Some people have drawn a number of OCS occurrences and concepts out of context to "prove" that the system is flawed. One of my favorites (I'm sure you've heard it), is that "units can go dashing through a one-hex hole in the line, while adjacent units do nothing about it." Usually, this is an argument favoring ZOCs (or is at least the dying complaint of the guy who forgot to garrison his rear areas and is about to quit the game because he cannot "hang with the big boys").

This is drawn out of the context of the turn and examined without the background of what else is happening. It is also odd that the same player who might express this opinion would find no fault at all if the hex scale was different so that the current OCS hex encompassed the unit and six adjacent hexes of ZOC (but containing the same geographical area). The fact that this is a weak argument is not my concern; the problem is that it has been drawn out of context.

Putting all the Parts Together

When this argument comes up, it is invariably after a successful overrun or a mistake on the part of the enemy. The moving player blows a hole and then pours through the resulting gap. At that instant, the non-moving player hurls a series of insults at his opponent (probably deserved) and at the system (which I contend are not deserved) for allowing such a travesty. "The units are just sitting there and watching them go by...," he complains. Are they really? Let's put the thing into context.

Yes, the moving player's armored wedge slammed through the defense at that point and quite possibly went deep exploiting through the gap it made. This is the part everyone, especially the non-moving player, saw. But, what else is occurring? It is the moving player's Movement Phase. He may very well overrun these flanking units or at least attack them in the Combat Phase. One would be wrong in thinking that these things are happening in the kind of sequential manner given by the game's sequence of play.

In real time, some of these things are happening at the same moment as the big center breakthrough overrun. Those units aren't just standing there watching the world go byÑthey are busy with their own troubles. Furthermore, even if there is no overt game attack on these units, there are certainly many smaller actions occuring that are not represented literally on the game map. Small units from the flank posts might be pushing toward the center of the gap, but not in the kind of force shown in the game's actual attacks. Likewise, only a fool would leave this gap uncarpeted and the carpet units are certainly pushing out to expand the breach.

When placing this event in proper context, one must remember that the entire enemy turn must played out to see what really happened. The flank guards could counterattack and cut off the breach or their lifelines might be in such danger that they must drop what they are doing and pull back. In either event, this is what those units did in reaction to the breach.

More than an Instant

The point is that it is wrong to look at the situation immediately surrounding the event and think you are seeing everything. All too often, the result of the one move (not even the rest of the one player's Movement Phase...let alone his Combat & Exploitation Phases and the entire enemy turn) is taken as the whole of the action. I'll leave aside the issue of a double move for now as I have already repeatedly given the key for defusing it and feel that those who have yet to listen will get what they deserve.

This could not be further from the case. One must let all the pieces fall into place before stating that any situation is what is occurring on the battlefield at any given instant. Both players must have the chance to go through all their phases before such a look is possible. To look at the end of any one phase (or worse one event in a single phase) and walk away thinking you are seeing the "situation" at any time at all is the same as taking a snippet of history by itself. As an example of what I mean, take the Texas Brigade at Gettysburg. One can look at what it was doing from the moment Longstreet's Second Day assault began until nightfall and become an expert as to what they did, when and where.

Until that expert also looked into what all the other brigades were doing on that field at the same time, he has no conception of what was going onÑfor while the Texans were dealing with the Devil's Den and the base of Little Round Top, other events were occurring all around them. These events were simultaneous, the expert's knowledge makes his outlook sequential. In the game, reality is broken up into sequential operations (for player work-load management), but one would be wrong in thinking that they really are occurring sequentially.

Yeah, but why didn't they do anything right then...why didn't they react?

Reality

It is a mistaken idea of reality to think that when the breach attack occurred the flanking forces would or could immediately react to the changed situation. Aside from issues of these units being under simultaneous attack (literal or nominal) or having orders to move or attack in their own turn, thinking that these units can react immediately is simply incorrect.

In any process requiring decisions based on information gathering, the Boyd Cycle exists. Also known as the OODA Loop or Decision Cycle, it consists of four steps: Observation, Orientation, Decision, and Action. As an event unfolds, the command network must first gather the information needed to know that something is going on (not as easy as it sounds).

Then, after the information percolates through the system, it must be analyzed to separate the important from the not-important, the accurate from the exaggerated (or false) and all must be put together to form a picture of what is going on. Then the commander must make a decision as to what to do with this information. Unlike the game player, the situation is pretty murky to him. Some of the gap's defenders might still be holding out. He must be cautious to avoid overreacting and causing a disaster elsewhere on the front (his resources are limited). He is responsible for the lives of those under him. Since the situation is not clear, there is an urge to wait for more information with which to base a decision (this is a very strong urge and the leader's reaction to it is what separates the best from the mediocre...most leaders will wait).

Once he does decide on a course of action, he must create and implement a plan and see to its execution. Orders must be issued, unit moves planned, supplies readjusted, time must be allowed for lower leaders to inform their commands and (depending on the level of command) do their own planning. Anyone who thinks a formation of company size or greater can just pick up at a moment's notice and move out of a defensive position into a full-bore attack has no earthly idea of what is involved.

"But they have three and a half days..." Right, they do and they will be able to get their licks in and react. Reserves will be able to do so fairly soon (in Reaction); others will need to wait a little longer (for their own turn). The point is that while they will be able to react to what is going on, they will not be able to react before a lot of water goes under the bridge. The enemy, who is following a plan already concocted in his sick evil little mind, will generate a score of simultaneous actions which will all occur and be finalized before your units can complete the OODA Loops needed to get themselves on the move. They have absolutely no ability to halt the enemy after each seemingly sequential event and react to it in isolation.

Truth be told, the flank units are reacting. They are reacting as fast as they possibly can. However, there are a large number of events occurring either simultaneously, or nearly so, which must occur before the unit can do anything (or its local world will be incomplete at the moment the reaction actually begins to take hold). While a unit might want to react to event A, events B, C, D and E occur before it can complete its OODA Cycle and get the show on the road.

For the unit to be able to jump right down A's throat in isolation from B through E is a far greater design inaccuracy than the lack of reaction seen in the simplest IGO-HUGO design. The OCS is a modified IGO-HUGO in that it has a Reaction Phase allowing units the player has set aside to interrupt the moving player's operations before completion. Units less prepared than the reserves for "instant" action will take longer to get going and will need to await the player's own turn (when more enemy events have transpired). The game allows the relative OODA speed difference between prepared reserves and the "units of the line" to show up. These are all good things.

Instant reaction to unfolding events is something of a design fad these days. It is too bad its adherents cannot see that they are merely substituting one set of design inaccuracies for another.