"Getting started in FOW - Help! " Topic

Hello,

For a couple of years now I've been collecting ww2 miniatures of all different scales and sizes for my commission paintings. Mainly being in the 10mm range for the low cost and quick turnaround to pump out full regiments.

However, as of late I have started to look into the 15mm side of things (FOW etc) and realised how much more choice there is in regards to manufacturers, ranges, scenery etc. and it has really got me interested in moving over to this scale.

I think for its scale and coverage of the Second World War, i'm going to settle on Flames of War and have started to read it's articles on the beginners section.

I just wondered if you guys would be able to point me in the right direction with getting started.

i – Which FOW rulebook should I use? I am solely interested in late war stuff, so from Overlord onwards. From what I have read is there a particular rulebook for this period or is there a rulebook which covers all the period 39-45?

ii – Where can I learn about unit organisation in the game? I am looking to start ordering my new mini's in the next couple of days, but don't want to commit to anything I can get a basic grasp of the unit organisation system. Will I have to buy books to understand this or is there plenty of reading material online?

iii – What manufacturers of mini's would you reccomend (UK Based ideally) I was totally blown away by the amount of manufacturers there were selling 15mm ww2 miniatures and it really shows how popular the scale is. Whilst the all look good, which one's would people recommend for value, quality of castings and range?

Thank you for your help and here's to the next chapter.

Jake

Flames of War ?
Other rules are available.

Yes other rules are available but they asked about this one. Currently going to 4th edition. Points driven system with a must have core unit. You will need a rulebook and the Late War book. If you are in UK should be easy to find someone who plays. As to manufacturers plenty to choose from just based on your budget. You can get a rulebook out of a army set for instance. Hope this helps

Hello Jake
I think your e mail would mirror the thoughts of a fair few gamers.
For what it is worth (not much I know), I strongly suggest you get down to a local club or game shop and join in on a WW2 15mm game. Those chaps will probably supply the information you need, whilst getting you into a set of rules or game style. Try before you buy. Let us (TMP readers) know where in the UK you are and there will be several replies from welcoming game groups in your area. That would make it much easier for you. They would know you area coming and would arrange a game accordingly. I know of several clubs in the Hampshire/Dorset area if that helps?

Do remember however, that much of what is on TMP is merely opinion often dressed up as fact. See the games for yourself.

For late war. Get the main rulebook and the cards.All you really need. As to minis you are spoiled for choices.plastic soldier company is a good starting point.

Agreed. Try the games out before you commit. I am sure FoW is a great game but there are other like Chain of Command that are also worth a look.

If you are in UK should be easy to find someone who plays.

It might harder than you think , depending on where you are located !

Hi Hake,

Here's a specific answer for you-

I. The current edition is 4th Edition and since you're a late war fan I would suggest getting this book.

auction

This book covers the big four in Europe (US, UK, Germany and the USSR) and has the main field formations that most folks are looking for. Yes, the specialist formations are missing (cavalry, paratrooper, oddball stuff), but you do have all of the important formations that you need to play. There are cards out there that you can buy that will expand your game or give you unit stats but you don't really need them.

The current 4th Edition rules will work fine but be aware that the game is moving from a 1500 point base down to a 100 point base, so you're going to see differences between mid war points and late war points. I reckon that will be fixed as FoW moves from Mid-war to late war. You CAN use the 3rd edition army books/briefings but you will have to do some modifications. There is a book out there that you can get, many times for free, that will move your force from 3rd to 4th edition. It's a bit of a bother IMO, so I stick with the book I linked above.

II. My link above answers this question quite nicely. Plus it's a touch more than 15 quid (with shipping), so you can't beat the price. But as I mentioned, it only covers basic formations so the elites, minor allies, and odd formations aren't covered… yet.

III. At the risk of sounding all fanboy I would recommend Battlefront's miniatures. The plastic kits they are putting out are quite good and have lots of stuff with them like data cards, decals, and oddball stuff to spruce up your vehicles. The infantry are mostly plastic too with a nice array of poses and correct gear. Plus the BF stuff is organized to be a complete unit with all the necessary stands, TO&E gear, and so on. So for example you're not stuck buying a pack of 8 BAR men just to get the 3 BARs you need for that US rifle platoon that you're building to support your tank company. I'm not sure about BF's prices in the UK but they are fairly reasonable in the US. You can expect to pay about $40 USD for a platoon of vehicles (more or less) and quite a bit less for an infantry platoon. The current US/UK infantry sets are actually company – formations with typically two full rifle platoons along with lots of extras (the US company gets a full weapons platoon too in addition to the rifle platoons… I'm not sure what the UK company has).

Hope that helps.

If you are interested in very detailed OOBs which both permit and restrict, I suggest FoW V3.
Since you're interested in Late War, I would like to draw your attention to the Market Garden books.
The German response, drawn from training and refit depots, can be restricted to what the actual units had.
A bizarre example of this is allowing HQ if the 82nd Airborne to have panzerfausts, but not the 101st. Why? Apart, according to the fluff, the 82nd captured a truckload on the first day. And since they decided to use them up, they get strange special rules for massive use of panzerfausts that the Germans don't get.

