me in and keep me on the back foot all game. What I should have done is pushed the patrol markers along the board edge rather than pushing to contact, giving me a wider area to deploy into (and with less open space to get caught in).

On the other hand, there was still some really interesting play. The Churchill tank reminded me just how useful but not overpowered tanks are – yes, 6 dice of cover-reducing HE is handy, but it’s still far less than an infantry section. Once I took out the Panzerschrek, and by sticking out of range of the panzerfausts every squad had, the tank was a good solid baseline. That said, the advancing germans did get me very concerned, with several phases where I couldn’t bring on friendly troops to assist as the panzerfausts crept closer.

A game like this really backed up our idea of playing Chain of Command in a campaign. Having to consider if the fight is worth sticking in or if it’s worth trading time for a better setup gives each game a bit more of an emotional hit and reduces the chance of the game turning into just slamming units together. Next month, we’ll start the campaign proper, probably going back to the desert. I just have to decide on which force I want to play…

February 6th 2022 – as the hordes descend on York Racecourse for Vapanartak, for many the first wargames show of the year, a few streets over in the local scout hut, a different horde was appearing. From North, South and even the wrong side of the Pennines, a group of friends assembled…

Surprise, it’s time for more Big Chain of Command!

The Dastardly Regular Opponent decided that we would be taking a trip to North Africa, thanks to his collection of adobe buildings and hessian sack matting. By pooling forces with the Creative Regular Opponent, they managed to assemble three platoons for each side, ideal for the number of players we managed to wrangle (until one unfortunately had to drop out due to illness).

It’s November 1941 and Operation Crusader is underway. As part of the offensive, New Zealand forces and British Guards are to capture a ridgeline outside of Tobruk to help break the siege and rescue the Aussies trapped inside the perimeter. Against them, the Afrika Korps and an advanced element of the newly arrived Fallschirmjäger have dug in, including several anti-tank guns that managed to push back the previous day’s armoured assault.

More intriguing is the arrival of two other platoons. For the Germans, a special unit has appeared in very small numbers and seems very interested in an ancient tomb under the sands. For the Allies, a group of scruffy Recce boys have arrived and are joining in the assault although they seems slightly distracted, looking for something in particular.

I was in charge of a British Infantry platoon, part of my fictional Scots/Yorks Regiment that would go on to be involved in Operation Carronade later in the war. My instructions were pretty simple – break through the enemy positions on the right flank, destroying enemy AT guns and minimising armoured casualties. Command had given me access to a 25pdr Stonk… and then I forgot to bring in a Forward Observer. Oops.

In the centre, the Recce Platoon (a modified Motor Infanry Platoon) was given to my former Housemate turned Delaque gang leader. Finishing off the British side, the left flank was the responsibility of the Creative Regular Opponent and his Maori Infantry platoon (and a lethally awful NZ accent).

In terms of support, we had a pretty large stockpile to be shared between us. Not quite the torrent that we had for Carronade, but enough that each player was able to pick up a toy or two. During our brief O-Group, tank support was shared among the three platoon, with the Recce calling in a Crusader (appropriate for a motor platoon) while the Infantry platoons took an infantry tank each to assist in the advance – the Queens of the Desert had arrived. Artillery also provided support – the Kiwi’s (obviously because the Creative Regular Opponent remembered the taste of being under a mortar barrage in Operation Carronade) took a FOO team while I decided to shell the rear areas with a pre-game barrage. The Recce platoon decided to expand their high speed assault, bringing up a Recce section in the carriers.

Finally, we decided to throw a curve ball – I’ve become a big fan of the snipers in Chain of Command and, although more designed for the defensive platoon, they might be handy to remove any defensive positions during the advance. We all decided to take a sniper which, in addition to one the Recce boys already had, meant we had a total of 4 of them available to deploy. Obviously too many officers have been spending their break in the deserts outside Cairo hunting game.

As the game began there was a general advance across the British lines… except for the Scots/Yorks. I wanted to see what the DAK directly across from me were about to do.

The Kiwi advance encountered it’s first issue as a German minefield was detected on the flank of the compound directly in front of their route. Obviously the advance party of FJs had brought their engineers with them, funnelling the allies through a more central killing zone that might actually catch two platoons in their firing arc.

My pause was rewarded as the DAK lines echoed to the sound of a 12 cylinder Maybach engine. A Panzer 3 rolling up was a concern but nothing too terrible for the moment. Hopefully I would lure it closer where the Matilda and the Boys could take it out (or at least remove it as a threat).

As the Kiwis and Recce boys advanced, they started taking fire from emplaced FJs. Thanks to the two more unconventional forces (in comparison to the stiff upper lip on my side of the board) getting along rather well, the call for smoke went out and was answered.

Due to the terrain, the Kiwis and Recce boys were both heading to the centre of the map, forced through a small gap between the compounds. It’s very easy to imagine the two groups pushing each other on with some shouted jibes. Or that might just be the two players.

On the other hand, “Clara” supporting the Scots and Yorks rumbled into the operational area, setting the stage for some possible tank on tank operations.

And it arrived just in time as the first section of the Scots/Yorks reached the lead compound on my flank after a brisk run. My intent was to use this first section to force the enemy to deploy some more forces so I could see what I was up against.

On the other flank, the FJs continued their long range firefight with the Maori, forcing them to hug cover and slow their advance.

The groups of riflemen in the centre continued their advance, crossing some of the depressions while their team mates put the fire down.

That bridge seems… oddly familiar

At this stage, the Germans grabbed a double phase. Thanks to the swing in momentum, the DAK were able to emerge from their positions in the centre of the town…

Before sweeping their way into the building. The building DIRECTLY in front of my advancing section. Time to prepare for an MG onslaught.

Note: Although the DAK are on the roof, we were treating them as being inside the building.

To add insult to injury, the Panzer 3 also began rolling forward slowly getting into a position where it could put fire down on the advancing British, as well as preparing for a tank on tank duel with the arriving Mathilda.

Luckily, fortune flowed back to the British and I gained a double phase. And with it, I hatched a cunning plan.

Okay, not so cunning. Using a Team dice, I advanced the rifle team and attached Junior Leader up to the windows. Then, with the Junior Leader’s two Command Initiatives… I handed out the frag grenades.

Posting the grenades through the openings, the explosions rumbled around the inside. But we weren’t done yet. In the next phase? The last of the frag grenades went through the window, accompanied by a collection of booms.

By the time the smoke cleared, the germans inside had had their ears well and truly rung. With one team almost eliminated and plenty of shock on both the grenades had been handy. But using them two phases in a row and they were now out… And the germans inside still had plenty.

The return grenades did some deadly work (although thankfully less HE dice to play around with due to the open air). Two riflemen out for the count and an additional point shock definitely slowed down the assault. The advancing Panzer was also a concern, although I doubt the riflemen could hear it after the ear ringing from the collection of stick grenades.

Now what’s going on in the centre…

Ah. A change of turn removes the smoke, putting the Recce chaps into a fire fight again against the enemy around the dig site. The terrain is causing a problem, with both the Kiwis and the Recce boys managing to get to the cover in the centre before getting pinned down in a hail of MG34 fire from the dug in DAK and FJs.

Seeing the Panzer 3 advance, the Platoon NCO and Boys AT team deployed to take a shot at it. The first round pinged off the armour, causing some concern but little else. Oh dear.

With the Germans taking the phase, they decided to put the force on. The Panzer 3 rolled forward, only able to rotate the turret to point menacingly at the British cowering by the wall.

At the same time, the squad inside the building were able to fire over the heads of the enemy outside, hitting the Bren team hard enough that it forced them to break and fall back.

The other team managed to shoot at the recently arrived Boys AT and oh man the DAK player rolled incredibly well. The team was immediately removed, leaving the Senior Leader in the wadi with some very suppressed Bren Gunners.

Overall, it was looking pretty grim for the Scots/Yorks. But that wasn’t the biggest news this turn.

It turns out our assault was merely a side show, a ruse. The Recce boys were here with a secret mission to stop the Germans from evacuating… a mysterious gold box!

After we all stopped laughing at the surprise reveal, I asked the Dastardly regular opponent how he’d made it. The Ark was converted from a Perry Miniatures stretcher party and carefully assembled so he can swap between then for less supernatural missions.

Of course, upon seeing the scrum of activity around the dig site and disregarding the possible clerical implications of their actions, the Kiwi player decided to use his FOO and bring the 3″ rounds on target. With the ranging shot landing basically on target, he called in the full battery.

Which proceeded to cover the entire area in a hail of explosive shells, including one that annihilated the team carrying the Ark, forcing them to drop it. Everyone else underneath the barrage were pinned in place.

As you might expect, the German Archaeological Boys were quick to use their Chain of Command dice to end the turn and clear off the barrage. The Sinister Colonel was also rather sharpish in pulling troops from the defenders to pick up the prize and get it away to the waiting half-track!

Speaking of the Germans, the FJs were a touch surprised to see the 2″ mortar land directly in front of them. Only slightly off target, but still enough to block the ongoing two way shooting range.

Meanwhile back on the Scots/Yorks side of the board, it was time for what we’ve all been waiting for… a tank battle!

