"Chain of Command - Commissar - What does do?" Topic

In the CoC Soviet Support List, there is a line for a "Commissar" but I can't seem to find what effect choosing one brings to the game.

Motivational speeches? Threating to send people to the Gulag? Getting the NKVD to shoot Platoon commanders in the back of the head?

I assume he must have a role, or is it an example of Lard Humour?

You can always buy the rules and find out.

You could always be helpful instead of a jerk. The commissar rules are not actually IN the main rule book.

It seems that the Commissar rules are in various scenario books since they are tailored to fit the specific theaters and periods of the war.

Opens your mail…………

Don't have all the pointers to show you, but …

CoC's specific troop lists describe how the Commisar works, changing from theater to theater. I know the Early War Soviets have a rule entry. I forget the exact title, but the Barbarossa campaign Soviets also offer him. And the rules are not the same.

My search turns up one of them here:

PDF link

thosmoss,

Thanks for that, didn't know these lists existed. In the Barbarossa list the Commissar can indeed "shoot" members of the Platoon to encourage the others. Possibly quicker than a speech!

Trajanus
Commissars tend to help with morale and shock, sometimes by the costly shoot a man to encourage the others method. They also have a secondary command function on some lists.

Fatman

As said above…they can also help with sending troops to the table via the JOPs. Since the typical Soviet platoon only has one senior leader and you cannot buy a second one, the Commissar can be useful so you don't have to roll a die to get troops on the table. I made up a "Gaming with the Commissar sheet, since our group here plays a lot of games with the Soviets; as their roll is different depending what year you're playing.

The Pint-size campaigns are definitely well worth the few bucks to get. The only one the TFLs has out with anything Soviet is the Winter Storm. There you will find all you need.

Good luck.

I like the idea that they can kill off figures in a squad to remove shock.