*
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 29, 2024, 02:08:31 PM

Login with username, password and session length

Donate

We Appreciate Your Support

Recent

Author Topic: Chain of Command Indochine Updated with Pics  (Read 3434 times)

Offline Goliad

  • Librarian
  • Posts: 178
Chain of Command Indochine Updated with Pics
« on: November 08, 2019, 08:22:11 PM »
After a long road to completing Indochine figures and terrain I finally set up a table and got the platoons out for Chain of Command using some of the rules from the unofficial Vietnam variant available online. It's unusual for me to complete a project so decided to post pics to mark the occasion. Pics are from the second of two games played. The first was a first run through of the rules but was not that satisfying. Despite having a nice table set up all the sections and teams ended up in a 2 foot square (Do others find this is this a thing with CoC? Even some of the good Youtube game postings look crammed at times.)

The second game ended up more expansive and interesting. After a drop The Foreign Legion Paras  had pushed out their perimeter and were now defending against a Viet Minh probe. The two sides were of real contrast - The FFL were Elite and aggressive; the Viet Minh were from a Green provincial battalion but had some interesting "local knowledge" type support options from the Vietnam CoC variant (moveable deployment point, tougher ambush options) plus an extra section and mortar support.

Pics follow

The Viet Minh just had to get one section or team off the French side of the table. The FFL had had the time to mine the village flank but the Viet Minh had decided to push on the paddy field flank with the idea for a strong demonstration against the village and a reserve to drive through where opportunity presented itself. The French were well positioned with a deployment point in the abandoned hut in the rice fields and in the village centre to allow feeding of forces to crisis areas.

The Viet Minh came on but were cautious and got bogged down in an unwinnable firefight against the FFL in the paddies. A mortar team was able to deploy and inflict some casualties on the paras but otherwise the French seemed to have the situation at hand.

At this stage I guess a Commissar had some inspirational words for the Viet Minh commander who decided that "green" troops or not the fight was going to be taken to the enemy. A local tunnel was used to move a deployment up and another section deployed in the fields that immediately went "over the top" on attack while a senior commander deployed, took shock off the stalled section and got them moving down the flank as their comrades took the brunt of FFL fire in the fields. Another Viet Minh section deployed against the village and went on attack to stop the French moving troops across to flank the paddy attack. The mortar proved very effective in keeping casualties ticking over on the French. The Viet Minh commander saw a gap with the FFL now generally engaged to push his last section up the road.

The Viet Minh in the paddies were getting mown down - losing dead but not taking much shock. The senior commander was able to keep any shock off and keep the troops moving. A Chain of Command dice was used to interrupt the French and a Viet Minh end run down the flank looked like it had legs to get through.

But the FFL manged to use their own CoC dice and block this attack - just. The final chance for the Viet Minh was the road attack. But again the FFL were able to get a small rifle grenade team across to block the attack and in a vicious hand to hand the FFL were wiped out but (mostly)did the same to the Viet Minh. The French had again caused casualties but not much shock - and incredibly the Viet Minh Junior commander had survived the melee. Viet Minh force morale was about to break so this junior commander shook himself off and went for the treeline behind the village, dodging bullets. The French senior commander had deployed with his command section as a reserve in case the Viet Minh had broken through and charged the lone NCO.

The Viet Minh NCO was outnumbered and outgunned but in his final sacrifice inflicted a casualty on the French that fell on the FFL Senior Commander, who died as the Viet Minh attack was finally stopped.

The French Force Morale was at 8 at the end of the game so in rule terms they were hardy sweating but they had been stretched and the Viet Minh had had chances for victory. It was an enjoyable game and seemed right in how it played out. Still I'm not quite sure I'm a 100% CoC convert yet. I'll need to play some more.
« Last Edit: November 08, 2019, 11:54:25 PM by Goliad »

Offline robh

  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • Posts: 3380
  • Spanish offworld colonies
Re: Chain of Command Indochine
« Reply #1 on: November 08, 2019, 08:30:17 PM »
Pictures not showing up for me     :'(

Offline Ultravanillasmurf

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 9307
    • Ultravanillasmurf
Re: Chain of Command Indochine
« Reply #2 on: November 08, 2019, 08:38:02 PM »
Me neither.

Offline FreakyFenton

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1122
Re: Chain of Command Indochine
« Reply #3 on: November 08, 2019, 11:43:33 PM »
Yup, no pictures for me either. Except for the last one, which looks amazing from the layout. So it's a shame the rest is gone.  :'(
"No human being would stack books like -that-!" -Dr. Peter Venkman

Offline Commander Roj

  • Mad Scientist
  • Posts: 869
Re: Chain of Command Indochine Updated with Pics
« Reply #4 on: November 09, 2019, 05:02:29 AM »
I can see the pictures and they look great. I’ve not yet played CoC, but the Lardy You Tube games never look cramped to me...

