Brooks and I were able to get together for another installment of Chain of Command. There has been many years of searching for a reasonable skirmish game and for me it’s really down to two rulesets, Chain of Command or Battlegroup. I favor Chain of Command as I like the command elements and general flow of the game.
We played two games with my Germans versus Brook’s British using the later war lists that come in the back of the book. We both were using the infantry platoons.
For our first game I was the attacker, and it was a flanking match where Brook’s force was in the upper right quarter of the table and I was able to approach from either the left or bottom sides in the picture.
For the patrol phase I started first walking up from behind the woods with my free moves, Brooks for his first move came forward locking down my patrol on my right flank. On the left flank I moved my patrol up to be just behind the fence in the vineyard.
With our patrols all locked down we proceeded to roll our first set of command die and get going.
With a decent roll I deployed two squads, having one take a tactical and the other moving forward behind a house with good cover. I was hoping this might cause Brooks to react and counter which in theory might allow two squads to bring their full firepower to bear.
I wasn’t disappointed the Brits popped up just where I hoped… let’em have it boys!
Brooks then also deployed another squad further back. Hopefully I’d be able to pin down the squad in front of me before that another squad might come to bear. All would come down to the command dice! (Which is why I really like this game)
For the next round I pulled in another squad, moved up my squad that was in the vineyard and deployed one of my bonus attachments, a medic.
Disaster was to strike tho, my squad corporal on my left flank got hit and was fallen wounded. Medic! Brooks was also able to bring some effective fire against the squad machine gun. Time to bring in some help!
The medic takes off running and I bring up my squad, the riflemen from that squad get up to the ruins of the house, but the command dice don’t quite have enough to allow me to get their machine gun time forward. I bring in my senior platoon leader and the Lt steps up to take command by the wounded corporal.
Meanwhile during Brook’s activation he pops a squad in the house and moves up the other squad in support. They push forward and come in for the assault which entirely goes his way, my leader and most of the squad is eliminated.
A few bad things happen rolls and my force moral which wasn’t great to start (8) is pretty much in the toilet and without any toilet paper. Messy situation….
With that we call the game as the back of my force is broken, we’ll break off the attack and regroup.
Game 2!
We pull everything off and make a few adjustments to the table. Brooks assumes the role of attacker and we get on with the patrol phase. In the case as the defender I’ll have to defend the clock tower and once again Brooks and I start the patrol phase.
I push up in the ruined house just up from the clock tower. I also push left and right in hopes of keeping my flanks secure. Brooks locks me down and we place our jump off points.
For our variable attachments this time, I take a 50mm mortar team, and Brooks takes a Wolverine. Good thing part of the platoon is a panzershrek, I’m going to need it!
Brooks deploys infantry in the town, seemingly ready to push forward moving house to house. I deploy my 50mm mortar off on my right flank (left side in the picture) my Lt joins them. I have one squad in the clock tower and one squad in the ruins just in front of and to my left flank.
Brooks starts dropping smoke with his light mortar to hopefully take care of sight lines. Alas they go far left and then far right in successive activations.
Brooks starts to move up and I’m able to deploy my Panzershrek on my left flank and a squad to support them. Maybe just maybe they can go hunting for that tank destroyer. It fires a round into the clock tower which brings up a little conversation about HE rounds and bringing down buildings. Hold together baby!
More smoke starts to fall, this time on target in the middle of the road.
I push my MG team forward hopefully they can lay down some fire on what will be the advance. Brooks through having a command die, great luck and not so great luck, pushes a squad forward on the opposite side of the street. On the movement roll, he falls just short of being able to get into close assault with my leader who had moved up in theory to support the squad in front of the clock tower.
During my activation the command dice result in 3 6’s which forces the end of the turn and just enough command dice that I can move a squad over to react to the new threat.
My MG team turns and fires, the riflemen from the squad move forward and blaze away, bullets flying but I don’t quite land enough shock or cause enough casualties where I’ve pinned them. Unfortunately I don’t have enough command dice to get my senior leader to move away. This was the tough fate of the situation and a mighty cinematic one too.
Brooks on his turn gets some free shots at my leader who miraculously survives and worse doesn’t get high enough of a roll to be able to fall back into better cover.
Another volley of fire from my guys, another 3 6’s rolled and unfortunately given the losses some bad rolls on the bad things happen table and the British force moral is so low that the question is answered. They’ll break off this attack and regroup.
All in all a really really fun day. I’m super impressed with Chain of Command. It plays really well. The command dice make you decide what’s really important. Command means a lot in this game as it should. Period tactics are rewarded. Can’t wait to play more!