Armoured Fist – Reviewed and Spoiled

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…

Formations

Since earlier books and lists have covered Grant, Crusader, Honey and motor Companies, I will skip over those and focus on the newer stuff, but it’s all here.

But I will mention that existing force diagrams for the motor company and armored companies allow for more flexibility to include a wider variety of models. It is now easier to take a single formation as opposed to taking 2.  This book provides a great deal more options for players of all types and is very much in keeping with the “play what you like” philosophy prevalent in the new books battlefront has released.  I don’t see a lot of poor choices points wise.

As an example:

Sherman Formation:

Shermans and Grants? Together again? Mix and match them as you like.  And you’ll have to when taking a Sherman foundation since the price is steep. Each Sherman is 9-points each. You can field a platoon of three Shermans for 27 points, or mix one Grant with two Shermans for 24-points. Each one has a .50 cal self-defense AA gun and can fire smoke as well.

Unlike their American counterparts, these tankers have experience and are therefore a bit harder to hit.  Their last stand check remains terrible, but if you’re down to one tank, you’ve probably taken a beating worth running away.  The Grant sits at 6-points per tank compared to the Sherman at 9-points.  That means you need to make some choices about what you want these tanks to do.  The Sherman is pricey, but you can shave off a point or two by mixing and matching how many are in each platoon.

The Sherman also has a .50 cal on it.  So for us older players, no more deciding whether or not to add one on to it.  You just get one.  A nice addition. So for that one extra point per tank you get – 4-inches more of range, one more AT, a better cross rating, and the fact that it is a turret as opposed to a sponson weapon. Unfortunately, you lose protected ammo, which stinks. I’ll let other writers and list builders debate that one.

Death or Glory Squadron – Valentines!

A New addition and a welcome one, Valentines

 

The HQ can either be a mix of valentines and Crusader CS tanks,

OR 3 Lee Tanks at 6 points apiece (18 points total)

The Lee is, of course, a Grant with a smaller turret and hence, no protected ammo.

And let’s talk about the Valentine itself.

A Full troop of 3 can be had for 10 points.  It boasts the same gun as a crusader but is more limited in speed.  It’s armor, however, is far heavier, putting it in the same class as the Sherman for far fewer points. Its side armor of 5 is also one of the best for the Brits in the game, aside from the final big addition coming up.

 

Their relatively low cost and tactical flexibility should lead to many of these finding their way to the battlefield. You’ll

note you also MUST take Crusader III’s in this formation as one of your platoon choices

 

They have to be the 6pdr variety as well.  And like the other Crusaders with a 6pdr, they are overworked, which isn’t the best.  Both sets of guns boast NO HE, as the British don’t believe in packing different types of ammo.  So these guys will not do well in a shootout with AT guns or dug in infantry unless you bring some of the supporting artillery along or use the heck out of those CS tanks.

Valentine Formation – The Death or Glory squadron may have its own camo scheme, but for those looking to run regular valentines, and possibly to run some that are harder to hit (on a 4+) or some that have the 6pdr gun, they also have that option here too.

 

 

Boasting better armor than their death or glory counterparts, and a better tactics and to hit rating, they are a bit more expensive at 11pts for 3 Valentine II’s and 13 points for 2 Valentine II’s and 1 Valentine VIII (with the 6pdr)

And our last new armored formation….

(Drumroll please)

Was that the sound of shells bouncing off a front armor of 8? yes it was.  Unless the Germans are packing Tigers…The Churchill is the queen of the battlefield.  Let’s look at what you get with that thick hide and 6pdr gun.

Can they bombard? yes. Smoke? Yes. direct and bombardment.  HE rounds with their main gun? yes. Top armor 2 in assaults. yes to that as well.  protected ammo remount? absolutely.  and the new 3+ infantry tank counter attack means these are line busters.  They lack the typical need to run away on a 5+ and replace it with a standard 4+ last stand check.  It’s a monster.  And it clocks in at….

11 points per tank.

Run Gerry!  Of course, this means we will likely see a lot more Tigers and 88’s fielded in the near future as the 88’s AT 14 will still rip through a Front armor of 8.  I love this tank, and I love the price.

Finally, they have added an Infantry formation to the mix

Infantry Formation

Let’s unpack this.  First, you have a lot of support options that are integrated into the formation.  And an option to take 12 universal carriers. Which is insane. Two MMG and two 6pdr platoons makes this an attacker’s nightmare.  It also has an integrated Artillery option with the mortars. This is a beast.  Coupled with night attack and the larger infantry platoons (as compared to their motor company counterparts) this can stand on its own.  Or it can serve as the perfect companion formation to a Tank formation listed above.

 

 

Support Options

All the standard fare is here, with a few additions.

We have some more options for planes, this time with bombs instead of just cannons.

I still find the “tank busting flight” to be a bit of a misnomer since it can’t penetrate a Tiger, and can’t even bail it. The Kittyhawk has a template of bombs, which can do some nasty work. The Kittyhawk is also cheaper, which doesn’t make sense to me. At 7-points for two, they are a bargain as far as air support is concerned. The Hurricanes remain two for -point.

Priests

Mobile artillery! with Brutal! they clock in at 5 points per vehicle.  and a a pretty versatile piece of equipment.

New armored cars!

Boasting the same gun as a crusader but for a cheaper price, these aren’t a bad option.  Two daimlers and a dingo will run you 3-points for the platoon, 1-point per vehicle.

The release schedule for these models is extensive and exciting.

This book is a replacement and a substantial upgrade for desert rats.  It effectively replaces it entirely.  There is much more in the book, both in terms of lists and ramifications for competitive play, but I’ll leave that for a podcast, or our other writers to parse through. Look for more discussion and reviews of the models and lists to come on No Dice No Glory.  Thanks for reading and happy gaming!