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COMBAT MISSION GAME SERIES
Fight Club International has found that the Combat Mission series from Battlefront is a highly effective tactical constructive simulation, and by extension, a military training tool.
Combat Mission is the most realistic battlefield experience anywhere. The missions can be played in either Real-Time or our We-Go hybrid turn based mode introduced with the first Combat Mission game 20 years ago.
The most important feature of Combat Mission is its detailed and innovative portrayal of "soft factors". Experience, Morale, Leadership, and other elements operate at the individual soldier level and collectively transform how units behave.
The advanced Tactical AI (TacAI) models the psychological state and inherent qualities of every soldier on the battlefield, allowing for genuine battlefield behavior from every soldier as if they were their own free thinking individual.
Weapon penetration values and armor protection are based on extremely detailed real life data and scientific algorithms that are specific to exactly what is seen in the game.
The Fog of War is one of the most important battlefield elements, and an unprecedented simulation of Command and Control (C2) combines with Relative Spotting to realistically portray the flow of information and responsibility between soldiers as they share information with each other on what they can see on the battlefield
All of these elements, and many more, seamlessly fit together to create the most realistic battlefield experience out there.
Whilst there are many Combat Mission titles, Fight Club primarily uses just three:
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Combat Mission Shock Force 2
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Combat Mission Black Sea
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Combat Mission Professional
Combat Mission Shock Force 2 (CMSF2)
Combat Mission Shock Force 2 is the latest title in the famous Combat Mission franchise of wargames, now on Steam. Shock Force 2 brings you to a hypothetical conflict in Syria between the forces of NATO and the Syrian Army.
The game (with additional DLC modules) depicts US Army, USMC, British, Dutch, Canadian and German mechanised/light infantry forces and a plethroa of Soviet/Russian equipment in Syrian Republican Guard, Mechanised, Airborne and Reserve formations.
Experience the full range of modern threats to conventional military forces, including irregular combat forces, terrorists, spies, suicide bombers, IED's and other deadly tools employed in the asymmetric warfare of the modern day.
This game is easily modifiable to allow for Afghanistan/Iraq or other Middle Eastern/North African scenarios.
Combat Mission Black Sea (CMBS)
Combat Mission Black Sea is a military grade simulation depicting a fictional series of escalations between Russian and Ukraine which results in open conflict in the summer of 2017. As Russian forces move into Ukrainian territory the Ukrainians do their best to defend their country against a numerically and technologically superior adversary. Events surrounding the invasion cause NATO to send its advanced rapid deployment forces to check the Russian advance. A brutal scenario, for sure, but one which allows you to get a glimpse of what full spectrum contemporary near-peer tactical warfare is all about.
This game is easily modifiable and the online community has created several scenarios based on the ongoing war in Ukraine.
If you own CMSF2 you can use Fight Club's Platoon Attack tutorial file (below) and guide (click on image to right) to learn how to play the game.
COL Brendan McBreen USMC (Retd) used Combat Mission to run 300 assaults using the USMC squad as a way to explore current doctrine and its gaps concerning fire and maneuver. Click the picture on the right to read his article.
Click the image below to watch our special on Unit Level Fight Nights (Member's Only)
Combat Mission Profession (in use with DSTL)
Combat Mission Professional offers additional features that are not present in the commercial versions such as the After Action Review feature, modifying orders of battle, altering the values for weapons/equipment. This makes CM:Pro suitable for analytical wargaming and it is already used by the UK's Defence and Scientific Laboratory.
If you want to use Combat Mission Professional with Fight Club International click here.
Application as a Training/Education Tool
Combat Mission is a great tool for executing tactical actions at the Platoon/Troop and Company/Squadron level. Whilst suitable for BattleGroup actions these can take a significant time to play through, though there is significant utility in using the game as a visualizer of tactical mechanics.
Watch thisvideo on how Combat Mission could potentially be used as an aide to the traditional military Tactical Exercise Without Troops (TEWT).