Offline Sparrow

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1302
Re: Chain of Command Indochine Updated with Pics
« Reply #5 on: November 09, 2019, 07:15:43 AM »
Hi - the game looks great. Particularly love the look on your Viet Minh.

By any chance do you have a link to the variant? (and Force list?) I’m currently part way into a French Indo-China project but haven’t yet settled on a rule set - CofC seem ideal!
Put your trust in God and keep your powder dry!

Online Digits

  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • Posts: 3774
Re: Chain of Command Indochine Updated with Pics
« Reply #6 on: November 09, 2019, 08:39:28 AM »
Wow!  Fantastic looking table!

Your paddies are great and your mix of trees and scrub is spot on.  Really good ensemble that makes for a very atmospheric setting. Any chance of a close up on one of your big trees, are they scratch made?

And is that a battle at / cloth? If so which one please?
« Last Edit: November 09, 2019, 03:39:04 PM by Digits »

Offline Sunjester

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1510
Re: Chain of Command Indochine Updated with Pics
« Reply #7 on: November 09, 2019, 09:02:47 AM »
That's a really great looking set up!

Offline commissarmoody

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 8669
    • Moodys Adventures
Re: Chain of Command Indochine Updated with Pics
« Reply #8 on: November 09, 2019, 11:32:30 AM »
Great Report, and Great pictures.
I am also interested in the Vietminh and French force list for Indochina COC. :D
"Peace" is that brief, glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading.

- Anonymous

Offline Marine0846

  • Supporting Adventurer
  • Galactic Brain
  • *
  • Posts: 6608
Re: Chain of Command Indochine Updated with Pics
« Reply #9 on: November 10, 2019, 12:49:58 AM »
Sweet looking set up.
Wonderful table.
Semper Fi, Mac

Offline Ultravanillasmurf

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 9307
    • Ultravanillasmurf
Re: Chain of Command Indochine Updated with Pics
« Reply #10 on: November 10, 2019, 08:16:46 AM »
The photographs were well worth the wait.

That is a nice looking table.

Offline Goliad

  • Librarian
  • Posts: 178
Re: Chain of Command Indochine Updated with Pics
« Reply #11 on: November 10, 2019, 05:05:55 PM »
Thanks for the comments everyone. The terrain's been an effort. Always liked painting minis but terrain was always a hodge podge. Decided to make a real effort on terrain so even if it was not great it was my own and would look relatively cohesive!

The trees are 3d print trunks (free site Thingiverse has some files of groups of trees) with expanding diy filler foam to make the canopy (exaggerated so when you look down the wooded area looks bigger). I then covered with various model railroad leaf-mat products. Pic below.

In  answer the cloth question - It's a Cigar Box plush mat. I had a hand made fur mat that I used for the first game that looked great but found the individual based figures often would not sit flat, tip over etc. (so will have to limit use to big base ancients ...) so switched to the cigar box mat Grass Land mat.

I'll do a follow up on my forces - basically I use "late war" French and Viet Minh TOEs and at the moment mix and match supports to match my figures! So no nice formatted CoC list.

For the Viet Minh supports I do use a lot of ideas from the unofficial CoC Viet Nam supplement at link below.

https://carportgaming.blogspot.com/2019/09/on-road-again.html
« Last Edit: November 10, 2019, 05:14:20 PM by Goliad »

Offline commissarmoody

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 8669
    • Moodys Adventures
Re: Chain of Command Indochine Updated with Pics
« Reply #12 on: November 15, 2019, 01:31:38 PM »
Thanks

Offline has.been

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 8236
Re: Chain of Command Indochine Updated with Pics
« Reply #13 on: November 15, 2019, 09:18:10 PM »
All looks very nice. Well done.

Offline Shahbahraz

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1425
    • A Lead Odyssey
Re: Chain of Command Indochine Updated with Pics
« Reply #14 on: November 15, 2019, 09:23:10 PM »
Just have to second the comments above, it's a fantastic looking table. And do persevere with CoC. I haven't played the later variant, but every time I play WWII it gives a brilliant game and an engaging narrative. So much so, that in the last year, I have added (I think), another 4 platoons to my CoC forces.
Wargaming since the dark ages...

---https://aleadodyssey.blogspot.com/---