WW I Flames of War

[Ruckdog]

Definitely not naval gaming related, but I saw on Table Top Gaming News that Battlefront is doing a WWI version of their WWII 15mm land game, Flames of War:

http://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=4507

[Landlubber]

Yeah, I heard about this.  One of the guys at my FLGS said that they're focusing on the late war period, so that they can include tanks.  I've never played Flames of War, but he said it's tank-heavy, thus the focus on the later period.  But, that aside, 15mm might be the way to go with the subject material, given the large numbers of troops involved.  I'll have to keep an eye on this.

[Ruckdog]

I've played a little bit of FOW...the game system itself is not necessarily tank-dominated; in fact, the game includes rather robust infantry rules. However, it is true that tank armies are very popular with players, so the way the game is played tends to be tank-heavy from what I have seen (if that makes any sense).

[Creon]

Infantry on infantry is well done in Flames of War, but the issue is for WWI games, that early war is rather static and doesn't lend well to games.  "I charge over my trenches, get mown down by machine gun fire, and retreat"  TAnks make the GAME more fluid.  And FOW tends to favor aggression in game play.

[Landlubber]

Infantry on infantry is well done in Flames of War, but the issue is for WWI games, that early war is rather static and doesn't lend well to games.  "I charge over my trenches, get mown down by machine gun fire, and retreat"  TAnks make the GAME more fluid.  And FOW tends to favor aggression in game play.

Makes sense, Ruckdog.  Creon, that's true, to an extent--the war did bog down after about 6-8 months, but only on the Western Front.  Things remained more fluid (I think) on the Eastern Front, the Southern Front, and the Middle East/Mediterannean Theater.  But even with the Western Front, there was enough fluid combat at the beginning of the war to do some gaming based on that.

But, companies have to make money, and maybe they don't want to risk producing minis for a Russian vs Ottoman campaign, because it might not sell as well as they need it to.

[Creon]

I'd play ottomans, but I'm well known for playing the not-mainstream armies of Flames of war.  Greeks, Poles, and Romanians come to mind. 

[Landlubber]

Didn't realize those nations were playable in FoW.  I've never played the game, so I know little about it, other than that it's wildly popular.  Are the figures true to what those soldiers looked like? (Uniforms, weapons, kit, etc)

[Ruckdog]

Didn't realize those nations were playable in FoW.  I've never played the game, so I know little about it, other than that it's wildly popular.  Are the figures true to what those soldiers looked like? (Uniforms, weapons, kit, etc)

Yes, to the extent that they can be. Remember, this is 15mm, so a lot of the smaller details will get lost. Also, like GW's 28mm WHFB/40k figures, the Battlefront minis have exaggerated proportions (large heads, large hands, etc) to make them more identifiable on the gaming table. I found that a base coat for the uniform, flesh tone for the hands and face, painting the weapon (to include the sling and any webbing) and adding a wash to tie it all together produced a very acceptable result.

[MajorMcNicol]

Man, these WWI army deals seem very accessible - I may just have to go in for a British force...