Starting a Multiple Battle Group Game

The side which rolls the most 6s etc has the first Command Pulse, and its Logistics Phase occurs. The CO may then use a Dice Chain from any battle group. After using the Dice Chain, it is the other side’s first Command Pulse, and their Logistics Phase takes place.

Command Pulses continue to alternate until all Command Dice have been used on both sides. The Turn then ends.

Phasing the Battle Groups

A player may use Dice Chains from any battle group, but must use the dice on the selected battle group. After using a Dice Chain, the enemy CO may use a Dice Chain from any of his battle groups. On the player’s next Command Pulse, he can select a Dice Chain from any of his battle groups.

For example, a player could choose to use all of the Dice Chains from one battle group before using any Dice Chains from another battle group. Or, he could choose to use a Dice Chain from one battle group, then a Dice Chain from another battle group on his next Command Pulse.

Skipping a Command Pulse

A Command Pulse may be skipped by using a Command Dice from any Command Group.

Rolling Command Dice

Command Dice are rolled at the start of each turn for each battle group. A CO chooses a battle group and rolls its Command Dice. Commanding Officers alternate rolling for battle groups until all have been rolled for.

Command Failures

Command Failures occur on an individual battle group level. Any 1s not exceeded by 6s are passed to the enemy CO.

Passing Dice

Any dice passed from a Command Failure are added as Staff Orders. These Staff Orders may be used this turn or in later turns. However, the CO cannot have more Staff Orders at the end of the turn than the total Army Command Dice of all his battle groups. Any excess Staff Orders are discarded at the end of the turn.

All Battle Groups Roll Command Failures

The turn is skipped. Staff Orders may be used to maintain artillery missions as usual.

Artillery and Command Failures

Artillery is allocated to individual battle groups and is affected by any Command Failures rolled by the battle group as usual. Staff Orders may be spent to maintain artillery missions.

Command Failures and Reserves

A Command Failure prevents any reserves from that battle group entering the table this turn. However, a CO may spend two Staff Orders to have a Reserve Command Group enter the table this turn. He may enter as many Reserve Command Groups as he has Staff Orders to pay for them.

Battle Group Integrity

A battle group’s Command Dice can be only used on units from that battle group. No Command Dice can be used on a unit from another battle group.

Transferring a Unit from one Battle Group to Another

By spending a Staff Order, the CO can transfer a unit from one battle group to another. The CO may transfer as many units as he spends Staff Orders. Suppressed units may not be transferred without first removing their suppression.

When a unit is transferred, 1D3 Morale points are deducted from its battle groups Morale Points and added to the Morale Points of its new battle group. If there are fewer Morale Points remaining than the number rolled, the remaining Morale points are transferred. Any battle group reduced to zero Morale Points will suffer a Morale Collapse at the end of the current turn.

Commanding Officer (CO)

The Commanding Officer controls all of the battle groups on the table, however, each battle group is treated as a separate force with its own Command Dice and Morale Points. A battle group will withdraw from the table at the end of a turn when its Morale Dice has been reduced to Zero.

Battle Group Command Dice: A battle group’s Command Dice can only be used to order that battle group.

Initial Staff Orders: Staff Orders are calculated for each force as normal but are passed “up the chain” to the CO. They are not kept by the battle group.

Centralised Artillery
Off-table artillery assets are under the control of the CO. He uses Staff Orders to call and adjust artillery missions as normal.

Any Command Failure results in the cancelling of a battle group’s artillery.

Staff Orders

New Staff Orders are generated by individual battle groups. It is not possible to combine Command Dice from separate battle groups to generate Staff Orders.

Once a game is underway the number of Staff Orders can be increased up to a maximum amount equal to the total number of Command Dice in play for that side.

New Staff Orders are available for use during subsequent turns. However, Instant Staff Orders may be used in the current turn as normal.

Using Staff Orders

Staff Orders may be used with any battle group, but the number of Staff Orders that can be spent on a battle group in a single turn cannot be more than the battle group’s Command Dice.

Wild Dice

Wild Dice may be used by the CO for the battle group that rolled them or stored as Staff Orders for use in subsequent turns. Two or more Wild Dice may be used to issue an Instant Staff Order – its use is not restricted to the battle group that rolled the Wild Dice.

The Combat HQ rulebook focuses on games with a single battle group per side. You can also play Combat HQ with multiple battle groups on each side. This is an ideal way to field larger forces and is recommended for multi-player games.
Over the next few weeks, I’m posting the rules for how to play with larger forces by combining the battle groups from the Combat HQ rulebook or the Armour Battles Expansion.

Selecting Battle Groups

To keep balanced forces on each side, players should select similar battle groups with the same number of support groups. Unless you really want to pitch two armour battle groups against two infantry battle groups, use the following force set ups.

Allied versus German

• Two infantry battle groups vs two infantry battle groups
• Two armour battle groups vs two armour battle groups
• One infantry and one armour battle group vs one infantry and one armour battle group