"FoW Early War" Topic

Seeing a bunch of discussions and battle reports on EW FoW. Big fan of the early war stuff and have a bunch of it. I have the origanal play test PDFs for EW FoW from 2002-3. What is the future for EW and do you all feel it will catch on? I love the fact that equipment is pretty even and there are no Tigers!!! Just thinking out loud and getting you thoughts folks.
CW

This July, we will see how EW really is. The first book is due out. I like the idea of early war. The armies should be different than what we are seeing now. Germans being non-veteran. Allies with armor superiority. More of a challenge for German players to "dominate". I hope it catches on. I play Germans and would like to see some "lower" ratings. Just my two cents.

Many of us in the Richmond VA area have been playing EW FoW for years. We even ran an EW France 1940 toruney back in Jan with 24 EW FoWarriors fighting the Battle for France.

You can check out the AARs and exciting combat photos on the FoW Fourm-AAR page.

I thnik once EW is released it will be a BIG hit!I never really had an interest in until I decide to game it a few years ago. Now it is #1 in my book.

Planning on GMing a Meuse River Assualt at H'Con in July. Going to have a MG Rommel "warrior" Pioners in rubber boats and M/C recon troops.

Ron

I sure hope so!! I do miss Ft Lee and richmond gaming. Used to play at One Eyed Jacques down near the fan. I am looking forward to the fisrt book.
CW

My little group are interested in it. I'm looking foward to it for the same reasons RR mentioned above. Will it catch on? We'll see…. Everyone seems to love thier uber-tanks. Hey- Maybe everyone will want to play the French!

First book is Poland to the fall of France. Book after I believe is Eastern Front and the period is rounded out with an EW Desert book.

would love to see some polish armor and troops for this from BF.
CW

Love early war – best period to game, I reckon

We have found it popular so far.

I am gearing up now. French are finished, Belgian infantry is done and I will do the vehicles once QRF allows us to place orders. Brits (QOCH Scots) are in process.

Instead of players whining about the German players and their "big cats", we'll have players whining about the French opponents and the Char B2s running rampant across the board.

Seriously, the local "buzz" is pretty big in anticipation and I've sold a good number of Early War tanks to people wanting to get ready.

Wyatt

I wish they would release it earlier so I could use it at Enfilade! 2010, instead of the PDF files I have on the early war period.

I wonder if my Poles' anti tank rifles will be effective.

Indeed they will Waco Joe – indeed they will – at least against the Pz I and II models, not so much against the III and IV, or the 35t or 38t.

There is a lot of anticipation for the return to Early War here in Austin. Early war was very popular when FOW first came out. Many of us played from the pdfs. For some reason, though, when there we no official support and then the 2nd ed. came out and all the pdfs were spiked, we sort of lost interest.

Late War killed the interest for a lot of us. I stopped playing and have never even played the 2nd ed. rules. But the recent release of the mid war books and the coming release of early war should re-energize the FOW gaming here at Great Hall.

Under the old pdfs the ATRs were effective against the lighter tanks, even the Mk IIIs and IVs were not immune. But believe me, your 37mm AT guns will be feared! And even the TK tankettes are not useless as mobile MG platforms.

Rob

Another early war fan here as well. I love the difference between the armies at the time, British, French, Belgians and the epitome of style – Polish Cavalry!

I can't wait, I feel the need for Matilda IIs, Char B2s and PzIIIs!

Hello Rob at Great Hall Games…

You and your game shop along with your EW Poles made from minifigs USA WWI troops and French head swaps not to mention the EW Polish OB you designed, got me into the EW Fow! Bought my first pack of EW French from you just before I moved from FT Hood to Va in 2004.

Our local club ran a EW toruney in Jan with 24 EW FoWarriors. There were many armies based on Char B's, Souma and Matilda not to mention Germans with the dreaded 88.

Would you beleive the guy who designed a 1750pt army based on a PzI force (10 PzIs) won the tournament! proves tactics will beat BIG Guns?

My friend Gunny Phil and I are working with Maurice from RI to design a Poland 1939 game for Cold Wars 2011. Both of them are very interested in WWII CAV. Phil will provide the Germans and Maurice the Poles. I will provide some Bosche AFVs and aeroplanes. Hope to make it a 2000+pt game.

Phil ran his EW Ger Cav at the EW Toruny in Jan but lost both games. Discovered that horse flesh is not HMG proof? It was not pretty in ether game.

I am also planning to GM a Meuese River Crossing game at H'con in July. Basically using the FoW "River Assault" rules with a few EW special rules…like a MG Rommel warrior, Rubber assault boats and pioneers. Hope a few of you out there can play or swing by and check it out.

Hope the Austin/Great Hall guys get back into FoW and the EW period. They were and I am sure still are a good group of gamers for all historical periods.

Ron
"SFC Retired"

It will be good to see a player hesitate to make an armored assault because he fears there may be Boys antitank rifles present in the line.

"not so much against the III and IV"

I wouldn't get too excited by the early model Pz III and IV, they both had maximum armour thicknesses of 15mm. Proof against SMK bullets but not much else.

"It will be good to see a player hesitate to make an armored assault because he fears there may be Boys antitank rifles present in the line."

We ran a game covering the 10th Panzer Div assault across the canal near Calais (near Les Attaques?) wit the British searchlight troops deployed hidden. Their ATRs tore great holes in the serried ranks of Pz Is and IIs, much to the consternation of the Germans, it was really very funny watching the tanks trying to hide behind houses then get plinked from another angle.

They did remember they had some infantry support after a while and the Schutzen soon mopped up.

I'm very much wondering if the EW will play in a very different "style" due to the special rules for the period as well as army list rules. I like the pdf's but they're clearly just a start, better than nothing, etc.

One example was how using Matilda's changes the British Rifle list from "Infantry" to "Mechanized" due to the infantry tank doctrine.

I think a simple rule like that will make a big difference and lots of interesting play situations.

Personally, I'm really looking forward to EW – altho my main interest is the desert (last book out) I may break down and do something for Europe, probably France. I'll definitely buy the book, however, and see what inspires me. I already have the tanks and infantry for a tank squadron – Hoorahh for the Mk VIa, b & c!

Hopefully we will get some love for Winter War, Norway Campaign and the Balkans and especially Crete.

I man an EW fanatic. It really PO'd me when FoW went LW first. Cost them an ardent supporter and volunteer worker on their books. That and their club only oriented national championship tournament. Qualifiers, what a disgrace.

Thank goodness I don't have an axe to grind. :)

I will play FoW EW, but not with their models. :)

chris

"This July, we will see how EW really is."

We shall see. I haven't forgotten that it was promised in 2006.

Allen