"Artillery in FoW" Topic

Artillery can be a game-winner in Flames of War, but sometimes it can't hit the broad side of a barn!

Do you take artillery with your FoW force?

Absolutely! I have mostly US forces, and they have the best artillery in the game.

Artillery and mortars if possible. You are correct as it can be a hit or miss proposition. Ah, the first time I deployed my GOW with my Strelk blob. Turn one, it took out an SS platoon in the woods… brought a tear to my eye and happiness to the Comissar. We still lost the game, but it was a fun one. The GOW did not have an impact for the rest of the game.

Mostly mortars and Nebelwerfers.

Yep:

US – best arty in the game – throw in an AOP and you're golden!
German – smoke if nothing else
Italian – doubles as can openers.
Soviets – INCOMING!!!!!
British – Not quite as good as US, but very good as well
French – Big Badda boom!

yeah, it's good, but why are the models on the table?

I can have TONS of artillery with my Soviets, and I rarely hit anything.

I often wonder why I am wasting points on artillery, and then the Other Guy pounds the snot out of me. So, I keep getting it!

yeah, it's good, but why are the models on the table?

Because some of us like to paint guns? Because BF sells artillery models?
Guess why they require airplane models on the table too.

yeah, it's good, but why are the models on the table?

Who said the artillery has to be on the table? In our group we often employ the "Gun Across the Volga" rule and have guns off board.

Sometimes I do like to have my guns on board though. My 25 pdrs come quite in handy in the dual roles of indirect and direct fire support. Something they did a good bit of historically.

I often wonder why I am wasting points on artillery….

Too true. Artillery really is only effective "points wise" if your opponent bunches up too often. Despite the common perception that everybody runs tanks hub to hubs all the time in FoW, good players diligently spread out and try to avoid providing too many targets in the impact zone to make sure your points put into artillery are marginalized.

Of course if you're playing a historical scenario getting your "points value" is not an issue. You just shoot what you have! On or off board!

Smoke.

'Nuff said.

Artillery can be a game-winner in Flames of War,

I have not seen a lot of that. In 4+ years of FoW gaming I think artillery was the primary cause for maybe one of my losses and I don't think it ever "won" a game for me. Like with most else in this game, others, and WWII itself, it is the combined arms affects that yield victory most often. Artillery is best for suppressing (pinning) targets in preparation for an assault and placing smoke, again to support some other action like screening a move.

Do you take artillery with your FoW force?

I assume you're talking competitive games. If so then "usually." Nothing more than 105mm and a usually the cheapest option I can get away with some smoke ability. Just enough to get suppression and obscuration effects I need to support my scheme of maneuver.

don't play FoW

Combined Arms…. gotta have it, and love it. Besides SMOKE, I like to use Arty to "influence" my opponent to move in another direction; usually right into my mass of HMG in AMBUSH ;-)

John;
That's because you don't have Jack working for you.

Remember, he's the guy on the table on the Staff Arty Stand.

Eric

I take as much or more than is practical for my US mid-war and they are usually worth it. Any aircraft I use however cannot hit water if falling out of a boat.

Always, especially with my US forces.

if you read the updated stuff on the FoW website artillery is going to get a boost in V3.

Yes.

I would get so ed off at my arty when I played US. I could never hit anything with it. Time on Target? WTH rule is that? I envy other US players who seam to get ToT on every single roll. The only saving grace was US artillery was cheap.

Firing trained artillery at concealed veterans was never "fun"and usually just futile. In fact, I usually loath playing any artillery if it isn't veteran or rockets.

Artillery is almost a must if you're up against a heavy tank list and don't have high AT assets. I tend to play my 653rd Schwere Panzerjäger list a lot, and Soviet lists really kill me with that dang God of War battery.

Ouzel – if you don't play the game – why bother responding?

I only own arty for my Soviets and some para howitzers for my 82nd AB… For my Germans and Poles… I don't own a single stationary gun (sorry, I have 88's). I rely mostly on small "on the board" tactics for smoke and AT guns and such. I take lots of mortars or vehicles that can lay down barrages or smoke.

I love nebelwerfers because you roll all 3 ranging dice together and your opponent is often only trained so fairly easy to hit.

I have seen my american opponent firing away at my Germans for several consecutive turns without ever managing to range in, very frustrating for him.

I always try to take my 8 gun 25pdrs in MW or LW. British special rules make up for the crappy 5+ firepower. It stops clumping of tanks and infantry, and can be a reasonable AT assett when direct firing.

EW- not so much- it's way too expensive.

Fingolfen – Because it's a poll suggestion and the possible responses will come from this discussion, I presume. I don't play either.

I mainly run French and Belgians. I rely heavily on my artillery.

Yes, I always take artillery and mortars. Granted, I play 1ID at Normandy, so that means I have access to a LOT of artillery. 60mm mortars are in the boat sections, 'across the Volga' 105mm to represent Destroyers getting in close. Plus 4.2" mortars coming ashore (though I don't think that's historical).

I almost always have some form of artillery, except in my Tankovy army.
How effective it actually is tends to be very variable and I find it's best used against something static.

Last three (3) games i played, my opponent had a four gun battery, and he pasted me with highly accurate bombardments. Ruined my plans for table-top domination. It should be noted he has only been playing FoW for only two (2) months. :|

There is nothing…NOTHING…like watching your American 155mm heavy arty smoking an entire platoon of Panthers (or a company of T-34/85's…) because he bunched them up too close.

The look on your opponents face…ahhh, priceless.

John;
Maybe you should ask Jack what you are doing wrong?

And Artillery in FoW is what drives me mental about this game. If it's a 1:1 game, then why are we having Divisional Level Gun Lines on the table top.

Really.

Eric
(who eschews Artillery, but loves mortars)

Gave up on FOW a while back, but yes, I did.

And Artillery in FoW is what drives me mental about this game. If it's a 1:1 game, then why are we having Divisional Level Gun Lines on the table top.

You might be a mere Company Commander in FoW, but your Uncle is the general of the division.
Typical National Guard, right?

Maybe you should ask Jack what you are doing wrong?

Rolling 1's?

Well, he identified your problem right?

And so what if the PA ARNG does resemble a West Virginia town…

Eric