Experiments With Great War Commander: Round Two

Played a second game with a more few tweaks. I multiplied all ranges and distances by 1.5 – that helped out a LOT. I kept the +1 CV if all units in a formation are being ordered to move directly towards their objective. I also added that in a continuous trench-line there is no distance modifier for command. Things seemed to work just fine.

I played the game with my friend John. He played the Germans. I played the attacking Canadians. The scenario was very much like the previous two games.

I also gave myself two batteries of artillery (3dice) with two assets each. It wasn’t nearly enough. I also placed a time limit of 10 turns to take the trenches.

I didn’t take extensive notes so there are just a few pictures.

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)

Very much like the last two games except that all three German battalions deployed in the town. Had we had more time (and I had more turns and commanders that could make command rolls…!) I guess I could have flanked the trenches…


The Germans in trenches by the village.


More of the same.


The 11th Brigade slowly making it’s way toward the town. The Brigadier was up to his old tricks of rolling 10’s and 11’s on hi first or second command roll, thus hi brigade got off to a very slow start.


Canadians moving towards the town..


CRUNCH!

Turn Five. I had expected John would have deployed some Germans in the woods on the flanks. So two of my artillery assets were wasted blowing up trees.


11th Brigade making it’s merry way forward.


12th Brigade stood and watched the barrage for a turn. I had three command blunders in the seven turns we played. The worst was when the commander of the 12th Brigade got a “CEASE FIRING!” took three hits and was duly suppressed!


The next turn the barrage hit the trenches. A single barrage of 3 dice is not nearly enough to suppress troops in trenches… let alone winkle them out! I think I suppressed two (of the 9 stands that were in that trench-line. Not that I was anywhere near enough to exploit those couple of suppressions either due to poor command roles (and blunders!) in the earlier turns…


12 Brigade heading towards the town under the cover of the artillery barrage.


The barrage hitting the town. I think John was feeling sorry for me so he moved his reserve battalion up into the area he figured the barrage was coming. They three of the four of them were suppressed… not that I was much worried about them… compared to the Jerries in the trenches.


The barrage and my guys nowhere near enough to get in under it.


The dust settles and John decides which of my advancing units he should obliterate first.

We played another round or two. I did get a half dozen stands into contact with the trench-line. All were bloodily repulsed. We could have played it out, but it was getting a bit late and it would have taken a bit of time and I’m pretty sure it would have been hopeless for me…

Next time MORE ARTILLERY!

One thing did seem a bit odd after I thought about it for a bit, and that was a Brigadier moving out among the battalions, sheparding them forward…. Really a Brigadier should be in a dug out somewhere… It got me thinking that maybe I need 8-stand battalions and HQ for each of them… GAH! I’m not sure I’d have ROOM for a divisional attack if that were the case, though.

I’ve decided I should play a couple more games of BKC and CWC to get a better handle on the system before returning to tweaking them for use with the Great War.