Game Markers for Chain of Command

The publication of Chain of Command v2 inspired me to tackle a project I've been mulling over for a while now. I've been trying to come up with game markers that reduce the amount of clutter and blend in more with the figures and table. With that in mind, I've created a few alternatives to the markers I use currently.

In recent years, I've been using the set pictured below. They are certainly functional and I've done my best to blend them into the table (more about how I did that in this post). 

They are made from 3mm thick MDF, which makes them quite chunky and, despite using them for several years, I still find them a little obtrusive. I think it doesn't help that most are larger than they need to be to serve their purpose. That's certainly accentuated when playing in a smaller scale, like 20mm.

That said, the Overwatch marker does serve a very specific purpose, as it defines the 90 degree firing arc.

What became apparent quite quickly was that, because each has a unique shape, we didn't need to read the words on the marker to know what they represented. That then begs the obvious question, why did we need words on them at all? Perhaps I can blend these into the table even more by relying on shape alone? I then took it a step further. 

I have a lot of spare figures amassed from various projects. Many are from the Plastic Soldier Company, either left over when I replaced them with metal AB Figures, or surplus to requirements from one of their gun or tank sets. That's given me a lot of excess tank and gun crew figures. Many of the poses include figures pointing, or looking through binoculars, perfect to theme an overwatch marker. 

It remained important that any new overwatch markers continue to define a unit's arc of fire. That would still determine their size and shape. I cut a suitably sized piece from MDF, using a 90 degree angle to indicate the arc of fire. 

It was then just a matter of adding ground material to match my usual basing style. Of course, it's not necessary to put a figure on them, but as I had so many spare it seemed a shame not to do it. These below are British gun crew figures from Plastic Soldier Company sets.

I've produced something very similar with German figures (once again, these are all surplus Plastic Soldier Company figures).

I think these make for a much more visually appealing game marker. They should work in nicely for the game report photos.

Ironically, they are slightly larger than the original overwatch markers. Time may tell if they need trimming down a little. Nonetheless, I think they certainly look the part.

Having addressed infantry overwatch, I thought I could do something similar for vehicles. This was inspired by a blog comment made a few years ago. In short, the writer was saying, why go to all the effort of doing a nice paint job on a Tiger I, only to stick an ugly MDF marker right on top? 

Well, they did have a point. In my defence, I've since broken the habit of sticking these right on top of vehicles and now place them at ground level. 

That's not an ideal solution and, frankly, I don't know why it's taken me this long to address it. As with the infantry overwatch markers, I've wanted to come up with something that blends in more with the vehicles and the table. In this instance, I've gone for a much smaller shape (as it happens, they are just the MDF offcuts from the infantry overwatch markers). Each is painted in the base AFV colours that I use for their respective nationality.

The idea is to place them at ground level, beneath the main gun, to indicate the direction of the arc of fire.

The triangular shape works well, because it can define both a 90 degree arc of fire, or, as is the case with the Sherman's fast turret, one of 180 degrees.

The T34/85 has an average turret speed and the marker works just as well to indicate that arc of fire.

Of course, the Hetzer doesn't have a turret. However, the shape of the vehicle defines the arc and the marker is simply that, something to remind us that the gunner has been placed on overwatch.

I could place these on top of the turret. That's certainly not my preference, nor is it always practical. That said, it does look much better than the previous markers.

Although perhaps a little top heavy in some cases....

Of course, I don't need to put figures on any of these markers and I do intend making some generic ones, although, having said that, I suspect there are enough spare figures in the boxes to give me what I might need for most of the nationalities I collect. Tragic really.

When it came to considering tactical markers, there was no particular reason for any specific size or shape. 

Given a tactical stance represents units finding better cover, I thought the best solution was to mark this with a piece of terrain. These don't even need to be based, but I wanted to ensure they could be distinguished from other pieces of scatter terrain.

They were straightforward enough to make. The logs are twigs from the garden; the bricks are cut from cork floor tiles; the large rocks are pieces of tree bark - all sourced from my terrain 'bits and pieces' box.

These are certainly larger than the markers they are intended to replace, but I don't have an issue with that. They will be used to represent better cover for a section of up to ten or eleven figures, so they need to tell their story visually. 

