A burst of Rapid Fire

I'm not normally one to buy rules just to read them but several people have recommended the Rapid Fire Fast Play WWII Rules to me so I thought "what the hell" and purchased a copy. I'm not about to give up on Flames of War - I have invested too much time effort and money into it - but it might be fun to try out a different system. 

So far I'm pretty sure I can utilise these rules with my existing FOW figures. I like the company level focus of FOW (which I why I bought into the game in the first place) while the RF2 rules are designed to be regiment/brigade level in scale. But I can't see any reason why I can't use the RF2 rules and with my FOW company strength forces. They seem relatively straightforward and streamlined and should be easily adapted to use for company level battles. 

One thing about the RF2 rules that I particularly like is the use of markers to represent units that have not been observed yet. This means that until a unit is observed it cannot be identified and really brings in an element of 'fog of war' that isn't often featured in other games. To add to the fog each player can also place an equal number of dummy markers on the table. These are only revealed as dummy's to the opponent when they are observed. 

I really like this idea because I think it could make a game much more psychological in nature and really conveys the confusion of the battlefield. I've never liked the fact that as players we hover unrealistically over the games table, omnipotent in our view of where units are and what their strength is. This rule might eliminate that problem. 

If you have played both FOW and RF2 I'd love to hear your opinion of the relative merits of both systems and any problems you may have encountered. 

Broadside 2012 - Show Report

Yesterday Posties Rejects descended on the Broadside Wargames show in Sittingbourne. Our demo game kept us quite busy all day with lots of spectators and friends old and new coming to say hello. We were so busy on our table that I didn't get much time to look round the rest of the show which is a pity because it was packed with great games and interesting traders. I did get some photos but in nothing like the numbers I normally take. I'll post pictures from our Demo game later but in the meantime here's a brief pictorial review of the rest of the show.

An excellent display of original equipment from the Zulu war

Operation Deadstick - The Coup de Main at Pegasus Bridge in 6mm - This excellent demo game was awarded Best in Show.

Southend Wargames - The Battle of Benfleet featured some excellent terrain

The show seemed a lot busier this year (I understand visitor numbers were up on last year) although it did tail off significantly after 3pm. Several of the traders said business has been good although a few others were less sure. Certainly it seemed to me that a lot of money was changing hands and once again the gaming community has shown its ability to shrug off 'recession' and 'austerity'.

Romans v's Gauls (I think) - A very impressive looking table

Medway Wargames Society - A Gladiatorial Game that was a hit with younger gamers. The point at which I came in the Gladiator had lost both legs but was still fighting off the lion! 

Skirmish Wargames - A Maori War game featuring a mix of figures including some by Empress and Perry Miniatures as well as soft plastic figures from other manufacturers.

I was impressed by the variety of games on show this year, covering periods such as Ancients, Roman, Middle Ages, Franco Prussian War, Napoleonics, WWI, WWII and modern as well as fantasy and sci-fi. There also seemed to be a lot of non-gamers and their kids wandering around and enjoying what they were seeing which was great.

Medway Wargames Society - Dust Tactics. I'm still like the look of this game but I resisted the temptation to buy the starter box even though it was on offer at the show. 

Milton Hundred Wargames Club - A Rapid Fire game

Rainham (Medway) Wargames Club - Force on Force modern wargaming

'Postie' of Posties Rejects - Battle of Amiens 1918

Although I didn't get to explore the show as much as I normally would have I still enjoyed it a lot. I think this is an event that will grow in years to come and can only go from strength to strength because it really did feel friendly, open and diverse. Well done to the Milton Hundreds for putting on the show and I look forward to coming again next year.

Big Picture : Battle on the Irrawaddy

This picture was taken at SELWG in 2009. This was a demo game put on by Deal Wargames Club titled Crossing the Irrawaddy. The game used the Rapid Fire 2 rules. The figures were predominantly Stonewall and Britannia.

Wargames Illustrated 267

My copy of Wargames Illustrated turned up five minutes after I left for work (which is just typical) but it was well worth the wait. This months issue is focused on The First Crusade and the Conquest of the Holy Land. This is a fascinating period of history, the ramifications of which still ripple down to the current day. If anyone has not yet seen the excellent documentary The Crusades (1995) by Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame) then I urge you to track down a copy.

As always this issue is full of eye candy and at 114 pages, well worth the money. Here's a run down of the key articles in this months WI:

• The First Crusade 1096-99 - Introduction to this months issue
• Contact, Contact: Yellow One Down - Following on from last months special on Vietnam this scenario gives another opportunity to play the Air Cav or NV Regulars
• The Battle of Dorylaeum - One of the deciding battles of the 1st Crusade
• New Zealand Grand Tournament - A FOW tournament held in Auckland
• Islamic Armies of the First Crusade - A look at the Seljuk Turks and Fatimid Caliphate that faces the Crusaders
• The Italians can rob my Country when I am Dead! Part 2 - The second part of a fascinating review of the Italian campaign in Ethiopia in 1935-6
• How to Build Siege Towers - A building guide to making engines of war
• The Heat of Battle - Wargaming at the WWII museum in New Orleans
• The Power and the Glory: The Siege of Jerusalem - All you need to know about the Crusaders capture of the City
• Guards Battlegroups - The History and Tactics of the Late War Guards Armoured Division for FOW
• First Barrier to Bastogne - A Rapid Fire scenario simulating the initial assult on the 9th Armoured Division during the Battle of the Bulge
• A New Era for Plastics - Michael Perry reveals the new period in Plastic miniatures - The Wars of the Roses
• The Severn Valley in Flames - A civil war rages in Britain in 1938!

As well as these articles there are the usual product reviews, news and rules roundup. All in all another excellent issue.