Flames of War – ETC 2025 – Debrief – Part 2
Hello Readers,
Fred here. Continuing the debrief of ETC 2025. With 1st part of the tournament gone, Switzerland is in a decent spot with 10 points, but will need to score the same to clinch podium. With one big fish (Poland) out, we were still expecting a couple of same caliber Teams in the way to the finish.
Round 4 vs France
Not quite happy with the outcome of the match against Poland, we entered Round 4 with a very strong determination to rebound. Fate gave us France, special for me as French and former captain of this team for 10 years, and special for Team Switzerland given they are French-speaking Swiss and have a long history with France FoW Community. We however didn’t let feeling get in the way, and we paired up so we could achieve high score.
I was matched against Loic S. and his Soviets, on a supremely empty of terrains board. I attacked in Breakthrough.
The map was literally a killing field. Everywhere my JAP will go, they will be murdered but Soviets firepower. Loic decided to keep his KVs on board in order to engage my Infantry in blasting MG and deadly Assault, and he deployed everything so I can’t Assault Turn 1. I kept a Naval, Ka-Mi and 2 37mm out, while the rest will line up to move relentlessly toward the midfield.
I clinched Objective Turn 1. Advancing 3 groups of Infantry out of the deployment area. Popping Smoke B. prevented this advance from being too bloody. Artillery was disappointing (fun fact: I managed to roll 12 2 in a row, quite a performance!). Soviets’ retaliation was limited due to Smoke B. and little cover I can find on the board, as well as firepower on par with mines. Reserves however started to pour in, and Armored Recon and 1 Guard Infantry with HQ propelled themselves on the far-flung Objective. KVs started to show up, avoiding 75mm AA, which took a beating from Soviets artillery.
By Turn 2, I resumed the advance of my 3 Infantry units on the Objective to set up a good defensive position. I propelled my Ha-Go in the face of Hero Rifle, knowing they have little to fear. Artillery starts pounding and eventually extract tool on Soviets HMG and Heavy Mortars. Ha-Go made the Rifle retreated. Soviets retaliation is limited, the Ha-Go in their line proving to be a major issue. They resumed their consolidation of the far-flung Objective, and KVs approached to threaten my center of 40+ infantry pick-nicking midfield.
Turn 3 saw no Reserves to intercept the Soviets moving infantry. So I resumed my Ha-Go bashing of Soviets stands, helped by Artillery fire, clearing the hill overlooking the midfield Objective. Here, my Naval went on Banzai the KVs, bailing one off thanks to nikuhaku and pushing the rest away. Loic raced to the rescue of the hill the PTRD, and relaunched an Assault with the KVs on my 3 Infantry midfield – this super bold action was only to trigger my 2nd nikuhaku card. Obviously the 2 KVs ran away but didn’t lose another stand. Consolidation brought me in an truly impregnable position.
Turn 4 saw still no Reserves showing, my Infantries have nothing to do but dug in on the Objective. Ha-Go kept on extracting tool on Soviets line, claiming the Infantry and the Heavy Mortars, with an handful of HMG and PTRD running away. Loic used his Turn to finally retaliate on the Ha-Go by bringing his 76mm dual-purpose artillery – only 2 of them escape the USSRage. The KVs came back on with my Infantry, this time with the HQ nearby for re-rolling motivation. With no weapons to stop them, it was basically a game of who is going to break first, my ~20ish Infantry with counter-attack 2+ or 3+ (both with rerolls) or the 2 KVs hitting on 3+ with 3+ motivation (reroll thanks to HQ). Without surprise, the KVs retreated after several turn of combat.
Turn 5 saw the arrival of my Ka-Mi and the methodic elimination of the Soviets’ formation. Ka-Mi focused on the 82mm mortars, Infantry sniped the HQ, and Artillery plus remaining Ha-Go let but 1 PTRD alive. This little boy succeed his last stand, meaning Loic will play one more turn. He eventually killed the Ha-Go with the 57mm coming from Reserves and the 76mm, and then attempted a last dive on the Infantry with the remaining KVs. Without reroll, the task is even harder than before, and KVs had to retreat again, leaving my troops holding the midfield Objective, undisputed.