In my opinion, V4 tries to be too generic, too tournament driven, and less concerned about actual scenarios.
V3 is also for tournaments, but I feel more suited to scenarios.
Since it's "outdated" (Nonsense. Rules don't get old, players do), V3 books should be a lot cheaper.

My two cents.

The current 4th Edition rules will work fine but be aware that the game is moving from a 1500 point base down to a 100 point base.

This is meant to start June 2019 for LW and will take about 4 years,from what BF said at the UK open day .

As for EW that may go out to Osprey , so will probably be just 1 book like NAM & AIW books if it happens .

Team Yankee is a self-contained game. We have an interesting time here, I play West Germans.

Thanks all for your help. Been looking at different manufacturers today and orders some sample lots for skytrex, forged in battle, old glory and peter pig. Are these the main manufacturer of good minis or am I missing any out?

Jake

As you are in the UK check these out , link .

You can add Plastic Soldier Company and Battlefront to that list, as well as QRF/Total System Scenic. PSC is good if you're planning on lots of tanks or halftracks.

There are other options, but they're generally for what-if kinds of things. I have a decent number of Forged in Battle E50 tanks and Katzchen APCs for my Weird War Germans, but I'd buy Khurasan E25 'Hetzers'.

Oh, forgot to mention. The members of FoW /TG/ have an archive of just about every BF book and online army list ever. And a few fun books that they created, like Late-War Leviathans, for the Weird War stuff. mediafire.com/?8ciamhs8husms

This will let you see all the v3 army lists. I honestly prefer the v3 army lists.

You can do some shenanigans with the Pacific War books to have your artillery off-table and have counter-battery. Pacific War points are the same as Early War, and there are Late-War points in the books.

But I think artillery has the same points through all the different eras, Early, Mid, and Late.

Hi Hake Jumble,
Welcome to 15mm WW2 gaming

FoW is currently going through a transition period at the moment.

The V4 rules came out earlier this year have caused a bit of a schism in the community

V4 is much more streamlined which some people don't like
V3 was a bit more clunky but also had more options
I personally prefer V4 as I'm a casual gamer but its up to you

I have a spare copy of the FoW v4 small rulebook so if you send me a PM you can have it for free
Alternatively if you want V3 also send me a PM and you can have my old V3 rule book for the cost of the postage (its a heavy one)

For V4 in late war the simplest is a book called Armies of the Late War which contains the main formations for Soviets, US, Germans and British
Including various tank, mechanised and infantry options. This book is a stop gap measure so be warned that it will be getting replaced next year with a new version that changes it to the new points system as it currently uses the old one. Then BF have plans to release LW army specific books at a semi regular interval

Alternatively you can get one of the bazillion V3 LW books and a copy of the document with a really long name the battlefront released that contains rules of how to convert the formations to V3

if you know your set on V4 then their are 4 LW box sets that Battlefront currently have that come with a Mini Rule book, getting started guide, a few tanks and usually some guns. Their is one for each nation. of the top of my head the German 1 for example is 5 Panthers, 3x Panzer IV-H, 2x Tigers and 2x 88s. the other nations contain a similar amount of models but it does mean they are not evenly pointed (seen as German stuff is points expensive)

If your going down the V3 route the big rule book contains a similar armies of the LW book with formations for the 4 big players and then as I said there a bazillions of different theatre and army specific books to choose from

In regards to miniatures the new Battlefront ones are very nice their is also Plastic solider Company who are really good and a bit cheaper but might to always exactly match the organization of the FoW lists

I hop that helps

Jake, you should check & see what the WW2 gamers in your area are playing.

Oh and if your near Leeds or Wakefield give me a shout I have a Russian army which can be used as LW and I'm building up a LW German army

Thanks all for your help, I'm up Grimsby way on so potentially a little bit out of luck with the availability of clubs running FoW.

Andy, I will send you a PM as soon as I find out how to send PMs on here.

Alternatively, if there's any clubs in Grimsby/Lincoln/Hull I would be interested.

Jake

Its Okay Jake I'm fairly new round here (after lurking for many many years) and I also have no idea how to send PMs. I'll see if I can work it out

EDIT
it looks like only paying members can send messages to other paying members
Have you joined the official FoW facebook group?
if so you can find me on there Andy Thompson and send me a message that way

Hi Jake

I hope you enjoy your foray into 15mm!
I would echo the advice of seeing what your local club plays, but saying that if your keen to get going FoW seems like a good option. It's accessible and fun from what I hear. I've just started my self. And if you want something different later l your miniatures can be used for a range of other good rule sets

Done this lots of years and learned lots the hard way. Unless your into Solo Gaming I'd worry FIRST about finding a regular group to game with THEN go with the rules, and version, they use. If you've decided on 15s then I'd stick with FoW minis regardless of rules used. I've been disappointed with other minis but never with FoW and their new plastics are great! All the best. Cheers!