How To Play Combat HQ - Wargames Design

Combat HQ
How to Play
Jim Bambra
Wargames Design
I
Combat HQ
How to Play Combat HQ
A detailed playthrough of Mission 1
Blow-by-blow account
using 20mm figures
German Battle Group
US Battle Group
Wargames Design
II
How to Play Combat HQ
A detailed playthrough of Mission 1 from the Combat
HQ Second Edition rulebook.
Game Design
Jim Bambra
Editing
Catherine Bambra
Version 1.2
First published in 2021 by Wargames Design.
© 2021 Jim Bambra. All rights reserved.
Jim Bambra has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this book.
www.wargamesdesign.com
I
INTRODUCTION
This is a run-through of how to play Combat HQ using Mission 1 from the rulebook. Written as an After-Action Report
between the US and Germany, it also includes commentary on the rules and why certain decisions were made.
MISSION 1 - MEETING ENGAGEMENT

This introductory battle is a straight-up infantry fight that introduces the core rules of Combat HQ.
Time: October 1944
Location: Northern Europe
The map is for a 6’x4’ table and shows the layout of the terrain for the battle. Don’t worry about re-producing it
exactly – near enough is good enough. The important thing is that the woods and hills break up line of sight and that
the objectives are placed towards the centre of the table. If you are playing with a larger or smaller table add or remove
some terrain.
Objectives are marked with yellow chips to make them obvious.

Normally, I'd either place a more discrete marker (eg a small stone)
or simply state that the hill and the field are the objectives for this
game.
1
Woods: The woods are Broken Ground (half speed) and Deployment Zones: The German Deployment Zone is
provide light cover (+1D). at the bottom of the map and the Allied one at the top.
Units are deployed in their respective Deployment
Hedges: Hedges cost a Fixed Move to cross and provide
Zones.
light cover (+1D).
Hills: The hills are Broken Ground (half speed).
Objectives (Black Dots): The two objectives are

strategic targets that each generate one Morale at the end
of each turn.
2
US BRIEFING
Divisional Command has identified two objectives: Initial Forces
one located on the central hill and the other in the All your units are present on the table.
field to the east. German infantry are in front of your
position. You are to seize the two objectives and then Deployment
drive the enemy from the table. The German player deploys one of his Command
An objective is controlled when you move a unit onto Groups first. You then deploy one Command Group.
it and there are no enemy units within 4” of it. You Continue to alternate Command Groups until all have
continue to hold an objective until the enemy moves been deployed. Units are deployed anywhere in your
onto it and there are no friendly units within 4” of it. Deployment Zone.
Control then passes to the enemy.
First Command Pulse
At the end of each turn that you control an objective The first Command Pulse goes to the player who rolls
and you do not have Zero Morale, you receive one the most 6s, etc.
Morale (two Morale for both). If you have Zero
Morale, you suffer a Morale Collapse and the game Victory or Defeat
ends. You win by causing an enemy Morale Collapse.
US Statistics
You are in command of a weapons company and three rifle companies.
BATTLE GROUP PROFILE

Units CD SO Morale Rally
13 4D 4 11 4D
BATTLE GROUP UNITS

1x Weapons Company (-) 1x 81mm Mortar Platoon
3x Rifle Companies 3x Rifle Platoons
1x Support Platoon
3
MISSION 1 - GERMAN BRIEFING
Divisional Command has identified two objectives: Initial Forces
one located on the central hill and the other in the All your units are present on the table.
field to the east. Allied infantry are in front of your
position. You are to seize the two objectives and then Deployment
drive the enemy from the table. You deploy one of your Command Groups units first.
An objective is controlled when you move a unit onto Your opponent then deploys one Command Group.
it and there are no enemy units within 4” of it. You Continue to alternate Command Groups all have been
continue to hold an objective until the enemy moves deployed. Units are deployed anywhere in your
onto it and there are no friendly units within 4” of it. Deployment Zone.
Control then passes to the enemy.
First Command Pulse
At the end of each turn that you control an objective The first Command Pulse goes to the player who rolls
and you do not have Zero Morale, you receive one the most 6s, etc.
Morale (two Morale for both). If you have Zero Morale
you suffer a Morale Collapse instead and the game Victory or Defeat
ends. You win by causing an enemy Morale Collapse.
German Statistics
You are in command of three grenadier companies and a weapons company.
BATTLE GROUP PROFILE

