This is an example of the kind of content we’d be creating.  This image is from an Osprey Publishing book.

You need to immerse yourself in the world of World War II. There is a plethora of WWII material out there making it more difficult to choose the most useful. We’ve compiled a list of items for your consumption that will definitely get, and keep you, in the FoW frame of mind.

Operation Mincemeat by Ben Macintyre – True and bizarre story of a dead man’s pivotal role in tricking the Nazis and asserting Allied victory in Sicily.

Band of Brothers – HBO Miniseries by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks based on the book of the same name shows first-hand American involvement

Saving Private Ryan – Steven Spielberg film starring Tom Hanks, Matt Damon et al featuring the best depiction of the Normandy invasion.

Valkyrie – Film starring Tom Cruise about the Stauffenberg plot to assassinate Hitler

Enemy at the Gates – Film starring Jude Law and Joseph Fiennes focusing on the Battle of Stalingrad with an emphasis placed on sniper combat.

Das Boot – Wolfgang Petersen film focusing on submarine warfare and the Battle of the Atlantic.

A Bridge Too Far – Richard Attenborough film with all star cast covering Operation Market Garden

The Guns of Navarone – Film starring Gregory Peck, David Niven, and Anthony Quinn based on book of the same name. Covers commando raid to destroy a key German fortress in the Aegean.

Patton – Film starring George C. Scott covering the WWII career of General George S. Patton. Great coverage of North Africa, Sicily, and Normandy actions.

The Longest Day – Film starring John Wayne et al covering the Normandy invasion. One of the best WWII films made.

The Man Who Never Was – Film based on book of same name covering Operation Mincemeat and the Invasion of Sicily.

Many of these films are based on books, which make great reads.

For music you should check out the CD Sons That Got Us Through WWII, which features a lot of music from that era. Also, the VI Corps Music website has great military music that plays directly on the web for free.

If all of this fails then I strongly recommend going to your local game store and watch some Flames of War in action or surf Youtube for Flames of War videos (there’s a lot of great how to vids on there).

Posted from my iPad.

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I’ve been in need of the Flames of War German Infantry Paint Set in order to paint my Panzergrenadier platoon and the infantry in my Scout platoon (plus tank commanders on all my tanks). Battleground Games & Hobbies was not able to get this in stock. None of the other retailers I checked had it and none of the online vendors could supply this. I thought all hope was lost until I heard back from Chris Walsh, owner of The Whiz. He told me that they had one copy in stock but that it was open and missing one paint bottle. He offered to reorder the missing paint bottle and give me the rest now so I could begin work.

True to his word he re-ordered the missing paint, which should be soon arriving and will notify me of its arrival. The Whiz is a two hour commute, round trip, from my home but only 30-45 minutes from my job. It is truly worth spending those two hours in traffic to peruse their shelves and chat with Chris and his wife Lynne.

While there Chris gave me the 411 on Flames of War, showed me a Dunkirk table he’s making for TempleCon, shared advice for the game, helped me find much needed paint supplies, told me that FoW Art of War 2 (focusing on German forces) is not being reprinted and The Whiz has the last 2 copies in this part of the world, and listened to me talk about this blog. He is a stand-up guy who genuinely likes the hobby and his business. Like every great store owner he is a great listener and also places the customer at ease.

I want to give a major thank you to Chris and everyone at The Whiz for saving the day. Without their help and stellar customer service I would be at an impasse. Whether you’re looking for Flames of War or a friendly game store where the customer is king then The Whiz on Rte 9 East in Westborough must be your first stop. They truly are experts when it comes to Flames of War; gladly going that extra mile.

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The set officially releases January 2011 (Amazon says January 11, 2011 but they traditionally push back the release closer to that anticipated date). Gamers can pre-order now and in fact can get a great deal from our sponsor, 12-7-Games, when pre-ordering this set. Wizards is keeping the MSRP at $14.99 per booster in this 39 model set. You should also ask your Friendly Local Game Store to stock this set. I know that The Whiz in Westborough, MA and Battleground Games & Hobbies in Abington and Plainville will carry the new set.

I’m very proud to share the below box art (originally seen on Amazon).

I discuss my appearance on the Stone Ape Podcast. You can listen to it at Stone Ape #19: New England Gaming Vegas with Jonathan Reinhart [October 31, 2010]. An update on my Flames of War Panzerkompanie along with my disappointment with slow ordering of FoW product from some distributors for brick and mortar game stores. A plug for historical gaming night at Battleground Games is provided. I share thoughts on the need for a zombie RPG perhaps combining BG Weird War II and The Walking Dead. The episode concludes with progress on our new graphics and a message about our sponsor, 12-7-Games.com.

I hope you enjoy this episode of the CWF GameCast and I am eager for your feedback (both positive remarks and constructive criticism).

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It is set in a steampunk 1870’s Victorian era with the major nationalities at war. It introduces four playable factions with a fifth, Covenant of Antartica, top secret one found in the rulebook. The four non-secret factions are the Prussian Empire, Empire of the Blazing Sun, Kingdom of Britannia, and Federated States of America.

The world is at war and you can check it out for yourself at the official Dystopian Wars World Map.

The game releases November 2010 at a reasonable price point (rulebook has a MSRP of $31.99). Below are pictures of the starter sets for each of the four starting nations. The models are strongly detailed and crafted from resin and metal.

Check out these awesome pictures (click on them for a larger version) and be sure to ask your FLGS to stock this game. I think I’ll pick up some.

Price Points
Battle Group (aka Starter) $54.99 for 1 Battleship, 3 Cruisers, 9 Frigates, 2 Bombers, plus tokens, sheets, and stat cards.

Battleship $14.99 for 1 Battleship

Cruisers $17.99 for 3 Cruisers

Frigates $9.99 for 6 Frigates

Carriers $23.99 for 1 Carrier

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I am delighted to announce his involvement with the podcast and with CWF Game Cast. I could tell you more about Tom but instead I’ll direct you to a Youtube video he made introducing himself to Noble Ape visitors.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sjke67Eo_s[/youtube]

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I discuss the podcast’s new direction in this episode alone with some new Flames of War releases and a great deal on pre-ordering the new set of War at Sea titled Fleet Commander, which releases December 7, 2010. Additionally, I explain why I am returning to podcast and discuss my recent guest appearance on Tom Barbalet’s Stone Ape Podcast.

I hope you enjoy Episode 37 of the CWF GameCast and I am eager for your feedback (both positive remarks and constructive criticism). It has been a long time since I’ve done this and I need to get in the hang of things again.

NOTE* My apologies to Tom. At one point during the episode I refer to the Model Rail Radio as Model Rail Railroad. I regret the error.

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Don’t forget that I will exclusively reveal a GIGANTIC secret on the Stone Ape Podcast. When Tom publishes the episode I will link to it so that all of you can have a listen.

P.S. In the recording I say I last casted 2 or 3 years ago. The last cast I released was CWF-2008-4-10 News, Server Move Complete, Getting Out of Axis & Allies Minis, and Musical Guest Black Crowes.

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On Sunday Tom and I will be chatting for over an hour about gaming, this blog, and who knows what else. One thing I do know is that I will be revealing a big secret. I hope that you will listen to the Stone Ape podcast to hear my conversation with Tom and that you listen to the other episodes of the Stone Ape podcast. They’re very laid back and informative.