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Lord Commissar posted:I got to play the infantry scenario in the Open Fire! box set (FoW) today. I think I'm starting to get a grasp of these rules. FoW seems to be catching on real well at my club, where all other historical games in eras I actually care about have failed. drat you Nazi tanks!  On the plus side I finished two more elephants, I'll try to take pictures tomorrow.
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Mar 14, 2010 23:43
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Flames of War is basically WW2 arcade, whereas most historicals are charts and tables and 4500 morale rules We have at least 12 people playing regularly at my club... great stuff!
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Mar 15, 2010 00:38
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I'm thinking of picking up FoW. What kinda stuff should I buy to field a nice german panzerkompanie? EDIT: Hi muggins, didn't know you were a goon? Jarofmoldymayo fucked around with this message at 01:18 on Mar 15, 2010 |
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Mar 15, 2010 01:12
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Jarofmoldymayo posted:I'm thinking of picking up FoW. Well, I'd start with the Open Fire! starter kit. Trade out the Shermans (or loot them). Then figure out what era most people around you play (it's probably Late War) and buy that Inteliigence Handbook.
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Mar 15, 2010 01:24
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How effective is the Mounted Assault rule for ze Germanz in FOW? I like the idea of a mobile panzergrenadier company but haven't had the chance to play.
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Mar 15, 2010 02:14
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torsoboy posted:How effective is the Mounted Assault rule for ze Germanz in FOW? I like the idea of a mobile panzergrenadier company but haven't had the chance to play. It can be really nasty, but it's not a magic "I win" button and if you launch frontal assaults against unpinned infantry most of your guys will die.
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Mar 15, 2010 08:08
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muggins posted:Flames of War is basically WW2 arcade, whereas most historicals are charts and tables and 4500 morale rules Im not sure I agree. There are a poo poo load of excellent fast play rules out there. The WW2 one I play, Blitzkrieg Commander, makes FOW look overly charty and complex. It also gives a far better game in my opinion, and I know many club players who have switched over (the beauty being you can use your FoW figures without any modification at all.)
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Mar 15, 2010 08:55
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Trouble Man posted:It can be really nasty, but it's not a magic "I win" button and if you launch frontal assaults against unpinned infantry most of your guys will die. I think it's possible for say, three halftracks with grenadiers to plunge in while the rest of the platoon provides covering fire, is that correct? I suppose it's best to pin down the target of assault with artillery of some sort first. How does smoke factor in? As I see it, ROF is analogous to attacks in Warhammer. Does this make Germans (many of which are machinegun teams) strictly better than Americans (most of them are rifle teams) in a firefight? Also, if I read correctly you can move any vehicle, then turn on the spot at the end of the move to face the target it's going to shoot. Then what use are turrets? It seems to me that they only increase the angle for side armor.
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Mar 15, 2010 12:54
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torsoboy posted:As I see it, ROF is analogous to attacks in Warhammer. Does this make Germans (many of which are machinegun teams) strictly better than Americans (most of them are rifle teams) in a firefight? Yes and no. Comparing individual teams the german panzergrenadiers are superior, but americans will have more men than germans, and are more mobile on foot thanks to the semi-auto rifles rule.
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Mar 15, 2010 14:48
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torsoboy posted:As I see it, ROF is analogous to attacks in Warhammer. Does this make Germans (many of which are machinegun teams) strictly better than Americans (most of them are rifle teams) in a firefight? It's the supporting stands like HMG's, mortars, or gun teams that can blast infantry out of foxholes that will win firefights. Thinking of your ROF in terms of preventing or preparing for an assault will get you on your way to making the most of your infantry.
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Mar 15, 2010 21:41
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free mummy posted:It's the supporting stands like HMG's, mortars, or gun teams that can blast infantry out of foxholes that will win firefights. Thinking of your ROF in terms of preventing or preparing for an assault will get you on your way to making the most of your infantry. I think I'm starting to get it, but what do you mean by ROF in terms of preparing for an assault? I thought the ROF is reduced to 1 (barring submachine guns) if the squad moves or assaults? Or can you leave some teams to shoot at their full ROF while other teams from the same platoon make a move and then assault?
