Command and control

Optio's C&C is unique in that it doesn't use PIP dice or cards or written orders, but something quite different.

The whole problem with C&C is finding that sweet spot between the player having perfect control over every unit in his army and the drastic limitations on battlefield control an historical general actually had prior to the invention of the walkie talkie. In Antiquity a general was usually limited to giving orders to his subordinate commanders just before the battle and being able to exert virtually no control once the actual fighting started, other than perhaps timing the execution of his orders with banners, trumpets or whatever. If his opponent's plan was better than his all he could do was watch helplessly as his army was taken apart.

For a wargamer that's not much fun. So mechanisms are designed to give the player enough control to be able to make meaningful tactical decisions but not enough to feel he is linked to the mind-melded biots of War of the Worlds. Essentially it adds up to him being able to control only so many units/groups from one turn to the next (but doing whatever he likes with them), which means that very often he can't move significant parts of his army that periodically freeze because there aren't enough PIPs for them, or the cards or order tokens don't apply to them.

But there is another way.

Never mind what others say. For me it's obvious that a wargamer, from his God's eye POV, doesn't just represent the general, but also the subcommanders and captains of each unit/stand/entity capable of independent movement. He sees the entire battlefield in whole and in detail and makes decisions across it in a way no historical general ever could. So what we need is a way of determining not only how much control the general should have, but also the extent of the control exercised by the subcommanders and captains.

So....

The General

The general represents the player, but - as was the case with a real general - a gaming general can't control his units by telepathy.

First of all, there was no "command range." On a real battlefield, the dust, noise and confusion would reach such a pitch that a general could make his mind clear only to the unit he was actually with. In an age before the invention of radio, it was impossible to communicate effectively with units further away. To compensate for this, units were formed up side-by-side in a battleline or one behind the other in a column. One unit would keep pace with another and all kept pace with the general's unit.

Hence, to exert control, the general's counter - representing the great man himself - needs to be in the same battlefield square as the unit he controls. If other units are alongside that unit they likewise fall under control of the general. But there is a limit to how many units can plug into this row of units as a battleline was a huge and clumsy array of men that could move together only up to a certain width - usually about a kilometer and probably two kilometers at the most. Battlelines in Optio in consequence have a limited width - provisionally 6 units but I'm still thinking about it.

A battleline couldn't do anything fancy: just advance straight ahead with perhaps some diagonal drift under the direction of the general. Also a 180° about face using countermarching. For trained units a wheel by individual unit right or left to convert the battleline into an instant column. In some cases one unit moving ahead with the other units echeloned back on one side - the inclined line - or one unit moving ahead with the other units echeloned back on both sides - the wedge. And that was pretty much it.

The Subcommander

The subcommander was a lot like the general in the way he controlled his units, but unlike the general he couldn't just go wherever he liked. Before the battle the general gave him orders - where to move and whom to attack - with a near certitude of the subcommander being a head shorter if he disobeyed his orders.

And here lies the problem. In older rulesets the players gave their units / groups of units written orders. This was cumbersome, open to disputes in interpretation, and probably cramped too much the player's ability to control the battle. 

In Optio there is a compromise. Subcommanders have a command rating (the number in green on the subcommander's counter). That indicates how many times the subcommander - with his unit which BTW he never leaves unless it routs - can change direction during the battle. So a subcommander with a command rating of 1 can change direction once; a subcommander with a rating of 3 can change direction three times. There's a way of keeping track of how many times a subcommander changes direction, but for now suffice to say that once he has used up his stock of direction changes he is out of command. His orders are fulfilled and he now acts on his own initiative.

How does that work? A round counter the colour of the subcommander's command (the colour of a unit's shooting counter) is placed on the battlefield square where the subcommander changed direction for the last time. An infantry subcommander may range freely up to 2 battlefield squares, including diagonally, from that square; a mounted subcommander may range up to 4 squares. Beyond this range, subcommanders move like out-of-command units, i.e. an infantry subcommander with his unit may move ½ a square per turn whilst a mounted subcommander may move 1 square. If you want to know more about how this works feel free to ask me for a pdf of the ruleset.

The idea behind this mechanism is that when the player chooses and places subcommanders, he has a plan for where those subcommanders will move during the battle: a command that is meant simply to move forward and engage the enemy will do fine with a subcommander with a command rating of 1, whilst a cavalry command that is meant to outflank the enemy and get into his rear will need a subcommander with a higher command rating. It's a way of imposing the limitations of orders without actually having orders - letting the player think he can do as he likes when really he can't. Best of both worlds. 😁

Subcommanders without orders can't phone the general or send up a drone so they have no general battlefield awareness. This means they can't do grand tactical manoeuvres and simply operate pretty much in the area their last order left them, with considerable local initiative but without a God's eye view of the battle.

Unit Captains

If a unit doesn't have a subcommander or general with it in its battlefield square, or isn't part of a battleline or column with a subcommander or general, then it is out of command and falls under the control of its captain. Each unit is presumed to have a captain so no need to represent him with a counter.

The captain has even less knowledge of the big picture than the subcommander or general, but more importantly he realises he has limited initiative and acts accordingly: an infantry unit may move normally only ½ a square per turn whilst a mounted unit (whose captain has slightly better visibility since he sits higher up) may move one square per turn. But despite this hesitancy, a captain does understand that he is there to fight the enemy, so when charging an enemy unit or moving into range to shoot, he may move at his normal speed. When in doubt, attack.

And that's pretty much it for command and control. Any questions?

Edit 19 June 2024: Two changes, already mentioned in another post:

1. Battlelines of other commands that are directly in front of, behind, or alongside the general's battleline can be moved as an extension of the general's battleline, i.e. the general can freely move the block of battlelines as a single entity.

2. Commanders moving independently of the general follow normal rules but once they started moving they are obliged to move at least one square per turn, spending a command point to either stop or change direction.