Relying on the enemy being distracted, the gunner lined up the 2pdr on the Panzer 3 and…

The cameraman failed to line up the turret correctly

But also the gunner sent a 1.2kg lump of metal directly through the turret ring, blowing the Panzer 3 to pieces. Good job!

Buoyed up by the success of the Matilda, I decided it was time to really start my push on the enemy. First step? Deploy my second section and Senior Leader.

Second Step? Pop smoke directly in front of my position.

At which point the DAK player decided to not mess around with a possible advance and deployed HIS next section and set them up on overwatch covering my arc.

I also used this opportunity to break up the stalemate on the right hand side. While their Bren team may have been wiped out, the junior leader and part of his rifle team were still in the fight. With the JL activation, I popped smoke to mask the building before using the team activation to fall back behind the wrecked Panzer 3.

Looking across the board, the German FJs deployed their AT gun and then very soon after found themselves under an emergency mortar barrage (not bothering to wait for the ranging shot and luckily doing rather well! The FJs would find themselves under this barrage for a while, giving the Kiwi troops time to advance.

Perhaps more concerning for us was that the Germans had managed to move their prize into a nearby halftrack. With the Recce boys unable to intercede, it would fall to the armour to save the day (even if they didn’t know quite what was going on). Sighting in the speeding halftrack, the gunner aimed, fired and…

Boom, vehicle destroyed! And with that, the fate of the world as we know it has been saved, the Recce Commander had fulfilled the objectives without actually engaging it and some poor REME is about to be very surprised when he finds an untouched golden box in the burnt out shell of a half-track after the battle was over.

Of course, just because we’d taken out the shiny thing didn’t mean we’d won the whole thing – the two AT guns were still on the ridgeline stopping the general advance so it was time for an assault. With that, I deployed my second Senior Leader and my final infantry section.

Between my position and the enemy ridgeline, there were multiple enemy squads, each bristling with MG42s and in pretty reasonable cover. The smoke pots would provide some cover but to do this properly I’d need some good dice rolls and (fingers crossed) a double phase.

Luckily, the dice gods were on my side and gave me exactly what I needed.

Through the smoke clouds came thundering form of a Matilda II, closely followed by supporting infantry. I only managed to push one of the two sections forward, but it was enough to get the ball rolling on the assault. I’m sure nothing would stop them, right?

Turns out all it took was one German Senior Leader with a machine pistol in cover. The DAK at this stage were starting to look a bit wobbly and so, distracted by this chance to really kick their morale down, I initiated close combat with the separated DAK platoon leader. Alas, I only had enough movement get four of that squad into close quarters distance.

Between the command initiatives, the cover and the machine pistol, the German Senior Leader managed to gun down all of his attackers (including the junior leader) before being taken out. I’d done the job, but at what cost?

Turns out the cost was a lot. As the phase switched back to the Germans, the forward British infantry found themselves charged in the rear by the Infantry squad emerging from the building. Even without their handgrenades, they still managed to make short work of the Tommies, forcing them to flee across the courtyard….

And directly into an ambush from a MG34 team appearing in the building on the far side leaving no survivors. Well, the combined Infantry-Tank push was cool while it lasted.

In a similarly brutal bit of combat, the Maori infantry followed the barrage and engaged the Germany FJs hiding behind the rocky outcrop. Through the dust they rushed into melee.

Once it cleared, all that was left was one very angry German Paratrooper commander shouting for the Kiwis to come and have another go.

And then one of the Recce snipers popped up and took him out with a single shot. Another bad things happen roll!

Back on my side of the board, I decided that I should really focus back on doing my job and take the damn ridge line. Pushing the infantry through the enemy lines was a bad idea so I went to assist the Recce in the centre.

And then I had a terrible, terrible idea.

The Matilda crew would not have realised that their escort had been cleaned off. And between them and the ridgeline there was only one (so far ineffective) AT gun. It was possible some of the infantry might have an AT grenade but that was a risk I was willing to take.

Time for a death or glory ride!

With the assistance of a Chain of Command Dice to interrupt the German phase, my Matilda surged through the DAK lines. Scattering the enemy infantry before it (and with the Commander probably quoting Tennyson), the tank climbed the hill until…

Ramped over the the sandbags and onto the German AT gun. Seemingly the crewman on the right was only slight perturbed at sight of 25 tons of British Steel attempting to smash his position.

I will admit, at this point the rules were a little squiffy – we agreed the sandbag pile wasn’t really a fortification and so the team should have fled rather than have the tank ram it. We ended up playing it that the AT gun got a chance to make one final shot for the cinematic feeling. Once the dust cleared, all that it had done was stun the driver. Luckily forward movement wasn’t exactly a requirement any more – the British were on the ridgeline and had dislodged the German AT gun.

Having removed that threat, I realised that this could be leveraged into another hammer blow against the DAK force morale. Once my crewman was back in action, I could shift the vehicle to sit on the enemy JOP, shutting it down fully and then, with a waiting CoC dice, end the turn to potentially force the DAK player to retreat.

And honestly, removing one of the German platoons would be very handy right now. The Special Detachment and the DAK had managed to get both myself and the Recce player into a nasty crossfire that had stopped our advance.

Luckily my push went exactly as planned, the Adjutant pushing troops forward obviously much less enthusiastic about this with a British tank on top of him. With the turn ended, the DAK lost their last morale and were forced to rout.

With time marching on, the FJs (who had held out pretty well all things considered, despite being sat under a mortar barrage for most of the game) managed to deliver a final hammer blow. The Kiwis managed to push through the edge of the minefield with a second assault attempt but were halted in place when finally, after a whole game being worried about them, a German AT gun managed to blow the supporting Matilda to pieces.

At the battle end, the Allies had just about managed to achieve an overall victory, hitting two of their three objectives. Overall, it had been a meat grinder of a game, with the German MGs causing havoc only for the British mortars to answer back. It was also incredibly fun – I really like the Big CoC format, it makes you feel like you’re one platoon commander alongside many, with lots of back and forth trying to arrange combined assaults to overwhelm the enemy.

Personally, I’m just really happy I managed to smash through the enemy lines with the lone Matilda at the end. There is no way that would have worked in the late war (too many Panzerfausts hanging around for that) but in the early/mid-war, the Matilda is gloriously chunky. I also think my time on Ultramodern CoC has definitely illuminated just how useful smoke grenades can be – I was definitely using them and the 2″ mortar’s smoke a lot more than I have in the past.

Seeing as everyone who played seemed to enjoy it, I think we’re planning to do a Big Chain of Command game every quarter at least. So look forward to more updates on that!

With my work on Ultramodern Chain of Command continuing, as well as campaign in the planning, I would need to recruit some additional players. Luckily, I have a former housemate/Delaque player to recruit. Of course, recruiting a new player to game is always interesting, especially as his other tabletop experience had been entirely Games Workshop small model number games (such as Inquisitor, Necromunda and Blood Bowl) so being given a full platoon might be considered a bit of a jump.

That said, I managed to get him over on Sunday to have a game, heading back to the Invasion of Bazistan. We’re using the same rules, so for more details on the changes I’ll refer you back to the first battle report, Operation Rubicon.

Alongside the main advance into the Bazi Empire, elements of the Cynerician 18th Division have been engaging in probes along the flanks in order to find and destroy scattered elements of the Bazi forces before they can reform.

Following the route of Highway 212, the forward elements of a Cynerician platoon, accompanied by a small team of the highly trained Cynerician 31st Logistical Studies Group, find themselves against a Bazi Army Platoon among the ruins of several family compounds in the Nahr Highlands region.

CYNERICIAN ARMY

My Opponent received an understrength Cynerician platoon, roughly patterned after the US Army Infantry platoon. As before, the Cynericians only has two of the usual three infantry squads, with the supporting Medium Machine gun squad only able to provide a single team. However, as before each squad had it’s mix of Team Leaders and firepower in addition to the faction benefits of body armour, medical gear and optics and the drawback of being Heavily Laden that should act as force multipliers.

They also had a new addition, a team of Special Forces from the euphemistically named “Cynerician 31st Logistical Studies Group”. Using the rather awesome Operation Red Wings figures from Empress, this Team comprised of a Junior Leader with UGL, Team Leader with UGL and a pair of DMRs. As well as being classed as Elite, there would be some other benefits to them (some of which are still under wraps). However, it should be noted that my opponent (obviously playing the role of a Cynerician infantry commander with an axe to grind against the glory boys) would end up declaring he would try and carry the game without using the Special Forces Team.

Army of the Emitrate of BAzistan

I would find myself in command of a platoon of regular Bazi Army. This force is the same as the previous game but missing the pair of police units that added some flexibilty. The rest remains the same – 8 man sections with Junior leader, RPG and a PKM with no loader. The Command HQ is the same, Ranking Senior Leader, Senior Leader and medic. And as you might expect, the communications, body armour and Questionable Marksmanship also applies.

However, I had gained some support. A Bazi Army Sniper was available to me (which should help cause some problems for the enemy) and I had a technical to hand. With a PKM on the back, the vehicle should be handy as a high speed machine gun platform, the only downside being it not having a leader in it so limited to fire or move each time. Oh and it is unarmoured, so it will need to avoid being in the open too long.

