Dealing with double phases in Chain of Command

Double phases in Chain of Command never fail to generate a fair amount of discussion and debate. A few house rules exist for those who think a run of phases can ruin a game, many others are quite happy to play with the rules as written. I'm certainly one of the latter.

Yet, despite all that discussion, the second edition of Chain of Command included only a single, minor change to the phase sequence mechanics from the first edition - each time your opponent rolls two 6s or more, you earn a CoC point. At first sight, that might not appear like much compensation, but I think far more exists within both the first and second edition rules to provide players with multiple ways of trying to cope if your opponent enjoys a double phase.

The most common complaint I hear, is that an opponent was 'able to do loads of things, while I could do nothing'. While there are times when it feels just like that, I think that more often than not, what that complaint really says is, my opponent was able to do loads of things and I had made no plans to deal with it. Truth be told, the rules offer players several options.

Friction is an integral part of Chain of Command and so, while you will never know exactly what will happen, you certainly are aware of what might happen. Have you prepared your force to deal with those should the situation arise? If you know a run of phases are possible, what steps are you taking to be able to cope with it? If you haven't taken any, can you really have grounds for complaint if things turn against you?

So, it's worth exploring what options exist for your units to react outside of your own phases. Let's look at firing first.

Overwatch - with one order a leader may place a team on overwatch. The unit remains on overwatch until they fire or move and so are able to fire in your opponent's phase. That means they remain a potent threat beyond your own phase.  

In v2 CoC points now allow for a number of different responses. Keeping points banked for just this sort of occasion is very wise. There are three ways of using those points to fire in your opponent's phase.

Interrupt - I find this a very valuable use of a full CoC die, using it to interrupt your opponent's phase and fire first.

React Fire - for three CoC points this allows an infantry unit to act as though it was on overwatch and fire at an enemy move.

Ambush - v2 rules allow this to take place in your opponent's phase as well as your own.

All of these give players options to deal with enemy movement in their line of sight and outside of their own phase. Being able to do this serves two purposes. First, it permits you to fire. Secondly, simply having those CoC points banked will make your opponent cautious. They will want to make the most of a double phase, but not at the risk of making a rash move that you can react to.

Firing is not your only option. You can also move in your opponent's phase. 

Hit the dirt - this is a quick and very useful response when facing a double phase, because the tactical status will stay with the unit across multiple phases. For three CoC points a unit in open ground is suddenly in light cover and a unit in light cover is in hard cover. Both make a significant difference to the outcomes of multiple phases of fire.

Interrupt - most commonly used to fire first, it also allows for movement. You can reverse a tank to escape an enemy line of sight before they fire. Alternatively, move an infantry section from open ground to cover or to a better location. A good example of this could be to relocate to a better position for the following phase, during which time, if you have the CoC points, you could then react fire (keep in mind a unit cannot use CoC point activities twice in the same phase).

When your phase finally arrives, what can you do to try to redress the damage done?

Reposition - this is a 'free' move that is not considered an activation. Again, it can be used to move out of danger or move a unit into a better firing position to then activate.

Deploy - have you kept a unit in reserve for a moment like this? Because suddenly deploying a fresh unit to a crisis point could quickly turn the tables on your opponent. Alternatively, ensure your jump-off-points give you a defence in depth, so that if a double phase sees your forward position overrun or abandoned, you have a fall back position into which fresh units can deploy.

Ambush - like deployment, this could deliver another nasty surprise where it is most unexpected.

Consider also, the possible mistakes your opponent may have made. A double phase will often lead to a rush of blood to the head and over confidence. They may have made moves that are not as far, or as fast, as they anticipated. This is where a reposition, deployment or ambush could catch them when they are poorly positioned. Keep in mind that enemy units are often vulnerable following a move at the double or a close combat, can you now take advantage?

There is no perfect solution and there are times when reacting is difficult, but I think players often forget that they can have more agency in this than they realise. I'd suggest keeping these in mind:

1. Maintain a pool of CoC points as insurance
2. Keep a reserve off the table, or have a defence in depth
3. Remember Hit the dirt may be more useful than a short term use of React Fire, as it allows a unit to improve their cover across multiple phases of enemy activity