Combat Commander: Mediterranean

A little over a year ago I wrote about the game Combat Commander: Europe.  Today I am writing about the first major expansion for the game, Combat Commander: Mediterranean.  Where the original game included counters and cards for Germany, the Soviet Union, and the United States of America, the Mediterranean expansion includes France, the United Kingdom of Great Britain, and Italy.  Actually, each of the three new decks and counters actually cover multiple factions.  For example, the Italian deck is used for all "minor" Axis powers (Hungary, etc.), where the French deck is used for minor allied powers, and the British deck is used for all parts of the alliance, including ANZAC and Canadian forces.  The box comes with new maps and a new playbook, as well, including new scenarios featuring the new forces and an expanded random scenario generator to include the new forces.

The basic gameplay is not changed by this expansion, but because the new forces have their own decks of cards, they play differently.  For example, the British deck has a lot of "Marksman" actions and a lot of Reform orders, to reflect the high accuracy with rifles and the "stiff upper lip" reputation that they had.  And God help you if you get stuck with the Italians, as their deck has a lot of "Command Confusion" in it, and you can only discard one card with a discard action.  One!  Italy, I weep for you.

If you like the Combat Commander system, as I do, then this is a great expansion to have.  If you don't like the system, then this expansion will not change your mind.