"Help with a Fistful of TOWs 3 Scale" Topic

Not sure if this is the right place really but recently got the rulebook for FFT3 and really eager to try it out, but I am a bit unsure how to interpret the Army lists and costs in relation to 1:1 scale (which I would like to use)

The rules say that each stand of tanks usually represents 3-6 units. Now in the army list for example a US Tank Batallion has 3 Tank Companies with 3 MBTs each. Down in the Stand inventory it says you need 9 MBT, so does that mean I need 3x9 Tanks when playing 1:1?

And the other question is how to use the point costs if playing 1:1. If a tank in the list costs 230, that is for 3-6 of them?

It seems rather difficult to play the game in 1:1 since you don't actually know how many tanks each stand really represents, which could lead to some imbalance if one country should have more/less then the other.

The listed cost would be for 1 tank when playing at 1 to 1 scale. Army lists mean 9 MBT stands for the normal scale (5 to 1) for that particular unit.

The actual TOE you are going to have to research to find out since FFoT's data is not really useful for that 1 to 1 scale. I use the lists in MBT from Avalon Hill and other games that I own. Most likely someone will point you to a list of TOEs online in a couple posts.

No, he's talking 3 x tanks for a company, or roughly one tank on the tabletop for every 5 – 6 in real life (3 – 6, as in the rules). Therefore, only 9 tanks to represent the three companies of tanks.

Basically, the game is one miniature on the tabletop per platoon in real life.

Depending upon the time period, and type of tanks, US companies would have 17, or 14 tanks per company.

Soviet/Warpac would be 10 – 13 per company, since each platoon has 3 – 4 vehicles in it.

I'd go with historical TO&Es if I were you, since you can't just assume 3 x the number in FFT will work out properly.

West Germans also had 17 x tanks/company, dropped briefly to 10, and then went back up to 14 during the Cold War.

British are 14 tanks per company, generally, but a few more in the early Cold War TO&Es (16, IIRC).

> No, he's talking 3 x tanks for a company, or roughly

No, he was referring to the end of each unit where it gives a total of the models needed to field that particular unit.

> Basically, the game is one miniature on the tabletop per platoon in real life.

It is 5 to 1 whenever possible, soviets are often 2 models on the table o represent 10 vehicles (3 platoons of 3 and a command tank) while the Brits would be 5 models to represent the 14 vehicles. Which is what makes figuring out actual platoons hard to do.

Platoon organizations are fairly easy to find. NATO were 5 tanks through the 70's, 4 tanks after. Soviet were 3 tanks since the 40's.

US had 2 tanks in the HQ for each company and 3 more at Battalion. Soviet were 1 more at company and Battalion.

It is worth some study of sources other than the rules

ROAD Heavy Organization from 1965-1984:

Armor Company:

17 MBTs (3 Platoons 5 MBTs each, & 2 MBTs in the CO HQ).

Armor Battalion:

3 Armor Companies, HHC (HQ Company) and a CSC Combat Support Company). CSC company had a Scout Platoon, 4.2" Mortar Platoon M106 instead of M125, a GSR grouns surviellance radar section, and a Redeye Section.

Armor Heavy Task Force: 1 or 2 Armor Infantry Teams, and 1 or 2 Armor Companies.

Armor Heavy Team: Armor Company HQ with a Mech Infantry Platoon assigned, and 2 Armor Platoons. One of the regular armor platoon is cross attached to a Infantry Company to create an Mech Infantry Heavy Team.

Mech Infantry Company

14 M113 APCs, 3 M125 81mm Mortar Cariers, 2 M150 or M901 TOW vehicles.

3 Infantry Platoons 4 M113 each, 3 Squads, with Plt HQ on 4th APC.

Co Hq on 1 M113

Mortar Section on 1 M113 (cmd/FDC vehicle) and 3 M125 81mm mortar carriers.

TOW section with 2 TOW Vehicles.

Mech Infantry Battalion:

3 Mech Infantry Companies, HHC, and CSC Companies (CSC Company for the INF BN adds a AT Platoon of TOW, otherwise same as Armor CSC).

Division 86 organization 1984-2004ish:

Armor Company:

14 MBT (3 platoons with 4 tanks each, HQ on 2 additional MBT)

Armor Battalion:

4 Armor Comanies, with 3 Tanks in the BN HQ section. No CSC Company, Scouts Mortars, Stinger (replaced Redeye) section assigned to HHC.

Mech Infantry Company:

13 APC's M113 or M2 Bradley IFV (mid 86 no mortar or TOW section, although there was normally a TOW section always assigned and trained with each Rifle Company. When I was a TOW section leader I was in Echo Company, but dotted line to Charlie Company. The 81mm Mortars were added back to the Mech company at some point (late 80's, early 90's?).

Mech Infantry Battalion:

4 Companies of Mech Infanty. No CSC Company, Add Echo Company as AT, Scouts Mortars, Stinger section (replaced Redeye) assigned to HHC.

Except for when the Soviets use 4 x tanks for their platoons, which started, IIRC, in the 1970s, for some battalions.

13 per company.

The 4 Soviet tanks in a Platoon were only in the organic Tank Battalions in the Motor Rifle Regiments in the Motor Rifle Divisions.

Soviet Tank Regiments are 3 tanks per platoon.

And once they've been in the field for a week, nobody will have their textbook strength any more ;-)

Thanks everyone for the help!

Couldn't write earlier because there is a 3 day waiting period before you can post as a new member.

Will check out some TOEs on that period, and as long as both sides have an equal amount of points it should be ok even if the platoons aren't exact.
Regarding points, the book only suggests how much points to play in WW2, but what is a realistic number in modern?

Can't say but it is easy enough to figure out. Take how many tanks (or whatever force) you want in a battle and find the cost for that many.

The modern units are a lot more expensive per stand/vehicle.

I'd take whatever you want to be your main tank, figure out the cost for 10 of them, and then take a similar value in enemy tanks, for an intro game.

Once you have a few games down, it becomes pretty quick to eyeball a points total.

I know this involves an outlay of more $$, but each list is only $1.5 USD USD per.
link
they have pretty much any organization you could need.

If you have a specific formation in mind, let me know I'm kind of a TO&E nerd so I can give you some specifics