When we first saw the Flames of War Version 4 Formations charts, we all wondered what the “Wildcard” box was meant for. Many of us speculated that perhaps that might have some future tie-in with “Mid-War Monsters” or some future rare/special units. Battlefront has been mum on the purpose “Wildcard” for over four years. With the release of the North Africa Mid-War Forces compilation, we know that this was an avenue to bring Mid-War Monsters back into the game.
But that’s not the only way the new North Africa Compilation will let you add for Mid-War Monsters. Battlefront also added new formations to utilize these beasts in their full glory. I think many of us expected to see Mid-War monsters to come back into the game at some point with Version 4, but I don’t think any of us expected to see new formations explicitly for these special units.
The located near Pittsburgh, PA hosted a Flames of War Tournament on December 18th, 2021 The Fabricators Forge is a a hybrid gaming club / store that is funded by members and aspires to be the premium place to play all types of tabletop games in Western PA. They opened in 2021 and this was the fifth Flames of War or Team Yankee tournament that Fabricator’s Forge has hosted since September 2021.
Flames of War Bulge Theme Tournament SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2021
In the greater Pittsburgh area, the local Flames of War community has been having annual Bulge Tournaments for many years. Our original tournaments were based on the Devils Charge and Nuts books from Battle Front Miniatures. We then moved on to The Ardennes Offensive and The Battle of the Bulge books when they became available. When the new Bulge American Book came out, the question was not are we going to have our annual Bulge tournament, but what weekend in December?
Tournament Info:
We used the following points Americans 110 points, 125 Points for the Germans. The point level for the German Players was to represent the original numerical advantage, confusion, and surprise that the German Army had in the first few days of the Bulge Campaign. The German players will be the attacker in all 3 missions. This will be a RED vs BLUE tournament. Each round was 2.5 hours, all games had a hard stop when time runs out.
Books allowed:
V4 Bulge American Book and the would be used only if you have an American Bulge Command Card that calls for an American Unit or Formation out of the D-Day book. Ex: The US 99th Infantry Divisions Battle Babbie’s Card calls for a US Infantry Formation out of the V4 D-Day American Book. The rest of the American D-day Book and the Fortress Europe Book will not be used. The German D-Day and the WAFFEN-SS D-Day Books will be only used, plus the Hetzer Company or PANZER IV/70 Tank Company out of the German Bagration Book. The rest of the Bagration Book will not be used. Nothing from Fortress Europe would be used, including support options. Also, no Soviets or British Units or Formations will be used
The November 2021 FAQ + the More Missions Extended Matrix The German players will be the attacker for all 3 games. In Round #1 the Americans will Defend, Round #2 the Americans could Maneuver or Defend in Round #3 the Americans will Maneuver.
Saturday, Dec 18th, 2022 Tournament Weather Report
The weather here in Pittsburgh was very Ardennes-like, we had misty rain and low hanging fog till mid-day. Then we had misty rain and low-hanging clouds the rest of the day preventing any potential air cover for the US players. The temperature ranged from the low 30s to the mid 40s.
The Authors List:
Enclosed is the list that I used for this tournament. Earlier this year I was one of the No Dice No Glory reviewers for the book from Battle Front Miniatures. Enclosed is the link to my comparison of the new V4 American Bulge Book vs its predecessor, I wanted to try out many of the units that I discussed in my review article. One of my normal Flames of War lists that I play is an American D-Day TD list with various support options. I liked how this list played and will try it again in a nonthemed tournament and see how it plays.
Round #1
The German Players attacked on all seven tables. Across the American front lines, the German players laid down well-placed barrages on several of the tables and disrupted the US defenders enabling the German players to advance along their assigned routes deep into the American Lines towards their Round #1 Objectives.
Nebelwerfer Battery providing fire supportTigers on the prowl advancing towards the American Objectives for Round#1KG FITZ Advancing towards the American Lines
The Germans attained breakthroughs on six of the seven boards. The only American Force to stop the surprise German attack was Task Force Jake’s Dammed Engineers.
The Score after round #1 was Germans 43 Americans 20 a sounding breakthrough for the Germans on 5 out of the 7 boards.
Round#2
Again the German Players attacked on all 7 tables. The German players have lost the effect of the surprise attack and the American players were better prepared in this so-called quiet sector. Depending on the American player some chose to play a more mobile maneuver defense in Round #2 and some chose a more rigid defend option. The George S Patton and Richard Winters cards were very active this round, and large qualities of HAVP 76mm rounds from American Tank Destroyer units came into play and the 90mm armed M-36 Jacksons left their mark on many German tanks in Round #2. Also, the Battle Weary Infantry did not look so tired this round.
American Tank Destroyers and Anti Tank Gun Units Waiting in Ambush.
American Airborne Defending can they stop the German Armored thrust?
The Score for Round #2 was Germans 26 Americans 35 points a nice comeback round for the Americans. But not all of the German Armored Thrust’s have been stopped. Several now are deep into the American Rear areas. Running total after Round #2 was Germans 69 Americans 55 points.
Round #3
Again the German Players attacked on all 7 tables. The American players had to maneuver for Round #3. The George S Patton Jr. and Richard Winters cards again were very active this round, and large qualities of HAVP 76mm rounds from American Tank Destroyer units continue across the front lines. Several of the American players had close games in Round #3, but could not close the deal and turn them into wins for the Americans.