The battlefield was assembled again from the various pieces of Sarissa Alamo compound. I decided to go a little more ruined this time, removing many of the roof pieces to make the area look like it’s been hit by enemy fighting. I also made sure not to make things too squared off – this needs to look like the rugged uplands that haven’t followed European farming patterns.

We decided to play the Patrol mission (scenario 1 in the rulebook) seeing as the objective was reasonably simple for a new player. The dice rolls for the patrol makers arrival ended up mostly on the same central/flank positions, meaning out encounter would be focused on one side of the board. Once we ran through the Patrol phase, we deployed our JOPs.

For the Bazis, the trio of JOPs were in a pretty reasonable position. The furtherest forward was close enough to let me deploy over the wall of the L compound and push towards the enemy at the top. The central position gave me a good setup location on the board edge in cover while the final position would setup an assault on the centre.

On the Cynerician side, there was obviously a bit of traffic jam of JOPs around the gatehouse due to how the Patrol phase had ended, which would possibly make it easy to lock them both down if I could get into those structures. If being the main word there.

The JOP in the centre would be the main push however – close enough to the buildings to allow the Cynerician squads to deploy almost directly into cover (or at least move up to it carefully).

With the higher force morale (11 to my opponent’s 9), I activated first. Not wishing to put all my cards on the table too quickly, I placed one of my three squads around the shrubbery JOP, before putting them into overwatch focusing on the front arc.

The Cynericians also deployed quickly, getting the first of their two squads out and heading towards the only real height on the board, the central compound.

The following phase also belonged to the Cynericians. While building up a Chain of Command dice relatively quickly, the deployment of a senior leader allowed the advancing squad to move into the building, take up positions on the floor above and then enter enhanced overwatch, covering the open ground between the treeline and the compound.

A junior leader activation put the other Cynerician squad onto the field, heading towards the road way in an attempt to out manevoure the overwatching enemy.

Getting a reasonable idea of my enemy’s plan, I deployed the technical to the board to act as a mobile MG team.

I then made a catastrophic mistake.

Seeing the distance between my jumping off point and the corner cluster belonging to the enemy, and looking for a way to destroy my opponent’s force morale, I realised if I could capture them both and deliver a heck of a punch.

However, I only had a squad activation – I couldn’t use the junior leader to go on Overwatch or pop smoke.

At which point, the phase shifted. My opponent reached over and picked up his machine gun team, dropping them into the ruins of the compound. It’s really easy to picture it:

The Bazi squad climbs over the wall on the flank moving from cover to cover. But alas, before they can cross the passageway…. muzzle flash lights up the shadows of the ruin, and GPMG rounds started shredding the wall behind them.

The first burst forced the squad to hit the deck, taking 6 points of suppression. Only body armour had stopped them from taking any casualties but it wasn’t a good start to a lynchpin assault.

To add insult to injury, my opponent decided to add an infantry squad’s worth of fire. However, being careful of my squad sat on Overwatch, his junior leader decided to pop smoke across the opening.

Moving forward at slow rate, the squad then rained in additional fire. Lucky for the Bazi’s the shots were mostly ineffective, but also not a good sign as more enemies were advancing.

The Senior Leader on the other hand had more violence on his mind. Spotting that the first Bazi infantry section had started advancing on his position and setup an overwatch (thanks to them being joined by a Senior Leader), the Cynerician Platoon Sergeant left one of his fireteams on overwatch while the other team were ordered to begin throwing frag grenades over the wall.

Three grenades later and the Bazis had taken their first casualty (as well as some shock). The battle was truly joined.

The phase switching to myself, I now had some movements to do With infantry advancing into the open, the technical moved up to meet them.

I also decided to be sensible with the infantry in the centre. Rather than dragging a casualty around, my junior leader activated and detached a soldier to carry my casualty back to the JOP, making sure that when the turn ended I wouldn’t have any lingering casulties well out of safe CASEVAC zones. Right?

Oh no. Oh no no no.

By activating the Senior Leader with the squad, I rallied off the two points of shock and then put down a simple order “move as fast as possible across the gap”. Two men down, and with the Platoon leader’s right hand man pushing them forward, the squad began a sprint.

With the benefit of hindsight, I should have spent one of those points to pop smoke. But hindsight is 20/20.

Instead, as the Bazis crossed a gap, the Cynerician fireteam on the first floor opened up. With a range that was close enough for the carbines to be within close range, a literal hail of 5.56 (and a single DMR shot) tore through the moving squad. Being that they were in the open, the results were devastating. Thankfully, body armour stopped there being any immediate KIA but instead, the team would now have to deal with three casualties and a pile of shock. The squad was immediately pinned in place.

And then it got worse. As the phase changed over, the other fireteam from the ambushing Cynerician took up firing positions and the entire squad opened up. Being pinned did help, stopping most of the fire, but it didn’t help entirely. Taking another casualty and saving a shot via body armour added enough shock to break the squad, forcing it to fall back with it’s casualties. A Bad Thing had occured.

Side note: After the game (and discussing with the Regular Opponents) we decided that excess casualties in this case should have been left behind. A very bad thing!

Speaking of bad things, at this point, my opponent remembered my mention of what ending the turn does. Dropping a chain of command dice down, I had to take a pile of Bad Things Happen tests due to all the casualties. In a single phase, my morale plunged from the heights of 11 down to 4. Damn.

Finally, the Cynerician infantry squad spread out, ready to finish off my other Infantry section and prepare to hit my technical with the AT4 one of the soldiers is lugging around.

With my reduced command dice, I realised I need to get to work. The Technical opened up with the PKM, causing some shock but not much else. More useful was deploying my final Infantry squad. Emerging in the yard of the outbuilding, the Junior Leader pointed out the Cynerician machine gun team. The RPG round detonated against the top of the building, covering the dug in defensive team in shrapnel and pinning them (while quietly thanking the rules writer that he gave them a team leader).

Side note: This is an interesting thing to note – although Ultramodern teams and squads/sections can put out an obscene amount of firepower, they are often smaller than their WW2 counterparts and more vulnerable to being pinned.

Speaking of being pinned, the Bazi squad on the far left attempted to perform some fire and manevoure – by which I mean advancing towards the enemy, firing on full auto (thanks to the Questionable Marksmanship, firing at full effectiveness while moving is possible even if you probably won’t actually hit anything). Alas, between some poor dice rolls and the shock, I was only able to get one infantry man into cover.

I can see where this is going.

Of course, a pinned machine gun team is still a machine gun team. And 10 dice at half effectiveness is still 5 dice. So after dusting themselves off, the MG team let it rip again.

Between the MMG team and the assisting Cynerician infantry, the Bazi squad on the left flank got hammered. With one KIA, a casualty and a pile of shock markers, the Bazis broke and routed off the board. With the loss of a junior leader AND the squad, I lost my remaining force morale and left the board.

Victory to the Cynericians! After the traditional hand shaking across the board, we retired to the kitchen to talk over the game and cook up a Thai Chicken curry.

That was a really fun game! I’ll admit, I didn’t expect to win it (partially as I was helping a new player learn) but I still had a good time. One thing I’m definitely learning is just how useful things like smoke grenades and Covering Fire will be when you’re having to deal with just how much firepower is floating around a modern battlefield. The basic mechanics and Modern tweaks are working rather well, but I think the next step is to add the platoon lists and support options. To the CoCulator!

More importantly, my opponent had a good time and so will be joining us for the campaign as another commander. Expect more games coming soon.

Two years ago, the Dastardly Regular Opponent and myself were summoned North to the home of our Creative Regular opponent to take part in Operation Chisel, a scenario written by our host and featuring four platoons in total on the board. It was a great introduction to Big Chain of Command, as well as a chance to spend an afternoon with friends, rolling some dice and blowing up tanks. We finished off planning to get plenty more games of Chain of Command in, helped by the fact I was planning to transfer to Leeds.

And then 2020 happened. The winter time slot saw us still in lockdown. 2021 was busy for everyone, including our Creative Regular Opponent who managed to move house after a frankly dizzing amount of bullshit. Part of this house move has meant that he has ended up with an attic floor just asking for a hobby/wargames room, and luckily it was among the first rooms finished off (mostly). So when the Christmas break came around, the Dastardly Regular Opponent and myself were once again invited North to partake in more Big CoC.

Once again, rather than playing a preset mission in the Chain of Command rulebook, the Creative Regular Opponent (or CRO) had prepared an operation, complete with briefing for all parties. And once again, I found myself with a different briefing and set of instructions. Something I found out about 5 minutes into the journey when the topic of engaging buildings with high explosives came up. Turns out the Para commander was allowed to be a touch more aggressive with his forces.

There was also a mention of the Soviet Army and an urging to react quickly to prevent something “Unthinkable”.

Our battle site for the day was Rheinburg, a town on the Kermisdahl river just over the German border from the operational area of our previous game With the action having shifted to February 1945, the invasion of Germany rumbled on. My orders were to capture the town and church, allowing the advance of friendly force further into Germany. It was not going to be easy – according to the briefing, elements of the 655th Heavy Anti-Tank Battalion, 84th Infantry Division, 180th Infantry Division, 47th Panzer Corps, 7th Parachute Division, and 15th Panzergrenadier Division were all in the area, so our opposition would be varied. What was also concerning was the appearance of a halftrack and a 88mm position in the churchyard during the recce flyover, signs of emplaced AA/AT forces.