Units CD SO Morale Rally
13 5D 3 11 4D
BATTLE GROUP UNITS

1x Weapons Company (-) 1x 12cm Mortar Platoon + Truck
3x Grenadier Companies 3x Grenadier Platoons
1x Support Platoon
4
DEPLOYMENT TURN ONE
The Germans deploy one Command Group, then the
US deploy a Command Group. Deployments then Roll Command Dice
alternate until all Command Groups have been
Max, the German player, rolls 5 Command Dice
deployed.
Gary, the US player, rolls 4 Command Dice
The Germans deploy to capture the objective located

in the field. They also deploy into the left-hand field
supported by the 12cm mortar.
Both player’s Command Dice have been placed

together for comparison. Dice would normally be
placed on each player’s side of the table.
German Roll (5 CD - Black Dice)

6 = Wild Dice
5 = Single Order Chain
The Americans deploy to take the hill at all cost! 3 = Single Order Chain
1 = Discarded until next turn
Max rolled a 1, but as he also rolled a 6, he avoids a

Command Failure. He discards the 1 dice until next
turn.
US Roll (4 CD - Blue Dice)

2, 2, 2 = Triple Order Chain
First Command Pulse

As Max rolled a 6, he has the first Command Pulse.
Both sides deployed for action!
5
1st German Command Pulse
2D are rolled for a total move of 13” (Fixed Move of 3”

Max has 4 CD (Command Dice) and 3 SO (Staff Orders).
+ Variable Move of 10”).
1st German Command Order Gary decides to use opportunity fire against the
advancing Germans. His support platoon is in range and
Max wants to seize the Objective. His Command Group
he wants to fire at the Germans as they cross the field.
has to cross a hedge, which will cost them their Fixed
Max declares that Grenadier platoons are in front of the
Move of 3”. He decides to do so with a double move to
support platoon, so Gary can only fire against a
ensure that he can advance his units to the other hedge
Grenadier platoon.
and gain its Cover Dice (+1D). However, he doesn’t have
a Double Order Chain so he needs to use either his
Wild Dice or a Staff Order. He plans to use the Wild
Dice to move a second Command Group, so he spends
a Staff Order.
The support platoon has FP: 6D with a 5+ TN (long

range).
Max orders a Double Move using one CD and one SO.
Using a double move allows his units to move 6+2D”, but

crossing the hedge costs one of their fixed moves. His
movement roll is reduced to 3+2D6”.
Hedges, Cover and LOS

The hedges do not block LOS and only provide cover
to adjacent units. To gain the hedges' +1D Cover Dice, Gary gets two hits including a suppression hit. Max now
Max must move his units up to them. rolls his Reaction Dice of 4D with a 4+ TN.
6
Max rolls and gets three successes, including a 6, but as Max continues his Command Pulse by using his Wild
the US support platoon’s machine gun is a High Dice to order an advance to the hedge.
Suppression weapon, his Grenadier platoon is
The infantry only need to advance 5” to reach the
suppressed.
hedge. If Max rolls 1 will they’ll fail to advance the 5”
The Grenadier platoon didn’t take any Hits and is required, but he decides to risk it rather than spend a
suppressed in place. The other German units continue Staff Order.
to the hedge.
High Suppression Weapon

Target must roll more 6s than the firing unit or become
suppressed.
The US infantry near the field are in range of Max’s

support platoon, but Max decides to hold his fire.
1st US Command Pulse

The Germans move up to the hedge and take control of
the Objective.
Max could fire after completing his move, but he

decides not to as he wants to use opportunity fire
against any US units that later move.
2nd German Command Order

Usually after having used an Order Chain, Max’s
Command Pulse would end, and it would be Gary’s turn
to act. However, Max extends his Command Pulse by
using his Wild Dice to issue another order. Gary has 4 CD (Command Dice) and 4 SO (Staff
7
Orders). He has a Triple Order Chain and a Single Order
Chain.
Gary would like to take the objective on the hill this

turn, but decides to take a cautious approach instead
with the aim of taking the objective next turn.
Gary wants to fire smoke onto the German support

platoon. He uses the first Command Dice of his Triple
Order Chain to fire his mortar. One of his rifle platoons
has Line of Sight to the support platoon and acts as
Forward Observer (FO) for the mortar platoon.
The hill decreases his infantry move to half, but a roll of

