Game: Tide of Iron: Days of the Fox

Thread: Re: kidney ridge

cooler king — 2008-09-17T02:11:08+00:00

you need not fill every base. Mortars especially need no infantry on the same base ( two mortars on one base are a different story ).
I've playtested a new scenario that uses very few figures per base (to be included in the new scenario book... if it made the cut)

Thread: kidney ridge

jphien — 2008-09-17T00:32:34+00:00

It may be a stupid question but I assume Division 1 for the Germans is supposed to have 6 bases not 8. Or should I have eight more German troops? The Kidney Ridge scenario says 8 bases but only 24 troops
{counting machine gun and mortar crews as 2 troops}.

Image

GreenBear — 2008-09-08T15:47:50+00:00

Matilda in desert cam

Image

GreenBear — 2008-09-08T15:47:11+00:00

The Famous 88!

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GreenBear — 2008-09-08T15:46:30+00:00

Crusader with desert cam

Thread: Re: AT guns and fresh squads operating them

longagoigo — 2008-08-17T10:57:22+00:00

Yes, it's not really the case of the squad firing the AT-gun. It's just that the soldiers who fire those things won't get out of their foxholes unless there is squad around to watch their backs while they are dealing with the AT-gun. Once they've fired the guns, they are all too willing to pop back down into their holes, while the other squad does their thing.
BTW Although the trucks move, you never see the guys who drive the trucks, as they won't get out under any circumstances.

Thread: Matilda turret missing but lightning fast customer support

panzermeister — 2008-08-11T17:54:50+00:00

Just a quick message to give some for FFG customer support.

I unpacked my Days of the Fox and noticed the turret on one of the Matilda II's was missing. At 5:30pm Sunday (Central European Time) I sent an email to FFG customer support and received a reply 8 hours later that they needed my name and address. I gave it to them and received another reply after 10 hours saying a replacement tank is packed and ready to go!

That's two replies, no problems, replacement ready to ship, in 18 hours.
Excellent!

Oh, the game is great too btw... We play it 2 vs 2 at work whenever we have some spare time
Didn't bring DotF there yet but vanilla ToI is popular

Thread: Re: Does Size Matter?

Wargamesrfun — 2008-08-04T15:21:30+00:00

Picked up this expansion and must say I like it. The only thing I can say is that the Pz IV is seriously out of whack. I can live with the Tiger but some new Pz IV models IMO would be helpful. Perhaps a set of four with the Normandy expansion would do it(without the skirts). Not a huge deal and I'll continue to use these ones but for someone who isn't quite up to speed on WW2 armour might believe the Pz IV in it's current form to be the mightiest piece on the board.

The Pz III's are great, in addition to the British vehicles.

Thread: Re: Rescue Mission opinions please

andywatkins1963 — 2008-07-31T20:07:34+00:00

Thanks for the reply,

Have to say i don't think we got a single rule wrong, which is pretty good going.

Lack of experience meant it seemed fairly safe for the US squad to come out the front, we had not thought through that the Germans could assault as the Brits had nothing on Op fire. To be fair they did not have all that much left at that time the german fire had been especially effective.

1st game i did a lot of combined fire with the germans and did annoyingly little damage with it. So 2nd game I fired almost every squad individually and got good dice rolls, after two turns many of the british infantry were dead.

Fun game.

Thread: Re: Rescue Mission opinions please

Smeagollum — 2008-07-31T18:59:27+00:00

Glad to hear the game went well! Hopefully you've brought two new players into the fold to stay.

andywatkins1963 wrote:

We used op fire very little, mostly as few units were moving after the 1st turn, most held up in their buildings and shot it out.

That's a little surprising. Especially for the Germans, having at least the machine gun in a place where it can Op Fire effectively seems like a great (though maybe not necessary) tactic. If enemies are on the move, MG in Op Fire is great, since shooting doesn't exhaust it.

andywatkins1963 wrote:

1st game a Brit squad acquired a flamethrower and assaulted a german squad with 3 elite inf in it. The Brits got to roll 8 dice with the flamethrower bonus and the Germans lost all their building cover because of the flamethrower. 4 hits were scored which killed the Germans. In exchange they rolled 6 dice which also scored 4 hits (both counted hits of 4,5,6) and killed the attacking Brits, net result everyone dead, which seemed a bit strange to us

In brutal close combat, why not? Especially with grenades flying both ways and highly flammable flamethrower fuel tanks in the mix, mutual destruction is pretty plausible.

andywatkins1963 wrote:

Then in the 2nd game my germans had done much better and shot up a lot of british infantry. The american squad did a risky run down the front of the germans (rather than around the back) it was out of los of any attackers though, again no one was on op fire.

As it was the US squad i needed to kill, i took a 4 man german squad and assaulted them into the US squad, dice were rolled and again both squads died. Fine by me as all I had to do was kill the US Squad.

I know the attacker can count 1/2 fire from 2 friends adjacent to the defender. I don't think the defender can do this can they?

Did we do anything wrong as the assaukt seemed a bit crazy, with no one on op-fire you can just charge across the road and commit suicide on a virtual gurantee both squads will be wiped out!