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Mar 15, 2010 23:21
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torsoboy posted:I think I'm starting to get it, but what do you mean by ROF in terms of preparing for an assault? I thought the ROF is reduced to 1 (barring submachine guns) if the squad moves or assaults? Or can you leave some teams to shoot at their full ROF while other teams from the same platoon make a move and then assault? Sorry, I could have been more clear. I was talking about the shooting phase before the assault, or the defensive fire if you happen to be on the receiving end of the assault. And yes you can elect to not move some teams in your platoon (less than half, if I'm remembering the "in command" rules correctly) who would then fire at full ROF in the shooting phase. Which leads me to think of the mounted assault rules for the Germans, who could I guess leave 3 stands of MG infantry out of their halftracks, fire at up to 16" range in support of the 4 halftracks in the platoon, pumping out 3 shots from the vehicle MG's themselves, for 21 shots in an attempt to pin the enemy platoon about to be assaulted. Nice!
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Mar 16, 2010 00:10
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I just ordered some 300 more itsy bitsy samurai. Oh my. At least the weather is starting to get nice enough for me to spray paint primer. Looking at Killer Katanas, I will need roughly 200-250 bases to properly play out a major historical battle. That means... about 2500 painted miniatures all in all. Help me.
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Mar 18, 2010 17:01
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Man you are gonna need a loving ton of spray primer I'm really looking forward to seeing pics of the completed army
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Mar 18, 2010 19:04
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lilljonas posted:I just ordered some 300 more itsy bitsy samurai. Oh my. At least the weather is starting to get nice enough for me to spray paint primer. Looking at Killer Katanas, I will need roughly 200-250 bases to properly play out a major historical battle. That means... about 2500 painted miniatures all in all. This is why 6mm is the best.
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Mar 18, 2010 20:58
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RE: Mounted Assault Mounted Assault is good to kill off small platoons in assault without a chance of losing your panzergrenadiers from your halftracks. Its not an I win tactic. He's why. Only Fully armoured tank teams are immune to the 5 hits (10 hits for certain soviet units) in defensive fire = fall back pinned rule. Fully armoured is defined as having a top armour value of 1 or more. So panzergrenadiers mounted in halftracks will get forced to fall back from the defensive fire portion of the assault phase if they can be hit 5 times from defensive fire.
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Mar 19, 2010 05:03
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Jarofmoldymayo posted:I'm thinking of picking up FoW. Yup, not sure I recognize you though
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Mar 20, 2010 15:32
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Elephants! No static grass yet, but they are elephants!  And they have company:  Now I'm really close to having painted all my Carthaginian stuff. I painted some more cavalry but I haven't based them yet.
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Mar 22, 2010 06:29
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lilljonas posted:Elephants! That's awesome.
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Mar 22, 2010 18:54
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Oh well Black Powder has truely grabbed our gaming group by the wallets. Looks like as well as doing it in 6mm, we are going to do it in 28mm. Just ordered an entire Infantry Brigade, Light Cav Brigade and some artillery (all Perrys). Im sure I will end up buying some more when I hit Salute 2010 in a couple of weeks time. I will have to dust off my 28mm painting skills.
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Mar 28, 2010 20:41
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I have some American AWI stuff in 28mm from both Perry and Foundry. The perry stuff is definitely better, although that doesn't mean the Foundry stuff sucks by any means.
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Mar 29, 2010 00:03
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I'm looking to get out of Flames of War, if anyone's interested in the 75 dollar US paratrooper box for 50 dollars shipped, shoot me a PM or something. It's been opened but everything should be there.