3 is just enough to get them onto the hill.
Max declares opportunity fire against the advancing

Americans.
The US rifle platoon has LOS (Line of Sight) to the

German support platoon.
Gary places a Fire Marker on his mortar platoon and a

4” diameter smoke template on the Germans.
The German grenadiers on the right fire at long range

(5+ TN). Max rolls three successes including two
suppressions. Gary rolls four successes and doesn’t take
any Disruption Points, but his platoon is suppressed
because it rolled less 6s than the Germans (High
Suppression).
Gary's platoons have 4 dice for Reaction.
They gain additional +1D for being uphill from the

Germans.
The smoke template covers two German units
increasing their Firepower TN by +2. Gary therefore rolls 5 dice for Reaction.
Gary uses his second order to advance onto the hill.
8
US 3rd Command Order
Using his last order of his Triple Order Chain, Gary
orders a second rifle company to advance onto the hill.
Max fires his second platoon and gets 2 successes

including a suppression. Gary also rolls two successes
and this time gets more 6s than Max and so his platoon
is not suppressed.
The US advance onto the hill with the rifle platoons

slightly in front of the support platoon.
The German support platoon on the right uses

opportunity fire.
Max fires his next Grenadier platoon. As this one is

firing through smoke its TN is increased from 5+ to 7+.
The 7+ TN reduces his Firepower Dice by -1D to 4D,
and he has a 6+ TN. He rolls 2 hits including 2
suppressions. Gary rolls three 6s and is not suppressed.
Max now fires his support platoon. Again he is firing

The support platoon fires but as no effect.
through smoke with a 7+ TN. His 6 dice are reduced to
5 and he needs 6+ to hit. He doesn’t roll any 6s and Eager to stop the American advance, Max fires his 12cm
misses. mortar at a US rifle platoon.
Gary now fires his units. Two of them are suppressed

and therefore cannot fire. He could remove their
suppressions with Staff Orders, but decides to keep his
Staff orders for later. His support platoon and rifle
platoon fire, but fail to hit the Germans. He has now
completed his activation with his current order. He has
one dice left in his Triple Order Chain.
9
Gary decides to hold his fire to use against the German
company on the right should they advance. He has
completed his Triple Order Chain. The Germans will
have the next Command Pulse.
The mortar has Line of Sight to the US platoons so it End of the first US Command Pulse.
can use opportunity fire.
The Mortar hits and the US platoon takes a Disruption 2nd German Command Pulse
Point and is suppressed. As it received a Disruption
Point, it’s also Forced Back.
Max has two Command Dice and two Staff Orders
Max uses his 5 to issue an order to the grenadier

The US platoon is Forced Back 3+1D”. company on the left.
A six is rolled and the platoon is Forced Back 9”.
10
Max orders an advance along the side of the field. The German platoon is forced back 11”, but halts after
moving into cover behind the hedge.
Max rolls a 4 for his Variable Move giving him a total
move of 7" (3+1D”).
Two platoons lead on the left. One platoon crosses the The next US platoon fires, but is just out of range.
hedge reducing its move to 4”. The support platoon
Gary then fires his support platoon. FP: 6D with a 5+
moves up to the hedge.
TN.
Gary uses opportunity fire against the advancing
Germans. The fire is at long range with a 5+ TN.
The US support platoon suppresses the Germans in the

Gary rolls three hits, including two suppressions. Max field.
rolls one success. His platoon takes two hits and is
Forced Back.
11
End of 2nd German Command Pulse. Gary moves his infantry up to the hedge.
Max wants to use opportunity fire as the US moves.

2nd US Command Pulse Rather than move the figures back, Gary and Max agree
that his fire occurs when the US are 1” from the hedge.
Ranges will be measured from there as will any Forced
Back results.
Gary has one Command Dice and four Staff Orders.

The Grenadiers fire and get two suppressions versus
two successes. The US are suppressed in place.
The US are moved back 1” from the hedge.

