My Burden of Command top tip

While I’m nowhere near finishing Burden of Command’s unforgettable campaign, I think I’ve seen enough to pen something resembling a review tomorrow. I also reckon I’ve seen enough to proffer the pictured words of advice.

One of the reasons this new wargame is so bally fresh and resonant, is that it goes out of its way to recreate war’s caprices – its surprises. Another reason is that it conveys, with rare naturalism, the maturation process leaders undergo when exposed to combat. By going in search of tactical tips outside of the game, you run a big risk of flattening a totally appropriate learning curve and prematurely releasing some memorable bagged cats.

Having now gone through BoC’s cluttered tutorial phase twice, I’m more convinced than ever that it could and should have been better organised. But – and I realise this is going to sound seriously weird – I’m also convinced that a game like BoC actually benefits from imperfect instruction.

When I arrived in North Africa I was a long way from being ‘the finished article’. There were several aspects of BoC’s battle mechanics that I didn’t fully understand, and, looking back, this was entirely fitting. If I’d hit Moroccan beaches, the largely competent (but far from infallible!) leader of men I am now, I’d have been denied the satisfying sense of slow, steady progress that has been my constant companion for the past week or so.

While, obviously I always want to win when I embark on one of the game’s scenarios, I have no desire to dilute Green Tree’s carefully wrought historicism by winning with the help of ahistorical aids. To me, having prior knowledge of scripted tactical twists, and garnering advice from leaders ‘closer to Berlin’ than I am, feels like stepping across a line the devs have positioned with great care. The same impulse that has, thus far, stopped me from reloading a save in order to avoid the consequences of a battlefield cock-up, has dissuaded me from watching any of the rash of BoC tips videos that have appeared in the run up to release day. If you want to experience this computer wargaming landmark at its very best, you may wish to exercise similar caution.