Second Epiphany - The Universal Diceless Solo Deck

[johnbiggles]

Joaquim,
I've been watching this thread for a little while, and I have to say you are for me, one of the most inspiring inovators currently on the forum.
Thank you

[johnbiggles]

Mike, your skill and dedication never cease to impress me

[Nightbomber]

Joaquim,
I've been watching this thread for a little while, and I have to say you are for me, one of the most inspiring inovators currently on the forum.
Thank you

That is very true.

[Blackronin]

Thank you for your kind words, my dear friends.
It was just a strike of luck, the company of excellent fellow members, a beautiful game and loving solo games.

[OldGuy59]

The Red Deck ready for proofreading:

[Version 3]


[Version 3]


[Version 3]


The plane graphic and card titles need some adjusting. I thought I did that, but it obviously didn't take.

Well, this is almost as good as test printing. And I get more fresh eyes to look them over. too.

Green deck is already in Illustrator, not sure how fast it will go. Nearly every card is a custom job, and "cut & paste" doesn't work quite as well, when one or two of the three cards has a minor variation. Perhaps by the end of the weekend, minus the Skype game on Saturday.

[LOOP]

Two observations

Card 1-7. M-deck

2 shallow right sideslips after each other. Those are steep moves.
I know that the Ares M-deck lack the steep-sign but that must be a printingerror. The Nexus one has steepsigns and the Ares-deck is identical in every other way.

Card 1-16. DU-decks
Two Arrows in the last frame.

But otherwise i'm just blown away

[Oberst Hajj]

Wow guys, very nice work on these! This truly bring the solo rules inline with the fit and feel of the game, great work!

Joaquim,

Looking at this system, would it be possible to just print out the correct backside (I think that's the side showing the quadrant), pair it with matching maneuver card and slide them both into a double clear sleeve? What you would end up with is a solo deck for each plane without having to look through two decks.

As an example:



I could print the left have of that card and put it back to back in a clear sleeve with the straight maneuver for decks G*, H, and K. During play, I simply shuffle/mix the AI plane's manuver deck and take the first maneuver card with the 12-1 quadrant back and flip it over to "fly" the AI plane with. Does that work the same? And what about the three maneuvers that are not assigned to a lettered deck? I think those are to just cut down on the number of different cards your system needs and could be add to all the other decks in the same manner I'm talking about?

Or do the same maneuver card get used in multiple Solo decks? As an example, does a normal 60° right turn get used in more than one of the red, green, or orange deck?

[Oberst Hajj]

Okay, I just looked closer and a single maneuver cards is used in at least more than one Solo deck. For the K deck, the straight is used on the Orange 12-1 Quad card and also on the Red 10-13 Quad card, Red 4-6, and Red 1-3.

So that means a simple conversion would not work. It appears that a system could be worked out by having multi colored zones (or three separate zone circles...) on a single card... but that may not work either and is getting really far from your original concept...

Not trying to change the wonderful work you did here, just thinking out loud here on something that might have made your system easier/faster to use

[Lt. S.Kafloc]

Perhaps a quick print and play will iron out and bring to the fore problems that may require addressing. Superb work again Joaquim and Mike.

[OldGuy59]

Two observations

Card 1-7. M-deck

2 shallow right sideslips after each other. Those are steep moves.
I know that the Ares M-deck lack the steep-sign but that must be a printingerror. The Nexus one has steepsigns and the Ares-deck is identical in every other way.

Card 1-16. DU-decks
Two Arrows in the last frame.

But otherwise i'm just blown away

Per,
Thanks for the proofreading. I was getting arrow-blind last night. One more set to go.

Card 1-16 is fixed, and updated above.

The "M" Maneuver Deck.

Has this been determined as a misprint, or an adjustment to the deck? I haven't seen anything definitive, but I also haven't looked too hard. There isn't an official notice on Ares site about it. I have heard that a pen/ink amendment to Ares decks was being done by some, but I have not seen an official answer.

