A Very Good Product and Nice New Trend - FTC8

macrobo

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Hi All

I Think this needs a second thread personally - I just got My FTC 8 and did not realize what great little Gem for Christmas I got! :happy:

I had read the other thread and realized there were some nice positive comments but I thought for those wanting to spend the Cash and not miss a really good product - I too have had to cut back my ASL spending so to choose just one or two products is essential and though Mark P is the final word for some - his reviews have become far and few between now due to his busy life and this product may not have a huge stock!

So what is this trend that is new! - From The Cellar Pack 8 is a Magazine for the first time with some well thought out articles - worth the cash! (I did actually "open the boxes" and proved to myself that this had not happened before). This is a great trend! and I love it :love:- It is actually up there with an MMP journal but that only a personal opinion! (The last one was quite thin a bad trend....:cry:)

FTC8 included lots - I really could not put this magazine down - its full of such goodness - my children thought I had died in our bedroom since I was so quiet

(a) An 8- page article on the Free French- nice color photos and order of battle Table
(b) A 14 - page article that is a dream for tread-heads like me - a very detailed description of Panzer Brigades in 44 - WOW just WOW to read :jig:
(c) a 3-page article on the Moscow tank museum for those who can't get there
(d) 10 questions to Psycho
(e) A 9- page article on KGS unique features - like the Tarawa's gamer's guide - this is really useful - I have played 8 of these scenarios and I missed some of these facts.....an absolute recommend for those about to launch into KGS
(f) A page on Bd 55 - that painful board I have used!!!! :confused:
(g) 4 pages on a historical paper on the US vs German battle between 15 to 18th September at city of Luneville to allow you to understand the campaign game that's included
(h) 3 pages of the campaign game rules
(i) Miscellaneous of whats coming from LFT (scary) and some books they used for their information (They are in French so I am not sure I will buy them)

And.... OF Course the scenarios! :cool:
Separate Card stock and in Colour - FT 209 - FT 223

3 Infantry only, rest combined arms - no tank only - lots of German heavies and US specials - Free French armed with an assorment

Time frames
41 in Syria (French versus Arab), 43 in Sicily (US vs Germ), 2 x 44 in Italy (French vs Germ),44 in Bosnia SS vs Russ, 44 in France (French vs Germ), 4 x 44 in France (US vs Germ), 2 x 45 in Germany (French vs Germ), 45 in Germany (SS vs Russian), 45 in France (US versus German), 45 in Poland (Germ vs Russ)

8 small ones of 5 to 5.5 turns and company size forces
6 Mod ones of 6.5 to 8 turns - again company size
1 large one in length (9.5 turn) and size - 3 companies per side

A really good BUY!

Cheers

Rob :D
 

footsteps

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I was sitting on the fence, and then... "10 Questions to Psycho".

Now I have to buy it!
 

Tooz

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I especially like the fact that I finally can use those US Army green B1bis in action!
 

Paolo Cariolato

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When I discovered LFT was publishing an hybrid pubblication, I run to ordered it.
I've played some scenarios and they are really good, which is the good part.

Frankly I would have preferred no articles at all. I perceived them as mere fillers and bring very low ASL value for me.
The only one that has a place is the one on Lunevile and the related CG.
The KGS doesn't provide any added value to the module (which I own), the article on Free French is so generic that you are better off with wikipedia.
Panzer Brigade is more informative, but frankly that's a subject that has been already treated and anyone with a passable knowledge of Panzerwaffe knows about it.
The Kubinka and map 55 make me go wow, I don't even comment on the 10 question to Psycho.

I would really like that ASL producers and TPP will leave history to historical books and magazines, and start producing articles on gameplay.
 

Xavier658

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Hi Paolo,

When I discovered LFT was publishing an hybrid pubblication, I run to ordered it.
I've played some scenarios and they are really good, which is the good part.
Well, sums it up pretty well then :)

Frankly I would have preferred no articles at all. I perceived them as mere fillers and bring very low ASL value for me.
The only one that has a place is the one on Lunevile and the related CG.
The KGS doesn't provide any added value to the module (which I own), the article on Free French is so generic that you are better off with wikipedia.
If you are a Wikipedia fan...

Panzer Brigade is more informative, but frankly that's a subject that has been already treated and anyone with a passable knowledge of Panzerwaffe knows about it. The Kubinka and map 55 make me go wow,
Any suggestion on articles on Game Play then, that would be innovative?

I don't even comment on the 10 question to Psycho.
This is probably because you don't know him (That's what she said :) ).