To mark shock, I've been using micro dice in themed dice frames. For now, I can't think of an easier way to do this that serves its function better. 

Originally, I used 7mm dice on a square base.

Now, I've gone one size smaller with 5mm dice on a round 20mm base. A bit fiddly at times, I must confess, but less intrusive on the table.

That then left me wondering how best to represent pinned and broken markers. Once again, the aim here is to minimise markers and table clutter. Both pinned and broken status come about as results of excess shock. Currently, I add a second marker to indicate that.

In the case of this small group, that makes for more clutter than I really want.

So, I questioned if I really needed to devise new markers for pinned and broken. Could I not combine this into a single marker, one that covered both the level of shock and the status it imposed on the unit? One idea was to create single sabot bases for the shock dice frame markers, one version for pinned and another for broken. Then I could simply put the shock base into the sabot. I've done something just like this to mark my wounded junior leaders.

I think the solution I'm going to try, is to use different coloured dice in the shock markers. This would eliminate the need for any additional marker or sabot base. Currently, I use black mini dice to indicate shock. When a unit becomes pinned or breaks they remain at that status at least until a turn end, so it's not a status that changes back and forth. As a result, changing the colour of the shock dice to indicate a change of status could achieve my aim. I will use grey for pinned and red for broken.

If nothing else, it sees a drastic reduction in the need for markers.

I don't intend changing the way I mark wounded junior leaders. The leader figure is placed in a discrete sabot with a medical kit to indicate their wound. 

A stunned leader is marked in a similar fashion, except the medical satchel has an 'S' painted on it.

The issue I do have, and it's one of my own creation, is that my senior leaders are on more irregular, rectangular bases. It achieves the objective of distinguishing them from junior leaders and other ranks, but the wounded sabot bases don't work. Up until now I've been using a variation of the wounded markers but mounted on a separate 20mm round base.

I've come up with two solutions. If the leader is stunned I will use one of these prone figures as a marker and place it alongside the leader's figure. If he's wounded and loses Orders, I will replace him with a casualty figure, where I have one. Again, the spares box has helped me out here.

As always, the true test will come when playing a game and I'll soon know how practical all of this is compared to the current system. No harm in trying something new and it's always good to give those figures in the spares box a new lease of life.

What's different in Chain of Command v2?

Our recent playing of The Scottish Corridor campaign, using second edition Chain of Command, led me to begin making a few notes to remind myself what has changed from the first edition. I thought I might as well share this with others. 

This is not a review of the second edition. It's a work in progress list for those Chain of Command players looking for things that have changed. Some of those are quite subtle and can be missed. In that sense, I hope this list is helpful. If you are just getting started with Chain of Command, I have a post that you might find far more useful than this one - you can find that here Getting Started with Chain of Command.

Where possible, I have followed my note with a page number in brackets, so readers can source the full rules reference in the main rule book. Please don't quote any of these as a rule interpretation. I've tried my best to summarise and these are not official. If in any doubt, use the main rule book as the correct source.

A note of caution - this doesn't pretend to be comprehensive. Where rules sections have had a major overhaul, I don't go into detail, as they warrant a careful reading of the entire second edition rules section. In particular I'd draw attention to:

• Use of CoC points (34)
• Off Table Mortar Support (60)
• Fire Against Armour (66)
• Close Combat (72)

So, here we go:

Deployment

When placed in a building, jump-off-points must be on the ground floor (24)

Vehicles deploy within 9” of an entry point (37)

Deploying directly into close combat is not counted as moving (37)

When a unit deploys it can fire immediately or take up a tactical stance, neither of these require a leader activation. In the case of a unit deploying on a command roll of 3, the leader may spend their CI on other things, including a national characteristic. This has been clarified officially. So, for example, on a command roll of 3 a British junior leader and section could deploy. The whole section will fire, but it allows the junior leader to use 2 CI to have the Bren team use Concentrated Fire or the rifle team use Five Rounds Rapid. In effect this is a special, once only, deployment benefit.