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Mar 30, 2010 01:07
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So after reading this thread, I've gotten pretty excited about Trafalgar. But, as a complete newbie, I have some questions. Is 1:1200 scale the "standard" size? Can I learn how to play online somewhere? Do I have to go hang out at a game store for a long time until someone who knows how to play sets up a game and then bug them constantly until I learn the rules? Rod Langton and Skytrex have awesome models with the complexity I'm looking for. I'm a little confused by both ordering processes, though, especially when it comes to sails. If I order a single ship, what exactly would come in the box? (Don't lynch me for this one) Can I play something besides a historical battle? I don't really know anything about historicals in general; is this not accepted? Can I make my own ships and just play games against my dad or something? What kind of wire or thread is used for rigging? Couldn't I just make my own sails by molding paper or something? Why do they cost so much? Thanks in advance for the answers. This thread is fantastic. Edit: One more. I keep reading about people playing solo games. I thought tabletop games were like other games where you played against someone or someones. What is this about playing a game by yourself? How does that work?
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Mar 31, 2010 06:54
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ExtraNoise posted:So after reading this thread, I've gotten pretty excited about Trafalgar. But, as a complete newbie, I have some questions. Yes but theres nothing stopping you using any scale as long as your opponent has the same size ships as you quote:Can I learn how to play online somewhere? Do I have to go hang out at a game store for a long time until someone who knows how to play sets up a game and then bug them constantly until I learn the rules? http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/the_captains_table/ quote:Rod Langton and Skytrex have awesome models with the complexity I'm looking for. I'm a little confused by both ordering processes, though, especially when it comes to sails. If I order a single ship, what exactly would come in the box? quote:(Don't lynch me for this one) Can I play something besides a historical battle? I don't really know anything about historicals in general; is this not accepted? Can I make my own ships and just play games against my dad or something? What do you mean? Do you mean can I play just a 'what if' generic battle between two opposing fleets, or do you have to play proper naval battles such as Trafalgar itself. If thats the question then of course you can, most people will play non histroical engagements, Sure its fun in historical wargaming to play an exact battle with the correct scenery/board and armies etc, but you can also just play whatever the hell you want. Man Ive played some insanely dumb but fun 'historical' games before with Vikings Vs Trojans etc. quote:What kind of wire or thread is used for rigging? Its not wire its nylon thread. Rod sells a book about how to do all the rigging. Its insanely complex and fiddly, but if done right looks amazing. quote:Couldn't I just make my own sails by molding paper or something? Why do they cost so much? You could but you would also need masts. I dont think they cost so much, when you consider the work thats gone into the sails. Bare in mind that if you buy the white metal sails you are getting all the masts too. quote:Thanks in advance for the answers. This thread is fantastic. Some games have a mechanic (usually to do with command) that adds a level of uncertainty into what you do. Most games like WH40k etc have no uncertainty with command, If you want your unit to advance they will. But in games like Warmaster it tries to simulate the fog of battle/confusion etc and you need to make a roll to carry out any order. Solo gaming isnt as much fun as playing an opponent, but with the right game system it beats the hell out of not gaming at all.
