FOW: After Open Fire - Part 2

Back in part 1 of this piece, I began to offer some advice for the new recruits to the Flames of War game, after they've purchased the Open Fire boxed set from Battlefront.

In this part, let's look at topics like: more basic items to get for your gaming bag or box, and things to consider as you make that initial decision on which nation’s army to begin collecting.



More stuff to buy!


Talk to any gamer, and you'll probably find they prefer something different than the last gamer you talked to. Take measuring devices. My own preference for this tool is either a small tape measure, or one of BattleFront's weirdly shaped measuring sticks (they call them “RangeFinders"). This little tool has different sides, each with a measurement that is used in the game. Since I'm in the US, the Imperial measurements of six inches, four inches, one inch and two inches are all represented on the rangefinder.



Read More

FOW: After Open Fire - Part 1

If you’ve recently purchased an Open Fire starter box for Flames of War (FOW), and are trying to figure out your next steps, you might be a bit overwhelmed by now. What to purchase next? Which army should I collect first? How do I paint all of this?

Don’t panic!

Just like the cover of the infamous Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, these words are there to comfort you. If you’re reading this article, you’ve taken a good first step in your quest to become a table-top general to rival Rommel, Patton, or Monty. You’ve found WWPD.net. Best yet, no towel required for this game (unless you’re hanging out with a guy named Zaphod Beeblebrox). 

Education

First, you’ve got a lot of learning to do. There are two basic types of Open Fire purchasers: The Newbie to Wargaming, and the experienced wargame player.  This piece will be geared toward the new wargamer, although some of the links I provide here may be new to even experienced players who haven’t yet learned to play FOW. But, where to start?

Where to begin? If you've played a demo event, like this one - where Able Kompanie members (in khaki shirts) "Bofors" Dave Cuthbert (left) and "FlammPanzer" Ron Hanson (center) help players learn the basic rules in their club's Stalingrad introductory game at GenCon - this article can give some guidance on your next steps to get into the Flames of War hobby.

Read More

FOW: Pushing Past the Wall, Pt 2

Players in any game of strategy will eventually hit a plateau of skill and luck. In Part 1 of this series, I looked at some of the psychology that a new player routinely faces, as they move from “Baby Seal” level games, into more serious and competitive play. 

This piece will look at issues that may affect players of any skill or experience level. I asked the member of Able Kompanie in Indiana to share their thoughts on the rough draft of my articles. I’ve included their thoughts as quotes throughout the series.

Your troops

Are you playing the same old list? Any decent list will need to have certain key elements in it. An infantry list will need some sort of anti-tank asset, as well as some way to pin opposing units. Look at your list. Do you always take 10.5s? If you’re a German player, can you save a few points by switching to Nebs, and add use the extra points for another platoon of infantry, or upgrade a tank somewhere?

Playing a force with random motivation and training, such as the Italians with the 8 Million Bayonets rule, requires that a player think through tactics and more "what ifs" than when playing forces with set properties. What if I roll poorly for their skill? Will having them in the open AND needing to roll to dig in on turn one affect their survivability into turn two?

Read More

FoW Scenario analysis - Defensive Scenarios Balance

Hello Everyone, time for another gaming article by Sexy Sixes :)

This time, I would like to share some of my own thoughts on how Flames of War Defensive Battle scenarios are balanced.

It actually occurred to me while preparing some materials for the ETC pairings that all of the scenarios with the Defensive Battle rule in Flames of War can be described with a set of characteristics. These features, can then be used pretty much like ratings to define who has an edge in a given scenario. By knowing who is more likely to win a game in a given scenario and understanding how these characteristics work, lists can be tailored to be able to mitigate the connected risks and capitalize on the opportunities.

Sooo, what are the characteristics that I was talking about?
I divided them into two separate sections: defender advantage and attacker advantage to clearly point out who do I think benefits from each of them.

Read More

FOW: Pushing past the wall, Pt 1

We've all been there. We learn the rules, well most of them - that Flames of War rule book is LONG - we paint our models, we build our lists, and we keep losing. The other guy is putting kill rings on his tanks' barrels, while our tanks are smouldering hulks on the battlefield of dreams.

After recently relocating across the USA  from the country’s midwest to the far west coast of North America I received an email from a fellow player out of my old area - one at my skill level and time involved in the hobby - grousing about his inability to get out of a slump of losses, I had to ask myself if this was normal? Have most of us been there? In a broad way, I’d say yes. 