Note that, following on from above, when a junior leader deploys with a section on a command roll of 2, and the section fires, the leader does not fire his weapon (36) 

A unit may Ambush in any phase (34)

Ambush units may leave the table at the end of the phase they deployed if not pinned or broken. They remove any shock (34)

Command Dice/CoC dice

When the active player rolls four 6s with their command dice then they also get a full CoC die in addition to all the other events that occur (25)

Turn end - a bombardment or barrage is not lost, instead it loses one round of ammunition (26)

AFV/APC crew positions can now activate on a 1 (31)

Some activations are compulsory and must be completed immediately at the start of the phase (as far as I can see this relates only to the new mortar barrage rules and AFV reaction to fire) (28)

Two or more 6s in a command roll gives your opponent 1 CoC point (33)

Use of CoC points is an entirely new set of mechanics for using limited numbers of CoC points. I think they are a very welcome addition and they warrant careful study. 

Interrupt - at any time in an opponent's phase a player can halt their opponent's activation. There is no restriction on interrupting an enemy's deployment this way. The only restriction appears to be for an Ambush, then it can be used, but only after the Ambush is complete.

Force Morale

This is now set with new results on the D6 1=8 2,3=9 4,5=10 6=11 (20)

The Bad Things Happens Table has several new categories (20)

A section/squad selected as support rolls on the same line as a section/squad from the core platoon for breaking/wiped out etc. Other support choices roll on the line relevant to their type. (20)

A broken unit that takes additional shock or casualties will withdraw a further 2D6+6”. Don’t check force morale, as it is already broken (19)

Leaders

A Junior leader is considered attached to a section as a whole, not a particular team, unless the teams are separated by more than 4", in which case the leader must be attached to one team (14)

If the junior leader is attached to a unit that is pinned/broken he may not move or fire, but can rally shock. The leader remains attached to the unit at all times (unless stunned and the unit breaks) (19)

A Senior leader is automatically attached to any unbroken unit within 4".

A Senior leader may deploy, activate a unit not yet activated that is within 4” and move with it (36)

If a senior leader has multiple units within 4” and one breaks, the leader can choose not to move with the unit that breaks (14)

A senior leader attached to a team that is pinned/broken may activate and move. Once beyond 4” the leader is no longer attached (19)

Where there is more than one AFV of the same type and they have radios, an AFV senior leader may be selected as a support choice (there is no longer an automatic senior leader for three AFVs of the same type)

To issue an order a leader must have line of sight to at least one figure in a unit (28)

To transfer troops between teams in the same section requires a leader order (so can be done by a senior leader, as well as the section's junior leader) (30)

Stunned leaders (formerly lightly wounded and out of action for the turn) this rule now clarifies:

• That they don’t count for pinning/break purposes. 
• The leader may still move with the unit, but not at the double. 
• The leader will be left behind if the unit breaks.
• A Stunned Leader will retreat from close combat with the unit. However, the leader will be left behind if the unit breaks. If so, he will be captured (counts as leader killed for force morale purposes). 
• Important to also note that while stunned they are not at risk of being hit again until they recover. (52)

If a Unit loses six or more figures killed by firing, the Leader is automatically hit once and rolls for any additional kills above six. For each hit on the Leader, roll 1D6 to see the effect. (51)

Close combat and leaders - If outnumbered by 4 to 1 a unit with no leader present surrenders (the unit is considered wiped out for force morale purposes). If a leader is present, they break instead (73)

Firing and leaders - pg 49 says 'Any figure in the firing unit that has a line of sight to the enemy can fire at the target unit'. However in a Facebook reply Richard Clarke clarified that a leader is not a member of a unit, they are separate for rules purposes. A leader may only contribute their fire if they use a CI to activate the unit they are with to fire. This includes activating a unit to use a national characteristic like five rounds rapid or maschinengewehr, in which case they may also fire. 

If a crewed AFV or weapon is destroyed, but the leader is not affected, do not roll for Leader Killed on the force morale table (a destroyed weapon sees the weapon and crew removed from the table, however the leader is not 'killed', he is just removed with the rest of the crew, see pg62 14.4.1).

