Conflict of Heroes 3rd Edition Rules Changes

[@uweeickert8061]

With the 3rd Ed rules system we are incorporating more Combat confusion, the breakdown of cohesion, situational stress, and misinterpretation of orders. In intense platoon and battalion combat situations, commanders have much less control of what happens on an evolving battlefield than many expect. As sections of his command come under different stresses, they will freeze, misinterpret, forget, ignore, or re-interpret orders and objectives. Sections will fall back, panic, or disperse without the commander's knowledge, which can put the entire force in danger. We will be covering combat psychology in great depth in the future, such as what makes a majority of soldiers NOT fight in combat? How do you make the enemy quit fighting, while minimizing your own losses? Unit cohesion, situational goal alignment, suppression hangover, critical thought exercises to keep a combatant's brain from falling into a Do-Loop routines, and much more. The 3rd Ed rules are the first step in a very exciting design direction that we have taken. We will be releasing more information in the coming months. For now, the new 3rd Ed system forces the commanding player to expend his precious resources of CAPs to minimize a Unit's probability of becoming spent. (Spent does not just represent a Unit running out of time, but its will to continue taking active actions. A heavy MG has a lower AP action cost, not to just to simulate taking more actions because it pumps out more lead, but because powerful crewed weapon units have a greater tendency to keep fighting in adverse situations. This is due to many factors, which I will cover in a future video.) So to continue my thought flow :), expending CAPs simulates command expending its resources for such actions as continual communication with Units outside of the command's immediate vicinity to keep their heads and thoughts straight, sending officers to flank positioned Units to keep them from freezing, prompting positive response actions, bolstering wavering positions, gathering intel on flowing battle situations and implementing these into the Mission's objectives, and more. OpOrds can become worthless very quickly when a battle shifts and shit hits the fan. So quick and level headed assessment and re-evaluations are critical. This, unfortunately, is not always the case as leaders freeze, fall into a Do-Loop routines (also known as Fussing), or simply overlay the current real combat situation with something their brain just thinks should be there. Next, we will be adding a very unique system to simulate enemy morale and cohesion degradation through combined arms attacks, flanking maneuvers, and other psychological tactical actions. All this will then be incorporated into our Athena AI and it behavioral agent based statistical probability models. Enough of this long rant and back to work for me! :) Happy New Year Uwe

[@der_Mann_mit_der_Nase]

Where can I find the 3rd Edition rules for Guadalcanal?

[@buddhawasright]

@@der_Mann_mit_der_Nase back to work for me! :) Happy New Year Uwe

[@mjdf42]

You are The One. I grew up playing Squad Leader, I’m 50 now and I’ve been looking a long time for a ‘living’ system with mechanics to simulate simultaneous actions and fog of war on the tactical level. Tried Panzer, not bad, but clumsy and numb on the infantry side of things. The 3rd edition CoH has just the right blend of playability, complexity and realism to be my new WW2 tactical game of choice. Thank you.

[@Draxonfly]

na, I still like the 2nd edition (Guadalcanal) more with the AP and such, feel less random.. (I've tried the new rules out) Still looking forward to me Storms of Steel pre-order (been on pre-order for ages), I'm just glad I can still use the 2nd ed rules for it :)

[@skinflutey]

Draxonfly yea the only up sides I see with the new rules is possibly quicker play time. Then again people might be more cautious now when making any move because their unit can become spent for the round after just one movement

[@buddhawasright]

Academy Games says third edition. 97% of actual players say 2nd Edition.

[@B120DI]

Hi Uwe, I think you should've put the camera from above the table so we can see the zoomed in movement for eacu unit while you're explaining

[@twentysides]

I'm very curious about the reasons for using weights on 1, 3, and 5. Is there any reason not to go with an even 1-7? It seems to incentivize spending CAPs at certain numbers and not others, because that +1 or -1 is twice as impactful than at other numbers. Is there an emphasis on the risks of certain actions that have that cost instead of others? I have a d7 (and a 2nd edition copy) and I'm wondering if I'm missing something by not using the weighted die.

[@buddhawasright]

Academy Games says third edition. 97% of actual players say 2nd Edition.

[@burdenofcommand2094]

Enjoyed your articulation of the psychological underpinning of the modern battlefield and then how you are articulating in mechanics. As you know we share a similar vision. Good fortune!

[@eduardoregatieri]

Im waiting for your game!

