Greetings! Today we'll explore the three most fundamental systems in CAOS: simultaneous movement (WEGO), stacking, and Zone of Control. Next Monday we will dive into the configurable army system and start showcasing orders of battle.
Simultaneous Turns: The Impulse System
CAOS uses 9 movement/combat impulses per turn, reflecting different times of day, to simulate real time movement in a turn-based environment. Both sides issue orders and then their units move and fight simultaneously. Consequently, enemy actions and your own units blocking each other can delay or halt your plans. For instance, enemy air strikes might prevent your artillery from supporting a critical breakthrough, or a crucial tank regiment might become stuck behind friendly infantry and fail to reach its target. Just like real warfare, plans in CAOS rarely unfold perfectly in practice. Good commanders adapt and improvise in response to unforeseen setbacks and unexpected triumphs.
The screenshot below displays how far a mechanized infantry unit can move in a single turn. The black and yellow numbers over each hex indicate the estimated impulse the unit will arrive in that hex.
Stacking Limits:
Every hex has a 4 point stacking limit. To put this into perspective, the typical regiment is 2 stacking points, and battalions vary widely from 0.5-1 depending on size and type, so the average hex can simultaneously host 2 regiments or between 4-8 battalions.
The 4 point stacking limit can only be exceeded under 2 circumstances. 1) During beginning of game deployment stacking limits are temporarily ignored. 2) Stacking value is increased to 6 while moving along roads during turn resolution. If a hex is still over 4 stacking points at the end of the turn, excess units are automatically ejected into adjacent hexes.
Zone of Control:
Every stack with 1 or more stacking points projects a zone of control (ZoC) into the surrounding hexes. Under normal circumstances, units can move into and out of enemy Zone of Control hexes, but units cannot move between enemy Zone of Control hexes. See the images below for examples.
Enemy Zone of Control (marked in red) will block this move because we are attempting to move between two enemy ZoC hexes.
But this move will succeed because we are moving into enemy ZoC and then out into an open hex.
Suppressing Zone of Control:
Zone of Control can be temporarily suppressed using artillery, air attack, or ground combat. Artillery barrages, air strikes, and air bombing have a chance to suppress the target’s ZoC the impulse after the barrage. The stronger the bombardment, the higher the odds of ZoC suppression. Likewise, ground combat suppresses ZoC during the impulse after the battle as well. Consequently, with proper planning and a little luck you can suppress enemy ZoC and infiltrate through their front line if they do not keep reserves behind the lines to stop you. A clever commander can equally use ZoC suppression to create a window of opportunity for their own forces to escape an encirclement.
Embracing Uncertainty:
Understanding the interaction between simultaneous movement, stacking limits, and Zone of Control is the key to playing CAOS. Much like real world operational commanders, in CAOS you issue orders and the units under your command execute them to the best of their ability, but you can never plan for every possible outcome. The consequences of your decisions and those of your adversary do not become fully apparent until the units are in motion and beyond your direct control. It is up to you to adapt your plans on a turn-by-turn basis to outmaneuver or outfight your opponent. This inherent uncertainty is the lifeblood of CAOS and next Monday I look forward to showcasing the tools you will use to fight these battles as part of our first order of battle analysis: Germany 1944.
-NS2 Xenophon