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Today’s game is Combat Commander: Europe (2006) from GMT. When you hear that it’s another hex and counter World War 2 game, you might think it’s a fourth generation Squad Leader rehash but you’d be mistaken. #CuratedQuarantine
For starters, this is a game of small unit infantry tactics that deals with the problem of tanks dominating affairs in a novel way: not including them at all! That’s right, this is an infantry slugfest with nary a tank in sight. #CuratedQuarantine
The biggest innovations of Combat Commander, however, come from the cards. America, Germany, and the Soviet Union each have a unique deck, and these drive all the action. Each card is loaded with info but you only use some of it when a card is drawn or played. #CuratedQuarantine
This lets the decks do a lot of things. You can use cards to issue orders, take actions, and generate random events. Keywords called triggers can cause things like weapon jams and sniper shots. And you never need to roll dice. #CuratedQuarantine
Each card has 2d6 down the bottom and you draw a card to see that result whenever a die roll is called for. What this adds up to is a system that creates an effective fog of war. #CuratedQuarantine
In the real world, communication in battle is dicey and soldiers don’t always do what you want; so too here. You might really want to get some troops moving but without a card with a move order, you are stymied. #CuratedQuarantine
The other thing about the decks is that each nation has a unique recipe and these reflect the nature and tactical doctrines of the different forces. The German and Soviet decks play differently, just as those armies fought differently. #CuratedQuarantine
As with any card-driven system, there can be moments of frustration when the cards you need just don’t show up, but overall I really like the way the fog of war is simulated. #CuratedQuarantine
It’s a different experience from those wargames that give you an omniscient view and perfect command and control at all times. #CuratedQuarantine
Combat Commander has been a very successful series for GMT. Two major expansions followed, Mediterranean in 2007 and Pacific in 2008. The former added decks for Britain and the Commonwealth, France and the Allied Minors, and Italy and the Axis Minors. #CuratedQuarantine
The latter added Japan, plus Pacific Theater decks for the US and the Commonwealth. In addition, there’s been a series of smaller expansions with new maps and scenarios covering different battles and campaigns, such as Stalingrad and the Fall of the West. #CuratedQuarantine
There’s a fun one called Sea Lion that is speculative scenarios based on Germany’s cancelled invasion of the UK. #CuratedQuarantine
