Arracourt - Learning Battalion Combat Series - Part 1 (Multiman Publishing)

Coming to grips with the new concepts in the Luneville scenario

[@MrElliptific]

I have been trying to get into this series for at least two years. It makes so much sense seeing it in action with your playthrough. From what I understand: -we should consider a unit as a full blob of counters -each counter provides a special ability to the blob -the blob decides how to use these abilities (extending by movement, attacking with special assets, using assigned support or maintaining its lifeline) Gee, that was difficult to conceptualize, now I get it!! It eventually clicks, thanks so much!

[@s-lenz870]

14:18, the entry hex is an exception to the optimal distance rule. I believe that modifier should have been applied. 3.2f "Optimal Distance also applies if Combat Trains are in an Entry Hex and the HQ is not more than 15 hexes away"

[@Justegarde]

Thanks. Yeah got that figured out on turn 2

[@ardwulfslair]

This is correct... although those two formations do start the scenario with their streams crossed.

[@brianjarvis7822]

@@ardwulfslair And on that note, one only checks for "crossing of streams" on the routing BETWEEN the Combat Trains and to their respective HQs... not between Supply Source and the Combat Trains

[@ardwulfslair]

@Brian Jarvis Right. One fiddly bit is that MSR is traced from the HQ, through the trains, to the supply source. Plus the trace for command radius, plus the trace for Safe Path. So there's four different traces depending on which step you're on.

[@franciscocolmenares1114]

@@brianjarvis7822 Right, I would add one more wrinkle; BCS v2.0 - 3.2h does clarify that the check is INCLUSIVE. I take that to mean you count the hexes where the HQs and Combat Trains sit, so if two combat trains share the same hex that would trigger the modifier.

[@clusterstudio18]

I was looking forward to this, BCS is my favorite system.

[@edackley8595]

Nice walk through, mistakes and all. Helps to nail down the process. My copy of Arracourt arrives this week. BCS, here we go!

[@s-lenz870]

15:41 since the formation is fresh, you should have applied a +1 modifier to the second activation roll (3.0i). Apologies if those things were corrected later in the video :)

[@kennethkloby2726]

Thanks. As a newcomer to BCS/Arracourt who is still reading the rules I found this video helpful because it demonstrated how some of the basic principles are used in a formation activation...snafu, placing objectives, moving, fire and shock, etc. Looking forward to the second video.

[@Justegarde]

Glad it was helpful!

[@richardchampion4826]

Well done, thanks

[@przemekbozek]

It's a great system, happy for you to be getting into it 😀

[@WinterQuartering]

thank you for this video! Just bought the game and about to start reading the rules. First step into this system for me also. So I'm gonna appreciate your video a lot and it will be surely comes in handy and also interesting to make a comparison to my understanding of the rules and in the approach to it :D

[@ardwulfslair]

Excellent.

[@billpostscratcher2025]

Its a knife fight, this one. The key is to always go after the HQs and Combat Trains. Definitely not for passive play. Both players are always busy. Been playing BCS since late playtesting of Last Blitzkrieg. You have this figured out.

[@cardboardconflicts]

Yikes! That’s a lot going on. Think I need to master the couple SCS games first before jumping in here!

[@marcgauthier3158]

Ouch! My head hurts! Maybe I should start with SCS... :)

[@Justegarde]

Always a good option! I love SCS

[@marcgauthier3158]

@@Justegarde Cheers and keep up your great work! Btw, folowing your recommendation, I recently bought Der Weltkrieg's Eastern Front and I am enjoying it very much. Thank you :)

[@HistoricalConflict]

SCS is kinda weak and wont help with this at all. this series is just weird period. i couldnt get into any of them

[@todd636]

Where does on find the formation cards? The ones I found on BGG were rather generic looking.

[@Justegarde]

For Arracourt (and a couple other games), here: www.gamersarchive.net/BCSmain.html

[@todd636]

@@Justegarde Thanks! Great resource for sure.