Andy

Sounds like you had the rules right. Defender can't have adjacent friends help (though every defender in the hex gets involved). Yet again, a reason to use Op Fire. For the Germans, to stop the Americans in their tracks (though maybe better to make killing rather than suppressing attacks, giving up the ability to delay for a lot fewer defender dice). For the British, to keep the Germans in place and stopping such an assault! From my playthroughs of this one, I'd say it might be better to sneak the Americans out the back, so that the Germans either have to engage at long range, or fight their way to near the exit point to stop the Americans there.
You bring up an interesting decision the Allies have to make: move the Americans right away on a turn, to make sure they don't get suppressed and stuck? Or wait until the Germans are fatigued or suppressed before bringing the target into harm's way? To have it both ways, this is a good time for the Brits to combine fire -- get the most bang for the buck with few activations. And keep in mind that the good positions the germans will take up are in houses, aainst which the Challenger's 'concussive firepower' ability is pretty devastating.
But that's a lot of what makes this scenario so much fun -- tactical depth in a small game, just a handful of units. Short enough that you can get in two plays in an afternoon. Glad you lot had such a good time; I may try to introduce a friend to this game via this scenario over the weekend.

Thread: Re: Alpha units

Emil 109 — 2008-07-31T17:42:13+00:00

Errata 1.2 version:

No. Units with this specialization only upgrade when making an attack alone.

Thread: Re: Kidney Ridge typo?

Emil 109 — 2008-07-31T17:36:47+00:00

It doesn't matter in a 2-player game since the entry points for reinforcements are common.
In 2x2 player game I assume you have to split them.
Probably is a typo although it's not mentioned at 1.2 errata where there are two changes for Hellfire and Rescue.

Thread: Re: Rescue Mission opinions please

andywatkins1963 — 2008-07-31T16:41:54+00:00

Played the rescue mission yesterday - twice, with the same pair of newbies.

I played the Germans and they shared the Brits, playing as a 2 player game not 4 player.

Game worked well and was fun.

I believe I would recommend this scenario to anyone as a beginner scenario, it has a bit of everything but not too much

One query came up, I think I have the rules right but they played a bit strange, this is all to do with the deadliness of assaults.

We used op fire very little, mostly as few units were moving after the 1st turn, most held up in their buildings and shot it out.

1st game a Brit squad acquired a flamethrower and assaulted a german squad with 3 elite inf in it. The Brits got to roll 8 dice with the flamethrower bonus and the Germans lost all their building cover because of the flamethrower. 4 hits were scored which killed the Germans. In exchange they rolled 6 dice which also scored 4 hits (both counted hits of 4,5,6) and killed the attacking Brits, net result everyone dead, which seemed a bit strange to us

Then in the 2nd game my germans had done much better and shot up a lot of british infantry. The american squad did a risky run down the front of the germans (rather than around the back) it was out of los of any attackers though, again no one was on op fire.

As it was the US squad i needed to kill, i took a 4 man german squad and assaulted them into the US squad, dice were rolled and again both squads died. Fine by me as all I had to do was kill the US Squad.

I know the attacker can count 1/2 fire from 2 friends adjacent to the defender. I don't think the defender can do this can they?

Did we do anything wrong as the assaukt seemed a bit crazy, with no one on op-fire you can just charge across the road and commit suicide on a virtual gurantee both squads will be wiped out!

Andy

Thread: Re: Rescue Mission opinions please

andywatkins1963 — 2008-07-30T16:46:16+00:00

Thanks Dave, just wanted to check that one, off to play newby game in an hour and I really wanted to get it right

Thread: V3 of the Universal Head TOI rules summary and reference

UniversalHead — 2008-07-30T13:03:39+00:00

Version 3 (Jul 08) of my Tide of Iron reference pack is now uploaded under the main TOI game listing. The Days of the Fox expansion is now covered - there's a sheet for the British-sided rules summary and info about AT guns and new specialization tokens on all sheets.

As usual, print out in colour on card, laminate and trim for best results! Enjoy!

Other player aids at www.headlesshollow.com/freebies_games.html.

Thread: Re: Rescue Mission opinions please

Smeagollum — 2008-07-30T03:03:56+00:00

andywatkins1963 wrote:
Possibly my last question.

For an ordinary concentrated attack it says other units in LOS can support the attack, it does not appear to put any restrictions on numbers or how close to each other the supporting units have to be?

So if 5 units each of 4 regular inf had LOS to a target it is acceptable to launch one attack, 4 dice +2 +2 +2 +2 for 12 dice which is highly likely to get 3-4 hits or more and kill the target even if it was in a building.

Is this correct???

Initially i thought there was a maximum of 2 units supporting but i think this is only a restriction of assault attacks not concentrated fire?

Andy

You've got it right -- any number of units can combine fire. No need to be adjacent or anything (though keep in mind that if any of the units are at long range, the whole attack is). Combined fire can be really deadly.

Thread: Re: Rescue Mission opinions please

andywatkins1963 — 2008-07-29T21:34:38+00:00

Possibly my last question.

For an ordinary concentrated attack it says other units in LOS can support the attack, it does not appear to put any restrictions on numbers or how close to each other the supporting units have to be?

So if 5 units each of 4 regular inf had LOS to a target it is acceptable to launch one attack, 4 dice +2 +2 +2 +2 for 12 dice which is highly likely to get 3-4 hits or more and kill the target even if it was in a building.

Is this correct???

Initially i thought there was a maximum of 2 units supporting but i think this is only a restriction of assault attacks not concentrated fire?

Andy

Thread: Re: Rescue Mission opinions please

andywatkins1963 — 2008-07-29T19:18:51+00:00

Thanks very much for the reply Dave. After the disasterous attempt to get into this game at Christmas I am determined not to screw it up this time. My mates will enjoy this game if it kills them

I will do a short write up after the game on why i think this is / is not a good scenario for newbs....

