Dear Mr. Novak: I am amassing armies in 1/200th scale for the Spanish Civil War, based on the limited range from Wild Geese in England, but involving much conversion of both these and various WWII figures. I purchased a set of Command Decision II with the intention of adapting these to this period and Over the Top for the same reason. I am writing in the hope that you may have already published material in the Command Post on modifying CD for the Spanish Civil War. If so, how can I get copies of this? I am particularly concerned with creating army lists and defining the command structure for the armies in CD terms. I'd like to take the opportunity to ask a question concerning CD/Over the Top, which is: Why is the same frontage recommended for 15/20mm and the 1/200-285-300 scale? If one is using a ground scale of 1 centimeter equals 50 yards, surely the base size should be correspondingly reduced. It is suggested that only the base depth be changed; I can't see the logic behind this. I am having difficulty reconciling the ground scale of 1 inch equals 50 yards with the figure scale of one base equals approxi mately 50 men. I own two sets of rules which conflict with this. I will use as an example Savage Wars of Peace for the Colonial Period. This uses a ground scale of 1 inch equals 20 yards, and the same figure scale, with each figure having a frontage of 10mm. So a base with the same frontage as one of your platoon bases would represent the same number of men, but in SWOP it represents a two-deep line in close order. However, in CD it represents a platoon in skirmish order--or does it? Is the skirmish nature of the formation repre- sented by the normal disposal of the bases, or is it assumed the troops on each base are dispersed? The only logical conclusion which presents itself besides the above is that each platoon represents a platoon deployed in depth, i.e., if two sections, one forward, one in reserve, or if three sections, two forward and one in reserve. Is this correct? Ifnot, what is the correct explanation? Yours Faithfully, Nigel Casson Dear Nigel: The Workshop passed your letter on to me and I shall attempt to answer it as best as I can. We have not yet done a supplement on the Spanish Civil War, but one will be coming out within the next year or two. We are planning to run a supplement in each issue. Next year, our plans for the supplements in the CPQ include the following: The Race to Messina (Sicily, 1943), The Spanish Civil War The Arab Israeli Wars The Second Indo-China War The Boer War 1899-1902 As editor, I need to balance my supplements on a WWII-Modern-Other cycle to keep all happy. There will be a Spanish Civil War supplement between issues 5 and 8--it depends on how much research I can get done this summer on that and other topics. On your question of base frontages in CDH and the fact that they are the same for both scales, i.e., 15/20mm and 1/200-1/300th: I shall attempt to answer your questions as best I can. The most accurate scale that can be used in the game is with 1/200-1/300th scale figures and 1" equals 50 yards. The use of 15/20mm figures is for people like myself and Frank who are too old (early 40s) to paint and enjoy 1/200-1/300th scale figures. We like the look and feel of the 20mm figures and accept the fact that they are overscale. The use of the 1 cm equals 50 yards is for those who have a smaller area to play on, or who want to fight larger-size actions. As long as all ranges, movement, and burst areas use the same scale throughout, the system will work. As far as the actual frontages that stands take up, some thoughts are in order as to the concept under which Command Decision works. CD is designed to make one a battalion/battle group commander, and to put one into the decision-making process that role. Thus, you usually give orders to the company commanders (one level down), and carry out those orders on the platoon level (two levels down). The platoon stand marks the center of the location of that unit. The orders given to the platoon reflect actual status of the platoon in action and how it is deployed. For example, consider an infantry platoon under each of the following orders:  No Order: The platoon is considered as deployed for combat, and so may fire in each of the three fire phases without penalty. The stand gets the benefit of any cover that it is in if fired upon. Cautious Advance: The platoon is moving forward carefully, and will be allowed to fire in the General Fire Phase as well as the Close Fire Phase. This order assumes that within the platoon some attempt is being made to carry out covering fire. This stand does not get any benefit from any cover that it is moving into if fired at during the Opportunity Fire Phase. Full Advance: The platoon is moving forward as quickly as it can in a combat formation, and will only be able to fire in the Close Fire Phase. This stand does not get any benefit from any cover that it is moving into if fired at during the Opportunity Fire Phase. Travel March:(Known in the local group as trolling for ambush.) This would allow a platoon starting it's movement on a road to advance twice it's normal full move providing it remains on the road at all times. (This is the classic column of fours with no security