Merry Christmas from Hasty Attack.

I would like to wish all readers of this blog a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. A special thanks to everyone who has provided feedback, left comments, liked a post or helped with the blog in the last few months.

In the 3 and a bit months since this blog started, there have been 57 posts and more than 18,000 page views. I have covered releases of information about v4, covered several tournaments, completed a new army and even been posted on the front page of the Flames of War Website.

The aim of this blog when I set out was to keep me working on my hobbies and developing and sharing my painting. So far I think this has been successful. It has been a good year.

I will be taking a short break to spend some time with the family and will be back in the new year with lots more.

Please share with me what you have liked so far, what you want to see more of and even what you want to see less of.

Once again Merry Christmas!

AAR: Romanian Infantry vs Gep. Panzergrenadiers (EW).

As I have been painting up my Romanian army, Mitch - one of my local gaming mates has been painting up his own. As I am yet to blood my new army, I asked him to share an AAR of his recent game against another local gaming mate - Ross. What follows is Mitch's pics and comments. I have only formatted the pics slightly and added the occasional unhelpful editors comments.  :)

The Guys played EW Romanian Infantry and Gep. Panzergrenadiers in Free for all.

thanks to Mitch and Ross for sharing!

The table at setup.

Ross' 1st roll for priority air. (Ed - They would be on in version 4).

Hunting for German recon, this engagement lasted several turns with the R2s finally knocking out the last German armoured car.

And Ross' 2nd roll for priority air

Ross prepares to assault my left flank.

It is starting to get tense as Ross cleaned out my infantry in the Forrest.

German air finally arrives only to miss it's target (Ed - The placement was so well measured. How could it miss?!?!)

The armoured cars and R2 tanks close in on Ross' objective. At this point I've also managed to range in on his infantry to keep them pinned down. (Ed - Note the objective precariously perched on the rail line).

On the other side, Ross has made it onto a Romanian objective (Ed - The Chaffee) but Romanian firepower manages to save the day and break the attacking platoon.

The Armour has cleared German resistance and have closed in on the objective.

Tanks move on the 2ic

Meanwhile the same fate meets the 1ic and the Germans are broken. 6-1 to the Romanians.

I hope you enjoyed this report.

My thoughts on Version 4.

As you will know by now, Battlefront are ready to launch version 4 of the Flames of War rules in March 2017. If you haven't, surprise! If you want to catch up read my summaries of interviews with Peter from Battlefront here and here.

I haven't seen a new version or been exposed to any information that isn't available on Battlefront's page or in the interviews conducted by WWPD. This is my personal view from a long term FOW tragic.

Flames of War v4 banner from www.flamesofwar.com 

Want I want to do in this post is share my thoughts on the new version. I understand there are different opinions and have held off posting much of anything about what I think until I had a chance to digest the information I have seen.

Firstly, I look forward to a new version of the rules. In my experience, each time there is a new version of a rule set published, there is new wave of enthusiasm from new games and often crusty old veterans too. New rules spark articles, figures, reviews, tournaments and generally draw more attention. I think this is good. New players and new armies are always welcome in my book. I saw this in the FOW v2 to v3 changes plus in many other rule sets I have played.

Desert Brits from the EW GT.

In this instance, the change is free. That's right, Battlefront are providing free copies of the rules. How can you resist at least picking up a copy and having a read. I challenge anyone to not pick up free rules. I will certainly be picking up my copy and having a read.

The new slimmer rule book will be less of a barrier to entry. That's right, the rules will be shorter. This has to make the game easier to read and learn. Whether you are a new or old gamer, there is less to read and absorb and more time to be spent on playing the new game.

BF desert terrain.

I love that BF are starting with Mid War and the desert. Mid War is my favorite period and the desert is my favorite theater. This is a great opportunity for a new injection of figures, terrain and accessories for this forgotten period. I understand there will be new terrain and most importantly new tanks. New plastic models will be great.

Finally and most importantly, I am looking forward to seeing what new ideas Battlefront have. I liked both version 2 and 3 but I though version 3 was better. I hope and expect version 4 will be better again. From listening to pod casts, there will be new missions and a great deal of simplification. I think this is much needed to keep the game fresh and keep people interested.

In summary, bring on version 4. I cannot wait.

Painting: Battlefront Romanian Mortars

Finally, the 10th and final unit for my EW Romanians. This is a unit of Mortars.

