expanding FOW Open Fire with Panthers?

[driller]

I know LAM is not particularly about FOW, but since it's the only forum I frequent I'll ask my question here...

I recently purchased the Open Fire starter set, and I'd like to expand my german forces with Panther Gs. Is this possible at all?

Yes, it's a newbie question, but I *AM* a FOW newbie.

[tomek917]

I don't have the Open Fire! box myself and it's been over a year since I've played FOW...

But! I would says yes, of course you can have Panthers (Panthers are cool, everyone should have a few!)

Anything is possible in FOW, there is always some force that will allow Panthers. And even if there isn't just add Panthers and compensate it with something on the american side, add an artillery battery, an airplane, more bazookas, whatever suits you. Or remove the Stugs and add Panthers, or anything else that would balance the game a bit more.

Or just tell the american player that your force will have a few Panthers, sometimes life just isn't fair 

[von Lucky]

I'm also a shameless FoW player.

Like the StuGs you get in Open Fire, Panthers are useful in that they're one of the better tanks in the game and the Germans can field these both in MW and LW. Open Fire gives you a good infantry core to work on and the Panthers will give you a solid armoured platoon. Alternatively you can use Panthers and StuGs to create an armoured company and use the infantry in support.

There's some free briefings on the FoW website that show what's usually possible in LW with Panthers:
http://www.flamesofwar.com/Default.aspx?tabid=108&kb_cat_id=100

[khartoum2]

Nothing wrong with a few Panthers although they do take a lot of points - but cool is cool as they are my favourite tanks of the war.

I added the Open Fire box to some Panzer IV's and Panthers I had already bought - I bought the Plastic Soldier ones and think they are great kits, much better than the kits in the open fire box.  I went mad and and am just finishing off a mechanized panzer grenadier force with a stack of half tracks.

The Open Fire box is the basis the world is the aim.

Have now started on Russians to combat them.  A friend is painting the Americans so plenty of fun to be had soon

[Westfalia Chris]

I haven't used the Open Fire box as a starter as I built my FOW army from scratch, but you should be able to add the Panthers to the infantry company as a divisional support platoon (either in place of or in addition to the assault gun platoon).

A word of warning, though: Even if using the basic Heer list, Panthers are rather pricey, points-wise. This is actually a good thing, IMHO, as it limits their numbers (as historical as FOW may get), but skews their game effectiveness. I've found Panzer IVs and Assault Guns are much better value for money against the Western Allies (if playing 1944 games, Jumbo Shermans are a different kettle of fish) and also are more "manageable" for the opponent - they are tough but not as brutal as the Panthers, which in our case produced much more interesting games.

I usually combine mechanised infantry with Panzer IVs and assault howitzers, which usually resulted in close-fought and exciting games.

That said, Panthers look great, and the PSC ones (which I use exclusively) are a particular treat, even if the assembly instructions are... creative, to say the least.