Command Decision

Started by DV8, March 25, 2012, 09:27:21 AM

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DV8

I was wondering if anyone here has played Command Decision? 

I currently play Flames of War which is tons of fun and can be played relatively quickly which is very nice.  The new FoW rules are an improvement but it seems to lack some historical accuracy.  From what I've read and heard Command Decision seems to be one of the better 10/15mm WWII table top games.

- How long does the game take?
- Is the rule set complex?
- How accurate do you feel it duplicates company/battalion level WWII combat?
- Overall impressions?

Thanks,
DV8


"Most of my cliches aren't original." - Chuck Knox

LongBlade

I have played it, but you knew that.

Not sure who else on the boards has, but I'll share my experiences.

Game length depends on the scenario. I have played games that took the better part of a day, and ones that are a just a couple of hours long. In every case I was playing with guys who knew the rules inside and out. Their observation was that one minute of game time should correspond to one minute of real-time, so that if a turn took 20 minutes (I think that was our goal) that would reflect 20 minutes in the course of the battle.

I played with guys who were active and retired military. Artillery rules that game. When that artillery falls infantry generally gets the heck out of the way, and everyone I gamed with agreed with that assessment.

I enjoyed the games. We played a number of scenarios ranging from Kursk to Operation Goodwood. The game is designed to be used to recreate historical battles at the platoon level. If you have enough terrain and minis, it is an excellent game system. Although it is designed for 1:100 minis, in my games the guys often used tanks at 1:72 because they just looked so good. I knew of other guys who, due to financial constraints, used the micro-armor that was something like 1:255 or something.

Every game I played had guys who were capable of fielding an astonishing amount of terrain and units - they had entire boxes dedicated to specific battalions ready to go for a set piece battle at a moment's notice.

I took a number of pictures and wrote fairly extensively on some of my games for a site I used to work for. Here are some of my thoughts at the time:

http://www.wargamer.com/article/2480/convention-coverage-heat-of-battle-2007?page=3

And, as is typical, they've lost the images to my article. <sigh>
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

DV8

Good read.  Thanks!

As you know I really like FoW and we are getting a few more into it at our local store.  I have a demo game with "spaztacus" on Monday if you want to join us.

I think CD would be a good "every now and then" game due to the time commitment and realism.
"Most of my cliches aren't original." - Chuck Knox

LongBlade

My sense is that Command Decision is when you have a bunch of really serious gamers ready to go after real historical games.

Flames is great for a quick fix. We push tanks around, call in some arty, stuff blows up, and three hours later we've all had fun. Command Decision is when you want to redo a quarter of Kursk.
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

DV8

I also happened upon Combat Action Command last night.  Same as above, any experience with this one?

http://www.combatactioncommand.com/
"Most of my cliches aren't original." - Chuck Knox

bayonetbrant

Quote from: LongBlade on March 25, 2012, 02:15:30 PMCommand Decision is when you want to redo a quarter of Kursk.

in real time
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LongBlade

Quote from: DV8 on March 26, 2012, 08:13:08 AM
I also happened upon Combat Action Command last night.  Same as above, any experience with this one?

http://www.combatactioncommand.com/

I don't think I've ever heard of it. There are a number of games that are played at cons across the country, and it's not impossible that I've run across it before, but memory fails me if I have.

It looks interesting.
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

LongBlade

Quote from: bayonetbrant on March 26, 2012, 08:29:49 AM
Quote from: LongBlade on March 25, 2012, 02:15:30 PMCommand Decision is when you want to redo a quarter of Kursk.

in real time

Yeah, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

I've actually played most of my Command Decision games as a team-based game with between two and four players on a side. It's actually pretty conducive to that style of play, with yet another guy acting as GM.

I really wish I could introduce you to my gaming buddies down in Baton Rouge/Nola. They're a great group to game with and can really lay out quite the spread.
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

DV8

I picked up a copy of the CD rule book since I'm sucker for rule books.  I like the fact that I can use my FoW minis.  There is a large community in NOVA that plays so I might checkout an event in that area to get a real feel for the game.
"Most of my cliches aren't original." - Chuck Knox

DV8

I received the rule book today.  WOW.  This is definitely not a beer & pretzels game.  I'm almost afraid to start reading it! ;D
"Most of my cliches aren't original." - Chuck Knox

DV8

After digging into the rules last night what intrigues me the most is the detail to the historical scenarios and accurate force organization that accompany said scenarios.  At first blush, what I might do is blend the scenarios and corresponding lists from CD with the FoW rules.  One of my issues (all be it minor) with FoW is that the lists and scenarios (which are generic) have only a vague connection to the true history.  I'm hoping this blending will bring more historical relevance to FoW since I really like the V3 rules and ease of play.
"Most of my cliches aren't original." - Chuck Knox

LongBlade

Quote from: DV8 on April 05, 2012, 09:44:47 AM
After digging into the rules last night what intrigues me the most is the detail to the historical scenarios and accurate force organization that accompany said scenarios.  At first blush, what I might do is blend the scenarios and corresponding lists from CD with the FoW rules.  One of my issues (all be it minor) with FoW is that the lists and scenarios (which are generic) have only a vague connection to the true history.  I'm hoping this blending will bring more historical relevance to FoW since I really like the V3 rules and ease of play.

That corresponds with my experience - the guys I used to game with would label their forces according to the correct OOB. Some of them probably had half the Soviet army tucked away in large tubs just waiting for the next battle to break out.
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.