So far it does look like an excellent scenario....

Thread: Re: Rescue Mission opinions please

Smeagollum — 2008-07-29T18:07:44+00:00

andywatkins1963 wrote:

When you move infantry onto or off of a bridge do you have to use the 2 hexsides that look like either end of the bridge, or can you jump on or off from any of the 6 hexsides. I am assuming the later?

You're not restricted by the artwork; you can move on or off the bridge from any adjacent hex except the impassable crevasse. So 4 entry/exit hexes per normal bridge.

andywatkins1963 wrote:

The terrain where the prison camp is based is a little strange. As far as I can see the Germans can not get into the camp at all as the only way past the crevases is over a bridge that goes straight into the camp and the germans aren't allowed to do that, so it looks like the germans whole up in the north and shoot up the Brits from there?

The Germans can't get into the camp over the nearby bridge, that's right. Not until the objective marker is removed, anyway. (Though no reason they can't camp out on the bridge itself, expecially if they have a 'fill sandbags' card to help them dig in. Anything to slow the escape!)
Though once the objective marker is gone (turn 3, usually), they can assault the house. They can also try to go the long way around, via the dunes... it might be effective to put a squad there for Op Fire, to slow down an escape out the back.

andywatkins1963 wrote:

2 turns for the brits to get to the US squad. No matter when on the 2nd turn they arrive, the US team can not move until the 3rd turn as the victory marker is removed at the end of the turn.... i think

us squad moves 5 hexes in 3rd turn and then can move 4 hexes in 4th turn +1 to exit so could do it at end of 4th turn??

Yes and yes. Though I think the quickest way out is too dangerous to be attempted unless it's absolutely necessary, as the only path goes right by the buldings the Germans will be sure to have occupied.

andywatkins1963 wrote:

I let the germans win initiative for the 3rd turn, they mortared the US squad and pinned it, guess it is vital the brits have initiative

My Germans mortared the US squad in the open on the 4th turn, disrupted it. I then managed at the end of the 4th turn to hit it with a lightly damaged half track which caused 1 suppressive damage on it. As already disrupted it was destroyed (I think)

Yeah, the Brits definitely need to spend their command carefully. The 'dust decoy' to exhaust enemy in Op fire is a great card... as is 'fill sandbags', to protect the American squad in the hexes they stop in. But it's important to get the Challenger in good position, which may require more command. Makes diverting a fast squad to the command point in the hills behind the rescue house well worth it. I tend to move the Challenger toward the open area on the German side of the house on the first turn -- it can stay put there and pummel the Germans moving into the buildings. But most of all, it's important to win initiative so they can get the Americans moving.

andywatkins1963 wrote:

Very fun and blood thirsty scenario, I think a good one for newbies.

88 never got a shot, I kept it in op fire in case the Crusader came into sight, it did not and my infantry shot up the crew of the 88

Where do others put the 88?

Can you put 88's in buildings? I assume not...

Andy

Yeah, the 88... can't put it in a building, since it's a vehicle. Old habits might make you want to drag it up onto the hill, put the time you lose doing that, and all the dead zones from the houses, make that a bad idea (my opinion). The best spot I've found for it is in the hex that's one space away from the narrow end of the board (sorry, don't have it in front of me to see which way the directions go). Looks like a bad spot at first, but it's actually great -- you have line of sight to the houses the British will want to occupy near the exit point for launching suppressing fire (use that concussive power to effect!), and also clear line of sight to hexes th American squad will have to use on its exit path, no matter which way it goes. Keep it in Op Fire, and dedicate a squad to stay there ready to operate it.
Let me know how the game goes! I think this is a great scenario. During setup (especially for the Germans), it pays to take out a straightedge and check the lines of sight... you'll be surprised by what you can see. During the end turns, the Germans face a tough choice -- do you put everything in Op Fire, trying to stop the Americans? If you do, the Brits can take their time to suppress you before moving the Americans. Or do you make normal attacks, trying to do your damage while you can before they slink away? Tough decision making. Amazing fun in a small, short game. I think your friends will really enjoy it, and that you picked the right scenario to introduce players to the potential of this game.

Thread: Re: Rescue Mission opinions please

andywatkins1963 — 2008-07-28T22:17:31+00:00

Couple of questions to see if i got this right....

2 turns for the brits to get to the US squad. No matter when on the 2nd turn they arrive, the US team can not move until the 3rd turn as the victory marker is removed at the end of the turn.... i think

us squad moves 5 hexes in 3rd turn and then can move 4 hexes in 4th turn +1 to exit so could do it at end of 4th turn??

I let the germans win initiative for the 3rd turn, they mortared the US squad and pinned it, guess it is vital the brits have initiative

My Germans mortared the US squad in the open on the 4th turn, disrupted it. I then managed at the end of the 4th turn to hit it with a lightly damaged half track which caused 1 suppressive damage on it. As already disrupted it was destroyed (I think)

Very fun and blood thirsty scenario, I think a good one for newbies.

88 never got a shot, I kept it in op fire in case the Crusader came into sight, it did not and my infantry shot up the crew of the 88

Where do others put the 88?

Can you put 88's in buildings? I assume not...

Andy

Thread: Re: Rescue Mission opinions please

andywatkins1963 — 2008-07-28T21:15:06+00:00

Dear all,

Getting ready to play this mission on Wednesday, as I am very new to the game myself I am playing through the game a couple of times to get the hang of the rules before Wednesday

Just played 1st turn...

