Knights of the Skies - A new on-line game/experience, perhaps?

[stephen]

Just to clarify, there was a Dawn Patrol flight sim, and a Dawn Patrol board game. The Indy Squadron Dispatch is an on-line magazine (http://users.erinet.com/43977/indy.htm) covering the Dawn Patrol WWI board game as flown by the Indy Squadron, an Indianapolis-based DP gaming group. There is an on-line version of the board game, which is not a PC sim in any way, but just an online version of the board game.

Its sounds like KOTS will be a happy medium between an actual, 1 person flight sim and a true board game. Should be an nice market for it, and I'd be glad to read any rules that you might have and visit your web site.

Thought I would drop in and put my pair of cents on the table.** It appears to me that you may have a misconception of the status of Dawn Patrol as far as repetitive missions go.** Recent rules changes have increased the variety of planes (including pushers, Junkers aircraft, and bi-motors) as well as the types of ground attack missions.** There has also been more emphasis on what can go wrong in when a plane has been hit since the seventh edition was published in 1982.

Towards what you are looking for in a paper & dice game being played on the web, the dawnpatrol site (www.dawnpatrol.org) has been running mostly automated games for approximately six months.** While not fully incorporating all potential possibilities in the game, it isn't far away.** I know the game isn't free and the copyrights are protected, but the costs are minimal (purchase the game and registration within the FITS society).

Several DP players regularly post here, so they may be able to give you better, unbiased feedback than myself (I am currently developing this part of the game), but it seems that barring your desire to make the game completely free (minus domain costs), the current version of DawnPatrol may be well-suited as an engine for your (greater?) desire to produce a campaign like setting.** I know other systems (such as Blue Max) may be available as well, but I have very little familiarity with them.

[stephen]

John's point cannot be overemphasized... if you haven't played Dawn Patrol since the 1982 7th edition as released by TSR, then you haven't played Dawn Patrol. It's a new game, infinitely more complex and detailed. It may already be what you're trying to create.

Point taken and duly noted. I'm still hunting around furiously for a copy of a 7th edition Rule Book. But to no real avail...

e-bay and TSR both deny it ever happened. )

Still. I'll find one sooner or later, I hope.

But.. and I say this quite sincerely.. I have seen people play table-top Dawn Patrol at conventions and they must have been playing 6-7th edition so all this talk of the big differences between the '82 version and the others are probably very true....

However, I know my vision is not what is being played over e-mail for example at www.dawnpatrol.org. Or rather it IS but only superficially how I would approach it. I have a lot of good extras I'd like to bolt on.. and a few creaky concepts I'd banish to the 19th hell.

I think I'll get there in the end. <smiles>
I suppose I wont know until someone currently un-known to me rings my doorbell and offers me a copy of the 7th edition for an extortionate fee.

)

Until then I'll stop gassing all over the forum about it.

Thanks Steve & John!
+ Everyone else I have spoken to vie e-mail

Regards,
Chris Gavin