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Mar 31, 2010 07:27
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ExtraNoise posted:So after reading this thread, I've gotten pretty excited about Trafalgar. But, as a complete newbie, I have some questions. I would say that 1:1200 is the best scale if you want to create a small armada, like 3-10 ships, and play through it relatively quickly. 1:2400 would be a better scale if you want to try to recreate actual major naval battles with several dozen ships on each side. 1:1200 is more fiddly than 1:2400 because there are so many more details and so much more room for adding things like rigging and stuff. It looks nicer IMHO but it is more work. As for playing online, I don't think there's a VASSAL module for Trafalgar or anything like that. It's also far, far less likely to be played at a game store since it is quite a niche game. The best way would be to either talk a friend into getting a rival fleet (3-4 ships is enough to start) and go from there, or get two small fleets yourself and get someone into playing. The rules are far less complicated than a game like 40K, so don't worry too much about it. I ordered from Rod Langton. I ordered one of the starter sets, and it includes ships, sails, ratlines and bases, so you're pretty much set. What you will want to buy after that is some good thread at a sewing shop (not cotton!). If you buy single ships is it more complicated. The hull listed are just that, the hull. Then you will need a set of sail, where there are different sets of sails depending on how many sails are raised and the size of the ship. Also you might want additional pennants, ratlines, bases and all that. Trafalgar does have a point based system where you build army lists just like in other Warhammer Games. This is also true to most other historical games, even through some grognards don't like to play "fantasy" battles. Actually, that's the only way I play Trafalgar since I don't have the time or the ships for a major, historical battle. The Langton starter sets are roughly 800-900 pts, which I think is a good level for a 1.5-2 hour sea battle, depending on how things goes. There are quite some leeway for how you make your navy, including special character captains and ships, allies and privateers. So yes, you can make a Swedish navy fighting a harbour defence against an American fleet and their pirate allies. As for threads for rigging, the most important thing is to not use cotton since it will slack after a short while. Synthetic threads like nylon works, so does silk threads. I use silk and I like the results, but it is not available in all stores. You can make your sails out of paper or whatever, but it will not look as good. If you buy sails made out of metal they will include about as much metal as the actual ship, and if you buy them from etched brass then you are looking into some specialized production. Naval battles is also a very niche part of wargaming so I don't think any of these companies sell the amounts that things like WW2 Germans or Greek hoplite does. But yeah, each ship is pretty pricey, which is another reason why I recommend starting players to go for small, 3-6 ship fleets. As for solo games, I have never tried it. The more historical the game, the more likely you are to find rules for it. I also think it is more common in chit games than miniature games, and I think games like GMT:s Great Battles series have rules for it. Basically you have a completely historical deployment to begin with, with a set of specific rules for how troops should move, and then you just play out the battle according to that. I have no idea either, but hey, I played chess against myself too. When I was 7.
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Mar 31, 2010 07:47
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lilljonas posted:
The best games I have found for solo play are Warmaster based ones, such as Warmaster, the Commander series of games (blitzkrieg, cold war and future war) and Ambush Alley. I reckon Black Powder could work well too.
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Mar 31, 2010 07:53
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Serotonin posted:The best games I have found for solo play are Warmaster based ones, such as Warmaster, the Commander series of games (blitzkrieg, cold war and future war) and Ambush Alley. I reckon Black Powder could work well too. Yeah, I can really see Ambush Alley work as solo with all that random deployment stuff. But for most other strategic historical games it is all about luring your opponent into unfavourable situations, and in those cases I just don't see the point of playing solo. EDIT: Oh, now I remember playing dad's Cry Havoc system games a lot as a kid on my own, and that was pretty fun actually. It's a pretty neat hex and chit game where each guy has his own picture, and as they get wounded and stunned and such you turn them over or use other chits where they look increasingly hurt. I'd love to try out a small scale modeling project of that one day, even though it would require four miniature for every foot soldier, and six (?) of every mounted one. Hmm. Maybe not such a good project. lilljonas fucked around with this message at 08:13 on Mar 31, 2010 |
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Mar 31, 2010 08:03
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lilljonas posted:Yeah, I can really see Ambush Alley work as solo with all that random deployment stuff. But for most other strategic historical games it is all about luring your opponent into unfavourable situations, and in those cases I just don't see the point of playing solo. Do it. DO IT! Anyway, I think I'll pick up Trafalgar one of these days. First, though, I need to finish basing my AWI minis so I can paint them. And before that I should finish painting my Soviets for FoW. Man, I'm slackin'.
