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.
