COMBAT COMMAND 2: DANGER FORWARD

1.0 INTRODUCTION
     Combat Command 2 is a company-scale gaming system that allows players to conduct WWII-era operations. Each side in a typical Combat Command 2 battle will consist of 1 or more divisions fighting for geographical objectives over the course of several days. The first installment of this game, Danger Forward*, focuses on the Mediterranean and Western Fronts of WWII, with an emphasis on amphibious and airborne operations. In addition to the battles provided in this package--many of them rarely, if ever, seen in a computer wargame--Danger Forward gives you all the necessary tools to create an endless variety of scenarios of your own design. 
     (*Appropriately, "Danger Forward" was the codename for the U.S. 1st Infantry Division's forward command post.) 

2.0 SEQUENCE OF PLAY
     Combat Command 2 is played in a series of successive game turns. Each turn is divided into discrete phases as outlined below. Some of these phases, such as the Recovery, Supply and Command Phases, require no player input. They are included here only to show you when certain activities take place. 
     The player who is currently conducting an Action Segment is called the Phasing Player. The other player is called the Non-Phasing Player.

1ST TURN OF THE GAME AND EVERY 6A.M. TURN THEREAFTER
1) Supply Status Phase
     Units of both sides attempt to trace supply lines to their scenario-specified supply sources. No player input is required.   

EVERY TURN
1) Initiative Determination Phase
     All factors are calculated to determine which side has the initiative this turn. The player with the Initiative always performs an Action Segment first. No player input is required.

ACTION SEGMENT
1) Movement Phase
     During the Movement Phase, various activities occur in the order outlined here.
	1A) Reinforcement Phase
	     Paradrops and Amphibious Landings take place, Ground Reinforcements appear. The Phasing Player is responsible for placing his amphibious 	and airborne reinforcements. Ground Reinforcements appear automatically in the hexes in which they are designated to appear (as set in the 	Scenario Editor).
	1B) Command Phase
	     For each side the computer determines the command status of each formation by attempting to establish contact between units and 	Headquarters (HQs).  Divisional HQs attempt to establish contact  to attached units and Regimental HQs. Regimental HQs attempt to establish contact 	to attached units, and other Regimental HQs of the same Division. No player input is required.  
	1C) Recovery Phase
	     The Phasing Player's units may lose Disruption Levels. Dispersed units may become un-dispersed. No player input is required. 
	1D) Movement Phase
	     The Phasing Player moves any or all of his units and re-attaches units/formations to other HQs. The Non-Phasing Player conducts Opportunity 	Fire. Engineering takes place.
2) Direct Fire Phase
     Eligible units of both sides may conduct Direct Fire.
3) Assault Phase
     The Phasing Player designates assaults. He applies artillery, air support and Off-Board Support (OBS) to these assaults. The Non-Phasing Player applies artillery support to units being assaulted. He may also order assaulted units to withdraw. The Phasing Player may Bombard enemy occupied hexes. 
	3A) Assault Execution Phase
	     The computer executes all assaults. No player input is required. 
	3B) Withdrawal/Advance Phase
	     Units in Withdraw Posture take Withdrawal Checks and retreat. Attacking units advance. Both Phasing and Non-Phasing Players participate.

     The ACTION SEGMENT is then repeated for the Non-Phasing Player. Once the Non-Phasing Player completes his Action Segment, play proceeds to the next turn. If this is the 6am turn, play proceeds to the Supply Phase. If this is any other turn, play proceeds to the Initiative Determination Phase or the Movement Phase. 

3.0 PHASE-BY-PHASE DIRECTIONS AND RULES OF PLAY

3.1 REINFORCEMENT PHASE
     During the Reinforcement Phase, any amphibious or paradropped troops will be ready for landing. Follow the procedures outlined below to land your troops.

Paradrop Interface
     1) Click on "Paratroop Drop Zones." 
     2) Select a hex on the map. This is where you want the group of units you select in the next step to land.
     3) A box displaying units eligible to land will open. Select the units you want to land on the drop zone hex you selecting in step 2. You can drop as many or as few units as you like on this hex.
     4) Repeat this procedure for each and every unit or group of units you'd like to drop this turn.
     5) Click on "Finished with Paratroops." 
     6) To end the Reinforcement Phase, click GO!
 
