Battlefront will soon we releasing Command Cards. The Command Cards, at this time, represent three releases. One is specifically for the British, one for the Germans in MW and one that is not nation specific called the Fog Of War Cards. Today, we will be taking a look at the Fog of War release and how it may affect play for Flames of War in the future for both casual and tournament play.
It is imperative to read and review the post on the use of the cards from the Flames of War website before you read the cards to understand how they are played.
Below are all the cards. We review them in detail on the Why We Fight Podcast and I encourage you all to read through and draw your own conclusions. We have a summary of our thoughts at the end of the article. The cards are said to be used in the Dust Up and Free For All missions. I believe that they could be incorporated in the Annihilation mission as well. Currently, the cards are not designed to be used in any other missions.
I would like to start by saying that as of this writing, the cards have not been released and we have not had a chance to actually play with them. Everything here is speculation based on the materials we have at hand, My initial take on the cards is a bit mixed. I am absolutely thrilled that Battlefront is thinking outside on the box for new ideas on how to add more flavor to the game. I think the idea of having objectives not set in stone and with random chances for points and deployment rather than being the same old mission is fantastic. I believe, if done correctly, the cards could add a great deal to the game in the future and make for diverse and exciting gaming that is not just run of the mill attack and defend in the same way that it has been done for years.
It does seem like this product was a little rushed and could have used some more time in review. It seems if you build your own deck and with careful consideration of the force you use, games could be quite one sided. Tournament organizers will have to be very diligent in what cards may be used and players should have to draw from a single deck in my opinion. This has the potential to add to the gaming experience, but face it, gamers are always looking for the way to get one over on their opponent. Without stronger rules there, will be folks who take advantage and make the gaming experience unpleasant in their quest to win.
For years Flames of War gamers stood in line to complain about the missions, myself included. We wanted variety and wanted to deal with the issues of people camping or stalling out during play. I do not think this is the end all solution, but I do think it is a very nice start. With some time, more play testing and developing, this system could be the most dynamic change to missions yet.
Perhaps certain cards could be used in every mission to add enhanced scoring and objective possibilities. Without careful consideration by tournament organizers and individual players in casual play you may have some one sided games and some negative feelings. I do believe that the Fog Of War cards are an important step to adding a a unique play experience with every game.