If an AFV is destroyed by an explosion then the crew and the Leader are killed, however, do not roll for Leader Killed either, instead when rolling for AFV Destroyed add +1 to the roll (20)

Movement

Infantry can rotate up to 180 degrees immediately when activated, this doesn’t count as moving and they may now “activate normally” (39)

MMG/HMG cannot move with two or less crew (but can change facing) (42)

Guns with two crew or less cannot move and can only engage targets in their arc of fire (ie the crew cannot turn the gun to create a new arc of fire, as this counts as moving) (42)

Infantry flamethrowers cannot move at the double (42)

Vehicles moving flat out rules have changed, read carefully (44)

Vehicles leaving the table as a result of enemy fire may re-enter as if Hesitant (45)

Infantry and Support Weapon Firing

Green units reduce the number of their firepower dice by one for every point of shock (50)

A unit may put suppressing fire on a building even if it can’t see a unit inside (13). However AT, Infantry Guns and AFVs can only fire HE at a building if they are targeting a unit inside (see more below).

Suppressing fire has several changes from Covering Fire that should be noted, including:

• Does not require a leader's command initiative
• It covers a zone 4.5" back 
• Units trying to deploy into the zone do so as if Hesitant
• Unit may not move at the double through the suppressed zone
• A unit under Suppressing Fire must fire for effect, it cannot fire Suppressing fire.
• Suppressing fire requires a minimum amount of firepower from the firing unit (54)

A tripod mounted MG can fire suppressing fire across a 9” front or on two teams within 4”

When a unit activates to fire, figures with no line of sight to the target can move 1D6 to try and find line of sight and, if successful, fire at half effect (28)

Infantry can rotate up to 180 degrees immediately when activated, it doesn’t count as moving and they may now “activate normally” which includes firing, see also below (39)

Frontal arc of fire (49), this can be a bit confusing. This arc is particularly important when a unit is firing on Overwatch or using React Fire. However, note the reference above to infantry changing their facing by up to 180 degree automatically when activated. Richard Clarke clarified this in a Patreon article on Arcs of Fire. So, for React Fire and Overwatch purposes the unit has a fixed Arc of Fire, because they are unable to change their facing. However, when they activate (and neither React Fire or firing when on Overwatch is an activation), they may immediately change their facing up to 180 degrees, giving them a new Arc of Fire. This change of facing doesn't count as movement and so they then activate normally and fire at full effect, although all normal obstructions to firing would apply.

MMG/HMG cannot move with two or less crew (but they can turn to change facing to a new arc of fire. This is still considered movement and so they cannot fire in that phase) (42) 

Guns with two crew or less cannot move and can only engage targets in their arc of fire (ie the gun cannot turn as this counts as moving) (42)

In order to fire an LMG, the gunner and at least one crew member must have line of sight to the target (49)

To fire a Tripod MG, only the gunner requires line of sight (57)

Light mortars need a leader to see a target out of their line of sight (was previously another friendly unit) (56)

Bunched Target - a small paragraph, but a significant new rule, which gives a +1 to hit when more than two teams are within 4" of each other. (50) However, note the rule about units within 4” of the target unit, they must be visible to the firer, so, if there are more than two teams within 4” they will only be eligible to be considered bunched up if all those teams are visible.

An enemy unit cannot be targeted if a friendly unit is within 4” (50)

AT and infantry guns can only fire HE at a building when targeting a unit inside. However, note 2.4.3 (pg11) this doesn't necessarily mean line of sight to the target, when firing HE, they just need to be aware of them (ie target fired, they saw the target enter the building, or they are within 18"). I think the key thing here is that you cannot target an empty building with HE, the firer must be aware there is a target unit inside.

An HE roll including four or more 6s will destroy a gun (include any 6s rolled as part of storm of steel) (62)

Structures collapsing due to HE fire are further clarified (62)

A unit in a Bunker may choose to ignore the first shock or kill (53)

The Master Arsenal has a few significant changes that can be easy to miss, of note are:

• SMG - new firepower and range
• Grenades are now 3 firepower dice (4 in confined space)
• Infantry flamethrower firepower is still 12, but reduces to 6 if moved.
• 2” mortar/50mm mortar now has 3 firepower 
• 60mm mortar now has 4 firepower
• Various weapons now have storm of steel (although note that hand grenades do not, but rifle grenades do)

Limited Ammunition- the British 2” mortar now has limited smoke and HE rounds. Three of each. However, note the new British national characteristic ‘smoke screen’, this enables the mortar to lay extra smoke by careful placement of its limited smoke rounds.

