"Combat Patrol (tm)" Topic

Anyone use these, google wise gets very little hits bar Bucks pages or Sally 4th distributor over here, cannot seem to find any other reviews or AARs bar one.

I've used them quite a bit, and introduced them to others at the Leeds club. The different results system using the cards rather than dice is novel and works well. It is a good and flexible system for small unit actions. Buck has a number of modifications to adapt the systems to different periods.

Search "Combat Patrol TMP". theres quite a few posts about it here.

manchesterreg:

Thanks for your interest in Combat Patrol( TM ) : World War II.

As RetroBoom said, there have been many conversations, reviews, and battle reports posted to TMP. There was a Meeples and Miniatures podcast about the rules as well some weeks back. I think that both WI and MW have had articles and reviews.

You said you've been to the rules' Web page ( link ) . Did you have a chance to view the videos?

The various TMP posts are from people who have actually played the rules. Many reviews in magazines and Web pages are based on having READ the rules but not having played them. I created these videos to help folks decide for themselves. In addition, the basic rules are free download, so you can even read them before deciding to purchase.

I also have a Yahoo group where you can ask questions.

Buck

Just watched the videos. I like the card driven mechanism. It's close to the WW2 board game by sgts miniatures.

Would it help the look of the board to keep the activation dice next to the unit cards, or can more than one unit have the same card?

Will you be running a game this summer at Historicon? I would like to try out your game.

Matthew

45thdiv:

Glad you found the videos informative.

I typically use neutral colored dice that don't show up too much, but you could certainly place the dice next to the unit cards at the edge of the table if that is more to your liking. I usually have one card for a squad, but a squad typically gets two activation dice, so you would need to agree on some convention, like placing the die for the first half of the squad at the top left of the card and the die for the other half the squad on the top right. Another thought might be to make magnetic tags numbered 1 through six. Roll a die and then stick the appropriate tag under the leader figure. Both approaches might slow the game a bit, but it might work for you.

I will be running three Combat Patrol(TM): WWII games at Cold Wars in a few weeks. Zeb Cook (of D&D and Star Frontiers fame) and I are running two double-blind Finland 1939 games, and I am running a France 1944 bocage game. There will also be one a game with the Napoleonic supplement run by Duncan Adams and a Star Wars game run by Greg Priebe.

I will certainly be running several games at Historicon. I hope to have the South Pacific supplement done by then. I have a couple more things to work out, and one or two folks are play testing the rules for me now. I don't know what periods I'll be running, but it will likely be South Pacific 1943, Poland 1939, Finland 1939, and / or France 1944. If I get my early-war French done, I may run a France 1940 game as well.

I look forward to seeing you in one of the games.

Buck

Thanks for the kind words, Terrement.

I really enjoy the rules. Morale is a bit off for me but can be fixed with some homebrew rules. ( Interestingly, Buck has showed me his ideas for Japanese morale and looks like it works well.) The activation is brilliant and simple. The cards make combat flow fast and very intuitive. This is my go to set. Worth the money in my opinion.

Joe

PS Agree very adaptable as well. I have used them from Morocco 1929 to Ukraine 2016.

Joe

I have used the rules for almost two months with my group. This is best set of rules I have seen in over 4 decades of skirmish gaming. The cards make the system easy to manage as a game master. Those playing do not need to do much paperwork. The activation system has different options available in the advanced rules.

I think the system simulates combat at this scale rather well. War at any level is chaos and at the skirmish level it is well simulated with this system. If you are looking for chess pieces and micro management this may not be the system for you.

I am a Combat Commander board game enthusiast and find that this miniatures rule set fits my temperament for table top battles. I spent over 20 years in the infantry and have experienced numerous small unit actions and chaos management defines combat for me.

Buck Surdus' wonderful web site answers a lot of questions. The notes he has, regarding the development of the system are great resources from which to answer questions of why things are done they way they are in the rules.

A positive thing is the constant development of the rules and all the additional free supplement which flow from the author. Buck is very approachable and answers questions when asked. The system is under constant development and Buck is open to any constructive comments about his rule set.

Do the research, watch the videos and see if you would like to give this rule set a try.

I highly recommend them.

Brian.