Gary orders an advance with the company on his left.
A 2nd German Grenadier Platoon fires.
12
The remaining German platoon is suppressed and
cannot fire.
Gary now fires his unsuppressed Rifle Platoon. As the

Germans are in cover, Max gets to decide which unit is
fired at. He chooses a Grenadier Platoon.
The next US platoon is suppressed by the Grenadiers’

High Suppression weapons. The US needed to roll two
6s to avoid being suppressed.
The German Support Platoon fires its machine guns.
Gary rolls three hits, including two suppressions versus

Max’s two successes. The Germans take 1 Disruption
Point and are Forced Back out of cover (two 6’s).
The German Support Platoon fires on the US Support

Platoon. The US takes one Disruption Point and is
Forced Back.
A 3 is rolled and the Germans are Forced Back behind

the cover of the hedge.
Gary’s advance has stalled (three units are suppressed),

but the Germans also have two suppressed platoons.
A 3 is rolled and the Americans are Forced Back 6”.
13
3rd German Command Pulse
Before ending his Command Pulse, Gary uses two Staff

Orders to remove two suppressions from his centre
company. Max has one Command Dice and two Staff Orders.
Max has activated all of his units so he cannot use the 4

Dice. He discards it, but before ending his Command
Pulse, he uses one of his Staff Orders to remove a
Suppression.
With the suppressions removed, the two units can fire

at the end of the turn.
The US Command Pulse and Turn are over as Gary is

out of Command Dice. The Germans have one
Command Dice left, so have one more Command Pulse
Max wants the previously activated Grenadier Platoon
before their turn ends.
to be ready to advance next turn, so removes its
Suppression.
End of the US Command Pulse.
14
End of Turn Fire End of Turn One
Gary fires at the Germans to no effect. The German
platoons have either already fired, are suppressed or
are out of range.
The Germans have taken one objective and receive a

Morale Point. The US are short of the other Objective
and so don’t receive any Morale this turn.
The US Rifle Platoon fires at long range fire (5+ TN) and
misses. German Morale: 12
US Morale: 11
TURN TWO
Both players roll their Command Dice.
The next platoon hits its target in the open, but the
Germans easily make their Reaction Roll.
Max rolls a Command Failure. One 1 is discarded. The

other 1 is given to Gary to use as a Wild Dice.
15
1st US Command Pulse 2nd US Command Order
Gary orders his centre infantry company to advance.

They roll a 4 for a move of 3.5” (7 divided by 2 for
moving on the hill).
Gary has one Wild Dice, a triple and a single order

chain. He has two Staff Orders.
1st US Command Order

Gary wants to take the objective on the hill and chooses
to use his Triple Order Chain.
The infantry complete their move.
Gary orders his mortar to fire smoke onto the German

platoons.
16
German Opportunity Fire
Max spreads his fire against all four US platoons. By
firing at the three lead Rifle platoons, Max can also fire
at the US Support Platoon at the rear.
The 3rd Grenadier Platoon also fails to damage its

target.
The German Grenadier platoon fires through the US

smoke screen. They fire at long range (5+ TN) increased
to 7+ TN because of the smoke screen. The Germans
fire with one less dice and their TN is reduced to 6+.
The two suppression hits have no effect on the US
infantry.
The German Support Platoon fires at the US Support

Platoon. It gets two hits and forces the US platoon back.
The next German Grenadiers fire to no effect.
The US Support Platoon is forced back off the hill and

is suppressed.
17
US Infantry Fire 3rd US Command Order
The US use their 3rd Order to Advance.
The Rifle Platoon hits the Germans in the open, but the
Germans make their Reaction Check. The US advance onto the hill and take the objective.
German Opportunity Fire
The second US Rifle Platoon gets one Disruption Point

on the Germans in the open. The German Support Platoon suppresses a US platoon.
The third US Platoon fires at the Germans in cover. No

The Grenadier platoon fires but has no effect. The
effect.
other two German platoons are suppressed and cannot
fire.
18
US Fire
The Germans are Forced Back 9”.
The US Support Platoon suppresses the Germans in the

open.
The US Rifle Platoon fires against the suppressed

Germans. No effect. The US have taken the objective on the hill.
The US rifle Platoon fires at the suppressed Germans in Max has one Wild Dice and two single Order Chains.
the field. It gets two Disruption Points and forces the He has one Staff Order.
Germans back.
19
2nd German Command Pulse
The 12cm Mortar fires.
Max removes the suppression from his unit.
The Mortar causes a suppression on the US platoon

behind the hedge.
2nd US Command Pulse

Max advances to the hedge. Gary fires with his rifle
platoon but misses.
German Fire
Expecting a German advance, Gary removes the

suppression from his unit. He is now out of Command
Dice so his turn is over. The German Support Platoon suppresses the US
platoon again. Further German fire has no effect.
20
German Morale: 13
US Morale: 12
TURN THREE
Command Dice are rolled.
Before ending his Command Pulse. Max uses his last

Staff Order to remove a suppression.
End of Turn Fire
Both sides roll a Command Failure. The 1s are

discarded. Germany (two 5s) has the first Command
Pulse.
End of turn fire is ineffective.
End of Turn
German Command Dice.
Each side controls an objective and so gain one Morale

Point each.
21
Max issues a Reform Order to remove a unit’s

suppression. Max removes a suppression with a Reform Order.

