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BCS Rules— scratching their head later and not fully

appreciating the information packed into
Formations before adding in the details of
handling a Formation’s Units.
Read This First that section of the rules.
by Lynn Brower Case 1.3 Formations. The central building
Sections 1.3 through 1.9 involve Core block.
This article is designed to help first time Concepts (introduced in 1.2) which are
Battalion Combat Series (BCS) players learn key throughout the game and need to be Case 1.4 Command Radius, simply states
the rules. In most ways, BCS is a traditional understood as they affect units at multiple that the units of a Formation operate
hex and counter wargame, but there are times in the Turn Sequence and in multiple normally within a defined distance of the
new concepts that players need to learn. ways. HQ unit. In BCS Formations can operate
Above all players must learn the rules for when units from other Formations are mixed
Formations and Units and understand the Section 2.0 contains the sequence of play together, but they do so with significant
different roles they have in game play. for a Game Turn. This sequence of play will penalties.
be familiar to players of other war games. But
players should note the Assignments phase. Case 3.3 Objectives (OBJs) introduces an
Formations and Assignment is an important rule affecting important concept that requires players to
Units both Artillery and Support of Formations. focus the combat activities of a Formation’s
In wargames, each counter typically The Activation Phase is the heart of the game units. Formations in BCS have three basic
represents one unit (division, regiment, so it has its own sequence of play. methods of applying combat power against
battalion, company, etc.) and these units are enemy units: Engagements, Attacks, and
the focus of the player’s actions in playing Section 3.0 details the sequence of player Barrage Missions. Simply stated, all Attacks
the game. actions in the Activation phase. New players and Barrage Missions must occur within an
should read this section carefully and refer OBJ Zone, which is defined by the placement
While units are approximately battalion- to it frequently when learning to play. of an OBJ marker at the beginning of a
sized in BCS, these units are organized in Experienced players should do the same Formation’s Activation. A player must decide
groups called Formations. Formations are thing because most errors in game play can where to place his available OBJ markers
the higher organizations (brigades/divisions) be traced to not following this sequence BEFORE he moves any of a Formation’s
the unit counters were historically assigned carefully. units.
to.
Case 3.2 SNAFU is the need to keep
I believe players should read the BCS rules Learning Formations well defined and with their
dealing with Formations BEFORE reading Formations needed Main Supply Routes (3.1) well
the rules dealing with Units. When players Understanding Formations is central to defined and arranged to allow them to
play a BCS game, they need to think about playing any BCS game. After reading sections operate efficiently. Your ability to do so
how to operate their Formations before they 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0, new players should review relative to your opponent’s will show in
move and fight the Formation’s internal the sections below again. They detail rules the activity levels your Formations manage
units. So, to learn the BCS rules, new players that affect Formations. Most of the game play versus what his do. If you are running at 90%
should work through the Table of Contents concepts that prompt questions from new and he is creeping along at 40%, your forces
in the following order. players are described in these sections. They will do very well in comparison.
contain many of the new concepts in BCS.
Read Sections 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 first, and the SNAFU is a simple procedure that requires a
Glossary. Pay special attention to Case 1.1e Sections 1.0 and 3.0 describe the key Formation to make a die roll at the beginning
Unit Types and the Glossary. These contain concepts affecting Formations: Command of every Activation. If the modified roll is 2
descriptions and definitions for terms and Radius, Objectives, SNAFU & Mixing, and the Formation fails to Activate; roll 3,4,5,6
concepts that will be explained in depth in Prepared Defense. The Support booklet also and the Formation can make a Partial
the remainder of the rules. There is no need contains a detailed example of a complete Activation, and if the roll is 7 or more the
to memorize them but refer back to these Formation Activation. Formation gets a Full SNAFU and obtains full
two cases frequently. The Glossary section capabilities. The procedure is simple; the
is especially helpful in determining what is Remember, as stated in Case 2.5, players details are in the list of DRMs. The SNAFU
meant by a number of new terms used in are activating Formations one by one, die roll is modified primarily by the state
BCS that are not in other wargames. Players alternating between the opposing sides. I of a Formation’s supply line, but it is also
frequently skip reading the Glossary section strongly urge new players to wait to read modified by the Formation’s Coordination
(figuring they know it is there and will look through this example until they have read and Fatigue state. Studying the DRM list
things up when needed), but giving it a real through ALL the rules. Many of the details and the SNAFU Result Effects table will pay
read before hitting the rules themselves is in the example describe how to use Units dividends in understanding how SNAFU
helpful in getting a start at understanding as well as Formations. As I have stated, it is affects game play.
