Baptism By Fire: Learning the Battalion Combat Series

Proof of purchase.

As many previous posts attest, wargaming is probably my favorite hobby.  It has been that way since I was an early teen playing games published by Avalon Hill.  Having devoted some five decades to enjoying the hobby and seeing it evolve, I would have to say my favorite game designer in Dean Essig.

Essig's approach to design is to first create a set of rules for a series of games focused around whatever those rules are intended to simulate.  Then, he refines those rules as more games are developed for the series and more players offer input to improve play.  For example, his Operational Combat Series (OCS) has been around for about 30 years and is currently on rules version 4.3.  While the essential mechanics are the same as when the series started, the nuances and realism have been enhanced through the years.

In the 1990's and into the early 2000's I played OCS and the Civil War Brigade Series (CWBS) more than anything else.  CWBS was my favorite series at the time and Thunder at the Crossroads is my favorite game in that series, though I haven't played it in many years.  The great advantage to the “series” approach to design is that, once the player learns the basic system of rules, the individual games that are developed can be played with a minimum of fuss.  Comparatively, there are few game-specific rules.  So, you can easily dive right in to new games which all share the same mechanics of play.

Essig designed the Tactical Combat Series (TCS), the Napoleonic Battle Series (NBS), and two systems for the regimental scale for the Civil War.  I have never played the latest version.  All the others I played but never really got into them as much as OCS (which is still active) and CWBS (which is archived, no new games).  He also developed the Standard Combat Series (SCS) which is his attempt to make a fun and easy game along the “typical” lines of most other wargames that are available.  These games feel familiar to wargamers and I own and have played several of them through the years.

SCS differs from all of Essig's other designs because the mechanics of play are straightforward whereas all of his other series are more complicated and involve various innovative rule mechanics that are intended to represent the specific era to which the series is devoted.  Generally speaking, each of these other series involve more sophisticated command, combat, and logistics rules that you won't find in other wargames.  An Essig design is a unique design in wargaming.

In 2016, he introduced his latest gaming effort after years of trial and error and fine-tuning.  This was the Battalion Combat Series (BCS).  I followed the discussion boards and took a peek at the rules which Essig placed online.  (He puts all his rules out there for anyone to read.)  But it didn't seem like my cup of tea at the time.  I was playing and thinking about other things.  

I knew what learning an Essig “system” is like.  It can be an eye-opening perspective into how the battles and campaigns depicted (cardboard simulations, really) were actually fought.  The need to consider supply operationally is the foundation to OCS.  The way a platoon can lay down fire tactically is important in TCS.  The intensity of “Blood Lust” in the Civil War series's depicts an oddly euphoric state of morale where the soldiers are so driven by the emotion of the battle that they continue to aggressively attack until most of them are shot.  All Essig systems create not just the decision-making but also the feeling of whatever period and perspective they represent.

I recently looked at the updated 2.0 version of the BCS rules and something clicked.  This might be fun to learn.  I have been reading that it is important to learn new things as you age, especially now that I am over 60.  Stay learning constantly.  OK, I thought, I'll learn a new Dean Essig wargame system.  This is not something you just sit down over a long weekend and figure out.  Yeah, you can start the game soon enough, the rules are not really difficult when considered individually.  

But, all the components of rules fit together to create the experience of fighting a 1940's era battle.  And I don't really see how it fits at first.  Playing a new Essig system is herky-jerky for me.  I spend 15 minutes thumbing through the rules to see if I can do what I want to do with my forces.  Or I reread passages to make sure I'm getting a particular mechanic right.  I watch YouTube videos which are tedious and slooow but that's how it is before your know the system.  And that is where I am today, just starting to get a feel for the flow of the system after a couple of weeks of exploring and experimenting.

I knew from following the discussion boards that the second game in the series, Baptism By Fire, had a low number of playing pieces and a two-map space.  It would be an easy way to learn the system because I would have fewer units to consider over a smaller space.  So, I bought it for about half-price the original 2017 game cost.  In fact, I found that the same online game dealer had an opened but unplayed copy of the first game of the series, Last Blitzkrieg.  It was about half-price too, so I got both games.

I'm glad to own Last Blitzkrieg even though I will probably never spend much time playing it.  One reason I didn't buy it back in 2016 was it is a “monster” game.  Four maps and hundreds of playing pieces.  Solitaire play of a new, huge Essig system would be a crawl and my mind just wasn't into that.  And I was not enticed by (yet another) game depicting in the famous “Battle of the Bulge.”  I have owned a couple of those in years past and the battle never really interested me as much as others.  I don't know why.  Maybe its because almost every American kid has heard of the battle (or used to hear about it) on the Western Front and I have always had a greater interest about the Eastern Front.

