The Battle of Fort Donelson Game

Here's a battle report of the Battle of Fort Donelson from our Youtube channel Command Combat Battle Reports.  Our last one done a year or so ago was a battle re-enactment showing what really happened.  This is a play-through of our game.

The Battle of Gettysburg to be played at Orccon

We will be doing the entire battle of Gettysburg at Orccon on Saturday, February 15th starting at 9 am.  Orccon is at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport.  The website is at: http://www.strategicon.net/

What part of the Battle of Gettysburg, you ask?  The whole thing!  We have a long table that will have the entire battlefield stretched out from Little Round Top all the way to Herr Ridge.  We'll basically be doing the fighting from each day in one big battle royale.  So come take the role of your favorite general and play the whole thing to see what would have happened if Lee had attacked on all fronts at once.

Civil War Buildings

Even though I play Command Combat: Civil War in 15 mm, I've often been using 10 mm buildings by the company Buildings in Turmoil.  The reason is two-fold.  First, 15 mm buildings are sometimes too large.  Even though they're supposed to be appropriately scaled to 15 mm figures, the fact is that each figure isn't supposed to be representing 1 person; it represents dozens or even hundreds, so it's actually more appropriate to go one scale down for the buildings.

I met John from Buildings in Turmoil at Historicon, and he let me sell my rules at his table.  I was putting on Gettysburg that day, and was short an important house, the Bryan house, which was essentially the goal of Pickett's charge.  His buildings are all based on real buildings from the battle fields, (he lives at Gettysburg,) so I asked him to paint one up, and his son Jeff had it to me the next morning.  They're a great group of sculptors and painters, and I highly recommend them.

http://www.buildings-in-turmoil.com/

Old Glory Miniatures

My favorite miniatures for Civil War figures has always been Old Glory.  There are the obvious things to like about them, such as the quality and the various poses.  But what I like most about them are the pieces that seem like they're merely decorative, but they are so interesting that I had to make them into relevant pieces for the game.

For instance, the signal tower is a piece they constructed.  This has no game value for any other rules set, but I liked it so much that I added it to the 1862 rules.  Players are able to send orders over great distances using this piece.  I've also used the civilians in the Bull Run scenario, their photographer for Matthew Brady, their dead pieces for bodies, and several others.  Most impressive are their generals.  They have packs of figures molded to look like specific generals.  These are perfect for the generals you choose out of the Command Combat books for your armies.  If you have generals they haven't specifically sculpted, many of their non-named generals look close enough to whomever you want to field.

You can find their Civil War figures at:

http://www.oldgloryminiatures.com/products.asp?cat=662

Command Combat Pictures from Kubla Con

Command Combat: Civil War played at Kubla Con earlier this year.  Craig Robertson hosted the Battle of Wilson's Creek.  It was an interesting fight as the Union cavalry went straight after the Confederate supplies right in the center and held there against relentless attacks.  The Confederates at last squeezed them on both sides and at the end, pressed them out.  They used paper minis from Billy Bones, which are available on Wargame Vault.  Below are pictures from the battle:

Command Combat to be Played at Celesticon in San Francisco

Command Combat will be at Celesticon in San Francisco this Memorial Day weekend, August 30 - September 2.  This time we have a special surprise.  Not only will we be putting on Command Combat: Civil War, but we will also be showcasing the upcoming Command Combat: Colonial Wars by Craig Robertson!  He will be showing British battles in South Africa and in India.

Command Combat: Civil War will have Gettysburg, the second day, the same game that premiered at Historicon.  Prizes will be given out to players, including free copies of the Gettysburg battlepack.

http://www.celesticon.com/

Command Combat: Civil War - 1863 released

The second expansion for Command Combat: Civil War is now available on the website, and at this location:

https://www.createspace.com/4354880

As with the 1862 expansion, 1863 focuses on the elements of the Civil War that were most prevalent in 1863.  This time, that means larger armies.

Just as 1862 saw a large use of siege equipment, forts, and the navy, 1863 focuses on the larger bodies of men that came together.  For the first two years of the war, individual corps fought often fought one another away from the main armies.  As 1863 came around, major generals allowed less and less of this individualized movement, forming stronger armies and larger bodies of men at arms.  This expansion provides rules for army generals who give each corps specialized objectives, such as capturing a road, breaking through enemy lines, and capturing or killing enemy generals.

Also, as with 1862, there are new generals with specialized rules, and some return generals with new rules associated with them.  The game also provides specialized regiments, which can be placed into brigades, that give them extra benefits.

The book also includes the battles of Gettysburg, Champion Hill, and Chickamauga.