How do you pick your plane?

**chub** · 09-30-2010 12:55

How do you pick your plane for competitive play?

I will be playing in Khargor's tournament in january for the Central powers and as it is a team effort I want to pick a plane that wont suck ( I am naturally drawn to the Albatross DIII for some reason)

SO how does everyone out there pick a plane

**Dom S** · 09-30-2010 13:06

Frankly for competitive play it's hard to go wrong with "put all of your Fokker D.VII cards into a hat and pick one at random"....

Unless 2-seaters are allowed of course, in which case all bets are off.... In all seriousness though, the D.VII is the varsity, with the Snipe, SE5a and SSW D.III all following not too far behind. Beyond that we're looking at the Camel, SPAD XIII, Fokker Dr.I and Albatros D.V. One point worth noting is that certain aircraft may suit your style better than others - I know a couple of players who just don't "click" with the D.VII and swear by the SPAD (not agile, but fast....) instead.

**Pseudotheist** · 09-30-2010 13:35

Grab one card from each maneuver deck, shuffle them together, and pick one at random.

**Goering Ace** · 10-01-2010 08:24

If you want to be competetive, I'd choose based on the other planes on the table. It's not really that much fun or too gratifying if you down a Nieuport with a Fokker D.VII. The D.VII is the top dog and if you're a good pilot and don't have horribly bad luck, you should fare quite well. The Albatros D.III is just an average fighter, so don't expect too much from it. If you simply want to have a greater chance of survival, go with the D.VII or Snipe if you're fairly new to the game. You could add the SE5 if you've got a little more experience. I say that because of it's speed combined with turning ability. Until you get used to it, you may find yourself overshooting your opponent and having more difficulty getting into position.

So you need to decide if you just want the best plane, period, or if you want to fly a plane that fits with the balance of the group.

If you haven't already, check out my Sticky entitled "Tactical Walk Through of Aircraft" at the top of the General Discussions page. It will give you some insight into the various planes and their abilities.

Scott

**chub** · 10-01-2010 09:17

Cheers I I'll give your thread a proper look, I flicked through it the other day, which is why I realised the DIII wasn't the best choice. However i'm not trying to be 'uber' competitive I am just trying to work out which plane to take so I don't completely suck and pull the team down

**Goering Ace** · 10-01-2010 11:35

Hey Stewart. Do you plan to fly German or Allied? Also, are you using minis, and if so, which ones do you own? If you want to be safe and make sure you're not a weak link, I'd go with the D.VII on the German side or the Snipe on the Allied side. If those seem out of balance with the others, drop down to a Dr.I or Camel. You could even go with the new Pfalz D.IIIa if you have one. It's like a healthier Albatros D.III. However, since you may not know what others will be flying before you get there, going the D.VII or Snipe might be the best/safest route.

**Pooh** · 10-01-2010 11:41

If you have unlimmited choices go with the DVII. Often the organizer (if he's smart) will put in some sort of limitation such as years available. Otherwise, its DVIIs vs. Snipes, SpadXIIIs and the occasional SE5a.

Pooh

**chub** · 10-01-2010 12:45

Cheers Scott, I am playing for the Germans But I only own a DR I at the moment (which is why I put the post up) I will pick myself up a DVII to play around Cheers for the help

Stewart

Edit: Ive just ordered a DVII and a Snipe to further my experience

**Dom S** · 10-01-2010 12:57

Welcome to the dark side....

**Scotty** · 10-01-2010 14:10

Go with the Dr.I

I myself will be at the event and will use one purely for the 'fun' value it provides if I don't make the allied side.

Scotty

**Burt** · 10-01-2010 15:19

I like a bit of a challange so I will be trying to fly a Pfalz DIIIa at the tournament. A bit tougher than some planes but but not as maneuverable as others.

Don

**MayorJim** · 10-01-2010 15:30

We usually play with either 3 on 3 all fighters; or 3 on 3 with one of them being a 2 seater (one for each side). We try to pretty much match planes as to their damage strength and manueverability amongst periods. Balance makes for a more enjoyable game...however; we are slowly moving towards different scenarios by adding in MGs, AA, etc.

**chub** · 10-02-2010 10:10

@Jim as far as I am awarethe tournament is a 'run what you brung' affair with the players siding with one side or the other.

@scotty You know what I might just do that, I am fairly new to the game and was worried about letting the side down, but after all I am going to have fun

**Scotty** · 10-02-2010 11:17

Thats the spirit mate! Watch them tremble as your DR.I turns on a pin head and catched them at their six!!!

Scott

**DaveZee** · 10-02-2010 11:41

Originally Posted by Burt

I like a bit of a challange so I will be trying to fly a Pfalz DIIIa at the tournament. A bit tougher than some planes but but not as maneuverable as others.

Don

In scenario play, I love my Pfalz DIII. Tough, easy to keep on target, a joy to fly. (This is coming from a guy who has 3 favorite planes: DVII, DRI and Snipe -

)

**Pope** · 10-07-2010 02:03

Hi Chub,
I think a lot of us doing Time of Aces are in the same boat, newish players looking to have a fun day out playing WoW and treating it as a way of learning more about the game.

I know Shaun posted about saying what planes we were taking, but for those of us who go to Firestorm a list is on the wall with names, side and 1st choice plane.

I'm taking an SE 5A as I like the model even if I'm trying to learn to control its speed and James my son is going to be using his Snipe. I fully expect to get blown up on the day, but hope to take a few of you 'Huns' with me.

Scotty/Trench Bucket are you going down to Firestorm on the 23rd October as there is loads of demo games going on that day which includes WoW? I should be there and I expect quite a few of the Cardiff Club will also be making it so it's a good chance to get a few games of WoW in as there are loads of tables.

Cheers Aled

**Scotty** · 10-07-2010 09:55

Aled

Should be there as long as the wife doesn't revoke my weekend pass!

Scotty

**Trench Bucket** · 10-07-2010 11:16

Yeah i'm game on the 23rd.... will bring my 3 planes, i think if the cost of the tourney next time is £15-£20 and you get a random plane (good way of firestorm getting rid of planes that just don't sell). that would be fun - have it more multiplayer.

This does not have to be a tourney just a friendly event say in feb, and get firestorm to get more planes in then. Oh and all events bing donuts,coffee and tea lol.....

TB

**Pope** · 10-07-2010 11:55

All sounds good to me, I've booked my weekend pass for the 23rd with the wife so will have to be good for a few weeks. I like the idea of random planes which should be a laugh.

Cheers,

Aled