COMBAT COMANDER SOLO SYSTEM (v1 September 18th, 2014)

Summary

In this variant you choose one side of a Combat Commander scenario and play that side normally. The other
side, the enemy, is run by the system, although you will have to make some basic common sense decisions to
guide it.

Initiative Card

The enemy will only use the Initiative card to:

• Cancel an end of game if the enemy will lose

• Cancel an event which results in the enemy losing its lead in the game if it is ahead

Objectives

If a random secret objective is listed for the enemy side, draw a counter.

Without looking at the counter, determine whether it has a Secret Objective side (you can do this by feeling
the edges of the piece, make sure you're looking at the top of the counter and then check if it says secret
objective. If yes, move it face-down to the display. If it is one of the counters which do not have a Secret
objective side, expose it in the display as an open objective and score it as usual.

An enemy's secret objective will only be exposed at the end of the game.

Enemy Setup

Perform setup based on number of leaders. Split the available squads and weapons roughly evenly amongst
all available leaders, Leaders with higher command ratings and higher morale will get the extra units, better
units, and better weapons.

Defender: try to setup units so there is an enemy in each objective and also such that the width of the board
is covered for the purposes of protecting against player exiting units off the board for Exit VP. Try to setup
each unit so it is within a leader's command radius.

Attacker: setup the groups, such that they are roughly opposite the closest objectives as they begin to move
forward and also spread them out so they cover the width of the board.

Player Starts:

• Peter’s variant: AI will have no cards on the table when the game begins. The second you move
within their line of sight, they start drawing 2 cards to see if they can Opp Fire at you...so the AIs
repertoire of cards on the table will build up pretty quickly.
• Dom’s (unofficial) variant: AI starts with regular hand size (4, 5 or 6). AI cards are discarded and
shuffled back to the bottom of the enemy’s deck, as it is done regularly.

General Game Play

The enemy's hand will be dynamically created as each player's turn progresses.

The enemy player will generally try to control or gain control of objectives 3, 4 and 5, regardless of whether
those hexes have been drawn as de-facto objectives or not.

The enemy will attempt to exit for VP if the move is safe and the units are not required elsewhere.
On an Enemy Player's Turn

• Actions :
o Select Unit to perform action: Select the most important unit to activate which hasn't yet been
activated. Usually this is a leader.
o Do not select broken leaders/units.

o Select Unit potential Action to perform : Decide which of the following commands that unit and the
units which will be activated along with him can do to have a productive turn:
Fire
Move
Advance
o You may select none of the above, more than one of the above or even all three.
o An enemy unit or group adjacent to player's units will attempt to Move away if they would be at a
disadvantage in Melee and are not positioned on an objective.
o For newer players or ambiguous situations, the following formulas may be useful when deciding if a
group/unit should choose to fire:
Does an enemy unit have a shot which can damage the player?
• FP (+ hindrances) > target cover + target morale – 10
Does an enemy unit have an automatic hit against the player?
• FP (+ hindrances) > target cover + target morale + 10
Does an enemy unit have a very good shot (guaranteed hit versus Defense Roll of 7)
• FP (+ hindrances) > target cover + target morale + 5
o When building fire groups for the enemy, add units until a very good shot is obtained and save any
leftover units/weapons for subsequent shots.

o Unless it is the end of the game and the enemy needs points fast, the AI will never advance into
melee if it does not have an advantage in numbers. If an Ambush card is exposed in the enemy's
hand, you may take that into account (ie. break a friendly unit for pretend and then compare the
numbers). The enemy will not know in advance if the player has an Ambush card.

o Do not worry about Recover or Artillery orders. Those get handled transparently later on.

o The enemy will never play Rout cards for their Order.

o Draws Enemy Cards:

o Unless a unit/group has chosen to do nothing, draw cards to see if the selected unit activates:

If a leader unit was select for the action : draw 3 cards

If a regular unit or hero unit was select for the action: draw 2 cards.

Action Selected = Card Order: the unit will activate. If multiple cards were drawn which match a
selected order, play the first matching card which was drawn for its order.

Move Action but Only Advance Drawn: Advance card may be used as a proxy to let the unit and
all subordinates move one hex.

Action does not match Card Order : unit and all subordinate units, in the case of a leader, do
nothing for that turn.

o Place any cards played for orders in the enemy's discard pile. All other cards which were drawn, stay
face up on the table and may be used for their actions, but not their orders.
o If an order was played, implement the order for the enemy to the best of your ability.
o Drawn cards which were not used for the order being implemented should automatically be played, for
their Action, at the earliest opportunity if it gives an advantage to whatever activity is being performed
by the enemy.
 o Once that unit's activation is complete, move to the next candidate unit and repeat the process as limited
by the enemy side's permitted number of orders. Cards left face up on the table from previous unit
activations may not be used for the currently selected unit's orders.

o It is possible that a side has more permitted orders than unbroken units that are available. In this case,
the extra orders are lost.

o If none of the selected units manage to draw any of the their selected orders, then the enemy treats this
as a discard turn and dumps their maximum permitted cards into the discard pile. Simply choose the
cards which were drawn earliest to be discarded. Don't try to evaluate the cards.

o Playing Recover Action : On the last order, or after all productive units have already been handled, if a
Recover or an Artillery order card is face up on the table, it may be played. The enemy will always play a
Recover card if at least one of its units is broken.

o Do not play Recover just to remove suppression. There must be a broken enemy unit present.
o When processing enemy Rally attempts, always perform the enemy leader's rally first.

• End of Enemy’s turn :

After the AI has finished his turn, examine all of the face up cards which are still on the table and flip the ones
which will not be useful on the player's turn facedown.

In general, Fire orders, Ambush actions and any actions involving firing on moving units or firing weapons should
remain face up.

The cards remaining face-up (there may very well be none) will be available to the enemy on the player's turn.

Player's Turn

• Attack: Enemy Leader’s Check Last: When processing attacks against the enemy's units, always perform the
leader's defense roll last. If a Concealment card is available, use it to modify the attack against the leader.
• Move: When responding to a human players move, select a unit/group which can Opp Fire and then draw 2 cards
at the earliest opportunity (ie. The player's unit is in LOS and the enemy has a shot with a possibility of causing
damage, no matter how unlikely it may be) to activate them for Opp fire. If one of the 2 cards is a Fire order, then
the unit or group activates and will fire as the player moves. The Fire card is moved to the discard pile. The
enemy should also use any available actions to improve their shots moving those to the discard pile as well, as
they are used.
o This process is repeated for every Move card played by the human player. If a unit/group did not activate
on an initial Move card, they may still activate on subsequent Move cards. Units/groups which do activate
and fire can no longer activate on future Move Cards.
o As always, any cards drawn but not immediately used, stay face-up on the table and can be used for their
Actions. (When a player is moving, there can be quite a lot of cards in the enemy's "hand". Don't panic!)
o If a Fire card is not drawn, but a Fire card is face-up on the table, then it also may be used to allow the
enemy to Opp fire.
• Ambush: when the player advances units into Melee, two cards are drawn looking for an Ambush action. If one is
drawn it is used. If one is face up, it may also be used, even in combination with one just drawn. Note that you do
not draw 2 extra cards when the enemy advances to Melee on its turn.
o As always, any cards drawn but not immediately used, stay face-up on the table and can be used for their
Actions.

• End of Player’s turn :

o At the end of the human players turn, take all enemy cards still on the table, give them a quick shuffle
and add them to the bottom of the enemy deck.
Scenario Special Rules

Bonfire of the NKVD - If the German side is the enemy, simulate the presence of the Demolitions card by
allowing the first German who moves into wire to automatically remove it.