8 British dead and 6 German dead!! This game certainly is blood thirsty isn't it.

When you move infantry onto or off of a bridge do you have to use the 2 hexsides that look like either end of the bridge, or can you jump on or off from any of the 6 hexsides. I am assuming the later?

The terrain where the prison camp is based is a little strange. As far as I can see the Germans can not get into the camp at all as the only way past the crevases is over a bridge that goes straight into the camp and the germans aren't allowed to do that, so it looks like the germans whole up in the north and shoot up the Brits from there?

Thread: Re: Rescue Mission opinions please

andywatkins1963 — 2008-07-23T21:55:02+00:00

Dave,

Thanks for the opinion. I will maybe give them just a little. I am tempted to give them an extra command point as it will allow them to use more of their cards and thus learn more about what can happen in the game.

They don't HAVE to win, I just don't want them to get slaughtered.

Will let you know after next Wednesdays game how it went.

Amdy

Thread: Re: Rescue Mission opinions please

Smeagollum — 2008-07-23T19:34:46+00:00

Hi Andy,
With the rule that the Germans can't attack the Americans at all until they've been 'freed', I think this scenario is pretty well-balanced; I've certainly see it go either way.
If you want to help the allies, I wouldn't go too far. Maybe an extra command point (keep in mind their supply deck can create more command points), maybe an extra squad of regular infantry -- a tank might be too much.
Let me know how it goes! I've been thinking about introducing a friend to the game through this scenario as well, so I'm interested in hearing about how your introduction goes.

Thread: Re: Tide of Iron: Days of the Fox. A short review.

rotabla — 2008-07-23T16:58:46+00:00

Is there a Bir Hakeim scenario ?

Thread: Re: Rescue Mission opinions please

andywatkins1963 — 2008-07-23T16:53:59+00:00

Dave,

I am going to use this scenario as my introduction scenario for a couple of friends who will be playing together so we will just play as if it is a 2 player game.

I want to give the allies more of an edge, I am trying to hook them on the game not beat them into the ground.

Does anyone think adding a 2nd Crusader would be a good idea? or letting the brits have more command points??

Thread: Re: Can the Brits win Hellfire pass?

Smeagollum — 2008-07-23T04:15:06+00:00

I really like this scenario. Though I'll admit it's a tough nut for the Brits to crack, it can be done.

The usual pattern goes like this: tanks get pummeled by AT guns, heavily damaged or useless by the time British infantry is on the table. Infantry, worried about the time limit, charge across open ground toward unsuppressed MG fire, and are ripped apart. The one-or-two man teams that might make it to the base of the hill are insufficient to take both hexes, and there isn't enough command for the British to both seize initiative and activate artillery.

Some thoughts:
Germans: the hidden command spot presents a problem. You want to put a squad there to control it; this will be a concealed squad, since if you occupy both AT hexes, those squads can't be concealed (no concealment in objectives). So, then you're potentially moving into enemy line of sight after claiming the objective, which reveals you.

It's probably a good idea for the Germans to keep one of their MGs concealed until the last moment, so it can't be shot at and is available to trip up the final assault. You only have to hold one hill to win...

British: The natural impulse is to suppress the MGs and charge forward into range. I suspect this is a lesson for the British in patience and limited aims that will be painful to learn. The German weakness here is limited numbers. I think the right thing for the British to do is concentrate fire from long range, killing (not suppressing) selected squads one at a time with combined fire, at least for a round. It's maddening to have to wait, but open ground + op fire MGs is suicide, pure and simple.
Combine fire with your tanks. Heavily damaged, that's 5 dice from two tanks, which isn't so bad.
Don't forget about the Desert Tactics deck. Artillery is great, and not to be avoided... but the card that fatigues an enemy in Op Fire mode is great, and the dust cloud card has its uses (use your immobilized tank to provide cover for your infantry to advance).

Thoughts on this?

Thread: Re: Rescue Mission opinions please

Smeagollum — 2008-07-23T02:30:07+00:00

Per the updated FAq (v. 1-2), the Germans may not fire at the Americans while the objective marker is present.

Given that, I think this is one of the best scenarios I've played for this game. Really tense and interesting. I like small games too, both for manageable time length and tactical clarity.

Some considerations/general thoughts:
British: spread your fast-moving squads out -- one in hex by bridge, one each in other two adjacent to that hex. This means the Germans can't keep you from getting in range to reach the house on round 2. Though only if you get a squad onto the hill in the first round can you avoid possible Op fire stopping you on the hill on the second round.

Germans, if they deploy a mounted squad in the halftrack in the hex nearest the Americans, can occupy the bridge out of the British zone on their first turn. British may want to leave something in op fire against this possibility. German initial positions have interesting lines of fire in terms of their objective, not nearly as bad as it looks at first.

Ideally, Americans want to move out the back way. But they can fast-track it past the German positions out the front door in one less turn, if need be (say, if pinned in house by mortar fire).
All in all, a great scenario.

Thread: Re: Rescue Mission scenario

andywatkins1963 — 2008-07-21T18:02:18+00:00

i assumed the germans could not shoot prisoners until free.

i want make this scenario a little easier for the brits. do you think an extra crusader would do it? or maybe an extra 1 command point marker close to the ally lines??

Andy

Thread: Re: Rescue Mission opinions please

CthIngo — 2008-07-20T14:42:08+00:00

This one can end in turn 1. Seriously.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/295630

Thread: Rescue Mission opinions please

andywatkins1963 — 2008-07-19T21:36:21+00:00

Hi all,

I am thinking of using rescue mission as a good scenario to introduce a new guy to the game.