Read More

Iron Sharpens Iron: Meta Gaming Courtesy

By Troy A. Hill

…[Meta] is something that breaks the game and gives players an unfair advantage.  Having been a gamer for a long time I never believed in the “Meta Myth” and feel the term is improperly used by gamers.
-Mitch Reed

Mitch Reed’s piece on Meta Gaming was published the week I got to face my first Eastern Front all Panther list. That was a learning experience. Even though the all Panther list is legal and has been played countless times, this was my first time facing it. Had I been faced with that list one or two years earlier, when I was a raw recruit to this hobby, I might not have returned to play again. Now, having faced it once as a semi-skilled player, I have an idea of how to play against it, and welcome the challenge next time.

Reading through Mitch’s piece on why the “Meta” doesn’t really exist in Flames of War, I thought back to my last three years learning to play the game, and what some of my challenges with these “meta” lists have been. This article is not a refutation of Mitch’s philosophy, but, rather, a look at the how to play with such lists and still provide a fun time for players on both sides of the table.
While Mitch did show that the definition of the “Meta” doesn’t fit FOW, I haven’t found a better term for types of army construction he listed. Those lists are designed to maximize one aspect, and minimize danger to the list. Min/Maxing in games has been around a long time. But, the term “meta” still fits in a loose way, so I’ll use that term throughout this piece to refer to those lists outside the types normally seen.

Read More

Flames of War List Building 101

 by Chris Fretts

I find list building to be one of the fun challenges of playing Flames of War.  Finding a list that suits your playing style will increase your enjoyment of the game.   It can be frustrating for a player to fight both his list and his opponent on the table.  Hopefully a well-designed list will help you be competitive in a Tournament.  I don’t feel like there are any lists that will win always –it always comes down to who is playing the list, your Opponent and his list, the mission and the table.  Here are some of my thoughts on list building.

A Combined Arms list is a must for me.  I like lists that can be aggressive on the attack but  I must be prepared for missions where I need to defend.  Several missions, especially the Fair Fights, require lists that can do both to be successful.  While a list with all heavy Tanks  and little else or a static Fortified list can do well in some missions, they can fall apart in others.  Static lists always have trouble with Fair Fights when they need to get up and attack.  Heavy Tank lists with little else make for easy pickings for Bazooka, Panzerfaust, Gammon bomb-laden infantry lists.  While a combined arms list may not immediately dominate in any mission, it will almost always have a good chance of doing well in every kind of mission.

In a Tournament setting, you need to have a list that can have a chance in all the missions.  Especially in a 3-round tournament you don’t want to go into that event having a mission where your force has no chance of playing a competitive game, much less winning.  My objective in any game is to have fun and a well-built list will help to make that happen.

Read More

Hill Making Tutorial

By Luke Melia

War gaming hills.  They are an integral part of the terrain features on all of our tables no matter what system we play.  Hills also provide depth to tables, block line of site and provide cover from enemy fire.  When people have asked me over the years what types of terrain they should make first for their tables, I always say "hills" without question.  There are a lot of different techniques for making hills and there is, by no means, a right or a wrong way of making them.  Terrain is a very personal thing for me.  Ultimately you have to be happy with the way any piece of terrain looks on your table.  To that end, I would remind everyone that this is the way I like to build hills an it works well for me.   If you have some alternate methods please feel free to share on our forum. 


I am going to show you a couple of different types of hills and rocky outcroppings that I have been working on.

You start with pin (or blue) insulating foam. You as several choices in the thickness of the board.  This will determine how tall your hills will be.  I chose two inch thick so I would get more height, specifically for the rocky outcroppings.  I use a jig saw to cut out the rough shape of the hill then use a Styrofoam cutter that you can purchase from any hobby or craft store to shape the hill into the shape I like.

Read More

Playing Tournaments - By Andrew Hopson

by Andrew Hopson

Tournaments are a great way to meet new players, learn new tactics and list building ideas, and can make a mediocre player very good in a short amount of time.  Getting ready for a tournament can be that impetus you need to finish painting those new units you want to run, and a reason to get as many games in as you can to sharpen your skills.  Still, to the beginning player tournaments may seem like a daunting experience, but with a little preparation and following some common sense guidelines, you can have a great experience right away. 

Before the tournament:

Proper preparation will make your tournament experience a lot more pleasant, improve your chances of doing well, and will reduce the odds of aggravating your opponents.

Read More

MW Panzer Company vs U.S. Infantry

By Luke Melia

The board before deployment. 