I would really like that ASL producers and TPP will leave history to historical books and magazines, and start producing articles on gameplay.
You should have opened a new thread:
A not so Good Product and Poor New Trend - FTC8
As far as I am concerned, I like scenario packs with only this, scenarios, like Friendly Fire, but I also enjoy very much Schwerpunkt, and of course BFP and the historical litterature from MMP. I think it's just like colours and tastes. Diversity is good IMO. You don't like the magazine? Throw it away and just play the scenarios: IIRW, we have included 15 in FTC 8, for 35 euros, which represents aound 2,33 euros a scenario. As you have written above, you "played some scenarios and they are really good". Well, as I said: throw away the mag or burn it and keep what you like. I don't think this is too expensive for a scenario that will provide hours of gaming :)

Thanks for sharing your opinion Paolo, but LFT will keep it's unique way in designs and publications. All our productions will come with scenarios, most of them with several articles, as well as some non-directly related ASL themes (such as the Moscow armor museum). We don't pretend to be historians (even if actually, 2 LFT crew members ARE historians) but we are all interested in WWII.

Anyway, I thank you for your support and am sorry that you haven't liked this "new trend", but it looks like most of our supporters have enjoyed FTC 8 (at least as much as we did enjoy design it).

Sincerely,

X
 

Yuri0352

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Hi Paolo,



Well, sums it up pretty well then :)



If you are a Wikipedia fan...



Any suggestion on articles on Game Play then, that would be innovative?



This is probably because you don't know him (That's what she said :) ).



You should have opened a new thread:
A not so Good Product and Poor New Trend - FTC8
As far as I am concerned, I like scenario packs with only this, scenarios, like Friendly Fire, but I also enjoy very much Schwerpunkt, and of course BFP and the historical litterature from MMP. I think it's just like colours and tastes. Diversity is good IMO. You don't like the magazine? Throw it away and just play the scenarios: IIRW, we have included 15 in FTC 8, for 35 euros, which represents aound 2,33 euros a scenario. As you have written above, you "played some scenarios and they are really good". Well, as I said: throw away the mag or burn it and keep what you like. I don't think this is too expensive for a scenario that will provide hours of gaming :)

Thanks for sharing your opinion Paolo, but LFT will keep it's unique way in designs and publications. All our productions will come with scenarios, most of them with several articles, as well as some non-directly related ASL themes (such as the Moscow armor museum). We don't pretend to be historians (even if actually, 2 LFT crew members ARE historians) but we are all interested in WWII.

Anyway, I thank you for your support and am sorry that you haven't liked this "new trend", but it looks like most of our supporters have enjoyed FTC 8 (at least as much as we did enjoy design it).

Sincerely,

X
Don't change a thing.
I am very pleased with FTC 8 (my first FTC purchase, BTW). If you were to include an informative 'how to ' game play article in a future edition, I would have no problem with that.
However, I would much rather read any historical article about an obscure French colonial infantry unit or Croatian airborne formation than see print space spent on one of those yawn-inducing multi-page scenario replays as have been published in some past editions of the Annuals and Journals.
JMO, of course.
:)
 

macrobo

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When I discovered LFT was publishing an hybrid pubblication, I run to ordered it.
I've played some scenarios and they are really good, which is the good part.

Frankly I would have preferred no articles at all. I perceived them as mere fillers and bring very low ASL value for me.
The only one that has a place is the one on Lunevile and the related CG.
The KGS doesn't provide any added value to the module (which I own), the article on Free French is so generic that you are better off with wikipedia.
Panzer Brigade is more informative, but frankly that's a subject that has been already treated and anyone with a passable knowledge of Panzerwaffe knows about it.
The Kubinka and map 55 make me go wow, I don't even comment on the 10 question to Psycho.

I would really like that ASL producers and TPP will leave history to historical books and magazines, and start producing articles on gameplay.

Dear Xavier and Team

Make that One Vote NO :rofl:

Sry I am being rude Aussie there :sick:

Cant Wait to see what Mark P says or Maybe Paul W can comment on the depth of the articles - They seem very well written and Wikipedia is Absolute Crap :study: - believe me when I get my medical patients quoting it I just get distressed at the rubbish it provides

And as for TPP's should stick to only scenarios ..................:dontknow what can one say

My Thoughts on the comment since I started the thread

Merry Christmas everyone! :hellyes:

Rob
:happy:
 

Paul M. Weir

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FTC arrived a few hours ago at the Weir cat house, so haven't had a chance to dig into it. Package had 3 non-ASL (yes, amazing there are non-ASL games, who'd have known that) and 6 ASL items. So when I get some "serious reading" humour and time I will review. I'd be very surprised if I had anything to complain about.
 

