"Has FOW lost it's appeal with your group ???" Topic

Very popular and growing with our group.

It's on the wane with my regulars, has been for a few years. More to do with burn out than anything related to the game, we've been at it since 2001.

Nope, stronger than ever.

FOW was DOA with our group. We have too many folks who have combat leadership experience with a variety of regular and SOF units. FOW is just as satisfying as a cardboard popsicle.

We play every other week. We're happy with it.

FOW was DOA in our group our group for a few years. Hell one person stated after there third game, "They would rather go back to playing TRACTICTS". And he hated TRACTICTS.

Same here as stated by oldgamer, "We have too many folks who have combat leadership experience with a variety of regular and SOF units."

It is just abstract and not realistic. And they keep adding B.S. Eye Candy in the books and non historical rules that just dose not pass the common sense test or what really happened during WW-II and now AIR and the NAM. All to sell books and figures. Oh I forgot, that's what there in business for.

Much as the hater's spleen is down to ignorance, it does tend to wear you down in the end…So yes, its been on the wane with my group…

But as we try new rules and other equally asinine objections are raised after playing a few games one begins to wonder if any ruleset would be considered worthy of them…

I really like big, inclusive games that the whole of the club can get around, but I'm starting to see the attraction of just pleasing myself and 1 or 2 like minded folk…

We play occasionally and have had some success with campaigns. We have introduced some younger players, so it is healthy and growing. It's a game not a simulation which can be played in a few hours. We don't care how many rivets can be knocked off by a panzerfaust at thirty yards in the fog on a moonless night.

No still active – one or two 4 session campaigns a year [;us a sponsored FOW tournament open to all comers

Dead at our club – everyone has moved on to BattleGroup.

There were approx. 10 or so active players but hasn't been played at all for many months.

Essentially it died on the issuance of the new rules and the re-issue of the same army lists over and over and over.

As dead as a dead thing, and not missed at all

Alive and steadily growing here; also it has great future. Cold war and SCW expansions ensure that.

Still played in South Somerset!

Tally Ho!

We just ignored the codex creep, and play with what we have. Since we don't play tournaments, it doesn't matter.

No, still going at my clubs. I want to echo what Sparkler said: There's no pleasing many gamers and I predict that a backlash against Battlegroup will start at some point.

The Arab Israeli period brought me back. Otherwise my interest died with 3rd edition.

If history is history, I don't get how the Soviets can be modified like their the latest greatest Space Marine chapter.

There were a lot of FoW games on the schedule and being played as pick-ups at Cold wars. And the tournament was big and well attended. So I'd say it's pretty much the same as always.

My group has never played it regularly, though. The big local game group has and still does, though.

Our group used to play a lot, but it is way down in recent years. Half our members can't stand it at all and rather than get into arguments we just play other things. I used to be a FoW fanatic, but I've played about two games in the the last three years. Sometimes I miss it…

Still growing at our local store. To include several vets who like its abstractness. Overall well liked compared to the several other options tried over the last couple of years.

Dead here. I will occasionally play the Arab/Israeli supplement (and still plan on painting more up) but other than that…. no has played FoW in ages.

I still like playing. Hate the churn of new books, so I've stopped collecting them and by-and-large do not buy FoW models… but I like playing.

We're running a full D-Day weekend in June, largely with FOW, and then launching into a club-wide FOW Italy campaign. Lots of periods and forces still being added to our group's FOW interest.

We haven't played in a while. That is not due to loss of interest in Flames of War as much as a shift of interest to other periods like Sikh Wars, Crimea, Kosciuszko Uprising, Carlist Wars and others.

It's regularly played at our monthly meeting, plus our HMGS PSW mini cons.

I'd say it's about the same, although the Viet Nam rules have offset the WW2 to a small amount.

Wyatt

Its as strong as ever in my area- In fact, I am attending a FOW event at our local game store, which includes a tournament as well as mega-battle.

One thing I will say is that my impression from retailers is that sales have dropped off; I think the market has 'matured' and that while we are all still actively gaming FOW, we all have large armies so don't make the big purchases we used to… In fact, I probably have about 3 years' worth of unpainted Battlefront figures in my game room right now!

It's a good game, just not my cup of tea any more. I like the books and the models and still visit the website but I don't play.

It became bitter for me with the revolving door of new army beats this army, and pregame moves became more important than the actual game. I think it about dropped off when they brought Patton into the mix, you saw some very shady stuff there…and it just got worse with each book.

We moved on to battlegroup and so far have never been happier.

…mainly because I focus painting one specific vehicle and not a whole platoon (5 something.)

Models wise, I haven't played with the plastics range but the resin/metal/plastic just got to be a chore…I'd rather assemble PSC tanks which hold an insane amount of detail!

No. Remains very popular with our group. We are currently beginning a Market Garden campaign and in the doing have added two new members to our group.

A few drop outs, but most seem happy with it.

It used to be played quite a bit around here, but I have noticed several guys going back to other rules lately, such as Spearhead, Command Decision, and Battlefront WWII.

