Lets Talk Commander Units!

Id rather the new sculpt is representing not just leadership in battle, but allocated reserves stockpiled of supplies for the ‘big push’

These would cost a player X ipc to use and have a modifier for combat.

All your attacking units get a ‘combined arms’ modifier for combat for each combo of Infantry,Artillery, and Armor of one free re-roll for each miss. So say you attack with 6 infantry, 2 armor, 2 artillery  you get two re-rolls on misses from any unit that survives the first round ( after both sides remove loses).

Having 3 generals gives you three opportunities to do this each turn for three different combats or if you like just one or any combination of land, sea air… Its just that it costs income to have this and the results are not guaranteed. You could be wasting your money on an unproven general or spending it for an all out attack and going for broke because the more you spend money for this the greater drain on national resources.

For naval admirals you get one re-roll for every two planes with carrier missed, or any combination of one Battleship plus another warship ( either CA or DD)

and air marshals get two SBR rolls ( pick best of two) If using the optional escort rules, then +1 on first round.

Note that these can be used for attack or defense. If defense you must allocate the money for this in advance and use it as a safety belt for attacks against you. This way its like poker in that the attacker may just attack mormally and you have prepared defense with a commander so his attack will not go well.

If you play it out it could work. The trick is how much for this should it cost?

I think its a 4-9 IPC value depending on use.  I don’t like ‘fixed’ leadership costs because thats not really balanced

i dont think leadership should be bought with IPC’s at all. I just dont understand what it would represnet, and advancment in militay education would be to late to make a signifigant differnece in the war.

If you want a peice to represent supplies for the big push, that should be the truck peice.

I just dont understand what it would represnet…

The general is really a HQ…filled with upper officers plus the logistical stockpile of fuel and supplies for large scale offensives.

Armies have a general at all times. Its not like any army is being run by buck privates, BUT in the course of the war nations did stockpile items for the big push. Germany did it in May 1940, June 41, Dec 41, Oct 42, July 43, Dec 44… so to extrapolate this in the game they would have bought 4 land generals, plus 1 in July 1940 which didn’t work and was used for Air.

The British bought one for air in July 1940, and land ones for Aug 42, June 44, and Sept 44

Japan bought one for air in Dec 41 and June 42, for naval in Oct 44, for land in Dec 41

Italy bought just one land in Oct 1940 but wasted it

USA bought numerous in 42, sept 43, June 44, March 45,

USSR bought one in Dec 41,

so its not buying leadership, but buying the logistical requirement for large scale offensives. Usually they only have a potency during the initial period of use.

Now trucks are just nothing but transports to facilitate movement. They have nothing to do with combat.

@Imperious:

so its not buying leadership,

I agree, your buying supplies, trucks carry supplies, movement is combat, the truck peice should be used to represent supplies and logistical advantage.

The officer or commander peice should represent leadership, why should they represent something else? And since we both agree leadership is not bought, a system along the line of the one i stated above might work.

The HQ is the entire apparatus of talent which determines the course of action. It includes reserves, leadership, stockpiles of fuel , ammo.

it moves like any other combat unit only its a small group of commanders and logistical supports. I think it should have an influence.

Perhaps if an HQ is next to your army it will allow you to:

1)Retreat as the defender
2)Modify combat +1 to all units in one battle
3)allow you to possibly move and attack, and if you win, move and attack again with ‘certain units’ perhaps not
4)give you a reroll on a miss or provide combined arms modifications to combat ( left to be determined)

How about the commander peice represents leadership and the truck peice represents supplies and motorization.
that seems the most straight forward.

leadership= is all the officers planning and executing the battle. They are in the field and also in various Army Group HQ’s

Using most wargames as a reference the Leadership is always not “some dude standing around”, but represented by HQ units and the logistical abilities are actuated by this unit. Look at how they do the Block games

truck piece represents supplies and motorization.

yes it does, but the game cant get into ammo and fuel counters because thats a different scale. IN strategic games its assumed under the HQ duty, but motorization is definatly a trucks duty. In this scale trucks are representing railway, and horses as well

I think it should have a range of effecting all units in or adjacent to it.

Its a front HQ

can i make a request that we get at least one that looks like chuck norris?!

Here’s a thought about how to implement a commander unit.

Attack    0

Defense  0  - may not be taken as a casualty, but if all other attacking or defending units are destroyed, then commander unit is removed from the board.

Move      1  - counts as an infantry for purpose of transports

Cost      0  for the first one - i.e. if you have none on the game board, 3 IPCs for all others.

If the commander is involved in any battle, then once during that battle, if both players agree that the die results were way off base, then the  commander unit allows you to re-roll 1 entire round - both attackers and defenders.  (This commander unit does not allow you to re-roll the entire battle, unless the battle only lasted 1 round.)If the commander’s battle ever fails, (i.e. the attack failed to take the territory, or he was defending, and the territory was captured, then he is removed from the game board.)  Only 1 commander may be involved in any attack, but defending commanders may be used together.

if both players agree that the die results were way off base,

This is problematic. The rule must be enforceable by itself, because players can argue or always agree or always disagree. This is not standardization in rule making.

Well, I would hate to just automatically get a free re-roll.  i.e. Someone attacks my capital with only a 10% chance of winning.  I would hate for him to get 2 shots at it, although with the commander only being a re-roll for that one round, maybe it would be okay.

What I was trying to say was that if the battle results for that 1 round were way below the 50% odds, and everyone could obviously tell that, then that would be the best time to use this commander ability.

ON defense if units are adjacent to HQ they should be able to retreat on DEFENSE. Yes no?

@Imperious:

ON defense if units are adjacent to HQ they should be able to retreat on DEFENSE. Yes no?d

and this would represent something like Manstiens actions after stalingrad?

I prefer one round of combat with the attacker reatreating if we has not killed all the defenders.

plus besides the one i gave i cant really think of a lot of situation where a good commander or lots of supplies allowed for an effective retreat

and this would represent something like Manstiens actions after stalingrad?

yes to protect the good units from getting wiped out.

HQ should be able to save armies and well as direct them in battle.

IN attacks perhaps units moving from them can move 3 on land or +1 ( movement boost)

what about that?

I still think the commander peice should only represent leadership and supplies should be represented by trucks.

I understand alot of other war games use the HQ peice, but axis and allies is a very different game and I would like a peice that simply represents the twist that humans put on the battlefield.

I still think the idea that i posted here a few posts ago, is better.

What is wrong with it?