"Blitzkrieg Commander II or FOW 2nd. Ed. ??" Topic

Is the US wargaming market so reliant on LFGS to wargame?

Pretty much. There aren't a lot of huge shows (particularly out west where I live), and the wargaming club idea really hasn't taken off here. A good FLGS like the ones I frequent has tables and terrain for use (for free, actually!), but you do also have to compete for table space some days.

The challenge for the shop is to have enough retail go on to pay for the play space.

Some people do game at their own house (it's how we get those monster 6x15+ tables), but then you don't meet new people to game with!

I like BKC and it is my "official" set of rules. In my club we've played a lot of Spearhead over the years and I think it works great for 6mm. It's faster and easier than FOW and BKC. Units come and go quick, the action is fast and furious. Playing with 15's, I like my stands to hang around a while and look pretty on the table, but for 6mm the casualty rate seems just right in Spearhead. FOW I've only played a couple of times a while back. From what I remember, lots of rolling, re rolling, crews bailing out of tanks, getting back in tanks again. BKC and Spearhead had more of a natural flow to them for me.

Late to this party but for what it's worth, in these parts FOW caught fire and took the region by storm a few years ago – and like a storm has pretty much blown itself out. Recent large convention with a scheduled FOW tourney was a complete and total fizzle that ended up with just one game played.

WWII is still one of the most, if not the most, popular periods around here. I know one person who had 26 different FOW rule books (even used that must have been about a $500 USD investment, I suspect). That, IMO, is crazy.

BKC2 does have a variation of an army list but it is in no wise complete – its little more than a points system without any TO&Es so far as I can see. Recently bought the rules and so far not totally sold on them but, again in my opinion, they run circles around FOW.

I've played FOW a couple of times and a couple of times was several more than enough for my tastes. Game? Yes. Any resemblance to battle? Not at all. Of course, lots of people do seem to like it – or did, around here.

My main reason for picking up BKC2 was an interest in a simple set of rules for playing the Pacific Theater with the option of North Africa. This it does. Will have to study the rules closer to decide if I actually like them. Either way, too expensive in my eyes but I've already spent the money.

By the way, I "inherited" all of those FOW rule books and they are up for sale if anyone is interested. (PM me and we can discuss what is available and what price.) I'm not sure if all 26 are still there but there's quite a stack.

I play Crossfire,and have played BKC 1e, I also play FoW, I recently bought the 2015 ed. of the FoW Open Fire box set and the Slipcover books, the army lists in those where fine for me, I have been battling with the lists from the roster books out of the Open Fire and the Slipcover set with no other books. I also play platoon level 28mm Bolt Action and have Chain of Command for 28mm, I like all of them, BKC to me though felt like it needed 10mm or MicroArmor to do battles well. I have played CDII & CDIII as well but of all I prefer Crossfire & FoW for 15mm and Bolt Action for 28mm, depends on your tastes I guess.