Pages

Thursday, April 09, 2009

"We go!"

The unstoppable charge of Chad Jensen's Combat Commander continues with the addition of Battle Pack #3: Normandy to GMT's P500. Scheduled to include 17 new scenarios (1 a campaign), 8 new maps, extra counters, and a host of new rules to cover the terrain, units and operations in the Normandy bridgehead in the summer of 1944, BP#3 looks set to provide hours of fun for CC fans everywhere.

There is no release date as yet, as you would expect from the nature of the P500 system, but there is every reason to expect the pack to appear this year: at the time of writing there are 320 preorders, and that's within 24 hours of the announcement of BP#3's addition to the P500 list. I imagine a fair proportion of them are automatic preorders. Even so, I'll be surprised if the crucial 500 preorders hurdle hasn't been crossed before the month is out.


The new scenarios include firefights from all the famous moments in the landings and subsequent operations. Pegasus bridge is there (and the sample map, left, is presumably the map for that scenario); Omaha beach is well represented, with 3 different scenarios; and there are several scenarios covering the battles of July and August, including the campaign scenario, which features the battle for St Lô in the run-up to Operation Cobra, the American breakout.

The sample scenario to the right is a foretaste of the fiendishness BP#3 has to offer. I can already hear Badger's groans at the sight of another firefight across the hyperdense urban battlefield that is map 17. I expect further dismay at the realisation that it's a night action by forces lacking proper block-busting heavy weapons.

It's a cinch that I'll be buying this on sight. What's not so certain is whether or not Badger and I will have had time to play all the new and unplayed scenarios from BP#2, CC:P, and C3i before we hit the beaches.

Addendum 08/06/13
I foolishly deleted an online image folder a couple of years ago (that's why there are those blank images for those of you who've been wondering) and am slowly but surely repairing the damage done. The original sample images from GMT are no longer available, so I've put up representative alternatives instead.

7 comments:

Matt S said...

Man...I was just writing to tell you of this...you're quick! last time i looked, 417 orders!

"A bit political on yer ass!" said...

I heard the news last night (British time), and I had a blog slot to fill, so there I was. 417 orders! Well, I was being conservative in my prediction. ;)

Matt S said...

430 now...on the march...in less than 24 hours....

Matt S. said...

I just had a thought, which scared me as they don't come around that often, is that how can you model the Ox and Bucks' Glider/airbourne
assualt on the Orne Canal bridges in CC? humm....Maybe I am missing something since I don't have CC:M yet....maybe a house rule would have to be created....

460 in less than 24 hours.... sorry to keep annoying you

"A bit political on yer ass!" said...

460 in less than 24 hours.... sorry to keep annoying you
Erm, how could posting comments to my blog be annoying Matt? :)

As for the glider landing, it could be some variant of a random setup, perhaps with the possibility of units being suppressed, broken, or even casualties. Or the scenario could just start after the troops have deployed from their gliders, so that the actual landing isn't part of the game at all. It'll be a scenario special rule one way or another in other words. ;)

Matt S. said...

or, in the spirit of true laziness, you could designate an open landing hex and pick a card off the fate deck. 2-10 you land your squad in the hex (because the Pilots had spent a LOT of time studying the area and approaches).
11-12 you land off target. Pick another card..white die is direction, red is distance.
If you land in the canal, you're eliminated. If you land in any other kind of hex, other than clear, draw another card. even, you land a squad (broken) odd, you land a team (broken) just a thought from a true CC Neophyte...

Matt S. said...

Holy crap! less than 36 hours!