Combat Commander a double solo outing

Played two scenarios of Combat Commander in solo mode today.

Both from original set ‘Hedgerow Hell’ and ‘Bonfire of the NKVD’.

Two very fun scenarios that even in solo mode ended up very close run affairs.

Such a great game.

Combat Commander - Father vs son

Played a game of CC Europe with son today using the Commando School scenario from original game set. I played as Russian defenders against Germans.

Great game with this ever excellent board wargame. 

Things swung to and fro with usual excitement engendered by random events and card play.

Germans simply ran out of time as game ended on first sudden death roll just as they were putting pressure on main building objective, this gave Russians a VP win.

Heatwave board wargames

Managed to get a couple of board wargames in with my son Steven who is 'home' from England for 10 days (not seen him since late 2019 due to travel restrictions) and who brought a incredibly hot heatwave with him (several record temperatures recorded for N.I.).

Had planned a couple of figure games but room just too hot and sticky.

First up was the excellent COIN game 'Colonial Twilight' with Steven as Insurgent FLN and I as Government (French) playing the Full length scenario.

This proved to be a very close game, in fact a draw with us both scoring zero !

Then later a Combat Commander scenario with Steven choosing Russians (do not recall scenario title) defending in 1941 against Germans.

Another close game, but a run of Time Checks saw the game slip from Germans as time ran out before they could invest the last objective (which has large VP count)

Great to get some quality time with son after so long and with two fine games played.

Vassal - Combat Commander scenario completed

Another online Vassal session with Mike today completing our game of 'Hedgerows and Hand Grenades' scenario.

Game ended as a German (Mike) win over USA (moi) on second Sudden Death roll with 9 Victory Points.

Great to get a 'proper' game in during continuing lockdown and Combat Commander a super game to play via Vassal.

We are hoping to give No Retreat! The Russian Front an outing next.

The game board positions at end

 

Combat Commander - Vassal game

Managed an online Vassal game of Combat Commander with Mike today (using Discord for voice interaction).

Mike new to system and Vassal version so I selected the introductory scenario 'Fat Lipki' as very basic forces and no special rules or units to get 'feet wet'.

I took Germans and Mike the Soviets.

Maybe not the best CC scenario but it was still very fun (so great to interact in real time with another player even online !!) with Germans gaining a 105mm Artillery Radio (which done a lot of damage to Soviets) and usual heady mix of Snipers, Blazes and great or awful hands of cards and rolls/outcomes.

Germans won after sudden death roll by Victory Points level, but that was not the point of the exercise as we both learnt the nuances of using Vassal (worked very well). 

Hopefully a few more games in pipeline to ease this current Lockdown which personally I am finding much more tedious than last having kind of lost mojo for miniatures games against myself.

However thankfully none of my family or circle of friends have suffered from Covid and hope that remains the case.

The situation at end of game 

Combat Commander - solo session

Had a short solo (just for a change) bash with Combat Commander today.

Felt I needed a quick outing to keep my hand in (as we say locally) as seems ages since I played this excellent game face to face (not since early March last year !) and several months since I played via Vassal either.

Set up the second original scenario 'Bloody Bocage' with Yanks facing Krauts in the....er....bocage.

Whilst not idly suited to solo play this is still a great experience and thankfully the rules are still lodged firmly in the old grey(ing) matter.

The rules overall by the late Chad Jensen are still for me one of the most well written sets I have ever encountered

Just such a fun game system and despite its apparently endless randomness it still has the feel of a proper plausible simulation of low level tactical action, just so much narrative is generated by the card play system and not a dice in sight.

Must give the Great War version another run out.

Combat Commander - solo play

Short solo session of Combat Commander (just to keep my hand in with rules) with initial scenario 'Fat Lipki'.
And damn it was fun even solo with a lot of Events and fluctuations of fortune before Russians emerged as Victors.
Such a great game system.

Vassal - more Combat Commander and Thirty Years War

Bit of a dearth of Wargaming activity this week (seemed to be busy with stuff for reasons unknown !?) but did have another Vassal session tonight with Dad using the ever excellent Combat Commander.
We played through two Scenarios (all so far from original game Playbook) Bessarabian Nights and Cold Front and have set up another Commando School for next session.

I did manage also to finish a Vassal PBEM game of The Thirty Years War: Europe In Agony with my Catholics being soundly defeated (I won as Protestants last time out).


Overview

Wallenstein about to be defeated by Gustavus having been chased from Wien.

Vassal - Combat Commander

Played some Combat Commander with my Dad via Vassal.
We managed to complete one full scenario 'Bessarabian Knights' and start another 'Rush To Contact'.
Great being able to maintain some game play by this method.