Andy and I wanted to get a practice game in before the tournament at the Williamsburg Muster so we decided to face off with our lists.  The tournament was 1500 points, in an open format.   Guess what I was playing?  That's right folks, Americans.  I know that comes as a shock to many of you, regardless despite my misgivings I made the sacrifice to play the old US of A.  Andy ran a Panzer Company out of North Africa.  The mission was Counterattack.  I used to absolutely hate this mission, but it is steadily growing on me the more I play and develop strategies for it.

My basic list is
2 Infantry Platoons
4 Lees
4 105mm Howitzers
4 155mm Howitzers
AA Platoon with 2 Bofors and 2 dismounted .50 cals
Recon Platoon
3 57mm AT Guns with 2 attached bazookas

Andy's List (please forgive me I am going off memory here so it may not be 100% accurate)

2 Command Stugs
3 Stugs
3 Panzer MKIV
1 Panzer Grenadier Platoon

Read More

It Takes Two to Tango - Building Doubles Lists for Flames of War

By Maurice Kent

(Note, this is a bit of a long one, so hang on for the ride - Maurice)

Tournaments are one of the main ways in which many players enjoy Flames of War. There are all manner of tournaments, which cater to all sorts of tastes: theater specific, open format, pairs, Red vs. Blue-only, and so forth. One format which the I-95 Gamers here on the East Coast in the States are well known for hosting is the Doubles format which pits teams of two players, each fielding a smaller company, against one another.

I've found this format to be quite fun. It lets you and a friend plan, play and try to win as a team. It gives you a second point of view in games, hopefully reducing tactical errors and opening up new perspectives on a given situation. Finally, it also brings a range of new list-building options and quirks which freshen up the standard tournament scene.

With Cold Wars coming in March, and I-95 hosting a 2,000 Point Late War doubles event, I figured I'd pull together some thoughts on building lists for the format. I'm definitely not an expert, but hopefully this gives you some new ideas as you prepare!

Drift compatibility definitely helps in selecting a tournament partner (Photo credit to Pacific Rim)

Read More

Flames of War 101, lesson 1- Introduction to Teams

I've decided to start 2 new series of articles: FOW 101, and FOW Graduate Studies. FOW 101 will focus on the basics of the game, particularly those intricacies often misunderstood or played incorrectly. FOW Graduate Studies will focus on how to get the most out of your armies!

So the first in the FOW 101 series will focus on team types. I'll give a brief overview of the types and sub-types of teams in FOW, discuss a few oddities, and then thoroughly explore the concept of the "man-packed gun team" which is something I find is often not understood well at all.

These are NOT meant to be comprehensive, but more just a refresher or guide for newer players. Absolutely nothing can replace reading the rulebook and getting some games in!

So without further ado!


FOUR MAIN TYPES
A "Team" is the smallest unit in the game. Vehicle teams are most often represented by a single vehicle, though in some transport cases there may be 2 on a base representing 1 team. The four types of teams are: Tanks (typically armored fighting vehicles of all ilk), Transports (armored or not, vehicles used for transporting troops or towing guns), infantry (represented by 3-5 soldiers on a base), and Guns (represented on 1 base by a gun and the crew that serves it).


German Stugs and Armored Rocket Launchers.

TANK TEAMS
Tank teams are distinguished from transport teams in that they can launch assaults, force a motivation check for infantry to assault, and generally ignore pinning. Tank teams don't only represent "tanks". They comprise other fighting vehicles like armored cars, self propelled artillery, self propelled AAA, tank hunters, assault guns, etc. They are further subdivided into 3 types.

-->FULLY ARMORED. Fully Armored tanks have top armor 1 or 2 (Shermans, Tigers, T-34s). Fully armored tank teams may attempt to crash through buildings (with a skill check), ignore a "pinned" result in defensive fire, and are more resilient to flame thrower death (requiring a firepower check to destroyer, and suffering only a bailed result on a failed check).

-->ARMORED. Tank teams with top armor 0 (universal carriers, most armored cars, self propelled artillery). Vehicles with top armor 0 are a little bit more restrictive than their fully armored bretheren. If they receive 5 hits in defensive fire during an assault, their assault fails. Likewise, they cannot attempt to crash through a building. Furthermore, any hit from a flamethrower automatically destroys a tank with top armor 0!

-->UNARMORED. Teams not considered transports, but that lack any armor protection (Portee Guns, truck mounted AAA, US Cavalry Recon Jeeps). Unarmored tank teams have no armor and thus receive no armor saves, saving on a 5+ like other soft-skinned vehicles. Furthermore, unarmored tank teams cannot assault, and must break off immediately in any assault. However, being tank teams they do still force a motivation check from infantry to assault or counter assault!


