29, Let's Go! - Introduction

29, Let's Go! pint-sized campaign from toofatlardies

This is the first in a series of blog posts following the progress of play through the pint-sized campaign for Chain of Command - 29, Let's Go!  It's a short introduction to the way we are playing the campaign and a brief note on the format and style of the posts that will follow.

29, Let's Go! is a mini-campaign comprising a series of linked scenarios for Chain of Command that recount one small part of the American advance inland a few days after the D-Day landings. The 175th Infantry Regiment of the US 29th Infantry Division have been given orders to advance and take the town of Isigny, thereby capturing the one bridge still standing that will link the landings at Utah and Omaha beaches. Scattered German forces attempt to delay them as long as they can.

Our Chain of Command games are played in 15mm. We like the sense of realism this gives because figure and ground scales match. It's also a lot more convenient as many of us have armies made up previously for Flames of War (for which our interest has waned) small parts of which, with a little re-basing (onto 1p and 2p pieces), are easily adapted. It looks and feels fantastic.

The Wehrmacht attempt to delay the US advance

We didn't play the campaign with an umpire, so there were no surprises as we both knew the details of the campaign and scenarios beforehand. This didn't mean it was any less enjoyable, though if you're intending to run this yourself, using an umpire will allow both sides to be surprised and would definitely reward both players as the campaign progresses.

The campaign is ongoing and my intent is to post battle reports after we have completed each game and campaign turn. I don't intend to repeat the Chain of Command rules, nor do I want to reproduce anything specific from the campaign material. Anyone who wants this should get hold of copies of the Chain of Command rules and the supplements At The Sharp End and, of course, 29, Let's Go!  from the TooFatLardies web site. They're well worth it. Where necessary, however, I will refer to the rules and material specific to the campaign. So if you intend to play this campaign using an umpire, beware - there will be some spoilers. My intent, though, is to present our campaign in narrative form for the entertainment and enjoyment of the reader (I hope!)

The main text of my blog posts will be the story of our campaign, as it might have been seen from the point of view of the characters concerned. Because of the way 29, Let's Go! pans out, with its seemingly inexhaustible supply of American troops, and only the attitude of the high level command being tracked, the narrative will tend to follow the German point of view, where more personal detail is monitored and characters are developed. As well as the narrative, I will also describe some of the game mechanics of what has happened. I will set this out in italics and indented from the main narrative, for reference, but also so that it can be easily skimmed over or ignored. Also, for the sake of readability, I don't intend to go through every single phase of the game in detail. Rather, I will summarise events into what I consider appropriate blocks. I hope you find it entertaining and enjoyable.

So, without further ado: "29, Let's Go!"