[@uweeickert8061]

:) Hopefully the industry continues to develop good training tools for not only platoon/company commanders, but also for Brigade, Div and Corps commanders, which are bombarded by entirely different sets of informational and emotional overloads.

[@chameleonchameleon538]

Hi uwe I just want to know, can units move back one or 2 hexes as well?

[@olydon]

Mission 8 "Graveyard" mentions using the Wrecks and Destruction expansion counters..i see this is discontinued..is there any plan to reintroduce as I am keen to purchase?

[@uweeickert8061]

Hello Owen. The Wrecks and Destruction Exp sheet is available and in stock. You can get it on our website or Amazon.com. :) - Uwe

[@VictorSteiner]

Just got AtB. The sheet says that there are woods (+0 movement for infantry) and heavy woods (+1 movement cost). The Storm of Steel one (also 3rd edition) knows about woods. What if I also buy Storm of Steel. Which of the rules are considered newer/better/should be used?

[@buddhawasright]

Academy Games says third edition. 97% of actual players say 2nd Edition.

[@dougstinnett2581]

I'm really looking forward to Storms of Steel and the new rules. On a side note, I watch a lot of KZbin videos, and this has to be the first one in which the term "Schwerpunkt" is used. Way to go Uwe Eickert and Academy Games!

[@uweeickert8061]

LOL - I actually had to re-watch the video to see what you were talking about. Sorry for slipping in the German expression, but I do believe I have heard it used at the Military University and Quantico. :) What would be a good English expression for this Doug? - Uwe

[@dougstinnett2581]

I don't speak German, but I'm pretty sure that I read the term in a biography of the military strategist John Boyd (OODA Loop), so it's not surprising that you use it here.

[@DazzaManOfWar]

TRUTH for once@@uweeickert8061

[@miorahmadshahmiorshahidin957]

Does the fatigue rule applied to the AI in eastern front solo? What is the priority in determining whether the AI will take the action or they will skip the action because of the fatigue rule.

[@uweeickert8061]

No, it was not designed to include this. The 1AP spent probability has this factored in, since the cards have no black swan potential like a die does. - Uwe

[@uweeickert8061]

Also, you can purchase the new Spent Dice through our website soon. If you pre-ordered Storms of Steel, you received an email this week and can add the dice, 3rd Awakening the Bear cards, and the new trays to your pledge. :) Otherwise, we will make these all available on our webpage soon. - Uwe

[@DazzaManOfWar]

@@uweeickert8061 more money to Academy games and another year or two wait Disgraceful

[@Aldarean90]

Hi, will there be any kind of upgrade kit for owners of the 2nd Edition of the game?

[@uweeickert8061]

Yes, we have posted the 3rd Ed rules online for free downloads. Find them at www.AcademyGames.com/AtB

[@keithalanhanson]

@@uweeickert8061 Hey Uwe, is there any way to accommodate the adrenaline card?

[@coutts1248]

Where can I get the custom d10s?

[@darekp8055]

Sounds fantastic, glad you can now react on the whole action going on and not just focus on one element. Gonna try theese rules with my AoTB + POH tonight. Looking forward for SoS 3ed, good job!

[@uweeickert8061]

Darek, how did you like the new rules with your AtB and PoH? :)

[@waitingforvirtue3080]

@@uweeickert8061 I have been looking into hex and counter wargames, I haven't yet purchased any luckily. Once I saw CoH it really hit that spot for me and I think this is where I want to put my gaming budget into. The problem I have is that I live in London in the UK and I can't seem to find AtB 3rd ed or the Solo expansion, wrecks or monsters for sale in any games store or on line (due to Brexit French and German retailers are not shipping to the UK). Do you know if new stock is at all likely to be hitting my shores anytime soon or will I be forced to Ebay for a second hand copy(I'm hoping not)? During my research this system if a country mile ahead of the competition in quality, clarity of rules and thematic forethought, I'm hoping to get a copy as soon as I can. Kind regards Steve R.

[@uweeickert8061]

@@waitingforvirtue3080 We ship from Happy Shops in Germany and I can check if they are shipping to the UK. I will also contact Spiral Galaxy or Asmodee UK to see when they are ordering again. Everytime they order, our games sell out very quickly. If you order these from our website and we do have issues shipping from Germany, we will let you know. Uwe

[@antonnieuwkoopable]

Is the custom D10 still availible for purchase?