The US mortar fires.
The US have 3 Command Dice and 2 Staff Orders.
The mortar rolls two successes. The suppressed

Grenadier Platoon gets no successes (5+ TN) and is
Gary uses a Reform Order to remove the suppression Dispersed.
from his Support Platoon.
22
Max rolls 1D3 for the Dispersed unit and loses two The Grenadiers in cover get 4 Rally Dice, plus +1D for
Morale. being in cover. The unit has two Disruption Points so
Gary rolls 2D. Both sides have 4+ TN. The Germans
rally with four successes and their two Disruption
Points are removed.
Gary activates his centre platoon and orders the

Support Platoon to advance. The Germans respond
with opportunity fire, but to no effect. The US fire is The Grenadier Platoon in the open gets 4 Rally Dice. It
also ineffective. also has two Disruption Points so Gary rolls 2D. Both
players have 4+ TN. Max rolls three successes and Gary
3rd German Command Pulse rolls two failures. The Grenadier’s two Disruption
Points are removed.
Max uses the first dice in the chain to Rally two

Grenadier Platoons.
23
End of Turn Fire
Max now activates the company with his 2nd 5. His

Support Platoon fires and suppresses a US platoon. The
US use opportunity fire to no effect.
End of Turn Fire is ineffective.
End of Turn
Both sides gain 1 Morale for holding an Objective.
German Morale: 12
US Morale: 12
The Germans advance to the side of the field. A

Grenadier unit fires and Disperses a US platoon.
Gary rolls 1D3 and gets a 1. He loses one Morale.
24
TURN FOUR
Max now orders his left company to make a Triple

Germany has the first Command Pulse (one 6). Move. He uses two remaining dice from his Order
Chain, plus a Wild Dice. He places the Wild Dice at his
1st German Command Pulse intended destination.
Max is planning a major advance on his left, but is

concerned about the US Support Platoon on the hill. Max rolls nine for movement giving him a total move of
He activates his 12cm mortar. 18”. His first platoon moves 11” to the woods then moves
at half speed 3 ½” into the woods. The other platoons
move into line with the first.
The mortar fires at the Support Platoon and suppresses

it.
25
The US platoons are suppressed and cannot fire. The The German Support Platoon Disperses a US platoon.
US mortar doesn’t have LOS to the Germans and so
can’t use opportunity fire, Max decides not to fire as he
would do so at -2D. He’ll wait to use Opportunity Fire
or End of Turn Fire if the US don’t move.
The US lose 3 Morale.
Gary removes a suppression.
Further fire suppresses a Rifle Platoon. The US do not

use Opportunity fire as Gary wants to move them
towards the Germans on his flank.
2nd & 3rd US Command Pulses
Germans fire onto the hill to distract the US from

moving.
Gary removes two suppressions.
26
Gary uses a Staff Order to remove another suppression. The Germans and US fire on each other as the US
Support platoon moves towards the Germans. The
German lose a platoon and 3 Morale.
With his last Command Dice, Gary activates his

company on the right.
Gary uses his last Staff Order to remove a suppression

on his left-hand company.
The US mortar fires and gets a suppression on the

nearest German unit.
27
End of Turn Fire TURN FIVE
The US Support Platoon hits and suppresses the

German Support Platoon.
Max rolls a Command Failure.
The US loses another platoon and one Morale.
End of Turn
Gary activates his mortar.
Both sides gain 1 Morale.
German Morale: 10
The US mortar hits the German Support Platoon and
US Morale: 9 Forces it back to the table edge.
28
Gary removes the suppression from his Rifle Platoon.
Max removes a suppression from his Support Platoon

in the centre.
Gary uses his Wild Dice to activate his company on the He removes another suppression from his Support
right. Platoon on the right.
US fire disperses a Grenadier Platoon. The Germans

lose 2 Morale.
Gary removes a suppression from his Rifle Platoon.
29
2nd German Command Pulse End of Turn
Both players get 1 Morale.
German Morale: 8
US Morale: 8
TURN SIX
Max uses the Double Order Chain to store a Staff

