{"id":5436,"date":"2016-07-18T12:51:46","date_gmt":"2016-07-18T12:51:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bucksurdu.com\/blog\/?p=5436"},"modified":"2016-07-18T12:51:46","modified_gmt":"2016-07-18T12:51:46","slug":"combat-patroltm-at-historicon-2016-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bucksurdu.com\/bucksblog\/2016\/07\/18\/combat-patroltm-at-historicon-2016-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Combat Patrol(TM) at Historicon 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

I ran three Combat Patrol(TM)<\/em> games at Historicon 2016. \u00a0All turned out very well. \u00a0In two of the games there seemed to be someone who was struggling with the card-based mechanics, but after a couple of turns everyone was pretty much self sufficient and running the rules themselves. \u00a0I was relegated to the role of answering the occasional question. \u00a0In addition to my two Combat Patrol(TM)<\/em> games, Eric Schlegel and Kurt Schlegel each ran a World War II game on our rubbled city terrain using the rules. \u00a0(We set up a rubbled city table on Friday and ran six different scenarios (with different rules) on the same terrain.) \u00a0\u00a0Also, Duncan Adams ran a Napoleonic game using the rules.<\/p>\n

You can learn more about Combat Patrol(TM): World War II<\/em> here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/h1>\n

Battle Before the Battle<\/span><\/h1>\n

Duncan Adams ran his very entertaining Napoleonic game using a modified version of Combat Patrol(TM)<\/em>. \u00a0These variants will be published in the near future as a supplement to Combat Patrol(TM): World War II<\/em>. \u00a0In this scenario, the battle focuses on the two opposing skirmish screens between the two formed units. \u00a0One formed unit is a line of infantry. \u00a0The other is an advancing column. \u00a0The idea is to fight your way through the enemy’s skirmishers and pick away at the officers and men in the formed units.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Killing enemy skirmishers score no points; that is merely a means to an end. \u00a0 \u00a0Points are scored for wounds and kills on the formed battalions. \u00a0 The game was tied, with each side gaining twenty-six points after the planned seven turns. \u00a0The distribution of hits forced the French to take seven morale checks and the British to take five at the end of the game. \u00a0The Brits passed all of their morale checks indicating that the line held and was ready to receive the French charge. \u00a0The French passed the first six morale checks but then received a “pinned” result on the seventh one. \u00a0As interpreted at the battalion level, the French failed to close, so the game was declared a British victory.<\/p>\n

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You can see that the formed units are represented by “blocks of troops.” \u00a0This is a convenient abstraction that keeps the focus on the skirmish fight, is easier than moving hundreds of figures that do not contribute to the focus of the game, and also acts as a game timer. \u00a0The column advances six inches per turn. \u00a0This means that the advancing skirmishers need to keep advancing or get bowled over. \u00a0When the column is close enough to the line, it shakes out in to line, and the game ends.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h1>\n

