Hi all,

I'm playing the first base game scenario, solo, to get ready for playing a friend. A few questions have popped up.

The book seems to clearly state that players unplayed cards are to be kept face up. Am I understanding that correctly? We aren't supposed to be able to keep our hole cards secret? I'm not complaining, here. It just seems strange. Having a secret hand of cards to spring on your opponent at opportune moments is one of the more exciting aspects of board games like this.

Speaking of cards, the back of the book lists errata for three of them. Have replacements been provided in Days of the Fox or another expansion product? If not, I think it would be a fabulous idea to do so. I've owned the base game for a couple years or so, but have only dreamed of playing as I had no opponents available. Even solo, I'm having a lot of fun. Since I should be getting a fairly regular opponent soon, I expect I'll be buying all the expansions (Russian Front!!).

The minis don't fit the bases very well. Putting the last one in often knocks out others. How do most people deal with this? I plan on gently filing the pegs down slightly, to narrow them. If I force them into the hole, it seems clear that I'll never get them out again without the plastic snapping and rendering the figure unusable.

Speaking of minis, I was shorted 3 German elite infantry. Will this no longer matter once I buy Days of the Fox ? Are German infantry identical in both sets? Same casts and color?

That's all the questions I can think of for now. I'm sure I'll come up with others!

Hello

Welcome to the world of Tide of Iron. I hope you get alot of enjoyment out of it. You will find that the game has alot to offer once you have explored various different scenarios. The dynamics of the game can vary considerably from one to the next...particularly once you look at those contained within the expansions.

- "The book seems to clearly state that players unplayed cards are to be kept face up. Am I understanding that correctly?"

Yes you are correct. It doees seem to counter the element of suprise. However....think of it in a different way. Having the cards face up for both players to see adds a whole new layer of tactical thinking. By knowing what cards each of you both have available to activate, you will then have to start making decisions on how to best counter what cards they "might" activate. You will suddenly find yourself looking at many different "what if" questions on what your opponent "might" do. You will realise that you cannot possibly come up with a plan to counter them all AND keep your your own plan of attack going. It becomes an issue of limited resource allocation and adds a whole new level of drama to your games. If you want "real world" explanation then think of face up cards as representing the information a commander would recieve through intelligence and reconnaisance reports gained in advance from covert missions, intercepted plans from other encounters or interrogated prisoners of war etc.

- Speaking of cards, the back of the book lists errata for three of them. Have replacements been provided in Days of the Fox or another expansion product?

I do not think this is the case as yet. I could be wrong however.

- I've owned the base game for a couple years or so, but have only dreamed of playing as I had no opponents available. Even solo, I'm having a lot of fun. Since I should be getting a fairly regular opponent soon, I expect I'll be buying all the expansions (Russian Front!!).

Be sure to include the 'Designer Series: Volume 1'. There are some excellently thought out scenarios in that book. Some of my most enjoyable games have been fighting out the encounters in that book.

- The minis don't fit the bases very well. Putting the last one in often knocks out others. How do most people deal with this?

It can be a bit fiddly at times. Nimble fingers are required....however I think that your problem may be due to the pegs being a little too large for the holes as you point out below.....

- I plan on gently filing the pegs down slightly, to narrow them. If I force them into the hole, it seems clear that I'll never get them out again without the plastic snapping and rendering the figure unusable.

This has been a dilema faced by many TOI players (but not all.....mine all fit perfectly) since its initial release and some searching around the net and forums will reveal a number of solutions to fix the problem from making the holes bigger with a drill bit (the easiest and most commonly employed solution) to cutting off the pegs and using small magnets to attach the figures to a magnetic base set up. However....just be careful if you begin modifying either the pegs or the holes on the bases. While you may get them to fit nicely at first....over time the plastic pegs will wear down and stretch naturally and you may well find that the opposite problem arises. Suddenly they dont fit snuggly enough anymore and keep falling out by themselves during the course of a game.

- Speaking of minis, I was shorted 3 German elite infantry. Will this no longer matter once I buy Days of the Fox? Are German infantry identical in both sets? Same casts and color?

I cannot recall extra german infantry being included in Days of the Fox, only tanks....again I could be wrong I had the same missing infantry problem when I opened my TOI box. Following a quick email to FFG explaining the problem, within two weeks I had the replacements in hand at no cost whatsoever....and I am in Australia. So dont hesitate to contact them.

nath: said:

Thanks for the answers! I didn't expect that there would be extra infantry in DotF. What I meant was, are the elite German infantry figures identical in both sets? I don't expect to need to combine the troops from both games in one giant battle, so as long as there are enough figures between the two, then I should be set.