what things mean. Skipping it leaves them important when learning BCS to understand

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Playing BCS for any length of time will source. The MSR path from an HQ to a CT assignment printed on the counter. These
convince you that another name for this rule is slightly different from the path beyond units can be traded between Formations
could be Murphy’s Rule; what can go wrong the CT and to a Supply Source. Study these using the procedures in this case. Artillery in
with a Formation Activation will go wrong rules carefully, especially those describing BCS is shown as Arty Points. Some Arty Points
and at the worst possible time. what happens when enemy action requires are assigned permanently to Formations and
an HQ or CT to retreat. are listed on the HQ’s counter. Other Arty
Cases 3.2c Coordination and 3.2d Points are assignable to Formations as the
Mixed Formations simply describe Case 1.5 Support details the rules for player wishes. These are shown as markers
when one Formation is interfering with Support. Support is a Formation property. A which can be placed on the map with the
another friendly Formation. Formations Formation’s “support” is created by assigning HQ counter or stored off map as the player
are penalized when they move through Support-capable units to the Formation. chooses.
or overlap with other friendly Formations. These units, in turn, provide the Support
Players must think about the location and functions to the Formations units. The Case 1.8 Fatigue tracks the cumulative
actions of their Formations BEFORE they presence or absence of various types of effects of continuing combat on a Forma-
consider the movements and actions of Support has important Combat and ZOC tion’s performance. A Formation’s fatigue
individual units. effects on a Formation’s capabilities. level operates as a negative DRM on the
SNAFU die roll. Fatigue level may increase
Case 1.7 Prepared Defense describes Support is one of the game concepts in depending on a die roll made each time a
the capabilities and penalties applied to BCS that generates many player questions. Formation completes an Activation. The
Formations which are placed in a Prepared New players should read this Case carefully. probability that this die roll will increase
Defense status. Prepared Defense is a Most Support-capable units can exist in two Fatigue increases as the scale of a Formation’s
Formation state that a player must choose states (“Real” or Support) while a few can combat operations increases from Barrage
to apply at the beginning of an Activation only be Support. Units providing Support to Engagement to Attacks. Formations
before determining how the Formation will do not occupy any specific map location. can improve Fatigue level by conducting
Activate. Formations placed in Prepared Think of Support as being broken into small Recovery during an Activation.
Defense gain defensive combat benefits at subunits distributed to other units of their
the cost of restricting their movement and Formation. Many units capable of providing Case 3.6 Isolation defines the effect on units
offensive combat capabilities. Support can be concentrated into a unit when they are cut off from a connection to
counter and can then operate as normal their Formation HQ. Units lose steps when
Case 4.7 HQs & Combat Trains detail the (Real) units on the map. When units capable they are located outside of their Formation’s
rules for Headquarters units and the Combat of providing Support are concentrated as a Command Radius and/or the unit has no
Trains needed to keep them functioning. Real unit, they no longer provide Support Safe Path.
HQs have two primary functions. 1) HQs to any other units. New players should read
define the center of a Formation’s area of Case 1.5 slowly and carefully. Learning Units
operations where that Formation’s units The above should provide a new player
must operate and 2) HQs (in combination Case 2.1 Reinforcements describes with an understanding of how Formations
with that Formation’s Combat Trains) define how reinforcing units enter the map. operate in BCS. New players should now
the Formation’s supply line. Understanding Reinforcements in BCS act much as they do in read Sections 4.0 and 5.0 to learn the
Formation supply lines is important for using other games. Players just need to remember rules for operating Units in BCS. For
Formations efficiently in the game. that in some situations Reinforcements could players experienced in other hex and
be Assigned to specific Formations. counter wargames, these sections will be
Case 3.1 Main Supply Routes (MSRs) and more familiar.
Case 4.7 HQs & Combat Trains define the Case 2.2 Replacements details the rules
logistics rules for BCS. In BCS the traditional for acquiring and using Replacement Points Section 4.0 Movement and Section 4.3 Zones
‘trace an unblocked line of hexes from (Repls) to rebuild units in BCS. Players of Control (ZOCs) detail the rules controlling
a unit to its supply source’ Supply Line should note that both Reinforcements how units move on the map. Movement is the
definition is expanded by these rules. There and Replacements are placed or used in familiar hex-by-hex movement controlled
is a supply line from an individual unit to the Reinforcements segment at the start by a unit’s Movement Allowance and map
a supply source but that line has three of each turn. terrain. ZOCs are slightly more complex and
parts rather than a simple trace. The first there are differences between the normal
part is the connection between a unit and Case 2.3 Assignment details the Assignment ZOC, ZOCs provided by assigned Support,
its Formation HQ. This part is controlled process which allows Independent Units and and ZOCs of units made up of anti-armor
by Command Radius (1.4) and Safe Path Arty Points to be functional parts of a given weapons.
(1.9). MSR is the path leading from the Formation. Independent units are units
HQ through the Combat Trains (CT) and that do not have a permanent Formation 5.0 Combat contains the rules defining the
then on to a game specific defined supply three methods of combat between opposing

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© 2020 All Rights Reserved.