I went to Joaquim's Solo charts to see if I could amend this with another option, but the same thing appears in those charts. So, back to my question above: an error, or a design adjustment in the characteristics of the deck?

If I were flying with a Nexus deck, card seven would be illegal. Flying an Ares deck, OK?

Anyone?

[OldGuy59]

Perhaps a quick print and play will iron out and bring to the fore problems that may require addressing. Superb work again Joaquim and Mike.

Neil,
The reason I am irritating my Better Half and putting lots of things on hold, to get these done. You really need all three colors to fly a plane. Otherwise, you'd be dragging out charts for the missing deck.

This isn't altruism, either. I want something quick, easy, and intuitive for my solo games. Only trying it out will prove it's effectiveness, but I really like the concept and it's integration into the Wings of Glory/War theme of "no dice". I think not having to consult charts will be much quicker, countered by shuffling cards. Which will be better?

Keith is thinking of dividing up the decks, but that doesn't work, as you use the colored box first, if it works, special moves if available (PS: Hmmm... You could use either, I suppose, depending on the situation. Standard moves, or if flying a particular deck use it's special moves, whichever is better at the moment?). Dividing up the decks in quadrants could work, too. But I have to get ALL the decks done, before I can play-test it!

Back to the templates, and thanks for the proof-reading.

[Blackronin]

Thank you for your kind words, gentlemen.

I'll proofread this again in a while.

To answer the question about Card 1-7 M-deck: I give a little margin to the AI maneuvers. These two maneuvers seemed a good counter to the fact that on the other side there is an "human" plane.

[OldGuy59]

Green Deck up:



[Version 2]






After proofreading, we can upload this to the Solo Rules File Section as PDFs for better quality printing.

This may need to be tweaked a bit for 8.5X11 unscaled printing, as I took it to the very top and bottom edges of the paper size. I can color print in borderless mode, so it works for me. Also, I thought this would work for A4, for those printing it outside of North America (8.3x11.7").

[Oberst Hajj]

Okay, I've got some questions about using the cards...



1. If that card is drawn and AI plane is flying a SPAD XIII (uses the A deck), the AI plane could do any one of the three maneuvers at the top of the card? And would I randomly draw one of those three cards for the AI plane, or just pick the one I wanted it to do?

2. If the AI plane was using any of the decks listed in the four subgroups in the middle, I would select from one of those three cards?

3. When and how do you select cards from that bottom group? The N deck is listed in a middle group and the bottom group, so which do I pick from if using the N deck?

4. How is the straight-Immelmann-straight maneuvers done?

[Blackronin]

Okay, I've got some questions about using the cards...



1. If that card is drawn and AI plane is flying a SPAD XIII (uses the A deck), the AI plane could do any one of the three maneuvers at the top of the card? And would I randomly draw one of those three cards for the AI plane, or just pick the one I wanted it to do?

2. If the AI plane was using any of the decks listed in the four subgroups in the middle, I would select from one of those three cards?

3. When and how do you select cards from that bottom group? The N deck is listed in a middle group and the bottom group, so which do I pick from if using the N deck?

4. How is the straight-Immelmann-straight maneuvers done?

Hi Keith:

1. If the plane's maneuver deck letter isn't in the card, you'll use always the first group of maneuvers;
2. If, say, the plane's deck is E you'll use the group with left/left/left;
3. The N deck at the bottom row of maneuvers is a typo created by Your's Truly. The great Mike will take it out as soon as I proof read the red and green decks. Sorry...
4. The row of maneuvers are final, that means that for the AI planes if you end turn 1 with a reverse maneuver, you don't have to start turn 2 with a straight maneuver. It gives the AI plane a bonus, but it's offset by the fact that on the other side there is a RI (Real Intelligence) playing.

[Oberst Hajj]

Thanks Joaquim. So in each case, the player picks which of the three maneuvers the AI plane will do from the correct group of three?

