Favorite WWI Aviation Board Games

Kirk · 14 August 2009, 11:48 AM

I know this board is dominated by computer game talk, but many of us fueled our early interest in WWI aviation by playing board games. For me it was Avalon Hill's Richthofen's War. I played it extensively in the early 70's. I have since played Dawn Patrol and have playtested a game called Canvas Falcons, but that's about it. I'm turned off by computer games, mostly because of their finite shelf life. I like the idea of being able to buy a game and still play it a few years later. For those of you who have played other WWI era aviation board games, what are your favorites and why? I ask because I own RW and DP but I'm looking for what else might be out there.

dglewwe · 14 August 2009, 12:18 PM

Not really a boardgame, but I think the "Ace of Aces" booklet game deserves mentioning. I really like(d) the basic game: quick and easy and able to be played anywhere.

Doing games with models/miniatures has pretty much taken over my WW1 aircombat urge.

Having experienced open-cockpit biplanes, the button-mashing "simulation" aspect of computer stuff (which comes as close to the real thing as dryer lint does to sex) doesn't really do much for me.

I still hold a place in my memory for MB's "Dogfight!" game , of course...

Kirk · 14 August 2009, 12:45 PM

I had forgotten about Dogfight! I owned that one too. It was a fun and colorful game. Plus I liked the miniatures that came with it. Heck, maybe the fond memory of playing a game with "planes on sticks" was what led some folks to playing with miniatures today.

Funny you should mention the experience of an open cockpit plane. My son and I got a ride in a 1929 Curtiss Travelair a while back and it was incredible. I've never experienced anything like it. I think flying in a plane like that is a must for any true WWI aviation aficionado. It gives you that sensory input that gives you a little more insight into what it must have felt like all those years ago. I agree with you though. Since I took that ride the computer "simulator" seems a LOT less like a simulator and more like any other game.

dpolglaze · 14 August 2009, 02:11 PM

For me, it was and is Fight in the Skies from TSR, which was later renamed Dawn Patrol. Mike Carr is the author, and he is also still active today. Started in 1982, and still play on occasion, although not as much as I used to.

Dan

stephen · 14 August 2009, 07:09 PM

Yup, Dawn Patrol is it.

Kirk · 17 August 2009, 05:19 AM

I agree Dawn Patrol is fun, but it has a couple major drawbacks that keep me from enjoying it. First, it requires four people for a game. Finding three other people to play has been impossible for me. Second, the DP community has refused to embrace the idea of online play and as such the only way to enjoy the game is to try and find three other players for face-to-face games. Lord knows I've fought many times to try and drag DP into the 21st century, but to no avail. A gaming acquaintance of mine created a VASSAL module for DP about five or six years ago and it was used sporadically, but once again we couldn't get the necessary four people sitting around their computers at the same time with any regularity to keep any sort of regular game going. I finally just gave up. I have DP sitting on my gaming shelf gathering dust, waiting for me to find a way to enjoy it.

I'd like to find a game that's similar to DP, but can be played with two players (or even solitaire) and even possibly has a Cyberboard or VASSAL module that will allow one to play games online or via e-mail. I've heard Wings Over France is supposed to be fun, and is designed for solitaire play. Anybody have any experience with it?

Lufbery · 17 August 2009, 07:52 AM

Blue Max is the one for me. It's quick, easy, and has surprising depth.

Kirk · 17 August 2009, 07:58 AM

Is Blue Max solitaire capable or does it involve secretly pre-plotting movement? I occasionally can play a game against someone, but the bulk of my gaming is solo. To me a large part of what makes a board wargame great (or not) is it's ability to be played solitaire. A game can have the greatest mechanics in the world, but if I can't play it it's worthless.

dglewwe · 17 August 2009, 09:22 AM

"...ability to be played solitaire."

"Blue Max / Canvas Eagles" uses a pre-plotted system.

"Watch Your Six!" (not Check...) is a newly-released miniatures game that could easily be played with counters on a hexsheet --it would be a way to use those DP pieces! You'd need some way to indicate altitude, of course, but otherwise I think it would work fine.

The reason I mention it is that the rules are designed to have players running flights (3-6) of aircraft --there is an uncertainty-factor built into the movement system to prevent a single player from exerting too much control (that would be impossible in a radio-less era). This facet makes solitaire play possible since you don't know exactly what every aircraft is going to do.

Some sort of overall plan or mission would have to be established for each side, and I would think you'd need a simple random-decision-determination table to answer questions like "Which enemy will this guy go after?" so that there's a chance of catching a particular enemy off-guard --but that's the sort of thing you'd need for any game, I would imagine, so that the forces don't act like little pieces of clockwork.

Kirk · 17 August 2009, 10:34 AM

That sounds promising. If hexes are required I could use the board and pieces from Richthofen's War.