Again, these were painted by a friend who sold me the army. Like the earlier HMGs, I have simply rebased these to match my army.

Not much more to detail here. Onto the pictures. I will be shortly sharing some puctures of the entire army.

Mortar Platoon.

Close up.

Front View.

Rear view

In Column

In line

Painting: Battlefront Romanian TAC Schneider 47mm guns (RO501) - Part 2.

This is the 2nd batch of these beauties I have painted. The first batch of 6 was painted a while back and can be found here. Please follow this 2nd link for my full review of the Battlefront RO501 blister and a brief history of the TAC Schneider 47mm gun.

Today I add 3 more guns to the gun line. I really only need 8 of these for EW (Two platoons of four) but the 9 can be used for LW. I might expand into that period later.

Like the first batch, these are from the battlefront blister RO501. The blister comes with 3 guns - each with 4 crew and a command stand. I have again elected to just use 3 of the 4 crew. Like the previous two blisters, this was a simple clean up and assemble. There was very little flash and the guns are only 3 simple pieces each.

And with no further ado, the pictures. I hope you enjoy them!

Upcoming Events in Sydney and Canberra - Australia

Before everyone heads off for Christmas, I thought I would briefly post about the upcoming events in Sydney and Canberra. If I have missed one, please send me details and I will add it in to the schedule below.

1.  18 Dec – Christmas Truce Drinks and LW Tournament, Canberra. At 3d6 shop in the ACT.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1264697923588729/

Aussie Troops playing rugby in Wales. Photos from http://www.vintag.es/

2. Cancon – The big one! Multiple comps both day and evening. Details at:

http://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=4934)

Dutch troops playing leapfrog in England 1941. Photos from http://www.vintag.es/

3. Games Cube. The Games Cube will be running a one day event on the first Sunday of the Monday starting from Feb. The cycle will be LW, MW, EW, TY then starting again. The first LW event will be 1625. http://www.thegamescube.com/

Submarine base troop ice skate on a frozen tennis court. Photos from http://www.vintag.es/

4. Updated registration information, and player numbers Firestorm Overlord  – Ken Snell will TO, last weekend in March, Hall of Heroes, player pack due out next two weeks
http://www.thehallofheroes.com.au/event.php?event_code=549

British troops playing cricket in France 1941. Photos from http://www.vintag.es/

5. Sabre – March 11 and 12 - Mega games Penrith. Details TBA.

http://www.panzerangriff.org.au/event/sabre-2017/

  

Painting: Battlefront Romanian Infantry Platoon (RO702) - Part II.

One of my first Romanian posts here covered a batch of infantry stands I made up from loose unpainted Romanian Battlefront figures from a friends left overs.

Since then, I have painted a full platoon of Battlefront Romanian infantry from the blister RO702 here. Please follow this link for a review of this pack.

Now that the bulk of my army is painted, I cracked open another blister of RO702 and finished off the first platoon. Like the blister I reviewed above, this batch was a joy to paint.

I also have a spotter that I forgot to paint when I painted up my artillery. So, it was also included in this batch.

Anyway, enough rabbiting on from me, here are the pictures. I hope you enjoy.

Romanians forward!

In column

Rear View.

Force arrayed.

Strangely artistic pose.

Painting: Battlefront Romanian Heavy Machine Guns.

ZB-53. Photo from www.wikipedia.com

History: 
The 7.92mm ZB-53 was manufactured by the Czechoslovakian firm Zbrojovka Brno. The prototype was created and tested in 1936. It was a truly versatile weapon as it was mounted in both Czechoslovakian and British manufactured tanks and used in a variety of forms for infantry and Cavalry units.. In Britain it was made under the licence name Besa. Like many of it's contemporary manufactured machine guns, the ZB-53 was belt-fed, gas operated and air-cooled.

In early 1941, the Romanian army issued the 7.92mm Zb-53 to front line Romanian Machine Gun units. Infantry companies and Cavalry companies were issued with two machine gun platoons each.

Romanian Machine Gun on the Eastern Front. Photo from www.wikipedia.com.

Game Play:
There can be a place in all infantry companies for a high rate of fire weapon to stop infantry and cavalry charges. For most armies, this is MG or HMG teams. Equally it can be AA guns or vehicle machine guns. The Romanians can make special use of HMG as their national rule allows them to fire gun teams over infantry teams that also fired. A very useful rule as it can allow the HMGs to be deployed back from the front line in safety but still able to fully participate in the fire-fight.

