We discuss our previous week in gaming focusing on Tom writing his own RPG based on a novel he’s written. We also discuss my trials and tribulations with Flames of War (this has since been rectified in The Whiz Saves the Day).

We refer to my guest appearance on Stone Ape #19: New England Gaming Vegas with Jonathan Reinhart [October 31, 2010]. Tom and I consider the easiest and most affordable way to get into Flames of War. We share thoughts on the different types of gamer along with experiences of attempted gaming with our spouses.

The conversation winds down with Tom and I declaring the intention to have guests on the podcast. We conclude with a message from our sponsor, 12-7-Games.com, and contact information (find us on Facebook and Twitter).

We hope you enjoy this episode of the CWF GameCast and are eager for your feedback (both positive remarks and constructive criticism). Send it all to cwfgamecast at wargamingforums dot com.

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).

We hope you enjoy the below battle report.  You can always find lots of great BG Weird War II weirdness at the official Battleground Weird War II website.  If you have your own BGWW2 battle reports you can share them here or on the official forum.

The Elder Gods Awaken!

We played a game last weekend were a group of cultists had taken over a church that had hidden in it a relic that could be used to control the masses.  The local military commander was tipped off by a phone call from a nun from the church just before the phone went dead.  The Major mustered what men he had available and they headed off to save the captives and neutralize this threat.

The Germans had the following:

Major (Veteran Leader) P38

Lt (Veteran Leader) MP44

Lt (Green) P38

Sgt (Veteran Leader) MP40 x2 Grenades

Sgt (Regular Leader) MP40 x2 Grenades

Cpl (Regular) MP40

Cpl (Regular) MP44

Cpl (Regular) Mp40

Pvt (Regular) Kar 98k

Pvt (Regular) MP44

Pvt (Regular) Kar 98k

The Evil Cultists had the following:

Cult Leader (Elite Leader) P38

Evolved Cultist (Elite)

Cultist P38

Cultist Shotgun

Cultist Shotgun

The soldiers are in route to the church.

The troops dismount.

The LT questions the man outside the door.

The LT gets the answer to his inquiry.

The troops respond!

Medic!  The men rush for the door.

Sniper!

LT and the Sage head around the back.

The Lt and Sgt sneak the hostages out the back and give them cover as the Evolved Cultist pursues them.

The civilians drive off to safety in the truck

The freak is taken down.

Then suddenly!

The Lt is speared by teeth and tentacles.

Meanwhile, the sniper is taken out and the church is assaulted.  The cultists are killed but as they retrieve the artifact one of the fallen erupts into to a Hell beast.

With covering fire, the Sarge throws two grenades into the open maw of the Hell best and it explodes into gore.

The second Hell beast appears from the front of the church and is easily dispatched with concentrated small arms fire.

Look out behind you!  From out of the woods comes a huge beast that lunges for the CO.

The beast rips the Major in two and throws the staff car into a building catching it on fire.

A mother and her child escape the burning building only to face something more terrible.

The Sgt decides to rescue the woman and drives the truck right into the beast.

The men dismount and engage the beast in hand to hand to give the woman and child a chance to get away.

Run!  The mother and her child make it to safety at the cost of the rest of the men’s lives.

The Elder Gods are triumphant!

Hope you enjoyed it,

Brian

We’ve discussed the game, and products for it, since 2007. Finally we’ve come across an interesting and entertaining battle report.  The report can be found, in its entirety, at The Old Gamer’s Den blog.

The report details a battle fought by the blogger and his son in a French village during WWII.  They intended to have three battles over the course of a weekend and the French village kicked off the events.  What turned me on, besides the writing and pictures, is the inclusion of a Star Wars AT-ST by the Allies.  Technically it is a “prototype walking tank” for their game but the model representing the tank is an Imperial All-Terrain Scout-Transport.  This beautifully showcases one of the game’s strongpoints.  You can use just about any model you have at home in the game to represent something amazing in the game without your opponent squaking.

Before we send you to The Old Gamer’s Den to read the batrep, we wouldn’t think of posting the entire thing here and stealing visitors from his blog, we have to share a picture of the Prototype Walking Tank.  It simply takes the cake.

Don’t forget to head over to The Old Gamer’s Den: BG Weird War II: Battle in a french village for the complete battle report.

Show Length: 41:50

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An homage to the man behind Dungeons & Dragons

Gary Gygax on Wikipedia

05:06 Dawn of War Soulstorm

Released this week

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War @ Sea at Battleground Games on Wednesdays

‘Ard Boyz Tournaments for 40k

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Total Confusion XXII Presents All Day Boardgaming at Rising Phoenix Games in Leicester on April 19th

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D&D 4th Edition Offer – Pre-order & pre-pay all 3 core books and be entered to win a free case of D&D minis.

