Command Combat: Civil War - Tutorial 1 (Choosing Your Army)

Final Primary Plans for Command Combat: Civil War

Now that the 1864 expansion is released, I have completed the bulk of what I had planned for Command Combat: Civil War.  But there are a few other major elements yet to finish.

First, I need to put together the hardcover compilation of everything from the 1861 core rulebook through the three main expansions, ’62, ’63, and ’64.  Plus there will be a few added elements from 1865.  There was supposed to be an entire expansion just for that year, but as I got to researching it, I learned that there really wasn’t enough from that year to make an entire expansion.  I had somewhat known this and intended to make it a what if expansion, including things like European troops and the Gatling gun, but it still just wasn’t enough.  So I decided to make it added content to the compilation book.  Thus, 1865.  I had intended on coming out with this expansion on the 150^th anniversary of Lee’s surrender to Grant, but will have to settle for the 151^st anniversary of it, (or near that time.)

I also wanted to release a battle pack of the Battle of the Wilderness, which will include Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg.  This would make it so there was at least one battle pack for each year of the war.  I could just skip this and let Gettysburg be the last one, but it just feels odd to leave 1864 out arbitrarily.  So I’ll be coming out with that next year as well.  The one thing that will be missing from this is the unit pieces.  They take a tremendous amount of time, and if I wait to finish these, it may never end.  Plus, the sizes of the armies in these expansions are so huge that they would make the books way too large.

Finally, as I’ve taken this journey through all these expansions, I’ve found better ways for the game to be played, and even some elements of the game that aren’t very strong.  I’ve been altering them through house rules as I’ve been playing with people more recently, but it would be best to provide these rules to the public so they can have the best experience possible playing.  So I need to create a version 2 of the game.  However, I always hate when a game company requires their players to go out and buy a whole new game after they’ve been loyal, purchasing all the games in the past.  So I’ll be posting all the changes on the website so those people who already had version 1 can simply use these altered rules without having to spend more money.

I also have found a number of typos throughout the other expansions, so I need to go fix those as well.  And once those are all finished, I’ve completed the major elements of Command Combat: Civil War.  I’ll have more things to make over time, including a regimental version, a navy game and individual battles to release.  Plus I want to expand into other periods.  But these elements are the main parts of the game that I had envisioned when I created Command Combat: Civil War.

Command Combat… Other Periods

I placed the colon between Command Combat and Civil War for a specific reason, because the Command Combat system is intended to reach beyond the Civil War.  The idea of orders having to be sent out from generals to their subordinates is one that can work in any period, especially ones before radio contact.  It makes battles represent their time periods more accurately as there is a lag time between making a decision and implementing it.  It also makes the player feel more like one person trying to herd a large army rather than micromanaging every aspect.

Also, I intentionally made the rules as simple as I could because I believe war gaming begs to be simplified.  With computer games making it easier than ever to play with ease, the best way to compete is to have simplified and fun rules.  Plus, even if computer games didn’t exist, those of us who grew up with war games now have responsibilities, and we can’t play 12 hour epic games like we once did.  So it’s best to have games that are quick and easy to play.

Therefore, I see this system expanding into other periods, particularly those with muskets.  It would transfer simply enough to those periods because the strategies and maneuvers are all the same with only a few exceptions.  The big difference would be the ranges and the special rules granted to specific commanders based on their styles of leadership.  There would also be some minor alterations based on their countries.  For instance, Napoleonic era infantry could form square, though Austrian infantry would have a separate, special maneuver that they did instead of square.  Also, cavalry would be more useful in battles rather than before and after the combat.

Eventually, my plan is to make two or three expanded rules systems.  One would be pre-American Civil War, and one would be post-American Civil War.  I would possibly have a separate book just for the Napoleonic era since that was so iconic, but I’m not sure.

