of Command: At the Sharp Welcome to Chain of Command: End, the campaign supplement which we hope will allow you to have many enjoyable hours of gaming fun following the careers of your miniature soldiers across the battlefields of the of the Second World War.
From the very outset it was clear that however we structured the campaign system it would need to achieve several goals. Firstly it would have to be simple enough to set up and manage so that it did not unduly impede on the gaming time available to the players. So many campaigns have floundered on the rocks of well‐meaning complexity in the form of wonderful but impractical detail. To achieve this we have focussed on what we believe are the key factors which when combined present the gamer with the most interesting, challenging and representative choices which best mirror those which a platoon commander would be faced with in reality. Of course Of course this means that some of the of the minutiae of detail has to be allowed to fade into the background in order to make the system manageable. However, for the gamer who prefers more detail, it is possible to use the basic structure presented here and bolt on additional factors to suit their own interests.
Chain of Command is a game devoted to exploring and enjoying small unit tactics on the tabletop. Much of the emphasis within the rules is on the way in which troops were trained to fight, and to reflect that the main rules focus on full‐strength units equipped in a text‐book manner.
Of course, real war brings trials and tribulations and how long any unit in the front line remained at full‐strength was a matter of luck as much as anything else. In the face of the enemy platoons had to be re‐organised to take losses into account, often on a mission by mission basis. As soon as we published Chain of Command we had wargamers asking us how to field forces weakened by losses. We felt that the very best way to represent the effect of attrition on a fighting force was in a campaign setting, where the player, in his role as force commander, is faced with the on‐ going challenge challenge of how to keep his unit as effective as possible.
Secondly, we did not want this supplement to simply present one, or even a number number of, campaigns to be used straight out of the box. Certainly, this supplement is designed to provide a fast and simple generic setting for a campaign which does not even require a map to play. However, far more importantly, it also serves as a key which may be used with more specific historical campaigns, which we will be presenting in future, and also as a framework upon which the gamer can design his own campaigns of whatever size and complexity he desires.
What we wanted to achieve was the creation of a small, discrete game universe where a couple of players could run an ongoing campaign in a plausible setting or a larger group could fight several linked campaigns. We wanted an environment where the players were presented with the challenges of command on the tabletop; a setting where they needed to overcome their enemy; but also a world in which they were faced with some of the more subtle issues of command, such as managing the expectations of their superiors and the morale of their men, not to mention the well‐being of their own character: the platoon commander.
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Introduction
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Section One – One – The Ladder Campaign 5 6 7 10 11 13
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The Scenarios The No Map Campaign The Simple Map Campaign The Full Map Campaign The Abbreviated The Abbreviated Campaign Campaign The Tailleville Campaign Notes on sourcing period sourcing period maps maps
Section Two – Two – In the Field 15 17
18 19 20 22 23 24
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The Campaign Turn Fighting on the Ladder The Localised Counter Localised Counter ‐ Attack Consolidating & Strengthening Defences Giving Ground Campaign Duration Casualties Replacements & Reinforcements Wild Card Wild Card Reinforcements Reinforcements Setting up the Tables In‐Game Events Withdrawal from from the Table ents Post Game Ev ents Replacement Leaders Replacement Leaders Prisoners of War of War Awards for Awards for Bravery Bravery Post ‐Battle Reorganisation Campaign Prompt Sheet Prompt Sheet
Section Three – Three – Men Under Fire 28 29 33
34 35 37 38 39
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Key Characters Key Characters Character Tables Character Tables Background Location Age Names Appearance & Physique Post Game Post Game Tracking The CO’s Opinion The Men’s Opinion The Platoon Leader’s Outlook Tracking Outlook Other Events Other Events Affecting Affecting Outlook
Section Four – Four – Building a Campaign 44
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The Location The Terrain The Men Running the Campaign
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So what is a ladder campaign? Basically it is a structure which allows us to link together a number of games in a manner which provides a coherent campaign narrative, whilst being extremely simple to run and with as much or as little detail as you would like at each stage. We use the phrase “ladder campaign”, as a ladder best describes the linear structure.
Let us look at the basic ladder which will form the basis of the full campaign. As we progress, the reader will see that a number of abbreviated options are available for short campaigns with as few as three games being possible, but we’ll begin looking at the complete ladder as it shows all the main options and the complete structure.
The objective of the ladder campaign is to povide a fast and easily manageable series of games which involve the players in considering a number of factors of factors and making decisions which they would not normally be faced with in a one‐off tabletop game. The system does not, however, seek to replicate the unlimited intricacies of a map campaign where the players have absolute free rein over each and every aspect of the of the game.
Opposite is the master campaign ladder. You’ll note that it has eleven rungs in total, five numbered in blue, five in red and one in neutral black. The numbers shown correspond to the scenarios in the main rule book. At the outset of the full campaign the rungs marked in blue are held by one side, those in red by the other side. The central rung, marked in black, represents No‐Man’s‐Land between the two forces.
We made this decision to use the ladder format to keep things easily manageable, but but also because in a platoon level game the junior officer or NCO commanding the force would not be making grand strategic decisions about avenues of advance: he would be following orders which would already have determined which areas of the battlefield his force was assigned to. As such, the ladder structure reflects well the constraints constraints within which our miniature commanders’ real‐life counterparts would be operating.
The objective of each force is to advance up or down the ladder, into his opponent’s territory with a view to seizing the ultimate objective on the final rung. We have made certain assumptions about the shape of the battlefield here: Between the two forces we have an area which, as yet, neither side controls, that being rung 1.
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Rungs 2 represent the outposts of the two opposing sides. These are their patrols, listening posts, weakly held forward positions which are there to mask their main defences and keep enemy patrols at bay.
you are successful in that encounter Scenario Five sees your force manoeuvre to conduct a Flank Attack against an enemy makeshift defensive position. Finally Scenario Six will see your victorious force attacking the ultimate objective against a strong enemy. Win here and you have won the campaign.
Rungs 3 represent the main defensive positions for both sides, whilst rungs 4 and 5 are marked collectively as “Pursuit and Retreat”. This is the more open ground beyond the main defences where a manoeuvre battle can take place as one side retreats and the other pursues. This area will see fighting withdrawals and potential counter‐attacks as well as pursuit.
THE CAVEAT All of which sounds like a clear process. However, be warned that your opponent is unlikely to allow you quite such a victorious procession! The ladder format is there to allow the forces to move up and down depending on who controls the campaign initiative. We’ll look at all this in more detail in the full campaign rules.
Finally, rungs 6 represent the ultimate objective for both sides. What that objective is will depend on the campaign setting. It could be the Gare Maritime in Calais; the final workshop in the Dzerzhinsky tractor factor; an oasis in the Libyan desert or an anonymous crossroads south of St Lô. Whatever that objective is, capturing it is the ultimate objective, the securing of which ends the campaign.
THE SCENARIOS As we have mentioned, the scenarios which you’ll use during this campaign are the ones found in the main rule book. For the first game in No‐Man’s‐Land you’ll play Scenario One; The Patrol. Before you can launch your offensive you’ll need to control this ground in order to advance your forces to their starting point. In the second game whoever had gained control of No‐Man’s Land will now look to by‐ pass and drive in the enemy outposts. For this game you’ll use Scenario Two; The Probe. If you’re successful here you will next want to push on an attack the enemy’s main defensive line. For this you’ll use Scenario Three; Attack & Defend. Breaking through the enemy’s main defences opens up the opportunity for more open warfare in the ground beyond. Scenario Four, A Delaying Action, sees the retreating force attempt to stem the tide of your advance. If
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playing a No Map Campaign it is a good idea to at least have a vague idea about where and why you are fighting as that does provide a nice bit of background narrative and adds much colour to proceedings, as we will see with the Simple Map Campaign.
SETTING UP YOUR CAMPAIGN Before we look at different size and structural options, let us consider the three basic sorts of campaign options the players have to choose from. In keeping with the principle of simplicity, we call these the No Map, Simple Map and Full Map campaigns. But what are they?
THE NO MAP CAMPAIGN
THE SIMPLE MAP CAMPAIGN
The No Map Campaign is without doubt the simplest option of the three. It allows the players to get started immediately with pretty much no preparation other than sorting out details of your forces with Part Two of this supplement, Men Under Fire.
In many respects the Simple Map Campaign has the best of both worlds. You get a background narrative and setting to guide your choice of terrain, whilst avoiding too much time spent on preparation. Below is half of a Simple Map which takes us from No‐ Man’s‐Land in the Libyan desert to the ultimate British objective, the Oasis at Khermal.
To play the No Map campaign the only “map” you’ll need is the ladder on the previous page. As outlined above, you begin the campaign on rung 1 of the ladder and then play from there, moving up or down the ladder according to successes or failures on the table. Winning a game will see the victor advance one rung on the ladder into enemy held territory, and the next game then takes place. A reversal will see the initiative swing to your opponent who will then attempt to advance into your territory. The campaign continues in that manner until one side secures their ultimate objective.
From this simple map, you can see that the German outposts are among some old Roman ruins whilst their main defences are around the village of Sheik al Fak where, one presumes, there is a water supply. The pursuit phase of this campaign would be through the Al’am Hayfa range, allowing for a
In some ways the No Map campaign is the perfect starting point as it requires a grand total of zero investment in time spent planning. However, in other respects it is the most difficult as without some kind of guidelines setting up terrain for each game can be somewhat random. Even
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fighting withdrawal through the passes, before a battle of manoeuvre against impromptu German defences at the small oasis at Al Jazirya. Finally, the British objective is the main Oasis at Khermal.
THE FULL MAP CAMPAIGN
As we can see, just this simple sketch map gives us pretty much all of the information we need for setting up our table for each scenario. Yes, we do have the advantage in a desert game that one feature is pretty much all you need for a single game, but even in northern Europe knowing what the main terrain feature is on each table will give us a good starting point.
The first type of Full Map Campaign simply uses a map as a setting for a campaign. The second uses a map of part of an historical battlefield in order to refight the events which happened in that location.
There are actually two types of Full Map Campaigns, but both share the key attribute that they use an actual map to provide the area to be fought over.
We can, of course, use modern maps in association with Google Earth to provide us with images of the terrain. However, I would suggest that with a small amount of effort it is often possible to get access to historical maps from the period of the Second World War. This could be on‐line, in books such as the Pen & Sword Battleground Europe series, or even purchasing vintage maps on eBay if you feel like really going to town! We’ll take a look at access to these later in this section. Suffice to say, we use an actual map for this campaign option.
Why is there only half of the ladder on this map? Well, as we shall see, it could be that we are playing an abbreviated campaign where the Germans are firmly on the defensive, possibly through shortage of ammunition, transport or water, in which case a “half map” may be appropriate, as we will see. In fact the truth is somewhat simpler. This is the map which I used for my own early 1941 campaign in Libya. That began as a No Map Campaign, just using the ladder as a template. However, as the campaign progressed and the British advanced, it made my life easier to sketch out such a map in order to make the campaign more “real”. It also helped me plan the campaign around what terrain I already owned and what I needed to purchase or make going forward. If the Germans counter‐attack and are successful in pushing the British back down into their territory, I shall have to produce the second half of the map!
Using a map for a non‐historical campaign, is fun in its own right. Military training manuals are full of real maps on which hypothetical battles are fought out. The advantage of a map is that it shows real terrain. A period map from the 1930s and ‘40s goes further as it presents a more plausible model on which to fight our campaign. There are no motorways, no urban sprawl: we see the terrain as it was at precisely the period we are looking to game. All of which provides us with a very plausible and useable backdrop to the campaign.
So, this Simple Map Campaign is in many ways an ideal starting point, or, possibly more likely, something which a No Map Campaign can quickly and easily develop into. What is more, this is precisely the type of campaign which can be developed from the type of sketched out maps which one finds in veteran’s accounts of their experiences.
