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Welcome to Chain of Command: At the Sharp From the very outset it was clear that
End, the campaign supplement which we however we structured the campaign system
hope will allow you to have many enjoyable it would need to achieve several goals. Firstly
hours of gaming fun following the careers of it would have to be simple enough to set up
your miniature soldiers across the battlefields and manage so that it did not unduly impede
of the Second World War. on the gaming time available to the players.
So many campaigns have floundered on the
Chain of Command is a game devoted to rocks of well meaning complexity in the form
exploring and enjoying small unit tactics on of wonderful but impractical detail. To
the tabletop. Much of the emphasis within achieve this we have focussed on what we
the rules is on the way in which troops were believe are the key factors which when
trained to fight, and to reflect that the main combined present the gamer with the most
rules focus on full strength units equipped in interesting, challenging and representative
a text book manner. choices which best mirror those which a
platoon commander would be faced with in
Of course, real war brings trials and reality. Of course this means that some of the
tribulations and how long any unit in the front minutiae of detail has to be allowed to fade
line remained at full strength was a matter of into the background in order to make the
luck as much as anything else. In the face of system manageable. However, for the gamer
the enemy platoons had to be re organised to who prefers more detail, it is possible to use
take losses into account, often on a mission by the basic structure presented here and bolt
mission basis. As soon as we published Chain on additional factors to suit their own
of Command we had wargamers asking us interests.
how to field forces weakened by losses. We
felt that the very best way to represent the Secondly, we did not want this supplement to
effect of attrition on a fighting force was in a simply present one, or even a number of,
campaign setting, where the player, in his role campaigns to be used straight out of the box.
as force commander, is faced with the on Certainly, this supplement is designed to
going challenge of how to keep his unit as provide a fast and simple generic setting for a
effective as possible. campaign which does not even require a map
to play. However, far more importantly, it
What we wanted to achieve was the creation also serves as a key which may be used with
of a small, discrete game universe where a more specific historical campaigns, which we
couple of players could run an ongoing will be presenting in future, and also as a
campaign in a plausible setting or a larger framework upon which the gamer can design
group could fight several linked campaigns. his own campaigns of whatever size and
We wanted an environment where the complexity he desires.
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.
2
Page
2 Introduction
4 Section One – The Ladder Campaign
5 The Scenarios
6 The No Map Campaign
The Simple Map Campaign
7 The Full Map Campaign
10 The Abbreviated Campaign
11 The Tailleville Campaign
13 Notes on sourcing period maps
14 Section Two – In the Field
15 The Campaign Turn
Fighting on the Ladder
17 The Localised Counter‐Attack
Consolidating & Strengthening Defences
Giving Ground
18 Campaign Duration
Casualties
19 Replacements & Reinforcements
20 Wild Card Reinforcements
22 Setting up the Tables
23 In‐Game Events
Withdrawal from the Table
24 Post Game Events
Replacement Leaders
Prisoners of War
Awards for Bravery
26 Post‐Battle Reorganisation
27 Campaign Prompt Sheet
28 Section Three – Men Under Fire
28 Key Characters
29 Character Tables
33 Background
Location
Age
34 Names
Appearance & Physique
35 Post Game Tracking
The CO’s Opinion
37 The Men’s Opinion
38 The Platoon Leader’s Outlook
39 Tracking Outlook
Other Events Affecting Outlook
40 Section Four – Building a Campaign
44 The Location
The Terrain
The Men
47 Running the Campaign
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So what is a ladder campaign? Let us look at the basic ladder
Basically it is a structure which which will form the basis of the
allows us to link together a full campaign. As we progress,
number of games in a manner the reader will see that a
which provides a coherent number of abbreviated options
campaign narrative, whilst being are available for short
extremely simple to run and with campaigns with as few as three
as much or as little detail as you games being possible, but we’ll
would like at each stage. We use begin looking at the complete
the phrase “ladder campaign”, as ladder as it shows all the main
a ladder best describes the linear options and the complete
structure. structure.
The objective of the ladder Opposite is the master campaign
campaign is to povide a fast and ladder. You’ll note that it has
easily manageable series of eleven rungs in total, five
games which involve the players numbered in blue, five in red
in considering a number of factors and one in neutral black.
and making decisions which they
would not normally be faced with The numbers shown correspond
in a one off tabletop game. The to the scenarios in the main rule
system does not, however, seek book.
to replicate the unlimited
intricacies of a map campaign At the outset of the full
where the players have absolute campaign the rungs marked in
free rein over each and every blue are held by one side, those
aspect of the game. in red by the other side. The
central rung, marked in black,
We made this decision to use the represents No Man’s Land
ladder format to keep things between the two forces.
easily manageable, but also
because in a platoon level game The objective of each force is to
the junior officer or NCO advance up or down the ladder,
commanding the force would not into his opponent’s territory
be making grand strategic with a view to seizing the
decisions about avenues of ultimate objective on the final
advance: he would be following rung.
orders which would already have
determined which areas of the We have made certain
battlefield his force was assigned assumptions about the shape of
to. As such, the ladder structure the battlefield here:
reflects well the constraints
within which our miniature Between the two forces we have
commanders’ real life an area which, as yet, neither
counterparts would be operating. side controls, that being rung 1.
4
Rungs 2 represent the outposts of the two you are successful in that encounter Scenario
opposing sides. These are their patrols, Five sees your force manoeuvre to conduct a
listening posts, weakly held forward positions Flank Attack against an enemy makeshift
which are there to mask their main defences defensive position.
and keep enemy patrols at bay.
Finally Scenario Six will see your victorious
Rungs 3 represent the main defensive force attacking the ultimate objective against
positions for both sides, whilst rungs 4 and 5 a strong enemy. Win here and you have won
are marked collectively as “Pursuit and the campaign.
Retreat”. This is the more open ground
beyond the main defences where a THE CAVEAT
manoeuvre battle can take place as one side All of which sounds like a clear process.
retreats and the other pursues. This area will However, be warned that your opponent is
see fighting withdrawals and potential unlikely to allow you quite such a victorious
counter attacks as well as pursuit. procession! The ladder format is there to
allow the forces to move up and down
Finally, rungs 6 represent the ultimate depending on who controls the campaign
objective for both sides. What that objective initiative. We’ll look at all this in more detail
is will depend on the campaign setting. It in the full campaign rules.
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
5
SETTING UP YOUR CAMPAIGN playing a No Map Campaign it is a good idea
to at least have a vague idea about where and
Before we look at different size and structural why you are fighting as that does provide a
options, let us consider the three basic sorts nice bit of background narrative and adds
of campaign options the players have to much colour to proceedings, as we will see
choose from. In keeping with the principle of with the Simple Map Campaign.
simplicity, we call these the No Map, Simple
Map and Full Map campaigns. But what are
they?
THE NO MAP CAMPAIGN
The No Map Campaign is without doubt the
THE SIMPLE MAP CAMPAIGN
simplest option of the three. It allows the In many respects the Simple Map Campaign
players to get started immediately with pretty has the best of both worlds. You get a
much no preparation other than sorting out background narrative and setting to guide
details of your forces with Part Two of this your choice of terrain, whilst avoiding too
supplement, Men Under Fire. much time spent on preparation. Below is
half of a Simple Map which takes us from No
To play the No Map campaign the only “map” Man’s Land in the Libyan desert to the
you’ll need is the ladder on the previous page. ultimate British objective, the Oasis at
As outlined above, you begin the campaign on Khermal.
rung 1 of the ladder and then play from there,
moving up or down the ladder according to From this simple map, you can see that the
successes or failures on the table. Winning a German outposts are among some old Roman
game will see the victor advance one rung on ruins whilst their main defences are around
the ladder into enemy held territory, and the the village of Sheik al Fak where, one
next game then takes place. A reversal will presumes, there is a water supply.
see the initiative swing to your opponent who
will then attempt to advance into your The pursuit phase of this campaign would be
territory. The campaign continues in that through the Al’am Hayfa range, allowing for a
manner until one
side secures their
ultimate objective.
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 if you are
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fighting withdrawal through the passes, THE FULL MAP CAMPAIGN
before a battle of manoeuvre against There are actually two types of Full Map
impromptu German defences at the small Campaigns, but both share the key attribute
oasis at Al Jazirya. Finally, the British that they use an actual map to provide the
objective is the main Oasis at Khermal. area to be fought over.
As we can see, just this simple sketch map The first type of Full Map Campaign simply
gives us pretty much all of the information we uses a map as a setting for a campaign. The
need for setting up our table for each second uses a map of part of an historical
scenario. Yes, we do have the advantage in a battlefield in order to refight the events which
desert game that one feature is pretty much happened in that location.
all you need for a single game, but even in
northern Europe knowing what the main We can, of course, use modern maps in
terrain feature is on each table will give us a association with Google Earth to provide us
good starting point. with images of the terrain. However, I would
suggest that with a small amount of effort it is
Why is there only half of the ladder on this often possible to get access to historical maps
map? Well, as we shall see, it could be that from the period of the Second World War.
we are playing an abbreviated campaign This could be on line, in books such as the Pen
where the Germans are firmly on the & Sword Battleground Europe series, or even
defensive, possibly through shortage of purchasing vintage maps on eBay if you feel
ammunition, transport or water, in which case like really going to town! We’ll take a look at
a “half map” may be appropriate, as we will access to these later in this section. Suffice to
see. In fact the truth is somewhat simpler. say, we use an actual map for this campaign
This is the map which I used for my own early option.
