Armchair Dragoons Forums
Wargaming => The Modern World => Topic started by: judgedredd on September 07, 2021, 11:24:43 AM
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Excellent breakdown of Fields of Fire in this video.
It's 3 hours long - but very comprehensive and shows the game off very well.
Made me want to get the damn thing back out because the game was very, very excellent.
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Nice. I'm also interested in playing FoF again, but break into a cold sweat just thinking about past struggles with that rulebook. A comprehensive overview of the system before I start might just do the trick. Will bookmark this vid for my next set of graveyard shifts.
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The rule book was tough for sure.
This is very detailed in it's explanation - it's slow - but very methodical. a great help and if you "know" the rules, this will help immensely because it reinforces what you already "know"
I'm really enjoying my World at War '85 games - but this is really making it difficult for me to stay with WaW - I desperately want to get this on the table again.
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It's been 10 years since I last played FoF, so will require a complete read through of the rules. Do you happen to know if version 2 of the rulebook is completely compatible with version 1 kit?
I'm hoping the new rulebook is more comprehensive than the original. I remember having to search the Internet a crazy number of times when I was uncertain about situations. So many details just weren't addressed in the rulebook. I'm sure there is a lot more Q&A out there now compared to when it was first released, but would rather not have to go there. I recall the designer was pretty good at answering questions, but was deployed a good amount of the time.
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It's been 10 years since I last played FoF, so will require a complete read through of the rules. Do you happen to know if version 2 of the rulebook is completely compatible with version 1 kit?
I'm hoping the new rulebook is more comprehensive than the original. I remember having to search the Internet a crazy number of times when I was uncertain about situations. So many details just weren't addressed in the rulebook. I'm sure there is a lot more Q&A out there now compared to when it was first released, but would rather not have to go there. I recall the designer was pretty good at answering questions, but was deployed a good amount of the time.
As far as I recall, the answer was yes - you can use the rulebook from v2 for the v1 game. I asked the same question a year ago and the answer was yes.
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FWIW, there's a Fields of Fire Boot Camp website devoted to getting players better access to the rules. Check it out if you have a chance.
https://sites.google.com/site/fieldsoffirebootcamp/
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I'm going to have to pack up WaW...I need to get back to this.
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FWIW, there's a Fields of Fire Boot Camp website devoted to getting players better access to the rules. Check it out if you have a chance.
https://sites.google.com/site/fieldsoffirebootcamp/
Thanks :bigthumb:
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This is an excellent playthrough also.
Looks like he used a potato to film it - but he explains things very well and his videos are easy to follow
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I couldn't help it.
The excitement of drawing terrain, resolving potential enemy contact and the joy of finding there's none - or the dread of finding out it's a bunker with an MG or an ambush putting 3 units on two different terrain cards, the excitement of drawing cards for command points and being destroyed when you see you've got 2 - for a green commander or seeing a 5 turn up, the tension when you are looking for a CONTACT sign on the command cards when resolving an enemy contact and the relief seeing none show up
It's all too much ;D
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Man - this game punishes the stupid!
I just moved my 1st Platoon onto a card with a spotter - confident that I'd be able to get him with a grenade attack. Unfortunately, although the grenade attack was successful, during his event phase he vacated the card and the grenade turned into a miss. -2 (exposed) and -1 (grenade miss) and +2 terrain gave a -1 NCM
Platoon CO is down, 1st squad suffered a casualty and a litter team, 2nd squad suffered a casualty, 3rd squad was pinned, mortar was fine, bazooka was pinned and MG was a casualty.
I was so focused on getting him away so I could move forward, I forgot about the danger of a missed grenade attack on exposed units
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Once you pull the pin, Mr. Grenade is no longer your friend.
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Aye - indeed.
My 1st Platoon is a mess. Only 3rd Squad is intact. Everyone else is broken into fire teams (not a cohesive unit), paralysed or injured. I lost my mortar team last night too!
The second mission is slow progress. 5 rows and they ALL have to be cleared of enemy forces. It's turn 5 and I've only just started to climb onto row 3
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This has turned into a right mess.
I was doing ok...but the Germans got a Counter Attack event and now I have Germans crawling all over my arse.
Red are German VoFs (volume of fire) and PDFs (primary direction of fire).
White is my CO and 2 litter teams (I think the Germans attacking them have to switch to combat the fire team that just moved onto the German card)
Purple is my Co 1st Sgt
Yellow is my 1st Platoon (and fire team) - which had been hammered and was starting to recover.
Green is 2nd Platoon (and fire team) who have faired much better.
Blue is my 3rd Platoon who have faired best.
I've lost the XO because he had to be reconstituted into the CO who had become a fire team!