The Gamers, Inc.

units. Players need to learn all three types: BCS Primer is not only allowed—but encouraged—to
shuffle units back and forth to bring
1. Barrages (5.4) by artillery, air, and
Tips For Playing The maximum firepower in each attack. Do this
vehicular weapons systems. The latter Battalion Combat Series in BCS and you will lose.
making what is called “Attacks by Fire” which Well
are resolved on the same Barrage Table as By Doug Fitch Trained by years of playing other games, most
would Artillery using its seperate column on players’ initial reaction to BCS is to focus on
the Barrage Table and its own Section, 5.3. The Battalion Combat Series (BCS) is a what they can do with each of their individual
Attack by Fire is slightly less effective than fantastic design from the creative mind of battalions. They lose sight of the forest for
some single Artillery or Air Point Barrage. Dean Essig. However, the system’s radical the trees. One of the critical skills to master
design means that nothing you have for success in the BCS is to “think big”. By
2. Engagements (5.2) between ranged previously encountered in your gaming that, I mean that you cannot think in terms
anti-armor weapons. career can fully prepare you for it. While the of the individual pieces on the map. You
game mechanics are quite elegant, previous must think in terms of Formations. When
3. Attacks which could be Regular Attacks gaming experience can hinder, rather than you look at the map, you should not see
(similar to normal wargame attacks) or help, your attempt to learn the system. 10 or 12 units, but one Formation (usually
Shock Attacks (which are akin to familiar You must throw out everything you know a division though occasionally a smaller
wargame Overrun Attacks). about playing operational level wargames sized organization). The individual pieces
when you come to BCS. To quote a certain are merely parts of this whole.
Finally after reading these all these rules Jedi Master, “You must unlearn what you
sections, new players can read the Complete have learned.” Combined with some new If you are looking at a BCS map and thinking,
Activation Example with hopefully better terminology, this leads to a bit of a steep “I can move my tank battalion from this hex to
understanding. learning curve for the game. attack that hex,” you are going to set yourself
up for failure. Instead, your mindset needs
The most challenging aspect of BCS, though, to be, “I can send 3rd Armored Division to
is not learning how to play the game, but capture that crossroads/village/bridge.” But
learning how to play the game well. The since the entire division cannot fit in that
purpose of this article is not to help you village, you need to think about not only
learn the game’s rules. There are many the battalion or two you are going to send
excellent resources for that already available. to capture the village, but where you are
This article aims to go a step beyond the going to put the rest of the division; as well
mechanics and focus on how to apply those as how that division’s location (described in
mechanics in the new world of BCS. We will the rules by the ‘scientific’ term “blob”) is
discuss some of the key principles I have going to interact with the other divisions in
learned (sometimes the hard way) through your force. In BCS, you move Formations
my experience with the system. around the map, you do not simply push
pieces. The command and logistical system
Forest For The BCS uses will punish you severely for not
thinking in terms of Formations.
Trees
Focusing on your individual battalions as The Objective marker mechanic reinforces
discrete independent units causes players this. Other games you have played basically
more grief than just about anything else allowed you to attack everywhere, with all
in BCS. The vast majority of wargames of your units, every turn. And if you did not,
published to date allow players to move their you felt as though you failed to optimize
pieces across the board without penalty, your forces. In BCS, all of your attacks and
freely intermixing them with other units artillery barrages must occur within the
from different larger organizations. Real “Objective Zone” that exists out to two hexes
world considerations like unit boundaries from an Objective marker. Newbies view
and lines of communication are not a factor. this as a restriction on their ability to attack.
Frequently, battalions and regiments from Experienced players find that this mechanic
various divisions end up stacked with one focuses their Formation’s activities.
another without penalty. Or divisions jump
from corps-to-corps on a weekly or even
daily basis. By so doing, games have trained
players to maximize the movement and
attack abilities of each individual piece. One

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When you place these OBJ markers out, Again, the best way to avoid messy situations Conversely, if you find the enemy has
you are making a conscious decision about on the map is to think in terms of Formations. pushed aside one of your Formations and
your Formation’s priority for this Activation. But you need to not just be aware of how the that Formation is now mixed up with one
Instead of your battalions careening about Formation will fit into the frontline, but also or more of your other Formations, you may
the map attacking everywhere and nowhere, where its logistical tail will be located. The well be better off cutting your losses and
you now have a strong visual reminder of SNAFU Table will also penalize you for not giving up ground in order to unscramble
the task you have assigned to the Formation. keeping a tidy battlefield behind the front. your units. The longer you are under those
This should not only impact the movement Ideally, you will be able to assign a road to negative DRM’s from being Mixed, the harder
of the individual battalions you have selected a specific Formation. Once you’ve given the it will be for you to do anything about it. In
for the actual attack and capture of the road to a Formation, avoid the temptation many cases, you are better off withdrawing,
objective, but also every other battalion in to allow other Formations to use that same reorganizing, and counterattacking to retake
the Formation as you consider how best to road unless it’s an emergency. the lost positions than trying to hold on to
secure and consolidate your recently won a crumbling front.