We can use the map to brief our participants, and it provides us with the type of detail it would be impossible to provide with a Simple Map Campaign when it comes to setting up our tables for each game. Of course, using an historical map of an area actually fought over and reproducing aspects of that battle has all of the advantages outlined above but it also connects us to the history and the men who fought. Reading the
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accounts of actions and then taking that through onto the tabletop must, surely, be one of the most interesting aspects of wargaming, and to do so using the same maps as those men would have used can only serve to make that bridge to history even more tangible.
For the Germans it is the village of Cavillon to the south. What you can see here is that the map obliges us to do some planning, if only to decide on the relative positions of the forces at the outset of the campaign and what the ultimate objectives are. We have left the Retreat and Pursuit areas as unspecified at this point, but clearly they will be somewhere to the rear of the main positions and in front of the objective. As already said, we can leave that detail until later if we want to leave a bit of wriggle‐room to allow what happens in the earlier games to influence this and, maybe, even allow the player a choice of location.
However, having said all that, the Full Map Campaign in either format does involve more preparation that the No Map or Simple Map Campaigns. Let’s look first at an example of the simpler of the two: the FullMap with a non‐historical campaign On the next page is a map of the area around the town of Mouy in the Oise department of Northern France. It’s a 1943 version of an original prepared in 1938 by the Geographical Service of the British General Staff (in other words a standard GSGS map) in 1:50,000 scale (1 inch to 0.79 miles). As such this is an original and very nice Second World War vintage map. The only issue being that, by the time Mouy was liberated by the US XIX Corps st on the 31 of August, the German army was in full retreat and no fighting occurred in this area. Nevertheless, it is still a nice map and in our campaign world it can provide a nice period setting.
Another noteworthy factor is that how close together the rungs on the ladder are; on the map this is very much a moveable feast. On the map below the outposts and main line of resistance are relatively close together and the final objectives are a mere six and a half miles apart as the crow flies. In other campaigns and in other parts of the world this will vary, sometimes quite significantly, due to the nature of the terrain. In the Simple Map Campaign, above, in my mind’s eye I see the campaign as covering around 100 miles of desert. In Russia in 1941 it could be that the Retreat and Pursuit phase of the campaign could be seen to cover very large distances with the ultimate objective far away across the rolling steppe. Equally, in the closest jungle terrain or densest bocage a campaign could be played out over a few hundred yards. So long as the person organising the campaign can identify these parameters from the outset, the basic structure of the campaign can be manipulated to fit the situation on the map.
As can be seen we have used the ladder structure to the left of the page to show how this artificial format fits in with the reality of the terrain. Probably the first thing to note is that whilst the rungs on the ladder are set distances apart, the ground as shown on the map determines how far apart the various steps in the campaign are on the map. Shown on the map in red and blue is the outpost line, then the main line of resistance, shown here as platoon positions. To their rear the ultimate objectives are shown – for the Americans it is outlined in red, being the village of Hermes where they can control the three‐way road junction and the railway line.
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What we also note is that I have effectively put a Company of men on each side on the map. It would be a very simple thing to run three parallel campaigns using the set‐up shown which, whilst on the same map and occurring over a relatively small acreage, would be totally different in content. To run those three campaigns concurrently could provide us with all sorts of additional factors which could make the process even more enjoyable and multi‐dimensional whilst adding very little in the way of necessary effort. But that’s an option for you to explore.
both sides are equally keen to take ground from their opponents. There are often situations in war where this is not the case, but this is easily dealt with by adjusting the ladder mechanism to suit that specific situation.
THE HOLY GRAIL
Equally, there are some situations where historical precedent means that a shortened campaign ladder is needed. Amphibious landings, for example, will only have blue territory represented as the defeat of the attacking side on the beach will end the campaign rather than allow blue to push down the ladder into red’s territory. It may be that the objective for the campaign is simply to snatch a single objective in the enemy’s front lines. In such situations, we can simply adjust the ladder to reflect the specific situation. Let’s look at a couple of examples of an abbreviated campaign.
THE ABBREVIATED CAMPAIGN Clearly the main ladder campaign will last for a minimum of six games, and only then in the unusual situation where one side wipes the floor with their opponent, winning all six games in a row. It is far more likely that a full campaign will last ten to a dozen games, and for some gamers that will be too long to devote to one project.
With a Full Map Campaign, which is based on an historical action and using the correct map, the workload is potentially greater but, then again, the return is vastly higher. Of course how much research you do is up to you. A single paragraph in a broad ranging history can provide the locations you need and your imagination will come up with the rest. But a bit of research can reap benefits in terms of information which can essentially write the campaign for you. Regimental diaries, increasingly to be found on‐line, combined with unit histories and first‐ hand‐accounts will often provide you with a whole raft of dates, locations, objectives, axes of advance and other detail which will allow you to put together a campaign relatively easily once the research is done. In future it is our intention to produce a number of supplements and articles which use precisely this method to be used with this supplement. We’ll take a look at one such campaign later on in this supplement.
An Example Readers of the 2013 Christmas Special will recall the account of the Canadian forces on Juno Beach and their subsequent push inland to Taillleville. I was particularly taken with the tale of Major Archie McNaughton commanding ‘A’ Company of the North Shore Regiment: there was something interesting about this veteran of the Great War who, despite his 47 years, returned to the colours when the mother‐country was in need. McNaughton’s final trip to French soil was to last but a few hours and a few miles until he was killed during the battle for Tailleville at th around 1800 on the 6 of June. His Company had landed to the west of WN27 where B Company were fighting to overcome the main German position on the sea wall. They
VARIATIONS ON A THEME Of course, the ladder campaign, as presented above, presumes that the battlefield conforms to the arrangement we have chosen and that
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advanced inland against lightly held German positions among the holiday villas, before skirting the edge of St Aubin to reach the road heading for Tailleville. Here he ran into uncoordinated German forces who attempted, without luck, to halt his advance.
company. In order to best reflect the advance of A Company with Chain of Command I am st going to focus one platoon, the 1 , Lieutenant Moar’s, platoon. You can see the map I devised for this abbreviated campaign below. Clearly on D‐Day there is no No‐Man’s‐Land so we abandon Scenario 1, The Patrol, and jump straight in with Scenario 2, the Probe against German outposts to the west of St Aubin. Were we recreating the actions of B Company, attacking WN27, we’d use Scenario Three, Attack & Defend, as that would be appropriate for an assault on a significant German defensive position. Here, however, we set our first game amid sand dunes and scattered villas. The Canadian objective is simply to find a way through this table and push on inland.
Acting under his own initiative McNaughton pushed on inland, taking on a German defensive position to the north of Tailleville where two roads met. Dealing with this McNaughton waited for reinforcements before moving on as part of the attack on Tailleville.
The Tailleville Campaign Whilst the North Shore Regiment’s objective for D‐Day were to take Taileville and pass on to the radar station at Douvres, I am particularly interested in the exploits of one
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If Game One is completed successfully the Canadians push on inland. If they fail to achieve this I will allow a second attempt at the same scenario using another of McNaughton’s platoons Lieutenant ‐ nd Merseraus’ 2 Platoon – but if this also fails then McNaughton is deemed to have died on the beach and the campaign ends.
fight its way through a whole village! I would have a row of houses along the road with gardens to the rear and fields behind that with standing wheat. Victory here will see the Canadians win the campaign. Again, a German victory gives them the opportunity to counter‐attack. As we can see we have a short, four rung, ladder which presents a short and manageable campaign to be played over half a dozen or so games. I would put a time limit on this campaign of seven turns. If the Canadians haven’t taken Tailleville by then the Germans will win.
Game Two sees McNaughton’s men faced with retreating German elements on the southern edge of St Aubin. To best reflect this we go to Scenario 4, A Delaying Action. This is fought out on a table with a few cottages along the Tailleville road and standing wheat in the fields. Add the odd orchard near the houses as this is Normandy! If the Canadians can afford it, their first choice in supports for this scenario MUST be a Sherman tank.
What I would also add for this campaign is a specific list of possible supports based on historical sources. We know that the Fort Gary Horse were supporting the North Shores with Shermans, we know that the North Shores’ anti‐tank platoon and mortar platoon were involved in this battle as was the Carrier platoon. Conversely there is no evidence for the Canadians having Vickers machine guns present, nor any armoured cars, scout cars of similar. On the German side there were no armoured vehicles present. Our support lists should be amended to reflect this when putting together this short campaign.
A Canadian defeat here will push the Canadians back and allow the Germans to push back into St Aubin: in this case the nature of the scenario would depend on the choice of the German player, as we shall subsequently see in the campaign rules. A Canadian victory sees McNaughton and his men push on to the third scenario, Scenario Three, Attack & Defend. This is an attack on a German defensive position to their north of Tailleville around the road junction and water tower. The terrain here is open wheat fields with little else other than a water tower which is at the Y‐Junction.
As we have seen above, a moderate degree of research, combined with a period map, tell us all we need to know to put this campaign together. Having so many historical reference points on which to hang our campaign removes all of the guess‐work and pretty much writes the small detail for us. It also allows us to get that connection with the men who fought and died.
In this scenario I am going to specify that the Germans must take all of their support as entrenchments, wire or mines. This was a platoon sized position which was well entrenched and protected by obstacles, so this is a good match.
Having looked at several campaign options we can leave this section behind and look at the specific campaign rules which will make our lives simple throughout the whole process, allowing us to focus on having fun with our games.
Again, a Canadian defeat at this point could bring on a German counter‐attack. A Canadian victory will result in the final scenario, Scenario Six, An Attack on an Objective. The table here should be a small part of Tailleville. The entire Battalion was tied up all afternoon fighting in this relatively small village, so don’t over‐do things and expect your platoon to
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settings, covering the action from start to finish on one sheet.
NOTES ON SOURCING PERIOD MAPS Vintage military maps are increasingly easy to get hold of, good ones, i.e. ones which are usable for wargamers, are harder to find, but by no means impossible. Whilst eBay can be a source for vintage maps, for wargaming purposes it may be more cost‐effective and more practical to source reproduction copies, especially as vintage maps of key battlefields are, for obvious reasons, very expensive. The practical scales for campaigns are 1:25,000 or 1:50,000. The former is ideal in that all detail is clear, and the latter at their best are almost as good. Some 1:50,000 maps used during the war are simply enlarged 1:80,000 French maps which are not perfect, but do give sufficient detail to form a general idea of the terrain at each location. Cross‐ referencing these with Google Earth will often clarify where there are uncertainties.
A 1:25,000 Map. Less colour, but more detail
Anything larger than 1:50,000 is probably not ideal for the level of game we are considering. 1:100,000 will give you a general feel for the landscape but the detail we are looking for is missing and one would be as well considering using the larger scale map in order to create a sketch for a Simple Map campaign. More detailed maps, such as WWII vintage 1:10,000 are the Holy Grail of map collectors and, as such, are absurdly priced when you do find them. But frankly they are often too detailed for what we need and don’t cover sufficient ground for many campaigns. That said, in Normandy, where progress is measured in yards, these can be a real joy to game on.
Above. An original 1:50,000 map compared to a 1:80,000 enlarged for GSGS 1:50,000 use shown below. The difference is notable.
I have found www.battlefieldhistorian.com to be extremely helpful in sourcing maps. Downloadable in jpeg format, just one of these can be used as a basis for numerous campaigns. The proprietor is ex‐military and a sometime wargamer. What’s more, he has a real interest in military maps and has libraries much more comprehensive than those listed on his web site. He will search through those for customers with no premium in his prices.
