Latest mini received

[Hammers]

I held this in my hand today and it was all I could do resisting to buy. I count the hours fore I cave. Question: there were three variants; that baloon one Plynkes did a write up on, an Ace variant and one called Look behind you ( I think) which was about recon escort I think. There was very little written about each variant on the back. Does anyone have a recommendation.

[Plynkes]

Any of them can be played as a stand-alone game, I think. They all contain the basic rules. If you're only going to get one, then Famous Aces is probably not the best to get, as it is just the basic rules.

Burning Drachens has rules and cards for ground attack (strafing trenches, etc) AAA, AA MGs and balloon busting.

Watch your Back has rules for two-seaters (with rear-firing MGs, a whole new challenge). Don't have this one so can't really tell you much about it. I think it also contains the ground attack rules.

If you are going to buy the model planes I wouldn't get Famous Aces. All it has to offer are a bunch of plane movement and stat cards, which come with the models anyway.

[Hammers]

Thanks, P, you're a capital fellow. I seem to recall someone talking about a delux version. What does that come with?

[Plynkes]

Haven't seen that myself, other than when it was mentioned here. I think you get four or so model planes with it. The normal sets contain no models, you play with little cards.

[majorsmith]

got some brigade aliens today, fantastic little figures!

[Torben]

Picked up a Gatorman Posse for Hordes down at a local shop this Saturday and they were done paintting yesterday and now I'm laying the final hands on a pulp scenario for these critters and two bands of adventurers. Busy times!

[PeteMurray]

I held this in my hand today and it was all I could do resisting to buy. I count the hours fore I cave. Question: there were three variants; that baloon one Plynkes did a write up on, an Ace variant and one called Look behind you ( I think) which was about recon escort I think. There was very little written about each variant on the back. Does anyone have a recommendation.

I wish I'd had Poly's recommendation before I got mine, but I consider it no great loss of money.

Give in. It's an amazing game. I played around with it a bit tonight and oh Nelly is it a fun ride. You will be making noises of propellers and guns firing after ten minutes.

[Poliorketes]

Thanks, P, you're a capital fellow. I seem to recall someone talking about a delux version. What does that come with?

The games developers have mentioned in their Yahoo!-group that there isn't a de Luxe-box planned for the anglo-american market as the provider (Fantasy Flight Games) won't do one. The de Luxe box is available in italian, german and perhaps french. Don't know about spanish. I highly recommend it, having one myself and just ordered another 2 for our club and a friend. You can get them at www.spiele-offensive.de/ for 31.99 EUR, a decent price as there are 4 planes inside, worth 26 EUR if bought separately. The planes included are:

Albatros DVa / Udet
Fokker DrI / M. von Richthofen
Sopwith Camel / Barker
SPAD XIII / Baracca

The balance between Mittelmächte and Entente is just right, the SPAD being less manouevrable than the rest but faster, the Albatros the same as the Camel, but without the sharp right turn and the Fokker having the best manouevres, but being slowest and most vulnerable.

[Lowtardog]

WoW has taken off big time this year at our club (quite chuffed as they scoffed me at first) with around 6 players now.

One of the lads has picked up the new bombers and aircraft, they are very nice and now have tiny little pilots :mrgreen:

[Hammers]

You will be making noises of propellers and guns firing after ten minutes.

Oh, goody! Then I can play with fiver, son of hammershield.  He makes nothing but propeller sounds. From the head end at least.

A question since the tiny planes, which are not very good value for the money @ 1/144 scale for 11-12 Euro, would it be very inconvenient to scale the game up to 1/72 where the range of planes are cheaper and endless?

[Poliorketes]

The models are 6.50 EUR for the first series, 7.19 EUR for the second, I guess it's a fair price considered that metal ones are mostly a little bit more expensive.

You need the bases for playing, so with 1/72 you should have a problem as the bases are in scale with the manoeuvre cards. With 1/72 models, I'd say play Canvas Eagles.

[Argonor]

Is there an online catalogue of rulesets and planes for WoW somewhere?

[Poliorketes]

Try the link above and search for wings of war. if you want to see what's available in english, try the Fantasy Flight Games Website.

[PeteMurray]

Oh, goody! Then I can play with fiver, son of hammershield.  He makes nothing but propeller sounds. From the head end at least.

Ah infancy. Thank God they grow out of it.

A question since the tiny planes, which are not very good value for the money @ 1/144 scale for 11-12 Euro, would it be very inconvenient to scale the game up to 1/72 where the range of planes are cheaper and endless?

It would be very inconvenient. The movement cards are everything in the game, and scaling them up wouldn't be easy. You'd look like you were playing some sort of peculiar Renaissance Italian tarot card game.

The other problem is that the bases are designed with four short peg-and-hole rods instead of being a single rod with connectors at either end. That also cuts down on your ability to use different manufacturer aircraft. The bases are also integral to measurement and determining firing arcs, and have the plane stats on them. There's a guy in our gaming club who's a huge aircraft gaming fan, and the basing is his major ding against the system.

Now, if that could be overcome (and it could with some plexiglass or clear plastic and Engineering Ability), then there are a variety - tons! - of 1/144 planes on the market. You'd have to paint them yourself but it seems a fair tradeoff.

[Hammers]

I see. Well, that's thriftiness out of the way. I think I shall choose the Burning Drachens or Watch your Back variants eventually since they have air to surface combat.