I don't want anything so simple he thinks "this is dull" nor anything too complex so he can't handle it.

He is an experienced wargames player board and miniatures.

Can you tell me how this scenario plays? is it fun, does one side have a big advantage? If so I will make sure he has the side with the advantage

Andy
PS is there a better DotF scenario for this purpose?

Thread: Re: Better component quality or my imagination at work?

andywatkins1963 — 2008-07-19T15:39:27+00:00

One of my crusaders has the turret glued on at a funny angle, but I can't be bothered to complain.

Overall quality is superb on the new models. Those little Panzer III's are really excellent models

Andy

Thread: Re: Next Tide of Iron Expansion...

andywatkins1963 — 2008-07-19T15:37:39+00:00

My vote would be for the Russian front as well.

Preferably 1941-1942 rather than late 44.

On all front's I think the obvious German vehicle missing is STUG's for most of the war there were more Stug's than actual tanks, certainly for the later part of the war covered by the original game.

LEt's see some Stug III's for the Germans
Obviously T34's for the Russians
Maybe KV1? I could do without to be honest, rather see a BT7 or T26 instead

Armoured cars would be interesting???

Andy

Thread: Re: AT guns and fresh squads operating them

CthIngo — 2008-07-18T19:42:40+00:00

It can do so. Rules only indicate the AT-gun to be fatigued after doing something, but not it's operating unit. Therefore, the operating unit is still fresh and free to do what it wants.
It does not get two actions! One action is for the AT-gun, one for it's own action, so no ill logic here

Thread: AT guns and fresh squads operating them

Heliconia — 2008-07-17T17:50:47+00:00

Guys, I read in another post about this topic and it was never resolved as far as I can see, nor does it appear in the FAQ (ver 1.2).
Can a unit that's operating an AT gun then take a normal action after firing the gun? (assuming it's fresh)
In ways it seems illogical that the unit in question could therefore have two actions, one for firing the AT gun and then another full action afterwards. And yet if that's not the case then it also seems unfair in a way that you have a squad sitting on the AT gun for the whole time. Either way I hope someone here has the answer. Thanks

Thread: Re: Can the Brits win Hellfire pass?

TeufelHund — 2008-07-02T00:44:02+00:00

JonJacob wrote:

I wouldn't do anything in that scenario until the AT (1 Armor, Fragile) guns were out of commission. That is the first priority, after that it's simple.

I don't have the scenario in front of me but I seem to recall that their is a special rule stating that the 88s can't be targeted - which means the only way to take them out is to pin/destroy their crews.

Thread: Re: Can the Brits win Hellfire pass?

Hector131 — 2008-06-17T19:11:58+00:00

I thought that the dunes blocked line of sight when your tanks are entering. Maybe I am mistaken.

Thread: Re: Does Size Matter?

ISOisNo1 — 2008-06-17T00:07:13+00:00

Well, I caved and bought the expansion despite previous statements. ToI simply has too many upsides for me to pass up on it. Besides, I figured better sales for DotF will mean more chance for an Eastern front expansion!

After comparing the playing pieces I came to the conclusion (probably not the first to) that it´s really the PzkwIV piece that´s way too big, especially with those armour skirts. The belts on the PzIV are even wider than on the Tiger piece.

What I´m really hoping for is that FFG re-issues another PzIV piece with the next expansion. For now I will be using the Panther pieces as substitutes for PzIV. I know they are not that simular looking but the Panther is way more fitting in scale and isn´t being used in any scenarios so far.

So, I´ll still recommend the DotF expansion because I believe the ToI is the best thing going for WW2 enthusiastics out there right now.

Thread: Re: Can the Brits win Hellfire pass?

CrankyPants — 2008-06-16T19:59:21+00:00

Hector131 wrote:
I believe you can use artillery cards to suppress the hex then move your tanks in. The Guns themselves are not affected but the infantry manning them are affected by the suppressive fire. See this thread for an earlier discussion: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/308576

You could do that -- if you had any tanks left by the time you fire off some artillery. The problem is that your tanks enter the map in pairs and in full range of 2 AT guns. It's like a carnival shooting gallery -- a very loud shooting gallery with 20# shells traveling at mach 2.

Suppressing the guns is a very valid tactic but it costs the Germans very little to keep initiative and those guns will do their dirty work in the first turn every round.

Thread: Re: Can the Brits win Hellfire pass?

Hector131 — 2008-06-16T19:32:31+00:00

I believe you can use artillery cards to suppress the hex then move your tanks in. The Guns themselves are not affected but the infantry manning them are affected by the suppressive fire. See this thread for an earlier discussion: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/308576

Thread: Re: Can the Brits win Hellfire pass?

CrankyPants — 2008-06-16T18:32:18+00:00

Thanks for the responses!

LilRed wrote:
It's possible tho pretty hard. Makes the victory all the more meaningful. Anyways dunno if you checked this part of the errata if you haven't it might help:

Q: In the Hellfire Pass scenario, can the British tanks only set
up on the full road hex directly bordering the edge of the board?
A: No. The British Tanks can set up (and reinforce) on any
orange shaded road hex (even one not adjacent to the board
edge).

We did that. Didn't make a difference -- maybe we were just rolling insanely well on our AT rolls but figure this:

13 attack dice per AT, 5s & 6s hit. That's 4.3 hits scored on average with each roll.

