Tactics talk is back! North American FoW champ is back with Ian Birdwell and they talk all about the Fortress Europe book.

By David Garvin

When I went to my first gaming tournament, it was a local Flames of War tournament. About a dozen or so of us showed up and it was grand fun. We played three rounds in a day and I recall not winning a single game, yet having a blast. My force was composed of a Germany grenadier company. It was essentially custom built and I knew how to use it, in spite of not winning (the games were close, as I recall).

I later went to the Canadian Nationals in Ottawa. For this tournament I had an armored infantry company from the US 2^nd Armored Division. It was late war and I did much better. There were two days of play and I got in 6 matches.

We had a great crowd and there was quite a bit of competition that really got me to hone my skills. The next year I did even better; it was early war and I had a German Panzer Company, based around Panzer 38 (t) E tanks.

By Matt MacKenzie

The new(ish) ‘Nam 1965-1972 book is out and consider me excited! It is my absolute honor to bring you Marines in Vietnam, I grew up just after the last troops were pulled out of there. I’ve seen all the movies, documentaries and now it’s time to (re)launch Vietnam in 15mm with a revamped rules set based on V4 for Flames of War. It’s my intention to present the options and lists you are able to put together from a time when Marines were taking the fight to the NVA in the jungle and streets of South East Asia.

You’re an errand boy. Sent by grocery clerks. To collect a bill. -Col. Walter E. Kurtz

It wasn’t an average Friday for the folks who run wargames at the Pentagon for the US Air Force, Instead of starting off their weekends, a few of these professional wargamers stuck around to play a game of in order to become familiar with the hobby side of wargaming.

Some of you may recall from my podcast welcoming Phil and Nate to the NDNG team that my day job is to conduct wargames for the US Air Force. While many may believe the two worlds are similar I would point out, despite a few similarities, they are vastly different.

After taking May off the team returns with a live show from the Advanced Squad Leader Human Wave event put on by the DC Conscripts. Mitch is with the organizer, Dave Garvin and they talk about the game and event.

By Tom Gall

If you enjoy playing Blood and Plunder or other skirmish games in 28mm, the one thing I love to have on the table is all sorts of brick-a-brack to give the scene plenty of flavor. I like my tables to look historic.

For this Blood and Plunder game on land, sure it looks like a little farmstead or a little inn, the fences fit it, the road is great, but I’m wanting a little more on the table top.

Where are the farm animals? How about a little wagon? Crates, barrels, the various things you’d expect to see in this kinda era and besides it can add in some extra places for impromptu cover that your heroes might need as they are doing their daring do.

One of the great sections contained towards the back of the new D-Day American book by Battlefront is the special missions that are thematic to D-Day.  “Shot in the Dark“, “Help’s On Its Way” and “Fubar” model the airborne landings, the daring ranger assault on the coastal defenses and the landing themselves.

Battlefront has structured these such that they can be played individually or as a linked mini-campaign where the outcome of one game influences the next.  It’s not quite a firestorm campaigns of yore, but certainly within the spirit of those past designs.

Protection from who Tommy? Ze Shermans?

(Photo Above: This piece of history sits near Juno Beach, M4A4 Sherman with the Duplex Drive propellor add-on)

Right around the corner, we’ve got the two options for running armour in Late War. It’s been a while since the release of the Late War books for V3. In the new book for the American forces in Normandy BattleFront has delivered a collection of lists I think will get people excited about their models that have been collecting dust for a while.

Some chose to wait and see what V4 would bring in the way of options for Late War, book by book and the addition of cards has once again delivered some interesting choices for the US forces. You might have to wait some more to see some of the lists that are part of this era.

By Tom “Chairborne” Mullane

David Webster (101st Airborne)[at a passing column of German prisoners]  “Hey, you! That’s right, you stupid Kraut *%&$! That’s right! Say hello to Ford, and General &@#$in’ Motors! You stupid fascist pigs! Look at you! You have horses! What were you thinking?”

For the longest time back in version 3, my least favorite matchup was to be put against an armored rifle company.

Not because the game wasn’t fun, it almost always was.  But because, under V3 rules, I knew it would be an uphill road against a balanced, take all comers kind of force.

The Armored Rifle Company in Fighting First was always a competitive midwar choice in my opinion, but the strength of that list was in the support, not necessarily in the base platoons. It had Green Troops, and poor skill ratings, so many things became difficult. While shifting 14 stands will always present a problem, the Armored Rifles didn’t shine in midwar the way I knew they could. Those days are over here in Late War….