Playing a new game tonight

[Sean Clark]

I seem to have found a group of players happy to play RFCM games with me. I think they may even begin to contribute to figures and scenery given time.

However, tonight I'm joining in a game one of them is putting on called 'Flames of War'. I've never played it before. Maybe it's not very popular and will be one of them games that sticks around for a couple of months before disappearing   

It does mean that the chaps with Flames of War armies can easily be inducted into PBI. I'll be dropping hints like "...this would be so much better if the we used a gridded table" and "...you wouldn't need to park your 12 Shermans in that field if we played PBI because it's an infantry game with a bit of armoured support."

I'll try to be subtle, but will tut occassionally and shake my head. I think that's fair?

[martin goddard]

Good luck Sean.


martin

[martin goddard]

Maybe report back here on the things you like about the game Sean?
There must  a few items which players enjoy.

martin

[Sean Clark]

So it looks nice. The game will likely last another 2 weeks. The company is nice with 3 lovely chaps. It's 1944 British v SS.

I can honest say there is not one aspect of the rules that I think is a better representation of WW2 combat than PBI.

I know I'm biased, but there you go. Despite the other chaps playing the game before, there was still lots of rules checking and discussion over how certain interactions work.

I haven't read the rules so relied on others to tell me what I needed to do. I did have 2 M10's but they've been destroyed by a pair of 88's on a hill.

It's been an interesting exercise. The production quality of the various  support books is very nice and probably good resource material for anyone gaming the period.

[Smiley Miley 66]

I buy a lot of their books, as you say they are very well produced and by the looks of it quite reasonably researched as well. The rules can be very complicated as well, lots of little bits can be brought in, just when you thought you were safe ? I can do that as in this book rule sub paragraph etc etc.
I regard their books like Wikipedia? Quite a bit of useful information and a good starting point if you want to find out more ?
Miles

[martin goddard]

The table looks very nice Sean.
I suspect that a lot of players really enjoy getting tanks and guns into a game?


martin

[Sean Clark]

One fun thing was a base of 2 figures were sneakily moved along a hedge. I asked what they were but didn't get an answer.

They then jumped out on a Churchill controlled by my friend and the one base sprouted into 4 Panzerfaust armed figures. They shot, destroyed the tank and then jumped back into the back pack of the original base of two figures.

The rule wasn't in the main rule book. In fact the German player had to search through 3 other rule books to find the relevant paragraph showing how they worked.

[Leman (Andy)]

Hmmm. I wonder if this is one of the reasons I didn't take to this game. It seemed far too fiddly with far too many books needed and was too much like WWII Games Workshop. It was going to get an awful lot more than Flames of War to get me even slightly interested in WWII wargaming.

[Colonel Kilgore]

One fun thing was a base of 2 figures were sneakily moved along a hedge. I asked what they were but didn't get an answer.

They then jumped out on a Churchill controlled by my friend and the one base sprouted into 4 Panzerfaust armed figures. They shot, destroyed the tank and then jumped back into the back pack of the original base of two figures.

The rule wasn't in the main rule book. In fact the German player had to search through 3 other rule books to find the relevant paragraph showing how they worked.

I guess you may not be playing many more such "gamey games", Sean?

Simon

[Sean Clark]

One fun thing was a base of 2 figures were sneakily moved along a hedge. I asked what they were but didn't get an answer.

They then jumped out on a Churchill controlled by my friend and the one base sprouted into 4 Panzerfaust armed figures. They shot, destroyed the tank and then jumped back into the back pack of the original base of two figures.

The rule wasn't in the main rule book. In fact the German player had to search through 3 other rule books to find the relevant paragraph showing how they worked.

I guess you may not be playing many more such "gamey games", Sean?

Simon

I'm missing week 2 of the game as I'm having my knee operation on Friday. I'm going to suggest we try PBI the week after and I'll encourage them to use their own figures.

I'm cautiously optimistic.

[martin goddard]

Good luck Sean.

For new players maybe just infantry? There is always a danger that for a first game , players want every option on the table. Then they get overtaxed with data.


martin