In reading Essig's Designer Notes of the game I learned that Last Blitzkrieg was one of his “grail” games.  He had already accomplished his “grails” in some of his other systems but BCS gave him the ability to simulate the Battle of the Bulge in a manner he had always wanted.  So, I'm glad I've got it, this first game of the new series.  Through VASSAL I can easily study the opening setups in the scenarios and, knowing how BCS plays, I can “read” the battle in a way I never could before.  Fun!  This could be the definitive wargame on that famous battle.  

But, like I said, I wanted the simpler situation of the Battle of Kasserine Pass to learn the system.  Since both games were published and packaged a few years back, neither came with the latest rules to the series.  I had to print those off the internet.  For the past several days I've been playing through some opening moves of various scenarios in the Baptism By Fire VASSAL module on my PC.

OCS (the forerunner of this system) focuses on the Army/Corps level of things.  BCS focuses on the Division/Battalion level.  Typically, formations will be represented as part of a division or task force or battle group.  This is a step down from OCS, which I played regularly for many years.  Some of BCS looks like OCS but it is best to forget any apparent similarity.  There really isn't one.

Whereas Essig's two regimental series were basically just scaled-down versions of CWBS battles (I prefer the brigade level overall), according to his Design Notes, he at first thought it would be the same with BCS, a scaled-down OCS.  But he soon realized that he could do “something more” at this scale.  So the whole system has been redesigned from top to bottom.  And I have to say, he did a great job making the rules as clear as possible.  It is just that his concepts are sometimes “strange” to ordinary wargame design.  I will mention a few of them going forward.

To show you how the system works I am going to blog about the German attack on the actual Pass which happened exactly 78 years ago today in February 1943.  I will run the Sequence of Play through the activation of a few units and you'll see. First, we check weather.  I am playing by the historical weather so that means it is raining today.

Rain affects the game in that no formation (division/task force) may gain a “Full” activation.  Instead, the best anyone can attain is a “Partial,” which carries a few penalties.  Otherwise they “Fail,” which contains all sorts of penalties rendering you near useless except for recovering fatigue.  Rain also means there are no air points generated to assist with attacks (fighters and bombers can't fly).  In the game the Germans have a slight advantage in air power so this hinders that side more than the Americans.  Rain also swells streams on the map and makes them prohibited terrain, whereas ordinarily they can be crossed with a movement penalty.

There are no Replacements being used to rebuild units and we are going to skip the Reinforcement Phase for now.  The action depicted in this post takes place on a tiny section of the game map.  There are other things happening in the game outside of the periphery of what I'm going to blog about here.  There are other units doing other things but I will not mention much of that.

We are going to watch the Kampfgruppe Das Afrika Corps (DAK) attempt to overrun the Pass.  Standing in their way are two American Task Forces behind some minefields.  The German forces are commanded by General Erwin Rommel, who actually has a counter in the game which benefits various command and movement activities.  Ordinarily, Rommel is placed on an off-map display to indicate which German formation he is personally leading.  For this blog I have placed Rommel on the map to the side just so you can see the counter.  In the game one turn equals one day.

The opening situation at Kasserine Pass February 19, 1943.  The Rommel counter is ordinarily not on the map.  I simply placed it there so you can see it.  Notice the various white markers next to the Task Force HQs.  They indicate fatigue level and that Stark is deployed in Prepared Defense.  They are for informational purposes only.

KG DAK is an ad hoc organization typical of the North Africa campaign.  Its troops are all excellent.  There are two motorized infantry battalions, a recon battalion and a tank (panzer) battalion.  Guarding the Pass are two engineer battalions, an tank destroyer battalion, and a decent infantry battalion under Task Force Stark.  Task Force Combat Command C (CCC) of the 1st Armored Division with only a battalion of mechanized infantry is up the road behind Stark.  Each hex represents roughly 1 kilometer.   

The scenario indicates the Germans will get the first activation.  Ordinarily, the players each roll two dice and highest roll gets to go first.  Activations alternate after that.  We flip to the KG DAK Headquarters (located off-map, just to the south) to its “Used” side to indicate it has activated.  Next, we check to make sure the formation has a good Main Support Route (MSR).  This is BCS's mechanic to ensure that supplies are not interrupted, allowing the formation to conduct itself efficiently.  Rommel is fine in this regard right now.