Battleground d20 20% Off Coupon

12:00 CWF March 2008 Newsletter Available

Read Issue #9

15:40 Music to Game By Check Out “Downtown” by Matthew Ebel.

21:07 White Dwarf #338 Quick Picks

White Dwarf #338 Quick Picks Article

31:31 High Orbit Podcast Promo

33:16 BG Weird War 2

Take 2: What The?! Miniatures to Sell First Custom Figs

39:50 Please send us feedback. E-mail it to cwfgamecast [at] wargamingforums [dot] com. Use the Contact Us Page. Go to iTunes and leave a comment. Send an IM to cwforums on AIM.

40:51 Next cast will be Thursday March 13, 2008

Since then the March ’08 issue of the CWF Game Cast Newsletter was published leading Amy to leave some comments on that article. I am so glad that she took the time to make a response on the issue. Her responses have clarified all of my concerns, which now allows me to give 5 stars for the models. Before I share my concerns and explain why I’ve bumped the rating up 1/2 a star I want to thank Amy for her comments. I also need to say that the Fliegerfaust models were renamed Luftfaust. I will explain that below.

What I don’t like is the shoulder-fired pose. I love having a shoulder-fired one but I think the rocket launcher needs to be aimed higher in the air. It looks like it is posed to take out a tank but a plane. Fliegerfaust are anti-air weapons. Therefore they need to be aimed at the sky where aircraft are. You don’t see planes bombing or strafing while on the ground. They do that from the air.

Amy informed me that the name was changed to Luftfaust because the models are carrying weapons to take out land and air. She said the version of the weapon mounted on aircraft is called Fliegerfaust. When they came across that information they promptly changed the name. That clarification has virtually nullified my comments in the above excerpt. As I said the models “looks like it is posed to take out a tank.” Clearly the pose now is more befitting the name. I still maintain that an anti-air weapon, or any weapon for land and air, should be positioned in the air. But, there’s nothing stopping a gamer from positioning the weapon that way.

I had another concern that dealt with scale. This too has been rectified in comments from Amy. I originally said:

My concern with this change in scale is that most games I’ve seen are 28mm and they enjoy a lot of success. I’ve read that a lot of WW2 and Weird War figs from other companies are in 28mm scale or something close to that. By switching to 34mm scale I’m afraid that long time gamers won’t buy the new figs because they won’t fit into their existing collection. I’m also concerned that other companies will be alienated because gamers will either need to use other companies’ stuff or product from What The?! Miniatures.

Amy has since alerted me that all their 28mm scale models will be sculpted in 34mm scale. Consequently, all their 34mm scale models will also be sculpted in 28mm scale. I am going to venture onto a limb and say that enough feedback reached them to make this change. I don’t recall ever seeing this mentioned on their forum before I wrote the article. However, I am glad they are casting in both sizes. The reasons to cast in 34mm are completely valid and do make solid business sense. But, it also makes solid business sense to cast in 28mm scale.

We intend to sell the 28mm minis as a permanent item in our catalog. We also intend to shadow any popular 34mm sellers in 28mm so the 25mm-28mm won’t get left out on the popular stuff.

All 28mm minis will be $3.50 and the 34mm will be 4.50.

We have several projects percolating right now so we should have some interesting stuff to offer later in the year.

A lot of great information was made available in Amy’s comments. One of the most important I’ve shared in the above excerpt. All 28mm minis will be permanently fixed in the What The?! Miniatures catalog. Plus, 28mm scale will cost $3.50 per model while 34mm will cost $4.50 per model plus s&h. These are great prices that allow the casual gamer to try them out and the veteran to stockpile without emptying the bank.

Lastly, to reward you for reading this entire article I have a few treasures to share. Firstly you can find the official Battleground Weird War II rules for the Luftfaust by going to the official Battleground Weird War II Rules page. Lastly, I have pics of the painted figures to share. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

You can clearly see the progress from green sculpt to finished metal model to painted figure.  Be sure to click the thumbnails for a closer look.

New Bottom Line

5 stars. ‘Nuff said.

Show Length: 53:33

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Battleground Weird War 2 Official Website

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45:55 Please send us feedback. E-mail it to cwfgamecast [at] wargamingforums [dot] com. Use the Contact Us Page. Go to iTunes and leave a comment. Send an IM to cwforums on AIM.

48:19 Next cast will be Thursday February 21, 2008

48:35 Our Website = www.wargamingforums.com and it has all the shownotes and updates.

Next cast will be Thursday February 21, 2008.

We first covered the game when Amy crafted the Battleground World War II – Wargaming in a World Gone Mad article, which is also our Highest Rated Article by all you readers. Now the weird gaming continues with two brand new figs. The models are German Fliegerfaust. If you never heard of that before you have a lot of company. Until I read up on them I hadn’t a clue what they were. Thankfully, Brian has shared that information in a post titled New Minis on his website. Basically, they are shoulder-fired anti-air rocket launchers.

