ratdeath

Literally never heard of this game until i saw it on Steam last year and i scoffed at the price at first.
5 months later I have purchased every single game and module except for CMFI, im going to buy it but my wallet lol
Massive respect to the developers for creating something amazing, that seems tailored for me personally.  I've been trying to get my friends to play but they arent tactical
Sorry if this is a boring post but I heard a podcast with a gentleman from BF and he mentioned they were testing Steam out and just wanted to provide this feedback
Stoked for F&T and CW
 

March 12th, 2021.
And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you’ve got Combat Mission?

Since you mention this one, I even would recommend Tom Clancy: Hunt for Red October.
Quite different topic, but captures the Cold War mood nicely.

The World in Conflict OSTs seem apt to drop in here!
Spetsnaz is my favourite track.

Apologies to all... here is the last half of the GIF that did not play properly in my turn 8 report.  Evidently three ATGMs were fired at this M-150.. two if which hit.

The Eighth Minute post updated as well.

Eighth Minute - One Meter too Many
“You win in battles with the timing in the Void born of the timing of cunning by knowing the enemies’ timing, and thus using a timing which the enemy does not expect.”
A Book of Five Rings, The Ground Book - Miyamoto Musashi
(Yes I have Musashi’s book sitting next to me on my desk --- the man was an Effing genius)
 
Clarity, according to the Oxford Dictionary is “The quality of being certain or definite.”  Warren’s movements gave me that this turn. 
First the good news!   I know where some of his armor is, and I know what the type is.  There are two T-64As and I have spotted four BMP-1s (yes the Sagger armed version).  So I believe this is a separate formation from what was already on the map.  This must be part of the FSE which I have been expecting… should be formed on one Motorized Rifle Company (BMP-1 evidently) with one four-tank platoon in support.  Of course the organization still needs to be confirmed.
CMCW Feature:  The unit organizations for this game include many preformed task groups, including Soviet Forward Security Element, US Company Teams (different flavors), etc.

Some tank porn for you perverts (you know who you are), I present Miss February, the T-64A:

Before we continue let’s answer some PIRs:
Priority Intelligence Requirements (PIRs):
1.      Where is/are the enemy SBF position(s)
Warren has spread several BMP-1PKs along the treeline, being careful to stay out of my tank’s line of fire… though maybe that’s coincidence as they just destroyed the two BMPs that were in their zone of fire.  I believe this line is his SBF position.
2.      What is the size of the initial Soviet force?
I am calling the initial formation the Recon Company, but I need to figure out why it has two BMP-1PKs… hmmm.
3a.       Where are enemy’s tanks?  This is a persistent PIR and should be kept updated throughout the action.
Two T-64As have been identified in EAA1.  There should be two more in the FSE but those have yet to be located
3b.      What model tanks are in the Reconnaissance Company?
No tanks have been identified in the Recon Company only BMP-1Ps   
4a.       What is the organization of the initial follow-on force?
4b.      What model tanks are in the initial follow-on force?
5a.       What is the organization of any additional follow-on forces?
5b.      What model tanks are in any additional follow-on forces?
PIRs 4a, 4b, 5a, and 5b cannot be answered yet.
 
Okay I admit it… moving my M-150s forward was ill-advised.. got a little impatient there.  Let this be a lesson to you.
1.      M-150(1/5) moves forward, and luckily is still Hull Down to the BMP-1P that fires on it…
The shooter (spotted after he launched):

The result (from two angles):

…meanwhile:
2.      M-150(1/4) moves too far forward.. sees the vehicles on EAA1 and then reverses as quickly as possible.. I really misjudged my Hull Down with this one.  Totally on me.
Two shooters (from EAA1):


Well he did get a TOW off right before he gets smoked... of course the TOW went wild after that.   
What did I tell you? Beware of the BMP in this game… they are deadly.
Okay.. it’s late and I need to process this one and decide how best to respond.  Stand by for that.

