PBI block

[SimonC]

Hi,

does anyone else have any problems with these rules? Dene and I played a game a couple of weeks ago, and it was really hard work. The shooting charts not being in the shooting section etc ...  It seemed really hard to kill anyone and most of the game was played with few reserves

is it me? 

Simon

[Sean Clark]

I really benefited from being able to play the game at a show with Martin taking me through it and then playing in a couple of the battle days. The last one at Entoyment was great fun but I played in a couple prior to that with previous versions of the rules.

Although I don't follow my own advice on this, pinning is king. Pin your enemy down before assaulting him. Smoke is great to cover the table to allow you to get across.

Foot in buildings are difficult to shoot out due to the 2+ save at anything but 1 square range. Use assets wisely. Try to have more than 4 units, 6 ideally.

I in the last stages of revision for a work related exam on 4th Ocotber but once thats done I'll be happy to pop down to the Burton club and show you how its done!

[pbeccas (Paul)]

I agree Simon. I really wanted to like these rules but layout is super confusing and it is very hard to obtain kills.  There are some vids on YouTube from PP.  These may help you.

[martin goddard]

PBI can be quite difficult.
The problem is that WW2 is very complicated and many players want that detail.
This means that infantry weapons consist of  rifles, SMG,LMG (BAR, standard, MG34/42),MMG, HMG, light mortar, medium mortar , flamethrower etc.  then add in infantry AT  bazooka, PIAT, AT rifle, charge etc.  If you play with just infantry it becomes a very simple game.  I recommend playing a whole bunch of games with a couple of platoons a side. What PBI achieves is to make the platoon a flexible unit with many permutations.  You can detail off the LMG to give pinning fire. You can spread  it out to hold a wide frontage. You can group it up for a main thrust. In this way a late war german platoon can be very different from an early war one in terms of weapon availability and organisation.
It is very hard indeed to kill troops in cover. Pin them , move in and assault.
There is probably a good argument for making PBI simpler but that may be at the expense of detail.  It is always a balance. A typical rule simplification used by rule writers is to make big guns hit more easily, whereas in reality the ability to hit and the damage caused are certainly independent.


martin

[Stewart 46A]

PBI is being played a couple of times over the games weekend, if you can drop I for a game

[SimonC]

Alas Weymouth is just a little too far away

[DorchesterBede]

Simon

Like you I had some difficulty with PBI (in this case the 2006 edition) however feel the 2015 edition is far more accessible. There is always a difficulty with WW2 given the scope of weapons used and the developments in fighting between 1939 and 1945, and I think Martin has done a good job getting this into just two books Flames of War are still releasing books to cover the period. The PP videos are a good place to start and worth having a go at a couple of small infantry games just to run through the mechanisms. I think you will find the game worth the perseverance.   

Chris

[Leslie BT]

PBI3, is as Martin has stated, is a set of rules covering a very complicated period of warfare. The tactics and weapons of 1939-40 are vastly different to the warfare in 1944-45.
You need to play a couple of games with just two infantry platoons with one foot support platoon.
Had a great game last night with early war french and Italians.  Nice to have small tanks that only need a few dice.
Good for revising the rules. Used a railway instead of one of the roads.


But the rules are designed to be able to use an army with FT-17 against Tiger tanks. Bit like the fantasy ancients that were played a few years ago.

Persist Simon, start simple and when you have the basics sorted start to add some complexity.

[Peterloo]

I play PBI3 on a weekly basis and yes it does have some difficult points that could make a person new to the game unhappy
I who have been playing it for years find the new rules fairly disappointing.
for some reason it has been decided the world only works in straight lines , diagonals are definitely out.
you cannot assault from a diagonal , shoot in opportunity at the diagonal, - this leads to some very gamey practices, which if you like gamey practices is fine , but it bears no relation to real life. - it has become more of a game than a simulation. - a bit like chess
Its armour / gun rules still remain poor and the HE rules have been added but have no relevance, if you want to kill a truck its still far better to shoot it with a very high velocity ap round than a HE round.
General factors on tanks / guns remain baffling - actually more baffling - the Sherman 75mm is only as effective as the 2pdr - methinks history would prove this wrong, and of course german armour and guns vastly over-rated.  -
As a game its become knowing how to dance to win , not how to apply tactics of any recognisable historical form.  But the basic principle of the game still stands up , just the new modifications in trying to solve some inconsistences have skewed the rules even further.