The Commander Series Forum

Just played my first game of BKC and relly enjoyed it. It made you actually think very carefully on prioritizing your command rolls. to be honest I didn't do at all well in the first couple of moves but the steep learning curve of burning vehicles and dead bodies soon kicked in and things improved drastically thereafter. Anyway I just wanted to check on a couple of things with more experienced players.

1. An infantry battalion HQ was issuing a 'fire' command to it's mortars when it rolled 'command blunder' resulting in 'All units under command make one half move towards the nearest visible enemy unit'. The 'fire' order was the first order given by this HQ for that turn so we played it that only the mortars were affected as they were the only troops being 'commanded' at that time. I thought that reasonable but was it correct rulewise? Also, it didn't apply in this case, but assuming the units receiving this command blunder had no visible enemy then they would be unaffected (other than their turn ending)?

2. An infantry battalion HQ successfully orders one company to advance but then fails the command roll for a second advance with that company. Can the CO try to order the other companies of this battalion to advance? We played it that he could as these companies hadn't recieved any commands from their battalion HQ but he couldn't activate the company that had already moved because it had received a command.

Sorry if these questions sound a bit basic but we want to make sure we are playing it right.

Thanks

1 The mortars would only have advanced if they have LOS to an enemy unit. Because the mortars were the only units being ordered when the blunder occurred, they would be the only one affected.

2 Yes, the CO can attempt to order the other companies.

Haha I remember my first game. I kept saying "OK that's my turn done" When I'd executed one order. My opponent asked - Are you sure? - Then my opponant made three or for orders and I was reminded. But when it was my turn I kept forgetting to make further rolls. I Was so stuck in static turns. Only my opponent's smug face reminded me that I could roll for orders as many times as I succeeded the rolls. Made me learn fast

Pain is a good teacher. I've learned a lot that way.

wasnt too bad a game to watch, seems a lot different to the olden rules

Shootmenow,I'm not sure if I understand your question 2. correctly but, if your HQ had only the one company under it's command as you had failed your second command roll then no the CO could not order it. If your HQ had,say, three companys under it's command and you successfuly ordered one to advance the other two were in effect ordered to stay put and all three would have failed the second command roll. You cannot subsequently add units to a HQ once you have started.

Ivan,
In the question 2 situation the infantry HQ commanded a battalion (3 companies) and had, in previous turns moved all 3 companies around the battlefield. However, at the start of that turn it was specified that the HQ was only issuing an order to 1 of the companies. This order failed and, as the other 2 companies had not received any order from their HQ that turn, we played it that the CO could attempt to order them to move (which he successfully did).

Are you saying that under our HQ organisation (being responsible for 3 companies) if the HQ issues an order to 1 company to move (or even fire) then it is effectively also issuing an order to the other companies to 'hold'? If that is the case then we played it wrong as we measured to the furthest base of individual companies (when giving those companies an individual order) when assessing the command roll required and not the furthest base of the battalion, which would have been much further away.

You have to specify the units the HQ is ordering, and only those units are issued with the order.
In your case, the CO could issue orders to the other two coys, as they have received no orders.

Shootmenow, Hi, "players should group their units into formations before the game" P42. As I see it the other companys that neither moved nor fired on your first command roll were still a part of that HQ's formation on that and any subsequent command rolls and as such were "under command" the fact that you did not give them a specific order seems to me to be irrelevant. Now, I may be talking complete bollocks, in which case hopefully, keener brains than mine will provide a satisfactory answer. Regards, Ivan.

Sorry Ivan, I think you're about as wrong as can be there. Shootmenow had grouped his units into formations, that's his battalion. "Under Command" simply means the troops you're rolling for at that time. Its flexible to allow you to ignore troops who've wandered too far away from the HQ, or who acted on initiative or opportunity leading to penalties. I believe that the CO is technically formation leader for ALL your troops, and therefore wouldn't be breaking the P42 rule either.

Thanks for the replies everyone and, from the majority, I assume we played it correctly.

Still on 'orders', I like the way you can advance some bases of a command whilst others fire. After a couple of turns I got used this and worked it to good effect as, combined with some very fortunate dice rolls, I was able to suppress enemy opportunity fire whilst manoeuvring my armour into a good position and then let rip with some deadly combined fire. It seemed to reflect the fire and move tactics really well, although I hate to think what would have happened on the following turn if I had failed my first (or even second) command roll!