BFP Magazine Articles

[volgaG68]

I could not find a similar thread to attach this comment to, so started a new one.

The rules articles (especially) in BFP's module magazines are simply nonpareil. Personally, I would be a lesser player without them. That likely stems from my occasional inability to grasp ASL rulebook intricacies, combined with BFP's ability to explain those rules even better, and with pictured examples that tie those rules together. The bocage rules article from O:C has become my go-to for any/all questions that arise during bocage play, and seems to be the most oft-cited reference to posters seeking better understanding of them.

Setting up yesterday for BFP-57(?) "Schreiber's Success", and the magazine that came from CoS once again proved indispensable. God bless the ASL rulebook, but often the rules for multi-fortification hexes can only (if at all) be discerned by flipping around through a half dozen rules sections with an occasional nugget found in an almost unrelated area. Like O:C-bocage, the CoS magazine gave me the 'big picture' on how all of the various rules tie together for hexes with mines & wire, PB & wire & trenches, etc. And when reading it, it always reminds my daft self that the CA/NCA TEM applied to Placed DC depends on whether or not it is Placed from within the hex or from ADJ to the hex with the PB.

Don't even get me started on how BFP's articles finally helped me to understand Slopes fully, in their entirety. Truthfully, if some of these articles were just published in a standalone magazine, no scenarios/counters/maps included, I would have bought them for what they were. (Back then! Now I have all the scenario/map/counter goodness as well!) The ASL rulebook lists all of the rules with limited examples of their interplay, BFP's magazine articles "tie it all together" for a particular subject. I'm not blowing smoke up anyone's a$$ when I say how much better thay have made me understand this complex game we love. There are others who have published occasional rules-gems (Carl in DftB, Journal classics, LFT, etc), but it seems like BFP's rules articles are the most comprehensive, illustrated ones so far for the particular rule-sets they cover.

So, BFP, where applicable, keep 'em coming!

 

[Yuri0352]

The bocage rules article from O:C has become my go-to for any/all questions that arise during bocage play, and seems to be the most oft-cited reference to posters seeking better understanding of them.

Based on what you're saying, I may have to pick up a copy of Operation Cobra. I enjoy playing Bocage, however I usually need to spend a significant amount of time refreshing my memory in the ASLRB before starting a bocage scenario.
Also, totally agree regarding BFP and the Slope rules. Their presentation of the Slope rules is concise and excellent, which really enhanced my enjoyment of CoS!

 

[Chas]

First thing I want to say is thank you very much for the kind words (there is a product reviewer out there that might not be in agreement with your
assessment).
Those articles take a lot of time and effort, and are only made what they are through the effort and input of numerous people editing, confirming rules, etc. I do it from a standpoint as a player, trying to determine as many of the nuances as possible and getting the rules correct. Knowing the positive impact it has is motivating and makes the effort worth it. Hopefully we can continue to provide you with with the same quality articles as we continue to produce products.

I dont want to turn this into a Slopes discussion here, but I do think the way we implemented them in CoS, made them easier and more valuable. That is, as sections of "key terrain" in that units there had LOS over Grain, etc, and provided an overall better feel with extended LOS. And as mentioned, the article made it much easier to dissect the rules.

Thanks much,
Chas

 

[volgaG68]

I do it from a standpoint as a player, trying to determine as many of the nuances as possible...

In spades! In a nutshell, this is what I was trying to describe.

...but I do think the way we implemented them in CoS, made them easier and more valuable. That is, as sections of "key terrain"...

I hadn't considered that, but yes. There are very few on the CoS maps that don't beg at least some tactical consideration for a particular scenario, whether attacking or defending. Some are downright crucial to defenses especially.

 

[von Marwitz]

I could not find a similar thread to attach this comment to, so started a new one.

The rules articles (especially) in BFP's module magazines are simply nonpareil. Personally, I would be a lesser player without them. That likely stems from my occasional inability to grasp ASL rulebook intricacies, combined with BFP's ability to explain those rules even better, and with pictured examples that tie those rules together. The bocage rules article from O:C has become my go-to for any/all questions that arise during bocage play, and seems to be the most oft-cited reference to posters seeking better understanding of them.

