I ask all of you obsessed fighter pilots, What should my next step be?

[bmwrider]

I am new here, this is my first post.
My name is Todd I love the WWI dogfighting theme, I really want to like the game play as much.

I just started playing and am only 2 games in playing with just cards no minis.

I own FA WB BD DB and TF, most free from a friend who did not want it any more, I think I own more than I need to get started.

Do you have any advice to make sure that game play starts off fun and stays that way?
I am not talking about what to buy of course, just want to know what you would do if you could start over, is there anything I should know, or do, or avoid, or read?

[OldGuy59]

Todd,
Welcome to the forum from Vancouver Island, BC, Canada.

Cards work, minis are better. However, a campaign is something that can add structure and meaning to games. Check the Over the Trenches threads for missions and After Action Reports to see how they might fit your needs. Some missions are easy, some are really tough.

If you can get it, Flight of the Giants would be handy for the heavy bomber missions, and keeps it to cards.

[Zoe Brain]

I am new here, this is my first post.

G'day and Welcome!

My name is Todd I love the WWI dogfighting theme, I really want to like the game play as much.

I just started playing and am only 2 games in playing with just cards no minis.

I own FA WB BD DB and TF, most free from a friend who did not want it any more, I think I own more than I need to get started.

Do you have any advice to make sure that game play starts off fun and stays that way?
I am not talking about what to buy of course, just want to know what you would do if you could start over, is there anything I should know, or do, or avoid, or read?

Things that I find make the game more fun:

1) At least 3 players, 4 is better.
2) Visual effects - plane minis, but also fire and smoke markers and a decent mat.
3) 3D/Altitude. This is a must when playing with 2-seaters. I recommend the simplified altitude rules at http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/dow...o=file&id=1367 . This is a double-sided single page containing all the rules to the game - a quick reference sheet.
4) Aircraft of the same period - so D.VIIs fight Spad XIIIs, DH2s fight E.IIIs - this gives a decent approximate play balance.

Books to read - start with the free e-books at http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/World_...29#Air_Warfare

[LOOP]

I have never been able to start a campain because players in my neighbourhood are scarce but I realy would like to start one.
I've played other games and every time you can start some sort of campain it ads so much to playing. Playing "death-matches" are fun but not as realistic.
Minis, not a must but they give the game that extra feeling!
3D. Use some sort of altitude-rule. When we started playing with altitude the game went from fun to superfun.
And make senarios that are even. Match ACs from the same period/speed/climbrate or create balance by letting one side have more but inferior AC. (the last one is hard)
I have played some serarios like that. It's challenging but speed,climbrate and mobility often wins over numbers.

I have just realized that I almost copied you Zoe.... But that only means that we have the same thoughts I guess

P-G

[Rabbit 3]

When setting up a one off game try setting up with objectives rather than just death matches.
I.E protect/shoot down the two seater on a bombing/reconnaisance mission. Strafe trenches etc.
Try and stick to appropriate time periods and give the players a bit of background into why this mission has to succeed/fail.

[grumpybear]

Hi from Alberta. I agree with what the others have said but most of all have fun

[milcoll73]

welcome to the aerodrome todd. id recomend minis and anything visual (mats, counters, etc) really adds to the game.

the more players, the better plus more players means you can start doing scenarios such as bomber escort or interception, observation flights etc.

try to keep aircraft evenly matched. one thing our group does is a "grinder" scenario. start in the earliest aircraft and work your way to later aircraft as you get shot down. this keep everyone in the game and can lead to some interesting match ups.

add a variety of aircraft types (ie 2 seaters and bombers). while fun, endless fighter vs fighter , over and over can get a bit stale.

something ive been wanting to try but cant seem to get enough people to show up regularly is a campaign.

[LOOP]

[QUOTE=milcoll73;304414] one thing our group does is a "grinder" scenario. start in the earliest aircraft and work your way to later aircraft as you get shot down. this keep everyone in the game and can lead to some interesting match ups. QUOTE]

This "grinder"-senario is something I have wanted to do for a long time. How long does it take to finish and how many ACs do you use in total?

[FarEast]

I would honestly suggest flying the scenarios posted in the Early Door Campaign. I'm new to the game and absolutely love them, the veteran members really put a lot of work in to them and some are so intense you are physically exhausted by the end of it.