SNAFU is the next necessary check in the Sequence of Play.  This is to see if the formation will operate at Full or Partial capability.  Or, less often, the Formation could Fail their check.  In this case Rommel provides a bonus to the die roll and the result is a Full activation, which means there are no penalties to do conduct any operations.  But recall that since it is raining the best any formation can obtain is a Partial activation.  This means all units will only move at half their movement points and the Formation can only use half its artillery support points.

Having determined all that it is now necessary for KG DAK to place an Objective Marker.  It must conduct all its attacks within two hexes of this marker, so placement is important.  In a Full activation the player receives two such markers but it gets only one in a Partial.  In this example of play, the units are highly concentrated due to the narrowness of the Pass.  So, it is fairly easy to place an Objective Marker so that the player can attack all desired targets in the current Activation.  

Having the two markers of a Full activation can be played two ways.  You can create flexibility by placing the markers in different locations, able to attack targets that are spread-out and accomplish two maneuvers simultaneously.  Or, you can stack them on top of each other creating a “Double Objective Zone.”  This concentrates the formation's goals in such a way as to benefit combat, a wonderful design mechanic by Essig.  One of many in this system.

Rommel attacks the Pass.  The 1st and 2nd Afrika battalions advance into different minefield hexes and stop.  According to the game rules this will breach the minefield at the end of the Activation.  Both units are now Finished, they can not do anything else this Activation.  The minefields are still active for now, however, and are considered Prohibited Terrain for other German units.  They cannot be entered.  So the Recon and Tank battalions roll up behind the infantry and wait.

DAK HQ (still slightly off the map) can normally provide 3 artillery support missions per Activation.  But this is halved because of the Rain.  One and a half points of artillery is rounded down to one.  So KG DAK decides to make use of the Afrika infantry adjacent to the Engineers on the left side of the Pass to spot for a Barrage attack.  This results in the American Engineers taking a hit.  Most units in BCS have multiple steps.  The Engineers have 3 which is reduced to 2.  With no one else to move the formation checks for Fatigue.  

They are “Fresh” troops which gives them a bonus when checking for SNAFU.  From there they could downgrade to a Fatigue-0, which means no bonus at all but no penalties either.  The system tracks any formation downward from Fatigue-1 through Fatigue-4.  Each level of fatigue penalizes the SNAFU check equivalent to the level number (Fatigue-4 is -4 to the SNAFU roll), making Partials and Fails far more likely the worse the formation's fatigue becomes.  This is another nice, easy to understand mechanic.  Formations may elect to “recover” when they Activate.  By not moving at all  fatigue drops by one level (sometimes the player can make use of a Fail activation to recover fatigue).  Once a formation loses its Fresh level it can never get the SNAFU bonus back.

KG DAK passes its fatigue check since it basically did not do much that Activation.  It remains Fresh.  That will conclude the Activation.  The Objective Market is removed and two minefield markers are flipped to Breached.  In BCS all formations may attempt a Second Activation after the first.  This is a simple die roll against the formation HQ rating.  If it passes the roll then the formation must immediately activate again.  If it fails it is Finished for the turn.  (It cannot recover any fatigue if it attempts a Second Activation and fails; only on the first activation.)  The excellent German HQ rating plus the bonus of having Rommel personally in-charge helps ensure that KG DAK obtains a Second Activation.

Now the DAK HQ is turned upside down to reflect that it has activated twice.  The player will “upright” the counter at the end of the game turn.  Checking SNAFU again benefits from Rommel being around and they receive another Full activation, which is still only Partial because of the Rain.  The Objective Marker is placed once again to maximize the number of units that can be attacked.

The 1st Afrika battalion attacks the village near the secondary road.  This is defended by American Engineers assisted by a battalion of tank destroyers.  The Combat Results Tables in BCS are not odds-based or points-based like virtually all other wargames.  Instead you roll dice and apply a handful of modifiers to the combat values of the attacking and defending units to get a result.  

With enough play these are not that difficult to memorize and it makes combat resolution quick and easy.  An interesting thing about combat in BCS is that there are specialized attacks depending upon what kind of unit is doing the attacking.  Tank units can fire (engage) with other tanks to pick them off, sometimes at a 2 or 3 hex range.  Artillery can Barrage enemy units and cause losses.  Tanks can Attack by Fire, essentially another form of target Barrage in BCS.  Tanks may also conduct Shock Attacks in an attempt to breakthrough enemy lines.  Lastly, infantry can attack/assault anything as combat resolution.