Amphibious Landing Interface
     1) Click on "Amphibious Landing Zones." 
     2) Select a Beach hex where you'd like the group of units you select in the next step to land. 
     3) A box displaying units eligible to land will open. Select the units you want to land on the Beach hex you selected step 2. You can designate as many or as few units as you like to land in this hex.
     4) Repeat this procedure for each and every unit or group of units you'd like to land this turn.
     5) Click on "Finished with Amphibious." 
     6) To end the Reinforcement Phase, click GO!

3.2 COMMAND PHASE
     Integral to the design of Combat Command 2 are the command relationships among the units of each side. Units are not only organized into commands (regiments and divisions) but they must also establish "contact" to their formation HQs in order to benefit from this organization. Units not in contact with their HQs cannot assault in conjunction with other units and cannot be supported by artillery attached to those HQs (or from artillery units that themselves fail to establish contact). Simply put, a unit that has not established contact to its higher HQ acts as an individual unit, separate from its formation, while units that have established contact act in complete coordination with the entire command.     
     During the Command Phase of each turn, the computer determines the Command status of each unit on the map. The computer handles this phase automatically.

3.3 RECOVERY PHASE
     During the Recovery Phase, the Phasing Player's units may lose Disruption Levels and recover from Dispersal. This phase is conducted entirely by the computer and requires no player input. 
     To recover from Disruption, units take Quality checks. A successful check results in the loss of one or more levels of Disruption. 
     Units recover from Dispersal over time. No check is necessary.

3.4 MOVEMENT PHASE
     Each unit in the game has a number of Movement Points (MPs) which it uses to move from hex to hex across the map. Each hex costs a certain number of MPs to enter depending on the Movement Type of the unit (Leg, Wheel or Track) and the type of terrain in the hex. Occasionally, limitations will be put on a unit's movement capability. It's Movement Allowance (MA) may be halved for having just conducted an airborne or seaborne invasion, for being Dispersed, or for being out of command. Time of day, ground conditions and the Posture of the unit also affect its movement. 
     To move, a unit must be in Attack, Travel or (for artillery and anti-tank units) Move posture. Units in any other posture cannot move. (Exception: Units in Withdraw posture move during the Withdrawal Phase.)
     When moving, units may be fired on by enemy units. This is called Opportunity Fire and is conducted entirely by the computer.

Movement Interface
     1) Left-click a unit to select it. Every hex the unit can move to in its current Posture will be highlighted. The numbers in each hex show the number of movement points this unit will have left once it moves to that hex. If the number is printed in red, the unit will be incapable of performing a Posture change due to a lack of MPs.
     2) Left-click a highlighted hex and the unit will move there. 

     You can also move units using the Movement Designation Dialog Box. This is mainly useful for moving stacks of units at once. You can also move an entire regiment this way. 
     1) Left-click on a hex containing a stack of units.
     2) Go to "Game Settings" in the Command Menu, and click on the Use Movement Designation Dialog for Movement box (or press the SPACE BAR).
     3) Select any or all of the units displayed in the box. (Clicking a selected unit will de-select it.)
     4) Click on a highlighted hex. (You can also change the Posture for all selected units at once.) The selected units will move to that hex.
     If you click on "Select Reg," every unit of the regiment will be selected and will move toward the desired hex, maintaining their current spatial relationship to one another (i.e., they will move in formation). 

3.41 Zones of Controls (ZOCs)
     Each unit in the game (with some exceptions) exerts a Zone of Control into all adjacent hexes, but only if the unit could enter that hex from its current position. (For example, an armored unit which is prohibited from moving across a river, exerts no ZOC into a hex across a river from its current hex.)
     A unit that enters an Enemy ZOC (EZOC) must end its Movement for this Movement Phase (Exception: See "Infiltration," below). A unit that begins a Movement Phase in an EZOC, must Withdraw to leave it. A unit starting in an EZOC can only enter an adjacent EZOC (via Infiltration) or an adjacent non-EZOC hex by Withdrawing from it during the Withdrawal Phase.