objective(s). BCS Formations do not have Obviously, there will be times when there
the strength to successfully attack along simply aren’t enough roads to go around. A less dramatic situation may be one where
more than one, maybe two, avenues in any The Germans face this at the start of their you do not move some battalions to their
given Activation. In addition to dissipation offensive in Last Blitzkrieg. However, once full extent because it would result in either
of force, spreading your Formation to the they cross the Our River and are able to do Coordination for the two Formations
winds has more (and often worse) problems, some broken field running, there are usually involved, or even being Mixed. Avoid the
which will be addressed below. enough roads to allow a couple of panzer temptation to inflict a step loss or two on
divisions to operate side by side. And if you the enemy in exchange for Coordinating
If there is one thing you should master that can manage to pull that off, it is a beautiful and Mixing your Formations. It simply is
will improve your BCS play the most, it is thing to behold. not worth the cost.
to “THINK BIG”. Do not let the fleeting
opportunity an individual battalion’s Because the Crossing the Streams DRM Along the same lines is the relief operation.
position might offer distract you from the only applies from the HQ to the Combat BCS makes it very tricky to relieve a
situation of the Formation as a whole. Trains, keeping your logistical tail as short frontline Formation with another. To avoid
Stepping back and seeing the big picture in as possible will also help you avoid a tangled Coordination and Mixing, you need to
terms of Formations will help you get more mess in your rear. It’s often better to move move the Formation to be relieved out
out of each of your individual battalions over your Trains (and take the -1 for Ghost Trains) of its position before you move in the
the course of a game. than to leave them far behind your HQ. relief. Rarely will the enemy allow you to
Crossing the Streams affects every Formation do this unmolested. You could easily find
“A Tidy Battlefield” whose Main Supply Routes (MSRs) are yourself fighting to retake ground you just
Field Marshal Montgomery’s predilection crossed, while Ghost Trains only affects the voluntarily gave up. Your other option is to
for a ‘tidy battlefield’ is something for which Formation in question. move the relieving force in on top of the
every BCS player should strive. The SNAFU original Formation. But this will give you
Table punishes players whose sloppy play If you strive to maintain a tidy battlefield Coordination and Mixed DRM’s on your
results in units from multiple Formations for your own forces, your goal should be SNAFU rolls, making it much harder to un-
getting intermingled. This can have an to make your opponent’s army as messy as mix the Formations by getting the original
ongoing and detrimental effect on the possible. Retreating units into a neighboring force to activate and move out. The best
ability of your army to do…anything. Just Formation is a great way to Coordinate both course of action is to try to keep some reserve
moving a unit temporarily through another of them (and likely leave them Mixed). battalions within your Formation, allowing
Formation’s “simple Blob” results in BOTH Similarly, cutting the number of roads some units to rest and receive replacements
Formations being marked Coordinated and available for his Trains forces them all on to while others hold the frontline. This will
suffering a -1 DRM on their next SNAFU the remaining few, thus saddling him with give your Formations a much longer shelf
roll. If you allow those units to begin their yet another -1 for Crossing the Streams. life when in combat. But even this is hard
Activation with that unit still inside the other to accomplish most of the time.
Formation’s blob, then you also accrue an Inflicting negative DRM’s on your oppo-
additional -1 DRM for Mixed Formations. nent’s Formations has a snowball effect. Never Send a
Having a -6 or -8 SNAFU DRM (I’ve seen it)
For Formations like the US early in Last
eliminates any possibility of a Full result, and Tank To Do an
Blitzkrieg, that additional -2 DRM usually
eliminates ANY possibility of getting a Full makes Failure very likely. This prevents him Infantryman’s Job
result on your SNAFU check. And it makes from reacting at all to the initial dislocation, A tank has a much bigger gun than an
even a Partial result very iffy. allowing your units to continue to run amok infantryman, and it moves a lot faster, too
and worsen his Formation’s position. When (okay, Matildas excepted). So I should just
you have your opponent down, don’t stop use tanks for everything, right? Not in BCS.
kicking him. Most games treat armor like it’s nothing

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The Gamers, Inc.