Replen Points - this is a new support option that allows weapons with limited ammunition to resupply. These points are placed immediately with the first unit that needs resupply and tops up their ammunition, this can be used immediately in the current phase. That exhausts its supply of that ammunition type, but it can still be used to resupply two other ammo types. Once placed it doesn't move. Units may also try resupply from a jump-off-point but success is not guaranteed like it is with a Replen Point (47) Also see note below, infantry flamethrowers cannot be resupplied. 

Grenades - there are a number of clarifications and new rules:

• To hit roll must equal or exceed range. There was previously confusion over what 'exceed' the range actually meant, now clearer. 
• There are also new modifiers for the to hit dice rolls for grenades based on terrain/obstacles (55). 
• The Bullseye rule means every 6 rolled in the to hit roll adds a firepower dice
• How to 'post' a grenade is clarified
• Note that grenades do not benefit from storm of steel, but treat all targets as in open ground
• Rifle grenades do benefit from storm of steel (55)

Infantry anti-tank weapon back blast has been clarified, only panzerfaust 30 and PIAT may fire inside a building. (56)

An infantry anti-tank weapon team can move 1D6 and fire with -1 to hit (70)

AT grenades and Explosive Charges have a number of new rules and clarifications that need reading 16.4.4 (70)

When infantry machine guns fire against an AFV, the AFV adds +1 to their armour save roll if the MGs are under suppressing fire (71)

Hand grenades, light mortars, rifle grenades and flamethrowers against APC and AFV have a number of important clarifications.  (71)

A Sniper may fire from any point within 3” of the sniper figure (58)

A new rule mechanic is in place for Sniper fire at bunkers. They hit on a roll of 4, treat the target as in light cover; shock is doubled and the target cannot ignore any shock or kills (58)

Snipers can duel other snipers 14.1.2.2 (58)

Infantry flamethrowers have some changes/clarifications:

• They have three shots and cannot be resupplied (58)
• They have only 6 firepower dice if they moved. 
• They benefit from storm of steel 

Mortar Barrage

This is a completely revised rule section and so I don't see any point trying to summarise all the changes here.

AFV Firing

AFV crew positions can now activate on a 1 (31)

A vehicle can move with 2D6 (now called Rapid Move, previously Normal Move) and fire MGs at full effect (previously half effect). (44)

Hull and remote MGs only fire for effect at targets in Open Ground, otherwise they fire suppressing fire. A Coaxial MG can fire for effect at a target in any terrain (65)

MGs mounted on vehicles fire suppressing fire on up to two teams within 4" of each other or an unoccupied area of cover with a 9" frontage. (65)

Turret rotation speed now imposes to hit modifiers (63)

Vehicles may only fire HE at buildings when targeting units inside (65) Again, note 2.4.3 (pg11) this doesn't necessarily mean line of sight to the target, when firing HE, they just need to be aware of them (ie target fired, they saw the target enter the building, or they are within 18"). I think the key thing here is that you cannot target an empty building with HE, the firer must be aware there is a target unit inside. The only exception to this rule are specific AFVs designed for this, like the Churchill AVRE.

There are now much more specific rules for vehicles firing smoke (65)

To hit modifiers have changed - turning the turret out of Arc of Fire is now included. Also note that the firer's 'gun sight is damaged' line is no longer in the table, however a very similar rule still exists (see below). (67)

Optics Damaged can be the result of +2 Net Hits. The modifier is now -2 when firing AP with main gun and -1 when firing HE.

