Missions with odd number of players

[Walram]

I'm looking for mission ideas to use when you have an odd number of players (other than balloon busting.) We often have three or five folks show up to game, but the larger side almost always wins - especially with two vs. one. Anyone have any tried and true solutions to equal out the game? I've thought about ace abilities and/or better planes but I don't know what would be fair equalizers.

[Marechallannes]

We separate them in to axis & allies.

A good way to balance it, is to give the side with more pilots a two-seater and a recon, or bombing misson. So they can't go only for dogfights cause the have to escort the two seater.

Or you take fixed types of planes, for example:

2 Nieuports and a Camel vs. 2 Fockker D.VII

or

Fokker Dr. I and 2 Albatros D.III vs. a RAF S.E.5.a and a Sopwith Snipe

[Oberst Hajj]

You can put an experienced player on the small side and have that person fly two planes.

[Hunter]

You can put an experienced player on the small side and have that person fly two planes.

Yes, that does 'even' things out.

[Oberst Hajj]

I should add I would put the most and least experienced players on the "short" side when giving the best player two planes.

[gully_raker]

;) In our recent Club Game Action Report "A Crowded Sky" we had one player fly 3 planes & 1 Player fly 2 on the Axis side & another player fly 5 on the Allied side.
Flying multiple Aircraft can even the odds provided the player is happy to do so.:thumbsup:

[greenalfonzo]

I like fighting 2 seaters vs. scouts in these situations. One player gets two 2 seaters, and the other two players each get 2 scouts.

[Tommy Z]

We often run missions with a number of odd players!:cheezy::lol::lol::takecover:

[john snelling]

You can put an experienced player on the small side and have that person fly two planes.

That's what I was thinking. John

[flyingryno]

Yeah that's hoe we balance it out in our games, at most it's usually only one player flying two planes.

[Lord_Ninja]

Have you ever tried something that is even historically accurate given the time that these battles were fought in? The side with the less amount of players can communicate secretly. While the large team may not communicate secretly. Given that their was no communication other then hand signals during WWI and that the early radio equipment during WWII was prone to failure (early war Japanese pilots would occasionally take out all radio equipment from their planes to save weight and because of the uselessness) this modification can easily even things out.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

We did try the signal flares idea, with a limited signal capacity but it never caught on. Never thought of using it to even up the odds in a game. Food for thought there. To see the discussions look here.

Rob.

[Lord_Ninja]

Signal flares? Where can I find these rules?

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Signal flares? Where can I find these rules?

There was nothing actually defined, rather a discussion on what was done to signal simple messages between Flight commander and his flight. To see the discussions look here.
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/showthread.php?621-Sign-communication&highlight=lights
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/showthread.php?1542-Flare-Gun-Signals&highlight=signals
Rob.