Setting up yesterday for BFP-57(?) "Schreiber's Success", and the magazine that came from CoS once again proved indispensable. God bless the ASL rulebook, but often the rules for multi-fortification hexes can only (if at all) be discerned by flipping around through a half dozen rules sections with an occasional nugget found in an almost unrelated area. Like O:C-bocage, the CoS magazine gave me the 'big picture' on how all of the various rules tie together for hexes with mines & wire, PB & wire & trenches, etc. And when reading it, it always reminds my daft self that the CA/NCA TEM applied to Placed DC depends on whether or not it is Placed from within the hex or from ADJ to the hex with the PB.

Don't even get me started on how BFP's articles finally helped me to understand Slopes fully, in their entirety. Truthfully, if some of these articles were just published in a standalone magazine, no scenarios/counters/maps included, I would have bought them for what they were. (Back then! Now I have all the scenario/map/counter goodness as well!) The ASL rulebook lists all of the rules with limited examples of their interplay, BFP's magazine articles "tie it all together" for a particular subject. I'm not blowing smoke up anyone's a$$ when I say how much better thay have made me understand this complex game we love. There are others who have published occasional rules-gems (Carl in DftB, Journal classics, LFT, etc), but it seems like BFP's rules articles are the most comprehensive, illustrated ones so far for the particular rule-sets they cover.

So, BFP, where applicable, keep 'em coming!

I fully subscribe to this assessment of @volgaG68

von Marwitz

 

[Jwil2020]

. The bocage rules article from O:C has become my go-to for any/all questions that arise during bocage play,

After your excellent review I went straight to the BFP site, only to find that OC is sold out. I would really have liked to have gotten ahold of their article explaining Bocage. Anyway, I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds B9.5 Just a tad tricky.

 

[volgaG68]

After your excellent review I went straight to the BFP site, only to find that OC is sold out. I would really have liked to have gotten ahold of their article explaining Bocage. Anyway, I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds B9.5 Just a tad tricky.

Who knows, BFP might have an extra copy of the magazine itself laying around in the parts pile? If not, scour the interwebs and you'll probably be able to find the complete package at a reasonable price.

 

[von Marwitz]

What BFP could do [nudge, nudge, wink, wink...]:

As aforementioned, the articles on various topics in the BFP booklets typically found in their modules are top notch and very instructional for learning.

I believe it could be a valid idea to bundle these into a product. And may be to add some extra ones (thinking of Jim Bishop's articles for example). Something like a one-time ASL-Lore thing.

Personally, over the years beginning with the ASL Annuals, then the ASL Journals and the BFP booklets, it was almost the articles on tactics and how-to's on certain topics that I cherished the most. These made a) understanding the rules easier and b) allowed one to improve one's play.

Me thinks such a thing would sell.

von Marwitz

 

[volgaG68]

...it was almost the articles on tactics and how-to's on certain topics that I cherished the most. These made a) understanding the rules easier and b) allowed one to improve one's play.

Same here.

 

[sswann]

Could be done using a Print-on-Demand company.
Like... https://www.lulu.com

 

[Jwil2020]

Me thinks such a thing would sell.

Hear, hear!

 

[sswann]

Yes, an ASL Player's Guide instead of the CG players guides.

 

[von Marwitz]

Yes, an ASL Player's Guide instead of the CG players guides.

Exactly! ASL Player's Guide is a fitting term which eluded me.

von Marwitz

 

[volgaG68]

...(thinking of Jim Bishop's articles for example)...

Thinking on this subject at work last night, I agree that Bishop's articles are the closest recurring thing to the style of BFP's magazine articles. Not quite the exploratory depth and breadth as BFP's, but definitely more of a rules exposition than can be found elsewhere. There is one rules article that has appeared that I place side-by-side with BFP's for scope/examples.....JRV's excellent "Bring On The Night".