[@uweeickert8061]

At this moment we are out of stock. We will post as soon as the new ones arrive. In the mean time, mark the 8, 9, and 10 on a d10 with a 1, 3 and 5. :) Best Regards, Uwe

[@laurentlebarq2078]

@uweeickert8061 Thanks a lot for the great présentation. Coming late in the discussion. Is there any chance we could get it translated in French by your local partner Asyncron ? I have bought the Storm of Steel version 3 in French already and the gameplay is fantastic - just missing Solo rules which would make it even more attractive to me and many other players. Many thanks for bringing such great games into life.

[@uweeickert8061]

Laurent, please email me directly and I may be able to send you something.

[@laurentlebarq2078]

@uweeickert8061 Thanks for your feedback Uwe. Can you share your email ? I don’t have it. Or let me know how to connect directly with you - Thanks

[@Crusader7077]

Will the solo expansion be compatible with Storms of Steel? On one of the two product description pages for the expansion ( www.academygames.com/collections/all/products/eastern-front-solo-expansion ), it says, "For use with Awakening the Bear, Storms of Steel, and Price of Honour." However, i saw no mention of its support in the current version of the 3rd edition SoS instructions on the web site. If the expansion is supported with SoS, will there be any additional information provided as to whether this will require new solo firefights specific to SoS and if they will be available to download (just like how the solo expansion has solo firefights specific to AtB), or whether this will adapt to the regular SoS firefights with requirements to use specific solo cards in each specific firefight? Any further information would be appreciated.

[@buddhawasright]

Academy Games says third edition. 97% of actual players say 2nd Edition.

[@kenc9236]

Great video.

[@dirkd6908]

Hi Uwe, Have you considered making a modern warfare 3rd edition style conflict of heroes? Eg: Afghanistan...?

[@uweeickert8061]

Dirk, yes, we have been working on an Afghanistan CoH game. But it is on the back burner at this time, since we are working on the ComOps modern warfare game. This will use the CoH engine, but for Platoon to Bataillon size engagements. Instead of our current Platoon to Company sized games.

[@dirkd6908]

Hi Uwe, ComOps sounds interesting too though I prefer my games smaller scale. As a comparison I recently bought the Pdf Battlespace game which is a very interesting, simple, enjoyable solo miniature skirmish modern warfare game. But CoH is my absolute favourite. Thanks for responding. I look forward to ComOps and the CoH Afghanistan games. 😎

[@MattSH06]

You had me at "the games are at the printers".

[@uweeickert8061]

Yes, I am going to be SO happy to have this great game shipped. We are also finalizing France 1940 for shipment in April! :) More to come on that soon. - Uwe

[@bigjig7086]

Im Interested to see if there are any new rules for tanks and other vehicles? But Im now really looking forward to 3rd edition, i think the new rules are gonna change the way I think about how to implement tactics and choices in the moment of the game.

[@buddhawasright]

Academy Games says third edition. 97% of actual players say 2nd Edition.

[@SinOfAugust]

How would SoS 3ed interact with solo expansion/firefight generator? Will you release the updates to make them compatible?

[@uweeickert8061]

They are actually the same system. The solo was the precursor and uses the cards to determine if a Unit is spent. Instead of using the cards, with spent numbers on the bottom, we now use a custom d10 die with the same spent probability.

[@SinOfAugust]

🏛️ Uwe Eickert Indeed. But are there scenarios in SoS solo compatible? And will firefight generator be converted to SoS?

[@Crusader7077]

I'd like to know as well. I also asked about this, and I haven't received a reply regarding this. If no further information will be provided regarding this, I'm inclined to take back my pre-order for SoS because I want to use the Solo Expansion with SoS similar to how the Solo Expansion is used with AtB.

[@uweeickert8061]

@@SinOfAugust Gunter and our team is working on a SoS Solo expansion. The Eastern Front solo works with the Missions that will be shipping with SoS3. But there are no Solo missions included in the game. The Firefight Generator only works with AtB. But again, Gunter is working on this also. :) - Uwe

[@charlierobson4251]

@@uweeickert8061 can you use the 10 sided die instead of the original cards, with the already released solo expansion?

[@e-4airman124]

My question is in WWII were they trained like the new rules or was it not until Vietnam?

[@uweeickert8061]

The military was very aware of combat cohesion by the end of WWII. The Allies studied the success of the Wehrmachts combined arms tactics, which included integrated communication nets, localized command decision cycles, and so much more. This all supported Unit stability. Much of what was learned was unfortunately forgotten within 5 years during the Korean war and then again by Vietnam. Luckily, we have learned a lot and parts of our military is integrating many of these key points into their training programs. Parts, but not all yet.