Star Wars<\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n

My<\/em> first game was as a fill-in GM. \u00a0Greg Priebe was scheduled to run a Star Wars<\/em> game using Combat Patrol(TM)<\/em>, but then work and family issues prevented him from attending Historicon. \u00a0I offered to run his Star Wars<\/em> game, since I am familiar with the rules. \u00a0Greg had already done all the work to create the stats for the different Star Wars<\/em> weapons. \u00a0We didn’t have to use the body armor rules, since Stormtrooper armor doesn’t seem to have any effect except to look cool. \u00a0The scenario involved a rebel smuggling ship that was shot down by the Empire and crashed into a city that had been destroyed by the Sith many years prior. \u00a0The game was three sided, with the Empire, rebels, and a “scum and villainy” faction landing forces to collect the valuable artifacts scattered around the table by the crash of the smuggling ship. \u00a0The scum and villainy faction even had a captured walker. \u00a0The game was quite fun, and all the players got a good introduction to the innovative mechanics of Combat Patrol(TM): World War II<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A captured walker battles with surprised Stormtroopers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Stormtroopers<\/a>
Stormtroopers in good positions<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The results of a hit in Combat Patrol(TM) can be a wound or incapacitation. \u00a0In the picture above, you can see a white band around one of the Stormtroopers. \u00a0This indicates that he has been wounded. \u00a0When the number of wounds equals or exceeds a figure’s Endurance attribute (three, in most cases), the figure is considered to be incapacitated and is removed from the game. \u00a0In this picture you can also see command dice next to two different Stormtrooper teams. \u00a0The one on the right is gray. \u00a0By convention, this is “normal.” \u00a0I use these gray dice, because they tend to blend into the background and do not distract from the aesthetics of the game. \u00a0The die on the left is black. \u00a0That team had previously taken one or more morale checks, and one of the results indicated that the unit was “pinned.” \u00a0To remind players, we place this black die on the unit. This indicates that the unit may only activate on black cards from the Activation Deck until it rallies.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The game gets interesting...<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Though I am not sure I set up the scenario the way Greg had intended, the game was pretty even. \u00a0The scum and villainy faction found 8 treasures, the Empire 7, and the rebels 6.<\/p>\n

\"Stormtroopers<\/a>
Stormtroopers advance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Rebels<\/a>
Rebels taking cover<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In this picture you can see some of the cards from the Action Deck in Combat Patrol(TM): World War II<\/em>. \u00a0These cards are used to resolve movement, firing, damage, hit location, effects of high explosives, and morale. \u00a0As a result, there are no chart cards to clutter the the table. \u00a0The previous pictures were not staged or cleaned up for the photos. \u00a0This is what a table looks like during a game.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h1>\n

Eric Schlegel’s Stalingrad Game<\/span><\/h1>\n

Eric Schlegel ran a Stalingrad game in the rubbled city. \u00a0This scenario involves a German attack on a Russian-held area. \u00a0The Soviets are classed a Green troops for firing accuracy, which greatly restricts their effects. \u00a0They have an anti-tank gun, a minefield, and a submachine gun squad, which helps a bit. \u00a0In the play test a couple of weeks ago, the Germans successfully infiltrated and captured the required five buildings they needed. \u00a0Below are some pictures from Eric’s game.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A long shot of Eric's table<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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<\/h1>\n

Kerfuffle at the Crossroads\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n

Saturday morning I ran a World War II game. \u00a0This game involved an American paratrooper platoon defending two barricades that were blocking a German advance. \u00a0The Germans sent an understrength panzer grenadier platoon to take the town and dismantle the obstacles.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Americans plan their defense of the key roadblocks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Americans had two squads of paratroopers. \u00a0Each team (or half squad) also had a captured panzerfaust. \u00a0The American squads had belt-fed M1919 machine-guns. \u00a0The Americans also had a bazooka team. \u00a0The attacking Germans had two SdKfz 251 halftracks, a Hetzer, two squads of panzer grenadiers, a panzerschreck team, and an extra light machine-gun.<\/p>\n

The town is a mix of Crescent Root buildings and the excellent Sally 4th<\/a> corner shops building I blogged about previously. \u00a0The cobblestone area is from a craft store and came with the cobblestone pattern on it already. \u00a0Most of the trees are from Battlefield Terrain Concepts.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A view of the courtyard and one of the key roadblocks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We were a little light on players, so I took one of the German commands. \u00a0We decided that we couldn’t take the town in a head-on attack. \u00a0The Americans knew the direction we would approach and could sight in their weapons accordingly. \u00a0I took one squad, the machine-gun team, and the Hetzer. \u00a0My job was keep the Americans entertained. \u00a0JJ broke his squad into two half squads and put one on each of the halftracks. \u00a0Then as the game began, he pushed them down the right edge of the board to get behind the Americans.<\/p>\n