[Blackronin]

Thanks Joaquim. So in each case, the player picks which of the three maneuvers the AI plane will do from the correct group of three?

Keith, in this case we follow the original rules for WW1 WoG, the row of maneuvers is chosen in the beginning of the turn and then during the turn the maneuvers are played, maneuver by maneuver by all the planes. Differently from WW2, where the AI plane will choose one maneuver each turn, in the WW1 game the row of three maneuvers is chosen as by the original rules. That's why it would be so hard to make a Universal Chart and I've decided to make the Solo decks.

[Oberst Hajj]

Ah, so all three of the cards in a group are planed at the start of the turn. That makes sense. And I assume they are placed from left to right as shown for maneuver 1, then 2 and finally maneuver 3 of that turn?

[fast.git]

Ah, so all three of the cards in a group are planed at the start of the turn. That makes sense. And I assume they are placed from left to right as shown for maneuver 1, then 2 and finally maneuver 3 of that turn?

Apologies for jumping in... but that's how I see it. I've operated in that fashion in all of my solo games.

[Blackronin]

Ah, so all three of the cards in a group are planed at the start of the turn. That makes sense. And I assume they are placed from left to right as shown for maneuver 1, then 2 and finally maneuver 3 of that turn?

That's exactly how it works, Keith. That maintains - even for the AI planes - the feeling of the game. We've been playing solo this way, since we've start with Richard Bradley's charts.

[Blackronin]

I've just reviewed the Red deck, Mike. Next will be green.

RED DECK

Card 1-5 last row - Take out the N deck letter (my mistake)
Card 1-5 second row - Should be right/right/stall

Card 1-11 second row 1st column where it reads BJR should read L
Card 1-11 second row 2st column where it reads G*HK should read CM
Card 1-11 Third row 1st column where it reads MDU should read QO
Card 1-11 Third row 2st column where it reads L should read FN
Card 1-11 Fourth row 1st column where it reads E+C should read DU
Card 1-11 Fourth row 2st column where it reads EIFN should read EIE+

Card 1-19 last row - Should be stall left/straight/reverse

[Blackronin]

And here goes the Green deck:

GREEN DECK

Card 3-10 last row - should be right 90º/right/right

Do you need anything else?

[OldGuy59]

Red and Green decks updated above.

I have one little question. In places where you have listed half the alphabet for a set of maneuvers, could we consider that as the normal move, and use the other letters' move as the exception? Green 14 comes to mind, as do Red 5 and 23. Not a biggie, but just for appearances.

[Blackronin]

Red and Green decks updated above.

I have one little question. In places where you have listed half the alphabet for a set of maneuvers, could we consider that as the normal move, and use the other letters' move as the exception? Green 14 comes to mind, as do Red 5 and 23. Not a biggie, but just for appearances.

You are my Main Man at this band, Mike. If you say so, so it is.
I just want to point out that the other letter moves, the A... etc. are in fact a lot of decks. But please use your good taste at will. We're doing this together.

[OldGuy59]

All,
Four files have been placed in the moderation queue. The Blue Rules card, and the Red, Orange and Green decks. They are in separate files, because they are a minimum of 1.2 Megs or more, each. They are formatted for 8.5x11 unscaled, border-less printing (and also for A4), and should produce 44x68mm cards that will fit into the Wings of War plastic sleeves.

They are at 300dpi, so enlarging them to make bigger cards should be possible with good legibility.

If you really like the cards and the system, send all your Rep to Joaquim, please!

PS: Joaquim, I removed the "extra" orange border on cards 2-9 and 2-10. I hope that was an oversight in the proof-reading. They can be put back, if needed. Also, please give the cards another check, to make sure you are happy with the results.

[Blackronin]

Thanks, Mike.

It was an oversight.
At home I'll give a final check.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Great work Mike.
Thanks for bringing Quim's concept to life.
I look forward to using these cards and have some larger sleeves ready for my sets.
Rob.

