Combat Commander: Europe Review
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 10 авг 2024
- Combat Commander: Europe Review
Intro (00:00); game overview (0:56); final thoughts and review (18:44);
Combat Commander: Europe www.gmtgames.com/p-455-combat...
from
GMT Games www.gmtgames.com/
Subscribe to Drive Thru Review: goo.gl/LrTiG5
DriveThruGames website: www.drivethrugames.com
Facebook: / drivethrureview
Twitter: / e3kmouse
Google+: plus.google.com/+Drivethruvid...
BGG Geeklist: boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/655... 
Игры
I'm an avid ASL player, but I REALLY like CC too.
ASL realistic combat simulator with very high levels of granularity that rewards smart tactical planning. It maintains that "Chess" feeling, as you mentioned some games do. ASL is designed to be highly realistic, hence its dependency on volumes of rules. (The volumes of rules are there for the eventuality of ANY realistic situation that one can come across in combat, and can be dealt with in a realistic way.) ASL simulates tactical combat with high granularity.
CC is the opposite of ASL in that it is more "playable". It's a game that simulates randomness of battle, not high granularity. That is the fun of this game; the random chaos that not even the best laid plans can account for.
If this was set in the world of Gloomhaven it would be Number One ranked on BGG
David Thurling Haha. No doubt.
Yeah. One of my best mates just won't play it because he looks at it and I guess thinks it'll be a dry WW2 game.
As a ASL player I really like CC pacific... I can actually get a game in easier and after years of playing and not getting younger, its just easier and scratches my ASL itch enough.
After 8+ years of being in this hobby , you're the only reviewer that I still follow and whose opinion I value, good work!
Never played, but after your review, this seems like the BEST game of its genre. I tried to go get it at my FLGS... They didn't have it, so I ordered from my Online store who got a couple of copies... 67$ was a little over my budget, but since you vouched for it so much, I decided to give it a try!
Thanks again!
Had a hero moment on Fat Lipki where my Mrs was the Germans, i was shooting across a field from the safety of the tree line into a building where she had a machine gunner, many turns exchanged fire and finally i break here unit and she runs back down the street, as im approaching to take it she gets the hero event rallys the machine gun runs it back into the house decimates my squads who are out of cover and wins the game.
Definitely my favourite ww2 wargame and yeah this is the opposite of ASL! don't play that.
Awesome.
The seed planted with this video finally sprouted... I just learned Combat Commander at WBC and have been binging ever since!
You do fantastic reviews! Thanks a lot for the work you put in.
+Victor Glimskog Thank you sir!
This was a fantastic review! I really got a sense for how the game works, and what's inside the box. I also enjoyed hearing your old 'war story' about the Russian paratrooper showing up at the perfect time. Haha... Good stuff! Thank you for taking the time to do this well.
David Martin Thanks David!
great review, thank you
Love your review of this. I was lucky that a friend taught me this a fortnight ago. I'm about to play my fourth game and it is SUPERB. The game has so much flow and feels as crazy as war itself (not literally). It makes even accessible, jaunty games like Memoir 44 feel so bland and dry. And its 'random scenario generator' works brilliantly, basically giving it a fresh feel every time.
I'm 44 years old now and, like at least one or two of my gaming friends, we've had an epiphany where we've realised we like games that offer fun 'event'-like moments and daft situations. Combat Commander is vastly better designed than probably almost all of them, but still gives that quantity of flavour.
I think I've got a similar thing going on. The ability to "think on my feet" is always an added bonus in a game for me.
@@DriveThruReview Yeah. Initially I thought Combat Commander was 'playing me' too much. Because I was just using the cards I was dealt. But then I realised that you really need to develop sets/combos of cards to properly punch through an opponents' defences, so it all came together. I started discarding more often (to control my hand better) and found that the hand management is a really nice balance of planning and reactive. And I love details like how firing a bunch of shots forces loads of card play and really drives the timer forward.
You are too right. Hands down the best (most fun) tactical WW2 game out there. Thanks for another great review Joel.
