Last updated 25th March 2010
"We all love him; he's so bloody inhuman."
- A 5 Group squadron commander on Sir Arthur 'Bomber' Harris
BOMBER COMMAND is a game of the night war in the skies over the Reich in World War II.
The game models the great RAF bombing raids against the heart of Germany and the defence of the German night fighter arm.
Based on a brand new air combat system, Bomber Command will detail the tactics of night fighting, including the Himmelbett zones, Wild Boar and Tame Boar. RAF raids will feature Mosquito diversions, 'Gardening' raids (sea mining of waterways) and the decoy raids launched by training units and 100 Group (Bomber Support). A card deck of 110 cards is used to resolve the complex interactions of electronic countermeasures and radars, along with other operational factors such as Mahmoud Patrols, Flower Raids, and Beleuchter illumination units. A detailed bombing resolution system depicts the difficulties of marking targets at night, as well as the development of precision bombing techniques late in the war.
There are two scenarios: 'Berlin' covers raiding from the Battle of Hamburg up to the great defeat over Nuremburg. The second scenario, 'Downfall', recreates the period from the Summer of 1944 to the end of the war, during which time much of the nightfighter fleet is grounded by lack of fuel, SN-2 radar is neutralized and the Mandrel screens have advanced to the borders of the Reich.
The game is fast-playing and raids typically resolve in 2 hours or less.
Bomber Command is to be published by GMT Games and can preordered HERE. It is designed by Lee Brimmicombe-Wood.
ILLUSTRATION: A render of the 22 x 34" playtest map for the Berlin scenario. This represents development graphics and not the final visuals for the game.
ILLUSTRATION: A render of the front of the 5/8" countersheet (not final game graphics). Note many of the unit counters are marked as detachments on the front side. This is because they appear only as reduced units with information on the reverse.
ILLUSTRATION: A render of the front of the 1/2 " countersheet (not final game graphics). This sheet contains the markers for the bombing system, comprising HE and incendiary counters, major fires and target markers (Newhaven, Parramatta and Wanganui markers).
ILLUSTRATION: A render of one of the city maps used to resolve bombing. This map divides the city into City Centre, Residential, Industrial and Transportation areas. Areas outside this are fields and countryside where bombs fall with no effect.
Update 25th March 2010
Bomber Command is designed to be able to be played with Nightfighter. Both games can be played as stand-alone titles. However Bomber Command playthroughs can be used to generate scenarios resolved by playing Nightfighter.
All questions and enquiries should be directed to the designer Lee Brimmicombe-Wood at: leebwood at googlemail dot com (Note that this address has been modified to protect against web spiders and other malware.)
Bomber Command copyright © Lee Brimmicombe-Wood, 2004-2010. All rights reserved.