1941 campaign in Libya. That began as a No
Map Campaign, just using the ladder as a Using a map for a non historical campaign, is
template. However, as the campaign fun in its own right. Military training manuals
progressed and the British advanced, it made are full of real maps on which hypothetical
my life easier to sketch out such a map in battles are fought out. The advantage of a
order to make the campaign more “real”. It map is that it shows real terrain. A period
also helped me plan the campaign around map from the 1930s and ‘40s goes further as
what terrain I already owned and what I it presents a more plausible model on which
needed to purchase or make going forward. If to fight our campaign. There are no
the Germans counter attack and are motorways, no urban sprawl: we see the
successful in pushing the British back down terrain as it was at precisely the period we are
into their territory, I shall have to produce the looking to game. All of which provides us with
second half of the map! 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 We can use the map to brief our participants,
likely, something which a No Map Campaign and it provides us with the type of detail it
can quickly and easily develop into. What is would be impossible to provide with a Simple
more, this is precisely the type of campaign Map Campaign when it comes to setting up
which can be developed from the type of our tables for each game.
sketched out maps which one finds in
veteran’s accounts of their experiences. 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
7
accounts of actions and then taking that For the Germans it is the village of Cavillon to
through onto the tabletop must, surely, be the south.
one of the most interesting aspects of
wargaming, and to do so using the same maps What you can see here is that the map obliges
as those men would have used can only serve us to do some planning, if only to decide on
to make that bridge to history even more the relative positions of the forces at the
tangible. outset of the campaign and what the ultimate
objectives are. We have left the Retreat and
However, having said all that, the Full Map Pursuit areas as unspecified at this point, but
Campaign in either format does involve more clearly they will be somewhere to the rear of
preparation that the No Map or Simple Map the main positions and in front of the
Campaigns. Let’s look first at an example of objective. As already said, we can leave that
the simpler of the two: the FullMap with a detail until later if we want to leave a bit of
non historical campaign wriggle room to allow what happens in the
earlier games to influence this and, maybe,
On the next page is a map of the area around even allow the player a choice of location.
the town of Mouy in the Oise department of
Northern France. It’s a 1943 version of an Another noteworthy factor is that how close
original prepared in 1938 by the Geographical together the rungs on the ladder are; on the
Service of the British General Staff (in other map this is very much a moveable feast. On
words a standard GSGS map) in 1:50,000 scale the map below the outposts and main line of
(1 inch to 0.79 miles). As such this is an resistance are relatively close together and
original and very nice Second World War the final objectives are a mere six and a half
vintage map. The only issue being that, by the miles apart as the crow flies. In other
time Mouy was liberated by the US XIX Corps campaigns and in other parts of the world this
on the 31st of August, the German army was in will vary, sometimes quite significantly, due to
full retreat and no fighting occurred in this the nature of the terrain. In the Simple Map
area. Nevertheless, it is still a nice map and in Campaign, above, in my mind’s eye I see the
our campaign world it can provide a nice campaign as covering around 100 miles of
period setting. desert. In Russia in 1941 it could be that the
Retreat and Pursuit phase of the campaign
As can be seen we have used the ladder could be seen to cover very large distances
structure to the left of the page to show how with the ultimate objective far away across
this artificial format fits in with the reality of the rolling steppe. Equally, in the closest
the terrain. jungle terrain or densest bocage a campaign
could be played out over a few hundred yards.
Probably the first thing to note is that whilst So long as the person organising the campaign
the rungs on the ladder are set distances can identify these parameters from the
apart, the ground as shown on the map outset, the basic structure of the campaign
determines how far apart the various steps in can be manipulated to fit the situation on the
the campaign are on the map. 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.
8
9
What we also note is that I have effectively both sides are equally keen to take ground
put a Company of men on each side on the from their opponents. There are often
map. It would be a very simple thing to run situations in war where this is not the case,
three parallel campaigns using the set up but this is easily dealt with by adjusting the
shown which, whilst on the same map and ladder mechanism to suit that specific
occurring over a relatively small acreage, situation.
would be totally different in content. To run
those three campaigns concurrently could THE ABBREVIATED CAMPAIGN
provide us with all sorts of additional factors Clearly the main ladder campaign will last for
which could make the process even more a minimum of six games, and only then in the
enjoyable and multi dimensional whilst unusual situation where one side wipes the
adding very little in the way of necessary floor with their opponent, winning all six
effort. But that’s an option for you to explore. 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.
Equally, there are some situations where
THE HOLY GRAIL
historical precedent means that a shortened
With a Full Map Campaign, which is based on
campaign ladder is needed. Amphibious
an historical action and using the correct map,
landings, for example, will only have blue
the workload is potentially greater but, then
territory represented as the defeat of the
again, the return is vastly higher. Of course
attacking side on the beach will end the
how much research you do is up to you. A
campaign rather than allow blue to push
single paragraph in a broad ranging history
down the ladder into red’s territory. It may
can provide the locations you need and your
be that the objective for the campaign is
imagination will come up with the rest. But a
simply to snatch a single objective in the
bit of research can reap benefits in terms of
enemy’s front lines. In such situations, we can
information which can essentially write the
simply adjust the ladder to reflect the specific
campaign for you.
situation. Let’s look at a couple of examples
of an abbreviated campaign.
Regimental diaries, increasingly to be found
on line, combined with unit histories and first
An Example
hand accounts will often provide you with a
Readers of the 2013 Christmas Special will
whole raft of dates, locations, objectives, axes
recall the account of the Canadian forces on
of advance and other detail which will allow
Juno Beach and their subsequent push inland
you to put together a campaign relatively
to Taillleville. I was particularly taken with the
easily once the research is done. In future it is
tale of Major Archie McNaughton
our intention to produce a number of
commanding ‘A’ Company of the North Shore
supplements and articles which use precisely
Regiment: there was something interesting
this method to be used with this supplement.
about this veteran of the Great War who,
We’ll take a look at one such campaign later
despite his 47 years, returned to the colours
on in this supplement.
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
VARIATIONS ON A THEME around 1800 on the 6th of June. His Company
Of course, the ladder campaign, as presented had landed to the west of WN27 where B
above, presumes that the battlefield conforms Company were fighting to overcome the main
to the arrangement we have chosen and that German position on the sea wall. They
10
advanced inland against lightly held German company. In order to best reflect the advance
positions among the holiday villas, before of A Company with Chain of Command I am
skirting the edge of St Aubin to reach the road going to focus one platoon, the 1st, Lieutenant
heading for Tailleville. Here he ran into Moar’s, platoon. You can see the map I
uncoordinated German forces who devised for this abbreviated campaign below.
attempted, without luck, to halt his advance.
Clearly on D Day there is no No Man’s Land
Acting under his own initiative McNaughton so we abandon Scenario 1, The Patrol, and
pushed on inland, taking on a German jump straight in with Scenario 2, the Probe
defensive position to the north of Tailleville against German outposts to the west of St
where two roads met. Dealing with this Aubin. Were we recreating the actions of B
McNaughton waited for reinforcements Company, attacking WN27, we’d use Scenario
before moving on as part of the attack on Three, Attack & Defend, as that would be
Tailleville. appropriate for an assault on a significant
German defensive position. Here, however,
The Tailleville Campaign we set our first game amid sand dunes and
Whilst the North Shore Regiment’s objective scattered villas. The Canadian objective is
for D Day were to take Taileville and pass on simply to find a way through this table and
to the radar station at Douvres, I am push on inland.
particularly interested in the exploits of one
11
If Game One is completed successfully the fight its way through a whole village! I would
Canadians push on inland. If they fail to have a row of houses along the road with
achieve this I will allow a second attempt at gardens to the rear and fields behind that
the same scenario using another of with standing wheat. Victory here will see the
McNaughton’s platoons Lieutenant Canadians win the campaign. Again, a
Merseraus’ 2nd Platoon – but if this also fails German victory gives them the opportunity to
then McNaughton is deemed to have died on counter attack.
the beach and the campaign ends.
As we can see we have a short, four rung,
Game Two sees McNaughton’s men faced ladder which presents a short and
with retreating German elements on the manageable campaign to be played over half
southern edge of St Aubin. To best reflect this a dozen or so games. I would put a time limit
we go to Scenario 4, A Delaying Action. This is on this campaign of seven turns. If the
fought out on a table with a few cottages Canadians haven’t taken Tailleville by then the
along the Tailleville road and standing wheat Germans will win.
in the fields. Add the odd orchard near the
houses as this is Normandy! If the Canadians What I would also add for this campaign is a
can afford it, their first choice in supports for specific list of possible supports based on
this scenario MUST be a Sherman tank. historical sources. We know that the Fort
Gary Horse were supporting the North Shores
A Canadian defeat here will push the with Shermans, we know that the North
Canadians back and allow the Germans to Shores’ anti tank platoon and mortar platoon
push back into St Aubin: in this case the were involved in this battle as was the Carrier
nature of the scenario would depend on the platoon. Conversely there is no evidence for
choice of the German player, as we shall the Canadians having Vickers machine guns
subsequently see in the campaign rules. present, nor any armoured cars, scout cars of
similar. On the German side there were no
A Canadian victory sees McNaughton and his armoured vehicles present. Our support lists
men push on to the third scenario, Scenario should be amended to reflect this when
Three, Attack & Defend. This is an attack on a putting together this short campaign.
German defensive position to their north of
Tailleville around the road junction and water As we have seen above, a moderate degree of
tower. The terrain here is open wheat fields research, combined with a period map, tell us
with little else other than a water tower which all we need to know to put this campaign
is at the Y Junction. together. Having so many historical reference
points on which to hang our campaign
In this scenario I am going to specify that the removes all of the guess work and pretty
Germans must take all of their support as much writes the small detail for us. It also
entrenchments, wire or mines. This was a allows us to get that connection with the men
platoon sized position which was well who fought and died.
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
Again, a Canadian defeat at this point could specific campaign rules which will make our
bring on a German counter attack. A Canadian lives simple throughout the whole process,
victory will result in the final scenario, allowing us to focus on having fun with our
Scenario Six, An Attack on an Objective. The games.
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
12
NOTES ON SOURCING PERIOD MAPS settings, covering the action from start to
finish on one sheet.
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 A 1:25,000 Map. Less colour, but more detail
1:80,000 French maps which are not perfect,
but do give sufficient detail to form a general Anything larger than 1:50,000 is probably not
idea of the terrain at each location. Cross ideal for the level of game we are considering.
referencing these with Google Earth will often 1:100,000 will give you a general feel for the
clarify where there are uncertainties. 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
Above. An original 1:50,000 map compared game on.
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
13
The Campaign rules for Chain of Command: wounded men return immediately, those
At the Sharp End cover two main areas: the worse affected after one game, whereas very
rules for conducting the campaign itself, and badly wounded men are removed from the
the rules dealing with the characters involved. campaign altogether. However, we will make
This section deals with the former. certain suggestions for more detailed systems
in order to provide for the gamer who seeks a
GROUND & TIME SCALE more granular approach.
When writing a set of wargames rules or CAMPAIGN MOVEMENT & COMBAT
playing a traditional map campaign, the issues All movement and combat in the campaign is
of ground and time scale are of primary conducted using the campaign ladder or on
concern. When playing a ladder campaign, the tabletop. There is no separate map
these are largely abstracted in order to retain movement or combat off the tabletop. Forces
the simplicity we are looking to achieve. 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
SUPPLY
your armies will out manoeuvre your There are no rules for supply in the campaign.
opponent to deliver a strategic master stroke. It is presumed that all forces are adequately
Fine when you are Napoleon (or even just supplied with what they need to survive and
dressed as him), but not particularly relevant fight. It is perfectly possible to construct rules
when you are a Subaltern commanding a for supply shortages for specific campaigns,
platoon of men. 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.
