Flames of War

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Flames of War
Game data
author Phil Yates
publishing company Battlefront
Publishing year 2002, 2006, 2012, 2017
Art Tabletop
Teammates 2 to 6
Duration 120 minutes
Age from 12 years

Flames of War is a tabletop strategy game by Phil Yates for two or more players. It was released in 2002 by the New Zealand company Battlefront . The game is set in the Second World War . In Flames of War battles are re-enacted at company level, with the players taking command of one or more companies.

Overview

In 2012, the third version of the set of rules was published, which is regularly expanded and refined through comments from the developers. Some of the rulebooks provide detailed background information that enables troops to be set up close to the historical model.

In 2017 version 4 of Flames Of War was released, which not only fundamentally revised the rules but also the "Mid War" section of the war. In particular, the fourth version differs from the previous three versions in that it introduces clear unit cards. These unit cards were first introduced in the game Team Yankee (also from Battlefront).

The rules of the game divide the conflict into three phases: “Early War” (1939–1941), “Mid War” (1942–1943) and “Late War” (1944–1945).

Players can assemble their troops from a comprehensive range of all major conflict parties of World War II. The scenarios that can be represented in the early part of the war include the Japanese-Soviet border conflict , the winter war , the attack on Poland and the Western campaign , as well as the beginning of the African campaign and Operation Barbarossa . The middle phase of the war was completely overhauled with the publication of the new version 4 of the rules from 2017 and covers the Africa campaign, Tunisia , the Allied landings in Sicily , and the battles for Stalingrad and Kursk . For the late part of the war, models and army lists are available for the battles in Italy, France , Poland, Belarus and Germany, including the last battles in and around Berlin. The Pacific War is a separate category.

Rules of the game

The aim of the game is to conquer an opposing mission objective, of which at least two, in some scenarios three, are always available. In many scenarios, one player takes on the role of the attacker and the other that of the defender. The structure of the scenarios varies greatly, sometimes not all units of one or both players start on the table, but are in reserve, so that, for example, a player (the attacker) appears with an initially superior force until the opponent's reserves are on the field come. These reserves can later intervene in the battle at randomly determined times, which makes counter attacks possible, which give the game a special dynamic. The victory conditions of most scenarios are only evaluated from the beginning of the sixth round, so that both players should plan their movements in advance and take into account any reserves of their own or their opponents.

In order to offer both players a balanced experience, a point value is set before the start of a game, up to which the players can "buy" units for their companies. The point value of a unit depends on morale, training level, weapons, equipment and, if applicable, special rules. Games in the Early War and Late War are usually played within the range of 1500 points to 1750 points. With the revision of the middle section of the war, a new point system was introduced. The battles here range from 64 to 100 points in the new system.

Course of a game round

The players take turns taking turns. Each turn is divided into 4 phases. First, the start-up phase, in which organizational processes are dealt with, such as checking troop morale, bringing in reserves, requesting air support and uncovering ambushes. The second step is the movement phase, in which a player's figures are moved unit by unit. This is followed by the firing phase, in which the dice are rolled to determine whether an enemy unit is removed as a loss by using one's own weapons. The level of training of the target as well as time of day, terrain and possibly weather have an influence on the required dice result. If a hit is rolled against a unit, the owner may in most cases make a save roll. If this succeeds, the damage could be warded off by armor, reflexes or luck. If the roll fails, the hit model is removed as a loss. Finally, there is the close combat phase, in which fights at close and close range are simulated with bayonets, rifle butts and grenades if the attacking unit manages to use the defending unit's assault shooting. After the combat phase of one player, the starting phase of the other player follows. Once both players have gone through all four phases, i.e. played one turn each, the round is over.

equipment

The scale of the miniatures for this game is 1: 100, so a human-sized figure is approx. 15 mm eye level. There are currently over 400 kits available for infantry , tanks , armored and unarmored vehicles, guns and aircraft . The range is expanded regularly and enables troops of all imaginable armies to be put together.

More locations

Since 2009, Battlefront has introduced numerous other real-world conflicts apart from World War II and a fictional conflict as scenes. After a comprehensive book for Vietnam with "Tour Of Duty" was published in 2011 , "Fate of a Nation" followed in 2013, which featured Israeli, Egyptian, Jordanian and Syrian troops during the Six Day War . In 2014, 100 years after the beginning of the First World War, models for the First World War were published, followed by the book "Great War" in 2015, which deals with battles in the last years of the First World War. In November 2015, Battlefront finally published the successful offshoot "Team Yankee", named after the novel of the same name by the American author Harold Coyle . The game takes place in a fictional third world war in Europe, in which Warsaw Pact troops cross the inner-German border in August 1985 and attack NATO. "Team Yankee" simplified many basic game mechanics and was noticeably different from the third edition "Flames Of War". In particular, Team Yankee introduced unit maps instead of pages of weapon lists. Since 2018, all offshoots have been adapted to version 4 of Flames Of War. This process began in 2018 with the revised books "Nam" and "Fate Of A Nation", published in partnership with Osprey Publishing .

Awards

Several products of the game were recognized at the Origins Award 2009:

  • Flames of War Firestorm Campaign : Winner of the Vanguard Award for special innovations
  • SS Panzer Division 'Das Reich' Panzerkompanie (GEAB06): Winner in the category Historical Miniature Figure or Line
  • Operation Cobra, The Normandy Breakout (FW206): Nomination in the Historical Miniature Figure Game Rules Supplement category

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=3138
  2. ↑ Battlefront: Hobby. Retrieved July 30, 2018 (American English).
  3. ↑ 'Nam Book Preview . In: Vietnam Miniatures Game . February 7, 2018 ( team-yankee.com [accessed July 30, 2018]).
  4. ↑ Fate Of A Nation Book Spotlight . In: Fate of A Nation Game . June 14, 2018 ( team-yankee.com [accessed July 30, 2018]).
  5. ↑ List of the winners of the Origins Awards 2009 (English)