In a major difference from last time we played, I now had my own force under control. The 25th Infantry Regt. (Scots and Yorks) which I spent the start of last year painting would get their first taste of table top action, alongside the freshly painted Churchill tanks. With this being a Big CoC game, I actually got to control a platoon of each, something I definitely appreciated.

My Dastardly Regular Opponent Ally would be taking on control of the Paras (recently reconstituted after their trip to Holland in the Autumn) and accompanied by a platoon of Guards Armour (the platoon I had controlled in our last game).

We were then informed by our host/opponent that we had the grand total of 50 support points to spend between us. This of course was answered with “What the Hell are we up against” and “Damn why didn’t I finish the Avre” but eventually we made our selections

To accompany my Regular Infantry Platoon and the Churchill Platoon, I chose:

• Infantry Platoon
  • Adjutant – Not as vital for the Brits as it is a German platoon, but still a nice to have when both senior leaders hit the board.
  • Vickers MMG – A British Infantry Section is not going to outgun a German Infantry Zug
  • Pre-Game Barrage – With the Germans throwing 4 platoons at us, having the ability to slow their arrival might be handy.
  • Forward Observer – In a platoon engagement, having a load of mortars to drop on the enemy is a useful way of forcing enemies off a position. With my force, I think the more important element of a mortar barrage would be popping smoke to cut down on the enemy’s sightlines.
  • Sniper – I am a big fan of the humble sniper in Chain of Command. The ability to reach out and touch the enemy is always useful, especially when the enemy can only return fire by burning command initiative and locking someone in place on overwatch to maybe catch sight of you. I also have a very nice sniper team waiting for action.
• Armoured Platoon
  • Supporting Parachute Veteran Infantry Section – The parachute infantry section perfectly matches what the Warlord Winter Brits are armed with. Giving them to the Armoured Platoon represented some Veterans riding on the tanks as close security before disembarking just before they entered the board.
  • Recce Section – Borrowing a few carriers from the host, I added another bit of infantry support to the Churchills to hopefully speed down the board. This section was sadly wasted as I totally forgot to bring them on before… events transpired.

To use the other points, the Parachute Infantry Platoon and Guard armour took:

• Parachute Infantry Platoon
  • Adjutant
  • Vickers MG
  • Forward Observer + 3″ Mortar Barrage
  • An additional section
  • PIAT team
• Guards Armoured Platoon
  • Adjutant
  • Cromwell Recce Tank

Arrayed against us were elements of a German Tank Platoon (with supports), a Fallschirmjager Infantry platoon and a German Infantry Platoon. There was also mention of an SS Platoon, although it only came into play later on. Additionally, the Germans started off with multiple full Chain of Command dice, as they had several non-standard ways of using them.

As you’d expect, the Para’s stormed forward off their jumping off point, heading for the first piece of cover.

In contrast, my first roll for my Infantry Platoon was that combination above. Sadly, the single 6 is wasted but a massive four pips on the Chain of Command dice had me well on my way.

The paras also deployed their sniper to cover the the long sightlines down the board towards the known 88mm position.

After rolling for my armoured platoon, I managed to activate my tanks. The Junior boy in the platoon (one of the 75mm gun tanks) started off slowly, rolling slowly along the bridge past the regular jumping off point.

In it’s shadow, the 6pdr tank rolled into position and setup an overwatch just in case anything was to appear from the town itself.

I wasn’t the only armoured commander moving forces around. At the same, the recce Cromwell blasted across the bridge, putting it’s speed to good use.

The empty windows of the town overlooked the Cromwell as it came to a pause ready for future operation.

A shot the other way reveals the 88mm gun shield lurking behind the church wall.

The Guards Commander, rolling onto the board, setup on overwatch to cover the left flank.

The Germans now took their turn and started it off by rolling one of their Panzer IVs onto the table coming down the road.

Barely coming to a halt, the Panzer IV managed to line up a shot on the advancing Churchill and send a 75mm shell hurtling across the field, resulting in a damaged mantlet and a VERY concerned gunner.

Zooming past the gunfire, a Puma armoured car begin heading for the centre of town. I’m not super worried about it against the Churchill but it’s still something I don’t want running around too badly.

On the other side, the German 88mm crew disembarked from the protection of their half track and rushed to start manning the gun. Although not technically a support option in the game, we went with a 8 man crew for it (junior leader and 7 crew) which seemed about right.

It was also located in the centre of town, a very real danger for any force attempted to cross it’s arc… such as the Cromwell currently in the open.

The FJs decided now would be a good time to deploy and begin taking up fire positions to repulse the oncoming infantry.

Having just seen the shell bounce off it’s partner tank, the other Churchill dropped overwatch and engaged the enemy. The first shot would do nothing but, thanks to a double phase, the second shot sent a solid lump of metal through the turrets spaced armour and straight into the ammo rack. First tank killed.

While the tanks duelled, their escort moved into position. With the Infantry still waiting for orders (the fault of a poor platoon officer recently promoted after a much loved veteran has been moved to Company HQ), it fell to the 10th Regiment of Rifles (Teesside) to push forward and secure forward positions. In game terms, I wanted to move my JOPs forward into the town rather having to foot slog all the way in.

Having seen the problem with the 88mm (and experienced a 88mm shell flying past his Cromwell), the Dastardly Ally was quick to drop 2inch smoke rounds to block the line of sight.

Having moved my tanks forward, we swapped to the German player who immediately placed…

An AT gun in the side streets. A PAK40 in fact. This is something to be worried about, especially with it being on my flank. Luckily the shell hit the bridge support rather than

Of course this was made worse when one of the uses for the German player’s Chain of Command dice came into effect. With a supersonic woosh, a Pak 43 shell came crashing in from off map and barely missed the Churchill tank on the bridge. At this point, I know realised I needed to pop smoke to break up the sight line on the right flank.

On the left flank, my ally was also about to bring his mortars to bear. The difference was he was calling for HE. After reading the rules, he decided to go with a ranging shot rather than risking a full on stonk. Luckily, he managed to land bang on the target so next activation would bring the rain.

Back at the bridge, the Paras were taking cover behind the house, unwilling to advance through the open area ahead of them. With a JOP close to the main buildings, that open ground would leave them exposed to germans hiding in the buildings ahead.

Rolling a 4 among my Command dice, I decided to bring my Senior leader and his tank onto the board. With the potential of having multiple enemy tanks attacking my flank, the risk of it turning into a shell slinging match had me realising that I should get more guns on the table than the other guy.

On the right, the Paras were massing in preparation for a push on the town, with the Senior NCO ordering the 2inch mortar and the Forward Observer to keep firing.

The armour’s attached infantry continued the advance – seeing as I only had a team activation (a command dice of 1) left, I decided to leave the Junior Leader and the Bren gun team back to provide cover as the rifle team stormed forward.

On the left, the British Mortars really started causing havoc. As rounds dropped out of the sky, the halftrack took a direct hit, knocking it out and forcing the crew manning the MG42s to dismeark. It also started dropping shock markers.

It had taken a while but finally the main infantry platoon is beginning to arrive. My dice rolls weren’t great, but putting the Senior NCO on the table would put me in a good position in future turns. It’s also a good story moment – the experienced NCO making his way forward to see what’s going on before his boys turn up.

As the Paras began to cross the open ground, the Germans started appearing in the building in the centre of this picture. This would lead into a slugging match, with the armour and infanty taking advantage of Covering Fire to keep the Grenadiers inside bottled up

The arrival of the Germans in the building was not the only movement. The FJs left the cover of the town hall and started heading to meet the approaching Brits.

Another German deployment was in the multistory building covering the British Infantry approach.

The first burst caused some damage among the veteran infantry, with one casualty and two points of shock, putting the team at risk of being pinned. In addition, the squad leader caught a round, injuring him and reducing his command initiatives.

Unfortunately I missed getting a photo of the carnage but the British took their first tank loss. Thanks to a Chain of Command dice being spent, an 88mm shell came screaming in off the board and found a new home in the turret ring of the forward advanced Churchill. This is what’s know as a “Serious Emotional Event”.

With an AFV being destroyed and a junior leader lost, it took a rather sizeable chunk out of the armoured platoon’s morale.

Almost as concerning as is the appearance of a Tiger tank behind the church. This meant that there were now two heavy AT guns covering the Para’s flank, even if the mortar barrage (kept running through several turn ends via via the use of Chain of Command dice) was picking away at anyone in the open.

After a pretty horrifying turn of events in the German turn, it was now back to the Allies. My first deployment was the Infantry’s Sniper team. Due to what’s required to engage a sniper in CoC (going on overwatch followed by a lucky dice roll), placing them in LOS of the machine gun would let them start putting shock or kills on it with a much lower risk than engaging it directly.

My next action was getting the some more Infantry on the board. The first Section pushed out along the fence line, moving to link up with the Guards armour advancing down the road.

I wasn’t the only one bringing forces onto the field. The FJs had deployed their Stug in the churchyard, another AT gun to blunt the Guard’s advance up the field.