Paolo Cariolato

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Xavier

When FT puts out a product I like I buy it, as you know.
I expressed my view on FTC magazine, and made my reasons clear.

I'm not a fan of wikipedia, but it's more complete than your article about Free French, so why bother?

I've not said a word about the price of the product (which incidentally I think is fair), you did (which BTW was € 42 total 35 FTC +7 shipping),

If your customer base like this type of articles and you have fun putting them together, do it all the way to FTC99.

In the magazine there was not a single piece directly related to game play, which is bad news because usually LFT mix up articles.

Best regards

Paolo
 

Xavier 658

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Hi Paolo,

in LFT magazine, yes, we include articles related to the game. This was neither a "regular" FTC with only scenarios, neither a "regular" LFT magazine with more articles and at least a big one on a technical topic.

Thus, I understand that you may have been disappointed about the lack of articles about the game, and if I referred to the price (i know that shipping is not free and is always raising, alas.....), it was out of point since you were not criticizing it. I just thought that with its 56 pages and 15 scenarios, the price was worth it and for someone who only wanted scenarios, it was still acceptable.

We would like to please all our readers and supporters, but as you can see in most of the threads, what some people like is disliked by others.

Anyway, no argument here Paolo, just sharing our opinions: I don't like Wikipedia at all ;)

Best,

X
 

Justiciar

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FTC arrived ... I'd be very surprised if I had anything to complain about.
Manu the resident art director did not put a cat motif cartoon in anywhere. At an online staff meeting I mentioned this could upset a certain reader in the Emerald Isle, but he could not be moved. Sorry I tried. ;)
 

Paul M. Weir

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I enjoyed the articles. Whether articles are in a magazine or what otherwise would be mainly a scenario pack matters little to me. Information (slurp!) is still information, whatever the package.

The only thing that, as an avid history reader, that I missed, was in the Panzer Brigade article where the author did not adequately explain the rational and original intended usage of Panzer Brigades well enough.

The PB were intended to act as fire brigades on the Eastern Front, as the author said. However they were intended as reinforcing shock groups to existing formations. So say infantry division X has had it's line penetrated by the enemy. The PB was supposed to help plug the gap in conjunction with X's infantry and most importantly its artillery. The PB could also beef up an attack/counter-attack by a Pz or PzGr division, like Bäke's regiment often did. The PB were never intended to be stand alone combat units. They had almost no artillery, just the Pz Grenadier's 120mm mortars at best. They also had little engineer or recon ability. Those elements were to be supplied by the unit that they were supporting. They were supposed to be army or corps level units and those higher level units were supposed to supply the main logistics and maintenance backup.

The closest German equivalent were the independent StuG battalion/brigades, they were in effect a super StuG battalion equivalent but more suited to offensive than the by then defensively minded StuG units. The nearest US equivalent was the Tank Destroyer Group which was supposed to manage multiple TD battalions and parcel them out or combine them as army or corps required. In practice they played little role in WW2 and the practice became that TD battalions became permanently attached to divisions rather than controlled by a parent TDG. The British had independent tank brigades, but they also were intended as support units for divisions rather than self sufficient combat units.

As an aside the PB organisation survived in the '45 Pz Division TOE which had a Pz Battalion and PzGr battalion replacing the 2 battalion Pz regiment.

So the intent was that the PB were to be quite powerful reinforcement/support units but not intended to fight on their own for too long. In the end events prevented them fulfilling that role and the rest of the article covers their resultant misadventures quite well.

Don't take my nitpick too seriously, just me being completist/pedantic. It's nothing to do with the lack of felines in FTC 8, I have 3 real ones here with me at home, which is quite sufficient to keep me very happy (plus a world of cat videos on Youtube, if I'm bored ;)).
 

JRKrejsa

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Just got FTC 8, and very nice!

What is the new counter artwork from? LFTs in house new standard? They are excellent.
 

sswann

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While I have not seen FTC8 I do know LFT's work.
In my humble opinion, they produce a product that has wide appeal to a wide audience in what is a niche field or wargamers...
and that is what make them GREAT ASL PRODUCERS!
For narrow field modules I would suggest the BFP product lines.

Keep it up Xavier!
 

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While I commented on one article, I failed to mention what I though of the scenario mix. There were 2 main themes here.

The Luneville linked "set" is an idea that might well be adopted by more designers, the limited size makes a more practical CG for many. We've seen a few already, the relatively recent Nuremburg set in a Journal comes to mind. It's nice to see another.

The Free French set covers a "nationality" that has had little coverage with the notable exception of MMP's Provence Pack. While there have been other isolated FF scenarios, it's nice to see them together covering a somewhat unjustly ignored force.
 
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