A bit of CoC action

A couple of Sundays ago, I ran a game of Chain of Command for two new club members who had never played the game before.

I put on a basic encounter game with a British Rifle platoon facing off against a Heer Zug. Rolling for supports, the British ended up with an additional Rifle section and the Germans gained an additional Senior Leader. The table was reasonably cluttered, as befits Somewhere In Normandy in 1944. The Germans would be approaching from the upper right of the picture above, with the British entering from the opposing side of the table. The British half of the table was slightly higher, representing a ridge.

The scenery belongs to the club and all the figures are from my Peter Pig 15mm Late War collection.

I gave the new guys the choice of sides and they chose the Germans. I was happy to take the British for a change.

After the Patrol Phase, which was naturally a bit confusing to the new guys, we began to deploy, with the British platoon sergeant and 2" mortar team getting some smoke laid down in front of the Germans. As in many things I did in the game, this was as much about showing Mike and John how the rules work as it was about my tactics.

I pushed the British forward aggressively from their JOPs, but the Germans were also taking up position behind the hedges lining the roads. I was giving Mike and John suggestions about what they might want to do, to keep things moving along.

The Germans were deploying on both sides of the road, with the extra SL helping them get into useful positions quickly.

I was more concerned about explaining and keeping the game alive than taking photos. However, this section below had taken a lot of casualties from the central German section across the road from the cornfield when the it charged into melée against the German rifle team within 4" at the crossroads.

The British did manage to win the fight, forcing the rifle team to break, leaving a weakened MG42 team behind.

The section on the German left moved along the lane towards a more central position. 

Meanwhile, the British were consolidating in a central position. I explained to Mike and John that my plan was to drive a wedge between the German flanks and push on to control the central crossroads.

We played out a few more phases of play, but it was becoming apparent that the extra section had given the British the advantage, despite having two sections take a severe mauling. As casualties and shock began to reduce the Germans ability to fight back, Mike and John pulled their remaining troops back to their starting point, leaving the British in control of the crossroads.

This was an interesting game. I like showing new players what Chain of Command is all about and how it forces players to think about the problems that are thrown up in terms of what their troops can do and how to use them to their strengths. I stressed to Mike and John that the MG42 team in each section was the most important component, especially when the Germans are defending, which was essentially what they were doing in this game.

I'd stressed that although this was nominally an encounter between two platoons probing forward, what the British needed to do was secure a road along which armour might advance, while the Germans were essentially seeking to delay the British and stop them getting across the table, rather than trying to grab an advanced position that would be difficult to defend in the future.

Happily, both John and Mike liked the game, so hopefully I've Spread A Bit More Lard.