The other advantage with 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 is that they show ample detail whilst being large enough for most campaign
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The Campaign rules for Chain of Command: At the Sharp End cover two main areas: the rules for conducting the campaign itself, and the rules dealing with the characters involved. This section deals with the former.
wounded men return immediately, those worse affected after one game, whereas very badly wounded men are removed from the campaign altogether. However, we will make certain suggestions for more detailed systems in order to provide for the gamer who seeks a more granular approach.
GROUND & TIME SCALE When writing a set of wargames rules or playing a traditional map campaign, the issues of ground and time scale are of primary concern. When playing a ladder campaign, these are largely abstracted in order to retain the simplicity we are looking to achieve.
CAMPAIGN MOVEMENT & COMBAT All movement and combat in the campaign is conducted using the campaign ladder or on the tabletop. There is no separate map movement or combat off the tabletop. Forces will fight battles and then move on to the next battle as indicated by the ladder.
There is much enjoyment to be had pouring for hours over a map, a set of compasses in hand, considering the next move with which your armies will out‐manoeuvre your opponent to deliver a strategic master‐stroke. Fine when you are Napoleon (or even just dressed as him), but not particularly relevant when you are a Subaltern commanding a platoon of men.
SUPPLY There are no rules for supply in the campaign. It is presumed that all forces are adequately supplied with what they need to survive and fight. It is perfectly possible to construct rules for supply shortages for specific campaigns, but none are presented here.
The ladder system uses a flexible approach to time and ground scale, so that each game focuses on the next point of action in the campaign, whether that is one hour, one day or one week after the previous game. Distance between each action is, for the most part, ignored, as we have already outlined. A campaign could, as a consequence, run over a leisurely period of weeks or represent a frantic burst of activity covering a matter of hours.
THE CAMPAIGN TURN The campaign turn in Chain of Command: At the Sharp End is quite simply one game’s worth of time. What action occurs in a turn is dependent on which player has the initiative. At the start of the campaign one side will be determined to have the initiative and be designated as the attacker for the first turn. Subsequently, the winner of the last turn’s game is considered to be the attacker and has the initiative at the start of the next turn. For that turn his opponent is considered to be the defender.
As a result of this approach, some aspects of the campaign management rules must be regarded as abstract rather than precise models of possible outcomes. Casualties and recovery time for the wounded, for example, are treated in the same manner regardless of th e d u r a t i o n o f th e c a m p a i g n . L i g h t l y
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The defender will not usually get any choice in what happens in a turn as his opponent will be holding the initiative and pushing forward. In that situation the defender may elect to do one of the following:
Once a turn begins, the attacker has a limited number of choices available to him. He may do one of the following: Immediately fight the next scenario Consolidate on captured enemy main defensive position. This hands the initiative to his opponent. Not advance. This hands the initiative to his opponent but does allow the attacker to strengthen his defences where he is. If counter‐attacked, he may fight or avoid battle by giving ground to the enemy.
Fight the next scenario, attempting to stop the attacker. Avoid battle by giving ground to the enemy. However, if his opponent elects to do something which hands him the initiative his choices are somewhat wider, as follows: Immediately counter‐attack. Remain static and strengthen his defences. This will end the turn.
In most situations, they will choose to attack. However, in some situations, such as strengthening or consolidating on a position secured or waiting for wounded men to return to make up their numbers, they may elect to not attack in the current turn. If they do not attack, the initiative for the current turn switches to the defender
In a turn where no battle is fought and where neither side advances or attacks, the initiative is lost. In the next turn, who has the initiative is decided by rolling a D6 each until one side rolls higher than their opponent. The higher rolling side will then have the initiative for that turn.
For example: A US player advancing near Avranches fights game three of the campaign and secures the German main front line defences. In his next turn he has the initiative so may push on and attack, thereby initiating the next game, or he may elect to consolidate on his current position in order to strengthen the position he has taken in case of a subsequent counter‐attack.
FIGHTING ON THE LADDER The ladder campaign is very straight‐forward while one side is achieving a string of victories. They simply keep moving up or down the ladder to the next game and fighting that. But what happens when the side with the initiative loses?
The US Player decides to not attack, but consolidate on the ground already won. This switches the initiative for this turn to the German player who may now decide how he wishes to respond, either counter‐attacking or strengthening his defences for the next game.
Let’s walk through the first few turns of one campaign to see what occurs.
It should be noted that possession of the initiative is an important factor in the campaign. The player who wins and keeps on winning will potentially retain the initiative throughout the entire campaign, it is only when they stop advancing and attacking that they may lose the initiative.
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TURN ONE
TURN THREE
Red is the attacker and advances into action in the Patrol scenario. Red successfully wins control of No‐Man’s‐Land. On the ladder the red arrow shows the advance at the end of the game to the next rung, indicating that the next game will be a Probe against the enemy’s outpost line.
Red attacks Blue’s main line of defences, but luck is not on his side, and he is defeated. On the ladder we see that Red is stuck at rung 2 and unable to advance.
TURN FOUR Having won the last game, Blue is now the attacker with the initiative in this turn. He may elect to do nothing and strengthen his defences where he stands or he may launch an attack. He elects to attack. The action fought is Scenario 2, a Probe, as indicated by the rung on the ladder.
TURN TWO Having won the first game Red is the attacker for the next game and decides to keep the initiative by pushing on. Attacking Blue’s outpost line he successfully drives them in and the arrow on the ladder advances towards rung three. Red now able to attack the enemy’s main defences.
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In the above example, we can see that the ladder determines the type of action fought. Clearly in Turn Four the ground Blue is attacking is not Red’s original outpost line. However, it is the open ground in front of Blue’s main defences where Red’s advance has faltered. As such, we are treating this as Red’s new outpost line with Blue attempting to attack through it.
position and one which is readily put into a state of defence if a force spends a campaign turn not advancing. Once a position has been consolidated any attack on it will be fought as Scenario Six, Attack on an Objective, rather than Scenario Three. This will provide the defender with a greater level of support when holding that strengthened position in future. Main Defensive positions being consolidated which are counter‐attacked will immediately count as having been consolidated and the action fought as Scenario Six.
LOCALISED COUNTER‐ATTACK
Strengthening Defences occurs when a player halts in order to do that. For each turn halted he may add one minefield, entrenchment or barbed wire from List One to his defences. These remain in place only while the ground is occupied. Once vacated the defences are abandoned, removed or fall into a state of disrepair, rendering them useless.
In addition to the options outlined above, there is one additional choice which the defender may use during the campaign, this is the localised counter‐attack. Counter‐attacks will normally occur when a defender is handed the initiative by an opponent who decides not to advance into the next scenario. In that situation the defender may declare an immediate counter‐ attack. In that case a game is fought immediately with the counter‐attacking player having the choice of whether the scenario fought is the one as indicated on the ladder or whether it is an Attack & Defend scenario.
GIVING GROUND Giving ground is the surrendering of terrain and abandons a rung on the ladder to your opponent without a fight. This always counts as an automatic victory to the side following up. There are two ways to give ground.
So, in the example we have just looked at, had blue been counter‐attacking in Turn Four he could have declared the scenario to be Attack & Defend rather than a Probe.
At the end of a turn either player may declare that they are giving ground to their opponent in the next campaign turn. Once this is declared, the side giving ground will retire one rung on the ladder. This represents a well‐ planned and executed withdrawal conducted with the approval and assistance of the battalion’s staff. It allows the retiring side to use the time gained to strengthen the defences in their new location (one rung further away from the enemy) by selecting one minefield, entrenchment or barbed wire from List One. The ground they surrender is automatically occupied by the enemy in the next turn and counts as an automatic victory for the advancing force. No battle will take place in this turn.
CONSOLIDATING & STRENGTHENING DEFENCES We have mentioned the option to consolidate on a captured enemy position several times now, but what does it mean? Only Scenario Three, Main Defences, locations may be consolidated. Consolidation is only an option when a player has captured a main enemy defensive position in an Attack & Defend scenario. This is a significant enemy
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The alternative way of giving ground is for the player to wait until their opponent declares an advance at the start of a turn before then declaring that they are giving ground. This represents a hasty withdrawal in the face of an enemy advance and is undertaken without full approval from superior authority. It gains the retiring force no time to improve their defences and counts as an automatic victory for the advancing force. No battle will take place in that turn.
battle to assist a badly wounded comrade. At the end of an action some of these men will be able to return to their unit almost immediately, some will return later whilst some will, sadly, not return at all. As the campaign progresses it will be important to consider how these losses affect the platoon going forward. To do this we use the following basic formula which is also shown in diagrammatic form below. At the end of each battle, both sides will need to declare how many men they have lost “killed”. In order to track this effectively, it is a good idea to keep any men removed from the table as dead in a separate place such as a small box. Remember, this does NOT include men who have routed from the table, it’s just those killed.
CAMPAIGN DURATION For some campaigns it is appropriate to set a duration limit, in terms of number of turns to be played, in order to represent the pressure on a force to get the job done. As the player gets more experienced with the campaign system, this can be used to set a “handicap”‐ a stronger force being given less time, a weaker one more.
The winner and loser now compare their Force Morale ratings. If the winner has a higher force morale rating than the loser then the difference in ratings represents how many men “killed” the winner may immediately return to duty. This reflects his owning the battlefield and being better able to retrieve his wounded whereas those of his defeated enemy are lost. If the winner’s force morale is equal to or less than the loser’s enemy then this step is ignored.
The maximum duration of a campaign depends on the number of rungs on the ladder. A minimum of three additional turns should be allowed, whatever the ladder length, but with an addition of 50% being normal with any fractions rounded up. For example, a four run campaign would normally be rounded up to six turns, but the minimum of three will apply, making seven turns. An eleven rung ladder campaign will be set at 17 turns, being 11 plus 50% rounded up.
Now divide the remaining men killed into three groups. Fifty percent are either dead, missing in action or so badly wounded that they won’t return for this campaign. Twenty‐ five percent are sufficiently badly wounded that they need treatment which will mean they miss the next battle. The final 25% may return to duty immediately.
CASUALTIES
Of course, numbers of dead are not always easily divisible by these percentages. We always round down the number of men never returning but with those missing the next game taking any fractions as opposed to those returning to duty immediately.
Once a campaign begins, we will quickly find that losses occur. The main Chain of Command rules use the term “Kill” to represent men who are out of action for the rest of that game. In reality this could be anything from a man knocked out and concussed to a man who has left the field of
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All of this can make for some painful maths at the end of an evening’s gaming, so the following table show how to apportion losses. Figures Lost
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Never Return
‐ 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8
Miss next game
1 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4
REPLACEMENTS & REINFORCEMENTS The need for replacements and reinforcements during a campaign will depend very much on the way it is set up. We use the term replacements to refer to men sent to join units in the field in order to make up for losses suffered. Reinforcements tend to be different units which may, during the course of a campaign, take up the baton for a second operational phase, building on what was achieved by the first platoon.
Return to duty
‐ ‐ ‐ 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 4
Replacements Most short campaigns with ladders of four rungs or fewer will not involve replacements. For larger campaigns the availability of replacements will depend on whether we have a full ladder gong in two directions, such as the ladder shown in the Mouy campaign, or an abbreviated ladder such as the one used for the McNaughton campaign, where we have only the German half of the ladder present.
How units operate with reduced manpower will be covered in the next section, Men Under Fire.
For an abbreviated ladder campaign with five to eight rungs we would recommend one lot of replacements be available for each side. For a full campaign of more than eight rungs a
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well‐supported force, with adequate trained men available, may have up to two lots of replacements. The Allies in Northern Europe would be a good example here. A force with less resources available, such as the Germans in the same theatre or all troops in inhospitable climes, would only have one lot of replacements.
Reinforcements Reinforcements are a very different kettle of fish and should be treated in one of two ways. The first sort are restricted to a very specific type of campaign where one platoon leads the way and fights as far as it can towards an objective before the next platoon takes over to continue. These campaigns are normally abbreviated, having just one half of the ladder as this is a hard and aggressive push into an opponent’s territory.
