Balancing encounters in home-made scenarios

[Paukenschlager]

In the Duel Pack I recently purchased as my "travel WoG kit" that a table is given in the rule booklet for new players to create balanced encounters when acquiring additional planes packs.

This made me wonder how you guys balance the scenarios you create

Which factors influence your choice of planes?

Personally I go for historical accuracy (i.e. planes that were likely to be at a certain point in time vis-a-vis in the skies of whichever theatre of operations I set the background to be) with no much regard for balance of in-game firepower or maneuvrability.

I understand this might make life for one of the two sides pretty hard, but my history buff's conscience is at rest, in that way

For what converns the bumber of machines deployed I always try to give an equal number of planes and ground targets to each side, using my "rule of the 2", which is:

*no more than two planes per participant when playing against human opponents (guess this depends on my friends being fairly new to the game);
*no more than two planes per side in solo games (4 planes is all I can really control without slowing down the game too much if playing solitaire!);
*no more than two ground targets/AA units per side for each standard gaming mat or equivalent surface (I had to limit myself after discovering AA guns on my transition from the original WoW rules set to the WoG equivalent - I would spend a lot of time manouvering Archie instead of looping and diving in my planes!)

So far the above has worked fairly well in my modest gaming sessions.

How do you guys go about it? Do you tweak the manouvering/damage decks much to create more balanced games?

Looking forward to your wisdom!

[Baxter]

Sounds like you have a good formula. We too usually try to have a historically accurate mix of planes with balanced damage points. Last night we flew 3 DR1's against a single HP0/400 armed with an additional tail gunner though, so can stray from realism now and again.

[milcoll73]

i try to keep it simple with new players. as for balancing i just compare the basics, speed, maneuverability, damage output, hit points. i try to match aircraft by maneuver deck 1st, then hit points.

[flash]

..How do you guys go about it? Do you tweak the manoeuvring/damage decks much to create more balanced games? Looking forward to your wisdom!

Our regular Wednesday night group will play one plane each, when we don't have even numbers then one side or the other has the advantage.
We try to play it historically when we can. Factors that might influence the game will be number of guns, model damage limits, the scenario played, experience of the players.
No respawns, unless someone gets chopped down really early in the game but the Boom card is half damage rounded up these days so still often fatal.
Same for solo gaming, pretty much, though OTT means we can often be handling three or four a side but the AI used makes that easier.

[Paukenschlager]

Our regular Wednesday night group will play one plane each, when we don't have even numbers then one side or the other has the advantage.

Out of curiosity - how big is the group you are referring to?

[flash]

We regularly field eight but have ten on occasion, depending on work, illness, family etc. Best was eleven so far this year, worst was probably five.
It's a strong group, possibly the largest weekly WoG group running. We usually get in three games an evening, sometimes four.

[Paukenschlager]

Best was eleven so far this year, worst was probably five.

Wow, your worst it's still one more than my best!

[flash]

I think we're very lucky to have a strong wargaming community in our area and a hub in Entoyment our FLGS where we can gather and play anything we like.