Combat Commander: Europe is a card-driven board game covering tactical infantry combat in the European Theater of World War II. One player takes the role of the Axis (Germany) while another player commands the Allies (America or Russia). These two players will take turns playing one or more “Fate” cards from their hands in order to activate their units on the mapboard for various military functions.
Players attempt to achieve victory by moving their combat units across the game map to attack their opponent’s combat units and occupy as many objectives as possible. The degree to which a player succeeds or fails is measured by a scenario’s specific “Objective” chits, the destruction of enemy units, and the exiting of friendly units off the opponent’s board edge.
A game of Combat Commander is divided into several measures of Game Time. There is no sequence of play to follow, however each Time segment is divided into a variable number of Player Turns, each of which may consist of one or more Fate Card "Orders" conducted by the active player. Fate Card "Actions" may generally be conducted by either player at any time. "Events" — both good and bad — will occur at random intervals to add a bit of chaos and uncertainty to each player’s perfect plan.
SCALE: Each hex of a Combat Commander map is roughly 100 feet of distance (about 30 meters). Each complete Player Phase abstractly represents several seconds of real time. Each complete measure of Game Time abstractly represents several minutes of real time.
Each unit in the game is approximated as either a single Leader, a 5-man Team, or a 10-man Squad. Radios — and individual weapons larger than a pistol, rifle or BAR — are represented by their own counters.
- ludo-narrative dissonance where the story doesn't match mechanics (e.g., a soldier dying and then being put back into play).
- World War II
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- mechanisms over theme for the win
- Stories can be great the first time around but I think atmosphere is way more important
- I like feeling immersed in the aesthetic and setting of a game
- if you can get someone invested in the story of what they're doing I have seen time and time again how that can increase their capacity to learn the rules because now they have a sense of motivation
- for me if a board game tries too hard to tell me a specific story it takes away from my experience
- I like ludo-narrative Harmony when mechanics match story and it's great when the story Jump Start strategy
- Ludo stands for play and narrative so it's where those two things meet
- if the story is poorly written poorly read or it was just more story than what the players were looking for it's not going to work
- English isn't my native language and others around me aren't very fluent in English and reading well
- one thing I expected with Rodney standing next to those shelves of coin games was for him to take one out and talk about how games can retell stories
- if some players really want to embrace the story of a game while others aren't in the mood for elaborate theatrics or dramatic readings those story elements they just they won't land
- I'm glad there's a wide spectrum of games to choose from so that everyone can find something that provides enjoyment for them and the other players that they game with
References (from this video)
- Strategic depth for war-game fans
- Tactical card-driven combat
- Complex rules for casual players
- May feel inaccessible to newcomers
- Array
- War games
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Play — Players play cards to drive actions and outcomes on each turn.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- This is a one out of ten I gotta balance out the ten out of tens that are clearly wrong
- This game is just actually trash
- The whole point of playing games is to have fun with your friends
- The luck is so well managed in this game
- see look you have to understand katan is over two decades old
References (from this video)
- A thorough keyword and rules index with numbered pages is invaluable for quickly finding information.
- Has a table of contents in the front and a full index on the back with terms and specific pages.
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Beyond learning the game a rule book will often be used as a reference and so it should also serve that purpose well
- the rule book not only needs to provide the information but it needs to provide easy ways to find the information inside of it
- you don't want to have to be trying to pick through information on the War of 1812 and George Washington's hair stylist I just want the answer to my question so I can get back to my game
- Blind play test your rulebook
- if the frequently asked questions document is longer than your rule book it's time to rewrite your rule book
- the problem is Publishers are not willing to pay a profession to write their rule book
- Rule books should ensure you that you are contractually going to understand the game and not look like a contract for an insurance