out.) If fired upon, one may not return fire and has a -2 morale modifier. The same stand size is used in all four cases for convenience, even though the actual formation and frontage used by the platoon would be different in all four cases. If you were playing a game as a platoon or company commander, the actual location of the sub-elements of the platoon would be important and need to be shown. However, at the battalion level, that's not your concern. After all, once a platoon commander is ordered to carry out an operation, then one must assume that the platoon will deploy in the formation best suited to that order. Thus, a stand could be two squads up, one back, three in a ring, one up, two back-whatever formation suits the order that the stand is carrying out. I am not trying to not answer your question, but under CDII it's not a question that is relevant to the system. As to how to modify the rules for the Spanish Civil War, may I suggest the following general guidelines. You will need both Over the Top and Command Decision II, as the weapons used are a mixture of WWI and WWII. Almost all of the weapons used will be found in one book or the other. All artillery on both sides will be controlled by spotters and not FOs. Most command stands will be command/infantry, with the restricted radius on issuing orders. Staff stands will be of the telephone type. The prewar Nationalist units from Morocco will have company command stands, but almost all other units will lack these. Suggested possible organizations include the following. Standard Infantry Battalion (Either Side) Troop Quality: Green to Veteran Morale: 5-10 Headquarters, with: 1 command infantry stand 1 support stand 3 Infantry Companies, each with 3 infantry stands Machinegun Company, with: 1 MMG stand (ds) 3 dice Notes 1. The above TO&E is for units raised during the war by both sides. 2. In units rated as Experienced or better, add a command stand to the Headquarters. 3. Some battalions had as few as two infantry companies, others had as many as four infantry companies. 4. The machinegun company was not always present. Foreign Legion Bandera Troop Quality: Elite-Veteran Morale:9-10 Headquarters, with: 1 command stand 1 support stand 3 Infantry Companies, each with: 1 command infantry stand 2 infantry stands Machinegun Company, with 1 MMG stand (ds) 3 dice Notes 1. At the start of the war, six Banderas existed, with a rating of Morale 10, Elite. As the war went on, an additional 12 Banderas were raised, with the corresponding dilution to the morale and experience rating. 2. In spite of its name, the Spanish Foreign Legion was anything but foreign. At the start of the war, 90% of the rank and file were Spanish by birth, and the wartime expansion pushed this number even higher. Moroccan Tabor Troop Quality: Veteran Morale: 9 Headquarters, with: 1 command stand 1 MMG stand (2 dice) 1 support stand 2 Infantry Companies, each with: 1 command infantry stand 2 infantry stands Notes 1. At the start of the war, 10 Tabors existed, as well as a Tabor of cavalry. 2. By mid-war, the infantry companies should have 3 infantry stands, as the number of officers able to command Moroc- can units decreased in number.  Tank Battalion Troop Quality: Regular to Veteran Morale: 7 - 9 Headquarters 1 command stand 1 car 1 staff radio truck 1 supply truck 1 support stand 1 baggage truck 1 field kitchen 3 Tank Companies, each with 1-2 tanks Notes 1. The tanks used were FT-17s, Pz-1s, L -3s, BT-5s and T-26s. The T-26 was considered the best tank of the war, and was used by both sides. The Nationalists had a bounty on each T-26 captured in working order. Paper Strength Infantry Brigade (Either Side, Mid-War) Troop Quality: Trained to Veteran Morale: 5-9 Brigade Headquarters Troops Brigade Headquarters, with: 1 command stand 1 car 1 staff telephone wagon or truck 1 support stand 1 baggage wagon or truck 1 field kitchen Brigade Artillery/Mortar Company, with: 1 gun crew stand (ds) 1 limber or light truck 1 65mm/75mm/76.2mm infantry gun/howitzer or 1-2 Stokes mortar stands (ds) Brigade Supply Company, with: 1 support stand 2-3 supply wagons or trucks Brigade Antitank Company, with: 1 gun crew stand 1 limber or light truck 1 antitank gun or 1 HMG stand (ds) 2 dice Brigade Aircraft Company, with: 1 gun crew stand 1 Limber or Light Truck 1 light autocannon antiaircraft gun Brigade Engineer Company, with: 1 command engineer stand 1 engineer stand 1 supply wagon/truck 4 Infantry Battalions Artillery Gruppo, with: Gruppo Headquarters, with: 1 command stand 1 FO stand 1 car 1 staff telephone wagon or truck 1 supply truck or wagon 1 support stand 1 baggage wagon or truck 1 field kitchen 3 Batteries, each with: 1 Gun Crew Stand (ds) 1 Limber 1 Field Gun Notes 1. The above TO&E is what everyone wanted to have, but was rarely seen in action. The actual weapons in use will vary from side to side. 2. The Brigade Artillery/Mortar Company, if present, fires according to the Regimental Weapons Fire Rule 8.152. Hope that this answers your questions for now. -- Greg Novak Back to Table of Contents -- Command Post Quarterly #3 To Command Post Quarterly List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1993 by Greg Novak. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com