Rochester Gamers Community

Combat Commander: Europe is currently my "hot game", and although I'll eventually post a more detailed review, here are my impressions so far.

Briefly, this is a card-driven tactical WWII wargame, designed by Chad Jensen, published by GMT in 2006.

kfritz was the one who introduced me to the game over 12 months ago. We played the first scenario, which in hindsight probably explains why I wasn't excited about the game. I found it to be lacking in flavour and tension compared to other card-driven games (I'm a fan of card-driven strategic wargames).

Last month, I gave it another try, and found it to be a much more rewarding experience. This was an entirely different scenario, allowing for a wider range of choices, including important hand management decisions (a part of any good card-driven game). Since then, I've purchased the entire series - save one expansion that I'll be buying shortly - and have been actively seeking opportunities to play the game.

So far, I've played 2.5 games online but no other games face-to-face. Online CC:E, using a VASSAL that has been extremely well developed, is a streamlined experience in some ways (e.g., setup is fast, shuffling the cards is done automatically) but slow in others. This is because rather than the IGO-UGO cadence of more traditional wargames, there are plenty of opportunites for interrupting an opponent's turn (e.g., firing at the enemy while they're moving). So one has to allow for internet (and brain) lag and move slowly enough that ample opportunity for interrupt is given.

Hence, what should be a 1-hour game face-to-face is at least a 2-hour affair using VASSAL. I imagine this might be shortened using Skype or some other voice conferencing, and perhaps just with some more experience using the interface.

In any case, it's a game I'm still very excited about (which in some ways is a pity because the entire series cost me AU$272) and, after racking up some more plays, will be ready to review on this site (if Karl doesn't beat me to it).