Re: NBC:
From our Design Document (and before you ask... no, sorry I won't be sharing it):
In our mind representing NBC was a rabbit hole best stayed away from.
Bil

Not books but a lot of games in the 80's were based on the Cold War gone hot
Red Storm Rising (C64), Project Stealth Fighter (C64), Red Lightning (Amiga), The Third World War "Battle for Germany" (Boardgame).
Add to that Judge Dredd, the future after the third world war.
Yup, that's my childhood growing up in the 80's listening to Mötley Crüe, Helloween, Doro Pesch, Nitzer Ebb, Front 242, etc. playing games and reading Tom Clancy

March to Glorious Victory Post #3 - Clausewitz was a Chump (min 5-7)
  From the title I think you can gather that I am not an enormous fan of good old Uncle Carl.  It isn't that he is totally wrong, it is the fact that he is only half right.  I get that we are all products of our time and station in life and Carl was a Prussian aristocrat in the early 19th century, so his views of the world and warfare reflect that.  It is what he missed as he tries to package something as deep and fundamental as warfare into a nice tight (and very German) manual. 
   War is an extension of policy, governed by government, fueled by a well-behaved public and executed in glorious isolation by a professional military, really only says one thing...war is a rational exercise.  It may have irrationality in its guts but those error bars (i.e. friction etc) are still governed by logic and over-arching structure.   I am with John Keegan on this one...Carl gets the theory of the mechanics but misses the entire point.
   War is emotional, it is cultural and it is very irrational.  To the point very few animals in nature engage in the type of warfare we are capable of conducting (ants actually...really interesting).  "Uh, so what The _Capt?".  Well you can see it in this battle I am having with Bil.  On one hand I can see that there is a rational/logical construct at play here...on the other I am beginning to loathe this withered old crone...as he stares across the field at me through those milky old eyes.
   The_Capt's personal definition of warfare: "a collision of irreconcilable envisioned realities, as all parties negotiate with an unwritten future".  War's function is three main components: communication, negotiation and sacrifice.  So I ask myself:  what am I communicating through my violence?  What is my opponent willing to give and take?  What am I willing to lose?
  I would ask that you all keep this in mind as we proceed...I know I will.  So here we are at turns 5 through 7.
Turn 5, was pretty uneventful, except for one Cpl Shnookskov who died in the service of his country as the Sneaky Peeky portion of Bil's plan begins to unfold.

We are down a recon BMP, but I am advancing recon squads forward as per the "hey look Bil, I really care about having schnitzel tonight!"

Turn 6 and the crew shows up.  BTW in-game we have various models that reflect both Soviet and US organizational doctrine.  This is a purchasable Forward Security Element:

So my job here is to get these guy in position to be TEETH without Bil pounding them into scrap metal,   You will note I already have my MANPADs dismounted...for all Soviet player I highly suggest you do this as early as possible.
Turn 7 and I see Bils plan begin to emerge.
So 
So there is an M60 up there plinking away at my Recon screen, or at least one I can see.  On this turn they managed to ping yet another BMP on my left, I am jockeying  the remainder to at least make it look like I am trying.  So my real issue now is all about timing.  

I have another Coy of tanks on the way but I know Bil has forces on the way too.  So do I go now, or wait?  My arty is still 10 mins out on the upper line and it is 16 min out on the outskirts of Dollbach....hmm.
  

Not from the 80's but kind of fitting
 

So what I am hearing is that it is not me you love....you just need me for your Grog porn needs....disgusting.....but ok.


Apologize in advance as I am not the best screen shot guy.  (Top T64B1s...love that tank, Bottom BMP 1PK,,,lookin bad ass.)
 

I am looking forward to Fire & Rubble
Snow and stuff!
Hopefully we get Fire & Rubble before Cold War ( assuming we get Cold War in April ).
Early East Front (41-43) and a Cold War (probably 84-89 if asked) has always been the two families I wished they would eventually make in either CMx2 or a future CMx3 engine.
So one down.. hoping for the next one soon!

I have something from Belgium for @CMFDR, but with German lyrics.
 

Fourth Minute - First Contact!
Forgive me for a second AAR post today, but I will be traveling tomorrow and wanted to get this one published tonight.
 
“One should not be diverted by geographical objectives, but should concentrate on the destruction of the enemy’s military forces.”
Classic Russian Military Principles
 
A little excitement during this turn, and first shot fired (all times are in Game Time, counting down from 40:00).  Yellow text for contacts equals a tentative contact, red text is for solid identified contacts. 
@36:47:  Early in this minute M150 (1/5) got a firm spot on an enemy BMP moving to the edge of the woods, then immediately lost the contact as it continued forward slightly.  Positive ID: BMP-1P.  Note:  this is a resolution of the tentative spot from the third minute.
@36:35:  M150 (1/4) noticed some movement near NAI3.  Appears to be a light armored vehicle, suspected to be a BMP.
@36:21:  The 36:35 spot becomes a positively identified BMP-1P as it nosed slightly out of the treeline.   This BMP is oriented directly toward M-150(1/4) but does not have a spot, it could be overwatching the ridge the Tank Hunter is sitting on.

