Great War Arrives!

My issue of Wargames Illustrated 322 finally arrived today with the inclusion of the Great War supplement for Flames of War, though oddly the preview isn't yet up on the Battlefront Website or the Wargames Illustrated website.  Overall the armies look like they'll be fun, and I'm very excited about the upcoming terrain.  I was a contributing author for this one, so I've been chomping at the bit for months for this to come out.  The magazine itself also has several gems including several articles covering the Great War.

Page 4 has details of the upcoming releases - which as mentioned in previous blog entries are drool worthy. These include a German battle box, a British battle box, as well as supporting blisters for additional units. World War I terrain is also included.

Page 10 features an article by Phil Yates entitled "Mythbusting the Great War" which goes through many of the common misconceptions about World War I and provides a healthy dose of reality.  Many of the objections I've seen raised about attempting to war-game World War I relate directly to current perception of how that conflict was conducted, and many of those perceptions are at least partly erroneous.

Mike Haught continues in the same theme with an article on page 24 entitled "Wargaming Myths of the Great War."  This article discusses how Battlefront worked to maintain accuracy and balance in the Great War supplement, and why the release may not be what many people expect.

On page 44 is an article by your's truly entitled "Iron Fortresses - British and German Tanks of WWI" which details the technical and operational history of the vehicles you can field in the Great War supplement - namely the Mark IV, the Whippet, and the A7V.  Less well-studied than their more glamorous World War II counterparts, there are numerous misconceptions about these beasts and how they were actually employed in World War I.

Mike Haught picks up the torch again on page 58 with the article "Over the Top - Using Normal Flames of War Missions in the Great War".  One of the key innovations of the Great War supplement is a series of semi-linked missions which are suitable for the forces provided in the supplement, but who really wants to stop there!?!  This article provides updates to some standard missions to give the player more range and options.

As always the presentation of the magazine and Great War rule set is slick and extremely professional!  I've just received my Ammo of MIG paints for World War I tanks in the mail - now I can't wait for the miniatures to be released!  Finally to celebrate the release of the newest period for Flames of War, I'll leave you with this funny dedicated to all of the guys who lived through the 80's!