{"id":425,"date":"2019-11-19T12:24:15","date_gmt":"2019-11-19T12:24:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/?page_id=425"},"modified":"2021-06-10T14:02:06","modified_gmt":"2021-06-10T14:02:06","slug":"colour-command-combat-system","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/colour-command-combat-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Colour Command and Combat System"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Introduction &#8230; Chance Gadgets in Games\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Games have been around for centuries. The two classic game gadgets are the dice and cards. Enter\nany casino and you will see plenty of these in action. Despite hundreds of years of game\ndevelopment there have been relatively few developments in the &#8220;chance&#8221; gadgets used these two\nremain our favourites \u2013for good reason.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Back in the 1970s Gary Gygax invented Dungeons &amp; Dragons and for that he pioneered multi-sided\ndice set &#8211; the set of d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20 expanded the cube to all sorts of other shapes. This\ngave gamers some new tools to vary probabilities from the 1 in 6 version of dice. Twister has a\nspinner, as do several basic board games. These allow a wider range of results than a d6 and are fun.\nGames Workshop has special dice in Bloodbowl and Warlords Games created a special dice system\nfor their Bolt Action set. I am sure there are dozens out there I don\u2019t even know about.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The CCC System\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It has been great to see so many people enjoying Mortem et Gloriam, my first solo set of rules. It\ndoes seem to have captured the feel of 100s of different ancient armies rather well. Something I am\nproud of as I have never had Romans, Huns, Byzantines, Mongols, Samurai and Aztecs all feel correct\nin my past gaming (and I have been playing since 4th edition!).\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The underlying &#8220;invention&#8221; that drives the game is a colour system: the Colour Command and Combat\nSystem or CCC for short. The Plastic Soldier Company noticed the capacity of the system to power\nrange of wargames and we have set up a partnership to publish my rules and to create figure sets to\ngo with them.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Colours are easy to use quickly for most of us and it\u2019s attractive as well. I am finding it to be very\nadaptable to all periods of wargaming. Alasdair Harley has adapted it well to the Pike &amp; Shotte era,\nand I already have WW2, Napoleonics, Sci-Fi, Fantasy working well in both battle game and skirmish\nform.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I like a lot of periods personally and like to move between them but holding 6+ very different sets of\nrules in my head is beyond me. The possibility to switch periods easily without having to learn a new\nrule set allows me to move periods with ease.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The system also takes a lot of brain strain out of working out the results of combats and shooting. It\nlets you focus your mind mainly on the job of being a commander. I want to spend most of my\nenjoying making decisions not working out outcomes. This what the CCC system does \u2013 it takes he\nbrain-strain out of outcomes and focuses you on your decisions.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What is the CCC system has two parts:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA colour based <em>command system <\/em>to control your troops.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li><li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA colour based <em>dice system <\/em>to give you combat results.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Both use the same five colours: Black, White, Green, Yellow, Red. BLACK is always the worst; RED the\nbest. Here is a bit more about why it works across all periods.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The CCC Command System\n<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"725\" src=\"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screenshot-2019-11-19-at-12.41.46-1024x725.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-446\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screenshot-2019-11-19-at-12.41.46-1024x725.png 1024w, https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screenshot-2019-11-19-at-12.41.46-300x212.png 300w, https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screenshot-2019-11-19-at-12.41.46-768x544.png 768w, https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screenshot-2019-11-19-at-12.41.46.png 1040w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For every period, you have a set of actions from easy to difficult: say, walk directly ahead or change\nformation. Easy actions need BLACK; difficult ones RED. Then across the top of the action table you\nhave different troops grades in terms of maneuver skill. In ancients, we have four: 1) Skirmisher, 2)\nDrilled, 3) Formed, 4) Tribal. A set move is harder for Tribal than Drilled. That\u2019s it really. The concept\nworks for every period, it is just that the actions and troop types are different. In WW2 we have five\ntraining grades of T1 to T5, highly trained German SS are T2, poorly trained USSR infantry are T4.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then on the right you have what is added to that concept to give the right command &amp; control feel\nfor each period. It is these additions that create the unique feel of each period. Taking ancients and\nWW2 as examples:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>Ancients <\/strong>is a lot about making moves of <strong>multiple units together in long battle lines <\/strong>and <strong>using\ngenerals personally in command of troops<\/strong>. The two additions of <em>block moves <\/em>and <em>colour\nupgrades <\/em>for <em>generals <\/em>who are with a move creates \u201cancient feel\u201d.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li><li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>WW2 <\/strong>has <strong>repeat activations by units <\/strong>and <strong>keeping initiative to do repeat moves <\/strong>and co-\nordinate troops. This gives the feel of good units doing a lot per turn (which is actually what\ndiffered between the well trained elite and the raw recruit) and of better-commanded armies\nbeing able to coordinate combined arms (again a very real possibility for the late war allies\nbut not for early war USSR). WW2 feel.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Picking the correct additions makes Ancients, Renaissance, Napoleonics, 7yrs War, Colonials, ACW,\nWW2 and mass skirmish games all have their own unique period feel. But the common core means\nthat if you know one, then it is quite instinctive and easy to pick up another.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Driving the Command System <\/strong><strong>\u2013 <\/strong><strong>Different Tools\n<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"710\" src=\"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screenshot-2019-11-19-at-12.41.55-1024x710.