German Nebelwerfers providing artillery support for Round#3 – Many Nebels were werfed
Another German KG trying to find a weak spot in the hardened American linesFast KG Schwille breaking thru the American lines and nearing the Meuse River.
The Score for Round#3 was Germans 38 vs Americans 25 points, for a final total of Germans 107 vs Americans 80 points for the tournament. The Americans could not close the gap created by the Germans in the Round #1 blowout. Congrats to the German players for a well-played tournament.
Some of the armies that were entered
The Winning List
The highest-scoring player’s list is included below and is a good example of the types of lists that the Germans players built for this tournament. Even though they did not have access to a V4 Bulge German, the German players were able to build lists that would have been similar to lists that you could have created with the V3 The Ardennes Offensive book.
Summary
So another annual Bulge tournament is in the Flames of War history books here in Western PA. We would like to thank Dom and the Fabricators Forge team for hosting us again and look forward to a busy 2022 of Flames of War and Team Yankee at Fabricators Forge. One of our goals besides having our annual tournament was to have the tournament different than just a normal 110 point or 90 point blah blah blah tournament. We tried making it a challenge for both sides of the table and still have a great time. And that was accomplished. We also did not let the lack of a V4 German Bulge book stop us from having a good tournament. Congrats again to our German opponents and remember we have D-Day and Bagration-themed tournaments coming up in 2022. Maybe the allies can return the favor back to the German side.
Every year, our wargaming club in Upper Hutt, New Zealand, runs a one-day tournament for club members at the final meeting of the year. Named Remember December, this event was first run in memory of Nick Garden, a valued member of the club and the wider New Zealand wargaming community, who passed away in 2015. The 2021 edition of Remember December was held on 11 December, playing in a 1100pt Early-War format.
The Early-War era of Flames of War has always been my favorite. The oddball vehicles, the wide range of nations represented, and the generally weaker stat lines, all combine to create a game of huge variety that feels very different from the way that the Mid-War and Late-War eras play, despite using identical rules. While there has been no recent indication of the timeframe for Early-War being re-released for V4, for now, it is still able to be played using a conversion of the V2/V3 lists.
is the newest Late-War supplement for , covering the US forces in Europe from September 1944 through to the end of the war. While are the main feature, the book also contains three new missions, a linked campaign themed on the Battle of the Bulge, and a set of optional rules for winter weather that, while not recommended for competitive play, are a welcome addition to the game for use in scenarios.
The new Bulge American Book gives us a new take on US Rifles in Version 4 Flames of War. This new list represent the forces that had been heavily engaged in combat throughout much of 1944. These units had been relocated to the “quiet” Ardennes area for a chance to rest and recuperate. They had no idea that they were about to be at the front facing off against Hitler’s last major offensive to try to turn back the tide in the west.
Expecting easy duty, but ending up in the most intense sector, combined with the higher HQ confusion about what was going on, negatively affected these troops’ enthusiasm for the renewed battle against the German divisions. Thus the 2nd, 4th, and 28th Divisions have been offered in Bulge American as examples of “Battle Weary” units.
The tide of Late War books for Flames of War continues with the Bulge American book by Battlefront. This pushes American lists further into 1944-1945 offering American players lots of good options. In this article we’re going to focus on Tank oriented lists contained in the book and command cards. By this I mean lists where the core units (ie black box) are armored.
List wise, the book and command cards introduce the following tank formations.
Mid-War Romanians are coming, soon! (October maybe) I will frame this review/preview with this nugget of knowledge. Bring more MGs to all your list building. Did you add and MG Platoon? Ok, now add another one. I have friends who will smile and friends who will shudder at this statement, but Romanians are going to be a terror in MW Flames of War. So sit back, relax, as best you can while I show you how this force is a better elite army than Germany or Brits… a better spam force than the Soviets or Italians/Americans and superior to their fellow MW Axis Minors.
Twenty players under the same wide room, throwing die and blaming luck, moving tin soldiers and plastic tanks. How long we missed this! After two years of interruption, we began to live again our usual lives: as wargamers, it also means we are now back on business with our games! In Italy, they lifted the lockdown in Summer, but in Belpaese everything stops in August (Holiday time!) so we managed to create the first Flames of War tournament in mid-September.
Panzerschreck is an annual Flames of War tournament in New Zealand, hosted by the Manawatu Duellists club in the city of Palmerston North. It has the honor of being the longest-running FOW event on the NZ wargaming calendar, having first been held in 2001 when the game was still in open beta.
The format of the 2021 tournament was 160pt Late War doubles, with 2.5 hour rounds played on 8’x4′ tables. Teams were required to field a valid force with a minimum of one formation per player, with the points able to be split between players however they wanted.
It’s been a long wait, but the Finns will soon be returning to with the release in June of a 26-page booklet that allows them to be played in the Mid War era.
The Finnish Mid War list has three Formations: an Armoured Company, an Infantry Company, and a Light Infantry Company. The troops are all rated as Careful, Fearless Trained. All of the infantry units have the Hunters rule, which allows them to Cross-country Dash through snow, woods, and forests, and units in the Armoured Company and Light Infantry Company have the Crafty rule, giving them Tactics 3+.
The new Bulge American Book gives us a new take on US Rifles in Version 4 Flames of War. This new list represent the forces that had been heavily engaged in combat throughout much of 1944. These units had been relocated to the “quiet” Ardennes area for a chance to rest and recuperate. They had no idea that they were about to be at the front facing off against Hitler’s last major offensive to try to turn back the tide in the west.
By Tom Gall