A FJ sniper team also appeared, taking up position in the church tower (as war movie stereotypes demand). The sniper obviously didn’t mind the mortar rounds dropping around them, which would perhaps end up being a touch risky as the Paras kept bringing the barrage in closer and closer

The German tank platoon brought on another Panzer IV. Before it even finished it’s first advance, it sent a shell right into the Churchill III’s ammo rack, blowing it to pieces.

As you might expect, this caused another shift in the Tank Platoon’s morale. Dropping it down to only 2, I found myself with much less flexibility in the upcoming phases. A jumping off point would also be removed, but for this scenario we left it in place.

Back with the Allied activation, and the mortar barrage continued, finally clearing out the 88mm crew and silencing the gun. Shells also started to land on the Tiger, causing some mild discomfort.

With two of his Squadron members out of action and activations draining away, the Senior Leader’s tank stepped up into the firing line. Sighting on the Panzer 4, the first shot stunned the gunner, giving plenty of time to prepare for another round.

Sadly on the other side of the table, the Guard’s took their first casualty of the game when a newly arrived Panther tank managed to thread the needle and sink a shell into the side of the Recce Cromwell.

Back with the Allies, the Infantry continued their advance behind the Veterans. Additionally, seeking to disengage from the tank battle, I deployed the forward observer to prepare a smoke barrage.

Taking the Paras off the chain, the deployment of a Vickers team to keep fire on the enemy held buildings allowed the second section to move off from it’s cover point, moving all out to keep ahead of the enemy fire screaming overhead.

…. There isn’t anything new actually happening here, I just like the Airborne Senior Leader and his crew of support elements setup by the bridge.

Meanwhile, despite the crashing barrage, the FJ deployed an infantry section into the graveyard, ready to ambush the advancing paras.

With more infantry on the board, I also deployed my second British Infantry section. My plan here was I now have a sizeable infantry force that could then push forward, allowing for me to then move the jumping off point into the town.

It seems the Germans realised what was going on and moved to counter my advance, the FJs moving all out.

Next activation, one of the Guards Sherman tanks started rolling down the street in an attempt to capture the town centre.

Much to the horror of the FJs, who found themselves frantically needing to get out of the street before the tank could open fire.

My Infantry were also heading in the same direction and so the firefight would all come down to who would activate first.

And then the Germans got a double phase.

At which point the FJs managed to secure a building, drop the MG42 down and open up on my advancing Brits. The veterans taking the lead took the fire, with several casualties and points of shock before being able to move into cover.

The Guards spot a Puma entering the town square and prepares to engage.

To assist with the advance moving forward, the Paras were quick to move another jumping off point next to their base of fire.

With the MG in the centre of town shifting it’s focus from my Infantry to the Paras crossing the field, I decided to relocate my sniper team to cover the gap into the centre of town. In what would be a glorious Call of Duty style set piece, it’s easy to imagine the snipers ducking along the banks of the river as tank shells fly overhead, before climbing up into the new position under the bridge.

In the town hall, the Germans deployed their light mortar, eager to halt any further para advances.

In a similar way, the another unit of Grenadiers appeared in the old farm buildings, pushing into the courtyard and putting fire down against the building full of Paras, in a scene very familiar to the last time we played Big CoC.

Watching another Panzer IV appear, the Tank Platoon leader decided to finish the fight and slammed home a 75mm AP shell into the lead vehicle. With a deafening explosion, the turret was sent spiralling away, the tank duel now with equal results for both sides.

The Paras had managed to move into position in a certain farmhouse that fans may remember from last time we played Big CoC, preparing a good defensive position and trading gunfire with the building marked with the white counter.

The falling mortar bombs started to worry the Stug commander as they rained down closer and closer. One lucky round even managed to wound the Sniper in the tower, removing that threat.

The Tiger tank, gunning the engine, smashed it’s way through the churchyard walls and began advancing towards the enemy at a slow steady pace. This let the gunner draw a line of fire on the Firefly and….

BOOM! Direct hit on the Firefly sends bits of tank everywhere as the crew hastily disembarked and run for cover.

Return fire however was brutal. Para fire managed to pin the 5cm mortar team on the rooftop, while the Vickers hammering the grenadiers made the German player relocate.

On my flank, I was reorganising my infantry sections, the veterans reforming to move together while the two regulars prepared to push on the recently vacated FJ positions (one moving into the house on the left). The FJs had sprinted into the next building along and would have probably proved to be a difficult problem to crack.

And then the Skeletons arrived

I feel like I should explain.

Every time we rolled for the turn to end (rather than the end of our activation phase), the German player/host would reach for his phone and read a forboding piece of text. Originally it could all be explained away as bad weather. But soon the shadows were moving unnaturally, a sense of unease fill the air and strange lights illuminated the church. And then…

Surprise, it was actually a Weird War 2 game.

Thanks to the ritual of the SS commander in the church (who had spent every activation attempting to build up Chain of Command dice, was now able to begin spending them to summon up groups of skeletons. They were run using some Zombie rules found on the TFL forum, with the only tweak being their numbers worked out using D6+6 seeing as we were in a Big CoC game

Of course, the appearance of the undead did unnerve most people around the board. Only the Paras and the SS were unaffected. The duelling tank platoons (both mine and the Germans) routed immediately at the sight of the undead horde, while the Guards took a knock down hard enough to lose command dice. My Regulars were still relatively game, an advantage of having held them back for now and being relatively free of their concerns up until this point..

With the twist in the game revealed, it was now time for a mission change. I soon learnt what my allies actual objective was – seize the church and eliminate any SS officers who might be leading the ritual.

As the turn had ended during the skeleton’s arrival, and without enough Chain of Command dice to keep the bombardment going, the Allied FOs called in a new bombardment. There was some discussions about ignoring the ranging shot but luckily it was decided to go with one. Luckily, because it dropped far, FAR too short and would have caught the forward Para section.

On my side of the board, I decided to bring the JOP up, giving me a foothold in the town. From here, I’d be able to organise my remaining assets (the Vickers, PIAT and Rifle Section) and get them directly into the fight.

Excuse the blurry photo but this was our first sign just what we were up against when we got our first battle between the skeletons and the fleeing Germans. Fisticuffs in Chain of Command is brutal at the best of times but each skeleton was doing the damage of four men and were hard to kill (seeing as all kills have to be confirmed by another dice roll), not even the STGs and MP40s could help, especially being attacked in the rear.

Once the skeletons struck back, it was all over – the Grenadiers torn apart as the horde advanced.

Luckily ancient skeletons lack armoured piercing weapons capable of dealing with modern vehicles – something the Puma crew were obviously happy about.

Ready to counter the skeleton horde, I brought in a Hail Mary – my Senior Officer, the PIAT team, Vickers MG and the final rifle section. With the game approaching an end, it was time to get everything moving. The Rifles and Vickers setup on the road alongside the Guards’ armour.

I also began working the other two sections around the flank, attempting to reach the Church while avoiding the bulk of the skeletons.

The bulk that were now swarming the square, past the cowering Puma and the fleeing MG team.

Luckily, before the undead could activate, the combined gunfire was able to open up, dropping many of them with HE rounds and automatic fire.

The final few advanced further, eventually charging in to cause some damage but were eventually beaten back.

Of course, further skeletons were still advancing and managed to get into combat range, charging in to the section beside the tank.

Most of the shock markers on this section was actually from where I opened up and cause barely any casualties or shock. Horrified as the undead managed to shrug off rifle shots like they were nothing, the close quarters fisticuffs eventually took them down (turns out it easier to skill a skeleton beating it to death with a rifle butt).

The paras on the other side also came up against the skeleton hordes, defending their bullet filled farmhouse from the oncoming horde. There was definitely plenty of Dog Soldiers references made at this point, and luckily the walls held firm.

One problem with fighting the undead is that they have a habit of continuing to rise as long as the ritual behind them continues. Seems like the stack of Chain of Command dice kept giving us bad guys, with each full one being exchanged to summon another group (made worse by the German player handing us the dice to roll every time a new group appeared).

Of course, the Para player, being a Dastardly man with practical plans, soon worked out that continuing the barrage would cause absolute havoc on the slow moving skeletal warriors (helped by HE kills not needing to be confirmed). The barrage really did save that flank, preventing full sized hordes from reaching the paras.

With the bulk of the undead being drawn towards the Paras, I managed to setup two of my rifle teams to prepare an L shaped assult on the church. However, before we could advance we first had to take out the enemy – fanatical SS troopers right out of a 1960s pulp film. I ended up getting into a two way firing range with them, the dual MGs managing to hold back the two British sections.

Eventually though, I managed to bring up my PIAT and Vickers, able to form the base of fire before the infantry could advance. I didn’t get a chance to do my expertly tactical push on the Nazi filled mausoleum before the game ended but there was a little bit of satisfaction setting up the tactical puzzle.

The mortar barrage, buoyed up yet more Chain of Command dice, continued to scythe down the undead (even after they chewed their way through the Germans at the farm building). The remaining shambling survivors were then taken down by the Paras as they advanced towards the church.

