FoW V3 Musings

Played my first V3 game of FoW recently.  It was team game with my Brit Paras and Mike's American Tank company (1000 pts each) vs 2000 points of Marks German Tank Comapny.  Some very interesting things about V3...gotta say that I love it so far and thought that I would share some of my thoughts on key sections...namely major changes that jumped out at me.

While not the first section in the Rulebook, I thought that I would share my thoughts on the Command section first.  In my opinion, if a game doesn't have good command and morale rules then I don't want to deal with it.  Fortunately, FoW has always had good Command and Morale rules...and Version 3 has
simplified a few things.

Command Distance has changed a little bit.  In Version 2 (and further clarified in the More Again Lessons From The Front), you could have a situation where one unit would be in command and another unit would be out.  Take a Vet Tank CiC with an 8 in Command Radius trying to work with a Vet Infantry unit with a 6 in Command Radius.  The Tank would be in Command, but the Infantry would not.  In Version 3 it is clear cut...you use the lowest Command Distance of the two units to make the call.

Units moving when out of command is still PRETTY much the same.  Units out of command move last and if they move they must move in such a way as to bring them into command or as close to it as possible.  However, in V2 if a team Moved At The Double, the entire platoon counted as Moving At The Double.  In V3, only the team that Moved At The Double counts as having done so...not the
entire platoon.

Command Teams joining a unit has also changed in V3.  It used to be that that the CiC or higher Command Team would join and take over the platoon.  In V3, the CiC, Higher Command Team and now the 2iC only take over if there is no Platoon Command Team.  If the Platoon Command Team is still there, the higher command teams can still join the platoon, but they don't take over.  You still get the benefit of the now joined higher command team for failed Motivation Test re-rolls as before with the exception that now the 2iC can provide this ability.  Also all the non Platoon Command Teams add this ability only if they are not bailed out.

Will post other thoughts as they hit me...as well as more pictures of my units and BatReps  ;-)

With luck I should have the Halftracks for my 5th SS Wiking unit done this week and can share those.

Sad Day

I was hoping to be able to share my Gepanzerte Panzer Grenadier dismount platoon with you all today.  I had finished painting them on Friday and the plan was to varnish them and base them up so I could post today.

However.....

I was bitten yet AGAIN by the dreaded Spray Can Matte Finish Frosting Syndrome.  Yep...my troops looked like they were in a deep freeze in Siberia.

I tried everything I could to rectify the situation like I was able to do with my Brit Infantry stands...all to no avail.  Trying liquid based Matte Varnish didn't work.. Trying liquid based Gloss varnish followed up by liquid Matte varnish didn't work as it had with my Paras.

All the methods did tone it down, but there was significant frosting.

If it was limited to the gray metal helmets or the feldgrau uniforms I could touch those up....but it obscured the Oak Leaf and Pea Dot camo patterns I painted too.

Lesson learned...AGAIN!!!!!  Make sure the temp and the humidity are just right when you spray.  the can and the model should be at the ambient temp of where you spray.

I made 2 mistakes...the can and the model were inside the house which was cooler than outside and there was still some morning dew on the grass.  If I had placed the can and the models outside waited a few hours all would be good.

Sadly, I will have to push the dismounts back in the painting cue after I finish the Halftracks, 2 PzIVH Platoons and the Scout platoon Schwimmwagons.

Autosahariana Force

I was able to finish painting my Italian Autosahariana force just before our Raiding Aces Grand Finale....but haven't shared with you all yet what those guys look like.  Without further ado...

My Warrior CiC in his Custom Ride (AS42 with Twin Vickers and 2 other AAMGs a whopping 6 Rate of Fire all by himself.  The Warrior figure is from the Fucilleri Battalion Command pack with the base filed off.  A rather dashing figure if I must say.

4 ea AS42 Autosahariana Platoons and the Command group:

The dismounted command group.  The 3 figure team in the middle is the actual commander and the team on the right is the Italian "Unknown Hero."

All the dismounts...Rifle/MG teams.  I used the Fucilleri Infantry Platoon figures for these guys.  There is one MG per platoon.

My second skill was to add one HMG to one vehicle per platoon.  This gave one of the AS42 a rate of Fire 6 HMG if stationary or ROF3 if moving...and the team would dismount as an HMG team.  So I painted a full MG Platoon in case I expand my Italians.

All in all I really painting these guys.  The sculps were very nice and have a lot of personality.  And I do see myself coming back to these guys some time in the future.

Oh well...back to learning Version 3 and painting my SS Wiking Panzer Grenadiers.  Going pretty well.  On the last squad and command section now....also the Halftracks are primed and basecoated!

Cheers!

5th SS Panzer Grenadiers

Well...now that the Italians are done and the raiding Aces Campaign has wrapped up...where to go next.  I still have a chunk of Brit Paras and most of the Poles to do...so why not start another Army!   We are having a Late War tourney where I live in July and I want to run an Armor force there if I can get to play (helping run the tourney so I will be a fill in).  I had a box of Gepanzerte Panzer Grenadiers laying around so I thought I would try my hand at them. 