Note the type of ATGM (AT-4 I believe) and the mast antenna.  The ATGM makes it a BMP-1P, the mast antenna makes this a BMP-1PK, a Company Commander's personal ride.  One Company HQ identified... make a note.
As the BMP halted at the edge of the treeline it gave M-150 (1/4) enough time to aim and loose a TOW, which alas, fell well short of the mark probably due to my smoke screen.  The contact was then immediately lost, probably due to the smoke, missile destruction debris etc.

With any luck, the enemy commander will have missed the missile launch and will think the missile’s impact with the ground is a spotting round.

@36:04:  M150 (1/4) noticed some movement within NAI2.  Appears to be a light armored vehicle, suspected to be a third BMP.  One full Company or parts of two?  Time will tell.  
Only one adjustment was made to my positions this turn.  After a quick check, M-150 (1/4) is only Partially Hull Down to the BMP it fired at this turn so will be reversing into a full Hull Down position to this enemy vehicle, and will also be narrowing its cover arc to focus on the location of this enemy BMP.
A note about Hull Down… just because you are Hull Down to one piece of ground, does not mean you are Hull Down to another.  You should check and recheck this as a scenario unfolds, especially when you have firm contact sightings.

Bil
COMING UP NEXT:  The Return of the Famous Blood Board!!

First Three Minutes!
 “Perception is strong and sight weak. In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things.”
A Book of Five Rings, Miyamoto Musashi
 
The initial phase of this action will be me positioning my units to get eyes on the most likely enemy avenues of approach, especially EAA1 (NAI 1). 
After two minutes of action:
M113A2s and Scouts: Reached their drop off points and the two Scout teams have dismounted and are continuing on foot in order to get into positions where they can look into EAA1.  The Platoon Leader will stay mounted in his M113 for now.

M-60A1 (Rise+) Section 1:  Arrived in hull down positions with views of NAI 2 and 3. M-60A1 (Rise+) Section 2:  Arrived in hull down positions with views of NAI 2 and 3. Tank Section 1 moves into position:


M150 TOW Tank Hunters:  Both now in hull down positions overlooking NAIs 2 and 3.
Artillery Smoke Screen:  After two minutes I have cancelled the fire from both batteries.  Mainly because I want them available once my Scouts start to see into NAI 1.  The screen should build for a few more turns as laid then should last for several more.  It’ll be interesting to see how effective it is at messing with the Soviet spotting-targeting cycle.
FIRST ENEMY INDICATOR:  In the third minute M150 1/5 (1st Platoon, 5th Vehicle)) noticed some movement in the woods between NAIs 1 and 2.  Nothing is known about this contact other than that it is a light armored vehicle, suspected BMP from the Recon Company.

Now to place this image in context... in case you ever wondered what a Hull Down M-150 Tank Hunter looks like from the Soviet perspective:

Bil

I have something fitting to the timeframe, topic and location:
Berlin Express - Die Russen Kommen (1982)
 

March to Glorious Victory Post Number One.
  So Bil and I have a loose-agreement (I would say gentlemen's but that is probably a stretch) to not peek at each others threads.  The dirty truth here is that this isn't really an AAR per se, it is more of an IAR (In Action Report).  Full disclosure, we are only about 6 mins into the thing, so I can't really put a spin on my plan or anything because I have no idea how this will end.  So far so good  but we are in early days.  We should start posting turn summaries tomorrow but for now may I present an end-product of about roughly 32 years of military training in both line and staff positions...The_Capt's glorious Mission Analysis!  
So here we are on this grubby little peice of West German real-estate (seriously, Pete Wenman is a freakin wizard with these maps btw) facing off against what I am sure are overfed, overpaid and over-entitled Yankee capitalists all huddled in their vehicles waiting for something to happen.  So like they taught me back in the day..let's start with terrain:

So my guys are coming from the bottom, Bil and his jerks are up near the top.  I have a bunch of woods except for this defile behind a hwy bridge that I have to deploy my main force out of.  We have a big valley between us and the town of Dollbach in the center which is the golden goose we are both lining up to grab, whilst killing the other guy.  Not much to see on my map edge except a bunch of woods with some dirt roads cut through them.  
Bil has the high ground ridge up there and there are three major wooded areas that him and his ilk are no doubt hiding out in.  It is more one on the left but pretty much that approach along with the Valley is dominated by Bil's thugs.  In short, this is not an optimal starting position.
Bil's Plan.  So I have learned some time ago that you are not fighting vehicles and equipment, you are fighting a person (Capt's rule #1).  So spend time understanding and getting inside the head of that person.  With Bil it is easy because we have been sparring in CM for just about 2 decades now.  So here is what I am thinking, that Bil is thinking:

So Bil is probably going to be cautious and build a nice path to victory here.  First he is going to put out Eyes in those woodlines, then he will reinforce with teeth because why stick his neck out if he does not have to?  Then once I have watered the West German countryside with my blood (and other fluids) he will make his reach for Dollbach (Hands...dirty, old, wrinkly hands with yellow fingernails).  I will be at a significant disadvantage at this point because I will be dead, and you do not fight so well when dead (Capt's rule #2).  So my role here is to play peeky snipey from a really crappy position with Soviet gear that does not see as well as his sexy US optics...hmm...Capt no-likey, no likey...one bit.  So now the Plan:

My end goal is to make Bil more dead than me, not to get heavily invested in the West German real estate market.  So we are going to try something simple and blunt.  First, I will get Eyes on my woodline, gotta see what I can see (Capt's Rule #3).  Then I am going to put out hands...fingers really, to make it look like the land grab is my only game.  Then once my art start dropping (could be wait here cause he has EW turned on), I am going to bull rush that corridor and swing up into those hills to kill Bil (Teeth).  This is going to be tricky and I am going to take losses but I can afford them.  I get a MIC FSE in 5 and another Tank Coy-ish in 10, so I will have mass because I am betting the best he has is an Armd Cav platoon, maybe two.  So basically we will play Bil's snipey peeky game for a bit, push recon out into that town to make me look desperate and then freakin charge on the left.  Questions?
 

Ok, lemme weigh in on this because there are going to be more questions.  What made it into the game...and why?  What did not make it into the game...and why?  Not easy answers to be honest.
First we took a deliberate design choice to try to stick to a policy of "historical introduction +/- 6 months".  The primary reason was to not artificially limit the choices of the player and leave more constraints/restraint decisions in their hands...they are the customer.  There will be purists out there - god love em- who will want to play with extreme historical accuracy and this game is set up for that.  Then there will be 'experimenters' that will want to see what happened if X showed up earlier/later, so we took a look and tried to keep the aperture open for them too.
Second, unlike most historical conflicts, the Cold War never went hot so the geopolitical or strategic situation never really evolved to mirror what is happening in our game.  For example, having spent a lot of time looking at committee records and  logistical after action reports, the reason that vehicles or weapons systems were introduced at a certain date was not the same context as, say, WWII.  These were not shaped by technical, industrial or operational realities as much as they were by good old fashion bureaucracy.  Vehicles and equipment were held up for funding shifts or strategic logistical SNAFUs, not anything "real".  So within a "what if" context saying "Nope the M2 Bradley cannot be in Europe in 81-82...sorry player" makes no sense if the primary reason was "it got delayed because we forgot to include a support package"  or "there was a congressional district issue"  or "the delivery process got held up in a contracting screw up".  If there had been an escalating strategic reality, all of this red tape would have been cut through and the vehicles, which were being manufactured (i.e. well past the prototype stage) and many of them in warehouses, could have easily been pushed forward.
So what?  Well if you see an odd vehicle date to your eyes, trust me we know about it and considered it.  If you want to play with the highest historical accuracy possible you can do that easily within the game.  If you wish to push the envelope of what could have been, well you can do that too...within reason.  You will not be seeing M1s rolling across the plains in 1979, there is a point between ahistorical and complete fantasy but some equipment, particularly US will be available earlier or later than its actual arrival date in the ETO but all of these vehicles were 1) well into manufacturing and 2) had been already delivered to the US military, contracts cut and the machine in motion.  
And finally, what got left out.  Ya, there is simply no way we were going to win this one...we still get beat up by the beta team for leaving out vehicle Z.  Here the tyranny of time kicks in.  Spending an extra 6 months modeling and testing in-game systems that were niche and that most players will never see or use, simply does not make sense.  And then some pieces of equipment would break the game engine itself (e.g. AVLB...breaks my heart as an engineer).  So hard decisions to leave some babies on the roadside had to be made...and they were.  What is in the game are the essentials (plus) and we are likely going to have disagreement on what was "essential"...now let the healing begin.