The mortar barrage was also causing havoc inside the church as well, slowly chipping at the fanatical defenders. Eventually, as the night in the real world grew darker, the mortars managed to reduce the SS defenders to a junior leader and the target for the operation, the Villainous SS Colonel.

Deciding to make a break for the board edge, the SS NCO rushed two flanking paras while the Colonel tried to slink away to perform dastardly deeds somewhere else.

Alas, the heroic last stand was all in vain, and a burst of Bren fire finally managed to kill the target. Mission accomplished!

I will admit, when the skeletons appeared I was a touch surprised – I’d expected some twist based on the briefing documents but the appearance of the Undead did have me burst out laughing, even more so once the boxes of skeletons arrived! We all agreed the scenario could do with a tweak or two (we had progressed through the turns far quicker than the host had anticipated and so had a fair chunk of ground to cover against an enemy that didn’t shoot back. I still really like the Big CoC formula for having everyone involved – even with one player with four platoons, the game didn’t really feel to drag at all

Overall, the game reminded me why I’m really excited about playing Chain of Command – the thrill of the command dice, the friction when shooting or moving that really makes you think on your feet. There were a few cases of carefully picking dice to get everything I wanted done, as well as some annoyances at fluffed dice rolls. The game continues to be my favourite platoon level game and one I’m eager to prepare for Ultramodern use.

Getting a chance to control my own force as well was something new and exciting – I’m really happy with how my winter Brits look, not too overwhelming with the snow effects that they seem too out of place on the regular European board. I’m definitely going to get them finished and will probably (later in the year once I can get to a show Empress is at) pick up some of Paul Hick’s Germans and Americans to similarly paint up for 1945.

Back in the heady days of September we actually played the second mission in the campaign set in North Africa. However, before we get into the battle, I finally rolled up the details of my command team, using the details from the At The Sharp End PDF book.

As you can see, I’ve picked up a pretty good mix of characters – I really like how Zug 3 that has been absolutely hammered so far (and will be in this scenario) is led by the youngest and most impulsive of the leaders – perhaps this is his first campaign and is a little too impulsive/full of bravado.

Additionally, after the previous game, I had to handle the losses. With two soldiers wounded and two killed, I decided to reduce Zug 3 to keep the rest of the squads at full strength.

Game 2 was a Delaying Action – after the DLI managed to advance with their recon units in the previous game, the Afrika Korps guys are falling back to defensive positions around the town itself. As part of this, they will need to slow any advance, buying time for the rest of the defenders.

As you can see, the battlefield is a few scattered outbuildings around a larger farm complex. The Germans dug into the main farm, placing their three jumping off points (the objectives to be defended) among the fields and behind the buildings. The Allies managed get into the two depressions each side of the board – I had blocked them off from reaching the outbuildings which might have caused more issues.

I ended up deploying my forces relatively rapidly – being on the defence it was handy to get as many MGs on the board as possible, so I could easily engage the attackers with a full force. The only thing I aimed to keep back was my senior leader and the AT gun I chose as my support option. Mostly because…

The Queen of the Desert was on call. Obviously a sign of the main assault’s proximity, the Matilda at this stage of the war definitely has a chance to inflict “Tiger Panic”, where a player focuses on the big target and ignores the actual threats (the infantry trying to capture the position). This wasn’t helped by the fact my only AT weapon was a brand new (for the time) 50mm Pak38, my only support choice for the game thanks to some poor rolling.

Less poor rolling was the gun crew on the Pak 38! After an initial ranging round that bounced off the Matilda’s thick armour, a second shot (under the eye of the senior leader) managed to cause a penetrating hit that was bad enough to make the crew bail out.

As for the rest of the game, it was a bit of a slugging match. The Brits attempted to push at both sides of the board, using their jumping-off points to push forward. The top side of the board mostly ended up getting pinned down in the palm trees, with a lead infantry section and a Vickers team getting into a firefight with the defenders. Turns out, MG34s are really good at suppressing enemy troops not in hardcover, and only the arrival of the belt-fed Vickers (and the loud SNCO) started to even the odds. Of course, it didn’t help that the Pak 38, after tank crushing, decided to switch to HE and drop explosive rounds among the palms.

On the south side, British troops attempted to cross the smaller gap between the outbuildings and core farm itself. This is actually where my Dastardly Regular Opponent almost got a win. While one section lay down some suppressive fire, the other one decided to make a break for it. They managed to push forward to the very edge of the farm buildings, just as a German squad moved to reinforce the position. Both sections prepared to engage in a close-range firefight…

And then we ran out of time (the fatal flaw of still learning to play the rules/playing after work).

As the game managed to end at a key turning point, my Dastardly Opponent and I talked through the end result. Although both sides had taken casualties, the British had lost a major support asset and had several units with lots of shock on it (the MGs being assisted ably by the AT gun). Zug Three took even more casualties (bringing it to basically two MG teams and an injured junior leader) but the rest of the force was in pretty good standing. So as a final decision, we decided the Brits had won by only a very narrow margin. When we come back for the next game, we’ll use a slightly tweaked setup (showing the Brits getting a foothold in the suburbs while the germans managing to hold off the bulk of the enemy force).

Standby for the next game… when I’m allowed to go to York again.

With it seeming like we’re settling in for a long time of dealing with coronavirus-related limitations, I decided to attempt to get out and play some games. I’m not quite ready to risk playing at a club (mostly because I need to find a new one). However, due to being back in England and within a reasonable distance (40 minute drive) of my Dastardly Regular Opponent in York, we decided some socially distanced gaming was in order. After some careful prep/planning, we were able to play.

However, the question was what to play – both of us have collections we were interested in playing with. But eventually, we settled on some desert Chain of Command, 8th Army vs DAK in 1941. This, along with my Dastardly Regular Opponent reading up on the period, eventually mutated to a cunning plan… a campaign.

As my Dastardly Regular Opponent has been writing this campaign up, I’ll let him provide the details (you can see above). However, I’ll add that I decided to play as the Afrika Korps, rather than my usual British. Why? Well, I’m already incredibly used to how the British platoon works and wanted to try using the dual MGs, less integrated support. Even better, I’ll eventually get a hand on my some of the German Steel – I have already been sending him Flak 88 links so I have something to hammer his Matilda tanks.

So Mission 1 saw the British probing the Axis defences before eventually pushing through the first line of defences. Despite being the defender, I managed to be quite aggressive in the patrol phase but then remained static when the shooting started. Instead, I should have pushed harder, grabbing the centre and becoming a real threat to keep the carriers away. I was also pretty stuck with the lack of AT, which really hampered my attempts to keep them away. My single point of support was a bit of a kick in the junk!

So next time (in two weeks or so), I’ll have to deal with the British pushing into the suburbs. Hopefully, I’ll be able to lock them down more easily in a semi-urban environment and HOPEFULLY hold them off until the relief force (and its armour) arrives. Also hopefully before the British Matilda starts to roll around.

Christmas is the time I return home to Leeds. As well as family events, I usually end up using it to encounter my Regular Opponent and get a game of something in. This year, myself and Regular Opponent got invited up North to partake in some Chain of Command, my favourite set of WW2 rules (and one that I dearly wish was still coming to modern-day). With three of us ready to play, we decided to play Big Coc and, in between chuckling, started looking up all the tank rules we had not got round to ever using before.

As the only player who didn’t have a painted army (my Brits still sat waiting for me to get my act together), I took control of one of The Host’s armies. Seeing as the three of us are very interested in Operation Market Garden, The Host decided we’d be working our way up Hell’s Highway and he’d be the one blocking us with “old men and boys” (Translated from Intel: a Panzergrenadier platoon and a Panzer 4 platoon). My Regular Opponent was in charge of the Paras while I would be taking charge of XXX Corps.

While the other two rolled up support choices, I ( Lt. Michael Mather-Charge II of the Grenadier Guards) was presented with a simple force – A Sherman V with Senior Leader, two Sherman V’s with Junior Leaders and a Sherman Vc Firefly with Junior Leader. To provide support, a pair of Universal Carriers transported a section of Motor Infantry.

The other side of the game was the scenario. Rather than simply running a standard setup from the rule book, The Host instead decided to expand and make it a little more interesting. Each player received a different briefing, meaning that myself and My Regular Opponent actually had different goals despite being on the same team. Worse, we actually had different information as well, with our maps having different key locations on them.

Put simply, my goal was to capture the central plaza of Elst, before pushing north to continue on the road to Arnhem. However, I couldn’t actually get onto the board until the Paras had captured a foothold in the town referred to as HIGH TOP. Until they popped smoke, I was forced to sit on the sidelines (with my CO making sure I didn’t try any funny business). If I gained enough COC dice through lucky dice rolls, I could start off early – this task would be made easier if enemy armour was spotted from my Jumping Off Position or enemy infantry started to advance on the bridge.

Here we have the town of Elst, as it was established on our arrival at Our Host’s residence. Shown here is the bulk of the village, the bridge in the south and the road to Arnhem in the north.

As well as the road signs, this image captures three vital locations – the tall building known as HIGH TOP on the left, the leafy town plaza I was ordered to secure and the local town hall, which the German would have inevitably fortified.

The view from the bridge shows XXX Corps route of arrival. On the left, the first house in that row is also the bridge control building – it would be vital to secure this to prevent the Germans from cutting off the main advance.