[Lt. S.Kafloc]

6 hours game time at Border Reiver 2013 show. 32 different aircraft and 14 different players. Allowed players to drop in/drop out whenever they needed to.

[QUOTE=LOOP;304416]

one thing our group does is a "grinder" scenario. start in the earliest aircraft and work your way to later aircraft as you get shot down. this keep everyone in the game and can lead to some interesting match ups. QUOTE]

This "grinder"-senario is something I have wanted to do for a long time. How long does it take to finish and how many ACs do you use in total?

[Teaticket]

Welcome to the Drome Todd. This is a great game and as you see a very friendly helpful site. All the above is great advice. Just play it to whatever level you find most enjoyable, cards or minis, flat or some 3d terrain, altitude or not... Don't try to do it all too fast. I started off playing the basic game and slowly added in all the options as I felt comfortable.

[predhead]

The more players the more interaction you can have with like-minded people. Do you have a store nearby? If so, and the store sells the Wings of War/Glory "stuff", then advertise and host a few events there to get more folks involved. Buying planes for this is a must for the visual attraction the planes bring to the table. You can find good prices on planes in the Aerodrome store and other online venues.

[milcoll73]

[QUOTE=LOOP;304416]

one thing our group does is a "grinder" scenario. start in the earliest aircraft and work your way to later aircraft as you get shot down. this keep everyone in the game and can lead to some interesting match ups. QUOTE]

This "grinder"-senario is something I have wanted to do for a long time. How long does it take to finish and how many ACs do you use in total?

the beauty of it is it can take as long as you want it to. we usually end ours at around midnight, one oclock when the 2nd to last guy gets shot down. you just keep respawning until about the 45-30 minute mark of when you want to stop. the number of a/c depends on how many you have available. we started out with 3 tiers per player (1 a/c per tier or 3 a/c per player, early, mid and late war). with the addition of recent a/c between myself and friends we now usually do 5 tiers.

[surfimp]

I am not talking about what to buy of course, just want to know what you would do if you could start over, is there anything I should know, or do, or avoid, or read?

I would keep it simple at first in terms of rules, but as others have said, try to give the engagements some sense of purpose or meaning. I.e. if it's a fight between scouts, why are they fighting... what larger goals are they trying to achieve?

Escort missions of photo recon and bombers have been really fun, as are balloon busting missions.

I'd also echo the suggestion to keep the matchups historical to the extent possible... planes from the same era are usually quite well-balanced even if one or the other has some small advantages (i.e. A vs B deck damage, or some extra maneuverability). Learning to deal with the advantages/disadvantages of each historical matchup makes for a lot of fun and helps give some insight into what the real pilots faced.

Examples of fun historical scout matchups from the Western Front (IMHO):

Airco DH2 vs Fokker Eindecker
Nieuport 16 vs Halberstadt D.III
Sopwith Triplane vs Albatros D.II / D.III
SPAD VII vs Albatros D.III
Sopwith Camel vs Fokker Dr.1
SPAD XIII vs Albatros D.Va
SE5a (or SPAD XIII) vs Fokker D.VII

As for reading, I'd suggest "Sagittarius Rising" by Cecil Lewis and "Bloody April" by Peter Hart. Both are excellent!

Welcome and have fun!!

[gully_raker]

G'day Todd & welcome to the 'drome on behalf of the Pilots who fly in NSW down in Australia.

One thing you might like to consider if you are short of opponents is to fly Solo missions.
You can access the Clock Templates & Manouver sheets via the Files section.
Check out the Solo Campaigns down in WW1 to give you an idea how it works.

I do recommend investing in some of the mini Aircraft as these add so much to the enjoyment of the game.

[Biggles downunder]

snip...

I do recommend investing in some of the mini Aircraft as these add so much to the enjoyment of the game.

Oh, but do be prepared to catch the 'I must have that miniature' bug - you can get medication but I don't think it is very effective

[Zoe Brain]

Oh, but do be prepared to catch the 'I must have that miniature' bug - you can get medication but I don't think it is very effective

In terminal cases, the patient first chases down out of production miniatures, but also goes to 3rd party suppliers for aircraft not available officially.

Hence scenes like this:

[milcoll73]

In terminal cases, the patient first chases down out of production miniatures, but also goes to 3rd party suppliers for aircraft not available officially.

Hence scenes like this:

apparently im near the end of stage 2 and about to transition to stage 3 HELLLLOOOOOO NURSE!!!!!!!!!