The Commander Series Forum

We play late war battles (North West Europe or Late Russian Front). In selecting armies we use the army limits but they don't seem to make much sense with regard to armour. For example, as we read it the British NWE are limited to 12 Sherman's or 12 Cromwell's per 1000 points but 12 Sherman's total 1500 points so the limit seems pointless. Similarly, for German NWE the limits are 9 Panzer IV or 9 Panther's per 1000 points but again 9 Panzer IV total 1260 points. Are we mis-interpreting the limits?

Don't use the points myself but as I understand it the limits relate to a full 1000 points. So with your Pz IV example although you cannot get 9 for 1000 points you can in a 1500 point game. In a 2000-2999 point game you can have up to 18 (as long as the total is not bracketed [_] which means it is per battlegroup)

Of course you'll have troble commanding 1260 points of tanks in a 1500 point game as you wo'nt have much left for HQ's and you can forget about any support units.

Just checked this using Battlegroups online and it gives the option of 12 Cromwells for 1000, 1250, 1500 & 1750 points jumping to 24 for a 2000 pointer. (Get the option for 12 in 500 & 750 point games too)

That's good and bad. Our understanding is correct but does mean that the points limits seem to be fairly meaningless for armour once you take into account a CO and a few HQs.

Greetings

The limits are, as I understand it, aimed at having roughly an infantry battalion per 1000 points. The same is true for armour - but the cost increases so much over time and varies between nationalities that all it can do is to identify the number of stands per battalion equivalent. This gives one an idea of the formation size. In the British NWE case the rationale is that - at platoon scale - each armoured regiment would have 3 sabre squadrons of 4 troops each of 4 tanks with Squadron HQ with command and rear link tanks. I agree that you would struggle to fit a full armoured regiment including HQ, recce and (early in the campaign) AA elements under 2000 points but it may help in designing a brigade group.

Regards

Edward