Reply To: Is Command&Control in games a myth?

[Justin Swanton]

Interesting discussion that is also happening over at TMP and the SoA forum.

The big error IMHO with the approach many rulesets take to C&C is the fact that player represents and acts as all the tiers of command in an army and not just the general. In my own system I have three tiers:

1. The general who is fully under control of the player since he is the player. The general has perfect command over his unit or battleline of units, but this is only a fraction of the army.

2. The commanders who must be represented as acting under orders in some way. I personally avoid written orders as they are open to a creative interpretation not available to actual commanders.

Commanders have a ‘command rating’ varying from 1 to 5. This represents how many times they and their command may change direction (I use a square grid BTW).

A commander and his command may move forwards with a little diagonal latitude whilst executing an ‘order’. If he wants to change direction and move off to his left, he spends a command point, wheels/turns left and then moves, again continuing in that direction with a little diagonal latitude. If he wants to change direction again he spends another command point, and so on.

Once he runs out of command points an out-of-command counter is placed in the square his last command point took him to. From then on he has limited initiative, meaning he can range freely only a certain distance from that counter, and very slowly beyond that. This replicates his localised battlefield awareness: he reacts only to what is in his vicinity. So no grand tactical manoeuvres.

3. The captains are the officers of individual units not under command of their commander, either because they are not attached to his battleline or because they are disordered, or for some other reason. These units move very slowly (the captain has even less initiative than the commander) but they can move their full distance to attack enemy units (the captain at least understands he must engage the enemy).

Within their respective limitations, each tier of command can be moved freely by the player: he is the general, commanders and captains. It works well.

https://wargamingwithoutdice.blogspot.com/