more than stronger, faster infantry. But BCS drive up his own armor and conduct an IGO-UGO, Not IW8-
is not most games. The problem is, armor Engagement. And since the rules require
is NOT the same as infantry, and it doesn’t ALL units in a hex to retreat if one of them UGO
fight like infantry. The BCS mechanics do an suffers a Retreat result, by placing an armor BCS uses an alternating Activation mechanic
excellent job of highlighting the differences battalion in the hex you desperately want to during the turn. I have seen much discussion
between the two combat arms. hold, you have actually made it far easier to about players trying to game this mechanic to
take. If you want to give your infantry units their advantage. This is especially true when
Any unit that has an Armor Value (AV ) support, then use actual Support. That’s one side has several more Formations in
qualifies as armor (at least for purposes what it’s there for. Save your armor units play than the other, like the start of the Last
of this discussion). These units are given for counterattacks to retake the objective if Blitzkrieg campaign. The major complaint
different capabilities than the Attack-Capable the enemy pushes you out. being that a player can wait to activate certain
units in the game (indicated by the white Formations until his opponent is forced to
arrow on the counter). They use a different But armor is not just vulnerable on the activate all his Formations on a certain sector
Combat Table entirely (the Engagement Engagement Table. It is also more vulnerable of the front. Thus, the player has a free hand
Table or Barrage Table, depending on on the Combat Table. Infantry can assault for his Activations without interference from
target type). The fact that different combat that nice, impervious armor unit just as any opposing Formations.
tables exist should be a huge red flag that easily as they can another infantry unit or
these units will not behave the same as some armored cars. But since AV units are While this may be true in certain situations,
infantry, and should not be thought of in a never eligible for Support, unless your armor waiting often has as big a downside as not
conventional way. battalion is a Dual unit, you are giving up the waiting. By not activating your Formations in
+1 DRM for Supported/Dual. And even a +1 a certain area, you hand the initiative on that
A common mistake I see with new players could make a difference in an attack. sector to your opponent. And in BCS, he who
is using armor units to hold important real moves first often has an advantage, one that
estate. Their previous years’ experience of Speaking of Dual, I’d like to spend a moment outweighs waiting out your opponent.
armor automatically being the strongest discussing them. The late war US armor
unit in the game has conditioned them to divisions are chock full of them. Dual units There are legitimate reasons for waiting to
continue that tactic in BCS. This often leads combine the best AND the worst of assault activate certain Formations. For example,
to unfortunate results for the player, who and AV type units. Among the benefits of Dual you need other friendly Formations to move
is expecting their mighty armor battalion to units is that they carry their own support out of the way before you can activate to
hold off all attackers. The problem lies in the with them, and it CANNOT be dropped. avoid mixing your Formations (see “A TIDY
nature of armor vs. armor engagements. This effectively gives them an AR one notch BATTLEFIELD” above). But playing games
higher than what is printed on their counter with the Activation sequence for no other
When armor unit attacks a defending armor whenever they face enemy infantry. They reason than to exhaust your opponent’s
unit, it is resolved on the Engagement Table. can drop enemy support by themselves, or Activations on one area of the front can
A modified 9+ causes a defender step loss (if that support has been dropped), use a have a lot of unintended (and negative)
& retreat. For the US in Last Blitzkrieg, the Fire Event to kill a step before attacking on consequences for you. For example, the
German armor consistently has a qualitative the Combat Table. This means that over the Formation you are hoping to trap and
advantage that results in a +2 or +3 DRM course of a game, their attacks are going to destroy may well activate and just move
to the Engagement roll (+1 or +2 if the US bleed the enemy more than non-Dual units. away, robbing you of the chance to inflict
is in Prepared Defense). So suddenly that But while Dual units bring along all the any serious harm on it. Worse yet, the enemy
big, strong armor battalion will be chased benefits of being AV, they also bring along may launch an unexpected attack which
out of its hex by a 6 or 7 on the roll of the the problems. When facing superior enemy disrupts your Formations, and could even
dice, which is very doable. Armor does not armor, do not expect your Dual units to hold saddle you with some negative SNAFU DRM’s
hold ground well. That is as true in real life ground very long. All this means that you preventing your Formation from even get-
as it is in BCS. Sure, there are times when should view your Dual units as offensive ting out of the starting blocks this turn.
