Re: Field Marshal Games Pieces Project Discussion thread

@dsumner

Cool! I can’t wait! Keep going!

I played my first game of Amerika last night. It was pretty easy to learn once I was finally able to remember which sculpts were the self propelled anti-aircraft units and and which ones were the self propelled artillery units. It took awhile to play because I was carefully going through every step and double checking to make sure I didn’t develop any bad habits as far as the rules go. I can see being able to play a game in under 2 hours including setup if you had 2 or 3 players who already knew how to play. That would be perfect for the lake in the summer when you go into the cabin to wait out a rainstorm. A&A on the other hand would be more of a whole day this is never going to clear up type of game.

It’s a good game and very well made. I picked up the Strategic Markers expansion set with the game but didn’t use any of the extra rules that come with the pieces so I could learn the game first and decide which rules and extra pieces would be appropriate to make it a better game. I did find the map a little small so I am going to get a bigger one for use at home on the big table. I like lots of elbow room and space to line up my tanks without using chips. In the game the Japanese got bogged down in the northwest with the allies holding the line at Hanford Nuclear Research Facility. They had better luck in the south moving inland and taking out Los Alamos NRF. The Germans made it as far as Detroit in the north and Nashville in the south but couldn’t capture Oak Ridge NRF. On the fifth turn the allies were lucky enough to roll big and go first, which meant that they had 2 turns in a row and were able to take back Los Alamos and 3 cities and accumulating enough points to win the game. If the axis would’ve went first on the fifth turn it would have been a different outcome and they might have won on the fifth or sixth turn. It all came down to that one roll…

Cannot find many threads that really get into this version of the game in great detail. Played 1 full game of it so far, and love it. (I was originally a Classic player all the way.)

Anyway, few questions to maybe spark some discussion on this:

Which official version is this map closest to? Also which “official” rule set does this variant use? Spring 1942 edition?

Bidding: on the few posts I found on the topic, it seems people think this map favors the Axis and they actually bid allies. Either I am reading posts on a different version or I just suck, because it seems like the Allies are in pretty good shape in this map from the beginning and they can do some things right out of the gate to slow what needs to be a rapid Axis assault. E.g. China being a distraction and the UK being able to defend most of its colonies for at least 3 turns.

I am still not entirely sure what the best opening moves are for the Axis, which is what I would really like to discuss in depth here if other folks have some more experience with this game. For instance, what odds should the German player take to try and take Leningrad first turn? It seems like their Northern fleet cannot last more than a turn against a good UK player, so should you just sacrifice it and take worse odds on a Leningrad assault if the Soviet player leaves you, say, a 70% chance? (I am usually the kind of player that only attacks with overwhelming odds, e.g., 90% and above. Even 85% makes me nervous…) How can the Germans ever keep their Northern fleet alive? Do they need to? (It seems like the English can kill it turn 1 no matter what the Germans do.) If you cannot take Leningrad T1, is it better to instead focus like a laser on a later round (T4 or 5) take over of Stalingrad with a huge mass of tanks and infantry that you slowly plod over there?

Is a rapid take over of Africa impossible against a UK player who adequately defends Syria and Egypt T1 and who rapidly stacks Gibraltar with numerous planes and troops? Should the Italians forego Africa and put everything into a Russian assault? Is Western Turkey a viable take-over to open up another avenue for Italian ships and/or tanks into Russia or Africa?

Do the Japanese sacrifice their fleet to kill the US at Midway or do they ignore them entirely and focus everything on India? It seems like focusing on anything else is ultimately a mistake, at least thats how my last game played out.

So many questions! What do you guys think is the optimum opening Axis move?

@FieldMarshalGames:

$50 for a page of cardboard tokens!?!?!

That’s because they are OOP and collector’s items, just like that Honus Wagner baseball card.

Good to know
@reloader-1:

World’s Forge was willing to do a special run for me of the Bren Carriers, color matched to the UK A&A 1940 colors. I just need to order 200-300 pieces.

Any interest here? Figure $2 a piece.

$2 a piece is still a lot, and 200-300 pieces? Thats a MINIMUM of $400

You can gauge the size of pieces against the infantry. There is a good set of pics at BoardGameGeek.

Fishing line sinker, how clever!!

Hello all. I want to give a special thanks to elbowsanchez for putting my game pictures out on his server. I have been unable to post these pictures since my web provider went OOB. Anyway, here are the games that I have created:

Axis of Evil
The United States and the European Union are attacked by the new Russian Federation, China, and the International Islamic Alliance in a new global war.

http://66.125.84.108/web1/runeblade/Axis_s.jpg

The Balkans (1999)
The US and NATO invade Serbia to end the ethic cleansing in Kosovo. NATO invades into Kosovo while the US conducts an amphibous landing in Montenegro. Russia joins sides with Serbia.

http://66.125.84.108/web1/runeblade/Balkans_s.jpg

The Cuban Missile Crisis
President Kennedy gives the green light for the invasion of Cuba.

http://66.125.84.108/web1/runeblade/Cuba_s.jpg

Desert Storm
The US and the UN take on Iraq, Russia and China in this global variant.

http://66.125.84.108/web1/runeblade/DesertStorm_s.jpg

Opertion Downfall - 1946
A hypothical battle if the US had to invade mainland Japan in the second part of Operation Downfall in Operation Coronet.

http://66.125.84.108/web1/runeblade/Downfall_s.jpg

Iran War
The US and NATO attack Iran in the near future to end that country’s nuclear ambitions.

http://66.125.84.108/web1/runeblade/Iran_s.jpg

Operation: Iraqi Freedom
Re-fight the war as either the Coalition or Iraqi generals. No politicians, no restrictions. Fight the war to win!

http://66.125.84.108/web1/runeblade/IraqiFreedom_s.jpg

Operation Market Garden
Refight this famous battle to try to turn the tide of history. (Please note that the map is now GRAY and not YELLOW.)

http://66.125.84.108/web1/runeblade/Market_s.jpg

Operation Sealion
My personal favorite! Set up like D-Day, the German 6th, 9th, and 16th armies must push into Britian and capture London.

http://66.125.84.108/web1/runeblade/Sealion_s.jpg

The Second Korean War
The Korean penninsula erupts in conflict again. The game pits the US, South Korea, North Korea, and China in the desperate fight for dominance. The war has the potential to spill over into a Chinese invasion of Taiwan as well as becoming nuclear.

http://66.125.84.108/web1/runeblade/SecondKoreanWar_s.jpg

Vietnam Conflict
Instead of fighting a status quo war in Vietnam, the US president authorizes an invasion of North Vietnam! Fight the war in a whole new level! The US and South Vietnam take on the Viet Cong, North Vietnam, and China.

http://66.125.84.108/web1/runeblade/Vietnam_s.jpg

World War III
The USSR and China blindside NATO and the US in a new global war. Will the Allies be able to fight back?

http://66.125.84.108/web1/runeblade/WWIII_s.jpg

I sell these games if any are interested. You can contact me at runeblademaps@hotmail.com and I will give you price as well as shipping cost.

Enjoy,
Rune Blade