Cold War Commander review and mod.
My "modern" 1/285th miniatures have been sleeping in their boxes for years. They started 25+ years ago with playing a thing that nowadays we would call unbearable called Combat Commander. Then came Corps Commander, Challenger, WRG, FFT2/3, Combined Arms. I mostly gave up for years as the burden to give a fair and enjoyable rendering of the intricacies of modern combat was never fully satisfied. I don't want fantasy. Some bits about the first game of CWC here.
My opponent bought the two "Commander" rules from Pendraken. My fault, as I kept reading bits here and there and liked mostly what I saw. Obviously he passed on me the hot potato of deciphering, learning the thing to explain and play later. I won't go into describing the appearance, pages etc. plenty are doing this moderately useless thing. The rules are looking businesslike, clear enough, though with use, I had to go page hunting and even ask questions on the forum for half hidden stuff. Often in rules, one should not be afraid to add text with repetitions if they apply at a certain point rather than have you search back and forth. Same in QRS. The Pendraken Forum and possibly the facebook page are fast invaluable treasure of help and experience. I tried to play alone then realised I made pretty heavy mistakes. Tried again. Then we had an afternoon. I don't like "points shopping lists" but if properly done they at least give an idea of the relative power of things (and I am jealous as I have no idea how to construct this thing). A bit of the game here.
The result: the system is fine, easy to remember though there are hidden intricacies one can miss initially. I used the captured paper on stats for multiple D6 rolls reduced to only two dice, a trick from boardgames; saves a huge amount of time. We did screw up the first partial attempt, as I thought (with questioning the thing!) opportunity fire was a possible response to each active player fire. I don't have enough experience yet on the overall thing but at least in a few turns we did not have half the tanks burning. It is hard to say what time a turn can represent (say 10min?) so it is not too crazy. I re plunged into OPFOR manuals (I am the Warsaw pact, often), though to my surprise still lots of info from the Cold War stuff lingered deep in my memory. We used 6mm figs and those tiny tanks take little space so the stated 1cm=20m makes the table is fair enough (here it was 3.2 km attack frontage and 5km depth) if you have space. The but was that the things do not spread enough to be realistic combat frontage, the system even pushes you to mass (except the artillery and even), something found in many rules. A bn of soviets in attack should be around 1km wide, at least. If you follow doctrine in the rules, you will suffer for commanding them. I would have thought that doctrine should rather be the optimal use .
As a former tanker (son of an artillery officer) who read a lot, some of the stuff do not fit but can be easily corrected. One of the reason tanks spread (40-200m between) beside collisions ( you don't see well on the sides as the driver, the commander can easily be busy ;) and artillery strikes, it comes to target re engaging. If the foe is clustered, you can find one; shoot and in the firers optics he will fast or even God forbid immediately get a new target. If they are spread it will take time, and time is vital, it can easily be like OK Corral, who shoots first and well, wins. So clustered tanks should get a die bonus to the AT fire (guns. missiles are slower and the other crew can work on acquiring while the shooter tries to maintain aim). I am talking of stuff from the 80s as I play this war we did not do (fortunately). Say to be game conservative needs 5 cm between AFV (except in close terrain) so in 6mm 6-7 cm (140m for 4 vehicles) which is a minimum. 10cm should probably be better for NATO but...
The one thing in the rules which does not do is the treatment of artillery. Others who know what they are talking about said so on forums (TMp). FOOs are equipped with proper optics, very modern ones with sats and computers but that is beyond my "period". If you talk to one they will tell you they "walk fire". My dad would jump in his grave if you'd tell him that every fire for effect will drift away 100-500m+ if you are 1km from the target point. The game only considers what artillerists call impromptu fire. A rare stuff where you are in such a hurry that you might waste scores of your precious rounds on a fleeting juicy target. Normal arty calls (that gets a favorable response) walk regulating rounds (from one regulating gun) to the target; it can take a few minutes. A mech target might take this time to move away. Once the caller is satisfied he calls for fire for effect with the number of rounds. And most of the rounds, given the wind, and circular error inherent to the tubes, (make, wear+) they fall pretty close to the target. So in the game that deviation should be uncommon and for long distances or partially obscured targets. If you want artillery to be limited, the best is the number of "rounds". It looks that the effects are quite good in the game. Soft and foot targets should be automatically supressed, no one stands to run away... After all, armoured infantry transports where invented mainly to allow the infantry to move into the "artillery zone". AFv should have a fair chance to be supressed too (button up in time? big bangs nearby and on you that will make you say dizzy at best. Worry that anything vital gets smashed (tracks, comms, optics). My dad used to say armoured vehicles (say up to 30t?) can be put on the side/upturned by a close 155.
Another thing that needs be addressed; the command and control "position" of the artillery. It is either dedicated, or in general support for a normal game. Dedicated means it is under direct command of your Co/ or his arty chief in the game. General support, it is shared with other outfits outside of the table, it might be busy when you need it.
In soviet ways, unless re organized for the mission, each regiment has its own bn, dedicated. It fires only for you. In most NATo things yours are also (but not always) in general support of others. Moreover in soviet doctrine, the normal FOo for those guns is effectively the artillery battalion commander (forward command- he has a deputy who is with the guns); hardly the guns will say no to him unless they are moving or in a tight situation (and the game does make it possible to do counter battery). In many ways his response to needs should be better than the average Nato call (lowly officers who need to go through arty Hq). The rest of the guns (the DAG- division artillery group-sometimes augmented by army assets) can be in general support or assigned to you or others. The main difference with NaTo besides to forwards Foo being the commanders, "what is mine is mine, what is yours is yours". Unless the top re-assigns stuff, your guns only work for you. If you have a plenty whoa. If you don't and need them, well too bad. Nato can call for neighbours. Each Wp foo commands his own stuff only but he can be assigned a lot of stuff if they plan for it. In that case where he is, hell can come, but elsewhere...
So in the game:
use the option fast results, 2 hits= suppression, I would have no saves from woods for foot troops vs artillery/mortars (branches chewed up to splinters adding fun).
Throw 3D6 for request, one different colour. On a 6 on this one it deviates. add+1 for each km after the first between the observer and the impact zone, +1 if not a pro artilleryman calling (or Hq in game). If it does, roll deviations as normal, including reduced rolls for lasers.
For calling: dedicated artillery +1, general support -1. You have to organize before the game who has what and commands, if not obvious. If a long game some command rules for re assigning units could be used.
Reduced impact zones, (as in options) one for each battery that can be side to side or piled up. Add dice. Smaller guns/mortars could be smaller.