[@pepebotijo8]

This is one of the smartest mechanics I´ve never seen in a game. It´s even more realistic than most of the so called "historical wargames".

[@seatravelers]

Are these 3rd Edition rules usable in Guadalcanal?

[@uweeickert8061]

YES! We will post the final v27 rules set soon. Snipers do not get Short Range bonuses. This is key for Guadalcanal, since we have been play testing the 3rd Ed rules with the Guadalcanal firefights extensively. :) - Uwe

[@seatravelers]

@@uweeickert8061 Vielen dank! Guadalcanal is on my Christmas wish list.

[@crushingit5128]

Awesome video. Love the topic and explanation on your approach. Always Interesting to hear how developers interpret "realism" within their games. Also very brave of you guys to change core mechanics. Read some bad and some good reviews on the new 3rd edition rules. Both sides delivering an interesting insight of what the players expect a CoH game to play like.

[@buddhawasright]

Academy Games says third edition. 97% of actual players say 2nd Edition.

[@joelat4674]

For anyone out there ... It's probably been answered before and I'm too lazy to look now ... Will we be able to just buy the rulebook? I don't really like printing on my own.

[@uweeickert8061]

Yes, you will be able to purchase the rulebook and d10 Spent Check dice while our supplies last. We printed several hundred extra of each. :) - Uwe

[@uweeickert8061]

Joe, you can download the 3rd Ed Rulebooks, Summary Sheets, Track Sheets, etc free of charge from our website! www.AcademyGames.com/AtB

[@kristianhansen2240]

are the 3rd ed. rules downloadable?

[@uweeickert8061]

Yes, all of the 3rd Ed rules are downloadable. Along with the new CAP and VP tracks, Summary Sheets, etc. :) www.AcademyGames.com/AtB

[@caffeinetransmissions3308]

Thanks for the video Mr. Eickert, the new rule set seems like a good progression!

[@TheTheshadow32]

Great video. CoH is now the easiest and most playable simultanious WW2 Infantry combat simulator.

[@alainfa8482]

Hello, the rules are simpler than the 2 ?

[@uweeickert8061]

Very much simpler now, since we no longer have Opportunity Actions, no longer track Action Points, and can jump from Unit to Unit every Turn. This is the Solo System made for 2-6 players. :)

[@alainfa8482]

thank you. So, if you already have the game CoH version 2, you have to buy the game or just the rules? thank you@@uweeickert8061

[@uweeickert8061]

@@alainfa8482 You can just download the rules free of charge from our website or on BGG. We will also be posting the final v27 version in 10 days. (They are done, but we are on our way to BGG Con!) - Uwe

[@alainfa8482]

thank you. Have you link internet direct for the website and BGG ? thanks@@uweeickert8061

[@uweeickert8061]

@@alainfa8482 www.AcademyGames.com/SoS

[@tomj.7599]

Super! I like it.

[@jtfike]

I think more effort should be made for coordination and combined arms. Of course soldiers have fear, and this has been represented for decades via morale checks. Nothing you pose is new. You want to implement morale factors. That is great, but this game has been lacking combined arms and coordinated attacks. 2nd edition was tactical warfare where each unit acted independently. That was its flaw/weakness.

[@uweeickert8061]

Jeff, hopefully you will find the new edition stress this factor more! - Uwe

[@recritter3025]

you are liar, you said game come in 2017 that delay to 2018 and now? 2019 sigh..

[@DazzaManOfWar]

originally it was 2016 Academy games have made a lot of interest sitting on peoples money for a few years to invest in other games. It come out one day, but fans have been treated very poorly indeed, Do we get some sort of a refund ...... No just smiley smirks and email response have a nice weekend........... I say never ever back Academy kick starter again ever !!

[@dimaleoniv7987]

The game is called Conflict of Heroes. As a Russian I wonder how it came out that the Nazi's Germany is "heroes".

[@eriksaari4430]

or Stalin's rapist and invaders! soviet union was far worse thsn zmans rule

[@gunhojput]

I really dont belive this guy any more....

[@DazzaManOfWar]

Me too, lies lies he said he would have this game out every year quarter over past 4 years and He have France 1940 out in the shops in April 2019......... What a load of Academy Bull......