A player should be aware at the start of a campaign how many times he may request replacements. He may call for reinforcements at the end of any campaign turn. When this is done he uses the following formula to see what is available.
Such a situation is representative of some of the harshest fighting and usually best reflects a short but particularly violent period of activity. Rather than provide replacements in an on‐going action, the second platoon will arrive fresh, ready to pick up the metaphorical ball and, with renewed momentum, carry it across the line.
Add the number of men thus far removed from a force never to return in this campaign (let’s call them dead) to the CO’s current rating (see page xxxx). Now divide that figure by two, rounding down for any fractions. That gives you the number of replacements you are sure you’ll get if you ask. Then roll for luck to see how many more men you do actually get. Roll 1D6 and add that figure to get the number actually available. This can more simply be shown like this:
Such campaigns can be created using full‐ strength units or, if historical data is available, with depleted platoons. Often their opponent will not gain from the advantage of having a second force and will have to battle on as the odds against him lengthen. We’ll look at one such campaign at the end of this supplement. Where such reinforcements are available the controlling player should be allowed to decide at what point in the campaign he will introduce the fresh platoon to the campaign. This may never happen during a game, but will happen at the start of a campaign turn with the original platoon and its survivors removed from the campaign, playing no further part.
The only stipulation here is that the number of replacements can never bring the platoon strength to a figure greater than its original strength.
The second type of reinforcements are what we call “Wild Card” reinforcements. These are effectively a one‐shot weapon which a player may use at some point in the campaign. This allows the player to declare that, as certain criteria have been fulfilled, he is playing his Wild Card and adding the relevant reinforcements to his forces.
Variations on a Theme All of this is somewhat generalised, as rules are inclined to be. It is very simple to adjust that equation to reflect an environment or situation where replacements are less generous. In a war being fought a long way from home it would be a simple matter to divide the initial sum by 3, 4 or even 5, rather than 2 used above, in order to produce more sparse replacement figures.
Typically, the Wild Card will allow the player to select a specified amount of supports which may be used at that point. For example, a German player on the Eastern front may only be allowed to play his Wild
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Card counter‐attack once the Soviets have overrun his main front line defensive position, and that card may provide a specific amount of support which must be spent on armour. Additionally the card will allow the German player to seize the initiative for that next game even though they may have lost the last battle. Alternatively a different Wild Card could be more defensive, allowing the Germans to select a number of specific anti‐tank weapons which could be then used to form part of a “Pakfront” in their next game. Such Wild Card are great tools for adding historical events which fall outside of the main remit of the campaign rules and, as such, are somewhat difficult to legislate for as they are almost unlimited in their subject and application. However, here are a few Wild Cards we suggest as a starting point.
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SETTING‐UP THE TABLES
SCENARIO THREE The terrain should be placed evenly across the table but with the defender able to move one terrain piece larger than 9” square and two pieces under 9” square in order to represent the position they are defending.
It should be entirely self ‐evident that when setting up tabletop terrain for each game, that this should be designed to be in‐keeping with the scenario and the campaign in general. With an Full Map Campaign this is an issue which, largely, looks after itself, as the map will set the scene for the most prominent aspects of terrain. With a Simple Map Campaign we should at least have considered what the main feature is‐ a village, an Oasis, a bridge ‐ so we have some guidance. With the No Map Campaign we do need to apply logic in order to keep the action plausible.
Amendments: The defender should be allowed three team sized entrenchments for this scenario OR one entrenchment and one full Chain of Command Dice at the start of the game.
SCENARIO FOUR The terrain should be placed evenly across the table but with the defender able to move one terrain piece of up to 9” square into his deployment area, as shown on the table by the shaded area, and remove two other pieces of terrain up to 9” square entirely from the game.
To a degree, the ability of the defender to select his table edge in the majority of the scenarios should “keep you honest” in setting up terrain where you are doing so with no map to guide you, but below we have added some guidelines in addition to some campaign specific scenario amendments which help in reflecting the tactical situation in a campaign setting. These should only be used for a No Map game. Where a map is being used to determine the terrain, simply apply the Scenario amendments as listed and ignore the terrain notes.
Amendments: The defender should begin the game with three points on his Chain of Command dice.
SCENARIO FIVE The terrain should be placed evenly across the table but with the defender able to remove two items of terrain 9” square from the table, and the attacker either remove one piece of similarly sized terrain, or replace one piece which the defender removed.
SCENARIO ONE The terrain for should be relatively evenly spread and in most situations quite sparse. Neither side should have a clear advantage in terms of cover available.
Amendments: None. Amendments: None
SCENARIO SIX SCENARIO TWO
In view of the nature of this scenario, the chief piece of terrain should be the main objective, be that a bridge, key building, hill or whatever is relevant for your campaign. As a result no real changes should be made to the tabletop, but the majority of the terrain should be towards the defenders end of the table.
The terrain should be set up evenly across the table, but with the defender being allowed to move two terrain pieces of up to 9” square into his deployment zone, as shaded white on the map, to represent the features around which his outpost defences are constructed. Amendments: The defender should be allowed two team sized entrenchments for this scenario to represent his outpost defences.
Amendments: None.
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the campaign. On a roll of 3 or 4, they are dispersed and will be absent for the next campaign turn. On a roll of 5 or 6 they withdraw successfully.
IN‐GAME EVENTS Most events in a tabletop game are covered in the main Chain of command rules; however, some specific rules are required for ending a scenario in a campaign setting.
Rout A force whose Force Morale falls to zero will rout from the table.
WITHDRAWAL FROM THE TABLE In all of the campaign games one side is likely to quit the table voluntarily or as a result of a Force Morale collapse. How this occurs is important in a campaign setting.
When a rout occurs, any of the player’s figures within 12” of a friendly Jump‐Off Point who can trace an unbroken line to that point which does not come within 6” of any unpinned or broken enemy troops, may immediately retire from the table.
A Voluntary Withdrawal A player may declare that he wishes to retire from the table at any point in the game when it is his Phase and before he rolls his Command Dice. If he has rolled his Command Dice he MUST play out that Phase as normal and may not declare a withdrawal.
Any unpinned figures more than 12” but less than 24” from a Jump‐Off Point, who can trace an unbroken line to that point which does not come within 6” of any unpinned or broken enemy troops, may roll to retire from the table. On a roll of 1 on a D6, the figure is captured and is removed from the campaign. On a roll of 2, he is dispersed and will be absent for the next campaign turn. A roll of 3 to 6 on a D6 indicates that the figure has withdrawn successfully.
When a voluntary withdrawal is declared, any of the player’s figures within 12” of a friendly Jump‐Off Point who can trace an unbroken line to that point which does not come within 6” of any unpinned or broken enemy troops may immediately retire from the table. Any unpinned figures more than 12” but less than 24” from a Jump‐Off Point, who can trace an unbroken line to that point which does not come within 6” of any unpinned or broken enemy troops, may roll to retire from the table. A roll of 1 on a D6, the figure is dispersed and will be absent for the next campaign turn. A roll of 2 to 6 on a D6 indicates that the figure has withdrawn successfully.
Any unpinned figures further than 24” from a Jump‐Off Point, or those which cannot trace an unbroken line to that point which does not come within 6” of any unpinned or broken enemy troops, may roll to retire from the table. On a roll of 1 on a D6, the figure is captured and is removed from the campaign. On a roll of 2 or 3, he is dispersed and is absent for the next campaign turn. A roll of 4 to 6 indicates that the figure has withdrawn successfully.
Any unpinned figures further than 24” from a Jump‐Off Point, or those which cannot trace an unbroken line to that point which does not come within 6” of any unpinned or broken enemy troops, may roll to retire from the table. On a roll of 1 on a D6, the figure is captured and is removed from the campaign. On a roll of 2, he is dispersed and is absent for the next campaign turn. A roll of 3 to 6 indicates that the figure has withdrawn successfully.
Any Pinned figures will roll a D6. On a roll of 1 to 3, they will be captured and removed from the campaign. On a roll of 4 or 5, they are dispersed and will be absent for the next campaign turn. On a roll of 6 they withdraw successfully. Any Leaders captured or dispersed will count as being lost for the purpose of the men’s opinion in the post‐game roll, see Post‐Game Events
Any Pinned figures will roll a D6. On a roll of 1 or 2, they will be captured and removed from
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promoted to Sergeant. Add +1 to the roll of an existing Junior Leader has an award for bravery.
POST‐GAME EVENTS Certain in‐game events will need to be considered after any game in which they occur. These include losses of key Leaders, Prisoners of War and any awards which the men are recommended for.
Where a promotion from Junior to Senior Leader occurs, an NCO with a bravery award will always take precedence, or with the highest award where multiple awards are present. Where there are no bravery awards the oldest Junior Leader present will take precedence.
REPLACEMENT LEADERS Leaders who are wounded twice in any one game will be removed from play for the next campaign turn, returning on the following turn. Dead Leaders will, fairly obviously, be removed from play entirely.
Any replacement Senior Leader, whether from outside the platoon, or promoted from Junior Leader, will operate with a command radius of just 6” and with two Command Initiatives until he is accepted by his men as their new Senior Leader. After each game roll a D6: on a roll of 1 or 2 the leader is not yet accepted by his men.
Junior Leaders will always be replaced, permanently if they are killed, or temporarily if they are absent. A new character will be promoted from the ranks and should be diced for using the Key Characters section of this supplement. A replacement Junior Leader will operate with a command radius of just 3” and with one Command Initiative until he is accepted by his men as their new leader. After each game roll a D6: on a roll of 1 or 2 the leader is not yet accepted by his men.
PRISONERS OF WAR Other ranks captured and made Prisoners of War go into the bag, accepting that for them the war is over. Officers and NCOs are made of sterner stuff and will attempt to escape at every opportunity.
Senior Leaders will always be replaced if they are the only one, or last one, with the Platoon. Where an officer is killed roll a D6. On a 1 to 2 a new replacement officer joins the platoon. On a 3 to 5 a Senior NCO is transferred to the platoon to lead it. On a 6 a Junior Leader who is leading one of the existing sections or squads is promoted to Senior NCO role and will lead the platoon. Add +1 to the roll if an existing Junior Leader has an award for bravery.
For any Leader taken Prisoner, roll a D6 at the end of each subsequent campaign turn. On a 1 to 4 the CO hears via the Red Cross that they are in a camp in Silesia. Do not roll again for this Leader. On a 5 hope springs eternal, roll again next turn. On a 6 the Leader has escaped and returns to his unit. Any man promoted to fill his role is now demoted.
Where a Senior Leader is killed but a second Senior Leader, such as a Senior NCO is present, roll a D6. On a 1 a replacement officer will join the platoon. On a 2 to 6 the Senior NCO leads the platoon.
AWARDS FOR BRAVERY
Where an NCO Senior Leader is killed but an officer is present, roll a D6. On a 1 a Sergeant is transferred into the platoon from elsewhere in the battalion. On a 2 to 4 the platoon will continue with no replacement senior NCO. On a 5 or 6 an existing Junior Leader will be
All nations of WWII made awards for gallantry as a means of rewarding bravery in the face of the enemy. Knowing what awards were made is one thing, determining the criteria by which such awards were made is quite another. Men undertaking selfless and heroic actions
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award the Leader is being recommended for. If a 6 is rolled then the player may roll again, with a 6 on the next roll increasing the recommendation by one level on the table. The number in brackets above show the number of re‐rolls which may be made for that act of bravery. Keep rolling, increasing the level of award recommended, for each 6 rolled until all of the additional rolls are used.
were often overlooked, whereas others were richly rewarded for the same, or similar, acts. It is also impossible to be entirely prescriptive about which actions should result in a medal recommendation. In Chain of Command: At the Sharp End, we suggest that only Leaders are recommended for medals. As a starting point we suggest that the following acts will always result in a Leader being recommended for a medal:
Igor Klinsekov storms the fascist MG nest at the head of his squad, so will automatically be recommended for a gallantry award at the end of the game. Once play ends, the player rolls a D6. Igor is a Junior Leader so any roll will see him recommended for the Order of the Red Star. However, attacking a MG position can result in four additional rolls.
