Iron Tom Burgess, Chairborne Tom Mullane, and (no nickname) Troy take a look back at the past year since BattleFront premiered Version 4 rules.
What did they like, and not so much? What works? What do they want to see tweaked?
Listen now for commentary on Version 4, a year later.
By Scott Grasse
NDNG will host Firestorm Tunisia, a global Flames of War campaign beginning on April 14th. The campaign will run through June and will give players the chance to fight the battles during the last remaining months of Axis occupation in North Africa.
If you are not familiar, a Firestorm Campaign is a series of linked battles that tie to a larger campaign map. Players engage in standard Flames of War battles at their regular gaming venue to represent the engagements that are occurring on the campaign map.
Discuss the campaign on
By Dennis Campbell AKA Matt Varnish
Photos by the Author
Hey guys, now I go through my step-by-step for painting vehicles. You need a good drybrush, and optionally, these :
After getting a good dark tan spray down, get your vehicles up to Vallejo (VJ) 879 Green Brown
By: Benny Christiansen
In the Danish FOW Community, we have a tradition of playing historic events. Once a year, I participate in the event called “Østerskov”. This year it was in a simplified version. I hope to give you an insight into the event by providing you with information about my lists and why I chose them, as well as brief reports of the battles I played.
The event had around 26 players. As a typical historical event, we play Axis vs Allied and we had to make two lists; one from Overlord/Atlantic Wall for the game Friday night, and then for Saturday’s games, you can choose to play a list from one of these books: Atlantik wall, Overlord, Bridge by Bridge, Market Garden, Battle for the Bulge, the Ardennes Offensive, Bridge at Remagen or Nachtjäger. Lists were set at 1400. We had to note, in advance, which units we wanted in reserves.
The Release of Armoured Fist has given the British player a wide array of options. A quick glance through the book gives a lot to be excited about. I found myself making list after list in an effort to see what was the most cost-effective use of points. This piece will analyze the tactical uses for each of the British tanks. I expect some readers will disagree with me on some of these, and only playtesting will bear it out what works in the long run (I’m looking at you Matt Varnish), but these are my first impressions. I will also analyze the tanks based on the 71 point MidWar Standard for tournament play this year.
Some other notes on force construction. One of the changes to the Force Organization diagram allows you to mix and match tanks to a larger degree than you could in Desert Rats. Grants can replace a Sherman platoon in their formation for example. The Death or Glory Boys list is also cheaper (due to it being easier to hit) and requires different, more aggressive tactics for that list to work as intended. For purposes of this analysis, I’ll use the Crusaders and Valentines from their standard formations (instead of the DoGB list) when discussing points.
The DoGB list is excellent in my opinion, using Valentines 2 pdr platoon and combining them with 6pdr Crusaders for firepower. Combined, they’re an excellent combination. My concern with that list has a weakness. The Crusaders are easy to kill off, which would leave the well armoured, but somewhat limited, Valentines to fend for themselves. Playtesting will bear that out, and I am sure many folks will want to give this list a try.
Battlefront, The Game Tavern and NDNG want to invite you to the first Flames of War event at the newest store in Northern Virginia.
Details
The Game Tavern Trial By Fire Tournament
4124 Walney Rd, Chantilly, VA 20151
1775 Points – Late War
21 April 2018
Prize support provided by Battlefront. Maximum 36 players.
Every player will receive at least one prize.
By Tom “Chairborne” Mullane
Armoured Fist (AF) Wraps up the British Forces of Mid-War in the desert. The book is large, includes all the equipment the British would have had access to during their fights in the desert, and is a must buy for any British player in Mid war. This is the book that Desert Rats (DR) could have been. All the formations from that book can be found here.
with a painting guide, equipment overviews, and unit histories, this book is a polished product with all the toys and gadgets us Brit players have been waiting for.
Let’s dive in…
Today I will be going through the Avanti Command Cards for the Italians in Flames of War, including the ones that I am the most excited about, as well as those most likely to change the game.
The command cards heavily favor the Italian tanks, in my opinion. Most of the Infantry cards were expensive in comparison to what they did. Front Line Fighter allows your Infantry Formation Commander to re-roll his misses in assaults for one point. Legions of Rome allows your Bersaglieri Infantry Platoons to go from nine points to 7 points for what fleshes out to be Reluctant Veteran ratings.
One of the more intriguing cards allows you to take an Autocannone 20mm and turn it into a gun team to attach to a Weapons Platoon. This card has the most promise of the Infantry options. There is also the Captured 25 Pdr Artillery card, similar to the one from the German deck, to help add some variety to lists.
By Dennis Campbell AKA Matt Varnish
Photos by the Author
Rob and I did a test game with the new Nam rules for Team Yankee (Team Yankee Early War?) but instead of using traditional lists, we decided that since Team Yankee the novel is a what-if scenario, then why not do a what-if of the Oil Crisis of the 1970s! In our case, we did a Canadian Tank force (Aussie Centurions) vs some T-55s and Motor Rifles out in a desert oil facility. As usual, video bat-rep at the end. Thanks to Rob for hosting as usual, this time on his awesome AFG board where I added my 15mm terrain to good effect:View from the industrial center
Today we are taking a look at what may be the most intriguing book to come out so far for Flames of War (FOW) MW V4, Avanti. In this article, you will read how Avanti will change the tournament scene.
Verison 4 has really become much more of a dice game than the more historical simulation that FOW Verison 3 was. In the shooting step, it is now easier to hit previously impervious units (veteran, gone to ground, concealed and long range). Players are now able to roll a 7 or 8. To do so is difficult, but not impossible.
It’s easier to get dig out pesky infantry since repeat bombardments force a re-roll of successful saves. The more dice you throw, the better chance you have of killing what you’re shooting at.
Currently, it seems the key to what Battlefront is pushing, is horde armies. The more models you’re pushing around the table, the better. Crusader Swarms. Gobs and gobs of armoured rifle stands bouncing around the table. Or that guy who brings as many Stuarts as he can fit in his list with some heavy guns behind them.
Heck, even my German list, which has done very well, is all about getting as many Panzer III Short 5cms on the table that I can. I support these with Marders and other low expensive German units.