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-445\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screenshot-2019-11-19-at-12.41.55-1024x710.png 1024w, https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screenshot-2019-11-19-at-12.41.55-300x208.png 300w, https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screenshot-2019-11-19-at-12.41.55-768x533.png 768w, https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screenshot-2019-11-19-at-12.41.55.png 1044w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Many people have thought that the cards were the key part of Mortem et Gloriam but that is a\nmisunderstanding of the system. Anything can be used that will give you the mix of colours for\ncommand. We have two official versions: Cards in a deck, and Discs in a bag. Even after 3 years of\nplay different players prefer different tools, and players are welcome to create their own (a friend of\nmine uses coloured cubes).\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cards are often best for beginners when you want to be looking at your colours all the time but once\nyou are an experienced player, and need to look less often, the discs look nicer and are easily stacked\nwith a general on the tabletop. Players can choose whichever gadget they prefer to drive the\ncommand system.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With PSCs assistance we are creating versions of these that blend into the tabletop to keep games\nlooking magnificent. The card packs and disc sets will have their rears printed to match exactly our\ndouble-sided BattleMats &#8211; green plains on one side and brown scrub\/desert on the other. This allows\nthem to vanish on the tabletop, minimize any visual clutter and maximise the viewing spectacle of\nfigures and terrain.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The CCC Combat System\n<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lurkio.co.uk\/meg\/meg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/DiceSpin Short Loop Post_ColourFix.gif\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>We have the same five colours for combat (whether shooting or melee) but these are the skull dice\nand as you get into better and better situations you will roll better dice.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The dice have 4 symbols on them in a different mix on each colour: Skull, Cross (swords\/arrows), S\nand blank. The Cross is damage and the Skull is serious damage. The S is for special effects for each\nperiod.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIn ancient shooting it gives <em>slowing <\/em>effects (which gives the rules a previously missing effect\nof being showered in arrows); in ancient combat it gives <em>shatters <\/em>(nasty charges punching\nholes) and <em>shove <\/em>(phalanxes pushing).\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li><li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIn WW2 it gives <em>suppression <\/em>forcing troops to keep their heads down. It\u2019s a simple &#8220;read the\nresult&#8221; system.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOnce you know which dice to roll, this system takes a lot of brain strain out of wargaming as you read\nthe result straight off the dice and move on. No need to work out whether you are double someone\nelse\u2019s score, or higher, or whether a specific condition applies, or add up a number of dice, or figure\nout how many 4+.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe diagram below gives the symbol mix for the dice. Imagine rolling 6 black dice against 6 red dice\nand the effects &#8230;. in MeG 6 Black dice would be one damage marker and slowed by 1 base width; 6 x\nRed would be 3 bases removed, one damage marker and slowed by 3 base widths!!\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"758\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screenshot-2019-11-19-at-12.42.09.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-444\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screenshot-2019-11-19-at-12.42.09.png 758w, https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screenshot-2019-11-19-at-12.42.09-300x129.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 758px) 100vw, 758px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Next steps\n<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>For every historical gamer there are around 10 sci-fi gamers (thanks to the success of Games\nWorkshop). For every wargamer there about 10 modelers who are interested in military history.\nBeyond those are the readers of military history, fantasy and sci-fi potentially inspired to games from\nthem. And the board game community.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My personal aim is to use the system to try to grow our hobby as much as possible. Historical\nwargaming is a small niche hobby, the competition circuit thereof a smaller niche still.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A step towards this is a game called Invasion Earth which is designed to give a beginner an easy and\nfun one-hour experience with a sci-fi\/Victorian setting \u2013 thereby bridging sci-fi and historical.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screenshot-2019-11-19-at-12.42.19.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-443\" width=\"223\" height=\"213\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screenshot-2019-11-19-at-12.42.19.png 432w, https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screenshot-2019-11-19-at-12.42.19-300x286.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 223px) 100vw, 223px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screenshot-2019-11-19-at-12.42.27.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-442\" width=\"293\" height=\"207\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screenshot-2019-11-19-at-12.42.27.png 568w, https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screenshot-2019-11-19-at-12.42.27-300x213.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 293px) 100vw, 293px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is freeware on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lurkio.co.uk\/\">www.lurkio.co.uk<\/a> website and all the figures and dice you need are there for \u00a330. My 10 and 8-year-old daughters and my wife have started to play so I\u2019ve added 3 wargamers to the population already!! Give it a try and see if you can get a non-wargamer playing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Simon Hall\n<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-summary\">\nIntroduction &#8230; Chance Gadgets in Games Games have been around for centuries. The two classic game gadgets are the dice&hellip;\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/colour-command-combat-system\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;Colour Command and Combat System&rdquo;<\/span>&hellip;<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":194,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-template\/_sidebar.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-425","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","entry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=425"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/425\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":979,"href":"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/425\/revisions\/979"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mortem-et-gloriam.co.uk\/meg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}