The Crusaders, with 3 Armor will block 1 of those on average. 3 hits = Heavy damage (Immobile and out of range for attacking the german positions)

The Matildes, with 5 Armor will block 1.7 on average. 2.6 damage(4.3 - 1.7) is on the wrong side of rounding -- another Heavy damage most of the time.

Sure there's some variance there but the brits have to get very lucky indeed to get off more than a shot or 2 with their tanks.

I also disagree that the victory would be more meaningful. A win here just means I got freakishly lucky -- not because I did anything right.

@JonJacob: Being entrenched would have only helped the germans and (maybe we missed something major), the AT guns not only can't be targeted but they can't even be affected by area fire.

Thread: Re: Can the Brits win Hellfire pass?

LilRed — 2008-06-16T17:59:19+00:00

It's possible tho pretty hard. Makes the victory all the more meaningful. Anyways dunno if you checked this part of the errata if you haven't it might help:

Q: In the Hellfire Pass scenario, can the British tanks only set
up on the full road hex directly bordering the edge of the board?
A: No. The British Tanks can set up (and reinforce) on any
orange shaded road hex (even one not adjacent to the board
edge).

Thread: Re: Can the Brits win Hellfire pass?

JonJacob — 2008-06-16T17:53:31+00:00

The Brits won in one of the two matches we played. But that was before the Errata stating that a troop IS allowed to be in an entrenchment and still use equipment, I'm not sure how much that would change it. This was a while ago now but I think I remember rolling a little worse (I was the Germans), not much, but still. I wouldn't do anything in that scenario until the AT (1 Armor, Fragile) guns were out of commission. That is the first priority, after that it's simple.

- J

edit: yeah, I screwed up, that's right you can't attack the AT gun at first. Still, the Brits did beat me once... but like I said I couldn't entrench... not that it would have mattered.

Thread: Can the Brits win Hellfire pass?

CrankyPants — 2008-06-16T13:05:38+00:00

We played 2 rounds of this scenario yesterday (changing sides) and the brits got slaughtered both times. The only hope that the British have (as I see it) is to hope for multiple insanely bad AT rolls in the first few round!

My friend did a bit better than I did. I played the germans first and decided to combine my AT attacks on his Matildes -- overkill to say the least and his Crusaders moved in to deal a little damage before being knocked out. When I played the Brits, he realized that an AT could deal with a tank singly so here's how it went:
Round 1: Crusader destroyed, Matilde Heavy Damage
Round 2: Matilda destroyed, Crusader lightly damaged (I send my crusader over to the right dune to grab the command point and wait for reinforcements)
Round 3: Both Matildes destroyed

WTF?

what an insane drag.

Thread: Re: Tide of Iron: Days of the Fox. A short review.

gamecat_uk — 2008-06-09T12:46:15+00:00

I wouldn't strictly call ToI a 'wargame'. Having played Napoleonic miniatures in the 80's as well as many other classic wargames, Tide of Iron is quite evidently not ASL or anything like it. It is a light abstracted game (like memoir) which is a bit less frustrating in flow and has a greater level of detail. In all the sessions I have played (many more than I can be bothered to note on my profile), they were very close games even with inexperienced players. It is a tense game that flows nicely and gives the 'aesthetic' of war without the grognard level of brain frying. I think FFG has made a valiant effort to entertain those of us who love the tenants of wargaming but do not have the time to sift through hundreds if not thousands of rules. DYO systems are again for more 'hardcore' players which I don't think TOI is targetted at. I have very limited time and find TOI gives me the 'wargame' feel without the time investment, and it also allows other less wargame orientated to enjoy what I have enjoyed in more complex wargames.

The main thing I would say finally is that the games of TOI I have had have been fun. Relatively quick, tense, and logical in conclusion. It's often through poor play that people lose but with a little advice from an experienced player even this can help a newbie not get wasted in the first three rounds. Alternatively I have seen some striking acts of bravery from new players and strokes of genius with transports and vehicles that totally shocked my strategic sensibilities and thoroughly entertained me. It is a game of soldiers so to speak rather than a wargame, it was the system I always wanted to create when playing with plastic soldiers as a kid rather than throwing marbles at them and going bang.

No game can simulate real war, a wargame is a narrative and I really enjoy the narrative 'take' created by TOI.

p.s. I am British and find that the little side-comments about our ww2 activities completely miss the fundemental part we played in all manner of military and intelligence operations well before the Americans joined the war and throught the entire conflict. So there.

pps. as a note to my ozzy friend (Chris Tuxford above) my Grandad fought with ozzies and always noted their fierceness and bravery. He didn't have much to say about our yankee friends though apart from nice chocolate and good cigars.

Image

LAGHERJ — 2008-06-08T08:46:41+00:00

The Jock Column continue to advance

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LAGHERJ — 2008-06-08T08:41:21+00:00

A Jock columns advance in the desert

Thread: Tank Battle in Operation Crusaders

Bro Dee — 2008-06-04T13:36:04+00:00

Under the hot, extreme dessert sun, in November 41, two sides will fight for the glory and fame . The 8th British Army was ordered to hunt down Rommel’s Panzer Gruppe following British counter push in North African Theater.

