Chain of Command: New II WW Skirmish Rules

TooFatLardies is planning to launch a major new set of rules covering skirmish actions (up to platoon level) in the IIWW, probably to be released this summer. As in any other TFL product, "friction in the battlefield" and "historical accuracy" are the key core aspects of the rules, but this new set introduces some important changes to the two most traditional features of their rules sets: the card-deck engine and the blinds system.

The card deck  dissapears altogether, being replaced by a number of dice results. Each side will have between 4 and 6 command action dice (depending on the force quality level)  and the dice rolls will allow the player different options to activate their forces: from activating a fire team (part of a squad) to activate the senior leader (platoon commander) who can then order the units under command range.

The blinds system, another well-entrenched tradition of TFL, is replaced now by a new pre-game mechanism, in which the players move alternatively some "patrol markers" until they are close to enough to the enemy. Once fixed, they become "jump-off points" from where the force commander will be able to commit the units under his control. This system offers two advantages: speeding up the game, cutting short the period in which the units are maneuvering to get into contact; increases the optionality of the player to commit the forces according to the tactical situation at each moment.   

Club Dragón has been kindly invited by TooFatLardies to participate in the rules testing process, and this morning we have played our first game. I'll be updating our impressions and progress with the testing in more detail but overall we are very favourably impressed with the system. Initially we spend sometime in grabbing the core mechanisms, but after a short time the attention of the players was mostly focused in the tactical options and decisions of an almost real battlefield.     
 
Richard Clarke has produced some very good videos in YouTube to explain the key features of Chain of Command, the last three dedicated to develop a full game. I encourage you to watch these videos and follow closely the development of Chain of Command

Part One: Introduction
Part Two: Command & Control
Part Three: Fire & Movement
Parts Four, Five and Six: Game Example
(ADDED AUGUST 2013) Part Seven: Selecting your forces

There's also an excellent podcast by Meeples & Miniatures about Chain of Command, including an interview with Richaed Clarke and Nick Skinner, the brains behind TFL