Victory / 8-1
Despite the bad board, taking the opportunity to clinch the Objective Turn 1 was basically the game. The Soviets were just too far from the action, the Ha-Go shred the backline unhindered, and the KVs were not sufficient to push (plus they took high risks while I was in nikuhaku turns). Moreover, Soviets had to worry about the far-flung Objective as they can’t let 13 angry Naval boys backed but by 4 Ka-Mi unattended, so resources spent there weren’t used in midfield. I believe the choice of troops on board and the decision to defend low and not high sealed the fate of the Soviets. A pleasant game with Loic where we could both speak French!
Switzerland won the round 4/1/1. A little bit disappointing as we were on position for more, and we knew the missed points would be difficult to catch up in Day 3.
Round 5 vs USA
We entered the finals a little bit trailing with the rest of the pack, 4th with 14 points, yet with capacities to catch up, top being only at 16. We were super happy to be paired up against USA, the reigning World Champions and top-class opponents. We wanted to face them since Round 1 (challenge, anyone? #TACO). We decided it was time for “Nut Up or Shut Up”. We thus adjusted the pairing strategy to go balls forward.
I thus once again throw myself under the bus, got clicked as expected, and thus ended up being paired up against the one and only Tony D, in a showdown JAP vs JAP on Scouts Out.
Tony had a great army, pushing his concept to the limit, I studied it quite a bit and knew it was the kind of game it could be absolutely devastating in. Wise choice would have been to avoid it. But we said we go “Nut Up”, so it was time to show I still have the level for it.
Tony set up his army with maximum artillery and infantry, as well as Recon, leaving the 8 Human Bullet cards out. As expected, Tony went on threatening my Objective Turn 1 thanks to Reco infiltrating Infantry and having Turn 1. I did however plan on playing more conservatively, and fielded 3 Infantry Units, backed up by 3 Artillery Batteries, with a pair of 37mm Guns and Ha-Go acting as counter-punchers: I won’t push for his Objectives from the start, but at least I can soak up his high artillery park and threatening troops. I blocked the initial push with my Ha-Go and Infantry sniping, and set my Artilleries on his – not that much for lethal effect but to limit their attrition, thinking several turns ahead. Tony kept on pushing but his troops weren’t in Assault position Turn 2 due to my defensive network. Artillery however started to zero in my area, extracting its tool. I retaliated with surgical strikes, not damaging much but pinning the Artillery and daring the Infantry and Recon to come.
Turn 3 saw the first turning point of the game: while my network was in place, Tony managed to lay heavy artillery fire on my Naval guarding the Objective, and it was bad time for them to stay here. With my Ka-Mi arrival, I decided it was the moment for me to push, so bring forward the Tanks supported by an Infantry unit and HQ toward his Objective. On the other flank, I moved my Naval out from the template to catch the Recon under a deadly assault. My shooting from Ha-Go and 37mm were however dismal, and the following assault from my Naval was a total failure. Tony consolidated his Tk on the Objective, now having a possibility to push.
Turn 4 saw Tony launching his Naval Infantry and HQ, backed up by the Recon, straight into the jaws of my troops. Fortunately Mortars failed to Smoke B. the place, so my Defensive Fire was better than expected. But JAP infantry always banzai in, and we engaged in a critical fight between my Ha-Go and Infantry against very angry Tony’s Naval boys with HQ. Ultimately, my troops prevailed, thanks to my Ha-Go proving too hard to crack to non-nikukahu Infantry and vicious blow from my remaining Infantry, and Tony was pushed back losing Naval infantry and HQ. Flank was however not totally secure as Recon were still there, and my Turn 4 shooting weren’t enough to make them run away. On the far side of the table things looked brighter, with my Ka-Mi spearheading the charge of the Infantry into guarding Naval infantry. Despite the Naval having no nikuhaku, Ka-Mi believed it was good to miss their 3+ reroll counterattack. I confidently committed my Infantry… but they also missed their 3+ reroll! I “frenchly” cursed at myself, and Tony gained a precious turn of me not clinching the Objective.
