Why We Fight: Episode 16

             In this episode Mitch phones in from - what sounds like - the Moon to talk to the boys about Historicon, and the new Mid-War American book. Shermans, Lees, and Stuarts, Oh my!

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Team Yankee - North American National Tournament 2017 Historicon

Ever since Mitch, Sean, and Erik announced that there would be a team yankee nationals this year, I was excited.  After spending around 5 months painting my West Germans (covered in this 3 part series from a few weeks ago) I was ready to get some games in. I read the rules over the night before to see if I could find things I may have missed.  Knowing who was showing up, and knowing that over 40 players were expected to attend meant I had no expectations of winning anything.  Battlefront partnered with WWPD for some prize support, tables, and other logistical concerns.  This would winf up being the largest tournament at Historicon this year,
Below: Luke sets up a display and looks longingly at models he will soon be buying

Some of the 28 or so tables prepped by Brian Sullivan, Sean Sarah, and Mitch Reed (among others)

Mitch tries to take the edge off with a Vacation themed shirt, but his expression says "we are going to be crunching numbers all afternoon" He brought his entire collection with him, and was ready to lend it all out to players that wanted to give the game a shot.

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Team Yankee North American Nationals 2017: Mission Selection

Over the last few weeks I have been planning the upcoming first ever Team Yankee Nationals that will be held at Historicon on 14 July 2017.  One of the issues that seems to have gotten a lot of comments on various forums are the missions we plan to select for each of the 3 tournament games. I held off on this decision for a while because I wanted to get the advice of others and I wanted to see what lists players planned to run at the event. I know that any decision I could make would draw the ire of the denizens of the forums.
My thoughts on making this decision were based on two major factors, 1) keeping the selection fair for all players and 2) not wanting the insane to run the asylum.

What I have notice so far in playing this game since it came out is that you do not have a very wide selection of lists from each nation to choose from and that there is a vast difference in the composition of the available forces. At 100 points an East German player can have 63 T-55AM2’s while a West German Player tops out at 9 Leopard 2’s, each list costing 99 points.  However list selection is left up to the players and that is something I didn’t want to get involved with. However based on the rules of the mission, a player can end up with a mission that their force is not built to accomplish. My thoughts on this is for players to build a better list that can handle any type of mission. However that thinking could be more based on Flames of War and may not be applicable for Team Yankee based on the lack of list diversity.

This lack of diversity is not Battlefront’s fault, modern armies are standardized and have a cross section of combat capabilities within them. The main difference in an armor force as opposed to a mechanized unit is one armor battalion is swapped for a mech unit. Combat support for both units will also be relatively the same.

So based on this I took a look at the “Expanded Missions” pdf that was put out to augment the number of missions that are available for players. Also in this expansion is mechanic called “Battle Plans” where players can bid to attack or defend and bases on that selection a type of mission is given o them and they roll off.  At first I did not care for this method, I felt that TOs should dictate what missions are played in order to make sure it is fair for all and that using battle plans rewards players who have on trick pony lists.

Another things I factored into the decision is that a lot of folks feel battles will time out. I feel that 2.5 hours per game is enough time and players who want to be competitive know they have to act aggressively and try to win the game instead of having a tie. Some players feel that certain missions lead to a tie more often than not, however I feel that good players know how to win and put forth tactics to achieve their goals in the time allotted. 

So after doing my research I feel that using the Battle Plans for the tournament is the right call and is a really neat mechanic. Deep down I still think it may favor certain types of lists which I will not go into here, however it is way we will go for the 2017 Nationals.

So let me set up the ground rules
- Players will have a copy of the Team Yankee Expanded Missions on them at the event. A link can be found here.
- Players will have 5 mins from the time table assignments are given to review the table and their opponents list, pick a “Battle Plan” and roll for a mission.
- Players will accept the mission that is rolled and will not re-roll even in both players mutually agree that they do not wish to play the rolled mission or have played that mission previously during the event.

So with this put to rest I want to once again plug the event.  The prize support and the fact that it is the first of its kinds means that you can have fun and be a part of history. Now if we can get more players who are not in love with the Leopard book we will be set.

You still have time to register; please send your list/force selection to WWPD2017wwiii@gmail.com


Twitter: @MitchWWPD
Mail: WWPDMitch@gmail.com

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Fulda in Fredericksburg: 2017 Team Yankee Nationals

Now with Cold Wars 2017 behind us it is time to turn our attentions to Historicon 2017 and the first ever Team Yankee North American Nationals also known as “Fulda Gap in Fredericksburg”.

Here are the details

GMs: Mitch Reed (WWPDMitch@gmail.com) and Brian Sullivan

Cost: Free!!!

Date/Time: 14 July 10am – 8pm Arrive at 9:30am to register.  Players who do not check in by 9:45 may have their spots taken by a player on the stand by list.
Three 2.5 hour rounds.  100 Points. All official lists from Team Yankee (including Afghansty), Leopard (including Panzertruppen), Iron Maiden, and Volks-Armee will be allowed.  All forces will be fully painted.  We have spots for 120 players and we will make a stand-by list if the tournament fills up. Each participant will get the Wolfgang’s Bratty Wagon objective for free for playing in the tournament.

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North American Yeam Yankee Nationals; 14 July 2017

With Brian Sullivan

First of all, let me fill you in on some big news; WWPD and Battlefront will be hosting the first ever Team Yankee North American Nationals on 14 July 2017! The event will take place during Historicon 2017 in Fredericksburg Virginia. So, this post serves as “save the date” for all of you that have been looking forward for a huge Team Yankee event and we will be posting a series of “Tournament Organizer” articles to keep you informed over the next few months.

We will be working with Brian Sullivan, who will be the POC from the Battlefront side of the house and I will be the POC from WWPD.