Order.
3rd US Command Pulse
Gary discards the 1 and has the first Command Pulse

(most 6s).
Gary uses his Wild Dice to store a Staff Order.
End of Turn Fire
Gary activates his mortar.
The US company on the left loses a platoon and 1

Morale.
30
The mortar hits the German Support Platoon and

Disperses it. The Germans lose 3 Morale. Max removes a suppression.
1st German Command Pulse 3rd US Command Pulse
Max removes a suppression. US advance onto the hill.
Stationary US Support Platoon disperses a Grenadier

Platoon. The Germans lose 2 Morale.
Gary removes a suppression.
31
German opportunity fire suppresses two US platoons.
With his Morale rapidly running out, Max orders an

advance on the right.
US fire disperses a German Platoon. The Germans lose

2 Morale.
The Grenadiers move towards the field ahead. The

German Support Platoon remains at the objective.
Gary uses a Staff Order to remove the suppression from

his activated unit.
The German Support Platoon fires and disperse a US

Rifle Platoon on the hill. The US lose 3 Morale.
32
4th German Command Pulse End of Turn
Max removes a suppression.
End of Turn Fire
Both sides get 1 Morale.
German Morale: 2
US Morale: 2
TURN SEVEN
Command Dice are rolled. Everything to play for –
both sides have 2 Morale.
The US Rifle Platoon is Dispersed. The US lose 1

Morale.
The Germans go first (most 5s).
The US Support Platoon is Dispersed. The US lose

another 3 Morale.
33
Max then activates his 12cm Mortar and Support
Platoon. The Mortar hits the US Support Platoon and
forces it back off the hill. The US use opportunity fire
and suppress the mortar.
Max is in a good position with five Command Dice and
one Staff Order.
Max keeps the pressure on using his Wild Dice and a

Staff Order to order a double move. The Grenadiers
storm the hill.
Max activates his Support Platoon on the right. It fires

and disperses a US Support Platoon.
The German Grenadiers disperse the US Rifle Platoon.

The US lose 2 Morale. As they have already been
reduced to Zero Morale, the 2 Morale are added to
The US lose 2 Morale reducing them to Zero Morale.
Max’s Morale. Max now has 4 Morale.
34
Devastating German fire up the hill disperses the

suppressed US platoon. The Germans gain 3 Morale
The US move across the hill with a triple move.
increasing their total to 7.
2nd US Command Pulse and End of Turn Fire

Faced with imminent defeat, Gary passes his Command
Pulse. End of Turn fire now occurs.
German opportunity fire suppresses one US platoon.
Last gasp US fire suppresses and forces back a

Grenadier Platoon.
The Germans attack again on the US’ right flank.
35
End of Game
US Morale Collapses!
German Morale: 7
US Morale: 0
Max wins!
Two flank attacks proved too much for the US to hold, but it could have been very
different if Gary had won the final Command Dice roll.
36
US STATISTICS
Rifle Platoon
Type Move RD Weapons Range FP AT Notes
Infantry Slow 4D Rifles & BARs 4/8/16 5D - +1D CA.
Bazookas 1/2/4 - 7D DAT.
Support Platoon
Hvy Wpns Slow 4D Machine Guns 6/12/24 6D - HS. SF.
Light Mortars 3-24 3D - HS.
81mm Mortar Platoon

Hvy Wpns Slow 4D 81mm Mortars 3-30 4D - HS.
GERMAN STATISTICS
Grenadier Platoon
Infantry Slow 4D Rifles & MGs 4/8/16 5D - HS.
Panzerfausts -/1/- - 8D DAT.
Support Platoon
Hvy Wpns Slow 4D Machine Guns 6/12/24 6D - HS. SF.
Light Mortars 3-24 3D - HS.
12cm Mortar Platoon + Truck