Turn 5 saw the Recon dueling with my Ha-Go, none of them being able to do much damage, even thou the Ha-Go had the 37mm in point blank to help them. Can’t secure this flank. Tony starts pouring his Reserve infantry in the mix for defense. They were greeted by my ranged-in templates and AP shots, reducing their number and contribution. I moved with the Ka-Mi and Infantry, now ending within 4’/10cm of the Objective, with only a handful of Naval stands defending.
We entered Turn 6 in Sudden Death, and with only 2 move / 2 shots / 2 assaults, it was much needed not to miss anything. Tony used his moves to better his position around the Objective, shot again my Ha-Go which shrank again and delivered an artillery blast. No assault as it could potentially have won me the game. I used my Turn 6 to move my remaining Infantry and HQ in Assault position. My shots were all dedicated in taking out the 4 remaining Naval Infantry guarding his Objective, with an Infantry Leader masterfully placed by Tony to enforce counterattack from his Infantries should I commit in. My shots didn’t remove anything but for the leader, and all the audience held its breath for my JAP infantry assault against the remaining 3 stands… which was a success!
Victory / 8-1
What. A. Game. The stage was set for an epic game, and it didn’t disappoint. It was a mind game from the start. Tony taking the advantage of moving early to threaten my Objective from the beginning gave him the upper edge. I held and gave him hell, despite the hard drawback of my Naval on the Tk (which were definitely the Unit of the game for him). Tony had a very decent chance to push me Turn 3, but my JAP experienced for the 1st time being in a receiving end of a Banzai charge and it felt good to give payback. I would say playing conservatively while being mindful of any opportunity changed the usual “race to the Objective” this kind of mission/match up is. I missed my chance Turn 4 due to the missed critical dices (2x 3+ reroll), but never gave up, came back for more, and this time succeed (I even made a 4+ critical roll!). I was happy the choices of troops on table, decisions with my artillery (seeking suppression/attrition over damage), and decisions to push or not to push proved to be right.
From personal perspective, I was super proud of having served the team in entering a match up which wasn’t in my favor but good for them, focused fully, plaid it at highest level again one of the Top 10 players worldwide, gave everything I’ve got, and ultimately prevailed. Also, thank you Tony for this stellar game, one of the best I’ve had in 16 years of FoW. We had a wonderful gentleman game with lot of respect from both end of the table, clear and clean actions, proper talking, not a single conflict: this game is everything I’m looking for in high competition.
Switzerland won the round 2/1/3. We would have loved some more and paired accordingly, but let’s be honest, USA was the reigning World Champion, they are very good, and those were really engaged games of a semi-final. Not a bad result at all! And USA was definitely the best sport of our tournament.
Round 6 vs Italy
And here came the finale. Against the Team we are the most closed and friends with: Italy. We were definitely eager to have this match as they had a great run all week-end against top guns, and at the same time sad as they or us will fall down and miss the podium, a common objective. The pair up was quite awkward to be honest, both of us trying to set up decent match up “list vs list” but also mitigate the “player vs player” factor, leading to a somehow 1-1 on paper, with 4 games fully open. True finale.
Both Etienne and me were kept for Click 2 with a “this is our turf” mentality: throw whatever you want at us, we will prevail. As such, Captain Livio was really happy to pair me against Matteo’s USSR. I attacked in Escape.
Same as per Round 4, another match against Soviets, with me Attacking, on a ball-trap board. Matteo built up his defense with Infantry and KV8 holding the forward Objective, road to the rear Objective guarded by PTRD and 45mm, rear Objective secured by the SU-76 and HQ, and HMG in Ambush. I deployed on the whole length of the board, with Infantry Formation aimed at the forward Objective, and Naval at the rear one, both Formation supported by a Unit of Tanks.
Turn 1 Matteo received Reserves, and KVs started to move to threaten my backline. I gallantly advanced forward, laying a bit of smoke B. to prevent massive damage on my foot soldiers crossing the empty board. I also kept a couple of Infantry stands to control where the KVs would go to limit damages in my backyard. My shots were not effective, but at least my strategy was in place.