The reason I have it all hinge on the Civil War is because that’s when everything changed.  The advent of the rifled musket made everything different from ranges to strategies, so I would put those in separate books.  However, I would like to make the point values such that one could mix and match armies from every book to go against one another, creating “what if” scenarios.  I’m also considering ways to let a player choose between rifled and smoothbore muskets just so everyone’s on an even playing field.  That way you could build a French army under Napoleon to take on an army of the Satsuma rebellion, or have armies of the Mexican war go up against George Washington and his rebel band.

One day this will happen; but I must finish what I have planned for Command Combat: Civil War first.

Command Combat: Civil War - 1862 (Rosecrans v. Hardee)

Command Combat: Civil War - 1864 Battle (Longstreet v. Thomas)

Today we see a siege/breakout battle between General Longstreet and General Thomas in 1864.

1864 Generals Preview 2

Here are some more samples of generals in the 1864 expansion.

Overland Campaign between Lee & Grant to Play at Orccon This Weekend

This Sunday I'll be hosting a game of Command Combat: Civil War at Orccon, which is held at the Hilton Los Angeles Hotel.  The game will run from 10 am to 4 pm.  We'll be playing the Overland campaign between Lee and Grant.  This is a scenario taken from the 1864 expansion, which is still being worked on.  It's so expansive that it's delayed the release.  This will be the first trial run of one of the campaign scenarios.

http://www.strategicon.net/

Working on 1864

I have been working on 1864 and am slowly putting the thing together.  This one will feature not only generals from the last major year of the war, but also campaigns.  There will be special rules for generals moving around the board on a campaign, how to link them with battles, and will include the campaigns for the Atlanta and the Overland campaigns.

I also finished the cover when I built it for the talk at Celesticon.  Here it is:

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/

Battle of Gettysburg Battlepack Released

The long-awaited Battle of Gettysburg Battlepack has just been released.  In this battlepack, players choose one of the three days of the battle, and duke it out using the generals and units of those times.  The player can then put the maps from all three days together to play the entire battle using special army rules and stats for Lee and Meade.

The Battle of Gettysburg Battlepack is available on Wargame Vault:

http://sww.wargamevault.com/product/115932/Command-Combat-Civil-War---The-Battle-of-Gettysburg

On paperback on Amazon, or at:

https://www.createspace.com/4326048

And, as always, you can find it at the website:

www.commandcombat.com

Sneak Peak at Command Combat: Civil War - 1863

I am hard at work on the expansions for Command Combat: Civil War.  The remaining three year expansions, which include 1863, 1864, and 1865, and the Gettysburg battlepack will all be released during the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg and will be premiered at Historicon in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

1863 is, of course, the first one I'm working on.  It focuses on larger scale armies and army commanders, since that was the year when battles grew into the mammoth conflicts that are so famous.

The scenarios will primarily be the larger ones, such as Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, Chickamauga, etc.

I chose Jackson and Sherman for the cover for their own reasons.  It is, of course, Jackson's last opportunity to appear on a cover, and 1863 was the year of his most astonishing victory at Chancellorsville.  Sherman is on it because this is the year when he rose up to prominence.  Of course, it's also the year Grant made the same rise to power, but he'll be on the 1864 cover, so Sherman gets this one.

As mentioned earlier, the main rule additions will center around holding larger battles, so they will introduce the army general into the game and provide him with orders that he sends to corps generals.  These orders will be in the form of objectives.  So instead of beginning the battle with set objectives, they will be given out, or possibly changed, by the army generals.  Turns will take place primarily by corps as well, so that the game doesn't get bogged down with moving every single division by their own turns.

In addition to going large, the game will also go small.  Certain special regiments will be added, such as 54th Massachusetts, which was the first black regiment to see active duty.

The generals, too, will change.  One example is Lee, whose special ability will be "Know the enemy" which allows him to utilize his opponent general's special ability once per game.  He will also have other abilities, but that's the surprise!