Leading at attack on a tripod mounted machine gun position (4) Destroying an armoured vehicle with a hand‐held charge or grenade (3) Single‐handedly manning a support weapon and destroying a vehicle or defeating an infantry attack (2) Leading an attack in close combat which defeats a numerically stronger enemy in a defensive position (2) A Prisoner of War escaping and returning to his unit (1) Rescuing a wounded Junior Leader (1) Rescuing a wounded Senior Leader (2) Any action which your opponent agrees is medal‐worthy (?)
The player rolls the first additional D6 and rolls a 6, so the recommendation increases to one for the Order of the Great Patriotic War. He rolls again and, remarkably, another 6 is rolled. This increases the recommendation to one for the Order of Glory. With his third additional roll he rolls a 4, so there is no increase. Finally his fourth roll is another 6, that is a lucky three increases out of four attempts, so Igor has been recommended for the Order of the Red Banner for his bravery.
For all of these acts, the players should roll 1D6 on the award table for the Leader’s rank and nationality. When an award is recommended, consult the following table at the end of the game. Roll a D6 and refer to the relevant line to see which
If the Leader concerned already has the award indicated then increase the number or re‐rolls to be made by one.
Gallantry Awards Table British Officer NCO
M.I.D.
MM
MM
MC
MC
DCM
VC
1‐5 1‐5
6 6
‐
6+
6+
‐
6+
‐
‐
6+
6+ 6+
Iron Cross II
Iron Cross I
Iron Cross I
German Cross
German Cross
Knights Cross
6 6+
‐
NCO
1‐ 5 1‐6
6+
6+ 6+
6+ 6+
6+ 6+
USA Officer NCO
Soldiers Medal 1‐4 1‐4
Bronze Star 5 5, 6
Silver Star 6 6+
D.S.M. 6+ 6+
D.S.C. 6+ 6+
D.S.C. 6+ 6+
M.O.H. 6+ 6+
Soviet Union
Red Star
Patriotic War
Alexander Nevsky
Order of Glory
Red Banner
Order of Lenin
Hero of the Soviet Union
Officer NCO
1‐5 1‐6
6 6+
6+
6+ 6+
6+ 6+
6+ 6+
6+ 6+
German Officer
‐
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Once a medal recommendation has been made, the player should roll immediately to see if the award is made and then on subsequent campaign turns, as indicated below.
casualties mount, there will come a time when some consideration of restructuring must be made in order to keep the platoon in action. In Chain of Command: At the Sharp End, it is entirely up to the player what organisational structure he uses. All that is important is that, in preparation for the next game, he determines how that platoon will operate in terms of Teams and Sections or Squads.
Making Awards The recommendations for awards do not always result in that particular award being made. At the end of each campaign turn, including the turn in which the recommendation is made, the player should roll to see if the award is made.
Before each game is played the players should be able to make a note of how their force is structured for that game. This may differ from game to game, allowing for the specific mission to be fought. In a defensive scenario a weakened platoon may decide to field strong LMG teams rather than two‐team squads, whereas in an attack scenario they may use weakened fire elements in order to strengthen the manoeuvre teams. All that matters is that they can allocate their Leaders to specific units so that they can keep a track of their force once the game begins.
On a 1 to 5 no decision has been made and the player should roll again at the end of the next campaign turn. On a 6 the award is made with immediate effect. On subsequent campaign turns roll at the end of the turn. On a 1 or 2 no decision has been made, roll again on the next turn. On a 3 or 4 an award is made, but one level lower than the recommended award. If the award recommended has no lower award, such as a British Leader who was recommended to be Mentioned In Despatches, then no award is made. If the award has not been made in three campaign turns it has been turned down.
With just eighteen other‐ranks men left in his platoon, Lieutenant Jones decides to field two four man Bren teams, each commanded by a Corporal, and one full ten man section under another Corporal. Making the best of what resources he has, the Lieutenant has kept one strong section to assault the objective, whilst stripping back the other two sections to large Bren teams in order to maximise fire support.
On a 5 the award is made at the level recommended. On a 6 the award made is one level higher than recommended.
Were this a defensive mission Jones might well decide on two weakened sections of eight men each, with the remaining two men manning the PIAT because he suspects the enemy will be fielding armour. If no armour turns up, he can always shift the men to the rifle sections.
POST‐BATTLE REORGANISATION We have already looked at how casualties affect a force in terms of men lost. What the above does not tell you is what happens to the platoon when losses are suffered. Clearly a force which starts the campaign with a full complement of men will normally be organised according to official tables. That is the way men are trained to operate and they will attempt to fight in that manner whilst manpower levels allow. At first, simply weakening the sections or squads by the odd man will probably suffice. However, as
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Did you lose casualties?
BEFORE THE GAME
The winner reduces casualties if he has a superior Force Morale. Then apply the results below to both sides:
The Attacker may: Immediately fight the next scenario. Consolidate, handing initiative to opponent. No advance, strengthen defences, hand initiative to opponent. Fight if counter‐attacked or give ground.
Figures Lost
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
The Defender may: Fight the next scenario. Avoid battle by giving ground.
If given the initiative, the Defender may: Immediately counter‐attack. Strengthen defences.
AFTER THE GAME Did your force withdraw voluntarily? Distance to Jump Off Marker Up to 12” 12” to 24” More than 24”
Pinned
Result
Retire safely 1: Dispersed 2‐6: Retire safely 1: Captured 2: Dispersed 3‐6: Retire safely 1‐2: Captured 3‐4: Dispersed 5‐6: Retire safely
Never Return
‐ 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8
Miss next game
1 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4
Return to duty
‐ ‐ ‐ 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 4
Do you wish to call for replacements? Calculate using the following formula:
Did your force rout? Distance to Jump Off Marker Up to 12” 12” to 24”
More than 24”
Pinned
Result
Do You Need to Replace any Leaders? Retire safely 1: Captured 2: Dispersed 3‐6: retire safely 1: Captured 2‐3: Dispersed 4‐6: retire safely 1‐3: Captured 4‐5: Dispersed 6: Retire safely
Only Senior Leader
New officer joins the platoon 3 ‐ 5 Senior NCO joins the platoon 6 Junior Leader promoted Officer Killed 1 New officer joins the platoon 2 ‐ 6 No replacement. Senior NCO leads the platoon Senior NCO Killed 1 Senior NCO joins the platoon 3 ‐ 4 No replacement 5 ‐ 6 Junior Leader promoted Add +1 for any gallantry awards 1 ‐ 2
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BEFORE THE CAMPAIGN
As we have seen, wargame campaigns will always focus on military objectives. The reality of achieving certain goals within specified timescales is a common feature of warfare through the ages. However, Chain of Command: At the Sharp End also focuses on the men who fought and the impact which war has on them.
Before the campaign begins, you will need to find out a bit about your force: in particular, who is leading your men into battle.
KEY CHARACTERS There are two sorts of characters in the At the Sharp End Campaign: firstly, we have your platoon leader and then his supporting NCOs. Our primary focus will be on the character of the platoon commander who, as the central figure in our force, will determine how his unit is seen, both by itself and others.
We have elected to use this format for a number of reasons. Firstly, following the career of individual characters makes for a fun gaming experience. Whilst I may not care about “that toy soldier with the Sten gun”, I do care about Sergeant Harris who took out that MG nest near Sword beach and led his men to victory storming that farm on the outskirts of Caen. By imbuing our tiny soldiers with their own personalities, we add an additional dimension to the campaign and give ourselves pause to consider the bravery and selflessness of those who really did fight. It also does more: it presents us with an additional tier of gaming challenges which the players have to consider.
The NCOs are the supporting cast, the men there to provide the discipline and leadership to achieve their platoon leader’s plan. They too have backgrounds and characters, but these are somewhat abbreviated, as the tone is set by the platoon commander. Then we have the men of the platoon. These are generally anonymous, although some gamers may wish to use the character creation system to name every man in the platoon. Finally there is the battalion as a whole, embodied in the person of the battalion commander. His opinion will influence the platoon as they fight their way through the campaign, and keeping him happy will be an important objective throughout.
In addition to naming and creating backgrounds for our main characters, we want to consider those whose lives they influence, namely the men in their platoon, and who can influence them: specifically their battalion commander and his staff. As the campaign progresses, it will become increasingly apparent that the player, in the role of platoon commander, needs to keep his men’s morale up throughout the campaign, whilst also keeping his commanding officer happy with his results. The two are not mutually exclusive, neither are they mutually complementary. It will be a good officer who can keep both happy, and retain his own sense of perspective and good humour through the trials and tribulations of a campaign.
Initial Character Creation Before the campaign begins we will need to create out characters, all of whom will have their various attributes determined by using the following tables. Some of these are nation specific, some are generic. Either way, the players should feel free to see these as guidelines and tamper with them as they see fit to increase their enjoyment of the game. Nothing is carved in stone!
