FOW MW Fog Of War Tactical – Aggressive British Infantry

By Benny Christiansen

I am one of those guys… you know them… one of those guys who is always positive and smiling and happy. My wife often reminds me that she considers it a disease and I should have some sort of medication to become less positive. But so far, I have dodged the Danish Health System in regards to this matter.

That is why I will now provide you with an optimistic view of British Infantry. YES – I know… British lists seem to be very rarely at the top of the list when it comes to tournaments, though I’m sure it does happen occasionally.

In this article I would like to give an example of how, in the world of Fog Of War, it is possible to make a list with British infantry, that could give a few “bumps in the head” for your opponent if you play Fog Of War, and I’ll also give an example of the cards you could consider selecting, if you play a very competitive version where each player chooses 10 cards for their own list.

I have recently begun exploring this part of the Fog Of War rules. In general, the Fog Of War missions in Flames Of War is focused on mobility/maneuvers. The center of the table tends to be the place to meet, and the luck then determines which cards you get, and your list, along with your knowledge of the game, determines who will win.

Fog Of War missions

A standard way to play with the Fog of War cards is to use the normal FOW, with missions like Free For All or Dust Up. But with no objectives placed on the table.

In both the missions used for Fog Of War, you have room to take advantage of the Spearhead rule. This is important to take into consideration, as the game is mostly about controlling the middle part of the table. So if I’m playing Fog Of War, you can be very certain that I am fielding at least one unit with the Spearhead special rule.

As mentioned previously, the game tends to be a fight for control of the center of the table. This is probably due to the fact that some of the most rewarding objectives have the focus on No Man’s Land between the deployment zones. There are only a few objectives based on you being able to claim points from your own deployment zone.

The way to play the Fog Of War missions is simple. At the beginning of each round, draw three cards, unless you already have three “active” cards. Select one of the cards you draw, and that is now an active card. It may be revealed instantly or you can reveal it at a later time, but it is now an “active” card. The other cards you drew go to the bottom of the deck.

The 10 card version

The competitive version of the Fog Of War missions, allows each player to take 10 cards from his/her own complete deck and build a deck of 10 cards. You then, as normal, draw 3 cards at the beginning of the turn, and choose one, and put the other 2 in the bottom of the deck.

Anyone with a slightly competitive mindset should be able to see the potential in this “deck building”. As there are no rules stating you have to shuffle your cards after having discarded the other two, you will, after the second turn, be aware of what cards you will get, and when.

The British Infantry

As mentioned in the title of this article, I would like to give it a try, to make a sample list as well as a suggestion for the 10 cards you should choose, if you play this version of Fog Of War.

The British infantry, and specifically the Rifle platoon, is what I recommend for this. The Motor platoon has fewer teams and in this case, I prefer the higher number of teams.

A 100 point list could look something like this:

Let’s consider how this will play in the Dust Up mission with reserves. I would choose to keep the HQ, infantry platoon with Sticky Bombs and another infantry platoon as well as one platoon of 6-pdr guns and mortars and 25-pdrs, and at least one of the Humber platoons. That adds up to 59 pts. I would change this, depending on the opponent, but the infantry and 6pdrs, along with Humbers, that makes the core units in this situation.

Objective cards

The selection of objective cards is tricky at best. There are some cards you would want to avoid completely, such as the “Dual Objectives” where you and your opponent place one objective each, within 60 cm of the center of the table. I find it more than likely each player will place it in their own deployment zone, and that makes it a card that will stay “active” for a long time and thus limit you.

Instead, I suggest the following:

• Draw Them Out * 2. This card will be worth a good amount of points.
• Secure this positions * 1. It takes 4 turns but will give you 3 points.
• Spread Disorder * 1. Remove an enemy objective, can always be handy.
• Line in the Sand *2. As you will control the center with this list, you can afford to give away 1 point every time you play this card.
• Precise Attack (Unit Cost version) *2. This will allow you to take easy points from units you already have been shooting at when you take them out. Remember to play the card at the end of your opponents turn.
• Hidden Intelligence *2. This card has a 50% chance of giving you points. Being a “Hidden” type card, you can also play mind games with the opponent.

How to play your list and cards together

The list has smoke, Humbers and infantry and 6pdr units as the most important units. About 40% of your cards require you to sit in the center of the table, so go get it! In case you can do Spearhead, do it, to get closer to the center of the table.

 

 

First turn you draw three cards. A “worst case” would be that you do not get the Draw Them Out card nor the Secure this Position, that you really wanted. Let’s assume you get Hidden Intelligence  and Precise Attack.

Choose one of them (pretend its Hidden Intelligence) and put the two others in the bottom. You smoke (if you can due to Meeting Engagement) and advance. This is a general tactic, not the only tactic. If no smoke, consider waiting a turn. Make sure your Recon moves across the middle towards a terrain piece, that you can use for Hidden Intelligence.

Turn 2, you draw three cards. In this setup, you will get Precise attack nr 2 and Line in the Sand 1+2. Choose 1. Best case scenario, you are ready to dig in with your infantry now (smoke if you can).  As soon as your infantry is dug in at the center, you can start to claim points. That could also make it a good time to use Line in the Sand 1.

Let’s assume you do that. You place it so you get two objectives (center and your own deployment zone) and opponent gets 1. If you can, consider placing it so he has to move to get it. Make sure your Recon moves across the middle towards a terrain piece, that you can use for Hidden Intelligence nr 1.

 

Turn 3: You take three cards: Spread Disorder, Secure this Position 1 and Draw them Out 1. In a game like this many things can change quickly, but we assume you are doing OK in regards to unit morale. You have two active cards, and in this turn the Line in the Sand starts making points. You should, by now, be able to claim Hidden Intelligence. Lets assume you do just that, but gain no points.  You take Secure This Position  as it takes four turns before you get the points, and you know there will be another Draw Them Out card coming next turn.

 

Turn 4: You draw: Draw Them Out 2, Hidden Intelligence 2, Precise Attack 1. You select Draw Them Out, as you should still be able to hold the center of the table, and you can now claim the objective after only two turns.

Remaining Turns: Notice how you need to remember the order of the cards you put in, or at least you need to think about it when you put the cards back in the deck. This is a part of the strategy and tactic you need to master in order to master this variant of the Fog Of War games. I can assure you, it is a lot of fun making lists that match the cards and vise-versa.

So I have tried to give an example of how a list can be built around the cards or is it the cards being chosen for the list. It’s up to you, but I hope you have gained some insight into how this works. Its a challenge, I know, and it requires a lot more thinking than normally, due to the ever-changing objectives in Fog Of War.

I have started a thread in the Forum with a focus on Fog Of War experiences and tactics. Come join me and tell me what you think?