Command Combat to be at Orccon

I will be at Orccon putting on the Second Battle of Bull Run/Manassas.  This con takes place in Los Angeles near LAX on Presidents Day Weekend.  Here is the website for the convention:

http://www.strategicon.net/

It's one of the Strategicon events, and one of the best, I think.  Come join us!  We will be there at these times:

Friday: 3:00 -9:00
Saturday: Noon - 6:00

We'll probably be doing the second day on Friday and the third day on Saturday.

My apologies

I will admit it, I have been horrible at keeping up this blog.  To those of you who have been faithfully keeping up in hopes this site would be updated more regularly, as I promised, I am especially sorry.  I want to say that this will change, but because so many things keep coming up in my life, I know that I won't necessarily be able to keep that promise.

However, I know there will be a lot of updates coming up for a while.  Because I have been so far behind for several months, I'm going to release one new blog every other day until I catch up.  Then, after that, I will be doing a lot of work in preparation for releasing all the expansions this July during the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.  So there will be a lot of updates during that time, (unless I get so busy making the updates I don't have time to write in the blog.

Anyway, sorry for the delay, and I'm going to start releasing as much as I can.

Command Combat: Civil War in Wargames Illustrated

We had a write-up about the game in the current issue of Wargames Illustrated.  (Actually, it was an article I wrote about my own game.)  Thanks to the editors for putting up some wonderful photos of the game, as I am woefully behind on getting pictures.  I thought I would take pictures while teaching the game, but it's turned out to be difficult to take pictures while teaching it at the same time.  I will need to do more set-ups.

The Second Battle of Bull Run - Miniatures reenactment

This is a miniatures reenactment of the Second Battle of Bull Run/Manassas, the second day.

Command Comabt at SoCal Smackdown this weekend

We will be at SoCal Smackdown this Saturday and Sunday.  We will have a booth where we will be selling all sorts of goodies for Command Combat: Civil War, and we will also have a game of the Second Battle of Bull Run/Manassas starting at noon.  Everyone who participates gets a copy of the battle pack for Second Bull Run/Manassas.

http://www.socalsmackdown.com/

Come enjoy the games!

Meeting Engagement at Game Empire - Sunday at 1

We will be playing a meeting engagement with forces taken out of the 1862 book this Sunday at 1 pm at Game Empire.  The address for Game Empire is:

1795 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA  91106

See you there!

Battle of Fredericksburg fixed

The scenario for the Battle of Fredericksburg went out with a rather large error at the beginning.  I had used an earlier battle pack as the template, and I forgot to take out an early paragraph.  It's been fixed now and is back up on the website for free downloading.

http://www.commandcombat.com


Sorry about the mistake everyone!

Command Combat at Origins

Command Combat: Civil War is on display along with other award nominees at the Origins Game Fair this weekend.  If you, or anyone you know, is going to the fair, be sure to take a look at the game.  It should be in the room Origins has reserved for their nominated games.  After taking a look, be sure to vote for it, as it appears to be decided by the public.

http://www.originsgames.com/

Command Combat: Civil War Nominated for Best Historic Miniatures Game

Command Combat: Civil War has been nominated for best historical miniatures game by the Origins Awards!  This is actually fairly old news, as it was nominated at GAMA in Las Vegas, Nevada.  However, this weekend is the weekend when the fate will be decided, whether it will win the coveted award or not.  It's being looked at and scrutinized at the Origins Game Fair along with the other nominees.

To be completely honest, I don't expect to win.  Despite the huge pride I have in the game, and the fact that I think it's the best system for the Civil War, the others that are nominated are by major companies with many employees, writers, artists, historians, etc.  One of them is one of my all time favorites, Flames of War: Casino.  This is an absolutely amazing miniatures expansion.  The others are games I've been very impressed by as well.

So to be nominated alongside these wonderful games is a huge honor.  This may sound like BS, but to me, I've already won just after being nominated.

Here's the link to the nominations:

http://gama.org/OriginsAwards/tabid/2720/Default.aspx