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Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2004 6:07 pm
Posts: 489
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Hi,
Received the rulebook for Blitzkrieg Commander (BKC) yesterday and Cybershadow asked if I could write a quick 'first impressions' review of it, so after reading the basic rules through last night, here's the lowdown.
If you've played Warmaster before, or at least know how the system works, you'll be able to grasp BKC instantly. It takes the Command and Order structure of WM but implements it in a much more suitable manner for the WW2 format. The Command values, initiative moves (stand & shoot, evade, counter attack) and the rules governing how many orders Commands can give, etc are all virtually the same, but with some nice additions. For example, when a command rolls the two dice to order a unit, rolling a double-one allows you to take two actions for that Unit (or number of units if you're ordering a whole formation), and a double-six causes a Command Blunder. These can causes units to fire on each other, fall back, do nothing, etc.
Another point, which I kinda touched on then, is how BKC implements Units. In WM, you have Units of 3 stands, which can be formed into a Brigade with other Units and given a general order which they can all follow. BKC is very different here.
Units in BKC are individual stands. When a Command figure delivers an order, it can choose to order a single Unit, or any number of Units it likes (So a CO could potentially order a whole army in one roll). Whilst this sounds a bit silly, BKC does still give penalties for ordering over distance, and for successive orders, etc. Therefore a Command is generally in charge of a flank of an army, or a specific group. Mass orders don't all have to be the same order too. As long as the command roll is passed to issue an order, a Command may choose to use it to move infantry up into cover, fire on targets with his armour and undeploy AT guns. This may sound a bit unweildy, but after reading the rules through and seeing the examples it shows, you realise that this is far more appropriate for the combined-arms of the era.
The initiative phase is essentially the same as WM, with units able to react to very close enemy units charging, shooting, evading or supporting.
As BKC makes far more use of ranged combat than WM, the shooting is padded out more. You add up the attack values of all attacking units, roll that many dice To Hit, roll to save, allocate hits, remove casualties and check remaining units for supression (roll a dice for every hit, and try to beat the To Hit value again). Suppression means a Unit can't do anything for its next turn. Attacking a suppressed Unit can cause it to Fall Back, which causes another roll to see how far it runs away. Running over a set distance or off the table can cause the unit to disperse and be removed from play.
The To Hit values are similar to WM, with 4+ for units in the open, 5+ when in cover and 6+ when fortified, along with a number of other situation-based modifiers (flank/rear attacks, firing at half-range, etc).
I must say at this point, that after every section of rules in the rulebook, there are a few pages of examples to show the rules in effect, with clear photographs that have obviously been thought through before being taken.
Also in the book are plently of boxes (at the appropriate point in the rules) with Optional Rules which basically allow for more "realistic" gameplay, such as Opportunity Fire, which is like E:A's Overwatch, except that by initiating it, you run the risk of becoming supressed (due to the risk of fatigue, etc).
There are also rules for artillery and aircraft. Artillery is kinda like the orbital support in E:A, where you write down before the game when-and-where you will fire them, but these can be delayed or (re-)ordered by an FAO on field. (The artillery can also fall victim to command blunders, with some nasty effects!)
The aircraft rules aren't quite as fluid as E:A, representing more whether they were on target or not, rather than their on-table position. You choose a target, roll for deviation, roll for any AA fire, then can target all units within 10cm of your final attack position, or double-attack a single viable target. It's confusing on the first read-through, but the examples clear it up nicely.
Movement and terrain modifiers seem pretty standard wargames style, allowing infantry to move more freely than armour, etc.
Close Combat is again a set number of attack dice (depending on your unit types), with modifiers for charging, etc. Combat resolution of disengaging, pursuing and retreating are all pretty straightforward.
There are extra rules for engineers (flamethrowers, obstacle clearance, bridging, demolition, remote-controlled demolition) and minefields, but I havn't had a chance to read them thoroughly yet, but they too have examples of play that should help.
The End phase of every turn is pretty standard, with checks made to see if either force has passed it's breakpoint (this doesn't necessarily mean you lose instantly, but a command roll with negative modifiers is needed to keep your forces on the table). There is also a Victory table to figure out victory points based on destroyed units, etc.
That's the end of the rules in the rulebook, at page 35 out of 120.
Next is a great section on scenarios (15 varied scenarios here) and a few pages on running campaigns. After this, there is a huge selection of army lists for every force in every theatre of war, giving starter lists suitable for every one, as well as a good section on army organisation.
At the back of the book are a handful of pages with adverts for all the suitable mini suppliers and tips on basing, etc. Very useful stuff.
On the book itself, I must say that (as was the authors intention) it is a complete piece of work. You don't need updates or supplements to play, and it's obviously been proof-read and playtested well. There are a few stat changes and army list additions on the official site, but they are more for the historical completist than essential changes. The official website, a Yahoo group and all the support comes from the author Pete (known as PeteTheWarGamer on the SG Epic forums btw), so you can chat to him and get quick answers to stuff anytime you need them.
The official site is at: Blitzkrieg Commander
NOTE: Just add this here. The rules are aimed at a miniature scale between 20mm and 2mm(!), with the rules suggesting 15mm to 6mm (20mm and 2mm rules suggest halving/doubling ranges, etc). I read through the official forums and although most people say they initially bought 15mm armies (similar to FOW) and love the detail level, that the price difference between 15mm and 10mm is enormous. I took this on board and decided to order a 10mm British army (for a North Africa/El Alamein setting) from Pendraken the other day. ?22 including postage for 1000 points of infantry, tanks and all the other bits I need. Makes a refreshing change. 
2nd NOTE: When/if you order the book from Pete, you have the option of ordering a "slightly damaged" version which I would recommend considering. He says that they aren't really damaged, just that they might have a bent page or mark on them that would stop him selling in-store. Having saved money on ordering a damaged copy, I still can't find a single thing wrong with mine.  Maybe he's done a sub-atomic scan of mine and found a fault.
Any questions you have and I'll have a look for you.
Cheers,
Freshmetal
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