kickstarter Archives - Columbia Games

Combat Infantry Design Notes: The Name Game

Columbia Games — Fri, 24 Feb 2017 08:00:38 +0000

Combat Infantry Design Notes: The Name Game

Tom Dalgliesh

COMBAT INFANTRY BADGE

The game is named after the “Combat Infantry” badge, which was awarded to U.S. infantrymen of colonel rank or less who participated in ground combat under hostile fire. This cherished award, worn above all other awards, depicts a 1795 Springfield musket on a blue bar with a silver border, superimposed on a wreath of oak leaves. Other nations had similar badges.

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Combat Infantry Design Notes: Armor Defense

Columbia Games — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 02:54:03 +0000

Combat Infantry Design Notes: Armor Defense

Tom Dalgliesh

Ideas on Armor Defense

Tank units have a rated armor defense noted in a red circle. Such units must be spotted and targeted individually. When firing on them, subtract the armor value from attacker firepower to determine net firepower. If the result is zero (0) or less, no effective fire is possible. Armor units are rated on a d10 scale, with 8 currently the highest rating (Tiger II). Dice used throughout the game are d10s.

EXAMPLE: F7 Panther-5 firing at Sherman tank, armor 3, has F7–3 = F4 fire. If firing at long range, net firepower would be F3. Infantry firing at F3 or F4 will not be able to fire on tanks with armor 4 or higher since net firepower will be zero or less. However in close combat (same hex) armor levels are halved so most tanks then become vulnerable to infantry.

I am, however, probably going to +1 the Armor rating of the Panther to 5 and the Sherman to 4. Facing is NOT used in this game so there is no concept of thinner armor on the flanks and rear.

Anti-tank units such as a Bazooka have a red triangle. AT units gain a bonus when firing on armored units. In close combat, they are tank-killers.

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The Design Road to Combat Infantry

Columbia Games — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 21:27:34 +0000

A New Kickstarter from Columbia Games is Coming Soon! Combat Infantry!

Tom Dalgliesh is developing a new WWII tactical combat game with blocks. In this game you command a German or American infantry battalion, composed of three rifle companies, each with three rifle platoons, each with three rifle squads. Machine guns and mortars of a heavy weapons platoon are also included, plus engineers, tanks, and heavy weapons from battalion level.

The game includes four geomorphic maps that depict typical terrain found in Normandy, France. Map scale is 100 meters per hex.

The rules are just 12 pages long. You will find their depth of play to be realistic, yet playable. This claim arises from two simple game mechanics overlooked in many tactical games.

First, because of our signature hardwood blocks, fog-of-war is an important part of the game. Given a compelling need to “keep your head down”, fog-of-war is essential to simulate WWII tactical combat.

Second, the leadership rules require players to maintain unit integrity – squads belong to specific platoons, and platoons belong to specific companies, each with their own commanders.

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