Right now, we have so many details to work out;

Points totals? Will 100 be too much? Is 80 the sweet spot?

Scoring? Do we use an alternative scoring system to have a definitive winner in 3 rounds?

Prize support? Well with Luke doing this I am sure it will be something great!

So, since we have more questions than answers right now please hold off any you have until we have firmed things up. Until we can get the event into the PEL for Historicon we will not be taking any sign-ups, so stay tuned to WWPD.net and we will drop more info as it becomes available.

We want to make this the biggest and best Team Yankee event ever! So come join us for "Fulda in Fredericksburg 2017!"

@MitchWWPD         

MitchWWPD@gmail.com

"Why We Fight" and "On the Road" Podcasts http://wwpd.libsyn.com/podcast 

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Why We Fight Episode 4

On this special episode of Why We Fight Luke Eric, and Mitch recap their experience and AAR's from Historicon in ACT I. The guys are then joined by special guest Wayne Turner, of Battlefront, to talk some Team Yankee and other new products coming down the pipeline in ACT II. In a short ACT III, the guys recap their interview with Wayne. Don't miss this awesome, spoiler filled episode!

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Team Yankee Historicon Mega Battle

Historicon 2016 saw it's first and largest 15mm  Team Yankee game.  Brian Sherry and I hosted the game in a very loose Cold War gone hot scenario with a little over 360 points per side. The Soviets have rushed across the border and as their advance elements are trying to secure key objects, the American command has ordered a rag tag force to hold up the enemy until reinforcements arrive.  We originally planned for eight total players, three force commanders and an overall commander on each side who controlled air assets and a small tank reserve.

We planned the game for balance based on where units would start on the table along with timing of reserves to ensure no one side would get overwhelmed.  We figured the game would take about two and a half hours with eight players.  We were pleasantly surprised and a bit overwhelmed when eighteen folks showed up to play.  Undaunted we welcomed everyone to play and although our initial plans of deployment and reserves went out the proverbial window in order to allow everyone to command units, we were resolved to meet the three goals we had for the game.

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Looking Forward to Historicon 2016

By Mitch Reed

Summer brings the heat, humidity and mosquitoes here in Northern Virginia, and along with this comes one of the biggest conventions of the year.  Historicon is put on by the folks at the Historical Miniatures Gaming Society and takes place  this year on 14-17 July.  Hosted at the Fredericksburg Expo & Convention Center in Fredericksburg Virginia, Historicon is one of the largest gaming events in the country.  I have been going to the event since it moved down from Pennsylvania a few years ago, and it is something I look forward to all year.  This year the theme is “Cavalry - Mounted Warfare through the Ages” which does not mean for us in the Flames of War community that we can only play with Recce lists.

For the FoW crowd, Historicon is a “must do” event; each year the convention hosts many tournaments or pickup games during its 4 day span.   The biggest FoW event at Historicon is the annual National Tournament hosted by Battlefront.  This two day (Friday-Saturday), six game event takes place in one of the three major FoW eras, and the 2016 Nationals is a 1420 point Late War competition.  I have not played in this tournament in 3 years due to my commitment to coach rugby, however I can tell you how exhausting and fun the Flames of War Nationals are.  Battlefront hosts 4 of these events a year, with the venues rotating eras and one event held in Canada.  It does bring out the best players in the country and is a true test of your mastery of the game.   Even playing in the Mid-Atlantic area where we are flooded with events, this event always stands out.  It’s a great way to meet FoW players from other parts of the country; I still stay in contact with the Pittsburg, Raleigh, and Canadian players I have met via this event.  I would also recommend this event for new players, while it will suck to lose a majority of your games, it is a great way to learn the game through a fire hose.

So we drove all the way down from Philly and forgot the dice??

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Bolt Action - Historicon 2014 Review

 Historicon occurred in Fredericksburg this weekend.

Bolt. Action. Happened.

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Historicon Sneak Peek: Reconquest Titan

Titan, the largest of Saturn’s moons, was taken by the Scourge in 2513. While Titan only had limited civilian and military infrastructure, it served as an important jump route between Earth and the Colonies. As part of the Greater Reconquest, High Command has decided to retake Titan to serve as a frontline staging ground for battles closing in towards Earth. However, due to the constraints of building a new colony from the ground up and getting materials to that end of the star map, High Command has decided to attempt to land on Titan’s surface and take it back, rather than destroying everything from orbit and attempting to rebuild.

This past weekend, I ran a test game of Reconquest: Titan, a scenario I'll be running at Historicon this week. It consisted of roughly 4k points of combined UCM, PHR, and Shaltari forces attempting to retake an abandoned city from the Scourge.

The Scourge we scattered throughout the city, mainly showing their grav-tanks and walkers.

The attack was lead by the UCM. The UCM brought both an armored spearhead force oh light, medium, and heavy tanks, and an airborne force of airborne infantry, interceptors, bombers, and gunships.

The UCM called in some diplomatic assistance from the Shaltari and the PHR. While they sent token forces to help out, it remains unclear where exactly their loyalties lie....

 Once the battle got underway, things moved pretty quick. It started with basic simply prowlers muching on steel tanks...

...and suddenly escalated to Godzilla attacking....

...a giant cannon being airdropped in....

...and razorworm ambushes!

 Many more surprises and fun await when the game gets played out in it's entirety at Historicon later this week!

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Bolt Action - Historicon 2014

Kick off the Blitz! Historicon '14 is nearly upon us!

Bolt Action is about to Happen!

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Bolt Action - Bolt Actioneering at Historicon 2013

And we're back, everyone. Well, I am at least. Exhausted, but guilty enough for having not delivered the Friday Historicon update I promised, that I'm going to bring you Friday and Saturday shots together in one article.

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