Goal of the Game: The highest Points win at the end of round 8. Two points on each opponent’s tank. Three points for each non heavily damaged tank.
Location : Jakarta, Indonesia
Players :
Bro Dee (Me): British
Yokoyama: German

Round 1
British player moved his tank from entry point on map 13A by using two tanks, 1 Crusader and 1 Matilda down to dirt road and stop before map 15 B, right behind the rubble waiting for German Panzers.
From entry point in map 17B 1 Matilda and crusader ran through until first dirt road on Map 16b, hiding behind the building.
German player using same movement, combination of two different type of tanks (Panzer III and Panzer IV) to move his tanks but still behind the building on map 16B and 15B.
One crusader came as reinforcement from map 13 A and one matilda from 17B. As for the Germans one Panzer III entering map 14B and one Panzer IV coming onto map 21A
Both players still waiting for enemy movements

Round 2
British player still got the initiative, thanxz to command tokens. Moving forward his new reinforcement Crusader to map 18 A next to Dune hexes. Matilda which was just coming moving along to map 18A behind crevasse next to dune hexes, hence, the first LOS were resolved between Matilda and Panzer IV on map 16B.
German player only moved his Panzer III next to rubble in map 15 B. it was like he did not want to jeopardize his tank further. Panzer III also moved only one hex facing towards British tanks. Panzer IV marched to map 16B but again, still behind the building.
Last reinforcement came onto the board, 1 Matilda and crusader for British and one Panzer III for the Germans . Total tanks on board : 8 for Brits and 7 for Germans.
Boring…no attacks for nobody, play save huh!!

Round 3
British tanks which have superiority in moving must not waste any single time. In this scenario ,if you play British, you must immediately use Command I card stating additional two movement points to speed up your tanks, use two cards all at once if you lucky drew it. Your healthy tanks can move up to 10 hexes, bringing you enough to pass through three dune hexes and rubble in the middle of map 19B. But.. I didn’t, I got two cards with additional movements opened, not using it at all, instead my crusader next to dune only move and action to try to hit German Panzer IV and III in map 15B with no results, Luckily I hit German Panzer II which was just coming from behind.
Looking it was so boring, I tried my first aggressive movement using Crusader to hunt down Panzer III in Map 16B, hoping my tank will survive but not, Panzer 3 in Op mode so he shot first and …… Boom! I lose one tank.
Now , the first aggressive movement from German player, forwarding 4 hexes , it shot my Matilda and causing light damage to my tank.
Score
Bro Dee : 0
Yokoyama: 2

Round 4
Bloody battle happened in this round, in map 15 B was badly battered by my Matilda and Crusader, I scored two points. Before I lose more tanks, the light damaged crusader retreated to dunes, no pursuit by Panzer III and IV from map 15 B since he knew that my two tanks were ready to ambush if any tanks come in.
In Map 16B there were two major fights. First Pazer IV at point blank shot my Matilda but miss…while my Matilda successfully broke Panzer IV into heavily damaged tank. Second , the other German Panzer IV tank moved three hexes to shoot Crusader which was right in front of the bridge on map 17B, but the attack was fail
Bro Dee: 2
Yokoyama:2

Round 5
Wow , now it was even more interesting! No chances to runaway I took my chance to hit the heavily damaged Crusader to crashed heavily damaged Panzer III, but then my Crusader was shot, Boooooommmmm!!! Crusader was destroyed!! Damn!!
Hhhhmmm, “This ain’t no good” I said, so now when it was about my turn, I used two of my Matildas to ambush Panzer III and Panzer IV on map 16 B by moving them to map 19 B. To Boost their movement I also used two extra additional movement cards which I did not used in previous turn, the light damaged Matilda crossing the dunes and rubbles to ambush from behind, while the other one Matilda advanced through the dunes but ended up in rubble hex. So the position now one Panzer IV and one Panzer III adjacent to three Matildas, yes, hit on 4,5,6 dice value!!. My plan was that I needed to take on the damaged Panzer IV and try as best as possible to damage the other Panzer III. The plan was not successfully worked but at least I blew up the Panzer IV and made the other Panzer III crippled (light damage)
On the other side of Map 16B next to building towards the bridge on map 17B, Me and Axis player also lost one tank make the score now……
Bro Dee: 10
Yokoyama:6

Round 6
In this round 2 Axis Tanks ( one light damaged Panzer III and one Panzer IV) vs 4 Allied Tanks ( 2 Matildas and two Crusaders, which two of them were light damaged and one was heavily damaged ). For me I didn’t care about alone Panzer IV on map 15B, I concentrated all my tanks and moved them to map 19B to hunt down Panzer III. I lost one Matilda but Panzer III could not stand against 4 tanks and it was destroyed completely!!
Bro Dee: 12
Yokoyama:8

Round 7
The time was coming!! Stubborn Panzer IV appeared from the hex between two buildings on map 15B, No sweat! Bloody battle was engaged furiously, Panzer IV became heavily damaged after being hit by four tanks.
Bro Dee: 12
Yokoyama:8

Round 8 ( Final Round )
Looking at this particular situation, the Axis player decided to surrender, No make sense to continue . Anyhow, the Panzer IV must be destroyed…..
Bro Dee: 23 ( 14 + 9 points from Allied non heavily damaged tanks )
Yokoyama:8

This scenario is one of best Tide of Iron scenario I ever played, easy set up, and not difficult to master the strategy. I think as an Axis player you must be passion to drive all tanks into the battle because the British tanks are very good in speed in this scenario. With superiority in armor value, German Tanks must hold their movement and not to be dragged into center area of battle so British Tanks can immediately encircle them and hit from front and rear.

Thread: Re: Does Size Matter?

Emil 109 — 2008-05-28T18:02:19+00:00

ISOisNo1 wrote:

If FFG are at least semi-smart about it they will make a new PzkwIV model for an Eastern Front expansion (assuming it will be made).