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British Officers 2 or 3 4
5
6
7
8
9 or 10
11
12
Minor nobility. Major public school. Oxbridge. Something in the city and an interest in politics before war saw you sign up. The CO is very pleased to have you in the Mess. Add +4 to your roll for age. Add +1 to the C.O’s opinion Wild Colonial boy. Possibly a CANLOAN chap or possibly from another part of the Empire. You certainly add colour to the Mess! A good school, University, then a promising Civil Service career. It was a reserved occupation but you managed to get into uniform. Add +2 to your roll for age Minor public school. Thanks to the war you went straight into khaki. Roll only 1D6 for your roll for age Major public school. Long standing military family. Joined the family regiment. The CO is very pleased to have you in the Mess. Add +1 to this CO’s opinion Grammar school boy. In trade before you were called up. Identified as a leader in your basic training, you were offered a commission. Elevated from the ranks. An enlisted man who made his mark as a Sergeant and was commissioned as a result. You may not have been born to the role, but you’re as good as any other man in the mess. Roll again on the NCO background table. Add +4 to your roll for age. Add +1 to the men’s opinion Grammar school boy, both as a student and then a master after Oxbridge. Add +4 to your roll for age You really are a lovely fellow. Everyone likes you, but sadly you are just not the right sort of chap. It’s such a shame that your education and manners cannot overcome the fact that you don’t really fit in with the other officers in the mess. How very sad. Reduce the CO’s opinion by ‐1
British N.COs 2
3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11
12
A circus entertainer. Strong man, juggler, clown; you’ve done it all. You can jump and tumble with the best of them, which can be useful in a tight spot! A colonial. A tough man from a tough world where a man learns to look after himself A waiter in a restaurant. Discrete, deferential; the officers appreciate your qualities A grease monkey in civvy street, you can strip an engine in no time at all A Pre‐War Regular Soldier with long service stripes to prove it. You saw the world, or at least the bits that were “painted pink”. Add +2 to your roll for age A farm boy with the mud still on his boots A factory worker An Office Clerk with a head for figures and an aptitude for paperwork. A door to door salesman. Brushes, mops, dusters, you’re the housewife’s best friend A bohemian, you have been an artist and a writer, but sadly your talents have been unappreciated by the undeserving public. A card‐carrying Communist. You learnt your beliefs on the pit face and fought fascism in Spain. This time they shall not pass! Add +4 to your roll for age
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German Officers 2
3
4 or 5 6 or 7
8
9
10
11 or 12
A Teacher in the local Gymnasium since you left Heidelberg University. You especially enjoy the works of Neitzsche, but such views are unpopular now, as indeed are many of your views. You try to keep quiet and do your duty as your father did in 1914. Add +6 to dice roll for age A well‐to‐do farmer’s son, one day you will return to your estates and enjoy the fruits of your labour Promoted up from the ranks. You showed your worth on the battlefield and were rewarded with a commission. Roll again on the NCO background table. Add +3 to your roll for age. Add +1 to the men’s opinion School. Hitler Jugend. Reichsarbeitsdienst. Heer. Such is the career of a young man in the Third Reich. You are a model citizen of the new Germany and you with fight hard to ensure that 1918 is not repeated. Roll 1D6 only for age From a middle‐class home, your father fought with distinction in the 1914‐1918 war. His record earned you your opportunity for a commission after a promising career at Realschule A Doktor of Engineering, your background in industry was no preparation for war. You are not a natural soldier, you have little interest in politics, but you do your best for the Fatherland. Add +4 to your roll for age A Civil Servant in the local municipal level, you have swopped the brown uniform of the Party for field grey. You are a model citizen of the new Germany and believe that only the Führer can bring victory. Reduce the men’s opinion by ‐1 A true German aristocrat. Your family were ennobled back before the Old Fritz came along. After the humiliation of Weimar you have returned to the colours to continue the family tradition of service to the Fatherland. Over‐promoted Austrian Corporals do not impress you when your name is preceded by the knightly “von”. Add +1 to the CO’s opinion
German N.COs 2
3
4 5 or 6 7 or 8 9 10 11
12
A cabaret musician, you played with all the big stars before being called up. You still hanker for some “degenerate art” and listen on foreign radio broadcasts when you can A former Communist dock worker, you keep quiet about your background now but leopards don’t change their spots. You hope for better days in the future. Add +3 to age roll A gamekeeper on a large country estate, you have hunted boar with Reichsmarschall Göring. An inner‐city School with a father in an armaments factory. You left the Hitler Jugend and joined the Army. You are a model citizen of the new Germany. Roll 1D6 only for age. A rural farm boy. You left the Hitler Jugend and joined the Army. You are a model citizen of the new Germany. Roll 1D6 only for age. An Office Clerk since school, and then the army when you were called up A waiter in a high quality establishment A Sturmabteilungsmann. Your father was a Communist, but where did that get him? You saw from an early age that only the Führer could save Germany. This is a war against international communism and capitalism; once it is won a new society can be built on socialist principles of freedom for all Germans. You are a model citizen of the new Germany An old soldier you joined up when there was little other work to be had. A veteran of Spain. Add +4 to your roll for age
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United States Officers 2
3
4 or 5 6 to 7
From a prep school and an Ivy League University you became a professor. They tried to give you a staff position, but you wanted to fight the enemies of democracy. Add +4 to your roll for age. Add +1 to the CO’s opinion Detective. You left High School and joined the police. Now you’re keen to take on the world’s biggest criminal: Herr A. Hitler of Berlin, Germany. Just the facts Adolf! Add +4 to your roll for age A city boy with a nose for a deal. You cut your teeth on Wall Street with stocks and shares but when your country’s call came, you didn’t hedge your bets. Add +2 to your roll for your age A mid‐west farmer’s son, you come from where the corn is as high as an elephant’s eye. You volunteered to see even wider horizons than the ones in Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota. Hopefully where there is no damn corn!
8
A High School graduate, you showed aptitude in training and were selected for OCS. Roll again on the NCO table for your background.
9
Promoted from the ranks. You came up the hard way, winning your stripes through good soldiering and your commission by killing Krauts. Plenty of them! Roll again on the NCO table. Add +3 to your roll for your age. Add +1 to the men’s opinion The son of a preacher man, your upbringing told you what was right and what was wrong. Now you’re fighting for the Angels against the forces of evil. If only Pa could see you now! Hollywood gave you a taste for action before you swopped the silver screen for a role in the biggest war story ever know: WWII. In some circles people still talk about your “Second Peon” in The Mark of Zorro (1940). Although increasingly few, sadly.
or 10 11
12
Unites States NCOs 2 3
4
5 or 6 7 or 8 9
10 11
12
A stock car driver who learnt his trade at Daytona Beach with the old bootleg drivers You were a lineman for the county and you drove the main road A teamster. You drove the trucks and joined the union. When they needed muscle you were the man. Nobody messed with you then, nobody messes with you now. “No messing”, that’s your motto Born on a farm way back up in the woods, joining the Army was your way to escape and find the big wide world. You ran the hired hands when things got busy, and your experience saw you good at running men in your squad An office desk in the city, keeping notes in ledgers, was not the life you yearned for at High School and the war was a chance to see another world. One, you discovered, where nobody can cook a decent hamburger! You sold your wares where you could. Encyclopaedias, pots, pans, insurance. Some you won, some you lost You built skyscrapers across America. Your native American ancestors gave you their bravery A pre‐war regular soldier, you are a rare breed these days. A hard‐nosed professional you expect the best from your men, and you lead by example. Add +4 to your roll for age Born on a mountain‐top in Tennessee, you made your living from the “mountain dew” you produced in your still. You can shoot the eye out of a racoon at 400 yards and spit ‘baccy juice further and any man living
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Soviet Officers 2
3
4 to 6 7 to 9 10 or 11
12
You worked in the library, where your love of books was appreciated. So long as the book in question was approved of by the State. This was not always the case, as your records show. You suspect that the war saved you from the gulag You supervised the workers in the factory, making packaging for the bumper turnip harvest. You are a loyal Party member and fine Soviet citizen. Add +1 to the CO’s opinion You supervised the workers on the collective farm where bumper turnip crops were grown. You are a loyal Party member and fine Soviet citizen but your peasant background means you take care to look after your men. Add +1 to the men’s opinion You studied hard in the Tekhnikum to learn the skills which you would use upon graduation to distribute bumper turnip crops to the peoples of all the Soviet Union. You are a loyal Party member and fine Soviet citizen As a Civil Servant in the Ministry for Turnip Production, you failed to adequately explain why the bumper turnip crop never arrived. Hence you are now at the front line. Your leadership skills have, however, assisted you in becoming a good soldier. Reduce the CO’s opinion by 1 You were a Professor at a Tekhnikum academy accused of corrupting your students with backsliding revisionist propaganda relating to a so‐called “bumper turnip crop”. For such crimes you have been stripped of all academic duties and sent to the front. Add +6 to your roll for age
Soviet NCOs 2
3 4 to 6 7 or 8 9
10
11
12
A bookbinder in the Party Press Offices you volunteered for the Great Patriotic War as soon as the fascist beasts invaded the mothercountry. You are an upstanding Soviet citizen A clerk in an office, involved with the implementation of the Five Year Plan A worker on a collective farm producing food for the Soviet people and their fraternal allies. The Army has been a harsh school, but you have survived and killed many fascists. Your men look to you for leadership as they know you are one of them. A worker in a factory producing much needed armaments. You volunteered for the Army when your factory was moved to the Urals to save it from the rapacious invader of Soviet soil. One day you will return, a hero of the Soviet Union! A mechanic. You trained on engines and there is nothing about the internal combustion engine that you cannot fix The son of a small shopkeeper, you fight for Holy Mother Russia in her hour of need A musician in the State Orchestra. Your fingers are now scarred and dirty, but the work you do now is of greater importance than music. You fight for the rights of the workers and peasants of the world! A former seminary student, you escaped from the Solovki Special Purpose Camp, thereby avoiding death. You now serve in the Army under an assumed identity. You fear exposure each day. Add +3 to your roll for age
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Background The first thing we need to do is find out a bit about our characters’ backgrounds, as this will serve as a guide when filling in more of their personal details. Backgrounds will vary, depending on whether they are officers or NCOs and their nationality. For each leader in your force roll 2D6 on the relevant table.
Location
It is perfectly possible to add more detail here if you wish, even dicing for specific counties or states, but we find that a broad‐brush approach suffices with the players then adding the small detail as they deem appropriate.
To add a bit more background you may wish to find out where your leaders are from geographically. To do this you’ll need to divide the relevant county into six areas and roll a D6. For the UK I divide into six convenient areas: the South East, the Midlands, Wales and the South West, the North Scotland and finally Ireland, as shown below.
Age Next we roll to see how old our leader is. Roll 2D6 and consult the table below, using either the officer or NCO column. If your officer has come up through the ranks, use the NCO column.
Based on their background, select a suitable location in that general area depending on their background. So, for example, a farmer’s son from the North could come from the Yorkshire Dales, whereas a factory worker I would allocate to industrial centres such as Sheffield or Manchester. You can follow the same system for any country, as we see on the following map of the United States.
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Roll
Officer
NCO
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
10
27
11
28
12
29
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28‐33, 1D6, 1 being 28, 6 being 33 34‐39, 1D6, as above 40‐45, 1D6, as above 46‐51, 1D6, as above
characters the more interesting the campaign will be. Once you are finished you’ll be ready to start the campaign.
Names You can name your leaders yourself if you wish, possibly taking names from historical accounts or just be selecting ones which take your fancy. As an alternative, you can roll a D6 for their first name and surname, and then consult the following table as a prompt to determine initials.
Dice 1 2 3 4 5 6
Our US platoon is commanded by a Lieutenant. As an officer we roll on that table to determine his background. Using 2D6 I roll a total of 9, so the Lieutenant started his career in the ranks and has worked his way up the hard way. This also tells us to roll again on the NCO table to find out more about his history. I roll 2D6 again. An 8 tells me that he went to High School and worked in an office before leaving his job to see the world with the Army.
Initial A, B, C, D E, F, G, H I, J, K, L M, N, O, P Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
Now I roll a D6 to see where he is from. I roll a 5, so he’s from somewhere out West. I choose Oregon and as we know he works in an office, I choose the city of Portland for his home town. I have no idea what they produce in Portland, so I am going to have his work background as being in a bank. Everyone has banks!
This system is by no means foolproof, it doesn’t allow for national variations on letter usage, but will hopefully give you a guide if stuck for inspiration. What is important is that all of our leaders have names!
Next we check his age. We use the NCO column here as that was his background before being commissioned. I roll 9. That means he is aged somewhere between 28 and 33. A roll of 6 settles that; he’s 33.
Appearance and Physique Finally, we check to see what out character looks like. Roll 2D6 on the table below:
Dice
Result
2 3 4
Undernourished, thin and pale A true bantam, short but full of fight An intellectual looking man of average to short height As broad as he is tall. A barrel of a man An average sort. Unremarkable Tall and thin A strapping six‐footer A lumbering giant Remarkably overweight considering his reliance on Army rations
5 6,7,8 9 10 11 12
The next thing I do is think about a name. I could make one up, but let’s use the table. I roll 2D6, a 4 and a 4 which inspires me to come up with Norman Peterson. As he’s American I’ll give him a middle initial which I dice for. Norman W. Peterson. Finally we dice for appearance. An 11. I didn’t expect that! So “Big Norm” is a lumbering giant. He left his bank job in Portland as he kept knocking over the ink and was fed up with his boss Mr Kolowski being on his back for ten long years. He signed up, fought well and found his true vocation in life. He likes seeing the world, but still hankers after a good old American hamburger.
Now you have your characters, feel free to add any other details you wish, and some of the detail above can be elaborated on. Feel free to add as much or as little as you wish; the better the picture you have of your
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we go any further, we need to consider the four possible outcomes from each game. At the end of each game both players will use the following victory conditions to see how the three key indicators are influenced and, if necessary, adjusted to reflect the current mood.
POST‐GAME TRACKING Once the campaign begins we will keep track of three key indicators of success. Specifically these are the Commanding Officer’s opinion, the morale of the men in the platoon and the Platoon Leader’s own morale and self ‐esteem. These three are linked together to provide us with an overall snapshot of the platoon at any time.
