{"id":5310,"date":"2016-07-03T12:35:41","date_gmt":"2016-07-03T12:35:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bucksurdu.com\/blog\/?p=5310"},"modified":"2016-07-03T12:35:41","modified_gmt":"2016-07-03T12:35:41","slug":"combat-patrol-tm-rubbled-city-play-test-for-historicon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/bucksurdu.com\/blog\/?p=5310","title":{"rendered":"Combat Patrol (TM) Rubbled City Play Test for Historicon"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

On Saturday some members of my gaming club met at my house to prepare for our series of rubbled city games at Historicon 2016.<\/p>\n

\"City<\/a>
City fight game at Fall In 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At Fall In 2015 several of the HAWKs ran a series of skirmish games on the same terrain board. \u00a0The idea was to set up an elaborate table and then use it for several scenarios. \u00a0Each GM used whatever rules they preferred, and there was no attempt to link the scenarios. \u00a0They ranged from WWII to Dr. Who.<\/p>\n

Eric and Don (and perhaps others) determined to do the same at Historicon 2016, this time with a rubbled city. \u00a0We got together on Saturday to set up the table and map the layout. \u00a0This was to make sure that we weren’t missing anything while we still had time to make corrections. \u00a0It also gave us a chance to play test two of the six scenarios. \u00a0For Historicon, the scenarios range from WWII to modern. \u00a0Unfortunately, I had the settings on my camera wrong, so all the pictures from \u00a0yesterday have a sepia tone to them. \u00a0I had the camera set to accentuate the sky in sunny outdoor scenes, since the last time I had the camera out was in Costa Rica.<\/p>\n

\"Kurt<\/a>
Kurt points out a key tactical dilemma.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Warsaw Uprising:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

My game for Historicon will use Combat Patrol(TM): WWII. \u00a0The scenario is based on the Warsaw Uprising. \u00a0As the Germans were beginning to weaken and the Russians were advancing, the Poles rose up to eject the Germans from Warsaw. \u00a0 The Russians then halted their advance while the Poles and Germans killed each other, and then the Russians seized Warsaw after the Germans had killed most of the fighters capable of resisting the Russian takeover of Poland.<\/p>\n

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

The terrain consists of Crescent Root, MBA, and other buildings on a Cigar Box Battles mat. \u00a0Don has also created some nice piles of rubble and shell holes to improve the look of the city. \u00a0For Historicon we will also liberally sprinkle the table with Scenic Express model railroad blast from Eric’s five-gallon stash.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/a>
Two poles open fire from a rubbled building<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The “feel” I am seeking for the scenario is that the Germans would be moving about trying to clear the area, and the lighter-armed Polish partisans would pop up all over the place and plink away at the Germans. \u00a0I wanted something without a clear front line.<\/p>\n

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

I think I achieved the desired effect. \u00a0The Poles began with five teams deployed wherever they wished on the table. \u00a0Each team was four figures, one with a submachine gun and three with rifles. \u00a0One of the riflemen also carried a captured Panzerfaust. \u00a0Two of the teams also included a light machine-gun. \u00a0Each time either the “Game Master” or “Reshuffle” card was drawn from the Activation Deck the Poles were allowed to place another team on the table wherever they wished, as long as it was not within line of sight of any Germans. \u00a0This allowed the Poles to pop up behind the Germans in areas previously cleared.<\/p>\n

\"Germans<\/a>
Germans advancing with support from a Hetzer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Germans advanced steadily, knocking out the lightly-armed Poles, but the Poles delayed their advance. \u00a0Also the Poles used their ability to add new teams to create a few surprises for the Germans.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A German halftrack pulls into the rubble for protection while its infantry engages Partisans in two directions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A long shot of the table<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Two<\/a>
Two Poles firing at the Germans<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I learned a couple of things during the play test. \u00a0Of course, that’s why you run a play test. \u00a0I will let the Poles have one more team at the start of the game. \u00a0Also I will change the objectives a bit. \u00a0For this scenario, I told both sides their objective was to just kill each other. \u00a0It worked okay, but I think the scenario will be more fun if the Germans have something to do other than kill Poles. \u00a0I plan to use the same objective as my other Historicon Combat Patrol(TM) game — the Germans will have to capture and eliminate an improvised roadblock emplaced by the Poles. \u00a0This will improve the game.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A Polish team with a wounded member and a morale marker<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Combat Patrol(TM) uses a randomized activation scheme, the Double Random(TM) activation mechanism. \u00a0In this method, each team leader rolls a d6 at the beginning of each turn. \u00a0Then cards are drawn from an Activation Deck. \u00a0All units whose command die matches the number drawn from the Activation Deck get to activate. \u00a0In this way, the game rarely involves on person doing stuff while everyone else watches; frequently several players are acting at the same time.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/a>
Two Poles firing at the Germans from a rubbled building<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Germans<\/a>
Germans take up a protected position within a shell crater<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

You can see green rubber bands scattered about. \u00a0These are morale markers. \u00a0When a figure is wounded or incapacitated, the figure’s leader accrues a morale marker. \u00a0When the unit next activates, the unit first makes a morale check for each marker accrued. \u00a0This is done by drawing cards from the unit’s Action Deck and reading the results on the morale area of the card.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>
This halftrack as accrued several morale markers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The action heats up as a third German squad enters the table from an unexpected direction<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A long shot of the table<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The Poles knock out a German halftrack<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

\"Germans<\/a>
Germans in hasty positions within shell holes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stalingrad:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

After my play test, we reset the game to play test Eric’s scenario. \u00a0 While different game masters will use different sets of rules for their games, Eric is also planning to use Combat Patrol(TM). \u00a0A nice thing about both of us testing our scenarios together was that it gave us a chance to reach agreement on how we are planning to treat different pieces of terrain so that we are consistent.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Russians were able to declare one building as having been "fortified," meaning that we treated it as having better cover than the other rubbled buildings. The building in this picture is the one the Russians chose.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Eric’s Stalingrad scenario focuses on a German unit trying to seize Russian-held buildings. \u00a0The Germans had a choice of objectives. \u00a0They could choose to seize a key building and three others or to seize five buildings that did not include the key one.<\/p>\n

\"Starting<\/a>
Starting Eric's Stalingrad scenario<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Russians were not very good troops in this scenario. \u00a0We had a hard time hitting the Germans, but the Germans had to attack, so that seemed to balance out.<\/p>\n

\"Planning<\/a>
Planning the brilliant maneuvers by the Russians<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Germans did a good job of bypassing strongpoints and working their way around the Russians. \u00a0In the end, it was a convincing German victory.<\/p>\n

\"Germans<\/a>
Germans seizing a Russian-held building<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0So come and play our games at Historicon — as well as the other rubbled city games.<\/em><\/p>\n

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