And a better looking Tiger! If only that World Tank Museum hadn't stop...

Thread: Re: Does Size Matter?

ISOisNo1 — 2008-05-28T17:45:43+00:00

My ToI copy will be sitting patiently on a shelf in the basement till an Eastern Front expansion comes out. I will then see if FFG has come up with replacement vehicles to make everything roughly coherant in scale. I wouldn´t actually mind if I had to pay a little bit extra, as long as they were made available.
If FFG are at least semi-smart about it they will make a new PzkwIV model for an Eastern Front expansion (assuming it will be made).

Thread: Re: Does Size Matter?

RayGuns — 2008-05-28T15:51:21+00:00

You are not alone. The ToI team at Fantasy Flight took a lot of pride in the original development in the game, which surprises me even more when the figures of the expansion were so different in size. I mean, how could they not know this before hand! Being consistent is an important factor I think, especially if you are using the miniatures for the visual appeal. Not so appealing when the figures in a game are drastically different in size.

Yep, I agree. Fantasy Flight Games really dropped the ball on this one. But on a positive note, the new British infantry look nicer and are the same size/scale as the Americans and Germans. Why in the world did they foul up the vehicles so badly? Do they only have ?

ISOisNo1 wrote:
I know it might seem lame to some people but the size difference between the PanzerIV and PanzerIII is too big for me to take.
I bought the base ToI game when it came out but wasn´t really blown away by it. When the DotF expansion was announced I decided to follow the previews and see if there was enough in there to improve the original game.
Many good things in my opinion, but then I saw comparison pictures of the plastic models! I could live with slightly different scales between different armies but was more concerned with scale within the same factions. The PzkwIV and PzkwIII were roughly the same size, the IV being slightly larger. The III looks like a Japanese mini tank in comparison. The Panther can´t be smaller than the PzkwIV either!
Half of the appeal of ToI to me has always been the fantastic look of the battlefield. Imagining the PzkwIII and IV next to each other with the IV looking like a King Tiger is a big manufacturing oversight in my opinion.
Maybe I´ll mature and change my mind, but I was 50/50 regarding the expansion when I was checking the box out at the store and the size difference ended up making the difference for me.

Thread: Re: Does Size Matter?

ISOisNo1 — 2008-05-28T00:05:53+00:00

I know it might seem lame to some people but the size difference between the PanzerIV and PanzerIII is too big for me to take.
I bought the base ToI game when it came out but wasn´t really blown away by it. When the DotF expansion was announced I decided to follow the previews and see if there was enough in there to improve the original game.
Many good things in my opinion, but then I saw comparison pictures of the plastic models! I could live with slightly different scales between different armies but was more concerned with scale within the same factions. The PzkwIV and PzkwIII were roughly the same size, the IV being slightly larger. The III looks like a Japanese mini tank in comparison. The Panther can´t be smaller than the PzkwIV either!
Half of the appeal of ToI to me has always been the fantastic look of the battlefield. Imagining the PzkwIII and IV next to each other with the IV looking like a King Tiger is a big manufacturing oversight in my opinion.
Maybe I´ll mature and change my mind, but I was 50/50 regarding the expansion when I was checking the box out at the store and the size difference ended up making the difference for me.

Thread: Re: New Scenarios and Editor

BROG — 2008-05-22T18:32:34+00:00

" i'm wondering if there had been any scenarios besides the 6 out-of-the-box scenarios released yet."

All things (or rather this thing) come to he who waits. Trust me.

RHB

Thread: Re: New Scenarios and Editor

Mike Zebrowski — 2008-05-22T18:20:48+00:00

Sorry guys, I'm working on it, but real life is more important.

Mike Z

Thread: Re: Errata

JonJacob — 2008-05-22T17:47:33+00:00

CthIngo wrote:
It's not earthshattering, but eg., a squad in an entrenchment wasn't allowed to operate equipment (AT-gun) in the same hex - now it may do so. Also now entrenchments officially count as "cover providing terrain" regarding concealed squads. Now combine these two new/changed elements and you have a lot of trouble for the opponent

It's almost earth shattering and certainly changes the game a great deal. I prefer this rule as using equipment was previously a death sentence for any squad.

- J

Thread: Re: New Scenarios and Editor

JonJacob — 2008-05-22T17:43:54+00:00

thans25 wrote:
oh, i think you got me wrong. my english is not the best, so excuse me for misunderstandings caused by that.

i'm wondering if there has been any days of the fox scenarios released yet. i've checked some of the scenarios on the publishers site but all of them seem to be classic toi scenarios. besides there is no scenario editor to be found for days of the fox, which may be the root of the problems.

After reading your title I thought for sure this is our new scenario editor (I've wanted it since.... March I guess). But alas... I will continue to wait... semi-patiently.

- J

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kohee — 2008-05-05T00:25:11+00:00

Hellfire Pass: Aftermath

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kohee — 2008-05-05T00:19:07+00:00

Hellfire Pass Scenario

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Deadwood — 2008-04-25T19:34:19+00:00

battle 4

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Emil 109 — 2008-04-23T12:13:02+00:00

Hand painted Pz III in overal Desert Brown and Panther G with late war "ambush" camouflage scheme.

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Emil 109 — 2008-04-23T12:10:40+00:00

Matilda II hand painted in a dazzled pattern and Crusader I with the colors of 9th Queen's Royal Lancer,1st Arm.Div. plus Bren Gun Carrier.