I had shied away from Late War Germans just because of their camo schemes. I just finished up the 1st squad and put a good mix of the patterns in the squad.  Apologize for the lighting, still trying to work out lighting issues with my homemade light box...I HATE compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Let me know what you all think...I am on track?  Did I miss any markings?  I mixed info from Tomwise's Bards Abode site (http://www.bardsabode.com/hobby/paintguides.html) and the Grey Wolf paint guides.

These are my first Germans....looking for any advice from the German players (or other smart folk) on uniform accuracy, etc...

I still have to grass these, but wanted feedback before I got to far with the rest of the unit.

Raiding Aces Campaign Grand Finale

We had our final Raiding Aces Game over the weekend.  The mission was "Smash and Grab" where one side is in the city of Tobruk guarding key buildings and trying to escort multiple convoys of 3 supply vehicles to safety.  The other team is trying to destroy the key buildings and the supply convoys.  The defender got VP for escorting supply vehicles off the table and killing whole companies.  The attacker got points for destroying supply vehicles and between  1-2 VP for destroying key buildings.

The Axis was leading the campaign by 1 VP prior to this game and started as the defenders in control of Tobruk.  We had 5 Axis players and 3 Allied show up. Each Axis player got 500 points and each Allied player got 833 points.

 

Axis Forces:

- Autosahariana
- 2 Fallschirmjaeger
- DAK Grenadiers
- Dora (Brandenbergers)

Allies:
- OSS
- LRDG
- SAS

The game length is unique as you pick a time for the game to stop and the defender gets to still get their final move.  With 5 people we picked a 2 1/2 hour time limit and it turned into a 4 turn game.

The defenders have one table edge and the attackers enter from the other 3 edges.  We have our supply convoys spread throughout the table and because of the setup rules I have 2 in the sector I am to protect.  The defenders plan is to set up a defensive line with the infantry and use the mobile vehicles of the Dora and Autosahariana to escort those vehicles outside of the defensive line.

 And wouldn't you know it....the OSS sees the 2 convoys and the potential for 6 victory points right in my sector.  This is great scenario feel as it is our 4 battle in this campaign and you can feel the history between the forces.

I will focus in my sector since that is where my attention was...and a large chunk of the action too.

Turns 1-3

The OSS come on in force, right at the 2 supply convoys my one AS42 platoon and Warrior CiC (and his escort) were.  The OSS were an OSS detachment, 2 Guerrilla Platoons, a Partisan Platoon and....3 Stuarts.

The Stuarts head around a big hill masking one of the convoys and into a gap between the hill and stream where they engage my 20mm AS42 and the HMG AS42. The 20mm survives but I lose the HMG.  The 20mm AS42 kept the Stuart platoon fixed in place for 3 turns...and with the help of a DAK ATR actually bailed one of the Stuarts who stayed bailed the whole game.

 The Guerrillas and OSS detachment manage to take out the CiC's custom ride, but the CiC manages to jump to the escort AS42 (but I lost alot of MG fire int he process)...as well the 40mm AS42 and the .5in AS42.  The 20mm AS42 is the sole survivor of the platoon and he manages to pass all required test and still keep the Stuarts busy.

 The Guerrillas also manage to kill 1 vehicle in each of the convoys before I could pull them behind the DAK and get them to safety.

on the third turn I get my first delayed reserves and my 2nd AS42 platoon comes on out of the Harbor...and right behind a Guerrilla Platoon and proceed to mow them down to the man.  All that is left is the OSS 2iC SMG team

The OSS Partisans earned them fame yet again.  The used demo charges and destroyed an Outpost building earning them a VP and then headed for the DAK. These Fearless Conscripts captured my CiC last game and now are staring down a DAK platoon with Halftracks getting ready for a mounted assault.  The DAKS rev their engines and head in only to be stopped in defensive fire, against all odds!  We have taken to calling them the "Spartisians." 

Elsewhere on the battlefield, the SAS engage Dora and take out a few supply vehicles and the SAS get a supply vehicle and a Searchlight building. 

4th turn 

I get my 75mm Artillery battery from reserves and deploy them from the barracks building that is almost right in front of the Stuarts.  The 75s shoot and kill the only operation Stuart...all that's left is the bailed Stuart and one that bogged on the big hill as they tried to bypass the AS42 20mm. 

Else where we hold and manage to get enough points to win the scenario by 1 VP and the whole campaign by 2 VP. 

Wrap up 

It was a great time and we are looking for our next campaign session.  Looks to be we might be heading to Cassino next!

Brit Para Royal Engineers

4 squads (8 teams) of death dealing destruction!  A couple of unique sculps here.  A chap holding concertina wire, another kneeling with C4, and another with rope over his shoulder (one of my favorite sculps of the lot BTW).  The list also comes with a supply wagon…and I didn’t know how best to show the in-game capabilities of this (allows unit to get some stands wire or minefields).  I’ll share how I did that at the end.  J  I also tried my new basing technique (Thanks to the WWPD guys…Dirty Jon and Max).  I covered this in an earlier post.

1^st Squad:

2^nd Squad:

3^rd Squad:

4^th Squad:

Flamethrower Option:

HQ and Supply Wagon:

The Whole Platoon:

So for the supply wagon I wanted to show the capability to make wire obstacles.  The wood planks are cut pieces of plastic card.  The wire is from Gale Force 9.  This stuff is awesome and CHEAP!!! Great bang for the buck.  I wrapped little sections around the handle of a paintbrush to get the shape and viola!