My first T&T impressions

[Wolfbiter]

Hi all! My Tripods and Triplanes game arrived this weekend, and my daughter insisted that we play a game. This was our first time using the Tripods, so figuring out how to drive one was a bit tricky for me at first, but here's my takeaways from our first attempt:

1. It's a very nice-looking boxed set! I liked the paint and sculpt for both the Tripod and the Nieuport. Counters, cards and components all seem very similar to WoG. The objective counters (church, factory, house, etc.) look like they would be equally useful as bombing targets for historical WWI Wings of Glory games.

2. Tripods are fairly complex compared to aircraft. Having to plan both an action card and maneuver cards each phase, and remembering when I had to spend energy and mark details like which Heat Ray I was firing, was a bit awkward at first, but I felt more comfortable with it as the game progressed.

3. From a game mechanics standpoint, the Tripod felt quite sturdy! My daughter pelted me with machine gun fire, but the Tripod shrugged off around 90 percent of the hits with no effect due to the electrical shield. However, she got VERY lucky during the game and drew TWO explosion cards...one from the B damage deck and one from the D damage deck when she fired rockets. Her machine gun attack explosion did me in on the very last turn of the game.

4. To balance the Tripod's durability, it takes a LOT of careful planning to set up an attack on a plane. You have to plan your maneuver in advance a few phases and estimate which Heat Ray firing arc will hit. Playing a tripod reminded me a bit of driving a naval warship---a lot of durability and firepower, but you simply can't react quickly on the fly. Every attack needs to be thought out thoroughly in advance.

5. In a straight-up 1 on 1 brawl, a single Nieuport 16 seems weak against a single tripod. Adding rockets, extra gear like a Higher Machine Gun and ace abilities can help. But I think the classic A deck damage fighters like the Dr. I and Camel, or the two-seaters will be more effective. But that said, using the scenarios in the rulebook seemed to offset the Nieuport's disadvantages. We played the mission where the Tripod has to destroy 3 objectives, and I managed to get all 3 by mostly ignoring the plane and speeding toward each one to destroy it, trusting in my shield to protect me...but my daughter scored a fatal hit just before I exited the map.

All in all, it was fun! Quite a different experience from traditional Wings of Glory due to the asymetrical forces. I'm looking forward to trying more games versus different aircraft!

[BobP]

Thanks for the input David. I have downloaded the rules and keep looking them over and I did see a video on YOUTUBE about the game so until I get mine I keep studying.

[Dawn Patrol]

Yeah, a single Nieuport 16 has to get awful lucky to take out a Tripod. And of course, my Tripod gunner didn’t quite get the concept that he actually has to aim the heat ray even in the general vicinity of the Nieuport (Six zeros. Six!). So all I did was hustle along from target to target and basically ignored the Nieuport. Got all four for spite’s sake. The second Nieuport that was needed for it’s set of rockets never got to appear. Did get dinked down to 9 hits, but I think I’d bring on the second Nieuport (of course the scenario is designed around only having one available in the set) regardless after the first target is destroyed (two, if you are going to equine all four). While I suppose it was staggering luck to not take a single point of damage to the Nieuport, it probably worked in the Tripod’s favor. Still, it was good to get in some practice with the rockets.

[Wolfbiter]

Yeah, a single Nieuport 16 has to get awful lucky to take out a Tripod. And of course, my Tripod gunner didn’t quite get the concept that he actually has to aim the heat ray even in the general vicinity of the Nieuport (Six zeros. Six!). So all I did was hustle along from target to target and basically ignored the Nieuport. Got all four for spite’s sake. The second Nieuport that was needed for it’s set of rockets never got to appear. Did get dinked down to 9 hits, but I think I’d bring on the second Nieuport (of course the scenario is designed around only having one available in the set) regardless after the first target is destroyed (two, if you are going to equine all four). While I suppose it was staggering luck to not take a single point of damage to the Nieuport, it probably worked in the Tripod’s favor. Still, it was good to get in some practice with the rockets.

I wasn't able to hit the Nieuport either! Both times I fired the Heat Ray I misjudged the angle and missed completely. So I just focused on wrecking buildings and escaping instead. It ALMOST worked, lol.

[Jeff Wilder]

My buddies and I played three games of the First Contact scenario, each taking a turn being the Locust, and never won for the Earthlings. Some notes, in no order except as they come to me:

(1) There seems to be some confusion about actions. Actions aren't exactly "planned," not the same way maneuvers are. Each action is just chosen before maneuvers are revealed, each phase. (For a very clear implication of this, note the CHANGE FACING action on Page 10.) Were we getting this wrong? (I don't think so, but anything is possible.)

(2) Rockets seem all but impossible to successfully use, given the restrictions.

(3) Holy Christ, Tripods are tough. We thought we got very close to taking out the Locust, twice, but in the first case it had only taken 10 damage, and in the second it had only taken 13.

(4) When the Locust landed hits, it was nasty. Once, in the last game, I took a 7 point heat ray blast in the face while flying my Dr.I. I was already calling it "Martian sunburn."

(5) Can anybody tell us without ambiguity whether the front "octagonal corners" of the Locust are energy shielded? (We played not, which I think it correct, but it doesn't seem to be clearly spelled out anywhere, even in the single most apt illustration.)

(6) Fast planes are at a disadvantage, at least in First Contact. There were times (in a SPAD XIII) when I was certain I'd gained enough distance for a couple shots, after performing an Immelmann, only to zoom helplessly into contact and get no shot at all. We did best with the Dr.I and the N.28.

(7) Strategy for the Locust seemed pretty clear: (a) Get to target. (b) Recharge for 3. (c) Destroy target. (d) Move on to the next target.

So, anyway, the Martian player won every game, but we had an absolute ball. This Kickstarter was quite a wait, but has ended up worth it.

[Baxter]

Hi Jeff, the front corners are unshielded.

[flash]

The shields are identified by the red-orange line on a models base Jeff so on the Locust it is un-shielded on it's front quarters and you played it correctly.
Check out the tactical walk through it may help answer some questions; https://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/sh...artian-Tripods
Seems that concentrating on the targets and dealing with the planes when you have to is the way to go.