Was just lamenting the lack of video reviews for this popular game. I'd pick this up at my store, but I'm currently satisfied with my current tactical games. Waiting patiently for some of the P500 Operation - level games to be released. Wanting something a bit more complex than No Retreat ;)
No Retreat is about my limit on that style of game. I wish there was more I could get into in that regard.
This is my single most favourite review of this year. Your enthusiasm is almost tangible and certainly infectious. (My order is on its way) I'd love to see more reviews of games in the series. Much thanks.
siouxfire (In fact I liked it so much I was looking for how to tip geek gold... and then I realised it's RUclips)
siouxfire Thanks. I do plan on getting the Med and Pacific editions at some point.
Charles, you could not be more correct my friend. CC is an awesome, different, creative game. I play it solo because the cards have such a great effect on the turn you never know what is coming next. Just like in real war. Beautiful components also.
Interesting review! I love Up Front (which is still the definitive WW2 card game for me), and I've been interested in this game for some time already. I didn't bite since this didn't include armor (and I love armor), and since I decided to go for the Band of Brothers system which is a very streamlined ruleset. I also noticed that the maps are paper maps, and I really prefer at least a cardboard board rather than paper. In any case good review!
I am glad to see someone else that gets as gushy about CCE as I do, and I am an Ex Squad Leader player.
Great review for a great game! one small correction: at 14.20, Sgt. Smith can't join the firegroup, because his range is only 1.
Doh! Good catch. I even told myself that before setting up, lol.
Whoa, that was a great review! I'm totally going to pick up this game again. (I used to own it, but traded it away before I even tried it. I'm not sure why, I was foolish!)Also, this is the first review I've ever watched of yours, and it got me to subscribe to your channel. Easily my favorite longer review of a game I've ever watched!
+Matthew Vantries Thank you sir! I appreciate it. The game is truly amazing I (still) feel. So, it kind of reviews itself. :)
That detail that's enthralled you so much is really the reason why people do love ASL so I'm not sure it's quite right to say it's the opposite. If this gets a similar effect without being as complex, that's a great achievement of design, kudos to the designers.
Great review. I'm gonna buy it on your recommendation. Thanks
Joel, if you ever find interest in minis, you may like the Chain of Command ruleset by Too Fat Lardies. It shares some structural similarities with CC:E, mainly the fluidity of time and the lack of total control (dice allocation for orders and movement in contrast to CC:E cards).
It's WW2 platoon level without gamey competitive army points system. As the title suggests, the ruleset emphasizes decision making from the platoon leader's perspective. The player has a limited amount of support he can call in from outside the platoon, based on scenario setup. The setup also includes a patrol phase, representing each sides' platoons making contact with the opposition and determining the lines of engagement.
Interesting. I don't play miniature games unless they are also a "board game" if that makes sense. Just more lifestyle/space consideration than anything necessarily to do with the games themselves.
Surprisingly enough this is the first review of yours I've bumped into. I elected to go for Band of Brothers over Company of Heroes and like the game but it is a rather "dry" experience. Your review reinforces the difference in that respect. I like BoB but will look at CC now too. Subbed.
Thanks! Welcome!
Hmm. In case you were trying to reply to my waffle I think I reset my settings now :-)
While I'm here shall I mention the random event card I once drew right at the start of a battle that advised that a fire had broken out in a random hex.
Incredibly the random hex turned out to be the exact one where the most valuable objective was, and which was therefore the most heavily defended hex on the map.The Germans immediately had to flee and scrambled to put up an ad-hoc defence somewhere around the same objective instead.
Hans, Hans, look! The Russians are coming! Put out your cigarette and get ready to mow the fools down! NOOOO don't throw it there! *Whooomph*
Ah man! I am just seeing this comment now! That's freaking hilarious! I love it.
Had this game since release plus the expansions and love it.
i love this game. the designer chad jensen is amazing. i just wish he'd create some more content. he hasn't done anything new in quite some time other than expansions.
Great review this sounds an exciting immersive game....I'm off to order it now :) thanks
Such an amazing game just bought this recently after playing it again. This is what I wanted memoir 44 to be .
Yes! I failed to mention this. But this is basically C&C 2.0 for me now. In some ways it makes me appreciate C&C more, but I'd rather play this for sure.
