Let’s Play: Flames of War 4th Edition
September 13, 2018 by johnlyons
Today I'm joined with Freddy from Battlefront to play some 4th Edition Flames of War.
Click here for more Flames of War
We've been setting up the tables all week in preparation for this heated battle for the Soviets against the Germans, I'm playing the German team because it's what I was born for and Freddy's eyeing me up from across the table with his creeping death squad of Soviets.
What do you think of the new 4th Edition rules?
“Cross of Iron” one of my favorite films also.
Good game and interesting board selection. I have a feeling the game might have been better going the long distance of the table to allow more movement before the shooting started. But if the goal was to get stuck right in, well then that is exactly what happened. Lots of tactical options open even at that short range.
Really like the board. I assume the terrain is the upcoming battlefield in a box stuff. Factories, chimney, and ruin piles looked nice. Especially like the ruined bits. The internal debris in the factories is great. Many of the hedges look the bocage kits, but some of the shrubs seem new. Also the ground mat for the factory area looks new. Wonder if that is upcoming terrain?
In the first turn of KV shooting, why did they fire 2 rounds per tank? The moving ROF for a KV1 is 1. I don’t think they blitz forward. Perhaps I am wrong.
In the second turn the T34s engagement on the PZ IVs, the short barrel bounced one and had one penetrate with a failed firepower roll. Isn’t that a bail?
Danger close is 4 inches from the edge of the template. Not the center of the target. However, I would love if they changed this rule to the way they played it. It can be awkward to measure as is. Also for both bombardments, It looks like short or tall terrain was under the template so it should have been +1 to range in. Not a big deal as the rolls still would have gotten the same results.
All in all, not a big deal, looked like a fun game. It would help the Germans a lot to play on a board that was less constricted to help them maneuver.
Kept waiting for you to unleash your artillery on his anti-tank! I’m assuming it was within range. What about dropping smoke to cover a flanking move?
How is everyone finding V4 over V3? In my local area its pretty much killed the game but wanted to see what everyone else’s experience has been. By the looks of this its still an interesting game.
Our group has been playing FoW since the release of V2 and have greatly enjoyed each release including the latest. Like any new version of any game you can’t expect to come on the same old way and win, you have to adapt. There are also two slightly different flavours of FoW. You have the retail 1942-1943 rules. This is what I would call the core rules. They lack the detail of V3 but are more straight forward better running rules. Then you have the 1939-41 and 1944-45 flavour rule set that are the new core rules with all the detail of V3 put back in but in a far less verbose way. With the addition of each army book and set of command cards the detail is being added back in. Probably the most annoying thing is that both flavours use a completely different points system for pick up games. The core flavour uses points similar to Team Yanky while the other uses the points system of V3. So a large army is 150 points in the core rules and 1800 points in the other.
Generally our group gives V4 the thumbs up. It would be a matter of talking to the guys in your area to find out why they have stopped playing. You always have the option to elect to play V3.
Isn’t there something contractually speaking which prohibits John ever losing war games involving tanks? If there’s not, there clearly needs to be! I’ve been traumatised by this video, and it should carry some sort of explicit warning!
Much like Joey in Friends who doesn’t share food, John at BOW doesn’t lose at tanks…. period.
If this happens again I’m pulling my backstage membership Warzan, consider your self warned.
Why would you not fire the artillery at the anti tank guns??? Much better chance of destroying and if not, pinning. Artillery against tanks isn’t a great use of the big guns. And don’t go face to face with a KV.
a great video guys.
Good to see tanks being tanks rather than trying to hide behind walls like infantry. In version 4 movement is a weapon. The Russians are not very good at hitting and usually rely on numbers to make up for this. So in these small games they can suffer for this. You short 75 P4 was key here. It should have been firing smoke not HEAT. With smoke in use the Russians incur a further -1 to hit you. To hit you the Russian player needed 4s & 5s to hit you, while smoke in use meant that 5s and 6s would have been required instead. On the other hand most of your rolls needed to hit firing through your own smoke would have only been 3s and 4s.
The other mistake you made its fast becoming a classic in version four. Your force commander is a high value target, so is your most effective gun. You placed both in the same coffin for the convenience of the Russian player. Generally I use two short 75mm P4s in my command group and place them in support of the P3s. I find doing this is more useful than bringing along just one long 75mm.
In the terrain you were in I would have focused on the T-34 flank. This would initially isolate the KV-1s. I would have used my speed to keep on the outer flank of the T-34s. This would exposed my tanks to his AT guns. Here I would have used a smoke barrage to isolate the AT guns. Using smoke from the P4s to cover me I would have over run the AT guns in the following turn. This would place the KV-1S roughly in the middle of the table. No matter which way he turns side armour is exploded to your tanks or your guns. If you keep up the smoke you will force him to either except the -1 on his shooting or move out of it having his weight of fire.
You have the right idea about getting more games under your belt. Look for other solutions that don’t involve frontal armour vs big gun, there are plenty there for most armies.
It was still an interesting game to watch. Most of the box set armies make for a good starting core but not very good stand alone armies. For your next game try expanding them. At least now you have better insight for picking your next army.
Finally thanks to you both for spotlighting the new mid war Eastern Front range for FoW V4.
drinks and fun all round, I agree with Freddie this is a game for historical enjoyment and getting mates around