Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Age of the Big Battalions => Topic started by: Wellington Bonaparte on April 22, 2018, 10:23:09 PM
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I've recently been gifted about 1500 15mm ACW figures from a variety of manufacturers by a friend who is determined to pull me into yet another area of wargaming. I've played a couple ofgames of F&Fwith him which I enjoyed, but my question to the great and good out there is should I go for Regimental F&F or Bde F&F?
I believe we played the Regimental version, so have no idea of the Bde. Version.
Now just have to start painting and basing the little fellas............
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I’d ditto that advice, you can do both easily. It’s possibly the best set of rules ever for simplicity and accuracy and there’s a lot of resources on the web for suitable scenarios.
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I prefer the Brigade level rules. as well as being simpler, you can do big battles with them.
I think there are better rules at the regimental level (Longstreet, They Couldn't Hit an Elephant)
However, the basing is compatible between the two (although a single brigade level base with 4 figures counts as 2 bases in the regimental version)
So, assuming you have 15mm figures, put them 3 or 4 figures to a 1" wide base and you are in business. (4 figs looks better, 3 gives you more bang for your buck)
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As has been said the base sizes for both are the same now that the Brigade F&F rewrite is out. Point about the artillery, in Brigade you still have, I think, about seven different artillery types that your battery can consist of.
Have only played at the brigade level so far and they are great rules in my opinion.
Tony.
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Gentlemen, thank youfor your replies and advice. I'll start painting and basing now and hopefully by the end of summer will have enough of one side done to issue a challenge. From your advice, I'll go for the brigade version to start and see how I get on, follow it with regimental if I get hooked. Damn, more books to buy for more research!! The fun never stops :)
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If you base some with 3 figures at the front of a base and some with 3 figures at the back they can give the impression of a regiment or a succession of lines for the brigade rules as per this scrappy photo.
Clive
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I like that idea, thanks Clive
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Not quite what you asked, but F&F basing will also work for Bloody Big Battles. BBB is faster and simpler than F&F though of similar style. The troop representation ratio is flexible, with basic units sometimes being brigades, often divisions and sometimes small corps. The Shiloh scenario fits on a 4 X 3 foot table and takes 9 turns, perhaps three hours for the first day. We played the 3 days of Gettysburg in two sessions on a 4 X 6 foot table. Some folks play faster than we do. Both days of the Wilderness take an evening.
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Yes, BBB is very good for ACW. I no longer play F+F because of it.
However F+F Brigade is an excellent game (not played the very latest version however) and the few games of F+F Regimental I had were good but I did not really get into it (works well for Mexico though).
Give them all a go, the basing will work.
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F&F 2nd edition is much better than the 1st. It is more bloody, with musketry actually doing something.
We found Regimental F&F slow.
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Ive read that in F&F you should make some casualty markers, low ammo, etc That's a bonus for me. I'm not a fan of chits and plastic markers cluttering the table.
Anyone have any pictures of counters they made for F&F ?
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Last weekend I played my first two games of the new Brigade F&F, having played the original rules a fair bit over the years. We thought that they were a definite refinement of a good set of rules.
My markers for 28mm F&F: (You could print and stick to card for interim use)
Disordered Markers (40mm bases):
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/overlord_awc/ACW/Disorder1_zpsl5g95iiu.jpg)
Disordered Cavalry, Damaged battery & low on ammo:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/overlord_awc/ACW/Disorder4_zpsnaytgzrj.jpg)
Low on ammo:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/overlord_awc/ACW/Reload5_zpssshuzjqv.jpg)
Low on ammo:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/overlord_awc/ACW/Reload6_zps7dh68ydl.jpg)
All Redoubt miniatures, apart from the dead horses and battlefield detritus from 1st Corps.
Old school (Gilder-esque) basing to match existing armies.
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Overlord. Thank you. Very nice. Have any battle reports? I'd like to see how the game flows. Thanks again.
One thing that makes me hesitate about F&F, I read that someone played a 4 hour game, and they still couldn't see a distinct winner.
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One thing that makes me hesitate about F&F, I read that someone played a 4 hour game, and they still couldn't see a distinct winner.
There are a lot of possible variables in that statement (how big was the game, was it their first, how much were they drinking between moves). My crew used to play 3-4 hour games and I can’t recall any featureless draws, indeed I’ve managed to lose games in the first hour due to my opponents vigorous use of the Confederate charge bonus.
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Levied Troop -:OK than you .
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Overlord. Thank you. Very nice. Have any battle reports? I'd like to see how the game flows. Thanks again.
One thing that makes me hesitate about F&F, I read that someone played a 4 hour game, and they still couldn't see a distinct winner.
Thank you. There are a couple of new markers in the new Brigade F&F, but I don't have a copy of the rules here and can't recall what they were....
I don't have any battle reports, but concur with Levied Troop. The recent games we played were 8 infantry brigades plus artillery per side on a 6'x4' table. Set-up, game, LOTS of chat and pack up, all within 4 hours; with a clear outcome (me losing :'( )
In the past (original Brigade F&F) we have played games of all sizes. All day games have been on 12'x6' tables or similar; fielding up to 150 infantry bases per side, with 2-4 participants. We find it works fine. The newer Brigade rules run just as quickly (even on a first play)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/overlord_awc/ACW/15037266_1350494588295216_90888722538453825_n%202_zps5yzkfmeu.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v480/overlord_awc/ACW/15036222_1350494658295209_1389930541793640800_n_zpsbmaimrqi.jpg)
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Fire & Fury is a pretty fast set of rules, but some of the ACW battles are big (and many of the scenarios in the scenario books are big).
Just as a for instance, the Shiloh scenario is good, but requires a lot of troops and probably 5 or 6 hours to play.
I halved all the troop numbers and managed to play through Shiloh in 3 hours.
So if you stick to 8-12 brigades a side, you'll finish a game in 2 or 3 hours.
If you insist on refighting big battles, you'll be there all day.
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Peter Pig do a range of figures suitable for F&F markers here (http://www.peterpig.co.uk/acw.html), scroll down to Markers, they are definitely closer to actual 15mm rather than the larger 18mm figures around.
Tony.
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We put in battle of the cornfields at Antietam at a convention. 3 hours and Union was beaten.
15mm Old Glory markers.
http://www.oldgloryminiatures.com/products.asp?cat=662&pg=6 (http://www.oldgloryminiatures.com/products.asp?cat=662&pg=6)
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Does Fire & Fury Brigade have some historical scenarios included in the book? I like to play battles based on real history, even if they are a bit uneven.
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Never mind. I found it on their page. It includes 3 historical battles.