new player here

[randy44]

i hesitate to post. seems like forum mainly for veterans.

i'm almost exclusively a WW2 wargamer. i bought FOG2 mainly because i liked what i saw and
read concerning FOG rules/game flow.

i've always been fascinated by minatures. i have no experience with the FOG2 time period.

i read the manual a couple times and printed out parts I needed to study away from computer.
i watched some video and tried the tutorials. got beat up pretty good the first couple of times
but finally last night on 5th playthrough of Tutorial 1, i got a victory. not much considering
some of the posts here.

a fairly steep learning curve to unit weapons/abilities and their usage on the field. Turns were
taking a very long time but its getting better.

anyway thanks to all who had a hand in FOG2, it is a top shelf game. i'm learning a lot about
a subject i knew nothing about.

probably will purchase SJ and P&S as well.

[Doyley50]

Welcome to the forum! I started wargaming with miniatures a long time ago, and more recently I have really enjoyed playing Pike and Shot. I knew very little about ancients,but because P and S was so good I bought FOG2 and it is very good indeed. It is a learning curve for me as well, but a very enjoyable one. You will soon begin to pick it up, and don't be worried about trying Muliplayer. It is a very user friendly system, and adds another dimension to the game.

[Patrick Ward]

Cool. Thanks for the kind words and glad you're enjoying it.

[GiveWarAchance]

randy44, you can learn the game fast and gradually get better from playing a lot. The AI is quite strong for a game.
You have to get used to range units and flank attacks and ZOCs which take some practice.
Fight lots of battles and campaigns.
After you get good at the game you can try email games too. I just started playing one and it is very easy to use the multiplayer function in this game but not so easy to win the battle.

[Cablenexus]

Just want to say there are not only veterans in the forums and everyone is very helpful here at the forums.

I'm a beginner myself, but one good advice I just read somewhere i the forums is to not just try to get 50 - 50 matches with best paired units. See the overall battlefield, seperate your army, trick your enemy with a weaker army while you attack surprise them with a stronger army.

Make use of terrain, read the tooltips, learn about POA's. Don't walk in difficult terrain with cav and heavy units.

Just play some skirmish maps where you give yourself some more army points to start with. And like others said don't hestitate to start a MP game since there are a lot of new people since release of FOG II.

[randy44]

just tackled Tutorial 2. the terrain was difficult. i set up mounted/elephants on left and kept spacing. worked heavy units in good ground and got a victory
on first try.

anyways thanks all for suggestions and offers help

[Cheimison]

just tackled Tutorial 2. the terrain was difficult. i set up mounted/elephants on left and kept spacing. worked heavy units in good ground and got a victory
on first try.

anyways thanks all for suggestions and offers help

I just played Tutorial 2 and my battle went totally bizarre, my elephant was fighting enemy light troops, my cavalry was way up racing around and the medium and heavy foot was all jumbled into knots. It's definitely a learning curve, but the basic concepts are simple enough.

[hjc]

just tackled Tutorial 2. the terrain was difficult. i set up mounted/elephants on left and kept spacing. worked heavy units in good ground and got a victory
on first try.

Sounds like you're off and running. Someone else on the forum mentioned that they liked the "rock paper scissors" kind of challenge with different troops - and terrain is a large part of this.

[budd]

Ditto Randy,
No experience with ancients, never a table top gamer and mostly a WW2 gamer.

Picked up FOG 2 on a recommendation and don't think i'll regret it. i'm always looking to branch out to other era's. i'm also looking at P/S and J/S for future purchases.

Got through the first 2 tutorials OK....hey this ain't so bad ....of course this is on level 2. Then the 3rd tutorial got me frustrated, not in a bad way, and i lost. Those damn light horse kept running and evading and shooting my troops up and i couldn't come to grips with them. Seems like you have to catch them after the first evade to do damage. I just finished my first battle of my first campaign as the Romans, wish me luck.

[ShaiHulud]

I've been playing only three days now. I fought the first two tutorials, won both. Moved the level up to Legate, then did the Rome campaign, won all until I got to Britain. Now I'm on Caesar's Campaign, about to face Pompey in Greece and I have not lost a battle since Britain.

My point is NOT how good I am but how good the game is for I have not even read the manual yet! The game is so intuitive that if you know the fundamentals of battle you can do well immediately. Study the terrain, secure your flanks, utilize light troops correctly, keep your cavalry under control, and maintain a reserve. This amazing game rewards the player who understands the fundamentals!

Understand, I have not won all the battles handily. Many were in doubt until a critical point was reached. The AI has broken my flanks and pierced my center often and keeps the battles tense. Over-extended units get surrounded and broken. I'm just reveling in this game that understands tactical maneuver so well. I highly recommend it!

[rbodleyscott]

Thanks