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Mar 31, 2010 11:54
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Thanks for the great replies, guys. Seriously helpful. I was looking through Rod's stuff last night and the 1:700 miniatures really caught my attention, but does anyone play with these? How do you adjust the rules to accommodate a larger scale? Is this a part of the core set of rules? Also, I keep reading about people picking up magnets alongside paints and bases. I've been painting miniatures for about a decade now and don't really follow current trends (and, honestly, am still pretty amateur about it) but what's with the magnets? Do they help affix models to bases or something? (I always used pliable lead for weight with a thin felt bottom for the base.)
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Mar 31, 2010 16:43
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Most people use magnets to swap arms/weapons easily to represent the different weapon options you have availiable per the rules. Fridge magnet material can be affixed to movement trays/bases to hold your minis in place on the table or stop them falling about when you're transporting them. On a side note, anyone played Ambush Z yet? I'd like to hear your opinions on it before I set some money down on a copy.
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Mar 31, 2010 20:41
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ExtraNoise posted:Thanks for the great replies, guys. Seriously helpful. The main reason all the warhams use magnets is to be able to switch weapons, especially in 40K. So instead of making two tanks with different guns for those times you want to field something else, you just drill holes for magnets. As the number of plastic kits increased, so did the use of magnets, since magnetizing metal kits is not nearly as simple. The other reason is to put magnets on your bases, so that you can store and transport them in things like toolboxes. I use flat magnet pads (you can find them at places like Litko) for all my 15mm and 6mm stuff, and for my boats. This works since they are not that heavy compared to how large the bases are. Then I just chuck them in square tin cookie boxes and I never have to worry about storing or transporting them. However, I haven't found a good way to do it with my 28mm, since there is so much more weight on a rather small base, and I'd need far bigger boxes than for my tiny 15mm and 6mm minis. And finally it's just nice to annoy your SO by arranging Hannibal's march over the Alps on your fridge.
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Mar 31, 2010 21:09
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lilljonas posted:And finally it's just nice to annoy your SO by arranging Hannibal's march over the Alps on your fridge. Did you do this? If so that is awesome.
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Mar 31, 2010 22:36
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No Pun Intended posted:Did you do this? If so that is awesome. I can't do it properly because the elephants are too heavy to be held vertically by the magnets.  But yes, I can use a bunch of semi-nude angry Celts when I need to put a note on the fridge, and it is indeed awesome.
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Apr 1, 2010 06:49
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Played some FoW against Trouble man last night; almost usual armies. My US paras vs a German armored list, victory for the US but it was a hard slog over the hill as my infantry kept getting pinned down by artillery fire; rockets . Here are some lovely Iphone pics - notice the ghetto setup:  Click here for the full 1200x1600 image.  Click here for the full 1200x1600 image.  Click here for the full 1189x1298 image.  Click here for the full 1200x1600 image.
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Apr 4, 2010 10:45
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I finally got started on some FoW myself, I'll be painting some late war germans in scraped together, irregular winter outfits. I'm not that into WW2 wargaming, but hell, it's a system that is actually played on a weekly basis at the club by several players, so I might as well try it.
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Apr 4, 2010 10:51
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I just finished painting the core of a US rifle company, on monday I get to put them up for sale since there's no way I can afford the support 
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Apr 4, 2010 10:52
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Devlan Mud posted:I just finished painting the core of a US rifle company, on monday I get to put them up for sale since there's no way I can afford the support I'll just paint up the infantry I got for free and then borrow the loving expensive tanks and poo poo. 
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Apr 4, 2010 10:56
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The other big motivator to sell is that the only person I know who plays is my boss, and everyone else is a crazy fat neckbearded grognard 30 years older than me that all love nazis unironically. I really just can't relate, and I'm also an anti-social goon. Sooooo. 
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Apr 4, 2010 11:06
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Devlan Mud posted:I just finished painting the core of a US rifle company, on monday I get to put them up for sale since there's no way I can afford the support Post pictures.
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Apr 4, 2010 12:12
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Lord Commissar posted:Post pictures.  Click here for the full 1000x750 image. 
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Apr 4, 2010 15:32
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