It's all went to hell in a hand basket
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I heard GMT is currently working on a propper rewrite of the rules, which are a pain. Unteil then, there are some awesome player-made rewrites on BGG which help alot, if you don't want to jump back and forth through this concatenation of concepts.
I should finally continue my campaign...
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Thanks for the link...I look forward to watching your playthrough.
I did start on the first one and you are one lucky bugger. Moving two units forward and getting no contact on either AND both finding cover is rare in my experience. Even rarer is not making contact on an A Potential Contact Marker. That often only happens for me when Engaged or Heavily Engaged - and I believe you are only at Contact level at the beginning of that video.
I saw you moved assault teams forward. Assault teams can only attack on the terrain card they occupy and I've seldom had a German unit spawn on the same card - generally they spawn left/right/forward at max LoS...so I always send forward Fire Teams. Assault Teams have the benefit of aautomatic VoF which is -1 whereas Fire Teams only have Small Arms VoF of 0. But the -1 is no good to you if the enemy is on a different card (and that's more often than not the case)
Of course - Fire Teams are Green whereas Assault Teams are the experience same as the spawning unit (Line in the first mission) and so Assault Teams don't have a modifier to their card draw for finding cover - they get 2 cards whereas the Fire Teams only get one card.
But Fire Teams can fire on adjacent terrain whereas Assault Teams can't.
Having said all that.......often the spawning German unit is not spotted and so the Fire Team can't fire anyway.
Lots to think about.
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I heard GMT is currently working on a propper rewrite of the rules, which are a pain. Unteil then, there are some awesome player-made rewrites on BGG which help alot, if you don't want to jump back and forth through this concatenation of concepts.
I should finally continue my campaign...
I would like to add - you explained the mechanics very well.
Although - at 24:11 I don't think a pinned unit can concentrate fire. You may have looked at the Enemy Defensive Action Table and got that result instead of the LAT Action table (which is used for pinned units also). He'd have likely retreated or tried to rally.
Also - at 26:00 - the All Pinned VoF for the German LMG Team should be changed to Automatic VoF
And finally - you did what I ALWAYS forget to do also - adjust ammo ;D
Still - very good playthrough
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This is all good stuff as Fields of Fire 2 has recently arrived at the door. 8)
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Is a truly superb game. The rules are a mess and vague in lots of places. I still come across situations where I need to post on BGG.
I was positive I read that the Germans had to shift fire to a US unit that entered their card...but I now can't find it anywhere
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....
I saw you moved assault teams forward. Assault teams can only attack on the terrain card they occupy and I've seldom had a German unit spawn on the same card - generally they spawn left/right/forward at max LoS...so I always send forward Fire Teams. Assault Teams have the benefit of automatic VoF which is -1 whereas Fire Teams only have Small Arms VoF of 0. But the -1 is no good to you if the enemy is on a different card (and that's more often than not the case)
Of course - Fire Teams are Green whereas Assault Teams are the experience same as the spawning unit (Line in the first mission) and so Assault Teams don't have a modifier to their card draw for finding cover - they get 2 cards whereas the Fire Teams only get one card.
But Fire Teams can fire on adjacent terrain whereas Assault Teams can't.
Having said all that.......often the spawning German unit is not spotted and so the Fire Team can't fire anyway.
Lots to think about.
One other major benefit of using Assault Teams is they can move onto an enemy occupied card - a Fire Team cannot. I over looked this rule (as is so easy to do).
That's one of the reasons why LetsPlayHistory is using Assault Teams.
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After saying you were lucky in your pulls for contacts and I'd never experienced such an easy start, there I go and clear the whole front row of C Potential Contacts with no contact. First time ever. ;D ;D
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If they really do rewrite the rules I think I might finally pull the trigger on this one.
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I accept the fact that I'm at a happy middle place with the rules now. I've probably got about 80 or 90% of them down...just little nuances escape me from time to time...but they don't break the game for me
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If they really do rewrite the rules I think I might finally pull the trigger on this one.
I know someone who is helping on the rules re-write, so it's happening... Probably won't see it for another year or so. My insider has played lots of FoF over the years and is very happy with how the rewrite is going. When I discussed the game, he suggested I wait for the new rules before buying it.
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Although - at 24:11 I don't think a pinned unit can concentrate fire. You may have looked at the Enemy Defensive Action Table and got that result instead of the LAT Action table (which is used for pinned units also). He'd have likely retreated or tried to rally.
Also - at 26:00 - the All Pinned VoF for the German LMG Team should be changed to Automatic VoF
And finally - you did what I ALWAYS forget to do also - adjust ammo ;D
Still - very good playthrough
Yeah, sure, there are probably a few mistakes there. Would be worse if I grad it and continue now. ;D
I believe I adjusted ammo off cam.