Vassal - Combat Commader

Another online session of Combat Commander with my Dad tonight.
We managed to finish last weeks game with Dad winning the Bocage battle.
Started a fresh scenario 'Bonfire of the NKVD'



Also hoping to get a 4 player game of 'A Distant Plain' up and running with my Dad, brother and son sometime this week.
Maybe a tad ambitious but worth a try...............

Vassal game of Combat Commander

After several failed attempts I managed to set up a Vassal (and Face Time) game with my Dad with the ever excellent Combat Commander.

Bit of a 'struggle' to get him set up with the modules and so forth but once we got going all went smoothly.

Game saved part way through and hopefully easy enough to restore progress.

Not face to face but hopefully it will help him get through his self-isolating phase a bit easier.

Time certainly flew !

We did try TCP/IP connections with both old Combat Mission and Campaign Series PC games but with no success sadly.

A round up after busy weekend

Been off line couple of days so quick round up of wargaming activity.

Attended Elimination Club (last meeting for a period due to Covid-19 issues) briefly on Friday where a 10mm League of Augsburg game using Black Powder was being played by Bryn and Shane.
No idea as to result.

Quick solo game of Colonial Twilight on Saturday and what an enjoyable time again with the ever excellent COIN system (I could happily self-isolate with these games alone never mind all my other options)

And game tonight with my Dad of Combat Commander with the ever excellent Barrikady Factory scenario from the Stalingrad Pack.

Right down to the wire with Dad narrowly failing to out number my Ivans in factory (20 units each) as Time ran out.

A good third of the factory was rubble of blazing.

++Footnote++

My parents are both over 70 but in otherwise decent respiratory health, but are worried and concerned by UK plans to combat Covid-19 by having them self-isolate for 4+ months and I fully understand why.

I am behind (or at least understand) UK Government plans thus far, but do think they need better information dissemination to at least try to allay some genuine fears and concerns.

Bottom line is that for some sadly this pandemic will doubtless have a fatal outcome and maybe for others a life changing impact physically, mentally and otherwise (think the economic issues are yet to be fully revealed/assessed) 

I did try to explain that they pretty much keep to themselves anyhow (not big into social activities) so maybe not too much of a stretch with support from me and Jan.

Strange times and am just thankful I am no longer a Police Officer as the temptation to baton to a pulp the 'bulk-buyers' and 'doomsday merchants' would be just too much for me I fear !!

The despicably selfish behaviour by some 'members' of society is truly infuriating to say the least.

If only Covid-19 targeted the stupid gene rather than elderly/infirm............

Combat Commander - three Stalingrad scenarios played

After last weeks disappointment with Old School Tactical Dad and I went back to our perennial favourite Combat Commander.
We played 3 scenarios from the Stalingrad battle pack and what a joy they were to play too !
No AFVs but you know what you actually do not really miss them in this excellent Infantry game.
We have played the Stalingrad pack before but these were still fresh and exciting scenarios to play.
First had Ivans defending 'Dom 31' a fortified house near the Barrikady.
Dom 31 partially set ablaze but thankfully I was able to hold on to it and other Objectives for a win.
Second game set in one of the gullies near the Volga and bit of a shooting fest as rather open terrain.
Ivan win again by forcing Huns to surrender through losses.
Third game was back in streets of the city and a ding dong game it was.
Germans won as Dad managed to take a couple of objectives whilst inflicting heavy points losses on Ivans.
He got 2 extra powerful Pioneer units with satchel charges via event and also got 2 used satchel charges back also via event (lucky auld goat !) and simply blasted Ivans were they stood.
A key melee went his way as he had base 8 and rolled a 10 whilst I had a base 14 but only rolled a 3 losing two units and a leader (see lucky auld goat !!)

Great stuff.

Combat Commander - 3 Bulge scenarios played

Revisited the excellent Combat Commander tonight with Dad, one to play something Battle Of Bulge related and two to remember the sad passing of the games designer Chad Jensen.
First scenario was based around downed gliders in the snow around Bastogne on 27th December 1944 with US Paras tussling with a mixed bunch of Krauts.
I got lucky in this one getting a support roll to generate a 155mm Artillery battery and some key shooting with my on map medium mortar especially with smoke rounds.
Next two scenarios were linked simulating actions near Lanzerath on 16th December with a tiny but well dug in force of US teams facing a varied bunch of Germans with Conscripts, Volksgrenadiers and Fallschirmjager.
Tough for Germans as fairly open terrain and snow conditions, but Dad could I felt have used smoke much more especially in the 2nd part of the scenario.
First part was a virtual massacre of the attacking Krauts but the get more units and a massive 8 card 6 action card in part two.
Much tougher fight but Yanks came out on top again.
Great to replay the most excellent game system with one of the most errata free rules I have ever encountered a true testament to the designer (his Fighting Formations is also superb)