Another thing I've noticed is the large strategic differences between two player and team games. It appears that team players would be greatly hampered in some ways that a single player wouldn't. The most glaring example I can think of is the forced division of units. In the first scenario, and I assume others, the two American players each get their own mortar.

It seems to me that the best use of a pair of mortars would be combined in the same squad, safe behind the lines, where they can lay a bunch of hurt on any hex that the Germans put too many troops in. In a team game, the mortars are forced to stay separated, where their individual attacks are easier to resist with cover saves. I don't think they can even support the others attack because they're on different teams.

Another factor is the greater number of actions each team uses at a time. Four, vs. three in a two player game. Does this even out with the forced division of troops? Do many people have issues with the team rules? Am I overestimating their affect on the game? I might consider some simple house rules in a team game if this is significant. Team mates could trade a few units in order to keep the mortars together, for example.

Ubercat said:

No, you are not overestimating the effects. On the contrary, your objections are duly justified. The possibility to form squads as you please - and not only mortars or MGs, but specializations as well - in the 2-player game vs. the inability to do so in the 4-player one makes a HUGE difference. But this isn´t the main problem. The main problem is that the difference doesn´t favorize both sides equally. It favorizes one side over the other. A scenario that is (I guess) well beta-tested for 2-player game may get totally flawed in the 4-p game - or vice versa - as one side gets a serious advantage/disadvantage.

The number of actions is the same thing.

I suggest rigid complying with division setup in every game and no unit or specialization interchanging. As far as number of action is concerned, keep the setting from 2-P game and let the two players settle which unit moves each time.

You are right that this is a mistake in the game and should be repaired by the designers.

Ubercat said:

Could someone who owns or has played Days of the Fox answer this please? Are the DotF German elite infantry identical to the ones in the base game? Same cast, same color, etc. I'd rather not bother FFG to send me one single missing mini if I can help it. Of course, if they can replace the erroneous cards as well, it may be worth it.

Some of the choices made in designing this game are very surprising. The fact that cards aren't kept secret was disconcerting, but I can see the strategic ebb and flow either way. The weirdest thing was the specification that the attacker rolls all dice, even the cover dice. People like to roll their own dice, and even though it doesn't affect the results in any way, it would have made more sense to have the defender roll the red dice. That seems like it would be the most obvious thing in the world to a board game company.

I'm not complaining, just surprised. At this point in time, FFG for me is about 1 step below god. The same spot Games Workshop held 10 years ago! There are about 5 games of theirs that I want to buy.

I was meaning to get back to you on this earlier...been offline.

What I had meant is that I do not recall any German infantry models being included in DOTF at all. I don't have my sets on hand, but looking at the DOTF rule book PDF (downloadable from the TOI home page 'support' link) which lists the components included in the box, models for the Germans are limited to:

4 Panzer III Tanks
4 Panther Tanks
4 Flak 36 88mm Anti-tank Guns

I think the only infantry models included in the box are all british.

yes the only infantry in Days of the Fox are British.

bjaffe01

contact ffg about your mini's i had a broken german truck and one of my american infantry men snapped, they replaced my truck and sent me a couple of american replacements. wonderful.

you need to replace your mini's as the game is designed for the exact number of mini's that ship with the game. scenarios may utilise every mini a side has.

there is a knack to getting the figures in the base. the best way is to put the mini loosly in the base and then carefully but firmly push the base of the mini down onto the base unit using both thumbs. it should then hold firm. and when removing minis never pull them out by their heads or legs they will snap. you have to hold the base of the figure with your thumb and forefinger and gently lever it up out of the squad base.

i like the FFG treatment of the 3 or 4 player rules. it allows for the chain of command and the uncertainty of different links and chinks in the command structure. Officers and command points become extremly important in the 3 or 4 player games as they can allow combined fire, so in the case of your division separated mortars they will be able to combine fire if you save up command points or have an officer present.

simple but cool, remember this games strength is it's simplicity with out compromising gameplay experience or wargame feel, you could call it a lean, mean fighting machine of a game.

Thanks, guys. I wonder if FFG would combine sending replacement figs with sending me DotF if I order it direct?

As far as the infantry fitting in their slots, I'm probably going to go with magnets. No matter how careful I am, those little pegs will snap eventually. I don't see any way to remove the infantry safely without causing wear and tear on the peg. How do you remove the figures without holding it by the legs?

For you guys who use magnets, what have you found that works best? Is there a particular company and product that is most conveniently sized for this game?

The plastic used is not a weak as you think. I don't think I will ever lose a peg. Don't bother with magnets.