I've played this game 20 times now. Every Wednesday in the pub. It just keeps getting better and better. No boardgame is as much fun for me. The Mediterranean expansion is superb too, doubling the number of armies and changing some set-up rules. We have thick clear plastic sheets to protect the maps etc.
Best review of this game I have seen. I am a CC addict.
pbeccas Thank you kindly.
Oh, and you definitely should give Unconditional Surrender a try. The rules are long but incredibly elegant and there is less chrome yet (in my opinion) way more depth than in No Retreat (which seems more like a puzzle).
I plan on trying the sample in the latest C3i. Will see how that goes.
Good idea. The Case Blue scenario leaves out a lot of stuff (e.g. the whole diplomatic/political part) and is extremely playable. Judging from your taste in games, the system should blow you away - as it did me ... ;-)
Joel, I concur with all you say about CCED. Now, if you have not already, try out the improved version: Combat Commander Pacific
I hope to try it at some point. Want to play this a bit more and also try the Mediterranean nationalities.
This is the only medium-weight wargame I have that the wife will play, and she really likes it (because of all those memorable stories that it generates which Joel alluded to).
I really like the card system, you just 'know' that your opponent has a defensive fire card waiting for you, it would be suicide to cross that field. Yet maybe, just maybe, it could work this time. Perhaps they are low on ammo, or distracted, and maybe our headquarters are about to call off the mission. This could possibly be the best chance. OK boys we have to do this! Splat.
Likewise I don't miss tanks, I much prefer the man-to-man stuff which was the more prevalent type of conflict in WW2 anyway. They try and crowbar faux-tanks into the Pacific game and I think it does a poor job and merely highlights something which isn't really an issue.
My fave version is the Mediterranean game - just love those minor nations!
Combat Commander: Europe Review ruclips.net/video/Q7LV890hz2Y/видео.html
Great game.
Probably the best War Game I've played.
This reminds me a bit of Duel of Ages 2, which I also enjoy.
Had this for a while now....still haven't played-
Thanks for doing a great job reminding me to get off my butt!
Excellent review as usual!
Thanks Marcos.
You made me wanna get this game , let's schedule a Vassal game someday and you can show me the rules a bit .
Sounds good Joaquim.
Joel so are u going to review/look into the expansions and battle packs at all in the future I have Stalingrad coming today looks so cool . I also played pacific which is awesome and tweaks the system a bit
Hopefully at some point yes. I would like to try Mediterranean first, and then possibly pick up some of the packs. I just read the rules for a campaign mode in the latest C3i. Would like to try that out as well.
Just a heads up. I think a few folks have some Google+ privacy settings high or something. I can't reply to a few of the comments here for some reason :(
Great Review
great review
Thank you!
Thanks for another great review! Have you played any of the 'Band of Brothers' series from Worthington? They look pretty similar, and I'm torn on which way to go.
I have. This actually replaced it for me.
I had to get this after listening to "The Long View" podcast about it. That show really opened my eyes to what this could be. So I'd recommend a listen for a long discussion on this game. Sadly havn't managed to play this yet but I look forward to it some day (Maybe tomorrow as you got me anxious to try it)
Podcast: drivethruvideos.com/wp-content/podcasts/LongView/CombatCommander.mp3
I can definitely recommend giving this a listen. It also opened my eyes to the game and was one of the catalysts for me checking it out... finally.
Oh and if you want a story - one that the wife never lets me forget. In a random battle my prize unit was a Russian HMG, and I managed to deploy it onto a forward hill hex and dig it in with a brilliant field of fire and a quality leader. It totally dominated all approaches to the objectives.
She had no heavy weapons of note in her OB, certainly none that could break the team and their leader, nor could she blast it out of the fortification. I held my breath as she rolled on the support table, but she had no artillery on call either, so I didn't have to worry about a dense smokescreen or worse.
She tried to probe forward and it just chewed the units up, then she spent time firing everything she could at it, and it just shrugged it all off. She threw smoke grenades and after several abortive attempts a somewhat reedy smokescreen took shape.
She thought - now or never, the clock was running out, so surged her best leader plus his squads out into the open. The smokescreen wasn't great but it was enough to hamper my fire, and this was obviously the 'big push'. So I threw in crossfire and sustained fire actions on top of the defensive fire card.