THE CAMPAIGN TURN
Distance between each action is, for the most The campaign turn in Chain of Command: At
part, ignored, as we have already outlined. A the Sharp End is quite simply one game’s
campaign could, as a consequence, run over a worth of time.
leisurely period of weeks or represent a
frantic burst of activity covering a matter of What action occurs in a turn is dependent on
hours. which player has the initiative. At the start of
the campaign one side will be determined to
As a result of this approach, some aspects of have the initiative and be designated as the
the campaign management rules must be attacker for the first turn. Subsequently, the
regarded as abstract rather than precise winner of the last turn’s game is considered to
models of possible outcomes. Casualties and be the attacker and has the initiative at the
recovery time for the wounded, for example, start of the next turn. For that turn his
are treated in the same manner regardless of opponent is considered to be the defender.
the duration of the campaign. Lightly
14
Once a turn begins, the attacker has a limited The defender will not usually get any choice in
number of choices available to him. He may what happens in a turn as his opponent will
do one of the following: be holding the initiative and pushing forward.
In that situation the defender may elect to do
Immediately fight the next scenario one of the following:
Consolidate on captured enemy main
defensive position. This hands the Fight the next scenario, attempting to
initiative to his opponent. stop the attacker.
Not advance. This hands the initiative Avoid battle by giving ground to the
to his opponent but does allow the enemy.
attacker to strengthen his defences
where he is. However, if his opponent elects to do
If counter attacked, he may fight or something which hands him the initiative his
avoid battle by giving ground to the choices are somewhat wider, as follows:
enemy.
Immediately counter attack.
In most situations, they will choose to attack. Remain static and strengthen his
However, in some situations, such as defences. This will end the turn.
strengthening or consolidating on a position
secured or waiting for wounded men to In a turn where no battle is fought and where
return to make up their numbers, they may neither side advances or attacks, the initiative
elect to not attack in the current turn. If they is lost. In the next turn, who has the initiative
do not attack, the initiative for the current is decided by rolling a D6 each until one side
turn switches to the defender 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 FIGHTING ON THE LADDER
on his current position in order to strengthen
The ladder campaign is very straight forward
the position he has taken in case of a
while one side is achieving a string of
subsequent counter attack.
victories. They simply keep moving up or
down the ladder to the next game and
The US Player decides to not attack, but
fighting that. But what happens when the
consolidate on the ground already won. This
side with the initiative loses?
switches the initiative for this turn to the
German player who may now decide how he
Let’s walk through the first few turns of one
wishes to respond, either counter attacking or
campaign to see what occurs.
strengthening his defences for the next game.
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.
15
TURN ONE TURN THREE
TURN FOUR
Having won the last game, Blue is now the
attacker with the initiative in this turn. He
TURN TWO may elect to do nothing and strengthen his
defences where he stands or he may launch
Having won the first game Red is the attacker an attack. He elects to attack. The action
for the next game and decides to keep the fought is Scenario 2, a Probe, as indicated by
initiative by pushing on. Attacking Blue’s the rung on the ladder.
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.
16
In the above example, we can see that the position and one which is readily put into a
ladder determines the type of action fought. state of defence if a force spends a campaign
Clearly in Turn Four the ground Blue is turn not advancing. Once a position has been
attacking is not Red’s original outpost line. consolidated any attack on it will be fought as
However, it is the open ground in front of Scenario Six, Attack on an Objective, rather
Blue’s main defences where Red’s advance than Scenario Three. This will provide the
has faltered. As such, we are treating this as defender with a greater level of support when
Red’s new outpost line with Blue attempting holding that strengthened position in future.
to attack through it.
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
In addition to the options outlined above, halts in order to do that. For each turn halted
there is one additional choice which the he may add one minefield, entrenchment or
defender may use during the campaign, this is barbed wire from List One to his defences.
the localised counter attack. These remain in place only while the ground is
occupied. Once vacated the defences are
Counter attacks will normally occur when a abandoned, removed or fall into a state of
defender is handed the initiative by an disrepair, rendering them useless.
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 GIVING GROUND
fought is the one as indicated on the ladder or Giving ground is the surrendering of terrain
whether it is an Attack & Defend scenario. and abandons a rung on the ladder to your
opponent without a fight. This always counts
So, in the example we have just looked at, had as an automatic victory to the side following
blue been counter attacking in Turn Four he up. There are two ways to give ground.
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
CONSOLIDATING & STRENGTHENING
battalion’s staff. It allows the retiring side to
DEFENCES use the time gained to strengthen the
We have mentioned the option to consolidate defences in their new location (one rung
on a captured enemy position several times further away from the enemy) by selecting
now, but what does it mean? one minefield, entrenchment or barbed wire
from List One. The ground they surrender is
Only Scenario Three, Main Defences, locations automatically occupied by the enemy in the
may be consolidated. Consolidation is only an next turn and counts as an automatic victory
option when a player has captured a main for the advancing force. No battle will take
enemy defensive position in an Attack & place in this turn.
Defend scenario. This is a significant enemy
17
The alternative way of giving ground is for the battle to assist a badly wounded comrade. At
player to wait until their opponent declares an the end of an action some of these men will
advance at the start of a turn before then be able to return to their unit almost
declaring that they are giving ground. This immediately, some will return later whilst
represents a hasty withdrawal in the face of some will, sadly, not return at all. As the
an enemy advance and is undertaken without campaign progresses it will be important to
full approval from superior authority. It gains consider how these losses affect the platoon
the retiring force no time to improve their going forward. To do this we use the
defences and counts as an automatic victory following basic formula which is also shown in
for the advancing force. No battle will take diagrammatic form below.
place in that turn.
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
CAMPAIGN DURATION small box. Remember, this does NOT include
men who have routed from the table, it’s just
For some campaigns it is appropriate to set a
those killed.
duration limit, in terms of number of turns to
be played, in order to represent the pressure
The winner and loser now compare their
on a force to get the job done. As the player
Force Morale ratings. If the winner has a
gets more experienced with the campaign
higher force morale rating than the loser then
system, this can be used to set a “handicap”
the difference in ratings represents how many
a stronger force being given less time, a
men “killed” the winner may immediately
weaker one more.
return to duty. This reflects his owning the
battlefield and being better able to retrieve
The maximum duration of a campaign
his wounded whereas those of his defeated
depends on the number of rungs on the
enemy are lost. If the winner’s force morale is
ladder. A minimum of three additional turns
equal to or less than the loser’s enemy then
should be allowed, whatever the ladder
this step is ignored.
length, but with an addition of 50% being
normal with any fractions rounded up.
Now divide the remaining men killed into
three groups. Fifty percent are either dead,
For example, a four run campaign would
missing in action or so badly wounded that
normally be rounded up to six turns, but the
they won’t return for this campaign. Twenty
minimum of three will apply, making seven
five percent are sufficiently badly wounded
turns. An eleven rung ladder campaign will be
that they need treatment which will mean
set at 17 turns, being 11 plus 50% rounded up.
they miss the next battle. The final 25% may
return to duty immediately.
Of course, numbers of dead are not always
easily divisible by these percentages. We
CASUALTIES always round down the number of men never
returning but with those missing the next
Once a campaign begins, we will quickly find game taking any fractions as opposed to those
that losses occur. The main Chain of returning to duty immediately.
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
18
All of this can make for some painful maths at REPLACEMENTS & REINFORCEMENTS
the end of an evening’s gaming, so the
following table show how to apportion losses. The need for replacements and
reinforcements during a campaign will
Figures Never Miss next Return to depend very much on the way it is set up. We
Lost Return game duty use the term replacements to refer to men
sent to join units in the field in order to make
1 1
up for losses suffered. Reinforcements tend
2 1 1
to be different units which may, during the
3 1 2
course of a campaign, take up the baton for a
4 2 1 1 second operational phase, building on what
5 2 2 1 was achieved by the first platoon.
6 3 2 1
7 3 2 2 Replacements
8 4 2 2 Most short campaigns with ladders of four
9 4 3 2 rungs or fewer will not involve replacements.
10 5 3 2 For larger campaigns the availability of
11 5 3 3 replacements will depend on whether we
12 6 3 3 have a full ladder gong in two directions, such
13 6 4 3 as the ladder shown in the Mouy campaign, or
14 7 4 3 an abbreviated ladder such as the one used
15 7 4 4 for the McNaughton campaign, where we
16 8 4 4 have only the German half of the ladder
present.
How units operate with reduced manpower
will be covered in the next section, Men For an abbreviated ladder campaign with five
Under Fire. 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
19
well supported force, with adequate trained Reinforcements
men available, may have up to two lots of Reinforcements are a very different kettle of
replacements. The Allies in Northern Europe fish and should be treated in one of two ways.
would be a good example here. A force with The first sort are restricted to a very specific
less resources available, such as the Germans type of campaign where one platoon leads
in the same theatre or all troops in the way and fights as far as it can towards an
inhospitable climes, would only have one lot objective before the next platoon takes over
of replacements. to continue. These campaigns are normally
abbreviated, having just one half of the ladder
A player should be aware at the start of a as this is a hard and aggressive push into an
campaign how many times he may request opponent’s territory.
replacements. He may call for reinforcements
at the end of any campaign turn. When this is Such a situation is representative of some of
done he uses the following formula to see the harshest fighting and usually best reflects
what is available. a short but particularly violent period of
activity. Rather than provide replacements in
Add the number of men thus far removed an on going action, the second platoon will
from a force never to return in this campaign arrive fresh, ready to pick up the metaphorical
(let’s call them dead) to the CO’s current ball and, with renewed momentum, carry it
rating (see page xxxx). Now divide that figure across the line.
by two, rounding down for any fractions.
Such campaigns can be created using full
That gives you the number of replacements
strength units or, if historical data is available,
you are sure you’ll get if you ask. Then roll
with depleted platoons. Often their opponent
for luck to see how many more men you do
will not gain from the advantage of having a
actually get. Roll 1D6 and add that figure to
second force and will have to battle on as the
get the number actually available. This can
odds against him lengthen. We’ll look at one
more simply be shown like this:
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
The only stipulation here is that the number will happen at the start of a campaign turn
of replacements can never bring the platoon with the original platoon and its survivors
strength to a figure greater than its original removed from the campaign, playing no
strength. further part.