\"Jim's<\/a>
Jim's flanking maneuver<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first halftrack disgorged its infantry on the American flank, but the Americans were able to quickly relax and chewed up JJ’s infantry in the field from the second floor windows and the rear terrace of the corner shops. \u00a0The second halftrack continued past the bloodbath into a patch of woods behind the American position, where its infantry dismounted.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The fight for control of one of the roadblocks gets close and personal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In this shot, you can see that the American bazooka team is repositioning based on our flanking maneuver. \u00a0It eventually got a mobility kill on my Hetzer, which greatly limited its ability to contribute to the fight.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A long shot of the table<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In this shot you can see that the halftracks and infantry have gotten behind the Americans. \u00a0At this point, the Americans were surrounded. \u00a0The Germans had taken many casualties. \u00a0I had half my infantry gunned down in an open field trying reach the protection of the white walled area in the upper right of this picture, and JJ’s infantry took a bloody nose in the field surrounded by the hedges, but we had also severely attritted the Americans and had them surrounded. \u00a0At this point the Americans conceded. \u00a0I think the game was a big success. \u00a0Everyone had a good time, and the game might have gone very differently. \u00a0I am happy with the scenario.<\/p>\n

<\/h1>\n

The Warsaw Uprising<\/span><\/h1>\n

Saturday evening I ran a game based on the Warsaw uprising. \u00a0The Polish underground saw the Russians approaching Warsaw and rose up against the Nazi occupiers. \u00a0The Russians then stopped outside the city and let the Germans kill most of the Poles capable of resisting the Russians’ subsequent occupation of Poland. \u00a0This scenario involved the Germans trying to clear a path through this portion of the rubble city while the Poles were trying to inflict as much damage as possible and slow the German advance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A long shot of the table showing the rubbled city<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Poles began with six four-man teams on the table, and each turn they deployed one or more additional teams. \u00a0These reinforcements could pop up anywhere on the table, but they couldn’t be within line of sight of the Germans when they did so; someone would have to move at least once before shooting at each other. \u00a0The Poles did a nice job of trying to hold back the Germans, but luck didn’t go their way. \u00a0There was one Polish player who seemed to have a sniper in his team; every time he fired, he got a fatal head shot on a German.<\/p>\n

Again, note the clean look of this table with little table clutter to spoil the aesthetics of the game. \u00a0The table is a mix of Crescent Root, Amorcast, Miniature Building Authority, and scratch-built buildings. \u00a0The rubble piles are made from model railroad blast. \u00a0The ground cloth is from Cigar Box Battles.<\/p>\n

\"German<\/a>
German halftracks turn the corner and head toward the opposite edge of the table<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I thought I took more pictures of the table than this, but I was having some trouble with my camera. \u00a0In this picture you can see advancing German infantry, a dead Pole in the center of the table, and some other Poles in a rubbled building on the right.<\/p>\n

<\/h1>\n

Summary<\/span><\/h1>\n

All three games that I ran, the two that the Schlegels ran, and the one that Duncan ran were successful. \u00a0The players picked up the rules quickly, and everyone seemed to have a good time. \u00a0As mentioned previously, at first one or two people struggled with the unique mechanics of Combat Patrol(TM)<\/em>, but eventually they all got it. \u00a0Interestingly, the guys who seemed to have the most trouble were the ones who approached me after the game about how much they liked the system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I ran three Combat Patrol(TM) games at Historicon 2016. \u00a0All turned out very well. \u00a0In two of the games there seemed to be someone who was struggling with the card-based mechanics, but after a couple of turns everyone was pretty much self sufficient and running the rules themselves. \u00a0I was relegated to the role of … Continue reading Combat Patrol(TM) at Historicon 2016<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bucksurdu.com\/bucksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5436"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bucksurdu.com\/bucksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bucksurdu.com\/bucksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bucksurdu.com\/bucksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bucksurdu.com\/bucksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5436"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bucksurdu.com\/bucksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5436\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bucksurdu.com\/bucksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bucksurdu.com\/bucksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bucksurdu.com\/bucksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}