Patrol Phase

Before the Patrol Phase had actually begun, The Host showed off his wonderful patrol markers, detailed with kettenkrads and scouts.

As the rest of the XXX Corps boys wait for the signal, a lone rifleman sneaks forward to spot the Germans moving into location.

Sadly, I failed to capture the useful photos of how the patrol phase actually went. The Para’s were able to get their markers relatively far forward, but the Germans stormed across the plaza and lockdown was achieved relatively quickly. German JOPs ran from the comms hut in the north down to the plaza, while the Paras managed to get one very close to HIGHTOP target building.

Combat

The Allies grabbed the first action… and thus began my dice rolling/waiting. However, the Paras were much faster. The third sections deployed into the roof of the northern farmhouse, setting up their pair of brens and marksman team.

In the Windmill, an Airborne sniper gently opened up the shutters and set up, his scope covering the road outside the church.

The other two sections of the Platoon also deployed and began their advance onto the objectives. The section at HIGHTOP moved relatively quickly, getting into the small back garden while the Bridge section moved through the cover alongside the road.

And not a moment too soon as the ripping paper sound of dual MG42s announced the arrival of a PanzerGren squad in the inn beside the bridge.

As the rifle team advanced, the MG team (pausing to cover 1st Section’s advance on the objective HIGHTOP) suddenly found itself under inaccurate light mortar fire.

Yep, the Germans had turned up with the 5cm mortar, digging in close to the church.

At this point, there was some discussion of how annoying it is the German mortar doesn’t come with smoke. My Regular Opponent is a big fan dropping all the smoke hey possibly can, influenced no doubt by the events of our first game of Spectre.

The Germans had snatched a double turn and immediately took advantage of it, opening up another hail of MG fire that put shock down Paras, forcing them to hit the dirt even while trying to move tactically.

The team at HIGHTOP also noticed more Germans advancing out of the Town Hall and again started wondering who thought this lot counted as “old men and boys”

The Paras also spotted a German officer come racing out of the Town Hall. This was Hans von Gruber, recently arrived leader of a new Kampfgruppe. Although not able to activate other units (the veterans are not going to listen to this unknown officer who showed up), his survival was a German objective.

And as a way of supporting that objective, the Panzer 4 platoon sprung into life, deploying the platoon leader and one of the other tanks onto the board. Despite the Paras reporting their arrival over the radio, a lack of line of sight to my JOP at the bridge meant we couldn’t deploy just yet, despite the rumble echoing between the buildings.

However, the tanks immediately got to work, hammering main gun rounds into the British secured farmhouse. The Paras didn’t take any damage, simply hitting the deck and waiting for the enemy gunners to realise they were just increasing the airflow rather than causing damage.

Meanwhile, at HIGHTOP, the Paras finally burst into the objective (vaulting through a downstairs window. At this point, the Airborne realised they would need to pop smoke from the top floor window and just how many stars would need to be climbed.

Of course, the plight of the Paras wasn’t helped as a burst of fire shredding the windows announced the setup of a tripod-mounted MG42 in the building across the square.

Of course, the MG wasn’t the only thing attempting to slow them down. As the team of elite soldiers pounded up the stairs, an explosion from the main gun managed to cut down two Paras. However, the section kept pushing, eventually reaching the top floor.

Not part of the action, just a good image of My Regular Opponent’s bugler in a pumpkin patch. Perhaps telling XXX Corps to stand ready?

The Panzer IV Platoon Leader decided now was the time to roll forward and continue engaging the Paras sat in the farmhouse.

The Germans continued to move forward, the camouflaged Panzer IV moving out to allow one of its comrades to join them in the AO. Additionally, Hans von Gruber’s staff car arrived, disembarking another squad of Panzer Grenadiers and allow the senior commander to prepare for this daring escape.

The Tanks Arrive!

Finally, even as the Germans prepared a force to retake HIGHTOP, they finally popped green smoke. Immediately upon seeing it, Galahad (one of my Shermans) was the first one over the bridge, spotting enemies dead ahead and preparing the machine guns.

Close behind Galahad was Arthur, the lead vehicle (and technically my command tank), storming across the bridge and preparing to flank around and meet up with the rest of the Paras. As they drove past the infantry in the row of houses, cries of “took your time didn’t you?” rang out.

Of course, this is where my inexperience with tanks showed up. After unleashing a literal mountain of dice to brass up the squad near the town square, the German player pulled out a CoC dice and shoved a Panzerschrek round up the rear of Galahad, immediately knocking it out.

Even as the first tank across started burning, the rest of my force appeared. Gaiwan (another Sherman V) moved past the burning wreck of its teammate while Lancelot (the Firefly) moved to link up with the command element and prepare to knock out the pile of tanks in the main square.

Additionally, the motor infantry arrived, preparing to support the tanks and secure the inn.

Speaking of killing tanks, the Airborne PIATs claimed the first Allied tank kill, the bomb lazily arching in to destroy a Panzer IV.

Inside HIGHTOP, The Paras began a desperate close-quarters battle. Leaving the Bren team upstairs, the Section Leader and his rifle team bust downstairs to secure the building. Grenades were thrown, killing some of the Germans before closing to contact. The end result? Even as the few remaining Germans fled outside, the only Para survivor was the Junior Leader, staggering back up the stairs covered in dust.

With the battle advancing, the Para Senior Leader hit the board, ready to take control of the Airlanding Section that had joined the assault.

At the northern end of the board, the British Paras attempt to fight across to the comms shack but ends up taking fire from the Panzer IV.

In another shock, the dreaded Ambush popped up again with the second round from the Panzerschreck team carved through the front armour of my command tank. Not only was it entirely knocked out, but the ammo cooked off, putting shock onto the Airlanding teams.

Due to the turn ordering, the Germans managed to box my armoured units in at the Bridge, kicking my Command Dice down a dangerous amount. Worse, the German armour platoon pulled in a Panther. Myself and The Regular Opponent started to get a little concerned…

…Until the Panther’s attempted shortcut through HIGHTOP simply ended up putting it into the cellar (we used a modified version of What A Tanker’s smashing through buildings). Worse, the damage to the building would mean it was about to collapse at the turn end.

And then the turn ended. Meaning the four Paras who had just survived so much now had to dig themselves out of the rubble and fall back.

Cruising past the wreck of their boss’s tank, the crew of Lancelot were ready to get some payback. Spotting a Panzer IV rolling forward, the 17pdr blew the tank to pieces, burning pieces of tank shredding the vegetation around it.

Time was rapidly moving on, and having spent the whole game fighting off the Allies, The Host suddenly remembered his objectives. Hans Von Gruber’s staff car, with the support of the Panzer IV platoon leader, put the pedal to the metal and raced down the board. Brushing off fire like it was nothing (including multiple sniper hits) the halftrack actually reached the very end of the board…

At which point we had to break out the “grenades on open-topped vehicle” rules as the Paras did a last chance rush on the vehicle as it slowed slightly at the gate. Despite one grenade bouncing back and causing shock, the Paras did manage to stop the vehicle in its tracks before dragging Von Gruber out.

After 5 hours of non-stop play/rules checking, we finally called it here. Looking at the various objectives, we decided that the Allies had won a pyrrhic victory – they had prevented Von Gruber from reaching his forces to the north and the bridge was secure but the Germans were still contesting the town plaza, the German Comms broadcast had been uninterrupted and a tank wreck just off the bridge would take some time to actually move it and open the road for the rest of XXX Corps to advance.

Once again, Chain of Command is a great game to play. Even just this one game has got me very excited about playing more, and was the kick in the backside to get a move on with my own platoon of Brits. Going to need some tanks of my own as well – having them in-game was glorious fun but definitely something I’ll have to practise with (and get more infantry co-operation).

There comes a point in most wargamer’s life where your eyes start to wander towards collections of tanks and men armed with bolt action rifles. Afternoons spent watching war films, trips to the library to pull down the hardcover book full of black and white photos or endless nights of Call of Duty suddenly lead you to looking at collecting books of reference material and eyeing the various ranges of chaps in steel helmets and woolen uniforms.

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your frame of mind), it is my time to take a trip back to WW2 and build my own army up. Although we had been talking about it for a while, the decision by my ‘friend’ Peeb’s Gaming Nonsense to gift me a Churchill tank for Christmas was really the straw that broke the camels back and unleashed the whirlwind.

(It should be noted that I got him back by gifting him some additions to a possible WW2 British Para Force. So guess what we’re playing in September)

So, what am I doing in my World War 2 project? Well, my first interest in WW2 came from Operation Market Garden, but there is a distinct lack of Churchill’s amongst the elements of XXX Corps speeding up Hell’s Highway (mainly due to the speeding requirement).

So my eyes drifted to the Reichswald and then into 1945. Mud, blood and hard fighting, everyone reaching the breaking point as the war begins to draw to a close. This time period also lets my opponents pull out the weird and wonderful toys to play with, while I potentially get to mix Paras and Churchills, Tommies and Comets as the final offensives get underway.

