Snowblind - Chain of Command AAR

My second game at Cold Wars 2019 on Saturday was Chain of Command. I'd heard a lot of good things about the system (also a lot of bad. TooFatLardies products seem to get love/hate reactions out of wargamers). So I signed up thinking I'd get my chance to try the rules myself. 

The scenario was based around the Battle of Suomussalmi between Soviet and Finnish forces in late 1939. The Soviets were holed up in the ruins of a small village and had to hold out against attacking Finnish infantry. The snow was so deep that no running was allowed.

I was one of the two Finnish commanders, and we faced off against two Soviet commanders.

The first thing the Finnish did was to deploy a medium machine gun team in the woods opposite the village. This turned out to be the MVP unit for the Finns - it did most of the damage to the Soviets as the rest of the Finnish infantry struggled in the snow.

We also brought on an assault section with SMGs and a LMG team, hoping to reach the stone wall quickly.

Unfortunately, a massive Soviet section appeared just behind the wall and opened fire on the approaching Finns.

As the skirmish developed, the Finns' plan was pretty clear - attack the extreme flanks of the Soviet position while the MMG hammered away at the center.

For a couple turns, it seemed like the Finnish forces might actually succeed, especially when the Soviet infantry and MMG at the center of the village were broken and started to flee.

However, the Soviets had reserves, and a turn or two of good shooting saw the Finns scythed down like wheat in a field.

As the attack on the Soviet's left flank was completely repulsed, the Finns finally lost enough morale and called off the attack, leaving the enemy in control of the village.

While the guys I was playing with were a great group, something about the Chain of Command rules didn't quite click with me. It might have been the massive migraine I was suffering from at the time, but the game seemed a little too detailed for the scale it was trying to pull of. While mostly enjoyable, I wasn't moved to pick up the rules or any models.