I know everybody is excited and would like to know what is next after the Base Game... believe me we are all excited too!
As far as follow-on modules go.. yes several are planned, but what they are specifically we will keep to ourselves until after the game is released.  For now the focus must stay on the base-game for us, but feel free to conjecture and dream, I enjoy those threads, but we won't be confirming or denying anything until after this one is on the street.
Just so you guys know that we aren't ignoring you in those discussions, we are trying to stay focused and not get sidetracked so we can deliver this thing in time.
Cheers, Bil

Exterminate! 

The very definition of 'Outgunned'! 
PS - Is it just me, or does that picture remind anyone else of a Dalek? 

Tentative Plan
Battle Planning:  My philosophy is to never develop a final plan until I have an estimate of the enemy situation. 
 
“The time to take counsel of your fears is before you make an important battle decision. That's the time to listen to every fear you can imagine!  When you have collected all the facts and fears and made your decision, turn off all your fears and go ahead!”
George S. Patton
 
In the above quote, Patton is describing the OODA Loop, though of course John Boyd’s description and breakdown of his now famous loop was still decades away.
OODA Loop (Observe-Orient, Decide-Act) - In the OODA loop the Observe-Orient components never stop, from the battle kickoff to the end. They are always running, and all enemy interactions and sightings feed Observe-Orient which add to the picture a commander has of his battle space making their decisions easier, faster, and more intuitive. 
If you can beat your opponent to “understanding the situation” then your OODA Loop will cycle at a much higher pace than theirs and your decisions will be more effective and they will be at least one step behind, which is a bad place to be in a fast paced combat zone.

For this battle, I need to get eyes on NAI 1, 2, and 3 as quickly as possible so this initial formation (1st Platoon) will act as my reconnaissance force.  
Once I have an idea as to how the enemy is deploying I can then Decide how to Act.  Once a decision has been made there must be no hesitation, act aggressively and with confidence in the decision.
  

 
I can make some assumptions: 
Assumption 1:  The enemy will attempt to seize the village.  This is a sure bet, as it is the main objective for this scenario, for both sides. Assumption 2:  The enemy will advance down EAA1 towards the village.  Another safe assumption due to the masked movement corridor this avenue presents. Assumption 3:  The enemy will build a SBF position close to either NAI2 or NAI3, or both.  Reasoning is that both of these positions can provide excellent flank support to the main effort, probably moving through EAA1.  

Reconnaissance Plan:  In order to get eyes on the enemy I need to close the distance as soon as possible. 
Scouts:  My main recon force will be the three M113s, Scout teams and the Platoon HQ team. Which will rush toward Dolbach, dismount prior to entering, and creep forward as far as possible.  These are not expendable units, I want them alive and capable to help in a later phase.  CMCW Feature:  New to Cold War, US Scout teams all have the ability to call for fire.
 

Overwatch: The two M-150 TOW vehicles will provide long range overwatch from the ridge.  Their visibility from up there is suspect and I am pessimistic as to the level of fire they will be able to place on the enemy.  

Overwatch/Support by Fire: Split into two, two-tank teams the M-60A1(Rise+) tanks will be on the extreme right flank providing Support by Fire and Overwatch for the M113s.  Their goal will be to shadow the M113s and to interdict any enemy vehicles they can.  

Obscuration:  My two Howitzer batteries will be laying down a quick smoke screen in front of the enemy in order to, hopefully, decrease his ability to engage any of my moving units.  Also this is meant to increase the difficulty of the enemy spotting and any shots the Soviets may attempt.  
Intent:  The intent and goal for this initial phase is to answer as many of the PIRs as possible prior to the initial reinforcement wave (5 minutes).  They are not to get decisively engaged or do anything stupid that will force them to suffer casualties.  Force preservation is key, especially for the tanks and the M-150s.
Bil

It's kind of a preview of what's to come.. but did someone say, Hull-Down M150?  This is taken from Warren's side and is REALLY zoomed in.

Bil