goes to sea with the Terrain Mat.
John-Paul usually likes to begin each year with a preview of what is coming for Flames of War. This year's update is a little late because 2015 is going to be busier than ever before, and a few things still had to be confirmed. But here it is. 2015 will be a monster year for Flames of War fans.
Nachtjäger
We started the year with a new late-war book, Nachtjäger, released in mid-February, covering the fighting on the German border between British and German units. Nachtjäger translates as 'Night hunter', so this book also covers night-fighting rules and features some of the very first night-vision technology ever created. It comes with four new plastic sets:
- A British Rifle Company
- British Comet Platoon
- British Cromwell Platoon
- A German Panther G/Jagdpanther Platoon box
Open Fire!
The end of March will see our updated version of the Open Fire! starter set hit the shelves. The full details of this new version are already up on the site, but the opportunity to improve the set further, with the addition of new material and two new plastic models, British Sherman V/Firefly and the German StuG, was something we were pleased to be able to do.
Brown Water Navy
April sees us return to the jungle, as we visit the Mekong Delta with the new Brown Water Navy book. This book covers the river fighting in the deltas, and allows you to fight a completely new style of Vietnam game. With a complete range of riverine boats to choose, from the little PBRs to the big CCB Monitors, these boats give your U.S. forces the ability to assault the river banks and carve their way into the jungle. Never one to make it easy for the U.S., the VC have a few tricks up their sleeves, making this environment a truly unique gaming theater.
You will be seeing a complete range of models and terrain, as well as delta river mats (2'x4') that come in a set that can be swapped around to give you a variety of a full 6'x4' delta system.
Colours Of War
The end of April sees the release of Colours Of War, our brand-new painting system specifically designed for painting 15mm models. This book accompanies a newly engineered paint range that will initially be out in handy army-specific sets, and then followed by a range of separates.
Berlin
June sees us reach the gates of Berlin and brings us to our newest late-war book. Fighting for Berlin was a brutal slugfest where every trick the Germans could play to slow the Soviet advance was used. The Soviets were on the door-step of victory, and had to see it through no matter the cost, and the ensuing battle is one of history's bloodiest, ending the war in Europe. Both forces have some unique equipment used for this final battle, from the German Kleinpanzer Wanze and Waffentrager to Soviet armor with Bedspring Armor, and the mighty 203mm obr 1931 gun and its building-destroyer rule.
This book has six new plastic kits to accompany it:
- Soviet Strelkovy Battalion
- IS-2 1943/1944 variants
- ISU122/152 variants
- ZIS-2/3 gun Companies
- 122mm/152mm Artillery Battalions
- As well as Bedspring Armor
Great War
August sees us get back to the Great War, with a book to cover the German Infanteriekompanie and Stosskompanie, the British Rifle Company, the French Companie De Fusiliers, and the American Rifle Company. The book also includes ten scenarios, as well as painting guides for each nation. An assortment of great new models, including the French Schneider CA, French Char Saint Chamond, and the British Mark V, as well as new infantry ranges for the two new nations. This will be the one-stop shop for all your Great War needs.
Cold War Gone Hot
October sees us diving into a brand-new period, as we release Fulda Gap. The period of the modern war when tensions between NATO and the Warsaw Pact were running high is a wonderful theater to develop, as the forces arrayed on both sides boast some of the coolest-looking equipment in history. And with the advances in technology, we are looking forward to seeing forces of M1 Abrams covered by A10 Thunderbolts pitting their might against the swathes of T-72s and BMP-mounted infantry. We plan for this to be a complete period, with books covering nations and plastic sets for all the main vehicles of every nation. October is just the start, and 2016 will have more books and additional miniatures.
You would think at this point we could not fit anything else in, but I did say at the start that we have been busy planning a super-exciting year.
Pacific
In December, we will round out the year with the first of two Pacific books, one for the U.S. and one for the Japanese. Yes, that's right. The waiting is over and the Pacific will finally become a reality. The December/January book releases will each have a complete range of models, and will come with a selection of specific terrain. These books will bring the Pacific to life and allow you to use the forces across several time periods.
Battlefield in a Box
As well as our countdown for book and model releases throughout 2015, we have an ongoing flow of new terrain coming. We have been working hard to improve our production speed in our own factory, making us far less reliant on outside sources, so that we can not only keep up with demand for existing codes that have had a stop-start supply this year, but we can produce the volume needed on release to satisfy all the demand.
Next month, we will be unveiling an exciting new project that coincides with the release of the Berlin book. Big city buildings in resin have their limitations for production and cost, but we have been engineering some very clever plastics that will allow for you to take your Flames of War table to a whole new scale, as buildings get taller, longer and deeper, as well as battle-damaged if you want. The modular system will bring city fighting to life like never before, and no two tables need ever look the same.