Variations on a Theme The second type of reinforcements are what
All of this is somewhat generalised, as rules we call “Wild Card” reinforcements. These
are inclined to be. It is very simple to adjust are effectively a one shot weapon which a
that equation to reflect an environment or player may use at some point in the
situation where replacements are less campaign. This allows the player to declare
generous. In a war being fought a long way that, as certain criteria have been fulfilled, he
from home it would be a simple matter to is playing his Wild Card and adding the
divide the initial sum by 3, 4 or even 5, rather relevant reinforcements to his forces.
than 2 used above, in order to produce more
Typically, the Wild Card will allow the player
sparse replacement figures.
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
20
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.
21
SETTING UP THE TABLES SCENARIO THREE
The terrain should be placed evenly across the
It should be entirely self evident that when
table but with the defender able to move one
setting up tabletop terrain for each game,
terrain piece larger than 9” square and two
that this should be designed to be in keeping
pieces under 9” square in order to represent
with the scenario and the campaign in
the position they are defending.
general. With an Full Map Campaign this is an
issue which, largely, looks after itself, as the
Amendments: The defender should be
map will set the scene for the most prominent
allowed three team sized entrenchments for
aspects of terrain. With a Simple Map
this scenario OR one entrenchment and one
Campaign we should at least have considered
full Chain of Command Dice at the start of the
what the main feature is a village, an Oasis, a
game.
bridge so we have some guidance. With the
No Map Campaign we do need to apply logic
in order to keep the action plausible. SCENARIO FOUR
The terrain should be placed evenly across the
To a degree, the ability of the defender to table but with the defender able to move one
select his table edge in the majority of the terrain piece of up to 9” square into his
scenarios should “keep you honest” in setting deployment area, as shown on the table by
up terrain where you are doing so with no the shaded area, and remove two other
map to guide you, but below we have added pieces of terrain up to 9” square entirely from
some guidelines in addition to some campaign the game.
specific scenario amendments which help in
reflecting the tactical situation in a campaign Amendments: The defender should begin the
setting. These should only be used for a No game with three points on his Chain of
Map game. Where a map is being used to Command dice.
determine the terrain, simply apply the
Scenario amendments as listed and ignore the SCENARIO FIVE
terrain notes. The terrain should be placed evenly across the
table but with the defender able to remove
SCENARIO ONE two items of terrain 9” square from the table,
The terrain for should be relatively evenly and the attacker either remove one piece of
spread and in most situations quite sparse. similarly sized terrain, or replace one piece
Neither side should have a clear advantage in which the defender removed.
terms of cover available.
Amendments: None.
Amendments: None
SCENARIO SIX
SCENARIO TWO In view of the nature of this scenario, the
The terrain should be set up evenly across the chief piece of terrain should be the main
table, but with the defender being allowed to objective, be that a bridge, key building, hill or
move two terrain pieces of up to 9” square whatever is relevant for your campaign. As a
into his deployment zone, as shaded white on result no real changes should be made to the
the map, to represent the features around tabletop, but the majority of the terrain
which his outpost defences are constructed. should be towards the defenders end of the
table.
Amendments: The defender should be
allowed two team sized entrenchments for Amendments: None.
this scenario to represent his outpost
defences.
22
IN GAME EVENTS the campaign. On a roll of 3 or 4, they are
dispersed and will be absent for the next
Most events in a tabletop game are covered in campaign turn. On a roll of 5 or 6 they
the main Chain of command rules; however, withdraw successfully.
some specific rules are required for ending a
scenario in a campaign setting. Rout
A force whose Force Morale falls to zero will
WITHDRAWAL FROM THE TABLE rout from the table.
In all of the campaign games one side is likely
to quit the table voluntarily or as a result of a When a rout occurs, any of the player’s
Force Morale collapse. How this occurs is figures within 12” of a friendly Jump Off Point
important in a campaign setting. who can trace an unbroken line to that point
which does not come within 6” of any
A Voluntary Withdrawal unpinned or broken enemy troops, may
A player may declare that he wishes to retire immediately retire from the table.
from the table at any point in the game when
it is his Phase and before he rolls his Any unpinned figures more than 12” but less
Command Dice. If he has rolled his Command than 24” from a Jump Off Point, who can
Dice he MUST play out that Phase as normal trace an unbroken line to that point which
and may not declare a withdrawal. does not come within 6” of any unpinned or
broken enemy troops, may roll to retire from
When a voluntary withdrawal is declared, any the table. On a roll of 1 on a D6, the figure is
of the player’s figures within 12” of a friendly captured and is removed from the campaign.
Jump Off Point who can trace an unbroken On a roll of 2, he is dispersed and will be
line to that point which does not come within absent for the next campaign turn. A roll of 3
6” of any unpinned or broken enemy troops to 6 on a D6 indicates that the figure has
may immediately retire from the table. withdrawn successfully.
Any unpinned figures more than 12” but less Any unpinned figures further than 24” from a
than 24” from a Jump Off Point, who can Jump Off Point, or those which cannot trace
trace an unbroken line to that point which an unbroken line to that point which does not
does not come within 6” of any unpinned or come within 6” of any unpinned or broken
broken enemy troops, may roll to retire from enemy troops, may roll to retire from the
the table. A roll of 1 on a D6, the figure is table. On a roll of 1 on a D6, the figure is
dispersed and will be absent for the next captured and is removed from the campaign.
campaign turn. A roll of 2 to 6 on a D6 On a roll of 2 or 3, he is dispersed and is
indicates that the figure has withdrawn absent for the next campaign turn. A roll of 4
successfully. 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 Any Pinned figures will roll a D6. On a roll of 1
an unbroken line to that point which does not to 3, they will be captured and removed from
come within 6” of any unpinned or broken the campaign. On a roll of 4 or 5, they are
enemy troops, may roll to retire from the dispersed and will be absent for the next
table. On a roll of 1 on a D6, the figure is campaign turn. On a roll of 6 they withdraw
captured and is removed from the campaign. successfully.
On a roll of 2, he is dispersed and is absent for
the next campaign turn. A roll of 3 to 6 Any Leaders captured or dispersed will count
indicates that the figure has withdrawn as being lost for the purpose of the men’s
successfully. 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
23
POST GAME EVENTS promoted to Sergeant. Add +1 to the roll of
an existing Junior Leader has an award for
Certain in game events will need to be bravery.
considered after any game in which they
occur. These include losses of key Leaders, Where a promotion from Junior to Senior
Prisoners of War and any awards which the Leader occurs, an NCO with a bravery award
men are recommended for. will always take precedence, or with the
highest award where multiple awards are
REPLACEMENT LEADERS present. Where there are no bravery awards
Leaders who are wounded twice in any one the oldest Junior Leader present will take
game will be removed from play for the next precedence.
campaign turn, returning on the following
turn. Dead Leaders will, fairly obviously, be Any replacement Senior Leader, whether from
removed from play entirely. outside the platoon, or promoted from Junior
Leader, will operate with a command radius
Junior Leaders will always be replaced, of just 6” and with two Command Initiatives
permanently if they are killed, or temporarily until he is accepted by his men as their new
if they are absent. A new character will be Senior Leader. After each game roll a D6: on a
promoted from the ranks and should be diced roll of 1 or 2 the leader is not yet accepted by
for using the Key Characters section of this his men.
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
Senior Leaders will always be replaced if they War go into the bag, accepting that for them
are the only one, or last one, with the the war is over. Officers and NCOs are made
Platoon. Where an officer is killed roll a D6. of sterner stuff and will attempt to escape at
On a 1 to 2 a new replacement officer joins every opportunity.
the platoon. On a 3 to 5 a Senior NCO is
transferred to the platoon to lead it. On a 6 a For any Leader taken Prisoner, roll a D6 at the
Junior Leader who is leading one of the end of each subsequent campaign turn. On a
existing sections or squads is promoted to 1 to 4 the CO hears via the Red Cross that
Senior NCO role and will lead the platoon. they are in a camp in Silesia. Do not roll again
Add +1 to the roll if an existing Junior Leader for this Leader. On a 5 hope springs eternal,
has an award for bravery. roll again next turn. On a 6 the Leader has
escaped and returns to his unit. Any man
Where a Senior Leader is killed but a second promoted to fill his role is now demoted.
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
All nations of WWII made awards for gallantry
officer is present, roll a D6. On a 1 a Sergeant
as a means of rewarding bravery in the face of
is transferred into the platoon from elsewhere
the enemy. Knowing what awards were made
in the battalion. On a 2 to 4 the platoon will
is one thing, determining the criteria by which
continue with no replacement senior NCO.
such awards were made is quite another.
On a 5 or 6 an existing Junior Leader will be
Men undertaking selfless and heroic actions
24
were often overlooked, whereas others were award the Leader is being recommended for.
richly rewarded for the same, or similar, acts. If a 6 is rolled then the player may roll again,
It is also impossible to be entirely prescriptive with a 6 on the next roll increasing the
about which actions should result in a medal recommendation by one level on the table.
recommendation. In Chain of Command: At The number in brackets above show the
the Sharp End, we suggest that only Leaders number of re rolls which may be made for
are recommended for medals. that act of bravery. Keep rolling, increasing
the level of award recommended, for each 6
As a starting point we suggest that the rolled until all of the additional rolls are used.
following acts will always result in a Leader
being recommended for a medal:
Igor Klinsekov storms the fascist MG nest at
Leading at attack on a tripod mounted the head of his squad, so will automatically be
machine gun position (4) recommended for a gallantry award at the
Destroying an armoured vehicle with end of the game. Once play ends, the player
a hand held charge or grenade (3) rolls a D6. Igor is a Junior Leader so any roll
Single handedly manning a support will see him recommended for the Order of
weapon and destroying a vehicle or the Red Star. However, attacking a MG
defeating an infantry attack (2) position can result in four additional rolls.
Leading an attack in close combat
which defeats a numerically stronger The player rolls the first additional D6 and
enemy in a defensive position (2) rolls a 6, so the recommendation increases to
A Prisoner of War escaping and one for the Order of the Great Patriotic War.
returning to his unit (1) He rolls again and, remarkably, another 6 is
Rescuing a wounded Junior Leader (1) rolled. This increases the recommendation to
Rescuing a wounded Senior Leader (2) one for the Order of Glory. With his third
Any action which your opponent additional roll he rolls a 4, so there is no
agrees is medal worthy (?) increase. Finally his fourth roll is another 6,
that is a lucky three increases out of four
For all of these acts, the players should roll attempts, so Igor has been recommended for
1D6 on the award table for the Leader’s rank the Order of the Red Banner for his bravery.
and nationality.