you will have no other option, but do not units, and use them defensively only when
expect your armor units to hold their ground you are absolutely desperate. Furthermore, the ability of the side with an
for any length of time. advantage in number of Formations to wait is
Learning the differences between infantry a subtle way of portraying the initiative such
Another common preconception I have and armor units in BCS is critical to success. a side has. For example, the Germans greatly
seen is players stacking an armor battalion Armor should be attacking, whether outnumber the US at the beginning of Last
with an infantry type unit (to give it some on the offense or as part of a defensive Blitzkrieg and the initiative is solidly with
‘armor support’). While it’s true that an counterattack. Let the infantry hold the them for the first few days (even week) of the
attack on the Combat Table will see a +1 ground. By sending the right units for the campaign. Allowing them to “manage” their
DRM for the defense due to 2 units in the task at hand, you stand a better chance of Activation sequence reflects their ability to
stack, your opponent is not likely to humor achieving your objectives. dictate the tempo of the battle early on. As
you by assaulting the hex. Instead, he’ll the campaign progresses and the numbers

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 v2.0 BCS Support Book

switch to favor the US, we see the initiative Do not underestimate the consequences of be Complete and thus impose a -3 SNAFU
also move in their direction. It’s just one PD on the Combat Table. Sure, you ignore DRM on the Formation. And if he cannot
more example of the elegance and subtleties those Situational Retreat results, but it costs move his Trains to Complete an MSR by
with which BCS is loaded. you 1 step to do so. If you were not in PD, the end of his next Activation, the Trains
you would have to retreat. But the retreat will come off the map, to be followed next
“Preppers” is only three hexes and you suffer no losses. Activation by placement of a MSR Blocked
(or Why PD Isn’t a Magic Bullet) Meanwhile, there’s a chance that the enemy marker. Those MSR Blocked markers really
Prepared Defense (PD) is probably the suffers a step loss while you do not. You are up the ante.
game’s most overused mechanic. Many trading ground for time, and perhaps even
players see the +1 DRM it provides to getting ahead in the attritional battle, by not Jumping HQ’s and Trains hastens the
defenders on the Combat & Engagement going into PD. snowball effect mentioned earlier. By piling
Tables, combined with the ability to ignore up negative SNAFU DRM’s on the enemy,
a Situational Retreat (in exchange for a step Again, there is definitely a time and place it makes it much harder for him to react to
loss) and think PD is a must have. What they for PD, but it should be integrated into your attacks and to salvage his position.
do not consider are all of PD’s down sides, your overall plan and not merely a kneejerk Once you’ve reached a point where you
of which there are plenty. reaction every time you go to activate a have started inflicting negative SNAFU
Formation. Putting armored Formations DRM’s on the enemy, do everything you can
For starters, the best SNAFU result possible into PD requires even more careful to continue doing so in future turns until
while in PD is Partial. This halves unit MA and consideration. the Formation is sufficiently isolated as to
gives you only one Objective marker, thus literally wither away.
eliminating any chance at the “Double Tap” “Kicking Puppies”
DRM for your attacks. Your HQ cannot move An abundance of roads can make cutting a
( Jumping HQ’s & Trains) Formation’s MSR difficult. It may require a
while in PD. PD halves (rounding down) BCS places an emphasis on logistics, and
your Artillery Points available, which really substantial commitment of your forces and
that should guide your strategy as well. a few turns to accomplish, but if you can bag
hurts your plans to attrit the bad guys with It is extremely difficult, costly, and time
your artillery as you sit in your defenses. If a number of enemy Formations, your efforts
consuming to destroy a Formation by will be handsomely rewarded. Remember,
you make an attack on the Combat Table attacking all of its combat units to death.
you receive a -1 DRM. When you consider removing the last combat unit of a Formation
The highest number of casualties you can from the map will frequently permanently
that you are also ineligible for the Double inflict on a defender in a given attack is two
Tap +1, this equates to a -2 on the Combat remove the entire Formation from the game
(three, given certain retreat situations). Your (unless the Formation has some straggler
Table before considering anything else. I typical infantry battalion would need to be
don’t know about you, but I hate giving away units showing up on the OOA). In a long
attacked at least three times to eliminate it game like Last Blitzkrieg, the absence of
2 pips on my dice in any attack. through combat alone. Given the mechanics an entire division or two could be decisive
of the Objective Zone, this means it will take in the late game struggle. And the best way
Everybody loves to have their cake and eat at least a few turns barring the commitment
it, too. And I think this may be one reason to remove large chunks of a Formation in
of several armor units to use their Attack by the same turn is to starve them off the map,
why folks seem so enamored with PD. Fire capability on it. Rarely have I seen the
Unfortunately for them (but fortunately not attack them.
situation where a player has two or three
for historical verisimilitude) PD in BCS is spare armor battalions sitting around with
a tradeoff. It is a nice way of showing the nothing better to do than barrage a single Separating Units
posture of your Formation. Either your infantry battalion. From HQ’s
Formation is mobile or it is not. PD hurts While cutting MSR’s will accelerate the
a mobile (even a moderately mobile) No, in BCS the key to beating the enemy demise of a Formation, to truly eliminate
Formation far more than it helps one. is disrupting his command and logistics. units through Isolation you need to separate
This is done by jumping his HQ’s and them from their HQ. Isolation effects are
All of which is not to say that PD is never Trains. Jumping the HQ gives the Formation only implemented if a unit is either out of
useful. If your Formation is where you want it Coordination, drops its PD, and Ghosts its Command Radius or has no Safe Path (or
to be, and you are willing to trade casualties Trains. That’s at least a cumulative -2 SNAFU both). Removing a Safe Path can often easily
to hold terrain, then PD is warranted. But DRM on its next Activation. Jumping his be accomplished by “ZOCing in” the unit in
the trend among folks I have played is to Trains will usually put them beyond Optimal question. However, this has repercussions
enter PD as a matter of course. It is their Distance, as well as ghosting them, which when it comes to retreats due to combat.