Which is what happens with the 1st Afrika as it attacks the other Engineer unit in the center of the Pass.  Its attack is assisted by DAK HQ's one support point (the points are per activation not per turn).  This time it is not applied as a Barrage, however.  Here is it used as Suppression Fire and gives the attack a positive modifier.  The 1st Afrika attack result causes the defender loses one step and both it and the tank destroyer battalion must flip to their movement side and retreat 3-hexes.  They retreat into rough terrain adjacent HQ Stark while the 1st Afrika advances up the road and is Finished.

The DAK panzer battalion now advances up the road and attacks the Stark infantry battalion.  Most units have a combat (deployed) side and a movement side.  Obviously, one side benefits fighting, the other moving.  The player can flip each unit as he desires when a given unit starts its move during an activation.  The panzer unit remains on its combat side and attacks.  Adding its Armor Value and its Action Rating together we get a “9”.  This is compared with the “3” Action Rating for the infantry for a net of +6 for the panzers.  

TF Stark is in a Prepared Defense so this lowers the modifier to +5.  A die roll of “8” yields a “13,” which results in two step loses for the defender, a flip to its movement side and a retreat of three hexes.  The infantry battalion has 6 steps so, while bloodied, it is still in decent shape.  The panzer battalion advances into the hex after combat and is Finished.

The situation at the end of KG DAK's attack on Kasserine Pass.  They have breached two minefield hexes and driven TF Stark back except for the lone Engineer battalion, which only has one step remaining as indicated by the red "1" on the counter.  This also shows the original Objective Marker pointing at the hex the panzer battalion just took, which allows anything within two hexes to be attacked.

The 2nd Afrika attacks the other Engineer battalion but rolls low resulting in an attacker step loss (from 6 steps to 5) and a “Situational” Retreat.  In this case the defender conducts a regular 3-hex retreat unless it is defending Key Terrain (it isn't) or its formation is in Prepare Defense (it is).  The Engineers take a step loss (leaving them with one step) but the retreat is canceled.  The DAK Recon unit advances through the village but no further.  In BCS you don't want to get too far ahead of yourself.  I'll explain why in a moment.

KG DAK rolls for Fatigue, modifying the check with penalties for conducting an attack sequence.  Its Fresh status is dropped and it becomes Fatigue-0.  Elsewhere on the map, an approaching KG will manage two activations and will arrive at the Pass on its second, possibly setting up more attacks.  Another KG Fails its second check, however, and will not arrive this turn.  Such is the chaos of the battlefield.

But the Americans get to Activate before any of that happens.  TF Stark attains a Partial activation and regroups in Prepared Defense, which can only happen on the first activation.  The Stark units can reposition themselves but the HQ cannot move or activate a second time.  

Upon activation, two new units appear as reinforcements at HQ Stark as per the scenario instructions.  They could have arrived at the start of the turn before any activations took place.  BCS gives the player flexibility in this regard and I chose to present them this way.  Stark adds another decent infantry battalion and a tank company to the mix.  The TF arrays itself to make use of terrain and places itself in Prepared Defense.  It is Finished.

Now KG Stenkhoff activates, driving through the rain along the secondary road as far as their halved movement allows them.  They mark the American Engineers as their Objective.  Though strung out along the road, some of Stenkhoff is within striking distance of the Pass although they will have to remain on their movement side to get there.  Units may still fight while in move mode, their firepower is just reduced.  (You can also move in combat/deployed mode, just not very fast.)

The presence of the Engineers have a Zone of Control which stubbornly blocks any attempt for non-tank units to move passed them.  The Pass will not be open as long as they are there.  Since they were already attacked earlier in the turn by KG DAK they cannot be target for a regular attack again, only once per Activation Phase is allowed.  BUT...other forms of attacks such as Barrages are allowed.

The KG Stenkhoff HQ has two artillery support points, rounded down to one because of Rain.  It obtains a Second Activation on a roll of 4-6 on one die as indicated by the reverse (Used) side of the HQ.  The HQ has a command range of 8 so it can fire a Barrage at the last step of those American Engineers.  In this case the Americans are unlucky and the Barrage effects a one-step loss, eliminating the Engineers and clearing the opening of the Pass. 

