Mo Money, Mo Problems

It’s like the more money we come across – the more problems we see…

Today, Duncan looks at what if’s – what you had the time, money and space to really explore your Flames of War habit hobby?

Hi Duncan here and I’m bored. Living in the South East of England there is ample opportunity to get bored – the car park that is the M25, travelling to London on Southern Rail, the horror that is the Circle Line on a Friday afternoon. So being bored your mind starts to wander and my mind wanders towards Flames of War lists.

I have to thank Lee’s article on the new Zvezda Konigstiger for getting my mind wandering on this topic – it was the notion that the once extravagance of buying 4 or 5 (or 6 for the real hard cases) Konigstigers to run a single list now had entered the realms of widespread feasibility. And that got me thinking of all the lists I could do if I had the time, money, space and inclination.

Firstly let me caveat what you are about to read below:

• I don’t think any of these lists are uber-powerful or even competitive.
• I think that these list are cool – there is a very strong possibility that I am in a minority of one

1) Atlantik Wall – German – Beutepanzerkompanie 1420pts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poot poot! Just remember in the land of no AT a low velocity 37mm gun is… still pants.

So this army is awesome. Obsolete French tanks in German camo – tick, captured Russian guns – tick, flames throwers – tick. What is not to like?? I actually think that this list could have some good match ups in a competitive environment, when defending with half your platoons on you can have 2 CT infantry blobs, 88’s, 76mm artillery and either Marders or 122mm artillery. That’ll take some chewing through! It obviously struggles on the offensive and lacks a lot of mobile high AT and smoke but I refer you back to R-35 tanks in German camo.

2) Bridge by Bridge – German – Kampfgruppe Swoboda 1420pts

Like Flak? Love Swoboda! 

So from the sublime of the Beutepanzerkompanie to the slightly ridiculous Kampfgruppe Swoboda from Bridge by Bridge. The interest for me with this list is can gun teams really defend well on mass? I know that they struggle sometimes as they can get isolated and picked on but when you have this many large calibre guns for AT and high rate of fire ones for light vehicles and infantry. Backing up the AA with FV infantry, Tigers and the pin-machine that is nebelwerfers could make for an interesting, if static, list.

3) Rising Sun – Soviet – Heavy Tankovy 1500pts

And the French think they have problems with a one-man turret! 

And from the slightly ridiculous to the deeply Soviet. Despite never having completed a Soviet army for Flames of War I have more than a soft spot for them and their EW multi-turret tanks. Again I think in the right match ups and in the right setting this could be a bit of a beast. More ticks for flamethrowers and, this time, for truck mounted quad maxim machineguns – what could be more EW Soviet!

4) Road To Rome – US Cavalry Recon Troop 1500pts

I know not a very Italian example, but in my head this is exactly how all M8s join the fight…

Finally we have my homage to the Cavalry – I was going to do Florin Geyer or a German cavalry list but my bias for playing German is already prevalent enough here, so I went for the US Cav Recon. I love the M8 Scott – I just think it is a lovely looking vehicle and I had to include as many as I could. The plan I guess with this list is to find a defensive German army, lift Gone to Ground and start pummeling… so standard stuff really. I’m a little bit light on true AT assets with the short Sherman platoon really being the only proper support I have but I still like the concept overall.

A lot of the 4 lists above impracticality comes from the volume of costly stuff that is not easily transferrable to other lists I mean there are only so many R-35s in German camo you will ever need. Even in the US Cav list the M8 armoured cars and Scott HMCs might not venture out again and as for Swoboda best not to think about it really.

So that was my Fantasy Football run down of lists that, currently, I’d love to try out given unlimited everything. I’d really relish finding out what other little gems are out there lurking in the long grass; stuff that people have conceived but never created – or are you one of those mad geniuses that had put together a T-35 horde or a T-26 brutish lump then let us know!