Cambrai 1917 Chain of Command AAR

[Abwehrschlacht]

A Sunday morning double hit! The video AAR of last weekend’s Battle of Cambrai #WW1 #ChainofCommand game and a blog full of photos from the game:

Blog: https://www.stormofsteelwargaming.com/2020/07/Cambrai-AAR-1917.html

Video:

 

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/stormofsteelwargaming

Blog: http://www.stormofsteelwargaming.com

[Tony S]

Very nice indeed!   Your table looks amazing, even though I detect a strong Square Bashing influence.    Not a negative – I quite like SB!   Who made those trenches?  They look like vacuum form, but I don’t think they are Amera?  They look fabulous.

When we first started playing CoC, it usually devolved into an attritional firefight, as both us just hid behind hedges or such, and blazed away at each other.  Not terribly interesting for anyone, unless you enjoy Yahtzee as it was just dice rolling.  Later on, we dimly realized that the phrase “fire and maneuver” might apply, and actually began moving troops about to unhinge defensive positions.  (None of us attended RMA Sandhurst or RMC Kingston obviously).  The game got a lot more interesting and fun to play.  Historical tactics seemed to work!

Not a knock against the WW1 CoC version or your game, but do you find that it also descends into an attritional battle?  Or was that just the scenario?  And I’m glad I wasn’t facing you if you were the Germans; my regular opponent also seems to roll far too many double sixes!  I think the record for him is four turns in a row.

[Abwehrschlacht]

Cheers Tony, why Square bashing? I have used these trenches in SB before, so maybe that is it? They came from Early War Miniatures and are vac formed. EWM have a whole range of them. I only have a few as you can see in the video/pics, but they are really nice, and full of detail.

I hear you, as I play CoC more I appreciate the nuances in the rules more. Hunkering down and slugging it out isn’t going to work, you really need to be moving and firing as you say.

This was the first time I have tried CoC as a WW1 and things went tits up for the British pretty quickly, but I think that was largely because of the German rolls that held the turn for them, meaning the Tommies just couldn’t move. I was trying to use the tactical training pamphlet SS143 that was produced by the British army in early 1917 and laid down the method of using the Lewis section to provide covering fire, whilst the rifle grenadiers would lay down a close support artillery bombardment, allowing the rifles and bombers to work their way around the flank. I positioned the Lewis and RGs too far apart for either to have much effect though.

In hindsight, I should have allowed the tanks to start further up the table as well, given they will only move a maximum of 6″ meant they were expensive from a support pov and had little impact on the assault. More thinking, methinks.

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/stormofsteelwargaming

Blog: http://www.stormofsteelwargaming.com

[Tony S]

why Square bashing?  I have used these trenches in SB before, so maybe that is it?

Perhaps, but all your terrain seemed to be one or two “square” sizes, which made me think of it.  Again, not a complaint by any means, just an observation.  Your table looked great!

Glad to hear that I’m not the only one to read the training manuals and then promptly forget to apply them once I’m playing!  One of the biggest things I learned in CoC is to resist the temptation to rush on all my troops, especially when I’m defending.  Having a reserve can be so critical.  I’ve always thought reserves are a good criteria to decide whether a ruleset is crap or not – if reserves are not important in the game, then the rules are probably crap.  Obviously CoC is not!

As for the tanks, perhaps like me with reserves, a bit of patience might have helped?  Hold off bringing the infantry on until the tanks were closer?  Admittedly that’s not terribly exciting to play, and putting them closer initially would have saved time, but by waiting you might have also benefited from accumulating some CoC dice?

And look at me talking like I actually know something, like I’ve ever played the WW1 CoC!

Thanks for the Early War Miniatures tip!

 

 

 

[Ivan Sorensen]

Fantastic look mate!

[Abwehrschlacht]

Cheers Ivan! Tony, ah hah. That’s it, the terrain is all for SB and is in 6″ squares already, I get it now. You’re 100% correct!

Yep, rethinking it I really should have attached the senior leader to the tanks and have him bring them in together when he activated. It would have been more coordinated and I should have kept the troops back. Well, that’s for the next game…

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/stormofsteelwargaming

Blog: http://www.stormofsteelwargaming.com

[kyoteblue]

Thank you for doing the pictures as well, I’m able to follow the game that way. Yes as you and others said let the Tanks catch up !!!

[Abwehrschlacht]

No problem, KB, I do it as you asked for it (amongst others) and as I was taking pictures for Twitter it’s a simple job of transferring them to the blog anyway.

Yep, lessons learned, the Germans won’t get such an easy ride the next time…

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/stormofsteelwargaming

Blog: http://www.stormofsteelwargaming.com

[kyoteblue]

I’m tempted to get my FOW Great War stuff out, but I’m painting 15/18 mm Barbarians right now.

[Abwehrschlacht]

Good man, I’m doing the same!

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/stormofsteelwargaming

Blog: http://www.stormofsteelwargaming.com

[Author]

Posts