When I play any publisher's bocage scenario, BFP's magazine is taken out and placed on a side table, just in case. Whenever I play a Night scenario, well, JRV's printed article is in page protectors right at the front of Chapter E in my rulebook .

 

[von Marwitz]

When I play any publisher's bocage scenario, BFP's magazine is taken out and placed on a side table, just in case. Whenever I play a Night scenario, well, JRV's printed article is in page protectors right at the front of Chapter E in my rulebook .

Exactly how I handle it, too.

von Marwitz

 

[Philippe D.]

I agree that detailed analyses of some thematic aspect of the rules, ranging from summarising the rules to explaining some of the tactical consequences, are incredibly valuable resources. I know of the one from BFP about fortifications (Crucible of Steel), apparently there is one about Bocage (I must have it, but don't know where I lost it), and there are at least some writeups about Night rules and, I believe, Caves. Of course the BFP tendency to create scenario packs with a strong theme makes them natural purveyors of these.

Are there more that I'm missing or forgetting about? I'd say themes that might be good would be OBA, and maybe Smoke.

 

[Jwil2020]

I'd say themes that might be good would be OBA

+1!

 

[volgaG68]

I'd say themes that might be good would be OBA, and maybe Smoke.

Surprisingly, OBA is one of the things I understood right out of the gate. Not sure how, but I did. Now, while I understand the OBA rules quite well, my shortcomings arise by not being able to extrapolate tactics and nuances from them. I recently learned that one can avoid the extra chit draw for the AR/SR being next to a '?' unit by declaring a Harrassing Fire Mission and positioning the AR/SR two hexes from it. You could have the AR/SR completely ringed at 2-hex range by umpteen '?' units and not have to draw the extra chit. This is not "in the rules" per se. What IS in the rules is that a) an extra chit draw is required for placing AR/SR next to units that are all '?', b) a standard Fire Mission affects all hexes next to the AR/SR, c) a Harrassing Fire mission affects all units within 2-hex range. It was like a revelation to me, but was only extrapolating what could be done from what the rules state. No rules hanky-panky, just seeing a sublime inference that is not outright stated. Congrats if you were able to infer this by yourself, I wasn't able to. THIS is what BFP often delivers in their rules articles, IMO. Their bocage article does this incredibly well.

If I could offer one personal beehive that I would like explained BFP-style, it would be Cellars and Sewers. Most unlikely to happen anytime soon due to what I recall they have on their plate; perhaps with an Into The Rubble 3, though. The rules for those two items always find me lacking, and I am almost gobsmacked by how to setup a proper defense when they are present by SSR. I am almost completely lost on how to "take down" such a defense as well; i.e. the tactics used to attack such a multi-vertical defense. Sure, there are a dozen ways to skin a cat, but besides a 550 FP Death Star that just Prep Fires ad nauseum, how can one efficiently go about it? I've tried assorted methods and come up short. Rooftops alone, I have become somewhat proficient in tactical usage of them, but throw them in with Cellars and Sewers and I fail miserably as a tactician. Factor in all of the nuances of which Locations are rubbled when both are present, how that affects things; LOS's; fractional FP from Cellars; Fortified staus, Breaching, etc. I would LOVE to see an article explaining the nuances and interplay of these rules, because I am undoubtedly missing them.

Yet, as Chas stated, there is an incredible amount of thought, research, rules-diving, proofing, and collaboration required to produce such invaluable articles. So, I will be happy with what I get, whenever I get it. And, even though more than comfortable with OBA rules, I am postive that a BFP article on OBA would teach me more than a thing or two that I didn't even know that I didn't even know.

 

[TopT]

There is no doubting that BFP's articles are well thought out and very useful. I played a CG of Purple Heart Draw, on VASL, and kept the bocage article open the whole time. It made it so much easier to play.
The slope article is another great article to have handy when playing slopes. It breaks it right down.
Now I wish I could grok the ASL geometry articles just as easy.

 

[Jwil2020]

Well, I'm tackling the ASL version of OBA for the first time. No easy slog, but I'm making progress. Yet, I can't help but thinking a well written article on OBA (not in rules-speak) would be nice.