Painting:
A friend of mine painted up two stands of HMGs and a commander. They are nicely painted albeit in a different style to mine. I have re-based them to maximise the chances of them matching my units.

I hope you enjoy!

Podcast Summary - Interview with Peter 2 from Why We Fight Episode 9.

Here is my summary of the Why we fight podcast 9 conversation with Peter from Battlefront. This is my interpretation of what was said on the podcast. I highly recommend that you download and listen to the podcast yourself.

Avid readers will remember I also provided a summary of the original v4 podcast that the Why we fight team did with Peter from Battlefront. It can be found here.

Peter details that a free Book for version 4 (V4) will be made available. The rule book is 110 pages long. Peter says there will be ways for people without a game store to access it. Not only will there be a free rule book, there will also be a free digital copy.

BF want people to go to their store for the launch weekend and want it to be a social event.

There will be a conversion for every single book in LW and EW. They will be fully compatible in version 4. There are rule changes and list changes in the new lists. The example provided was Bridge by Bridge. There are 2 special rules that will no longer be used.

Forces of War will provide a version 3 and a version 4 toggle to allow people to switch between the 2 versions. Forces of war will print in the current format for EW and LW. The cards will not be for LW and EW. At the moment, Forces of War in MW will not work in the card format. This will require some new software and will be a project in the future.

Top priority for BF is to get peoples LW and EW armies usable in V4.

National rules remain. However a few individual rules will be made redundant such. Normal rules like storm-trooper remain. USA loses column security and tank telephones. Germans lose Kampfgroupe, Reich divided, mission tactics and rocket special rules. For the Soviet Union. Hen and chick, quality of quantity, volley fire, Commissar all remain.

Pete advises that the rules are less complex that the current version 3. Recce has been dramatically changed. Artillery units are less effective against tanks but better against guns and infantry. There is a table in V4 that modifies down the artillery anti-tank setting. For example anti-tank 5 becomes 4 and anti-tank 4 becomes 3.

Peter advises that assaults have been slightly simplified but are largely the same as v3.

There is a new version of MW rules coming out and it will be written for the card based game.

There will be 2 new armies for the desert. There will be 2 new plastic box sets to match the new lists. There will not be new plastic infantry in the box. Battlefront think the current metal figures are pretty good.

Peter thought from memory that the US book would be the third release - after the initial 2 boxes.

There will be some new plastic Italian tanks. (Hasty Attack - This is awesome! Italians are still my favourite army)

MW, EW and LW will play the same. The difference is that the cards will provide more details on them that might be in the rules for the LW and EW versions.

Peter admits that the team have struggled with a recommended point level for MW. They have decided to stick with 100 points.

Peter says there has been lots of play testing for version 4. He thinks that the lists are very well balanced.

The rules will be living rules that will be updated as things change.

The morale rules for V4 are very similar to Team Yankee.

Air in LW and EW remains unchanged. In MW, each plane will require a model. However the maximum will be two per army

In MW, it will be easier to run multiple companies than in the current v3. V4 MW will be more like Team Yankee and will even allow allied companies.

There will be organised play and there will be campaigns released by Battlefront in the future.

There will be 3 new missions in V4.

BF are looking at options for dice tins. They want to produce them again but are not promising anything.

There will be a starter set like open fire for v4. It will have both armies in it. It will be all plastic and more details will be released in December. There will also be the new starter sets for the armies too and will contain the A5 rules.

In Team Yankee, the East German book is printed. A new US, Soviet, Australian and Canadian list are all coming next year.

Peter thinks that TY has brought in new gamers. The expectation was that the majority of players were old FOW players but Peter thinks it was the other way around.

There will be new card packs for Pacific theater forces in MW.

Tournament Coverage - EW GT - Day 2

Day 2 and a 2nd Hasty Attack corespondent reports in from the Hall of Heroes in Campbelltown. This time Ken a Canberra-based Flames of War player and organiser shares his experiences from Cancon.

Thanks to Ken for sharing his day. Sounds like it was a great day of gaming. All text and photos below are Ken's. I have simply trimmed up some of the photos. 

Report:

I played British Div Cav (Blitzkrieg), Christian played a Norwegian Gevars Kompani (Norwegians 1940 PDF).