When an award is recommended, consult the If the Leader concerned already has the award
following table at the end of the game. Roll a indicated then increase the number or re rolls
D6 and refer to the relevant line to see which to be made by one.
Gallantry Awards Table
British M.I.D. MM MM MC MC DCM VC
Officer 1 5 6 6+ 6+ 6+
NCO 1 5 6 6+ 6+ 6+
Iron Iron Iron German German Knights
German Cross II Cross I Cross I Cross Cross Cross
Officer 1 5 6 6+ 6+ 6+
NCO 1 6 6+ 6+ 6+ 6+ 6+
Soldiers Bronze
USA Medal Star Silver Star D.S.M. D.S.C. D.S.C. M.O.H.
Officer 1 4 5 6 6+ 6+ 6+ 6+
NCO 1 4 5, 6 6+ 6+ 6+ 6+ 6+
Soviet Union Red Patriotic Alexander Order of Red Order of Hero of the
Star War Nevsky Glory Banner Lenin Soviet Union
Officer 1 5 6 6+ 6+ 6+ 6+ 6+
NCO 1 6 6+ 6+ 6+ 6+ 6+
25
Once a medal recommendation has been casualties mount, there will come a time
made, the player should roll immediately to when some consideration of restructuring
see if the award is made and then on must be made in order to keep the platoon in
subsequent campaign turns, as indicated action.
below.
In Chain of Command: At the Sharp End, it is
Making Awards entirely up to the player what organisational
The recommendations for awards do not structure he uses. All that is important is that,
always result in that particular award being in preparation for the next game, he
made. At the end of each campaign turn, determines how that platoon will operate in
including the turn in which the terms of Teams and Sections or Squads.
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
On a 1 to 5 no decision has been made and structured for that game. This may differ
the player should roll again at the end of the from game to game, allowing for the specific
next campaign turn. On a 6 the award is mission to be fought. In a defensive scenario
made with immediate effect. a weakened platoon may decide to field
strong LMG teams rather than two team
On subsequent campaign turns roll at the end squads, whereas in an attack scenario they
of the turn. On a 1 or 2 no decision has been may use weakened fire elements in order to
made, roll again on the next turn. On a 3 or 4 strengthen the manoeuvre teams. All that
an award is made, but one level lower than matters is that they can allocate their Leaders
the recommended award. If the award to specific units so that they can keep a track
recommended has no lower award, such as a of their force once the game begins.
British Leader who was recommended to be
Mentioned In Despatches, then no award is
made. If the award has not been made in With just eighteen other ranks men left in his
three campaign turns it has been turned platoon, Lieutenant Jones decides to field two
down. four man Bren teams, each commanded by a
Corporal, and one full ten man section under
On a 5 the award is made at the level another Corporal. Making the best of what
recommended. On a 6 the award made is one resources he has, the Lieutenant has kept one
level higher than recommended. strong section to assault the objective, whilst
stripping back the other two sections to large
Bren teams in order to maximise fire support.
Were this a defensive mission Jones might
POST BATTLE REORGANISATION well decide on two weakened sections of
We have already looked at how casualties eight men each, with the remaining two men
affect a force in terms of men lost. What the manning the PIAT because he suspects the
above does not tell you is what happens to enemy will be fielding armour. If no armour
the platoon when losses are suffered. turns up, he can always shift the men to the
rifle sections.
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
26
BEFORE THE GAME Did you lose casualties?
The winner reduces casualties if he has a
The Attacker may: superior Force Morale. Then apply the results
Immediately fight the next scenario. below to both sides:
Consolidate, handing initiative to
opponent. Figures Never Miss next Return to
No advance, strengthen defences, hand Lost Return game duty
initiative to opponent. 1 1
Fight if counter attacked or give ground. 2 1 1
3 1 2
The Defender may:
4 2 1 1
Fight the next scenario.
5 2 2 1
Avoid battle by giving ground.
6 3 2 1
If given the initiative, the Defender may: 7 3 2 2
Immediately counter attack. 8 4 2 2
Strengthen defences. 9 4 3 2
10 5 3 2
11 5 3 3
AFTER THE GAME 12 6 3 3
13 6 4 3
Did your force withdraw voluntarily? 14 7 4 3
Distance to Jump Off Result 15 7 4 4
Marker 16 8 4 4
Up to 12” Retire safely
12” to 24” 1: Dispersed
2 6: Retire safely
Do you wish to call for replacements?
More than 24” 1: Captured Calculate using the following formula:
2: Dispersed
3 6: Retire safely
Pinned 1 2: Captured
3 4: Dispersed
5 6: Retire safely
Did your force rout?
Distance to Jump Off Result
Marker Do You Need to Replace any Leaders?
Up to 12” Retire safely Only Senior Leader
12” to 24” 1: Captured 1 2 New officer joins the platoon
2: Dispersed 3 5 Senior NCO joins the platoon
3 6: retire safely
6 Junior Leader promoted
More than 24” 1: Captured
Officer Killed
2 3: Dispersed
1 New officer joins the platoon
4 6: retire safely
2 6 No replacement. Senior NCO
Pinned 1 3: Captured
leads the platoon
4 5: Dispersed
Senior NCO Killed
6: Retire safely
1 Senior NCO joins the platoon
3 4 No replacement
5 6 Junior Leader promoted
Add +1 for any gallantry awards
27
As we have seen, wargame campaigns will BEFORE THE CAMPAIGN
always focus on military objectives. The
reality of achieving certain goals within Before the campaign begins, you will need to
specified timescales is a common feature of find out a bit about your force: in particular,
warfare through the ages. However, Chain of who is leading your men into battle.
Command: At the Sharp End also focuses on
the men who fought and the impact which KEY CHARACTERS
war has on them. There are two sorts of characters in the At the
Sharp End Campaign: firstly, we have your
We have elected to use this format for a platoon leader and then his supporting NCOs.
number of reasons. Firstly, following the Our primary focus will be on the character of
career of individual characters makes for a fun the platoon commander who, as the central
gaming experience. Whilst I may not care figure in our force, will determine how his unit
about “that toy soldier with the Sten gun”, I is seen, both by itself and others.
do care about Sergeant Harris who took out
that MG nest near Sword beach and led his The NCOs are the supporting cast, the men
men to victory storming that farm on the there to provide the discipline and leadership
outskirts of Caen. By imbuing our tiny soldiers to achieve their platoon leader’s plan. They
with their own personalities, we add an too have backgrounds and characters, but
additional dimension to the campaign and these are somewhat abbreviated, as the tone
give ourselves pause to consider the bravery is set by the platoon commander.
and selflessness of those who really did fight. Then we have the men of the platoon. These
It also does more: it presents us with an are generally anonymous, although some
additional tier of gaming challenges which the gamers may wish to use the character
players have to consider. creation system to name every man in the
platoon. Finally there is the battalion as a
In addition to naming and creating whole, embodied in the person of the
backgrounds for our main characters, we battalion commander. His opinion will
want to consider those whose lives they influence the platoon as they fight their way
influence, namely the men in their platoon, through the campaign, and keeping him
and who can influence them: specifically their happy will be an important objective
battalion commander and his staff. As the throughout.
campaign progresses, it will become
increasingly apparent that the player, in the Initial Character Creation
role of platoon commander, needs to keep his
Before the campaign begins we will need to
men’s morale up throughout the campaign,
create out characters, all of whom will have
whilst also keeping his commanding officer
their various attributes determined by using
happy with his results. The two are not
the following tables. Some of these are
mutually exclusive, neither are they mutually
nation specific, some are generic. Either way,
complementary. It will be a good officer who
the players should feel free to see these as
can keep both happy, and retain his own
guidelines and tamper with them as they see
sense of perspective and good humour
fit to increase their enjoyment of the game.
through the trials and tribulations of a
Nothing is carved in stone!
campaign.
28
British Officers
2 Minor nobility. Major public school. Oxbridge. Something in the city and an interest in
or politics before war saw you sign up. The CO is very pleased to have you in the Mess. Add +4
3 to your roll for age. Add +1 to the C.O’s opinion
4 Wild Colonial boy. Possibly a CANLOAN chap or possibly from another part of the Empire.
You certainly add colour to the Mess!
5 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
6 Minor public school. Thanks to the war you went straight into khaki. Roll only 1D6 for your
roll for age
7 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
8 Grammar school boy. In trade before you were called up. Identified as a leader in your basic
training, you were offered a commission.
9 Elevated from the ranks. An enlisted man who made his mark as a Sergeant and was
or commissioned as a result. You may not have been born to the role, but you’re as good as
10 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
11 Grammar school boy, both as a student and then a master after Oxbridge. Add +4 to your
roll for age
12 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 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!
3 A colonial. A tough man from a tough world where a man learns to look after himself
4 A waiter in a restaurant. Discrete, deferential; the officers appreciate your qualities
5 A grease monkey in civvy street, you can strip an engine in no time at all
6 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
7 A farm boy with the mud still on his boots
8 A factory worker
9 An Office Clerk with a head for figures and an aptitude for paperwork.
10 A door to door salesman. Brushes, mops, dusters, you’re the housewife’s best friend
11 A bohemian, you have been an artist and a writer, but sadly your talents have been
unappreciated by the undeserving public.
12 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
29
German Officers
A Teacher in the local Gymnasium since you left Heidelberg University. You especially enjoy
2 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
3 A well to do farmer’s son, one day you will return to your estates and enjoy the fruits of
your labour
4 Promoted up from the ranks. You showed your worth on the battlefield and were
or rewarded with a commission. Roll again on the NCO background table. Add +3 to your roll
5 for age. Add +1 to the men’s opinion
6 School. Hitler Jugend. Reichsarbeitsdienst. Heer. Such is the career of a young man in the
or Third Reich. You are a model citizen of the new Germany and you with fight hard to ensure
7 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
8 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
9 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
10 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
11 A true German aristocrat. Your family were ennobled back before the Old Fritz came along.
or After the humiliation of Weimar you have returned to the colours to continue the family
12 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 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
3 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
4 A gamekeeper on a large country estate, you have hunted boar with Reichsmarschall Göring.
5 or An inner city School with a father in an armaments factory. You left the Hitler Jugend and
6 joined the Army. You are a model citizen of the new Germany. Roll 1D6 only for age.