default position. PD doesn’t even provide robs the Formation of a +1 SNAFU DRM Without a Safe Path, a unit will not retreat,
any better protection from Barrages than and inflicting a -1 DRM. Another possible but takes a step loss instead. If you really need
regular terrain. You should think hard net -2 DRM (-3 if you do both). There is that hex, do NOT “ZOC in” the defender.
about entering PD as a protection for your also a chance that by jumping his Trains You will regret the time (and often steps)
units when just locating them in terrain will you could cut his MSR. The MSR will not lost attacking the unit, turn after turn, as the
serve you just as well without any of the PD Isolation effects slowly take effect.
downsides.

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© 2020 All Rights Reserved.
The Gamers, Inc.

The better way to inflict Isolation effects is Instead of thinking about jumping the A Hard Day’s Night
to separate the combat units from their HQ. enemy’s HQ/CT, you should be thinking It’s easy to forget that those little cardboard
This is accomplished by jumping the HQ about cutting his MSR’s. You can achieve counters we push across the map represent
(usually repeatedly) to force it to retreat up much of the same effects as physically flesh and blood soldiers. Soldiers get tired
its MSR and away from its units. Circling back jumping an HQ by instead just cutting the and need rest and a warm meal. BCS brings
to the first issue discussed (thinking in terms MSR. Recall that a Complete MSR runs to/ this reality to you with its Fatigue mechanic.
of Formations), you should develop your from a supply source, through a CT to an Fatigue affects two aspects of the game: as
attack plans with an eye to dismembering HQ. By placing a unit or ZOC in any hex of a SNAFU DRM and a Formation’s chance to
the Formation, ideally decapitating its head the enemy’s MSR, the CT is no longer in a get a second Activation.
(the HQ). “Legal Hex”. This will require the CT to flip
to its Ghost side and move. If the MSR is not Given that the SNAFU Table has the greatest
The Indirect Complete, you’ve saddled your opponent’s single impact on your army’s effectiveness,
Formation with a -3 SNAFU DRM and starts it managing negative DRM’s when you roll on
Approach down the road to MSR Blocking DRMs. Even it is vital to success. While Fatigue accretion
(Apologies to Capt. Liddell Hart) just having the CT in Ghost mode gives a depends on the dice, it is not entirely
With the introduction of the Hard & Soft -1 DRM and you have likely eliminated the random. You do have the ability to influence
Jump rule, the comments about jumping +1 Optimal Distance DRM, too. But it gets the rate at which your Formations acquire
your opponent’s HQ’s and CT’s need a even better. Fatigue. The two activities in the game that
little modification. While the bulk of the do not carry any risk of increasing Fatigue
above sections remain valid, the manner Rather than trying to overrun the HQ’s are movement and defending. If you want to
in which you go about achieving the goals hex, you should instead aim to surround do anything else, you will have to evaluate
must change. Being able to blast a hole in it, or at least cut off all viable routes that the potential Fatigue impact.
the enemy’s line and then launching your could be used for an MSR. With his MSR
mobile units like a heat-seeking missile cut, your opponent now has a choice to Attacking on the Combat Table carries the
directly at his vulnerable HQ and CT is an make. He can leave his HQ in place and biggest Fatigue risk, with a 50% chance of
ability of which historical commanders could accept the penalties (which are severe) picking up a Fatigue level. Any Fatigue that
only dream. The Hard & Soft Jump rule is of having an MSR Blocked marker on his your Formation does accrue will require an
designed to address the player’s omniscient Formation, or he can voluntarily displace entire Activation (or game-turn, if using the
view of the battlefield given by the limitations his HQ. This causes the same effects as if highly recommended Orders option) to get
of the medium (in case you missed it, this you had overrun the unit (loss of PD and rid of. In a short game like Baptism By Fire,
is a recurring theme in Dean Essig designs marked Coordinated). Remember that that’s a considerable portion of the game
over the years). Essentially, now when one it is impossible to permanently cut an that your Formation will be useless. Given
of your units enters a hex containing an opponent’s MSR because of his ability to that, you should not be blindly attacking
enemy HQ or CT, there is a 2 in 3 chance displace his HQ/CT as far as necessary to everything you can, just because you can.
