Commandos and special raiding units conducted a wide range of operations including beach reconnaissance, sabotage, intelligence gathering, and hitand-run raids. They were known for their ability to strike quickly and then withdraw before the enemy could respond. In essence, our tabletop wargames massively simplify these raids. In reality, these missions involved intricate planning, resource allocation, and precise execution. On the wargames table we very often ignore the first of these factors, go light on the second, and focus heavily on the third, with our tabletop actions dropping us right into the thick of the action, stepping from an aircraft above the drop zone or leaping from the ramp of a landing craft.
On the tabletop, the allure of commando raid games lies in the delicate balance between strategy and action, as players are placed in the shoes of their historical counterparts to overcome obstacles and achieve multiple objectives while contending with limited resources and the ever looming threat of discovery and failure. To dare is to do, as they say, in the smarter parts of north London.
DOCKYARD GAMES
Dockyard games are terrain heavy, but the terrain is not hard to make. A few sheets of foamboard and some grey paint gets you started with a simple yet effective dockyard, easily augmented with a few jetties and other scattered paraphernalia. Lay this over a sea-coloured mat and voila – you have a harbour! This harbour can easily be brought to life with some suitable light industrial buildings. A search on e-bay for some railway terrain can offer some interesting options for industrial bits and pieces that will bring your dockyard to life. These items, such as cranes, storage areas, and supplies, not only make the table look great but they also offer potential objectives for raiders.
GAME DEVELOPMENT
Over the past few months and inspired primarily by accounts of the raid on St. Nazaire in May 1942, I have been tinkering with ideas
