Flames Of War D-Day Boot Camp: Saturday

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There are some who concentrate on just building and rolling their forces across the table as soon as they can. But Martin likes to concentrate on the details.

Not content with a quick primer spray, Martin has focused on adding little bits of detail across his force. The bases have lovely tufts of grass sprouting around ankles and treads alike. He might even get a game in before everyone heads to the pub…

What’s better after a hearty meal down at the pub for lunch? Obviously, it’s more 4th edition Flames of War!

Everyone has returned from a break to refuel to get the tanks back on the table for more Flames of War. We have British and Soviet forces rolling on the table now and the hobby hall is in full wargaming flow!

The Allied re-enactors get to show off their kit whilst I imagine the German re-enactors are off screen doing rude gestures.

John and Laura have put on their American uniforms to walk around the boot camp in style. Relics are also on show with a packet of cough drops from the 40s and a one-hundred-year-old BAR gun.

If you thought Battlefront Miniatures couldn’t possibly fit any more tanks in a box then you are spectacularly wrong!

Chris from Battlefront Miniatures takes Justin through the British Starter Force box set which includes Shermans, Churchill tanks and a Firefly for good measure.

The boot campers have been eyeing up the wonderful OTT merchandise made by Annie from Cosy Dice.

Not only are there OnTableTop dice bags, satchels and patches, but the elusive Cult of Games has spread its influence in the form of dice bags and patches also!

It’s been a busy weekend for the American and German forces but that has now all changed.

The British forces have gotten their first game on the go with Michael leading the charge across the farmlands of Normandy. And for his quick turnaround in terms of building his forces, he got to dive into the Battlefront Miniatures lucky dip basket for a juicy prize.

Gerry has been running from table to table all day helping people get to grips with Flames of War but he also checks in with Warren and Rob’s game.

Interestingly for Warren, he’s found that the tanks have followed the terrain built by the OTT crew, keeping to the roads and dirt tracks whilst the infantry have happily hopped over hedgerows and delivered surprise attacks to armoured divisions.

Justin finally gets to bring out his Soviet force onto the tabletop for the boot camp.

He has a 50 point list custom made to do some destruction across the map. My only question is why he displays such hatred for train stations?

On the back two tables where the industrial section of a city that has been left to crumble: chaos brews.

One of the Battlefront Miniatures masterminds Chris is coming up with a group participation game where everyone at the boot camp can jump in with their tanks. The city has already felt the force of tank shells blasting through refineries and houses, can it take anymore?

Ohhhhhh this one is going to be pretty exciting!! Chris from Battlefront Miniatures has devised a 30 minute Battle Royale mode for Flames of War.

Gerry finds out what the limits are for deployment and how long players will have to wait to respawn in. It looks as if most players from the boot camp are looking to get in on this one and I don’t blame them!

It’s one thing to see the preparation and plans for this game and another thing entirely to see the aftermath.

Alliances were forged, tanks were destroyed and knives placed firmly in between shoulder blades. Here are just a few pictures of the carnage that unfolded throughout the game.

Lloyd tries to make sense of the most chaotic game of Flames of War he’s ever seen.

With about 15 boot campers surrounding the top two industrial style tables, the game kicks off. Everyone’s movement takes place at the same time and everyone’s shooting phase takes place at the same time. Gerry does a superb job of keeping score somehow and the winners are declared!

OnTableTop knows how to do a wargaming battle royale!

It has been a massive day of wargaming friends. We’ve had a wonderful time seeing the boot campers put the finishing touches on their armies and then bring them all to the table in games throughout the day.

The tables really stood out today for the tactical depth and their aesthetic splendour! If you want to take a quick tour through how they came together then check out the video below where Warren and Lloyd take you through the tables.

And be sure to come back tomorrow when we have another day of live blogging, delivering even more Flames of War D-Day boot camp glory! And make sure to comment on the live blogs so you can be in with a chance to win one of three Flames of War bundles!