Battlefront Miniatures Ltd., the New Zealand-based manufacturer of the World War II tabletop miniatures game, Flames of War, has opened a distribution center in Seattle.  This beachhead in the Northwest should help the Flames of War game take off here in the States by allowing for quick replenishment of the game's more than 900 skus at the retail level.  Flames of War is a fast-paced game that allows players to recreate the famous battlefield conflicts of WW II using 15 mm high miniature soldiers, plus all the requisite artillery, tanks and airplanes.  The metal and resin miniatures are superbly sculpted with great attention to detail and accompanied by authoritative manuals about the five armies so far included (Germans, Italians, Americans, British, and Russians).  Flames of War is easy and fun to play but sophisticated enough to please the most rigorous students of military history.

The Flames of War rules are easy to learn especially for anyone who has played Warhammer or other Games Workshop tabletop miniatures games.  Games Workshop has obviously had a key influence on the gameplay, pricing and sale practices of Battlefront Miniatures, which sells its Flames of War line directly to consumers and retailers as well as to distributors.  Like the Games Workshop games, Flames of War also requires a considerable investment of time (in painting the minis) and money -- Army Boxes retail for $160, while the manuals cost $20 and the cost of a decent size fighting force including 3 infantry platoons, a tank platoon, artillery and support will typically run over $250.  But where else are you going to be able to find the fascinating forgotten weapons of WW II such as an Italian Semovente 90/53, a tank killer with a mounted 90mm cannon?