Well after resisting \u201cFlames of War\u201d for over ten years but I finally got hooked into playing a game down at the Dogs and surprisingly ended up on the winning side! Now that is usually enough to hook me into a new rule set and a commitment but no not yet (ok not \u201cnew\u201d since it\u2019s been out for 15 years!). I love WWII and the majority of my wargaming over the years has been in that period, Air combat (Mustangs and Messerschmitt\u2019s) Navel (General Quarters) Land Combat (Tank Charts, Frontline, Soldat, Crossfire and many more). I still don\u2019t think Flames of War is \u201cmy\u201d idea of a good WWII ruleset, for me it lacks some elements and sometimes the look of the battlefield gets a bit silly (Phalanxs of vehicles wheel to wheel and track to track) but as a \u201cWWII GAME\u201d it\u2019s good. I think its fine, especially for players new to wargaming, new to WWII, and those who want a fast, light hearted approach to the game. It\u2019s got fair detail without being burdensome, lots of troop types, vehicles, air support, bombardment, and tons of options to keep one interested for many months if not years! The rules are exceptionally well written and the explanations are very clear. For me I think it abstracts quite a bit to fit the complexity of a modern battlefield into the fast play mechanics of the rules, I\u2019m not always of fan of this, but for what it is and what it is intended to be it works.<\/p>\n
While I\u2019m not head over heels in love I think I might be sucked in just enough to paint a few units, maybe Africa Corps or Fallshirmjager \u00a0for Italy or Normandy because after all its about rolling dice and having fun with friends.<\/p>\n
The Game we played was early war Europe (France) always fun and I jumped in with Frank on the German side, Chris Armstrong and Dave Dandridge lead the French forces. My strategy was simple, DEFENSE, always a good choice when commanding forces in an unsure situation and not knowing the rules made me unsure! I was also facing David D. a competent and tricky opponent who won\u2019t make many mistakes and is sure to make you pay for yours! Not going to do any type of battle report here, just going to post a few quick shots I took while trying to hold off Dave\u2019s French onslaught!<\/p>\n\n\t\t