Turn 2 saw the appearance of the HMG, but thanks placement, impact was indeed limited. But the dreaded mini-guns were in place and needed to be taken care of. KVs moved forward to start wrecking my backyard, but I anticipated and had cunning Infantry limiting the damages, forcing the KVs to fall back (#CastleHouse). I kept on forwarding part of the Infantry and the Ha-Go, laying down another Smoke B. to limit HMG effectiveness, and I concentrated my Artillery, AP and AT shot over the gunline to cream it down. I decided it was a good time to launch in, and drove my Naval into the PTRD, pushing them off. Soviets were still in very good defensive position, yet I set so I can push next turn and onward.
Turn 3 begins with a Hero Rifle joining the KVs in the slaughter fest of my backyard: expected, and to be honest better to have those targeted than my frontline. HMG and Artillery raged on my advancing troops, but not enough to prevent them from progressing forward. With time to make the decision, I redirected 1 Infantry to keep the Hero Rifle busy (and, secretly, beat it to break the Formation), while the 2nd one hang in its position. Ha-Go infiltrated the Soviets lines, daring the KV8 to shoot them over the Infantry. Naval troops (Infantry and Ka-Mi) kept on pushing on the gunline, claiming the PTRD and 45mm guns in the process, while HMG resisted well, still losing troops at a slow rate. By the end of the Turn, I achieved my maneuver and knew next turn will be pushing to Objective.
Turn 4 saw the rampage of Soviets troops helped by the IL2 in the backfield, still good for having my front not much disturbed. On the other side of the board, Soviets turtled up on the Objective, damaging my frontliners but without steam to prevent them from advancing. I thus kept on my strategy, Ha-Go rampaged the Heavy Mortars, regular Infantry resumed advance in the middle to threaten both Objectives, Naval and Ka-Mi shooting and assaulting to push the remains of the Soviets force on the corner. I clinched the far Objective with 2 Units.
By Turn 5, Matteo had to make a Fort Alamo defense on its Objectives, the closest one with 1 Infantry and 1 KV8, and the far one with 2 KV8, 3 SU-76 and 2 HQ. Volume of fire was reduced, and thus none of my 2 Naval infantry clinching the Objective were pushed away. While the Soviets defense was still strong, I took my first opportunity for seizing the win. The positioning of my troops would allowed to swing twice, contacting without too many defensive fire for violent assaults. Maneuvering an unpinned Naval, I made a first punch on SU-76, leaving only 1 alive to flee. Then I committed the Infantry for the 2nd punch, which can’t be stopped by Soviets fire, even with the KV8, wrecked the SU-76 and HQ, leaving the sole 2 KV8 to stand the wrath of the Japanese army. The remaining big tanks understood it was too much for them, and returned home, leaving the Objective in Japanese’s hands.
Victory / 6-3
A great defense of Matteo, helped by a supremely favorable board and fast Reserves coming. I however knew what my strategy needed to be to overcome the odds. I sticked to it, made as little mistakes as possible, and used the Japanese strengths to maximum effect. I ended up countering the Soviets firepower to gain fire superiority, despite the Soviets force rampaging my backfield. Positioning and surgical strikes until Turn 4 allowed the Infantry and Tanks to be precisely where they needed to be for the final show Turn 5, and Soviets couldn’t stand the crushing force on their shoulders. Beauty of this game: never stop believing until it is over.
Switzerland lost the round 2/4/0. Both Etienne and me did our daddy thing, winning the game we didn’t picked. Unfortunately, talent from the Italian team allow them to beat us in the 4 other games. A well-deserved win for Italy.
Happiness and sadness
Dust settling saw Team Switzerland stuck at 18 points, with podium inches away, “as always”.
Disappointing but logical. We fought well, and were beaten by teams we had our chances to win on, but ultimately collectively better than ours.