A Victory: To claim a victory you must win the game, achieving the scenario objectives listed for the scenario being played. If you achieve this, regardless of casualties or any other factors, you can claim a victory.
Keeping the battalion commander happy is all about achieving your objectives. He’s not interested in reasons or excuses: results speak volumes to him. If the platoon does well, this will influence how much support the unit can draw upon ‐ the CO likes to back winners ‐ and how well rewarded the platoon is when any medals are in the offing.
A Draw: Some scenarios allow for a draw. If this happens then both sides may claim a draw, regardless of casualties or any other factors. A Loss: If you don’t win or draw you will lose. However, there are circumstances where you may claim a Losing Draw. See below.
However, the CO is also keen to run what is at least superficially a happy ship. If he hears rumours of the men being unhappy, he will take a dim view of any platoon commander who is implicated, and this, as well as results in battle, can influence his opinion.
A Losing Draw: If you lose a game you may still be able to claim some degree of success by inflicting disproportionate casualties on your opponent. If you lose the scenario but inflict 50% more casualties on your opponent than you suffer (the number of men lost “killed” at the end of each scenario), then you may claim a Losing Draw.
Secondly there are the men. Yes, they want to get the job done, but ultimately they want to get home at the end of the war. If a platoon commander starts losing too many men then morale is likely to drop and that can have disastrous consequences. Finally, the platoon leader’s own mood will influence the men around him and affect the way they see themselves and their morale. The platoon leader’s own outlook will influence the way that the platoon feels as a whole, and also influence the unit’s force morale. Too much success can go to a man’s head, too many failures can drive him into the pits of despair. To do well in the campaign the player will need to balance all three factors, keeping the CO happy, the men happy and trying to not allow the pressures of command get to his platoon leader. To a large degree, all three indicators will be influenced by the results in battle. So, before
35
unchanged. On a roll of 6 it increases by 1. A unit gives ground with a hasty withdrawal. On a roll of 1 to 3 the CO’s opinion reduces by 1. On a roll of 4 to 6 it remains unchanged.
TRACKING OPINION Keeping track of the three key indicators is a simple process. The CO’s and the men’s opinion are both tracked numerically on a scale ranging from 12 down to ‐12 with the effects being cumulative through the campaign. The Platoon Leader’s outlook is slightly more involved in that it uses a tabular matrix with the possibility of the rating moving horizontally as well as vertically on that table.
What does this mean? Keep a tally of your CO’s opinion rating. This will affect your force when selecting support for each mission, when rolling for any medal awards or when rolling for support.
THE COMMANDING OFFICER’S OPINION
Opinion
At the start of a campaign, we will normally begin afresh with the CO’s opinion set to zero. This may be adjusted slightly if the platoon leader’s background, if that indicates that he will be particularly well or badly or looked upon by the officer concerned.
12 9 to 11
Tracking the CO’s opinion of your platoon is very simple. To a degree what he thinks is based on luck, you may do a good job but not be noticed, you may gain laurels which, in truth, you do not deserve. During the campaign this rating will increase or decrease according to success or failure in battle. This happens as follows:
6 to 8
3 to 5
‐2 to 2 ‐3 to ‐5
After each Victory roll a D6. On a roll of 1 to 4 the CO’s opinion increases by 1. On a roll of 5 or 6 it increases by 2.
‐6 to ‐8
After each Draw roll a D6. On a roll of 1 the CO’s opinion decreases by 1. On a roll of 2 to 5 it remains the same. On a roll of 6 it increases by 1.
‐9 to ‐11
After each Loss roll a D6. On a roll of 1 to 5 the CO’s opinion decreases by 1. On a roll of 6 it decreases by 2.
‐12 After each Losing Draw roll a D6. On a roll of 1 the CO’s opinion decreases by 1. On a roll of 2 to 4 it remains the same. On a roll of 5 or 6 it increases by 1. The unit gives ground with approval. On a roll of 1 to 5 the CO’s opinion is
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Effect Promoted to a Staff position. Flying a desk and sorting out crap +3 levels of support for each mission +3 for any medal roll for the Platoon +2 for any reinforcement roll +2 levels of support for each mission +1 for any medal roll for the Platoon +1 for any reinforcement roll +1 level of support for each mission No effect ‐1 level of support for each mission ‐1 level of support for each mission ‐2 for any medal roll for the Platoon ‐1 for any reinforcement roll ‐2 levels of support for each mission Force Morale rolls with a ‐1 No medal rolls ‐1 for any reinforcement roll Relieved of command. This man will spend the war in command of a latrine cleaning detachment. Flying a desk and sorting out crap
THE MEN’S OPINION Opinion
Measuring the opinion of the men in the platoon is done in a similar way to the CO but the men are affected by the number of casualties suffered by the platoon, rather than victory conditions.
9 to 12
6 to 8
The men understand and accept that death is an inevitable part of war. However, they appreciate a platoon leader who tries to keep casualties to a minimum. 3 to 5 ‐2 to 2 ‐3 to ‐5 ‐6 to ‐8
After each game, you will need to keep a track of losses. Using that information you will need to test for each of the following situations that apply. Multiple tests may be required if more than one criterion applies. If so the results are cumulative. If you lost more men dead than the enemy, roll a D6. On 1 to 5 the men’s opinion decreases by 1. On a 6 it decreases by 2. If you lost fewer men dead than the enemy, roll a D6. On a 1 to 2 the men’s opinion remains unchanged. On 3 to 6 the men’s opinion increases by 1.
‐9 to ‐11
If you lost an NCO killed roll a D6. On a 1 to 2 the Men’s opinion remains the same. On 3 to 5 it decreases by 1. On a 6 it decreases by 2. If you lost very heavy casualties, that is 5 or more men dead, roll a D6. On a 1 to 3, the men’s opinion decreases by 1. On 4 to 6, the men’s opinion decreases by 2. If you lost very light casualties, that is 2 men or fewer dead, roll a D6. On a 1, the men’s opinion remains unchanged. On 2 to 5, it increases by 1. On a roll of 6 it increases by 2.
‐12
What does this mean? Keep a tally of your men’s opinion rating. This will affect your force morale and how your platoon leader influences men in battle.
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Effect Force Morale rolls with a +3 Platoon leader’s Command Initiative increased to 4 with a range of 12” Force Morale rolls with a +2 Any negative soubriquet gained previously is lost Platoon leader’s command range extends to 12” Force Morale rolls with a +1 No effect Force Morale rolls with a ‐1 Platoon leader earns the soubriquet “Dangerous”. Force Morale rolls with a ‐2 Platoon leader’s command range reduced to 6” The first time that the men’s opinion falls to ‐6 or less, the battalion commander will be spoken to by a senior NCO, reporting the concerns. The platoon commander will be ordered to an interview without coffee. See Platoon Leader’s Outlook below Platoon leader earns the soubriquet “Butcher”. Force Morale rolls with a ‐3 Platoon leader’s Command Initiative reduced to 4 with a range of 6” The first time that the men’s opinion falls to ‐9 or less, the battalion commander will be spoken to by a senior NCO, reporting the concerns. The platoon commander will be ordered to a Carpet Parade. See Platoon Leader’s Outlook below Platoon leader dies in mysterious circumstances. Nobody weeps
THE PLATOON LEADER’S OUTLOOK
Points
Adjustment
How we track a Platoon Leader’s outlook will depend on the type of campaign we are fighting and that Leader’s circumstances. In a full campaign, where a new leader has just joined his unit or been promoted to lead it, we use a slightly different initial set‐up to a more established leader who has been with his force for a period of time.
0 1 or 2 3 or 4 5 to 8 9
‐2 ‐1 0 +1 +2
The adjusted total indicates which one of the ten starting points indicated in the red box on the Outlook Table applies to the platoon leader.
The Fresh Leader All newly appointed platoon leaders begin the campaign with a mix of enthusiasm, trepidation and uncertainty. We do not attempt to discover what their outlook is until they have completed three games. By that point they have had an opportunity to test themselves in the maelstrom of battle. This will determine their outlook at that point.
The Veteran Leader The situation is slightly different for the more experienced commander, in that they will begin the campaign with their outlook already established. To generate this roll 1D6, with the result indicating the starting point in the red box on the table below. If a character has been used in a previous campaign the player may continue with the character’s outlook from that, adjusting it up or down by one or two spaces if the leader has enjoyed a period of leave or in a quiet sector of the line between the campaigns.
After each of the first three games the players will claim their result, be that Victory, Draw, Loss or Losing Draw. They will convert that to points on the following basis. For a Victory the player claims three points. For a Draw or Losing Draw the player claims one point, and for a Loss the player gains no points. After the three games, the player rolls 1D6 making the following adjustments:
Outlook Table Merciless Contempt Self ‐righteous Spiteful Bitter
Ruthless Arrogant Pride Reckless Aggressive
Anger Annoyed Self ‐Pity Uncertain Insecure
Energetic Short‐tempered Sad Concerned Confusion
Shame Afraid Dread Exhaustion Exhaustion
Shock Bitter Jealous Tired Exhaustion
Impatient Power Pride Exhilarated Confident 7 5 3 1 ‐1
Affable Happy Content Thoughtful Retiring
Introverted Weak Disgust Rage Exhaustion
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Arrogant Heroic Superior Brave Popular 8 6 4 2 0
Sociable Secure Cheerful Relaxed Worried
Irritable Cautious Regretful Vindictive Grief
Uncontrollable Violent Brutish Wild Loud Gregarious Assured Merry Droll Guarded Prickly Remorseful Malevolent Misery Stupour
TRACKING OUTLOOK
Going Green
Once a platoon leader’s outlook has been established it will be affected by results of each game. This occurs as follows:
A character whose outlook “turns green”, with an outlook in the right hand column, is clearly drinking more than is normal. While celebrating success this is no bad thing. When drinking to forget this may cause problems. His behaviour and temperament are likely to be more erratic if this continues for an extended period.
After each Victory, roll a D6. On a roll of 1 or 2 his outlook remains unchanged. On a roll of 3 to 5 it moves up vertically one space on the table. On a roll of 6 it moves one space horizontally to the right on the table.
OTHER EVENTS AFFECTING OUTLOOK
After each Draw, roll a D6. On a roll of 1 to 4 his outlook remains unchanged. On a 5 his outlook moves one space horizontally to the left, on a 6 one space vertically down.
In addition to the results of campaign games, the platoon leader’s outlook can be influenced by his interaction with his commanding officer. This occurs when there are serious issues with the men’s opinions, to the extent that reports of their concerns reach the CO’s ears.
After each Losing Draw, roll a D6. On a roll of 1 to 5 his outlook remains unchanged. On a roll of 6 move one space horizontally or vertically in any direction of the player’s choice.
An Interview without coffee: During this meeting the commanding officer will make perfectly clear that the platoon commander is responsible for the morale within his command and, at this moment, he is failing in this regard. Roll a D6. On a 1 to 3 the platoon leader’s outlook will move down one space. On a roll of 4 to 6 it will move left one space.
After each Loss, roll a D6. On a roll of 1 or 2 his outlook remains unchanged. On a roll of 3 to 5 it moves down vertically one space on the table. On a roll of 6 it moves one space horizontally to the left on the table. All moves are horizontal or vertical, never diagonal. A result indicating a move off the grid will remain where he was previously.
A Carpet Parade: During this meeting the commanding officer will make it absolutely clear that the platoon commander is failing in his obligations to his men. This is a final warning and if matters worsen he will be removed from his command. Roll two D6. For each roll of 1 to 3 the platoon leader’s outlook will move down one space. For each roll of 4 to 6 it will move left one space.