3.42 Infiltration Movement
     Any unit in Attack Posture and in an EZOC may attempt to move from one EZOC hex directly to an adjacent EZOC hex. This movement costs no MPs, but in order to move, the unit must first pass a Quality Check (which is modified by various factors, such as time of day and terrain). Passage of this check results in a successful move into the adjacent EZOC hex. Failure causes a +1 Disruption to the unit and the unit remains in its current hex. Only one Infiltration move may be attempted per turn. 

3.5 DIRECT FIRE PHASE
     During the Direct Fire Phase, all eligible units of both sides may fire at one another. To fire, a unit must be in Defend or Emplaced Posture. Any unit that fired during the previous Movement Phase (as Opportunity Fire) may not fire during the Direct Fire Phase. All fire is conducted simultaneously. 
     Combat during this phase is conducted at ranges of 1-3 hexes. 

Direct Fire Phase Interface
     1) Click on the enemy-occupied hex you'd like to fire at. (To find an eligible target hex, click the "Show Potential Target" button.)
     2) A box will open showing all the friendly units that are eligible to fire on this enemy-occupied hex. In the top portion of the box, select the unit you'd like to fire at. In the bottom portion of the box, select the friendly unit(s) you'd like to fire at this enemy unit. (Remember that any unit that fired during the Movement Phase will not be eligible to fire during the Direct Fire Phase.) Repeat for every enemy unit you want to fire at. 
     3) Click End Phase and all firing will take place.
  
3.6 ASSAULT PHASE
          Unlike Direct Fire, Assaults represent combat between units and coordinated groups of units at ranges under 500 meters. It is normally the only way you can dislodge the enemy from the objectives they defend. An Assault is an attack on an enemy position by any number of adjacent opposing units. These attacks may utilize artillery, air and off-board support (usually representing naval gunfire). The coordination of an assault depends on the command status of the units making the assault. The defending units may or may not be able to utilize artillery support. Defenders can never use air or off-board support.
     In order to initiate an Assault, units must be in an Attack Posture. Units may be in any posture in order to defend. Units may only attack adjacent enemy units. Any number of units may attack a single enemy hex, so long as every attacking hex is adjacent to the defending one. 
     Artillery of both sides may bombard defending and attacking hexes. Artillery needn't be adjacent to bombard, but their target hexes must be within range of the artillery units. 
     Note that during Assault Designation, the column from the Combat Results Table that will be used to adjudicate this assault will be displayed, showing you the range of possible results. Be aware, however, that this is the column that will be used prior to artillery fire. Artillery fire can have a drastic impact on the final odds ratio.

Assault Phase Interface
1) The attacking player selects the hex he wants to attack. 
2) A box opens displaying all adjacent friendly units that can assault this hex. The box also includes artillery, air support and OBS that can attack this hex, either by independently bombarding the hex or by supporting a ground assault. Select units to assault the hex by clicking on the unit. Clicking on a selected unit de-selects the unit.
     Not all units can attack the hex jointly. Ground units that can attack the hex jointly (they share a common command linkage) are displayed on the same line. (If the list of these units extends to the next line, then that line will be preceded by the same shade of color. Ground assaults are preceded by shades of green, bombardment attacks by shades of blue.) All units on the same line or in adjacent lines preceded by the same shade of color are eligible to attack the hex jointly and all units' attack factors will be combined to make a single assault. Once you choose a ground unit(s) to assault the hex, every artillery, air support and OBS unit that can support the attack will also be displayed alongside the ground unit(s). 
     Units and groups of units that cannot attack a hex in tandem with one another are listed on different lines and the lines are preceded by different shades of color. If units from different groups are chosen to assault/bombard, they will do so, but each group will attack separately. 
     If you select an artillery unit first, it is assumed that you are bombarding the hex and other artillery, air support and OBS units will be displayed for selection. Units that can bombard jointly will be displayed on the same line in the same manner as ground units. 
3) Repeat this procedure for every hex the attacking player wants to assault, then select End Phase.
4) In two-player games, the defending player has an opportunity to designate his defense of the assaulted hexes. Each assaulted hex will be highlighted. The defending player can access a highlighted hex by clicking on it. He then applies artillery support to the attacked hexes in the same manner as the attacker. Additionally, the defender can change any unit's Posture to Withdrawal by clicking on it. A large "W" will appear over the unit showing that it has been set to Withdraw at the conclusion of the coming assault. 
5) When the defender is finished, click "Execute Attacks." If you have selected "Automatic Assault Results" in the "Game Settings" menu, then the results of all your assaults will be displayed automatically one at a time. If not, then each assaulted hex will be highlighted. Click on a highlighted hex and the results will be displayed. 