Penetration - rolling 6s to hit provide extra AP strike dice. One 6 adds one extra AP strike dice, two 6s add two extra AP strike dice

AFV Damage has changed and damage has been redefined, this is a significant change. This has been simplified, but is a major overhaul of the first edition and deserves a thorough read. One of the biggest changes to note is the effects of shock, this now make it possible a crew position is stunned and may not activate in the current phase, however the player doesn't know this until they try to activate the position. The greater the shock, the greater the likelihood they fail to activate. (69)

Close Combat

This has also had a major overhaul with a few significant changes. Again, this needs a thorough read, I'll just point out a few things to note.

The mechanics to determine which units can enter close combat and how terrain impacts this is clarified (72)

Deploying directly into close combat is not counted as moving (37)

D6 rolled to move into close combat only count if the movement used by that D6 was fully visible to the defender ie if only 3" of a movement roll of 4” were visible, then the dice will not count towards combat because the unit was not fully visible for all 4" (see the example of play on pg74)

A friendly unit within 4" of a unit attacked now has a number of options which include giving supporting fire or not participating in the close combat (73)

If both attacker and defender are in the same area terrain then no side gets the cover advantage (73)

The Close Combat table itself has a number of significant changes. SMGs are no longer as powerful.

If a unit is outnumbered 4 to 1 and has no leader, it surrenders (deemed to be wiped out). If a leader is present they break (73)

Close Combat is no longer as brutal. Results are now 5=Shock; 6=Kill 

There is a new results table to resolve the combat (74)

Storm of steel applies for some troop types in Close Combat (like Aggressive) (75)

Engineering tasks

Clearing minefields is easier (77), but note that minefields must now be placed at least 12” from the enemy table edge (88)

There are more comprehensive rules to cover Explosive charges including mouseholing

An Engineer team may voluntarily leave the table via a jump-off-point.

The Missions (scenarios)

The Missions (formerly called Scenarios) may have similar names, but many mechanics have changed. Check carefully and don't make any assumptions. For example, the Probe Mission requires exit of a section, no longer just a team. There are several other changes, including: 

• Final countdown
• Ticking clock
• Mission Objectives 
• Certain supports are not available (for example, flamethrowers can be selected for only a couple of the mission types)

Army lists

Again, be careful not to make assumptions. Some core lists have changes, for example:

The British 2” mortar team now has three crew. It also has limited ammunition - 3 HE and 3 smoke. A new British National Characteristic 'Smoke Screen' allows a larger smoke screen with fewer smoke rounds.

The German infantry platoon squad now has four crew in the LMG team and five riflemen in the other team. There is no panzerschreck team in the platoon HQ. 

Note the Force Morale Trackers for each unit type. Also the presence of Red Dice options (for example, now an option for panzer grenadiers)

Some of the v1 national characteristics have clarifications and new additions, there are also new characteristics.

Maschinengewehr now benefits from Storm of Steel

Handgranaten requires a visible enemy. No shock is suffered for moving with 3D6. In close combat troops count as Aggressive. Hand grenades are not counted against the section’s supply, they don’t need resupply and the unit may make further Handgranaten attacks if it wishes.

Five Rounds Rapid and Concentrated Fire benefit from storm of steel.

Support Lists

There are many changes for the support cost of units. For example: Infantry flamethrower teams cost more, tripod MMGs cost less and come with an entrenchment.

Entrenchments -  two are required for a section, even for a one team section (88) 

HMG/MMG get a free entrenchment, this can be occupied by others if the original team leave it. This free entrenchment does not count against the total support entrenchment allocation.

There are several completely new items added such as, AFV senior leader upgrade or a Replen Point

Flamethrower team as support options are limited by the Mission type.  (89)

Errata and FAQ (section added on 1 July 2025)

I understand an official one will be published but in the meantime here are a few things I've added. 

US Marching Fire - the word Tactically should be omitted and it should read:

When a Leader uses two Orders to activate a Team or Section, they may choose to:
• Move with 1D6 and Fire for Effect or fire Suppressing Fire.
• Move Normally with 2D6 and Fire for Effect with half their Firepower Dice or fire Suppressing Fire.

18.2 Engineering Tasks

The first sentence in the 2nd paragraph should read:

An Engineer Team activates on a Command Dice roll of 1 or with an Order from a Senior Leader.


I hope I've covered everything, if you think I've missed something please make a comment below and I'll try to keep this updated.

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