[@ardwulfslair]

I recommend *against* using chit pull while learning the game, even solo, because sequencing activations is a key element to mastering the system.

[@Justegarde]

I can see that. Though in this instance the game was just to come to initial grips with the rules so I can teach my friends. How does chit pull work face to face?

[@ardwulfslair]

@Justegarde Not well, at least for me. The thing I like best about BCS (and OCS, for that matter, although I'm starting to think BCS does it better and with less overhead) is the challenge of execution. Sequencing the activations and then the operations of the individual units therein is a big part of that. A few years ago, when Last Blitzkrieg was new, some folks played it at a BGF. LaBat folks, used to chit pull, so they used it. Consensus was, they all hated it. I feel like using chit pull was a big factor in that.

[@ThymeKeeper]

I played a ton of Brazen Chariots this year and at least a tiny bit of all of the other BCS games except for Last Blitzkrieg this year. I also played four or five different SCS games. SCS is lighter, but I don't really see SCS as "BCS Lite". They really aren't that similar to me except in superficial ways.

[@ThymeKeeper]

I greatly prefer not using chit pull, but I can see the appeal. I wouldn't choose to use it, but if I was playing someone who wanted to use it I wouldn't object terribly strongly.

[@pmaidhof]

Units in screen mode do not suffer a loss in engagements. They retreat three hexes.

[@Justegarde]

According to the player aid, only if it’s a “both loss” result. If you roll a 9 or higher, it indicates that the screening units do in fact take losses.

[@PsychicFusionReactor]

A couple things I noticed: 15 Panzer Grenadier should have some (rather scary) PzJagers in support at start of the scenario so those infantry units that got attacked by CCR armor would have had an AV zoc and would have required engagements before attacking them by fire (you cant attack by fire if the target has av/support unless the support is dropped).. I dont see 21st PZ which the Germans get as reinforcements on turn 1. Screening units cant stack with anything or they lose the screen. You can only bombard a hex with 1 supression/barrage per turn and the barrage is limited to 1 arty/air point unless as part of a regular combat when it can be up to 3. I think you can shock attack with only 1 mp left (requires 1 mp and 1 fire event) but can only shock into a hex that costs less than 3, you dont actually pay the mp to shock. Overall great job on a first outing. Certainly less mistakes than I made on my first go. This system has quite a few unfamilliar concepts that have a fair bit of nuance on how they interact, but nothing is particularly difficult on it's own and once you internalize the rules it plays really pretty quick and smooth and is full of crunchy AND chewy decisions. It's an outstanding game and a brilliant design.I'm looking forward to seeing you get into it more!

[@Justegarde]

Hmm… the barrage examples in v2 of the rules say you can destruction barrage with more than one arty/air point. You just can’t do both a suppression and a destruction barrage on the same hex. Also it reads like you can only do one suppression barrage for an attack (to get the drm)

[@PsychicFusionReactor]

@@Justegarde Have a look at 5.4h.ii It talks about how many points you can use in destruction barrages depending on the situation (3 in 'regular' attack, 1 in shock attack, 1 outside of an attack). Supression barrages are always 1 point.

[@WARdROBEPlaysWWII]

The multiple attacks and zocs and less than clear understanding of why armor types are named the way they are has stumbled me.

[@Justegarde]

Yeah, it really takes some repetition to build the muscle memory.

[@andrewmcgee382]

In many ways this is good. But: Slow down. You are supposed to be teaching viewers. If they are new to the game , they are likely to need it taken slowly so that they can follow it. Eliminate all the 'like' sort of' and 'kind of'. At one point you say that screen units 'kind of slow enemy units down'. Do they have this effect or not? They can't 'kind of' do it.

[@Justegarde]

It's actually not meant to be a teaching video; it's meant to be gameplay as I teach myself how to play. I am not an expert in the rules and the goal was not to have the video be a tool for others.