blue max & canvas eagles

A am a UK wargamer who has played blue max here Red Baron & Stringbags.

I want to try "canvas Eagles" based on blue max figure rules.

I have downloaded them from the free wargames web site.

However they use altitiude and are somewhat more complex! I want to introduce my group gently into the blue max regime so wish not to use altitude or complex rules (lots of tables for example). One of the difficulties I have is whehter to use Canvas Eagles and ignore hieght/altitude rules or try to adapt the blue max rules from this site (original board game) to figures?

Has anyone got experenice of the blue max offical figure rules?

Are these worth buying?

Also are the plane charts from BM online, BM board game, BM minitatures & canvas eagles comparable or interchangeable?

A long question I know....

Andy Wheeler ( Rudolph stark, Wheelnut, whefam@ukonline.co.uk)

[Lufbery]

Wheelnut,

Welcome to the forum.

I've played a lot of the Blue Max 2nd edition rules (which has altitude rules). Another fellow, Bob E., has the miniatures rules (which I'm thinking of picking up).

...broken YABB link... has some great info on the game with some good web links to more information.

...broken YABB link... has some pictures of absolutely awesome minitures used for Blue Max games.

This thread has some errata: ...broken YABB link...

I've not played Canvas Eagles, but I've downloaded thier material. In my opinion, CE looks like its desingers tried to update and improve Blue Max, but they made it more complicated too. I'm reserving my final judgement until I get to pay a game of CE with miniatures.

Regards,

Dear lufbery,

Thanks for your very quick response!

I followed all the threads and there's some useful stuff.

The artwork and planes are cool!

I am coming to the same conclusion about Canvas Eagles as you.

Our group are getting tired of my obsession with aircraft war games and I am afraid if I inflict another set of complex rules on them they will despair.

I have until Wednesday night (the night they come around) to decide what to do.

I have a downloaded copy of the Blue Max rules from www.youplay.it (cool online BM site) so I may try and use those converting them to figures (can't be too difficult can it?).

Do you have a comment about height or no height?

With none makes things a hell of alot simpler but do you lose the "feel" of the game?

I think my version of BM has no height rules (must be the 1st version?).

Thanks again

regards

Wheelnut (Andy) whefam@ukonline.co.uk

[Lufbery]

You're correct that the first edition rules did not have altitude rules. Personally, I like playing with altitude, but there are only five altitude levels, so it's not much of a factor in the game. It does help when you're in trouble, though, as you can dive away from your enemy.

It's getting late, but I have a playing aid I put together that I can send to you. It's a rules summary modified from one that I found on one of the pages I linked to in my first message.

Regards,

Luftbery,

Excellent!

Send it to whefam@ukonline.co.uk

Thanks

Andy