7 or A rural farm boy. You left the Hitler Jugend and joined the Army. You are a model citizen of
8 the new Germany. Roll 1D6 only for age.
9 An Office Clerk since school, and then the army when you were called up
10 A waiter in a high quality establishment
11 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
12 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
30
United States Officers
From a prep school and an Ivy League University you became a professor. They tried to give
2 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
3 world’s biggest criminal: Herr A. Hitler of Berlin, Germany. Just the facts Adolf! Add +4 to
your roll for age
4 A city boy with a nose for a deal. You cut your teeth on Wall Street with stocks and shares
or but when your country’s call came, you didn’t hedge your bets. Add +2 to your roll for your
5 age
6 A mid west farmer’s son, you come from where the corn is as high as an elephant’s eye. You
to volunteered to see even wider horizons than the ones in Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota.
7 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
or soldiering and your commission by killing Krauts. Plenty of them! Roll again on the NCO
10 table. Add +3 to your roll for your age. Add +1 to the men’s opinion
11 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!
12 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.
Unites States NCOs
2 A stock car driver who learnt his trade at Daytona Beach with the old bootleg drivers
3 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
4 the man. Nobody messed with you then, nobody messes with you now. “No messing”,
that’s your motto
5 Born on a farm way back up in the woods, joining the Army was your way to escape and find
or the big wide world. You ran the hired hands when things got busy, and your experience saw
6 you good at running men in your squad
7 An office desk in the city, keeping notes in ledgers, was not the life you yearned for at High
or School and the war was a chance to see another world. One, you discovered, where nobody
8 can cook a decent hamburger!
9 You sold your wares where you could. Encyclopaedias, pots, pans, insurance. Some you
won, some you lost
10 You built skyscrapers across America. Your native American ancestors gave you their bravery
11 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
12 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
31
Soviet Officers
2 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
3 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
4 You supervised the workers on the collective farm where bumper turnip crops were grown.
to You are a loyal Party member and fine Soviet citizen but your peasant background means you
6 take care to look after your men. Add +1 to the men’s opinion
7 You studied hard in the Tekhnikum to learn the skills which you would use upon graduation
to to distribute bumper turnip crops to the peoples of all the Soviet Union. You are a loyal Party
9 member and fine Soviet citizen
10 As a Civil Servant in the Ministry for Turnip Production, you failed to adequately explain why
or the bumper turnip crop never arrived. Hence you are now at the front line. Your leadership
11 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
12 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 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
3 A clerk in an office, involved with the implementation of the Five Year Plan
4 A worker on a collective farm producing food for the Soviet people and their fraternal allies.
to The Army has been a harsh school, but you have survived and killed many fascists. Your men
6 look to you for leadership as they know you are one of them.
7 A worker in a factory producing much needed armaments. You volunteered for the Army
or when your factory was moved to the Urals to save it from the rapacious invader of Soviet
8 soil. One day you will return, a hero of the Soviet Union!
9 A mechanic. You trained on engines and there is nothing about the internal combustion
engine that you cannot fix
10 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
11 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
12 avoiding death. You now serve in the Army under an assumed identity. You fear exposure
each day. Add +3 to your roll for age
32
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
To add a bit more background you may wish
if you wish, even dicing for specific counties or
to find out where your leaders are from
states, but we find that a broad brush
geographically. To do this you’ll need to
approach suffices with the players then
divide the relevant county into six areas and
adding the small detail as they deem
roll a D6. For the UK I divide into six
appropriate.
convenient areas: the South East, the
Midlands, Wales and the South West, the
Age
North Scotland and finally Ireland, as shown
Next we roll to see how old our leader is. Roll
below.
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.
Roll Officer NCO
2 19 21
3 20 22
4 21 23
5 22 24
6 23 25
7 24 26
8 25 27
9 26 28 33, 1D6,
1 being 28, 6 being 33
10 27 34 39, 1D6,
as above
11 28 40 45, 1D6,
as above
12 29 46 51, 1D6,
as above
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.
33
Names characters the more interesting the campaign
You can name your leaders yourself if you will be. Once you are finished you’ll be ready
wish, possibly taking names from historical to start the campaign.
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 Our US platoon is commanded by a
consult the following table as a prompt to Lieutenant. As an officer we roll on that table
determine initials. to determine his background. Using 2D6 I roll
a total of 9, so the Lieutenant started his
Dice Initial career in the ranks and has worked his way up
1 A, B, C, D the hard way. This also tells us to roll again
2 E, F, G, H on the NCO table to find out more about his
history. I roll 2D6 again. An 8 tells me that he
3 I, J, K, L
went to High School and worked in an office
4 M, N, O, P
before leaving his job to see the world with
5 Q, R, S, T,
the Army.
6 U, V, W, X, Y, Z
Now I roll a D6 to see where he is from. I roll
This system is by no means foolproof, it a 5, so he’s from somewhere out West. I
doesn’t allow for national variations on letter choose Oregon and as we know he works in
usage, but will hopefully give you a guide if an office, I choose the city of Portland for his
stuck for inspiration. What is important is home town. I have no idea what they
that all of our leaders have names! produce in Portland, so I am going to have his
work background as being in a bank.
Everyone has banks!
Next we check his age. We use the NCO
Appearance and Physique column here as that was his background
Finally, we check to see what out character before being commissioned. I roll 9. That
looks like. Roll 2D6 on the table below: means he is aged somewhere between 28 and
33. A roll of 6 settles that; he’s 33.
Dice Result
The next thing I do is think about a name. I
2 Undernourished, thin and pale could make one up, but let’s use the table. I
3 A true bantam, short but full of fight roll 2D6, a 4 and a 4 which inspires me to
4 An intellectual looking man of come up with Norman Peterson. As he’s
average to short height American I’ll give him a middle initial which I
5 As broad as he is tall. A barrel of a dice for. Norman W. Peterson.
man
6,7,8 An average sort. Unremarkable Finally we dice for appearance. An 11. I
9 Tall and thin didn’t expect that! So “Big Norm” is a
10 A strapping six footer lumbering giant. He left his bank job in
11 A lumbering giant Portland as he kept knocking over the ink and
12 Remarkably overweight considering was fed up with his boss Mr Kolowski being on
his reliance on Army rations his back for ten long years. He signed up,
fought well and found his true vocation in life.
Now you have your characters, feel free to He likes seeing the world, but still hankers
add any other details you wish, and some of after a good old American hamburger.
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
34
POST GAME TRACKING we go any further, we need to consider the
four possible outcomes from each game. At
Once the campaign begins we will keep track the end of each game both players will use
of three key indicators of success. Specifically the following victory conditions to see how
these are the Commanding Officer’s opinion, the three key indicators are influenced and, if
the morale of the men in the platoon and the necessary, adjusted to reflect the current
Platoon Leader’s own morale and self esteem. mood.
These three are linked together to provide us
with an overall snapshot of the platoon at any A Victory: To claim a victory you must win
time. the game, achieving the scenario objectives
listed for the scenario being played. If you
Keeping the battalion commander happy is all achieve this, regardless of casualties or any
about achieving your objectives. He’s not other factors, you can claim a victory.
interested in reasons or excuses: results speak
volumes to him. If the platoon does well, this A Draw: Some scenarios allow for a draw. If
will influence how much support the unit can this happens then both sides may claim a
draw upon the CO likes to back winners draw, regardless of casualties or any other
and how well rewarded the platoon is when factors.
any medals are in the offing.
A Loss: If you don’t win or draw you will lose.
However, the CO is also keen to run what is at However, there are circumstances where you
least superficially a happy ship. If he hears may claim a Losing Draw. See below.
rumours of the men being unhappy, he will
take a dim view of any platoon commander A Losing Draw: If you lose a game you may
who is implicated, and this, as well as results still be able to claim some degree of success
in battle, can influence his opinion. by inflicting disproportionate casualties on
your opponent. If you lose the scenario but
Secondly there are the men. Yes, they want inflict 50% more casualties on your opponent
to get the job done, but ultimately they want than you suffer (the number of men lost
to get home at the end of the war. If a “killed” at the end of each scenario), then you
platoon commander starts losing too many may claim a Losing Draw.
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
TRACKING OPINION unchanged. On a roll of 6 it increases
by 1.
Keeping track of the three key indicators is a
A unit gives ground with a hasty
simple process. The CO’s and the men’s
withdrawal. On a roll of 1 to 3 the
opinion are both tracked numerically on a
CO’s opinion reduces by 1. On a roll
scale ranging from 12 down to 12 with the
of 4 to 6 it remains unchanged.
effects being cumulative through the
campaign. The Platoon Leader’s outlook is
What does this mean? Keep a tally of your
slightly more involved in that it uses a tabular
CO’s opinion rating. This will affect your force
matrix with the possibility of the rating
when selecting support for each mission,
moving horizontally as well as vertically on
when rolling for any medal awards or when
that table.
rolling for support.
THE COMMANDING OFFICER’S OPINION Opinion Effect
At the start of a campaign, we will normally
12 Promoted to a Staff position.
begin afresh with the CO’s opinion set to zero.
Flying a desk and sorting out crap
This may be adjusted slightly if the platoon
9 to 11 +3 levels of support for each
leader’s background, if that indicates that he
mission
will be particularly well or badly or looked
+3 for any medal roll for the
upon by the officer concerned.
Platoon
+2 for any reinforcement roll
Tracking the CO’s opinion of your platoon is
6 to 8 +2 levels of support for each
very simple. To a degree what he thinks is
mission
based on luck, you may do a good job but not
+1 for any medal roll for the
be noticed, you may gain laurels which, in
Platoon
truth, you do not deserve. During the
+1 for any reinforcement roll
campaign this rating will increase or decrease
according to success or failure in battle. This 3 to 5 +1 level of support for each
happens as follows: mission
2 to 2 No effect
After each Victory roll a D6. On a roll 3 to 5 1 level of support for each
of 1 to 4 the CO’s opinion increases by mission
1. On a roll of 5 or 6 it increases by 2. 6 to 8 1 level of support for each
mission
After each Draw roll a D6. On a roll of 2 for any medal roll for the
1 the CO’s opinion decreases by 1. On Platoon
a roll of 2 to 5 it remains the same. 1 for any reinforcement roll
On a roll of 6 it increases by 1. 9 to 11 2 levels of support for each
mission
After each Loss roll a D6. On a roll of Force Morale rolls with a 1
1 to 5 the CO’s opinion decreases by No medal rolls
1. On a roll of 6 it decreases by 2. 1 for any reinforcement roll
12 Relieved of command. This man
After each Losing Draw roll a D6. On a will spend the war in command of
roll of 1 the CO’s opinion decreases by a latrine cleaning detachment.