Because of this, I’ve decided I’m going to make a force for this period. Pulling on the feel of things like Fury, (and helped partially by my wash heavy painting style) I’m going to making these guys into a platoon of British infantry somewhere in Northern Europe in the early stages of 1945. Everything is muddy and wet, you can feel the cold in your bones, and still, bloody Jerry won’t simply pack it in and call time for this long game.

To take inspiration from the period, and get the right mood, I’ll be using the name “When This Bloody War Is Over” for it. Having listened to the tune above, it seemed appropriate for the time period. I’m also collating a few more books on the subject to try and capture some of the feel for the actions and tactics of the time.

With that target laid out, I’ve already made my start. The most obvious thing is the Churchill tank, now fully assembled and with a few tweaks to make it look unique. It was a bit strange building plastic kits again, but the Warlord product is really nice. I do have opinions on the fact it comes with two turrets and only one turret rear basket but it wasn’t enough to ruin the kit. More on it once it’s painted.

The bulk of the force, and something else that pushed me over the edge was the announcement that Empress had a range of late war British coming soon. Sculpted by the incredible Paul Hicks, from the first photo I fell in love with them. It’s something about how crisp they are as well as the proportions. The assault jacket and decorated helmets are also a strong outline

I picked up the Bren teams and two each of the two rifleman sets. My intention is to do some modification to the duplicate poses. These will probably be minor, removing some of the pioneer tools (of which there are many) and rotating a few heads, building on the scrim everyone is wearing around the neck to cover over any gaps.

However, there is also the matter of another few packs coming out soon which Empress released at Hammerhead this past weekend. The PIAT is a must, while the kneeling rifles and sten gunners should help to bring my force closer to the core platoon being comprised entirely of Empress figures.

Of course, I had to have a little play with a few other things as well. Arnhem and a Bridge Too Far weigh heavy on my mind when thinking about WW2, thanks to the inspiration it had in getting me into history. Despite focusing on the poor blooding infantry, I couldn’t help but pick up a box. Both for sourcing possible conversion bits, but also to let me possibly start building a second platoon in my collection. Also, plastic kits are something different from the piles of metal I usually have to handle.

In addition, I picked up the Winter British Infantry (mainly for the greatcoat look) and to act as an additional infantry section. Finally, I really like the ghillie suited snipers and will be making them into a sniper team, one soldier having his rifle replaced with a sten gun. More details on these guys as I work my way through them.

For anyone interested, here is a rough look at the Empress and Warlord figures side by side. The Warlord guys are definitely chunkier but should work well as an attached squad (maybe some of those Canadian fellows).

I’m also using the British Paras for an idea that GetWhimiscal, Peeb and myself talked about at Christmas – modelled patrol markers for Chain of Command. This should help to make pre-game phase a little more visually appealing, as well as reminding the players just what the markers represent. It’s also a chance for me to break out the converting skills and learning something new. Above is my first attempt, a pair of paras patroling forward, one of whom has recovered an MP44. There is a lot of work to do before they are ready but I’m really looking forwarad to working on them. Also the lack of pointing right hand on the para sprue is irritating.

With this idea, what am I actually going to play? Well, Chain of Command has really grabbed me, in part due to the feel of the game. The patrol phase and the jumping off points especially make me feel like an infantry commander in WW2, rather than an all-seeing general. I look forward to breaking out the support lists and getting a few more games in

However, I was lucky enough to get my hands on Radio Dishdash’s Ultracombat Normandy, the latest ruleset from Skirmish Sangin’s developers. Having had a read through it, it’s got some really interesting ideas that I can’t wait to put into practise.

Overall, I’m really excited about starting an entirely new setting. I have a tentative goal of getting a force ready for September (even if the equipment isn’t technically correct for Operation Garden) but I’d like to get plenty of games in before then. And of course, it may make sense for me to get some opponents for them at some point…

As this project continues, expect new posts every time I finish something. Meanwhile, I have to go read up on painting camo suits and using rifle/gun team combinations rather than my beloved fireteam arrangement.

Chain of Command from Too Fat Lardies is a game all about giving you the feel of being a platoon commander in the 1940’s. It’s about giving you the tricky choices while removing some of the more formulaic elements, beating into you the problems and issues your historical counterparts would have to deal with. I love the Too Fat Lardies motto – “Playing the Period and not the rules”. These are not a ruleset for competitive play. These are ruleset designed to evoke the feel without it turning into a horrible grind.

After having played it a few times at the club when I first started going, I’ve been desperate to play it again. Luckily, my usual York-based wargaming buddy Peebs Gaming Nonsense is a recovering Bolt Action fan with a platoon of both 8th Army and DAK. So what better way to start off my Christmas break than getting a game of it in.

Somewhere on the road to Tobruk. 1941

The desert sun glared down on Sergeant Kerridge as he stood on the roof of the farm, his beady eyes glaring out over the landscape around him. This part of Libya was greener than he expected, good enough to grow crops, the surrounding land covered in palm trees and shurbs. If it wasn’t for Jerry, and the questionable antics of the Lieutenant, it would be a perfect place to be posted.

Suddenly, with a cry from the sentries, his morning was interrupted by the arrival of a pair of Cheverlot trucks, each laden down with equipment and kicking up a plume of dust. One rolled straight past but the other rolled to a halt at the entrance to the compound, three troopers jumping off the back with ammo cans in hand while another two started to quickly work at dismounting the Vickers MG from the pintle position. To a man, the entire team seemed scruffy and out of regs, wearing the local headgear. They pushed past him, heading towards a position on the roof of the main building.

Kerridge was having none of this. He strode across the square, heading towards the commander’s seat, almost shaking with annoyance.

“What the hell is the meaning of this? Which unit are you part of? Don’t any of you know protocol about coming through lines.”

The man standing in the passenger seat turned to face him, the scraggly beard still covered in dust from the road. The sight of his rank slides caused Kerridge to click to attention, his boot heels slamming together. The Captain just smiled, throwing a casual salute before leaning down to him.

“Ah, there is a man in charge. Look here old chum, we were just returning from a patrol when we got into a bit of a scrap with some bosche just a mile or two back down the road. Looks like part of a probe and they heading straight this way. Now, we’re going to leave Williams and the old Queen here with you chaps to help give them what’s for while the Boy and I head back to somewhere with a radio to get the news out”

The Captain returned to full height, eyes scanning the horizon.

“Looks like you’re in for an interesting morning”

We decided to go for the second scenario Probe, with a DAK platoon of moving up to look for a way through British lines close to central farm.

Support wise, seeing as I was on the defence and just about had enough points, I went for a Vickers MMG team – hopefully it would help me to strike back at the masses of MG34s I was about to go up against. On the Germans side, my opponent went for an adjutant (to make up for the single Senior Leader the DAK platoons get) and a satchel charge (which went unused for the entire game).

After the dance of the patrol phase (a feature I particularity love), we had the above setup for the jumping off points. My positions let me setup up in several good pieces of cover, anchoring my defences around the main defensive position. The Germans had started their probe from my right flank, spreading their kicking off locations to a reasonable spread of locations.

Once the game kicked off, Jerry deployed two squads. One moved into the palm grove at the board edge, the other began to advance to the closest edge of the compound. In response, I deployed one section up to the low wall (both to protect the JOP and to prevent a flanking move) while the other appeared from the table edge and began advancing on

Sadly the second British Section made the fatal mistake of being caught in the open by two MG-34s which managed to rip them to shreds, dropping the NCO before pilling on the shock. This squad was eventually reduced down to one solider in each team, pinned down in the wadi.

Speaking of machine guns, the Vickers deployed in the position on the roof and started brassing up the Germans in the trees. The light cover of the undergrowth helped to reduce the casualties (although the NCO did take a hit) but they were covered in shock and unable to advance. They could, however, keep throwing potshots a the MMG that was pinning them down.

The next major deployment of troops was the Germans bringing their senior leader and the third squad to assist the advancing teams. The officer managed to get things moving en-mass. To fight back, I deployed my final section into position on top of the main compound building, able to put rifle and Bren fire down on that flank.

At this stage I made a critical error. Rather than keep my squad on the left in cover or trying to flank left, I decided to get more troops in the centre to engage more of the German offsensive. To do this I had to cross the open road which despite being done at the double, ended up with most of a squad stuck in the open. Two LMGs later and the NCO was done for, as well as several riflemen.

A phase later and I managed to get the 2inch mortar up to pop smoke and cover the crossing. Alas too late.

We ran out of time and had to call it there but where does that leave us? Well, I think it’s safe to say the Brits are in trouble. They managed to stop the probe and prevent it from breaking through the line, but they were now in serious trouble after my error. The Germans were taking shots but could possible had advanced down the right flank (using the other squads to put fire on the Tommies).

All I can say is that the cavalry better get there soon or else there might not be much to rescue.

I will admit, I can get why people don’t like Chain of Command and prefer other WW2 set games. If the dice hit you the wrong way, if Field Marshall Friction decides to make your troopers club footed fools, then yeah, it can throw your plans entirely out of wack. But nothing has quite matched the feel you get when reading histories of WW2 or even the modern day – where things can go incredibly wrong. In other words, I will be coming back to Chain of Command soon. Maybe even sooner than I expected when I started writing this post.

That said, I am very interested to try out the new WW2 rules from Radio DishDash.