Results What does this mean? A platoon leader’s outlook will influence all of his men and set the tone within the platoon. Keep a tally of your platoon leader’s outlook using the colour code below:
Outlook Plain Light Orange Dark Orange Light Blue Dark Blue Red
Effect No effect +1 on Force Morale roll +2 on Force Morale roll
‐1 on Force Morale roll ‐2 on Force Morale roll Relieved of command. You spend the rest of your war weaving baskets
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Inspiration for a campaign can come from the smallest of sources: a single paragraph in a book, a scene in a film. Often a passing reference can trigger a desire to find out more, and this can lead to an intriguing research project which provides us with the desire to get our miniature troops on the tabletop and refight the action.
As a full ladder campaign with eleven rungs, this should be played with a maximum of seventeen games. As there is no historical background to influence us, we can just use the standard army lists for whatever period of the war we want to fight. A campaign of this length will probably see both sides with two opportunities to get replacements to fill the gaps in their ranks.
In this section we will look at two campaigns, one a Simple Map Campaign, the other a Full Map Campaign. The first, the simple map, we have designed to be as generic as and is shown at the foot of this page. No‐Mans‐Land is a bridged river whilst the outposts are in small farms set amid cultivated land. Both sides have their main defences in a war damaged village, whilst to the rear of that is rolling relatively open countryside where the pursuit and retreat actions can be fought. Finally the end objective for both sides is a hill with an observation post.
When starting the campaign toss a coin or roll a D6 to see which player has the initiative in Turn One. The campaign will run until one side achieves their final objective. As can be seen, this is a very simple, very generic campaign. With a little effort it could be fleshed out further or converted to suit a different setting.
The simple sketch map we have used is European in its style, but it can be used as a template for anywhere in the world. In the jungles of the Far East we are likely to get far more in the way of vegetation, but the river, the small farms, the village and the hill‐top observation posts are all still appropriate. The pursuit and retreat phase will likely be through lightly populated jungle rather than rolling hills.
Next we will look at the Full Map Campaign. This will involved more front‐end effort, but possibly less than would be expected. In order to show how simple this can be, this section looks at one such research project and how we got this from concept onto the tabletop in very short order.
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United States, and can be read easily on a hand‐held tablet.
INSPIRATION, NOT PERSPIRATION One of the simplest sources of inspiration and detail for campaigns is a well‐written and well‐illustrated book. There are plenty of series of excellent battlefield walking tour books which are littered with historical accounts, illustrations and maps. The Battleground Europe series from Pen & Sword and Battlezone Normandy series from Sutton Publishing are both superb examples and, with their emphasis on walking the ground fought over, they focus sufficiently on detail to be ideal for our purposes. These may be had from any decent book seller, either in bricks and mortar or on‐line.
The key is that researching your campaign is as easy or as hard as you’d like it to be. There is a trade‐off here, between time taken reading books and the speed with which you can get your game onto the tabletop. Equally, the more research you do the easier developing the campaign becomes as the more hard data you have. You set the line between speed and research where you want it to be.
Battalion and Regimental histories are also very useful, as are personal memoirs written by those present. These will, by their very nature, focus on the units and the men who fought; they also often contain maps, sometimes sketches, sometimes in full detail, of the locations of the main actions covered in the text. In the UK, Regimental museums are often a great source of these books, with many self ‐publishing some very good, but almost unknown, memoirs which are just not available anywhere else.
DESIGNING A CAMPAIGN When designing a campaign you are looking for certain key information, namely the location where the action took place, what the terrain was like, what troops were involved and what support was available. This will allow you to build your map and accompanying ladder and provide action specific support list options for your forces. For the campaign presented here I took the simplest route of consulting one of the Battleground Europe books, specifically “Hill 112” which looks at the actions on or around the Odon River from late June to the beginning of August 1944.
Obviously a whole raft of books covering the Second World War are available; some good, some not so useful. Try to find books which focus on individual actions rather than broad brush approaches to whole theatres. The latter may well have cameo appearances which give the appearance of being detailed, but ultimately the breadth of the subject being covered will mean much is covered only superficially.
When putting together a campaign it is worth remembering that not all actions are ideal for a platoon sized rule set. Some actions are better fought with a larger scale set of rules such as I Ain’t Been Shot Mum, so it is important to find an action which is self ‐ contained and discrete enough to be appropriate. For example, the main attacks which were launched at Hill 112 in early to late July were large actions fought over largely open terrain. However, even larger attacks can contain some gems. For example, the main attack on Hill 112 by 129 Brigade on the th 10 of July 1944 would be largely th inappropriate, but the 5 Wiltshires were tasked with taking a flanking German position around the hamlet of le Bon Repos to the
Finally, don’t forget the internet. There are plenty of books already on‐line with projects such as Google Books and the Project Gutenburg, and those numbers will only increase. Some of the most interesting documents on‐line are de‐classified military reports and texts which seek to analyse military operations. Many of these are available in downloadable PDF format from organisations such as Fort Leavenworth in the
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north of Esquay. Such a separate, subordinate, action would be suitable for a short campaign. th
I selected a later action fought by the 5 nd Wiltshires on the 22 of July, just over two kilometres east of Hill 112 in the village of Maltot. The Battleground Europe book also covered this action in some detail, and I sourced a battalion history via the Regimental museum’s web store which was a gold mine of information. I found a further description of the action in Fighting Wessex Wyverns by Patrick Delaforce, and the internet provided me with plenty of information on the German units in this area, and their strength at that time. All of these helped build up a picture of the fighting in Maltot. Finally, I purchased a downloadable version of the British Army 1944 GSGS map in 1:25.000 scale from this range:
Having said that, were I to simply follow the actions of this one battalion on this single map sheet, I could get several campaigns for Chain of Command. Being Normandy, the map presents lots of other opportunities, covering such locations as Carpiquet airport and Hill 112, along with a whole range of other villages, such as le Mesnil Patry and les Haut Vents which are names writ large in British military history. As such I consider it a reasonable investment in a lot of future gaming enjoyment.
http://www.battlefieldhistorian.com/gsgs_43 47_1_25000_normandy.asp Now I was ready to start designing my campaign. Before I do, however, let’s recap on my purchases. th
The Map and the book on the 5 Wiltshires had both cost me £12 each. The Wessex Wyverns book I had already, but I could have picked that up for £7 on Amazon, whilst Hill 112 was £10 in hard copy or 99p on Kindle. So, were I to be starting from scratch, the total outlay would have been between £30 and £40 for what we see below.
On the next page is the map of the area with the site of five potential actions for the campaign marked by red boxes. These are scaled for a 6’ by 4’ table at 12” being 40 yards, as per the main rules.
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The LOCATION As can be seen from the map above, the initial concentration area and then the start line for the attack were drawn from the battalion history, and easily identifiable with the map. Maltot sat in a shallow valley, and the plan was to use the spur above it as a start position, as it allowed good visibility for the attached spotters and armoured support. The attack would then wheel round, cross the standing wheat in the fields and attack along the axis of the road from the North‐East.
THE MEN th
On the British side, the 5 Wiltshires had landed in France in late June and, by the time of their action at Maltot, had fought one major action on the slopes of Hill 112 on the th 29 of June. For this campaign I am going to start the British with a complete and intact platoon. This may not be absolutely correct, as most platoons had suffered some casualties: however, the campaign is going to be tough enough for the British as it is and from a game perspective this keeps things simple.
The operation was ideal as a campaign as, whilst the attack was made on a two company frontage, accounts make it very clear that amid the houses and orchards the attack broke down into much smaller actions, and it is that which makes it ideal for a short campaign.
The action will initially focus on 12 Platoon from B Company which formed part of the vanguard of the attack. This campaign is being fought over a very short period of time. To reflect this, we will include a campaign specific rule that men who require medical assistance will not return to the campaign. So, at the end of each game, only the 25% of men who are lightly wounded will return to the ranks.
THE TERRAIN On the next page is a second map of the same area, but with the terrain in the playing area illustrated in colour. This will serve as a guide to terrain for the scenarios. In designing this we have, clearly, used the 1944 map and this provides both a backdrop to the whole campaign and detail for setting out terrain for our scenarios.
What we will add is a second platoon which can be introduced as reinforcements. In the actual attack A and B Company advanced first, with D Company following up and tasked with clearing the village itself once the vanguard had broken in. To reflect this, the British player may withdraw 12 Platoon from action at the end of any game and replace them with a full‐strength 16 Platoon. Once withdrawn 12 Platoon will play no further part in the campaign.
Additionally, we have used Google Earth to clarify where the map is ambiguous. This is an excellent resource as whilst France is beginning to experience some “urban sprawl” the terrain is still entirely recognisable in rural areas. Maltot itself has been largely rebuilt, but the surrounding countryside is largely intact, albeit with larger fields thanks to the mechanisation of farming. This is a good resource and well worth using when constructing a campaign. Remember that all sorts of additional information comes from walking battlefields which we can’t get from a map. Google Earth allows us to get as close to walking the terrain as we can without actually going there.
On the German side, the men of 980 Grenadier Regiment were defending Maltot, having only recently taken over the defences from 9 SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen. By this stage in the battle for Normandy, losses in nd the 272 Grenadier Division were around 50%. However, we represent them here with a full‐strength platoon for the sake of simplicity. It would be equally possible to view this as the reorganised remnants of a Company.
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Unlike the British, the Germans do get their men requiring medical attention back as covered by the normal campaign rules. However, this only occurs while they still hold the table at rung five on the ladder, as their Regimental Aid Post is located there. Once that falls to the British, only the 25% of men who are lightly wounded will return to the ranks in subsequent games.
BRITISH SUPPORT LIST LIST ONE Engineer Mine Clearance Team, 3 men Engineer Wire Cutting Team, 3 men Engineer Demolition Team, 3 men Adjutant
LIST TWO PIAT Team, 2 men Tank Killer Team 2” mortar Team, 2 men Pre‐Game Barrage (Games 1 to 3 only)
During the actual battle SS Hohenstaufen intervened by shoring up the defences with some of their Panzer Grenadiers. To reflect this, the Germans may call for replacements once during the campaign using the normal means outlined in the campaign rules. However, these will be elite Panzer Grenadiers rather than infantry. For every four replacements they may be equipped with one MG42 and one Panzerfaust 30. Any group of less than four men will be armed with a rifle and one Panzerfaust 30 OR be equipped as a tank killer team with hand‐held magnetic mines.
LIST THREE Sniper Team
LIST FOUR Engineer Section with Junior Leader Regular Infantry Squad with Junior Leader Vickers MMG with five crew Forward Observer with 3” mortar battery
LIST FIVE 6 pounder anti‐tank gun, 5 crew and Junior Leader Churchill Mk IV with Junior Leader
Additional support was lent to the troops in Maltot by Tiger tanks firing from the reverse slope of Hill 112. It was this which concerned the crews of 7RTR and hampered good infantry and armour co‐ordination. The arc of fire is indicated on the map above as a shaded cone outlined in red, covering the fields north of Maltot and south of Etervile, and can affect any tanks operating on game tables 1 and 2. To reflect this, the German player selecting Tiger Support may fire onto any British armoured vehicles on Table 1 or north of the road on Table 2. The Tiger Support is activated on a roll of 5 and fires with a ‐2 to hit. Once the British have advanced to table 3 and beyond the Tiger Support will be useless.
GERMAN SUPPORT LIST LIST ONE Single Compound Charge Minefield Barbed Wire Adjutant Tiger Support (off ‐table fire) Entrenchments for one Team
LIST TWO Roadblock Panzerschreck Team, 2 men Panzerknacker Team, 4 men
LIST THREE Sniper Team
The Support Lists below have been specifically constructed for this campaign, based on what support was historically present for this action. Some readers will note that certain support options have different values here than the same option in the main rules. That is intentional in order to provide the right balance for this particular action.
LIST FOUR Engineer Section with Junior Leader Pak 36 anti‐tank gun with stielgrenate. Five crew and a Junior Leader SdKfz 250 with Elite four man LMG Team
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