WGS Speed and Acceleration rules question

[Savoir Faire]

HI,

I’m new to the WWII rules, and I’m having trouble with the Speed and Acceleration rules. I’m sure I must be missing something fundamental because my interpretation seems out of whack.

I played the game using the Standard Rules (using two High Speed markers and two Low Speed markers), and I thought I understood them well enough (pick a maneuver, pick its speed, pick the next maneuver, pick its speed, etc., etc.).

Reading the Advanced Rules on speed confuses me. They seem to work the same way (pick a maneuver, pick its speed, pick the next maneuver, pick its speed…). But if that’s the case, I don’t see the functional difference (i.e. the blanks might as well be actual Low or High Speed markers as in the Standard Rules).

Then when I read the Ace Rules (Golden Touch) I got really confused —Why would one need extra markers? Wouldn’t one go from blank to High or Low? Where and when would the second High or Low marker come into use?

Are we actually supposed to be discarding these speed markers? I’d been keeping them in my available pile (i.e. on or next to the console), for future use but maybe that’s what I’m missing.

And what do they mean by "cannot freely choose to change speed" --Isn't that what we're doing when we select the markers?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Max

Here are the Advanced Rules from the book below for reference.


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ACCELERATION

When Playing with the advanced rules, airplanes cannot freely choose to change speed each turn. Modify the Standard Rules as follows;

SETUP AND PLANNING

At the start of the game each player takes four speed markers for each airplane: one High Speed, one Low Speed, and two blank speed markers.

Then, each player chooses either the High Speed or Low Speed marker and places it, faceup, in the Airplane speed position on the console of each airplane. This marker represents the current speed of the airplane. The other three markers are kept aside and left facedown.

Each time the player places a maneuver card on the console, he must also place one of his unused speed markers, facedown, on that manuever card. He can place the unused High Speed or Low Speed marker, if he wants the airplane to change speed; or he can place a blank marker, if he does not want to change speed.

MOVEMENT

At the beginning of the movement phase, when a player reveals his maneuver card he simultaneously reveals the speed marker on it.

If the speed marker is blank, the airplane is not changing speed. The player places this blank marker, facedown, with the other available markers.

Id the speed marker is a Low Speed or a High Speed marker, the airplane is changing speed. The player replaces the previous speed marker with the revealed marker, and places the previous marker, facedown,with the other available markers.

Then the airplane moves using the arrow on the maneuver card that matches the speed of the Airplane Speed marker faceup on the console.

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ACES RULE

Golden Touch: This pilot may accelerate or decelerate more easily than anybody else. At the start of the game, take an extra Low Speed or High Speed marker of your choice. You can choose this skill twice, so you can get both one extra Low Speed and one extra High Speed.

[Strangely Brown]

When you start you select the first two cards and their respective speed markers (face down)
On the first turn you reveal the movement card and the speed marker.
Move your 'plane using the appropriate white/blue arrow on the card.
Keep the speed token on display (I usually place it on the 'plane card on my console). This is so every one can see your speed and verify if you are making an illegal manoeuvre.
Resolve firing as normal.
Slide the second card into the first slot and select the next manoeuvre and speed. Rinse and repeat.

If you think of the blanks as "maintain current speed", you only play the other marker to change speed.
You should always have either the white or blue speed marker on display.

Ie: high- blank(high)- slow- blank(slow)- blank(slow) - high

The blanks affect the game mechanic so that you cannot constantly switch between high-low-high-low speed, which is not a very realistic (or kind way) to treat your craft. Hence, this stops you "freely" picking your speed and in some cases the manoeuvres that you can do.

For the simple rules think arcade, advanced/ace think simulation. If you accelerate to high speed you have to coast before you drop to slow speed, although the ace abilities combined, let you play with the throttle as you wish (think of it as a simplified HOTAS)

Hope this helps....

[Savoir Faire]

Simon,

I still wasn't able to work it out until I grabbed the four tokens and physically cycled them through the console as if I were taking turns. Then it made sense. I'm feeling a little foolish now, but it's not the first time.

Thanks for the help,

Max

[Thunderbolt]

Could be misleading when you do not try it out. But it works in practice :thumbsup:

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Don't feel bad about it, Max.
When I started WW2, I was lucky in having Stormkahn to show me how it worked, but even so it took a while to remember to check the speed markers were interspersed with a blank.
Rob.