The situation at the end of the turn.   KG Stenkhoff has arrived and moved the II/104 battalion forward to "spot" for the Barrage attack from the KG's HQ.  The Objective Marker for Stenkhoff is pointing to the hex containing what is left of the American Engineer unit.  KG DAK and KG Stenkhoff are now mixed Formations but this is allowed without penalty since they are considered "buddies" in this game.  The Objective Marker and the Engineers will be removed from the map. Other elements of Stenkhoff are present and will be available for the attempted push next turn through the Pass.  Notice that the DAK HQ is upside down indicating that it cannot do more this turn, it has used its two Activations.  Likewise, the Stenkhoff HQ (shown on its "Used" side here) will be turned upside down to indicate that the Formation is Finished.  Another point of interest is that Stenkhoff has arrived with an 88 anti-tank battalion placed under a "Stand Off Support" marker.  BCS allows certain units to be placed in "support" instead of remaining a singular unit on the map.  This abstractly represents the unit's capabilities as dispersed throughout the Formation, allowing ALL units to gain some benefit from it.  In this case, whereas normally armor units can by-pass infantry without stopping, now any armor must stop upon entering a hex adjacent to the infantry because the infantry is now supported with a few 88's distributed throughout the Formation.  This is a pretty cool mechanic showing, in this case, how anti-tank units can either fight like any other unit on the map or can be dispersed to assist the entire formation.  That does not come into play in this example but it serves to show you another of the many wrinkles in commanding on the battlefield.

 

Movement alone never causes an increase in Fatigue, but there is a low probability of an increase due to the Barrage.  Stenkhoff passes the check and will remain at Fatigue-1.  The remainder of its units arrive around Kasserine and arrange themselves so as to be ready for the next turn's fighting advance through the Pass.  This brings up a vital aspect of BCS to keep in mind.  Here we come to a “strange” aspect of the design.  

Per the game-specific rules, KG DAK and KG Stenkhoff are “buddies” in game terminology.  This means they can share the same MSUs.  Normally, Formations must have distinct MSUs or suffer penalties on their SNAFU roll.  Also, normally Formations form distinct “blobs” (a classic, humorous Essig term - this is supposed to be fun after all).  Basically, the map “footprint” of the collection of units within a Formation must never get mixed-up with the footprint of a different Formation's blob.  If they do, more penalties are incurred when checking SNAFU.  If a player is not careful with the placement of his units, a Formation can be so penalized that it will Fail multiple Activations, which can be disastrous when trying to respond to the enemy.

In this case, the two German KGs are buddies and can mix with each other in a way that is exceptional.  In most cases Formations are not buddies and such mixing invites paralysis.  This is an important game concept.  If played properly, you can attack your opponent so as to mix-up their forces and cause them to be unable to respond to your movements.  This is the essence of modern operational warfare and BCS allows it to be fully depicted.

So, the DAK/Stenkhoff mixing of forces indicates the superior command and control of Rommel's units.  On the American side, all CCs of the 1st Armored Division are also buddies.  But they are scattered all over the game map at this point in the campaign.  (Historically, the American commanders did not position their forces properly at Kasserine, which is one reason Rommel won this battle.)  In most games of this series, however, such mixing results in "Coordination" penalties if even one unit from one Formation mixes with the blob of another, making it more likely that to Fail to activate or to do no better than a Partial.  One secret to winning in BCS is to use your Full Activations to force your enemy to stagger around with Partials and Fails.

Finally, for this small part of the map on this turn CCC Activates.  It is not a buddy with Stark, which is an independent command.  Moving CCC too far forward could  create the mixing of formations that you want to avoid.  So, CCC merely positions its lone mechanized infantry battalion to protect Stark's rear and goes into Prepared Defense.  The CCB formation is coming to its aid from the north and should make it to this point on the map next turn.

So, this is the flavor of BCS.  There is a lot more to the system than I was able to show in this example of play.  I really didn't get to show you how HQs and Combat Trains work.  What "Ghost" trains are, another fun Essig term.  How and why Coordination (mixing Formations) penalties apply.  How to conduct a Voluntary Retreat or an Engagement battle.  How Recon units can enter "Screen" mode and how they can establish additional Objective Markers (giving reconnaissance its intended effect instead of rendering it as weak infantry like most wargames).  As I mentioned earlier, I'm just beginning to see how these various elements (and many more) all fit together.  But I am having a blast learning the system and a lot of fun allowing it to simulate the complex web of factors military commanders must consider in simulating WW2 warfare.  

As expected, BCS rewards the effort I am making to discover its nuances and will likely afford me with years of study and play as more of this series comes out.  Recall that I said something clicked a few weeks ago when I read the 2.0 version rules?   Actually, it was my interest in a new title that I preordered and will hopefully be published later this year called Panzers Last Stand, a game on the 1945 fighting in and around Budapest, a topic that has oddly interested me for decades.  I'll probably write a blog post when I finally receive my copy, maybe around Christmas.  Until then, I'll continue to play Baptism By Fire and try to fully understand this sometimes strange but insightful and entertaining wargame system.