Eight players from Canberra made the trip up the highway to the Hall of Heroes. A really great mix of company types with more tank companies than I’ve come to expect in Early War. The spectrum of lists included: German Leichte Panzer (both Blitzkrieg and Hellfire and Back versions), French armoured, three Italian Carri and infantry, Norwegians, two British Armoured Regiments (Blitzkrieg and Hellfire and Back versions), Australian Tobruk Strongpoint, Soviet Red Banner, British Divisional Cavalry, a five-tank Matilda II horde, Japanese Sensha Rentai, and more. 

Observed too many great moments, but of note for me in my games:

·        I managed to completely and utterly destroy Hayden’s Japanese Sensha Rentai just to observe them go all ‘Banzia’ on the Divisional Cavalry, which was repulsed by at least 24 dice in each case with a mixture of HMG, Vickers Mk VI B, and 18/25pdrs. Was a sight to behold! (But they honourably fought to the last man) – I have to say I’ve been somewhat skeptical about the amount of special rules that Japanese have; but I’d have to say some of those rules actually work against them at times – and those times favoured the British at critical moments. A bloody 4-3

·       After serving in the western Soviet Union and facing Japanese, the Divisional Cavalry were posted to Poland in time to face Scott’s KV-1/Valentine juggernaut which ended in a bloody 4-3 win, with three ‘Big’KV’s captured and smoking, and three of four valentines accounted for – would love to claim the KV’s as combat kills, but it was really the skill of the drivers assaulting into woods that sealed their fate... 

·       Facing a Matilda II swarm (five of those buggers!) was educational to say the least – and I had such high support hopes for my reserves that chose this moment to stop for tiffen at a cafe... Another great game, thanks Stu.

·        I finally got to try the horse artillery rule, just to find the German Leichte Panzers actually went somewhere else, and while the guns were getting unhitched, the Stuka’s arrived. The most fun you can have getting shot up J Thanks Steve.

·      Daniel’s British Armoured Regiment somehow managed to drive from France, through Germany and reach the snowfields of the Ukraine unscathed where they met my Divisional Cavalry trying to read Russian road maps trying to get home – it was brief, it was bloody, but the Div Cav managed to hang on.

Overall, I had three wins and two losses – which is my best result in a GT; much like that one good golf shot that brings you back next weekend, I eagerly await the next challenge...

There was talk of including the Pacific books for the EWGT next year, which I heartily endorsed. The games were played in great spirit and the terrain was magnificent.

Once again, Lachlan organised a great event, and the Hall of Heroes reinforced their place as a premier event host.

The Canberra team will be back next year for sure.

Final placings:

1^st Andreas Cooper – German Leichte Panzer

2^nd Ben Wynn – Soviet Red Banner

3rd Hayden Potter – Japanese Sensha Rentai

Best Sport – Tom McGoram

Best Painted – Darren Head (French)

Pictures:

British Tanks

The Green Machine

Soviet Recce

Cavalry!

The French

Strelkovy with Heavy Mortar support.

French Artillery staff boozing it up.

French 75mm guns.

French Infantry

French army assembled.

Panzer Company,.

A scary Russian force

AA Support.

25 pounder.

British crews maintaining the hedging.

Scattered snow fall.

Free french objective 1

25 pounder

DAK

Label says it all. Best painted.

Here they come.

T26s

Free French Objective 2

Roger, pick the oranges from the top, they are sweeter

Lists:

Christian's Norwegan Rifle Company

HQ
2 x rifle team			25
Combat Platoons
Gevars platoon			115
7 X Rifle/ MG teams
Gevars Platoon			105
5 X rifle/ MG team
2 X rifle team
Weapon Platoons
Gevars Machine Gun platoon			75
1 X rifle team
3 X  colt m/29 HMG team
Gevars Mortar platoon			45
1 X rifle team
2 X 81mm m/34
Divisional Support Platoons
French light tank platoon			160
3 X Hotchkiss H-39  (1 long and 2 short guns)
British Anti tank gun platoon			50
1 X Rifle team
3 X 25mm Hotchkiss
British Rifle platoon (regular)			185
7 X rifle/ MG teams
1 X light mortar
1 X AT rifle
British Anti aircraft platoon			135
1 X rifle team
4 X Bofers 40mm
Pioneer Platoon			160
10 Pioneer rifle teams
Artillery Battery			200
1 X staff team
1 X observer rifle team
1 X rifle team
4 X 12cm m/32
French Artillery Battery			295
1 X staff team
1 X observer rifle team
1 X rifle team
4 75mm mle 1897
turntable Ken's Div Cav: