The Road to Bremen Chain of Command campaign AAR Updated 06 05 18

[TacticalPainter]

Thanks. I think one of the best things about recent rules developments is that they try not to tie you to a specific way of basing. I like the idea that my figures are rules agnostic and that I can try out a different set of rules using my existing figures. Nice to have a few options.

[TacticalPainter]

After a few weeks delay we get back into the action.

Scenario 8 and campaign turn 8, if the British can win this game, then they have won the campaign. It really has come down to the wire in what has been a very enjoyable campaign so far. So is this the end, or just the beginning of the end? Will the Germans hold on to Bremen for a little while longer yet? The full AAR is on the blog https://thetacticalpainter.blogspot.com ... rio-8.html

[mausmann]

Love the bombed out urban terrain, well smashed!...

[7dot62mm]

The best AARs on the planet!

[dead1]

That last battle was truly epic. A real nail biter!

And it does seem that tanks are a liability in the CoC. First your Tiger got splatted in the Kursk campaign and now the Shermans generally being knocked out easily.

[TacticalPainter]

At the area of table covered by CoC even short range weapons like panzerfaust and panzerschrecks are normally able to hit their target. In this last game Dave used the Sherman very cautiously, but tanks are always going to be vulnerable in close urban terrain. As for my Tiger, that was lost due to arrogance, I fancied my chances that its frontal armour would make it very hard to knock out. But very hard does not equal impossible, as I found to my expense.

[dead1]

One does expect a heavy breakthrough tank ala Tiger (or IS-2) to display a bit of arrogance through!

[TacticalPainter]

I was flicking through the latest edition of Wargames Soldiers and Strategy and began reading Richard Clarke’s Up Front column (if you don’t already know, Rich is one of the owners of Too Fat Lardies and the designer of Chain of Command). I can’t tell you how pleasantly surprised I was to read this:

“One of the great joys for me is using social media to keep up with players all over the globe who are enjoying games I’ve designed. Recently, the blog reports about two chaps in New South Wales playing through a 1945 “Road to Bremen” campaign I wrote for Chain of Command have had me on the edge of my seat - to the extent that when I wake up in the morning I find myself checking to see if the next instalment has been played.”

Nice!

[Fire at Will]

Yes, I read Rich's article and I completely agree . Thanks for a well written series of blog posts

[TacticalPainter]

The battle over the bombed out ruins of Bremen continues as the Fallschirmjager desperately try to hold out for another campaign turn. They've done enough to deny the British campaign victory, but can they hold on for one more game and bring this to a minor German victory? It's a big ask, it is April 1945 after all…..

Full AAR and more pics on my blog https://thetacticalpainter.blogspot.com ... d-two.html

[mausmann]

I like the look of the table, very bombed out urban terrain....

[Martello Towers]

Lovely set of AARs. Looking forward to your next campaign.

[7dot62mm]

This campaign was a blast. Many thanks!

[TacticalPainter]

This campaign was a blast. Many thanks!

Thanks. I have to say I thinks it's the one I've enjoyed the most. The Germans have quite a challenge and a wide variety of units, so it makes for a lot of creative thought trying to plot the best defence knowing you have unreliable elements. I don't know if it's quite as much fun to play the British, but I thoroughly enjoyed playing the Germans.

[dead1]

Wow talk about epic.

This is the best campaign I've ever read.

[Admiral Hawke]

Your battle reports are just superb. The combination of the game's fog of war with your own explanations of your tactics make for a compelling read. Each battle appeared capable of going either way. Just as one side appeared to get the upper hand, a swing of fortune (often a double phase or a panzerschreck from long range) would turn the battle the other way.
Never have so many Shermans achieved so little. Did the British tanks hit anything through the entire campaign? I'll have to read them all again! Your tables are inspiring too.
Thank you for all the work that went into sharing these reports. I enjoyed these ones even more than your excellent Citadel campaign.

[TacticalPainter]

Well, thank you, those are very generous words - not just Admiral Hawke, but dead1, 7dot62mm, Martello Towers and mausmann. I really enjoy writing the AARs, it's a great way to relive the game I've just played and I'm happy to share it with others. I've been a gamer for more years than I care to count, but most of it has been playing board wargames. I've also been a modeller, but other than in my teens I've never combined the two to play games with the models I make.

So, the modeller in me demands that the table needs to look good, while the gamer in me wants to immerse itself in solving the tactical puzzles in a historically plausible way. I hope the AARs and my blog reflect some of that. Glad they are read and even more pleased they are enjoyed. All of your comments are the perfect inspiration to keep on keeping on.

[Ed mac]

It's all been said,already,brilliant