Photos (Click to Enlarge)

You can see the progression of the model below. The first two pics are right and left views of the finished green (sculpted but not cast) model. The last one is the finished model after being casted in metal. This figure is walking with his Fliegerfaust to the perfect location to shoot down Allied planes.

Again the first two pics are right and left views of the finished green model before it was sculpted. The last one shows the finished model after it was sculpted. It has the Fliegerfaust on its shoulder waiting for the right shot.

How to Buy

Both models are in 28mm scale but the rest of the models What The?! Miniatures will have for BG WW2 will be 34mm scale. These models look real nice and only cost $3.50 + actual shipping. That’s not a bad price at all and you can save a lot with a low cost shipping option. Or, if you need the figs now you can choose a more expensive overnight shipping method. You can only pay with Paypal for now and please e-mail amylopan [at] gmail [dot] com to place your order.

Reaction

That said I have some concerns about these models and the road What The?! Miniatures has chosen. The figs look good and I like the idea of having one pose of a guy walking with the weapon. Movement is good and shows action. Action makes people want to buy the fig so that is a plus. Also, in terms of fluff the soldier needs to get to a location to use the weapon. What I don’t like is the shoulder-fired pose. I love having a shoulder-fired one but I think the rocket launcher needs to be aimed higher in the air. It looks like it is posed to take out a tank but a plane. Fliegerfaust are anti-air weapons. Therefore they need to be aimed at the sky where aircraft are. You don’t see planes bombing or strafing while on the ground. They do that from the air.

Brian promised to create rules for the Fliegerfaust and make them available before the figures go on sale. He still has time because the Fliegerfaust were leaked on TMP and also on here. But, What The?! Miniatures isn’t officially open for business just yet. Perhaps in the rules there will be options or a chart for using the Fliegerfaust against tanks. It makes sense on one level that rocket launchers can take out planes but also how devastating they are against tanks and other vehicles. If those rules exist that will mollify me a bit. Even if such a rule comes into existence I maintain that an anti-air model should be pointed into the air. Not directly forward.

There is some good news here that leads into a concern I have. Future models will be sculpted and cast in 34mm scale. The Fliegerfaust will be re-sculpted and casted in that new scale too. Don’t let that dissuade you from getting the 28mm versions, they’re quite nice and can work with a ton of 28mm games, and perhaps they’ll re-sculpt one of the soldiers with his rocket launcher pointed in the air.

My concern with this change in scale is that most games I’ve seen are 28mm and they enjoy a lot of success. I’ve read that a lot of WW2 and Weird War figs from other companies are in 28mm scale or something close to that. By switching to 34mm scale I’m afraid that long time gamers won’t buy the new figs because they won’t fit into their existing collection. I’m also concerned that other companies will be alienated because gamers will either need to use other companies’ stuff or product from What The?! Miniatures.

I understand why the Cottrells made the decision to switch and I am sure it was a difficult one. The main reason for the change was that 38mm models will fit in better with 1/48 and 1/50 scale vehicles, which most gamers use. A road to success for the Cottrells is to fill a niche with high quality, desirable, and useful product. I think 38mm will be that niche and the Fliegerfaust are certainly desirable, high quality, and useful. They went all out and are now getting the Fliegerfaust professionally painted. When those photos are available we’ll share them here for all of you to see.

Bottom Line

Overall I give these figs 4.5 out of 5 stars and 2 thumbs up. You can order the figures by e-mailing amylopan [at] gmail [dot] com or going to the official Battleground Weird War II website for more information. Until the What The?! Miniatures website goes live Paypal will be the only accepted payment method. Remember that $3.50 + actual shipping is all it takes for you to get these incredible models. Way to go Amy and Brian! These figs are excellent.

Battleground Weird War II is a series of modified rules that are compatible with Easy Eight Enterprises’ Battleground WWII System. The scale is in 25mm-28mm or 1/48-1/50.

In this game, you will battle for survival in an alternative 1945 world. The Earth has been involved in a global war for the last several years and now it seems that mankind’s cruelty, savagery and suffering has triggered an event of biblical proportions in which creatures from all of Earth’s religions, myths and folklore now inhabit the world.

Sea monsters attack and devour ships, winged monstrosities roam the skies, the dead return to torment and feast on the living and the hosts of both Heaven and Hell wage open warfare in plain view of a horrified humanity.

Science and technology advance at a furious rate and unnatural alliances are struck in attempts to stem the tide against humanity’s supernatural foes. These are the end times and humanity is struggling to survive in a world that has truly gone mad.

This is the time of Weird War II… (click here to visit site)