[fast.git]

Thanks, Mike.

It was an oversight.
At home I'll give a final check.

Outstanding work, gents! Looking forward to taking these for a spin!

[meeplewizard]

Just a point of clarification please.

Which WW1 Files Section will these files appear under when they clear the Moderation Queue?

Game Aides or House Rules?

[LOOP]

Thank you for your kind words, gentlemen.

I'll proofread this again in a while.

To answer the question about Card 1-7 M-deck: I give a little margin to the AI maneuvers. These two maneuvers seemed a good counter to the fact that on the other side there is an "human" plane.

So you bend the rules a little to give the AI-plane some extra advantage. Guess that is the same if any other illegal move appear.

I can live with that

[OldGuy59]

Just a point of clarification please.

Which WW1 Files Section will these files appear under when they clear the Moderation Queue?

Game Aides or House Rules?

The files should be in this section: Downloads - Files - Scenarios - Solo Rules

[Blackronin]

So you bend the rules a little to give the AI-plane some extra advantage. Guess that is the same if any other illegal move appear.

I can live with that

Thanks.
I wanted the AI plane to scare us with their wits.

[tikkifriend]

Getting a new ink cartridge tomorrow

Seriously much rep and Kudos to Joaquim and Mike for putting this all together: clap: A bit of playtesting to tweak it all together and I am sure we will have the definitive WOG1 solo game machine.

[meeplewizard]

Thanks to all involved in this project!

What a gift to the community.

[fast.git]

Thinking ahead what do people use as sleeves for Wings Of War cards?

When I sleeve them (I've had trouble with glare making the cards difficult to photograph for AARs), I use MayDay Games Mini "Euro" Card Sleeves (45mm x 68mm).

https://maydaygames.com/card-sleeves...d-sleeves.html

Here's a picture:

[Nightbomber]

When I sleeve them (I've had trouble with glare making the cards difficult to photograph for AARs), I use MayDay Games Mini "Euro" Card Sleeves (45mm x 68mm).

https://maydaygames.com/card-sleeves...d-sleeves.html

Here's a picture:

Yes, these are the best ones. They are produced also in a less thick, cheaper version in packs of 100s. I use both kinds, but those thicker are better for their endurance and shuffling (damage decks). Recommended.

[Nightmoss]

I just started playing with the solo rules. What an awesome development to occur just when I'm starting out. Thanks to Joaquim and Mike for their efforts, and to everyone else who's helped proof read these cards. I can't wait to get these printed up at the local print shop.

[colby_bimore]

Thank you Fast for the sleeve information.

[OldGuy59]

All,
While we wait for the moderation queue, I did a test print from my PDFs.

I'm not sure exactly what happened, but for some reason, even setting my print job to actual size printed my images larger. The 44x68mm prints came out to 45x70mm. That is not small enough to fit in my Euro Mini Card Sleeves. So, I did some more test prints, and to get my printed cards (supposedly without scaling) to be the right size, I have redone the Blue Card File to 42.5x66.5mm. Now, I get 44x68mm card when it comes out of the printer.

I will do up the rest of the decks in the slightly smaller scale ASAP, and revise the posted files. Please check your print-outs on draft or whatever, before feeding in expensive photo paper, or card stock. Just to be sure. Take a sample card with you to the print shop, and check that their output is not somehow over-scaling the cards, too.

PS: I'm using these:

(Their outside dimensions are 45x72mm, actually)

PPS: Amazing the things you find out, when you read the manual. To print borderless, my printer "slightly" enlarges the image to ensure that it goes right to the edge of the page (actually over the edge). Hence, the issue I just ran into. Now, I have to find a way to print borderless, without loosing the top and bottom edges of my cards, or continue with the rescaling to get the right size.