And the idiot crew broke the HMG while firing it 'to the max'. The whole game swung right there, and she laughed her socks off for about ten mins. Literally tears of laughter coming down her face.
Brilliant.
Another great story. Sorry I missed these six years ago! At least, RUclips finally got around to fixing these comments. Thank you for sharing it!
Definitely a thumb up for Brendan #1... in addition to all the rest.
You convinved me to pick this up Joel. Nice work! :-) Can't wait for your reviews of the Med. Expansion and Battle Packs down the line. Also picked up A House Divided based on your review. Do you still play that one?
I do. Its been some time since I played it, but it's still a favorite of mine.
At 14:40, when dicussing fire groups, shouldn't the total FP be Sgt Smith (2) + Engineer(7) then then just +1 for the Line group in H8, giving you a total 10?
+Colaris Yes. I have this annotated already. Didn't catch until after reviewing it on RUclips. In my head I erroneously added the leader for a +1 as well on top of the bonus. I don't remember tbh. This was over a year ago, but that sounds like a mistake I would make :)
Sorry, must have missed the annotated thing. I'm already struggling trying to absorb all the rules and I am still a little unsure of things myself. :)
+Colaris No worries. Totally understand. It's a chunk up front, but once you get a couple of games in, it really starts to become second nature (imo of course).
Any thoughts/comments comparing combat commander to conflict of heroes?
I thought I compared a bit in the final thoughts. Maybe not. It's been several years. But, CC: E is my squad combat game of choice. I do like CoH though. CC: E is more visceral and cinematic for me.
Sorry, you did. (I didn’t finish the video before asking).
I have Conflict. And now with the quarantine I have more time to play meatier games. And I just assumed this video was made before the conflict series was published.
Would you say Combat Commander is the go to game For people who love Undaunted but want something heavier/more detailed?
@@greginfla7211 Hmm... that's a good question actually. I think so. Honestly, between CoH, CC: E, and Band of Brothers (which I'm not sure you can find right now), you can't go wrong.
Come on Joel! Get those counters clipped! :)
I won't do it. I don't like how they look clipped.
Use the Oregon Laminations 2.5mm corner rounder. Gorgeous. Xacto cutting sucks!
Kevin L. Kitchens In the words of a random X-Wing pilot, "There's too many of them!" :D
I guess that I used the force then. I did all of the expansions too
Drive Thru Review WHAT!?
Love this game! Great review
hello, when will there be a star wars armada review?
Not sure. Don't have a copy yet.
Have the chance to learn this one at a con, but it's either this, Russian Railroads or Merchants of Venus. Kinda leaning towards Russian Railroads. Heavy worker placement game I can get on board with, not sure about the chit driven wargame. I am interested in the gameplay tho.
+TheGreatHamEl I'd definitely pick this over RR. I'd put MoV over RR as well. Tough call on MoV vs. CC:E. I'd choose CC. I like MoV fine.... if it's the updated "Standard" Edition from FFG, and not the original... and not the "FFG only" version. Confused yet? :p
I think it is the newest version of Merchants of Venus? Have you tried RR with the expansion? I could probably do 2 out of the 3, but I want to secure a good shot at winning 1st at TTR again, and I don't even particularly care that much about TTR anymore. I just like watching grown men shed tears (literally!) when I end the game before they're ready. That's probably effed up... but I don't care. LOL
I haven't tried with the expansion but I keep hearing good things.
Drive Thru Review Made room for all 3 in my schedule, had to shuffle Terra Mystica out, but that was at Saturday at 8am anyways. Who the f wants to play TM at 8am after several days of game con and very likely a hangover from Friday night?
Not me! Good call.
Hey Joel, do you still play Combat Commander? Do you think it still holds up?
Yes and yes :)
Does this play well solitaire ?
I certainly think it's doable. But, you would lose the hidden information a bit. You could just flip cards at random for the AI player though and it would still be kind of fun.
When did this game come out? I think you should say if your reviewing a game that's been out for several years.
Todd Kelly I said right at the beginning of the review within the first 30 seconds. :)