Command and control is a common element of most tactical games for good reason. Force management is a necessity to properly model low scale combat where each counter represents just a single unit up to no more than a few, not to mention supporting infantry units. It basically comes down to who can do what and when. Its modeling can take different forms, e.g., command points, chit pulls, or cards.

MBT is no exception. At its scale, with each counter representing a single vehicle, aircraft, towed gun or infantry squad, half-squad or section, command and control is an integral part of the game.

Command and Control

Unit orders are managed with 5 distinct command counters, Fire, Move, Short Halt (Fire & Move), Overwatch (opportunity fire), and N/C (No Command). When placed, commands are facedown with the common ‘Command’ side visible. They are revealed when executed.

It is very easy to learn MBT’s command and control system since the rules are presented in a modular fashion, with Basic, Advanced, and Optional sections. In the Basic game, each ground unit receives its own command counter. That way players are able to experience the impact of the various commands without worrying about command management.

Fire commands enable units to Direct Fire during the Combat Phase. Move commands enable units to move during the subsequent Movement Phase. Short Halt commands enable units to Direct Fire during the Combat Phase and then move up to ½  during the following Movement Phase (based on their stabilization rating, some vehicles may move up to ¾). Overwatch commands enable units to voluntarily Direct Fire at units that are revealed during the Combat Phase or are revealed during the Movement Phase. It is key to note that Overwatch Fire is never required. Overwatch commands are also used to observe for indirect fire. N/C commands order units to sit tight and not perform any actions. At this point, it may seem counterproductive to command a unit to do nothing, but that will make more sense further on in the article.

The Advanced Game is where the Command Control system really comes into its own. The biggest difference from the Basic Game is command management. What it comes down to is that there is never going to be enough commands for each ground unit to receive its own command counter – some must be shared.

During the Command Phase of each turn, the players determine the actual number of unique commands available. This is determined on a formation (typically a company) by formation basis rather than a NATO or Soviet force as a whole. Of course, in some scenarios, forces may contain only a single company.

The number of available commands determination is based on a formation’s grade and its number of active units. Formation grade is a static element; it does not change during the course of a scenario. However, the number of active units is a dynamic element. For example, losses, transport (a transporting vehicle and its passenger count as 1 unit not 2) and morale (broken units are not counted at all) reduces the number of active units a formation has at any given time.

Let’s say a formation with Seasoned grade has 15 active units. In MBT, there are 6 grade levels, from Elite (the best) to Raw (the worst). Cross referencing the Seasoned row with the 5 and 10 columns on the Available Commands table (found on the Players Aid Card), 3 and 6 are found. Added together, these two values give 9 as the number of available commands for the formation. For a larger formation with Veteran grade and 39 active units take 3 times the value found in the 10s column (3×7) and add the value found in the 9s column (6) giving 27 as the number of available commands. Note that even Elite formations do not receive 100% of their potential commands.

As was stated earlier, this is the number of unique commands available. Fire, Move, Short Halt, and Overwatch are each considered unique commands; N/C commands are not. Therefore, our Seasoned formation may place up to a maximum of any 9 Fire, Move, Short Halt, and/or Overwatch commands. That is all. That being said, it may place any number of N/C commands.

This is where command sharing comes into play. Any number of units from the same formation may share a single Fire, Move, Short Halt, or Overwatch command. There are a few factors that come into play when sharing commands.

The sharing units must be within Command Range of one another. What is command range? Command range (Cmd Rng) is based on formation grade and is also found in the Available Commands Table. Our Seasoned formation has a command range of 1 hex. One important point to note is that command range is measured from any combat unit in a formation to any other combat unit in the same formation not just to or from Command units (more on them later).

Take the 4 M1 Abrams tanks from our Seasoned formation on the right. Tanks A1, A2 and A3 may share a single command. However, they may not share a command with tank A4, nor may tank A4 share a command with them.

As would be expected, there are limitations with shared commands. When two or more units share the same Fire, Move, Short Halt, or Overwatch command they must coordinate their fire and move actions.

Direct Fire – Fire or Short Halt Commands: The targets must all be within the firing unit’s Command Range of one another to be legitimate targets. This Command Range check is measured from the targets to one another.

Let’s again take the 4 M1 Abrams tanks from our Seasoned formation above. Tanks A1, A2 and A3 are sharing a single Fire command. So, tank A4 is not involved. They elect to fire on three separate Soviet BMP-2s. The three targets must all be within 1 hex of one another. A1, A2 and A3 are legitimate targets. A4 is not.

Moving – Short Halt or Move Commands: The units must all be within Command Range of one another at the completion of their move. If the units have different Movement Speed Allowances, their movement is adjusted to meet the Command Range requirement.

Overwatch Command: The units must all announce their fire at the same time and fire on the same target. If for some reason, e.g., one or more units have a blocked line-of-sight, or the wrong ammo type, etc., they may not then fire at a different target; their Overwatch action is complete.

N/C (No Command) Commands: Since N/C commands are not unique commands, any number of this type of command may be placed without counting towards a formation’s total. Tactically speaking, in some cases it is a good plan to place N/C commands so as to disguise intent.

The N/C command does have a very important purpose. Suppressed and Broken units have a much greater chance of recovery if they perform no other action.

Command Units

In MBT, company, battalion, and brigade/regiment level command units perform critical roles. By maintaining communications with their subordinate units, they effectively carry out a command role. While many different command elements are affected, Command Span focuses on a subordinate unit’s ability to engage in combat and maneuver across the battlefield.

To maintain communications, subordinate units must be within a certain range of their command unit(s). In turn, the command units must be within a certain range of higher level command units. In game terms, these various ranges are called Command Span. The ranges vary by command level and scenario based situations. They are not the same in all situations.

Combat is a more basic element than maneuver. Units commanded to Fire or Overwatch are much more able to carry out those commands without interaction from their command unit(s) than those units ordered to Move or Short Halt. N/C commands are unaffected by Command Span.

The meat and potatoes of command span tales place at the company level. It reflects the ability or inability of command units to manage maneuvering units. As stated above, units ordered to hold position and fire or overwatch are pretty well set.

If any units are going to move and there are units beyond the command span of the company level command units (or if they are lost or broken), the number of the available commands that may be Move or Short Halt commands is limited to ½ of the maximum available commands. The total is not reduced, just how may be move commands.

Following our seasoned formation, if any of its 15 units are beyond the command span of its company level command units, only 4 commands (9/2 round down) may be Move or Short Halt commands.

For battalion and brigade/regiment level command units, if their subordinate command units are beyond their command span, its formation must move two rows down in the Available Commands table, minimum Raw, when determining its available commands.

Following our seasoned formation, if its company level command units are beyond the command span of its battalion level command units, it will only have 6 commands available for the current turn. Its formation grade is treated as Green when determining the number of available commands.

In summary, command and control is a critical element of MBT. On the plus side, any of the Advanced Game or Optional rules may be included or excluded as desired. Players may ease into the game and learn it at whatever pace works best – keep it simple or complex.

Author: James M. Day