Fields of Fire

Sure, update...I've played around with it some more over the past couple of weeks and I have to say that I think it's one of the most interesting wargame designs in years. The caveat is it does take a little work to get going...setting up a scenario and getting things rolling can take a little bit longer than I think is comfortable for a solo game, but once you dig in it's pretty close to amazing. There's definitely an UP FRONT kind of feeling, but there's new concepts that are really pretty groundbreaking for war game design. The "AI" system is brilliant, the command/communication mechanic makes for a lot of really interesting decision points...I'm about 99% sure you're going to like it Gary...I think it's a must buy, particularly for folks like me looking for something totally unique and innovative.

I really want to get into it some more...your people get better and develop over a campaign and I haven't really done that yet. It's still kind of trial and error for me, but it's the sort of thing where when you get it right it feels right- because it's a great design.

What do I need to do to get you to just buy COSMIC? It's one of the best games you could possibly buy and the FFG is nearly perfect.

I just got this -- it is going to be my first wargame (I don't really count Twilight Struggle as a wargame) just because it plays solo and no one I know wants to play wargames. I read through the rulebook (nothing worse than the MtG rules when they invented "the stack") and it look reasonable, but I definitely will need to reference it as I play. I hope to play my first round after this week.

Gary -- as to Cosmic Encounter, get it! I had never played it before the FFG version, but I have to agree that it is quite excellent -- one of my favorite games of all time.

Alright. I'll definitely get both soon. Almost bought Cosmic today at the FLGS but I just couldn't stomach going into my Simpson's comic book guy run local FLGS to pay 60 bucks for it. Maybe it makes me a cheap ass, but that's just how it is.

www.boardgamegeek.com/file/info/38617

I HAVE TO HAVE THIS GAME!

...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I gave in.

This game is very hard to play. But hilarious--what follows is my first turn of FoF.

I cautiously send one squad from 1st and 2nd platoons onto the map, one into an orchard and another into a farm. Neither of my units can find cover since their commanders are not with them, they were sent alone into the cards. The rest of my command waits impatiently off map to see what happens. Both squads get ripped apart. One squad takes massive artillery fire from a hidden German forward observer stationed in a village nearby, pinning it and turning a step into a litter team. The other squad finds a well placed hidden sniper and gets one step paralyzed, one step turns into a litter and one intact unit. All pinned and still not in cover.

Next turn my plt leaders of 1 and 2 damn the torpedos and bring their entire platoons onto the card containing the remnants of their comrades squad. They dash onto the card, exposed while their commanders shout at them to find the hidden sniper and forward observer. They somehow find both and open fire...

OMFG this game is ballbustingly hard. And I don't mean hard to play, though it does have a cliff size learning curve, but I mean *difficult.* It is brutal. There are American bodies everywhere in every mission I've tried and failed (All mission 1, the offensive)

Gary Sax wrote:

OMFG this game is ballbustingly hard. And I don't mean hard to play, though it does have a cliff size learning curve, but I mean *difficult.* It is brutal. There are American bodies everywhere in every mission I've tried and failed (All mission 1, the offensive)

Yea, it's a bloodbath isn't it? I played my first game completely *wrong* [from start to finish I think] and *STILL* got basically everyone reduced to a fine red mist....

It is hilarious to send people onto the first contacts and watch them all be killed pinned and paralyzed, never to be effective again. UH OH!

Was playing this using the excellent VASSAL module today, doing mission 1 WWII again. I should move onto the Korea missions in my table game... but since the VASSAL only has WWII I went with that.

This game really still delivers. It is labor intensive as hell, fiddly, I guess you'd call it, but it really is a great game. There is no excuse not to try this game if you like solo games and tactical games at all now that the play example and VASSAL modules are out. It is playable... just read the XoP and don't sit around obsessing about the crap rulebook. This is the most innovative wargame I've played in the last 2 years or so.

Anyone want to swap some stories and strategies with me? Today I played the first 4-5 turns of mission 1 again and the 3 of the first 4 cards triggered mines. That means I had a narrow one card gap to funnel all my good troops and equipment through unless I wanted to chance the mines. God damn Krauts and their mines.

Just traded for this yesterday...the comments here are inspiring me to read through the rules and tackle it rather than wait around for an updated ruleset. Sounds tremendous...

Just read the new example of play, Iguana. It will crystallize almost everything you need to know to play. It's very hard to play straight out of the rulebook. Seeing it in play makes all the difference. I think a lot of people who are hating on this game are not really putting it on the table and muddling through it a little, they just read the terrible rules and give up. I understand, but I think now with the examples there's no need to put this away anymore.

The other reason people don't like this, IMHO, is that boardgame and wargame players are control freaks. You will get in many missions where a lot of your guys die because of a couple bad draws. But you *have* to fight through that--that's what is fun about the game. People who have to have an iron grip over their games and try to make sure no one dies in a mission are not going to be happy with FoF. I think that's part of the game's viewpoint--in a real offensive, shit is going to happen, guys are going to die, and it's up to you as the commander to salvage something out of the shitstorm.

I cannot get this fucking german heavy machine gun out of the trenches in mission one. He's covering the single card gap that I mentioned and it's really busting my balls.

Time to continue my one man Fields of Fire thread.

I just busted out the first Korea mission. First of all, the amount of firepower US forces sport compared to the WWII mission is fucking ridiculous. It completely changes the way you think.

Second of all, the Korea terrain deck and Korean OOB *completely* changes the feel of the game. Korea is wide open with big hills. You can really command huge areas by getting on the hills and escarpments and gunning down North Koreans. North Korean force packages are just like tons of squads with rifles and very few guns. It is a much more wide open game style with your forces engaging at fair distances and lots of heavy weapons being employed. In the German scenarios the terrain is almost always only 1 card visibility and the German forces are pretty specialized with tons of different guns and whatnot. Koreans... not so much. Lots and lots of squads hanging around to get into gun battles with.

Very cool. If you played this game and enjoyed it but only played the WWII missions, I strongly suggest you pick up a Korean mission. It's damn good fun.

Keep 'em coming, Gary. I'm enjoying reading about your escapades. I suspect you've sold at least a couple people on this game.

I'll be happy to swap stories and strategies once I actually learn the game. If I can just a) find the time after work to sit down and play, and b) break my current addiction to Armageddon Empires.

I wonder whether anyone can help me out with the VASSAL module. I am using the latest version of VASSAL (3.1.2 I think) on Mac OSX and I can't seem to get it to work.

Everything I try to do just makes VASSAL give me an error message sayiing that x is not a valid VASSAL module. Am I missing something very basic?

lollocaust wrote:

I wonder whether anyone can help me out with the VASSAL module. I am using the latest version of VASSAL (3.1.2 I think) on Mac OSX and I can't seem to get it to work.

Everything I try to do just makes VASSAL give me an error message sayiing that x is not a valid VASSAL module. Am I missing something very basic?

It's been suggested that the file extension (.zip instead of .vmod) is causing the problem. Try the file at this link: http://www.mediafire.com/file/tnwtzzn02mz/FoF_Normandy_v1-3.vmod