By Mitch Reed
My first Flames of War army, which I swore would only be the only one I would ever use, was my late war British (painted as Canadians). While I did collect other nations, I always built and created British or Commonwealth lists as my collection grew. As the game went into V4, I had a lot of later war kit that did not have a new list, now with the British Bulge book, I can now get my Challengers and Comets back on the table.
By Tom Gall
This past Labor Day afforded the opportunity for a number of us Flames of War players to get together at D6 Games in Rochester Mn for a casual day of gaming. As sometimes happens when you have a group gather the desire strikes to do something larger with Flames of War. Our hearty band decided to set up three 4’x6′ tables together to make an extra large Flames of War game.
By Paolo Paglianti
ETC is probably the biggest and most important Flames of War tournament in the World – I already reported about it here. It was an amazing experience, and I hope to come back in following years. After the above article about the tournament, time to talk about my games with a full report of my six battles with the Iceland Team.
Playing ETC is deeply different than playing a normal, single-player FOW tournament. You are part of a team of six players, and the Captains of the two opposing teams try to find the best pairing for their players. For example, if the opposing team has a US Tank destroyer army, the opposing Captain will try to counter it with Recce Company full of nimble scouts relying on being hidden and to hit the weak side armor of the M10s. The Captains also need to choose which of their players will attack, maneuver, and defend, as they have two “cards” for each stance – ie, you can’t attack with all six players. A lot of strategy even before the game starts!
By Paolo Paglianti
One hundred twenty players, 20 teams, 60 tables, and everyone was happy. European Team Challenge (ETC) is probably the most important tournament in the world, and for sure it is for the Old World. Every year, hundreds of players train and test their armies for the spectacle of three days of wargaming, not only to see who is the best but, more importantly, to play together.
By Mike Rafferty
It’s that time again, Germans are getting the spotlight in the Eastern Front compilation book. Battlefront has been consolidating their Mid-War books and personally, I liked the old North Africa and Eastern Front books, so this is a good thing. Eastern Front combines eight smaller books, with the Germans portion combining the two hardcover releases, Iron Cross and Ghost Panzers, and the Fallschirmjager Mid-War softcover release.
Much like the previous releases, Eastern Front focuses on the iconic battles around Stalingrad and Kursk. These are the most well-known battles of the eastern front of World War II and it makes sense for Battlefront to focus on them, especially considering the new starter sets are called Stalingrad and Kursk. Even with the focus on these two iconic battles, the Germans are provided with a variety of formations that should allow a German commander to recreate any historical force
By Jim Naughton
Four years and forty days ago (approximately) Battlefront continued its Mid-War Journey by introducing Enemy at the Gates and Iron Cross, bringing the Eastern Front to life in Version Four. A few short months later these books were complemented by Red Banner and Ghost Panzers. It would take two further years to see Finns, Rumanians, and Hungarians as BF focused on its Late War Journey.
Accompanying those four books were two Firestorm Campaigns. Our group played both campaigns and continued to play East Front Flames of War up to the release of Fortress Europe. It was a good run.
The newest release from Battlefront combines eight smaller books – four for the primary antagonists, 3 allies, and one for German paratroopers. The German paratroopers’ separate book is consolidated into the Ghost Panzers chapter, giving the new book seven chapters. Others will give you an overview of the big volume or focus on the Axis forces. My task is to highlight the Soviets – what’s changed, and what stayed the same. One thing absent from the compilation is the rules on City Fighting and Airborne Assault found in the originals.
Battlefront is releasing a new compendium entitled Eastern Front for MidWar Flames of War players. Within this massive 361 page book are the previously released v4 books Enemy at the Gates, Red Banner, Iron Cross, Ghost Panzers, Death from Above, White Death, Hungarian Steel, and Brave Romania.
But wait, there’s more, like the North Africa book that was released this year, they’ve included new units and formations which no doubt you’ll want to consider when composing new armies to field.
It’s also filled with the usual unit histories, great artwork, and polish that makes Battlefront sourcebooks a joy to read.
By Tom Gall
Now that the Bulge German book, command cards, and unit cards are starting to flow out across the planet, I’m sure you’re like me, plotting what to buy and wondering in general how things will play. This article is about a 100 pt game featuring Volksgrenadiers vs American Airborne with tank destroyers and Pershings.
I like the Volksgrenadier formation as it offers fairly cheap German Infantry that can be improved partially depending on what Command Cards you may or may not choose to field.
Some feel yes you can just upgrade a portion of the formation, others feel that no you can’t and must have the 12 Volksgrenidier cards for all unit types you field. Phil Yates from Battlefront did take some time out of his busy day and make a ruling on this which was that you can’t mix the units.
By Tom Gall
With the release of the Battle of the Bulge German forces by Battlefront, the German player is granted a luxurious set of choices for new units to play with for version 4 of Flames of War. This article is about putting together a Volksgrenadier formation with the addition of some of the fun thematic late war German super weapons and playing it against Americans on the tabletop. What works well? What doesn’t?
By Richard Steer
Flames of War began its Late-War Journey in June 2019 with the publication of Fortress Europe, bringing V4 into the 1944-45 era. Subsequent releases have seen Late-War develop with books covering the Normandy and Bagration campaigns, and most recently the Ardennes.
Throughout the last three years, however, there has been something missing. You can argue about their historical significance. You can make jokes about them breaking down, running out of fuel, and being unable to cross bridges. But one thing is certain: in the Tiger II, Jagdtiger, and Jagdpanther, Bulge: German contains some of the most anticipated additions to V4.
Do they live up to expectations? Let’s take a closer look at how these vehicles have been represented in the game.