1. On a roll of 2 to 4 it remains the Flying a desk and sorting out crap
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
36
THE MEN’S OPINION
Measuring the opinion of the men in the Opinion Effect
platoon is done in a similar way to the CO but 9 to 12 Force Morale rolls with a +3
the men are affected by the number of Platoon leader’s Command
casualties suffered by the platoon, rather than Initiative increased to 4 with a
victory conditions. range of 12”
6 to 8 Force Morale rolls with a +2
The men understand and accept that death is Any negative soubriquet gained
an inevitable part of war. However, they previously is lost
appreciate a platoon leader who tries to keep Platoon leader’s command range
casualties to a minimum. extends to 12”
3 to 5 Force Morale rolls with a +1
After each game, you will need to keep a track 2 to 2 No effect
of losses. Using that information you will 3 to 5 Force Morale rolls with a 1
need to test for each of the following 6 to 8 Platoon leader earns the
situations that apply. Multiple tests may be soubriquet “Dangerous”. Force
required if more than one criterion applies. If Morale rolls with a 2
so the results are cumulative. Platoon leader’s command range
reduced to 6”
If you lost more men dead than the The first time that the men’s
enemy, roll a D6. On 1 to 5 the men’s opinion falls to 6 or less, the
opinion decreases by 1. On a 6 it battalion commander will be
decreases by 2. spoken to by a senior NCO,
reporting the concerns. The
If you lost fewer men dead than the platoon commander will be
enemy, roll a D6. On a 1 to 2 the ordered to an interview without
men’s opinion remains unchanged. coffee. See Platoon Leader’s
On 3 to 6 the men’s opinion increases Outlook below
by 1. 9 to 11 Platoon leader earns the
soubriquet “Butcher”. Force
If you lost an NCO killed roll a D6. On Morale rolls with a 3
a 1 to 2 the Men’s opinion remains Platoon leader’s Command
the same. On 3 to 5 it decreases by 1. Initiative reduced to 4 with a
On a 6 it decreases by 2. range of 6”
The first time that the men’s
If you lost very heavy casualties, that opinion falls to 9 or less, the
is 5 or more men dead, roll a D6. On a battalion commander will be
1 to 3, the men’s opinion decreases spoken to by a senior NCO,
by 1. On 4 to 6, the men’s opinion reporting the concerns. The
decreases by 2. platoon commander will be
ordered to a Carpet Parade. See
If you lost very light casualties, that is Platoon Leader’s Outlook below
2 men or fewer dead, roll a D6. On a 12 Platoon leader dies in mysterious
1, the men’s opinion remains circumstances. Nobody weeps
unchanged. On 2 to 5, it increases by
1. On a roll of 6 it increases by 2.
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.
37
THE PLATOON LEADER’S OUTLOOK Points Adjustment
How we track a Platoon Leader’s outlook will 0 2
depend on the type of campaign we are 1 or 2 1
fighting and that Leader’s circumstances. In a 3 or 4 0
full campaign, where a new leader has just 5 to 8 +1
joined his unit or been promoted to lead it, 9 +2
we use a slightly different initial set up to a
more established leader who has been with The adjusted total indicates which one of the
his force for a period of time. ten starting points indicated in the red box on
the Outlook Table applies to the platoon
The Fresh Leader leader.
All newly appointed platoon leaders begin the
campaign with a mix of enthusiasm, The Veteran Leader
trepidation and uncertainty. We do not The situation is slightly different for the more
attempt to discover what their outlook is until experienced commander, in that they will
they have completed three games. By that begin the campaign with their outlook already
point they have had an opportunity to test established. To generate this roll 1D6, with
themselves in the maelstrom of battle. This the result indicating the starting point in the
will determine their outlook at that point. red box on the table below. If a character has
been used in a previous campaign the player
After each of the first three games the players may continue with the character’s outlook
will claim their result, be that Victory, Draw, from that, adjusting it up or down by one or
Loss or Losing Draw. They will convert that to two spaces if the leader has enjoyed a period
points on the following basis. For a Victory of leave or in a quiet sector of the line
the player claims three points. For a Draw or between the campaigns.
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 Ruthless Impatient Arrogant Uncontrollable
Contempt Arrogant Power Heroic Violent
Self righteous Pride Pride Superior Brutish
Spiteful Reckless Exhilarated Brave Wild
Bitter Aggressive Confident Popular Loud
Anger Energetic 7 Affable 8 Sociable Gregarious
Annoyed Short tempered 5 Happy 6 Secure Assured
Self Pity Sad 3 Content 4 Cheerful Merry
Uncertain Concerned 1 Thoughtful 2 Relaxed Droll
Insecure Confusion 1 Retiring 0 Worried Guarded
Shame Shock Introverted Irritable Prickly
Afraid Bitter Weak Cautious Remorseful
Dread Jealous Disgust Regretful Malevolent
Exhaustion Tired Rage Vindictive Misery
Exhaustion Exhaustion Exhaustion Grief Stupour
38
TRACKING OUTLOOK Going Green
Once a platoon leader’s outlook has been A character whose outlook “turns green”,
established it will be affected by results of with an outlook in the right hand column, is
each game. This occurs as follows: clearly drinking more than is normal. While
celebrating success this is no bad thing. When
After each Victory, roll a D6. On a roll of 1 or drinking to forget this may cause problems.
2 his outlook remains unchanged. On a roll of His behaviour and temperament are likely to
3 to 5 it moves up vertically one space on the be more erratic if this continues for an
table. On a roll of 6 it moves one space extended period.
horizontally to the right on the table.
After each Draw, roll a D6. On a roll of 1 to 4
OTHER EVENTS AFFECTING OUTLOOK
his outlook remains unchanged. On a 5 his In addition to the results of campaign games,
outlook moves one space horizontally to the the platoon leader’s outlook can be
left, on a 6 one space vertically down. influenced by his interaction with his
commanding officer. This occurs when there
After each Losing Draw, roll a D6. On a roll of are serious issues with the men’s opinions, to
1 to 5 his outlook remains unchanged. On a the extent that reports of their concerns
roll of 6 move one space horizontally or reach the CO’s ears.
vertically in any direction of the player’s
choice. An Interview without coffee: During this
meeting the commanding officer will make
After each Loss, roll a D6. On a roll of 1 or 2 perfectly clear that the platoon commander is
his outlook remains unchanged. On a roll of 3 responsible for the morale within his
to 5 it moves down vertically one space on the command and, at this moment, he is failing in
table. On a roll of 6 it moves one space this regard. Roll a D6. On a 1 to 3 the
horizontally to the left on the table. platoon leader’s outlook will move down one
space. On a roll of 4 to 6 it will move left one
All moves are horizontal or vertical, never
space.
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
Results clear that the platoon commander is failing in
What does this mean? A platoon leader’s his obligations to his men. This is a final
outlook will influence all of his men and set warning and if matters worsen he will be
the tone within the platoon. Keep a tally of removed from his command. Roll two D6.
your platoon leader’s outlook using the colour For each roll of 1 to 3 the platoon leader’s
code below: outlook will move down one space. For each
roll of 4 to 6 it will move left one space.
Outlook Effect
Plain No effect
Light +1 on Force Morale roll
Orange
Dark +2 on Force Morale roll
Orange
Light 1 on Force Morale roll
Blue
Dark 2 on Force Morale roll
Blue
Relieved of command. You spend
Red the rest of your war weaving
baskets
39
Inspiration for a campaign can come from the As a full ladder campaign with eleven rungs,
smallest of sources: a single paragraph in a this should be played with a maximum of
book, a scene in a film. Often a passing seventeen games. As there is no historical
reference can trigger a desire to find out background to influence us, we can just use
more, and this can lead to an intriguing the standard army lists for whatever period of
research project which provides us with the the war we want to fight.
desire to get our miniature troops on the
tabletop and refight the action. A campaign of this length will probably see
both sides with two opportunities to get
In this section we will look at two campaigns, replacements to fill the gaps in their ranks.
one a Simple Map Campaign, the other a Full
Map Campaign. The first, the simple map, we When starting the campaign toss a coin or roll
have designed to be as generic as and is a D6 to see which player has the initiative in
shown at the foot of this page. No Mans Land Turn One. The campaign will run until one
is a bridged river whilst the outposts are in side achieves their final objective.
small farms set amid cultivated land. Both
sides have their main defences in a war As can be seen, this is a very simple, very
damaged village, whilst to the rear of that is generic campaign. With a little effort it could
rolling relatively open countryside where the be fleshed out further or converted to suit a
pursuit and retreat actions can be fought. different setting.
Finally the end objective for both sides is a hill
with an observation post.
The simple sketch map we have used is
European in its style, but it can be used as a
Next we will look at the Full Map Campaign.
template for anywhere in the world. In the
This will involved more front end effort, but
jungles of the Far East we are likely to get far
possibly less than would be expected. In
more in the way of vegetation, but the river,
order to show how simple this can be, this
the small farms, the village and the hill top
section looks at one such research project and
observation posts are all still appropriate. The
how we got this from concept onto the
pursuit and retreat phase will likely be
tabletop in very short order.
through lightly populated jungle rather than
rolling hills.
40
INSPIRATION, NOT PERSPIRATION United States, and can be read easily on a
hand held tablet.
One of the simplest sources of inspiration and
detail for campaigns is a well written and The key is that researching your campaign is
well illustrated book. There are plenty of as easy or as hard as you’d like it to be. There
series of excellent battlefield walking tour is a trade off here, between time taken
books which are littered with historical reading books and the speed with which you
accounts, illustrations and maps. The can get your game onto the tabletop. Equally,
Battleground Europe series from Pen & Sword the more research you do the easier
and Battlezone Normandy series from Sutton developing the campaign becomes as the
Publishing are both superb examples and, more hard data you have. You set the line
with their emphasis on walking the ground between speed and research where you want
fought over, they focus sufficiently on detail it to be.
to be ideal for our purposes. These may be
had from any decent book seller, either in
bricks and mortar or on line.