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If they really do rewrite the rules I think I might finally pull the trigger on this one.
I know someone who is helping on the rules re-write, so it's happening... Probably won't see it for another year or so. My insider has played lots of FoF over the years and is very happy with how the rewrite is going. When I discussed the game, he suggested I wait for the new rules before buying it.
Thanks for the insight. Looks like I'll wait for the rewrite then :)
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I decided to give FoF2 a try.
It's not as fun for me. Peleliu is fixed maps. Kind of suits the region...but I liked drawing for a random map - it was an additional level to the replayability as no map was ever the same.
Also - it's brutal. Every single time I've tried the first mission, I've lost Amtraks and people...lots of people. Whole squads at a time in some instances. Truly - sounds terrifying and probably very realistic.
However I watched a video fo a guy playing and he moved his first 4 Amtraks onto the Surf Zone. When checking for Potential Contacts, his first was automatic (Potential Contact A and No Contact means you have automatically made contact)...he pulled for bombardment (mostly what you'll pull in that phase. He then pulled for each of the other 3 Potential Contact A markers...Because he was now in Contact, each Potential A contact Marker pulls 7 cards to see if there's contact...he pulled 3 lots of 7 cards and all 3 of his Potential Contact A markers resulted in No Contact!!!
Lucky bugger. On my first time trying the mission, I made contact on ALL 4 cards and had 2 Amtraks Brewed Up (all passengers marked as casualties) and the other two were Knocked Out resulting in a check for each step of infantry being carried. The second wave did not fair much better with 2 Brewed up and 1 knocked out.
Absolute disaster from the off. Scrapped that one and started again - which resulted in a poor start again so I'm on my third attempt.
Long and short of it is - it's not as fun as the first one imo - mostly due to the fixed maps. I am going to carry on playing - and I'll play this next retry through to the end.
Kind of itching to get Holland '44 back on the table as I only ever got a few turns into my one and only playthrough before I had to move it off the table. And I'm reading a book on it which has piqued my interest in playing it again.
But I really am enjoying Fields of Fire.
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This has now been on my table for over a month. I've played the FoF Vol 1 Normandy mission 1 4 times, mission 2 3 times and FoF Vol 2 Peleliu Mission 1 twice
FoF Vol 1 is definitely my favourite.
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https://twitter.com/playersaidalex/status/1553106189885620226
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Well looky here
(https://i1.wp.com/insidegmt.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Screen-Shot-2022-09-15-at-8.59.01-AM.png?resize=518%2C335&ssl=1)
https://insidegmt.com/the-fields-of-fire-series-rules-third-edition-are-available-for-download/?fbclid=IwAR05bz-Uxuq8uFs2A84fyJodcRovqs8hbLjVgPC43c9AtkcjGA1kl-Sq_MM (https://insidegmt.com/the-fields-of-fire-series-rules-third-edition-are-available-for-download/?fbclid=IwAR05bz-Uxuq8uFs2A84fyJodcRovqs8hbLjVgPC43c9AtkcjGA1kl-Sq_MM)
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Thanks alot Rekim. The only thing this game needed to move it from excellent to legendary was a rule system that made sense...hopefully this is it.
I have the Battle of the Bulge addon on pre-order. Also, they are releasing a third edition which is going to have these rules in it - and from what I recall, they are going to provide an "upgrade" option.
Can't wait. But I'm going to download and print these asap.
:bigthumb: :notworthy:
96 pages too!! That's a hefty amount more than the original - in fact, 1/3rd more pages
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cross-posted from What's on Your Table
I've never played Up Front so I can't compare.
What I do know is Fields of Fire is my number one solitaire game. It's simply superb. The actual game mechanics are pretty easy - but in order to get them into your head, you have a long fight with the manual. It's poorly written and poorly laid out imo. Everything is there, but there's no index (very badly needed for the game because you are constantly looking things up for fringe rules) and some things that you think should be referenced somewhere in the manual are referenced somewhere else.
Manual aside, it's superb. I think it comes in at £70 or there abouts, but there's a huge amount of gaming in there. 3 theatres and so much randomness in setup that you'll never play the same game again.
I posted recently on YT that I stayed away from this game for over two years because it was card driven and - worst of all - it had cards as maps. But those aspects actually ended up being two of the strong reasons why I look forward to playing it all the time.
Map
You randomly draw cards to layout your terrain. This is an excellent mechanic because you just never know what terrain your troops are going to be fighting on.