The feeling is however way more positive than last year: we had the opportunity to match the best worldwide FoW has to offer, battling with the 4 top teams, beating 2 of them (Denmark and USA) and losing to n°1 (Poland) and n°2 (Italy). I believe we proved we earn our place at the top tables.
For sure, we could have performed better, but I think we are ultimately OK to loss against the best Teams of the season. All hail to them. A once again clear reminder of what this event is all about: a group of persons playing together, winning or losing as one.
From a personal perspective, I am quite satisfied with my result. Ending with 4/0/2 is just 1 more win than last year, yet the conditions were really different. This year was even more about the Team, taking the JAP because the group fully needed it, design it to suit what the group wanted, being used in bad conditions to allow the rest of the group to perform, and making the points in hard match ups against good to great players.
Real Life is kicking really hard, I can’t play as much wargame as I want, I’m quite cold with FoW, MW is clearly not my area of expertise, taking over the JAP army only weeks before the event, with heavy workorder and constraints, not having enough training (in fact, not enough FoW this season!)… but I dedicated myself to analyzing as best as I could to deliver exactly what the Team asked for, did all the sacrifices expected for the group, and piloted it to quite satisfactory results, extending my ETC records to 12/0/6… well, I dare to say I’m proud!
For sure I would have loved to see Switzerland earn the medal it deserves, but I appreciate the run we’ve made this year, and rest happily on the outcome.
Wrapping up ETC 2025 Leoben
First of all, I would like to expand my deepest thanks to the whole crew of Team Switzerland. Stefano, Raph, Jeremi, Etienne, Preston, we had a lovely weekend together, tons of fun. I also want to include my mate Loic G. who unfortunately couldn’t make it this year. He helped me in understanding the JAP and design the list (Ha-Go, perfect idea bro’!), as well as never stopped encouraging us. Love you all guys, it was a delight to share these moments with you.
Once again, congratulation to the winners:
– Poland: you guys never cease to amaze me. A great wargaming Community, what a commitment for teamplay. Message to Captain Marcin: relax, and stop yelling on your players, especially when they perform a great job.
– Italy: very happy for you guys, hard commitment to this event, lot of efforts all year, great talent, it pays off. We bested you in individuals, but you definitely bested us as a Team. Respect. Your Community should be real proud of your achievement.
– USA: impeccable Champions’ attitude, high standard of play, top-class meta and playing, Sportsmanship Award fully deserved, it was a true delight to play high competition with you guys (and yes, Tony, we voted for you).
Thank you to my vaillant opponents, Jeff, Benjamin, Adam, Loic, Tony, Matteo, we had pleasant and committed games, without any conflict nor matter. Good gaming.
The event was well organized, venue was wide, not hot, not noisy, space with and between boards were large, timing optimal, shuttles to the city well scheduled.
Could have been better with the food, pork and potatoes salad all 3 days was harsh, but it seems a common thing in Leoben, with scare options for restaurants.
Tables were not great. Not enough concealment or LoS blockers, too many wide open spaces, too many unhindered LoS, hills of death… Truth be told, it’s same level as Zagreb 2018 before we go buy and make terrains. So, to me, it was unfortunately the worth set up of ETC. A shame as it seems there was plenty terrains left and not put on boards.
Regarding the Rulespack, I really like the 6-Nations requirement, it definitely helps with the diversity of the lists and roster.
Choice of the tables was also a good idea, it added another layer to the pair up process and team play.
I still believe we need to allow 2 Teams per country: not every nation will be in capacity to do it, so it’s just an option for those who can (such as USA).
Combat Command application was also nice to track and follow result, maybe it can be improved by having the proper name of players and updating as soon as results are in, not expecting the full round to be completed.
Eventually, it was great to see many new faces mixed with old friends. Several Communities seem to have a renewal of generations, which I find really nice to bring more people to the party. Also, special kudos from ¼ of the panel of players who travelled from outside Europe (US, Canada, New Zealand): thank you for making this event a true world cup. Let’s hope next year we will have people from Asia, Africa, and South America also.
Have a nice summer break all.
See you in 2025-2026 FoW Season.
Knowledge is power: share it well.
Fred