Battalion and Regimental histories are also
very useful, as are personal memoirs written DESIGNING A CAMPAIGN
by those present. These will, by their very When designing a campaign you are looking
nature, focus on the units and the men who for certain key information, namely the
fought; they also often contain maps, location where the action took place, what
sometimes sketches, sometimes in full detail, the terrain was like, what troops were
of the locations of the main actions covered in involved and what support was available. This
the text. In the UK, Regimental museums are will allow you to build your map and
often a great source of these books, with accompanying ladder and provide action
many self publishing some very good, but specific support list options for your forces.
almost unknown, memoirs which are just not For the campaign presented here I took the
available anywhere else. simplest route of consulting one of the
Battleground Europe books, specifically “Hill
Obviously a whole raft of books covering the 112” which looks at the actions on or around
Second World War are available; some good, the Odon River from late June to the
some not so useful. Try to find books which beginning of August 1944.
focus on individual actions rather than broad
brush approaches to whole theatres. The When putting together a campaign it is worth
latter may well have cameo appearances remembering that not all actions are ideal for
which give the appearance of being detailed, a platoon sized rule set. Some actions are
but ultimately the breadth of the subject better fought with a larger scale set of rules
being covered will mean much is covered only such as I Ain’t Been Shot Mum, so it is
superficially. important to find an action which is self
contained and discrete enough to be
Finally, don’t forget the internet. There are appropriate. For example, the main attacks
plenty of books already on line with projects which were launched at Hill 112 in early to
such as Google Books and the Project late July were large actions fought over largely
Gutenburg, and those numbers will only open terrain. However, even larger attacks
increase. Some of the most interesting can contain some gems. For example, the
documents on line are de classified military main attack on Hill 112 by 129 Brigade on the
reports and texts which seek to analyse 10th of July 1944 would be largely
military operations. Many of these are inappropriate, but the 5th Wiltshires were
available in downloadable PDF format from tasked with taking a flanking German position
organisations such as Fort Leavenworth in the around the hamlet of le Bon Repos to the
41
north of Esquay. Such a separate,
subordinate, action would be suitable for a
short campaign.
I selected a later action fought by the 5th
Wiltshires on the 22nd 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 Having said that, were I to simply follow the
scale from this range: actions of this one battalion on this single
map sheet, I could get several campaigns for
http://www.battlefieldhistorian.com/gsgs_43 Chain of Command. Being Normandy, the
47_1_25000_normandy.asp map presents lots of other opportunities,
covering such locations as Carpiquet airport
Now I was ready to start designing my and Hill 112, along with a whole range of
campaign. Before I do, however, let’s recap other villages, such as le Mesnil Patry and les
on my purchases. Haut Vents which are names writ large in
British military history. As such I consider it a
The Map and the book on the 5th Wiltshires reasonable investment in a lot of future
had both cost me £12 each. The Wessex gaming enjoyment.
Wyverns book I had already, but I could have
picked that up for £7 on Amazon, whilst Hill On the next page is the map of the area with
112 was £10 in hard copy or 99p on Kindle. the site of five potential actions for the
So, were I to be starting from scratch, the campaign marked by red boxes. These are
total outlay would have been between £30 scaled for a 6’ by 4’ table at 12” being 40
and £40 for what we see below. yards, as per the main rules.
42
43
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
THE MEN
history, and easily identifiable with the map.
On the British side, the 5th Wiltshires had
Maltot sat in a shallow valley, and the plan
landed in France in late June and, by the time
was to use the spur above it as a start
of their action at Maltot, had fought one
position, as it allowed good visibility for the
major action on the slopes of Hill 112 on the
attached spotters and armoured support. The
29th of June. For this campaign I am going to
attack would then wheel round, cross the
start the British with a complete and intact
standing wheat in the fields and attack along
platoon. This may not be absolutely correct,
the axis of the road from the North East.
as most platoons had suffered some
casualties: however, the campaign is going to
The operation was ideal as a campaign as,
be tough enough for the British as it is and
whilst the attack was made on a two company
from a game perspective this keeps things
frontage, accounts make it very clear that
simple.
amid the houses and orchards the attack
broke down into much smaller actions, and it
The action will initially focus on 12 Platoon
is that which makes it ideal for a short
from B Company which formed part of the
campaign.
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.
THE TERRAIN So, at the end of each game, only the 25% of
On the next page is a second map of the same men who are lightly wounded will return to
area, but with the terrain in the playing area the ranks.
illustrated in colour. This will serve as a guide
to terrain for the scenarios. In designing this What we will add is a second platoon which
we have, clearly, used the 1944 map and this can be introduced as reinforcements. In the
provides both a backdrop to the whole actual attack A and B Company advanced first,
campaign and detail for setting out terrain for with D Company following up and tasked with
our scenarios. clearing the village itself once the vanguard
had broken in. To reflect this, the British
Additionally, we have used Google Earth to player may withdraw 12 Platoon from action
clarify where the map is ambiguous. This is an at the end of any game and replace them with
excellent resource as whilst France is a full strength 16 Platoon. Once withdrawn
beginning to experience some “urban sprawl” 12 Platoon will play no further part in the
the terrain is still entirely recognisable in rural campaign.
areas. Maltot itself has been largely rebuilt,
but the surrounding countryside is largely On the German side, the men of 980
intact, albeit with larger fields thanks to the Grenadier Regiment were defending Maltot,
mechanisation of farming. This is a good having only recently taken over the defences
resource and well worth using when from 9 SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen. By
constructing a campaign. Remember that all this stage in the battle for Normandy, losses in
sorts of additional information comes from the 272nd Grenadier Division were around
walking battlefields which we can’t get from a 50%. However, we represent them here with
map. Google Earth allows us to get as close to a full strength platoon for the sake of
walking the terrain as we can without actually simplicity. It would be equally possible to
going there. view this as the reorganised remnants of a
Company.
44
45
Unlike the British, the Germans do get their BRITISH SUPPORT LIST
men requiring medical attention back as
covered by the normal campaign rules. LIST ONE
However, this only occurs while they still hold Engineer Mine Clearance Team, 3 men
the table at rung five on the ladder, as their Engineer Wire Cutting Team, 3 men
Regimental Aid Post is located there. Once Engineer Demolition Team, 3 men
that falls to the British, only the 25% of men Adjutant
who are lightly wounded will return to the LIST TWO
ranks in subsequent games. PIAT Team, 2 men
Tank Killer Team
During the actual battle SS Hohenstaufen
2” mortar Team, 2 men
intervened by shoring up the defences with
Pre Game Barrage (Games 1 to 3 only)
some of their Panzer Grenadiers. To reflect
this, the Germans may call for replacements LIST THREE
once during the campaign using the normal Sniper Team
means outlined in the campaign rules. LIST FOUR
However, these will be elite Panzer Engineer Section with Junior Leader
Grenadiers rather than infantry. For every Regular Infantry Squad with Junior Leader
four replacements they may be equipped with
Vickers MMG with five crew
one MG42 and one Panzerfaust 30. Any
Forward Observer with 3” mortar battery
group of less than four men will be armed
with a rifle and one Panzerfaust 30 OR be LIST FIVE
equipped as a tank killer team with hand held 6 pounder anti tank gun, 5 crew and Junior
magnetic mines. Leader
Churchill Mk IV with Junior Leader
Additional support was lent to the troops in
Maltot by Tiger tanks firing from the reverse GERMAN SUPPORT LIST
slope of Hill 112. It was this which concerned
the crews of 7RTR and hampered good LIST ONE
infantry and armour co ordination. The arc of Single Compound Charge
fire is indicated on the map above as a shaded Minefield
cone outlined in red, covering the fields north Barbed Wire
of Maltot and south of Etervile, and can affect Adjutant
any tanks operating on game tables 1 and 2. Tiger Support (off table fire)
To reflect this, the German player selecting Entrenchments for one Team
Tiger Support may fire onto any British LIST TWO
armoured vehicles on Table 1 or north of the
Roadblock
road on Table 2. The Tiger Support is
Panzerschreck Team, 2 men
activated on a roll of 5 and fires with a 2 to
hit. Once the British have advanced to table 3 Panzerknacker Team, 4 men
and beyond the Tiger Support will be useless. LIST THREE
Sniper Team
The Support Lists below have been specifically LIST FOUR
constructed for this campaign, based on what Engineer Section with Junior Leader
support was historically present for this
Pak 36 anti tank gun with stielgrenate. Five
action. Some readers will note that certain
crew and a Junior Leader
support options have different values here
SdKfz 250 with Elite four man LMG Team
than the same option in the main rules. That
is intentional in order to provide the right
balance for this particular action.
46
RUNNING THE CAMPAIGN Conclusion
The ladder selected is designed specifically for
this action. The first Patrol action amid the We hope that this final section has shown
wheatfields was undertaken in the days how simple it is to construct an historical
preceding the attack. The attack on a German campaign using the rules outlined in this
outpost at Lieu de la France was where the supplement. Certainly the No Map campaign
advance first encountered an enemy is ready to go without any effort, and the
disorientated by a sharp but short initial Simple Map Campaign is almost as simple to
bombardment. The main defensive position get started with. If the Full Map Campaign
was first met on the edge of the village of seems a little daunting, then you can still
Maltot, and then, having broken into the enjoy campaigns with these options.
village, the British fought a running battle
with the German defenders who were seeking Constructing your own campaign using the
to evacuate their Regimental Aid Post. Finally, guidelines presented here will allow you to
the capture of the village church at the road refight some of the actions of the war which
junction marked the successful clearance of most interest you.
Maltot.
Don’t forget that we’ll be producing ready to
The other aspect of this fight which is play campaigns using these rules in the future,
interesting is the fact that, whilst the British both as stand alone supplements and in the
attacked with support from Churchill tanks of Summer and Christmas Specials as well as the
B Squadron 7 RTR, the coordination was not hobby press.
great due to the intervention of German Tiger
tanks firing across from the rear slope of Hill
112. The confused action is well represented
by the support options, where tanks tend only
to be available for the toughest scenarios,
which are more generous in that respect. The
other actions are going to be largely infantry
fights.
The British have the initiative at the start of
Turn One. They get no opportunities to
consolidate in this campaign, as there is
simply not enough time. Both the German
and British Platoon commanders should
immediately roll 1D6 to see what their
outlook is. The CO’s and their men start the
campaign with their opinions at zero.
Duration
This is a five rung ladder campaign with the
minimum eight game duration. If the British
fail to capture the church by then they have
lost the campaign.
47