My LGS has pretty much stopped carrying Flames. They will order in the new releases, but they've stopped keeping the non-turning wall of product. If you want something that's not the newest release, you need to special-order it from the FLGS.

I think it is a good game as well, but I have not played for a while – like several years. Never played tournaments but with friends and only ever used the original edition rules and the rules contained therein.

Considering that the owner specifically told me in person that he doesn't want his company to have anything to do with me because I was mean to him, I will just scampi on to other rules if the WWII bug bites again.

I guess I'm one of those veterans who could never take it seriously and now that I've seen what turns up at the tournaments, I can only smile, shake my head and be glad I didn't get into it.

However, I recently got into gaming WWII in 15mm (because of the variety of miniatures available) and I'm using Arty Conliffe's Spearhead rules. After all these years I still think they are the best blend of realism while keeping the game playable and moving.

Still good here although they have moved to the eastern front ,leaving me in Tunis

It is just as popular with our group as ever, in other words we still do not play it…

Not a slam, if you are having fun playing a game then you are doing it right.

I dove in with both feet, bought all the books with 3rd edition included. Started to assemble the open fire set and….. was introduced to Battlegroup and I havent looked back… But thats just me and my experience. FOW has raised the bar on painting and terrain. The WWII games at conventions are much better to look at than the old days…
Respectfully,
Gunny

Don't see it played much anymore. No tournaments for a couple of years.

Never got off the ground in my group. Like some others here, we have too many veterans who actually know whats supposed to be happening on the table. FoW failed miserably for us.

OTOH, if it brings more people into the historical field, then good for them. Still, it does seem to be played less at the local shop (and that's not a good thing).

FoW easily remains the most played historical wargame in my area. We also have many Army combat arms veterans in our group, FoW does not "fail miserably" for us.

It's still a pretty good game, not perfect by any means but then again no set of rules is. No other set of rules out there is so significantly better that it makes us want to give up FoW. Sure, some rules do certain things better than FoW but on the other hand a lot of rules do things worse than them. Our group plays the game and has fun doing so.

But, to the game's credit, it has brought together our group which no other game could do. Older rules sets were a hard sell to a lot of people, they also had the drawback of either being hard to get or big on rules mechanics, but light on how to organise your forces and as for sourcing miniatures, the old hands were OK but the newcomers found it more difficult.

Enter Flames of War: It's accessibility meant that we could start a group and bring in veteran gamers and complete newcomers. It's scale meant that players could easily visualise and represent the action (unlike operational games like Command Decision and Rapid Fire: That's not a farmhouse, that's a small village) and, more importantly, they now had the tools to build up a force with the minimum of hassle. We've got role players and boardgamers who have got into miniatures because FoW has made it easy for them to do so. The rules are commonly available, the army lists are clearly presented, the painting guides well presented and the figures almost readily available and in the precise quantity you need without having to shop around and mix and match from other manufacturers. Now the veteran gamers in our group use a lot of PSC, Zvezda, Peter Pig and the like but when it comes to newcomers, they find it easier to go to Battlefront.

FoW isn't guilty of many of the charges laid against it and I could name any WW2 rules set and list a whole load of problems with them. The reason why it is still popular with our group is that it has the scope and easiness to encourage people to take up the hobby and that we don't overdose on it; playing it about once a month.

Anyway, I'll be running a Western Desert game of Flames of War at the Canon show in Retford this weekend if you're interested in trying it out.

Damn good post UB!

FoW never passed muster with those I game with in the first place, so losing interest is a non-issue.

Still very popular in my area. We have a nice cross grouping of players, many vets in our ranks. Also support a High School group. Several years ago there was a club playing in Afghanistan. interesting to see some guys in full gear playing the game.

I live in the boonies… that guys that play it still love it as do I… we do not suffer form burnout as we don't get to play enough.

Some of our group at large have gone back to their main staple… naval, ACW, etc… but FoW is definitely not a flash in the pan. We don't play tourney style rehularly.. only for a pick up game. Most of what we do is historic scenarioes…. so it is all good in my area… I just wish I could play more!!!!

Going well in Perth (Australia) at our club. We have regular pick up games and tournaments.

"Fotherington Thrip"

Well isn't FOW and Battlefront part of your nations economy?

AUSTRALIA-NEW ZEALAND there the same thing, yes?

Don't get y!
It goes along with this topic, TMP link

It's pottering along at my club in Adelaide, Australia… but that is more because I don't have many FOW people I'm gaming against (Group North here in Adelaide plays on Wednesday, no good for me) and we're only a new club with plenty of mixes and matches.

It all depends on what I bring on the day really!

"we have too many veterans who actually know whats supposed to be happening on the table"

Thank you, that's one of the funniest things I've read on here in ages!

Well F.O.W. is one of the funniest game systems I ever read and attempted to play.

And I have tried to but its just out there.

I'm curious to know why people who have never liked the game decided to post on this thread?

I've wondered that myself on occasion. I guess the burning desire to impress upon others their superior thoughts is simply overwhelming. Still, unlike most forums, you can simply switch off those tiresome types. Which is nice!