TRANSPORT TEAMS
Transport teams can not launch assaults, and must always break off from any assault. Living transports do not add to the fighting strength of a platoon, but destroyed transports DO count against! Thus transports can be a liability if you allow them to get shot to pieces.

A FEW POINTS:
*If a transport with passengars mounted is destroyed, the entire platoon is pinned.
*Transport teams do not count for chain of command unless they are loaded (though they DO count for chain of command for other transports in the platoon)

INFANTRY TEAMS

British 8th Army vs German Afrika Korps.

Infantry teams represent the various flavors of infantry throughout WWII! Infantry teams can represent a wide variety of armaments from Rifle teams to MG teams. Here's a few points to remember:
*Standard infantry are tank assault 2.
*SMG and Assault Rifle teams maintain full ROF on the move.
*Though SMGs are AT 1 for shooting, they are still Tank Assault 2
*Infantry teams can often be upgraded with AT weapons increasing their Tank Assault Value.

Remember that infantry have a few benefits other teams don't- They can be concealed in the wide open if they don't move. Thus, if they don't move OR shoot they are both concealed and gone to ground, even if there is no terrain around! Furthermore, they always save on a 3+ (Unless they are in a transport that is destroyed, in which case they save on a 5+). Infantry also ignore terrain for movement distances- they always go 6"! They can't, however, double time through rough terrain.

GUN TEAMS


British 25 pounders.

Gun teams represent the various cannons, artillery pieces, mortars, etc of the various armies. First, we'll discuss the different kinds of gun teams:

-->Light & Medium Guns. Besides being more mobile than their larger counterparts, light and medium guns benefit from their smaller silhouette when dug in- Light & Medium guns both gain concealment when dug into fox holes.

-->Heavy, Immobile, and AA Guns: Large guns do not benefit from concealment when dug in in the open (though may still benefit from concealment in terrain). Furthermore, any gun listed as an AA gun, regardless of it's size, can not benefit from concealment in foxholes.

*remember that any gun team that moves in difficult ground has to make a bog check!

MAN PACKED GUNS
This is what I *really* wanted to talk about in this lesson, since I always see them being played incorrectly. Just what the hell is a man packed gun anyways? In game terms, a man packed gun is a GUN TEAM that benefits from a few special rules. Let's go over them:

-->MOVEMENT: Man packed gun teams move exactly like infantry teams. They do not have to roll bogging.
-->CONCEALMENT: Man packed gun teams, like infantry, can get concealment in the open if they don't move. Likewise, if the don't move AND don't shoot they can be "gone to ground".
-->ASSAULTS: Remember that man packed guns are NOT infantry teams- thus they cannot charge into contact in the assault or counter assault step. However, like guns, if any enemy teams wind up within 2" of them, they may participate in the assault so long as they don't move.
-->SAVES: Man-packed guns are gun teams, thus they save on a 5+ rather than a 3+ like infantry.

And now for the biggie- SHOOTING AT MIXED PLATOONS:
When a platoon with some infantry and some man-packed gun teams are shot at by weapons with firepower 5+ or 6, the owning player can ignore their opponents "target priority preference". Hits allocated to man packed guns are still rolled on a 5+, but in effect they may be considered infantry for hit allocation.

If a weapon with firepower 4+ or better scores a hit on a mixed platoon, the man packed guns must be allocated hits as if they were guns per normal.

TWO EXAMPLES- Let's pretend I have a US Armored Rifle Platoon that is severely depleted. All that remains is 2 LMG teams (man packed guns), a 37mm AT Gun (a light gun), and 3 Rifle teams (infantry stands).


US Armored Rifles hold on in the face of German Armor.

Ex. 1- A Stug platoon drives up and opens up on the platoon with MGs, designating guns as the target priority. They score 4 hits. Because a machine gun's FP rating is 6, they cannot "pick out" the man packed guns, but the 37mm is fair game. Thus, the USplayer MUST assign the first hit to the light gun. The 3 remaining hits can be allocated to any of the remaining teams since they are all infantry for allocation purposes.

Ex 2- Now the Stugs open up with their cannons, scoring 3 hits. Again, the German player designates guns as the target priority. Because the Stugs have a firepower rating of 3+ on their cannons, the man packed guns CAN be distinguished. The US player has no choice but to assign 1 hit to the 37mm gun, and the remaining 2 to the LMG teams.


I hope this has been somewhat enlightening. Remember, this is NOT meant to be anywhere near comprehensive, but more a refresher. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments, and do let me know if I've mucked something up!

Thanks to Richard, Dallas, and Jaime for proofreading.

Read More