Joe "The Noob" Mezz reporting from the waiting line at the recruiting office. Recruiting office? I know that our loyal WWPD'ers are thinking that I have already been recruited by loyal Russian Forces. Tis true, I was a loyal son of Mother Russia in Version 2 FOW. But I have defected for Version 3 !!!
Steve and I have made some trades and I will soon begin my German forces. So I figured that since I am beginning a new army and Version 3 is just being released (NOOB once again, dang it) I would write these articles for the WWPD masses.So let's begin this NOOB's journey, shall we ?
The first question for any NOOB player is "Where do I begin?" As a new player you should concentrate on an era that grabs your interest. It could be campaigns such as Normandy, Battle of the Bulge or Stalingrad just to name a few. Another deciding factor may be whom you play against. For example, your gaming group is allied heavy and they need axis players. Both sides have numerous army types and unique options to grab ones interest for a starting army. Or better yet everyone has tank companies and maybe an infantry company is not the best choice to start off with. From my NOOB experience, it is easier to learn the basics with armor companies and then move into infantry units once the basic rules are understood.
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Joe models with our new banners |
OK, so everyone will need the Version 3 rulebook. That is a given and no one can get by that. Next, one would need to get the book for the chosen front and era (ie Blitzkreig - EW, Gray Wolf - Eastern Front and so on). Battlefront has improved book options by combining all the small books of old into larger subject related books. Recent books of this nature have been Gray Wolf and Red Bear as well as Earth & Steel and Turning Tide. Also check out www.easyarmy.com which is an AWESOME website to assist in your army building needs.
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| German infantry holds the line against French Panhards! |
What grabs your fancy ? Of course, move on what you find interesting. But keep some of my NOOB experience in mind. If you have an infantry company built and then decide to move into mechanized builds ... all you will need to buy are transports. If you build an armor company and then decide to make it mechanized you would have to buy infantry and transports. There are numerous ways to grow and build but if you find yourself liking two lists try to find common units to be able to change it up easier down the road. Saves time, money and hand cramps from painting more than you need.
Now placing myself into the equation. My forces are gonna be geared towards mechanized infantry and armor components. This will allow myself to build either way in the future. BUT before I plunge towards buying every model under the sun ... let's look at a basic infantry company loadout without other support platoons. We will come back to those in a later post ...
  | Infanteriekompanie - Heer Infantry Company | German Early-War |
| Platoon | Qty | Unit | Points | ||
| Headquarters | |||||
| 2 | Cmd SMG team | 30 | ||
| Combat Platoons | |||||
| 1 1 1 8 | Cmd Rifle/MG team Light Mortar team Anti-tank Rifle team Rifle/MG team | 185 | ||
| 1 1 1 8 | Cmd Rifle/MG team Light Mortar team Anti-tank Rifle team Rifle/MG team | 185 | ||
| Company Points: | 400 | ||||
Referencing the above chart you can get a basic idea of troops needed to form your core infantry company. Our example shows you will be needing 2 CMD SMG teams, 2 CMD/Rifle teams, 2 Light Mortar teams, 2 Anti-tank Teams and 16 Rifle/MG teams.
Here is a basic Armored Rifle Company loadout ...
 | Panzerschützenkompanie Armoured Rifle Company | German Early-War |
| Platoon | Qty | Unit | Points | ||
| Headquarters | |||||
| 2 1 1 | Cmd SMG team Motorcycle & Sidecar Sd Kfz 251/1 | 60 | ||
| Combat Platoons | |||||
| 1 1 1 6 4 | Cmd Rifle/MG team Light Mortar team Anti-tank Rifle team Rifle/MG team Sd Kfz 251/1 | 265 | ||
| 1 1 1 6 4 | Cmd Rifle/MG team Light Mortar team Anti-tank Rifle team Rifle/MG team Sd Kfz 251/1 | 265 | ||
| Company Points: | 590 | ||||
We will be needing 2 CMD SMG teams, 2 CMD Rifle/MG teams, 2 Light Mortars, 2 Anti-tank Teams, 12 Rifle/MG teams ... WHICH if we initially build a core Infantry unit will already be painted and purchased.
- Our new additions will be needing 9 Sd Kfz 251/1 and 1 Motorcycle.
Next post will dive into our support options and how to plan and max out your hobby time and money potential. I hope you enjoyed the first glimpse into my NOOB world. I hope you continue to step along in step with this NOOB next time.
If you have any questions and concerns regarding this series, please feel free to leave comments or contact myself at Joe@wwpd.net ...
Keep the Paint flowing and the Dice rolling !!!
Joe ... aka Mezz