your opponent’s assets are not there. In reestablish it. However, by forcing his HQ A vulnerable enemy unit may not be worth
other words, your G-2’s best guess about to displace farther to the rear, you are also the hit to your future SNAFU rolls. Instead
the enemy HQ’s location was wrong. achieving your prime objective of separating of attacking it, can you surround it, or force
his HQ from his line units. it out of its position through maneuver
This has some significant ramifications (remember, movement does not increase
for how you go about disrupting your Instead of a dagger thrust at your opponent’s your Fatigue)?
opponent’s forces. If you make a beeline HQ hex, you should be looking to cast a
for the HQ counter and enter the hex only wide net across his potential MSR routes. The Engagement Table and Attacks by Fire
to find that it is empty, the opponent gets The deeper and wider the net, the more only increase your Fatigue on a 2 or less. So
to reposition the HQ (or CT) to establish harm you will do your opponent by forcing your armor units can wreak more havoc on
another Complete MSR without penalty. his HQ that much farther from his combat the enemy without Fatiguing as quickly. But if
I have seen many situations where this units. Instead of the direct approach of they are facing enemy infantry, they suddenly
actually helped the defender more than the overrunning the HQ itself, you will be more become a less attractive option for grinding
attacker. It can be quite frustrating to put assured of the results you want by taking down the bad guys. Because armor attacks
your opponent’s Formation in an untenable the indirect approach of cutting MSR’s and infantry with an Attack by Fire on the Barrage
position, and about to administer the coup leaving the HQ’s hex alone. Table, the end result is the same thing as an
de grace by jumping his HQ, only to see the infantry unit’s barrage, but with twice the
HQ disappear and appear in another hex that chance of increasing your Fatigue.
undoes all the work you just accomplished
(often at a price). Do not despair, though. If killing enemy steps tops your priority list,
You are not condemned by this new rule to barraging is the most cost-effective option in
play an endless game of Whack-A-Mole. You terms of Fatigue. Only a 1 in 6 will increase
need merely adjust your thinking. your Fatigue, regardless of the number of

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© 2020 All Rights Reserved. Page 7
 v2.0 BCS Support Book

barrage attacks you make in one Activation. You can also find yourself under the Fatigue Summary
That said, don’t get too ‘trigger-happy.’ I 8-ball if you do not pay attention to when The above points hardly comprise an
have seen players make one lone barrage you use Second Activations. In v2.0, you exhaustive list, but they will hopefully
attack in an Activation, only to see their cannot do any activities “for free” when it give you a framework for approaching BCS
Fatigue increase when they roll that 1 on comes to Fatigue in the Second Activation. in a successful manner. BCS oozes with
the Fatigue Check. So, to kill a single enemy You will have to roll at least as a 33% chance subtleties. Understanding (and eventually
step (and sometimes none at all) they have of Fatigue increase unless you attack (50%) mastering) them gives you the keys to
saddled their Formation with an additional or obtain a Fail SNAFU to let you off the enjoying this rich system. The beautiful
-1 DRM to every future SNAFU roll they will hook. Second Activations represent you design and hours of great gaming justify the
make. Yet another example of the recurring demanding your Formation goes above and time and effort required to adequately learn
theme in BCS of: beyond in Tempo…but to fit it into the same the Battalion Combat Series. An exciting
“day” everyone else had to work with. Doing line up of future games in the series will
“Just because you CAN so, at all, is exhausting and in BCS terms allow players to explore operations on all
do something, doesn’t may contribute to the increase in Fatigue. fronts of the Second World War in new and
mean you SHOULD do In other words, you’ll want to consider the interesting ways, and I hate to see anyone
something.” risk that occurs when you conduct a Second miss out on what is the best game design to
Activation ‘merely’ to flip your Trains or some hit the industry in the last few decades.
Since any amount of qualifying activity still such. It might be better to pass on that now,
nets only one roll for Fatigue, if you make and accept the -1 SNAFU mod for your next May your dice stay hot!
an attack (thereby giving yourself a 50-50 real Activation.
chance of picking up Fatigue) maximize
your offensive efforts in the same Activation. Fatigue management can make or break your
This is a situation where you definitely want efforts in the late game portion of any BCS
to shoot it if you have it. The lone barrage scenario. By having a solid plan, not getting
attack won’t hurt you because the attack you distracted by small, fleeting opportunities,
made earlier in the Activation has already and staying focused you stand a much better
inflicted a 3 or less Fatigue check on you. chance of managing your army’s Fatigue
Likewise, make sure you can get as many and giving yourself a decided edge over an
attacks on the Combat Table for a single opponent who ignores his Fatigue until it’s
Fatigue check as you can. too late. Once in Fat-4, your SNAFU results
will suffer greatly, and you will be denied any
chance of a Second Activation. Your enemy
could and should thank you.

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© 2020 All Rights Reserved.