Each card has an inherent cover value (sometimes two - a higher value for a dark border and a lower value for a light border). They can also have values for vehicle movement and may be more dangerous for incoming artillery (for example woods - you'll be in extra danger in woods from artillery).
On top of that, each card has intrinsic cover. This cover your troops have to find by expending commands. Find some and life becomes a bit safer. Some cards have strong cover (villages, farms etc) others have softer cover (gully, bocage)
Command System
Genius.
From Battalion to Platoon, you get commands. Each step in the hierarchy gets the chance to pull a card for orders and then use those to pass down. In my game, the Company CO pulls a card for orders. There are two order values on the cards. A higher one (generally) for a unit activated by an HQ and a lower one used for when a platoon isn't activated and is operating on it's own initiative. It's depressing when you need to get so much done and your CO pulls a card with 1 command point on it.
Command is affected by experience. Green commanders get -1 command points to what has been drawn and Veteran get's +1. On top of that, if there's no contact they get an additional one and when in contact, they get one less. This was excellently explained in a video where the guy said the commanders have more time to think when not in contact (+1 command) and when in contact, are under pressure (-1).
An HQ will pull a card and get his (modified) commands. He will then use those to do something himself or pass those orders onto his subordinates (HQs and staff). They in turn will pull a card and get their modified commands and use those to order their platoons to do something...scout forward, attack an enemy, rally...there's a plethora of commands that can be issued.
On top of all that, there's an initiative phase where a card is pulled and the lower value is used for initiative. These orders can be assigned to any unit - in command or not - to do something. So that assault team you sent forward to scout an area who is now out of contact may use his initiative to find cover...or launch a grenade at a known enemy position.
It's an excellent system.
Enemy
You never know what enemy are going to show up on the map. The map - in my game - is covered with Potential Contact Markers. These have 3 different values - A, B and C with A being the deadliest and C being less so. As your units scout a map area with a Potential Contact Marker, you resolve it using a random number on the cards between 1 and 10. These can be incoming mortar or artillery, HMG Nest, Squads - they can even manoeuvre behind you if I remember correctly. They may show up on your map - but they often end up at maximum line of sight to the front, front left or front right. And Maximum LoS could be the extent of the map and even can extend the map...depending on the card borders (light border means you can see through that card etc).
Combat
Each enemy unit (as well as yours) exert a Volume of Fire...from light weapons to automatic weapons, heavy weapons and bombardment. They also exert a Primary Direction of Fire (PDF) if they are not on your card. These combats take place simultaneously and use a Net Combat Modifier (NCM).
A NCM is worked out adding up the inherent cover, intrinsic cover, state of the troops and Volume of Fire. So for example I have a squad moved forward onto a map area. They are marked Exposed (-2) because they're moving. The area is a Gully (Inherent cover +2). They do manage to find intrinsic cover (standard cover +1). They are under fire from mortars (a forward Observer two cards away) with a VoF of -3. Because they are in a Gully, there's a modifier of -1 for burst VoF...and mnortars are most definitely burst VoF. So you add all those values together
Exposed -2
Inherent Cover +2
Intrinsic Cover +1
Mortar Fire -3
Burst Fire -1
You now have a NCM of -3. You pull a card and see what -3 means. Generally it's bad - but these cards are random and I've seen a +6 give a hit and I've seen a -4 give a pin. If you're pinned, you're no longer exposed but your pinned. If you're hit, you pull another card and see what the damage is.
One additional thing is if you're pinned, you get a +1 for your NCM next time - because you're hunkered down. You also get a +2 to your VoF (because your not really shooting with any degree of accuracy - you are spraying and hoping because you're hiding. Negative numbers are better for Volume of Fire - so pinned isn't great...but as I said, I've seen hits on +6 before - so they're not useless
There's so much more I could say. So much more to this game than I've managed to write here. Every card pull is full of tension when you're looking for that cover or you're launching a grenade attack or you're determining what enemy is present or you're seeing how many commands you can pass around.
It's simply an excellent game.
I'm on holiday this week but maybe when I come back, I'll do a detailed AAR of a turn to give an idea of how it plays.
I hope this helps. This guy does a four video short intro (4 turns) to the game and does an excellent job of explaining things...he fleshes out why he's doing what he's doing which shows the difficulties he comes across making decisions. He makes some mistakes and picks some up - but overall, he does an excellent job of relaying the game mechanics and most of all, the excitement of game play.
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That looks interesting
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It is SUCH a great game.
Cheap as well, given the hours of fun that you can have with it.
My numero uno solitaire boardgame and likely the only one I'd need on Desert Island Gaming
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I've currently got The Dark Summer on my table and all I keep thinking about is this game :'(