Which would you guys wish to have? This probably only applies to the 8.5x11" crowd, as the A4 paper is longer, and should be able to squeak out the cards without clipping the top and bottom edges (not be "outside of printable area" like North American printers).

PPPS: More fun with your printer. A few experiments, and some Googling got me a few suggestions. Yes, I can adjust the printer's expansion of borderless printing. But not enough for the tight fit of the card sleeves.

And, if I try to print with borders, even changing the length of the page, it cuts off the bottom of the last row of cards. So, my next experiment will be to print borderless at 97%, as that is what I had to scale my Blue card by to get it to print the proper size (97.8x97.9% exactly, but 97% may give a bit of wiggle room in the sleeve). Wasting ink and paper...

[LOOP]

To quote the late Freddie in Queen

"I want it all and I want it now"

(but take your time. It's no rush...)

[OldGuy59]

All,
...

PPPS: More fun with your printer. A few experiments, and some Googling got me a few suggestions. Yes, I can adjust the printer's expansion of borderless printing. But not enough for the tight fit of the card sleeves.

And, if I try to print with borders, even changing the length of the page, it cuts off the bottom of the last row of cards. So, my next experiment will be to print borderless at 97%, as that is what I had to scale my Blue card by to get it to print the proper size (97.8x97.9% exactly, but 97% may give a bit of wiggle room in the sleeve). Wasting ink and paper...

BINGO!

Print from Adobe Acrobat (I use Pro, so I hope these options are available on the free version), using Poster, "Tile Scale:" set to 97%, and "Comments & Forms" set to "Document". Set the printer to print borderless (which expands the job by 2-ish%), and the cards come out 43-ish by 68-ish. They fit nicely in the above plastic sleeves.

Pictures, once the files are available to everyone.

NOTE: This may not apply to A4 paper, because it is longer and narrower. A4 shouldn't need to print borderless to fit the cards.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Thanks for the progress report Mike.
Rob.

[Blackronin]

Waiting for the files... :happy:

[7eat51]

Files have been approved.

[Blackronin]

Mike!
They're beautiful!

[FarEast]

Just to let you know I just tried the A4 printing and you will need to use Mike's method above.

Fantastic looking cards guys, can't wait to use them and thank you both for your efforts.

Print from Adobe Acrobat (I use Pro, so I hope these options are available on the free version), using Poster, "Tile Scale:" set to 97%, and "Comments & Forms" set to "Document". Set the printer to print borderless (which expands the job by 2-ish%), and the cards come out 43-ish by 68-ish. They fit nicely in the above plastic sleeves.

[FarEast]

Just to let you know I just tried the A4 printing and you will need to use Mike's method above.

Fantastic looking cards guys, can't wait to use them and thank you both for your efforts.

Print from Adobe Acrobat (I use Pro, so I hope these options are available on the free version), using Poster, "Tile Scale:" set to 97%, and "Comments & Forms" set to "Document". Set the printer to print borderless (which expands the job by 2-ish%), and the cards come out 43-ish by 68-ish. They fit nicely in the above plastic sleeves.

[OldGuy59]

All,
For the six or seven people that raced to download the files before Joaquim proof-read them for his level of perfection, I apologize.

I just went through with printing and cutting up my cards, and noticed some alignment errors. I was tweaking the drafts to be perfect, and all the aligning of boxes and parts that I did, before the scaling squirrel took up all my attention, were not saved to the PDF files I posted.

Version 2.1 files are uploaded, and now all the maneuver boxes are aligned from card to card ( I hope). If you don't care, no problem. Until Joaquim points out any other errors, that is.

Thanks to James [FarEast] for verifying I was wrong for the A4 size, also.

[FarEast]

Mike when were the new files uploaded? I downloaded my set about 40 minutes ago

[OldGuy59]

Mike when were the new files uploaded? I downloaded my set about 40 minutes ago

James,
You were 30 minutes too early. Also, I haven't seen Joaquim's "All Clear" on the proof-reading, either.