Hvy Wpns Average * 4D 12cm Mortars 4-40 5D 3D HS. T.
+1D CA: +1D Close Assault DAT: Deployed Anti-Tank Teams SF: Sustained Fire
BO: Break-off HS: High Suppression T: Towed
37
COMBAT HQ
World War Two Wargame Rules
Fun, streamlined rules for large-scale world war two battles featuring rapid movement, decisive
combat, and exciting decision making.
Rapid Command Pulses and opposed dice rolls keep players constantly
involved. Easy-to-play rules emphasise command-and-control decisions
over complex combat resolution mechanics.
In each Command Pulse you decide how to use your limited command
resources: will you use your Command Dice to move up a company of
infantry supported by tanks? Or will you use them to rally an anti-tank gun
battery? Or maybe you should use them to liaise with your staff officers? The
choice is yours.
The 2nd edition includes rules for close support units, a faster close assault
system, extended artillery rules, and more opportunities to wage war on the
battlefield.
Game Length: 2–4 hours.
Unit Scale: The Platoon is the basic unit in the game and is represented by
a model vehicle, a base with three infantry figures, a heavy weapons team, or
a gun and its crew.
Ground Scale: 1” equals 50 yards.

I
Figure Scale: Plays equally well with 2mm, 6mm, 10mm, 15mm or 20mm
figures.
TOTAL WAR
Advanced Rules and Missions for Combat HQ
• Tactical Doctrines Late War Rosters and Statistics
• Air Power • Commonwealth Infantry Battle

Group
• General Support Batteries
• Commonwealth Armour Battle Group
• Airborne Assault
• German Grenadier Battle Group
• Beach Landings
• German Panzer Battle Group
• Combat Engineering
• US Infantry Battle Group
• Infantry Transports
• US Armour Battle Group
• Weather
Eight Combat Missions
• Supply
Available in Softcover, Hardcover, PDF and Kindle
www.wargamesdesign.com
38

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Combat HQ

A detailed playthrough of Mission 1

German Battle Group

First published in 2021 by Wargames Design.

© 2021 Jim Bambra. All rights reserved.

MISSION 1 - MEETING ENGAGEMENT

Time: October 1944

Location: Northern Europe

Objectives are marked with yellow chips to make them obvious.

Hills: The hills are Broken Ground (half speed).

Objectives (Black Dots): The two objectives are

BATTLE GROUP PROFILE

BATTLE GROUP UNITS

BATTLE GROUP PROFILE

BATTLE GROUP UNITS

The Germans deploy to capture the objective located

Both player’s Command Dice have been placed

German Roll (5 CD - Black Dice)

5 = Single Order Chain

4 = Single Order Chain

1 = Discarded until next turn

Max rolled a 1, but as he also rolled a 6, he avoids a

US Roll (4 CD - Blue Dice)

2, 2, 2 = Triple Order Chain

First Command Pulse

Both sides deployed for action!

2D are rolled for a total move of 13” (Fixed Move of 3”

The support platoon has FP: 6D with a 5+ TN (long

Max orders a Double Move using one CD and one SO.

Using a double move allows his units to move 6+2D”, but

Hedges, Cover and LOS

High Suppression Weapon

The US infantry near the field are in range of Max’s

1st US Command Pulse

Max could fire after completing his move, but he

2nd German Command Order

Gary would like to take the objective on the hill this

Gary wants to fire smoke onto the German support

The hill decreases his infantry move to half, but a roll of

Max declares opportunity fire against the advancing

The US rifle platoon has LOS (Line of Sight) to the

Gary places a Fire Marker on his mortar platoon and a

The German grenadiers on the right fire at long range

Gary's platoons have 4 dice for Reaction.

They gain additional +1D for being uphill from the

Gary uses his second order to advance onto the hill.

Max fires his second platoon and gets 2 successes

The US advance onto the hill with the rifle platoons

The German support platoon on the right uses

Max fires his next Grenadier platoon. As this one is

Max now fires his support platoon. Again he is firing

Gary now fires his units. Two of them are suppressed

Max has two Command Dice and two Staff Orders

Max uses his 5 to issue an order to the grenadier

A six is rolled and the platoon is Forced Back 9”.

The US support platoon suppresses the Germans in the

Max wants to use opportunity fire as the US moves.

Gary has one Command Dice and four Staff Orders.

The US are moved back 1” from the hedge.

Gary now fires his unsuppressed Rifle Platoon. As the

The next US platoon is suppressed by the Grenadiers’

The German Support Platoon fires its machine guns.

Gary rolls three hits, including two suppressions versus