3.62 Combat Sequence
     For every assault, the computer follows this sequence in resolving the combat.
1) Artillery Fire: All artillery fire for each side is combined into a single artillery attack. Results are applied to units now. (Units may take hits or become Disrupted to one degree or another. These impact the units' combat strengths and are taken into account when the ground assault begins.)
2) OBS Support: OBS fire is executed. Only 1 OBS attack is allowed per assault. Results are applied to units now.
3) Air Support: All Air Support attacks are executed. Only 1 Air attack is allowed per assault. Results are applied to units now.
4) Determine the odds for use on the Combat Results Table (CRT)
5) Execute the ground Assault
6) Any disrupted unit from the just-completed combat takes a Quality Check (QC). Failing the QC forces the unit to Withdraw. (Units at Disruption levels of 3 or 4 must withdraw automatically.)
7) Every Withdrawing unit takes a Withdrawal Check. Additional Disruption and/or hits may result. See "Charts and Tables" for a full explanation.
     7A) Attacking units retreat
     7B) Defending units retreat
8) Advance. Units advance.
     8A) Attacking units advance
     8B) Defending units advance

3.63 Bombardment 
       During the Assault Designation Phase, artillery units can bombard enemy units within range. Artillery units used for bombardment can’t be used to support assaults and vice versa. An artillery unit does not have to establish contact with any HQ to bombard, but in order to combine with other artillery units in a single bombardment attack all participating artillery units must have contact to the same higher HQ. 
     Any visible unit on the map is an eligible target. 
     OBS and Air Support can also bombard and are subject to the same rules, except that only 1 AS and 1 OBS can attack a hex during a turn and they always attack singly. 

3.7 WITHDRAWAL/ADVANCE
     Withdrawal and Advance operate somewhat unusually in Combat Command 2. The act of disengaging from close contact with the enemy was one of the most perilous operations a unit would undertake. An orderly "advance to the rear" could easily become a rout, a rout that could cost the unit valuable equipment (artillery pieces and other heavy guns are left behind in a rush to escape real or imagined danger). It would certainly cost your side lots of valuable real estate. 

Withdrawal Phase Interface
     At the conclusion of the Assault Phase, any unit that must withdraw will be highlighted. Select a highlighted unit and its withdrawal path and final withdrawal hexes will be displayed. The unit must end its withdrawal in one of the green hexes. The red hexes show the rout it must take to reach a green hex. You can either withdraw the unit one hex at a time, or you can withdraw the unit at once by clicking on a green hex. (If no green hex is displayed for a withdrawing unit, then it must withdraw until it has 0 MPs remaining. In this case, it may end its withdraw in a red hex, so long as it has no MPs remaining.) Units that must withdraw have a dashed highlight. The currently selected withdrawing unit has a solid highlight. You can select and de-select units by clicking on them. (Keep in mind that the act of withdrawing may cause further disruption and physical damage. The game will inform you of this at the beginning of the Withdrawal Phase.) To end a unit's withdrawal prior to the unit expending all MPs (when its withdrawal ends automatically), click "Finished Withdrawing" to go to the next withdrawing unit (if any). 
     Advancing is conducted almost exactly like movement. Units eligible to advance have a dashed highlight. The currently selected advancing unit has a solid highlight. Select a unit and its initial advance hex will be highlighted. To advance, the unit must enter the initial advance hex. Click on the highlighted hex and the unit will move there. Once there, additional advance hexes will be highlighted out to the range of the full extent of the current unit's full advance potential. Click on a highlighted hex to move to that hex. Keep in mind that all movement rules are in effect during the advance (Infiltration, Soft Ground, Night Movement, etc.). Units are never forced to advance. You can scroll through a stack of advance-eligible units by right-clicking the stack, as usual. Select an de-select highlighted advance-eligible units by left-clicking on them. Selecting "Finished with Advance" will end your Advance Phase, so make sure you have finished with all advancing units before finishing.