Air Wargames

[ericmwalters]

Air wargames. They fall into two categories--tactical and grand tactical/operational. What are your favorites? Here are mine:

Tactical. This is easy--J.D. Webster's AirPower series. These are published by Clash of Arms games and include SPEED OF HEAT (Korea and Vietnam), OVER THE REICH (Bombing over Germany, WWII), ACHTUNG! SPITFIRE (Battle of Britain, WWII), and most recently, WHISTLING DEATH (Pacific Air Combat, WWII). Some of us still have his GDW titles, AIR SUPERIORITY and AIR STRIKE.

Nothing else compares. I've played SPI's AIR WAR, Battleline's/AH's AIR FORCE/DAUNTLESS, KNIGHTS OF THE AIR (AH), WINGS (Yaquinto/Excalibur), ACES HIGH (3W), RED BARON (3W), RICHTHOFEN'S WAR (AH), FOXBAT AND PHANTOM (SPI), FLYING CIRCUS (SPI), etc.

Operational. There aren't too many games that can compete here. We have LUFTWAFFE (AH)--I'll pass that one by, BOMBER COMMAND (?) Yaquinto--I've not played, CRISIS: SINAI (It's okay), CRISIS: KOREA 1995 (It's okay), ROLLING THUNDER (I forget who published this), and now the ultimate game, DOWNTOWN by GMT. Get this piece de resistance on the Vietnam Air War...

What are your favorites?

--emw

 

[Tom DeFranco]

Colonel,
Funny you should mention it. I just picked up Whistling Death a couple weeks ago. I don't know the system, I'm due to learn it shortly, though.

Ther is also the tactical card system published by GMT which includes Rise of the Luftwaffe, Eighth Air Force, Zero znd Corsairs and Hellcats. The system is due to be modified for WW I soon.

 

[ericmwalters]

DOWN IN FLAMES & HORNET LEADER

Good post--what do people think about the card air games like HORNET LEADER, APACHE LEADER, DOWN IN FLAMES/EIGHTH AIR FORCE/ZERO! and so on? I've never played them but those who have like them a lot.

I also didn't mention SPI's BATTLE FOR BRITAIN game at the operational level--does for the Battle of Britain what DOWNTOWN does for the Vietnam Air War over Hanoi.

--emw

 

[Tom DeFranco]

Re: DOWN IN FLAMES & HORNET LEADER

Originally posted by ericmwalters
Good post--what do people think about the card air games like HORNET LEADER, APACHE LEADER, DOWN IN FLAMES/EIGHTH AIR FORCE/ZERO! and so on? I've never played them but those who have like them a lot.

I also didn't mention SPI's BATTLE FOR BRITAIN game at the operational level--does for the Battle of Britain what DOWNTOWN does for the Vietnam Air War over Hanoi.

--emw

I really enjoy all of the variables in the campaigns. It gives people a lot to think about what asset suits them best for which mission. Somehow, I beat my buddy as the Poles in the 1939 campaign and turned around and lost as the Russkies in the Winter War campaign. Then, things got predictable: I lost in the French 1940 campaign (as the Allies, of course), and won in the Battle of Britain (as the Brits). I didn't play the modern stuff, yet, as WW II aircraft intrigues me more. (My Dad was a USN Aircrewman in WW II.) Since we were doing the campaigns chronologically first in Europe and then will head to the Pacific, I haven't done a Pac Campaign yet. I did dogfight a couple of times in Zero, though.

 

[Tom DeFranco]

Wings of War

We played a new game of WW I aerial combat. The game was completely card driven, like DiF. Maneuvering was based on card selection. The cards you select were based on the speed and performance of your aircraft. Really alot of fun to play.

 

[nreese21]

I didn't know they had any air-war board games

 

[Tom DeFranco]

Oh yeah! There is a series by designer J. D. Webster known as Fighting Wings. The most recent release is Whistling Death. It contains 110 scenarios from the Pacific War. There is a game about the Battle of Britain - Achtung, Spitfire. There are other games about flying over Europe and a modern one - The Speed of Heat. These games are published by Clash of Arms.

There are four games by GMT. This series is called Down in Flames. It has four games - Rise of the Luftwaffe, Eighth Air Force, Zero, and Corsairs and Hellcats.

Just released is that Italian made WW I aerial wargame - Wings of War. Easy and a lot of fun.

 

[jguritza]

The couple of air games I got are B-17 Queen of the Skies, Luftwaffe and Richkoff’s War. The other one I can think of but have not played in a long time is Flight Leader…

 

[Iron Mike USMC]

B-17: Queen of the Skies, Luftwaffe, Richtoffen's War, and pre-AH Dauntless (6-12 -- Correction: it is the AH version. I played the pre-AH version in the Marines. By the time I bought my copy it was published by AH.).

Been about ten years since I played B-17, and about 25 for the others, not since I was in the service. Tried to fly a multi-plane mission in B-17, but it just got too tedious. Better done with multiple players.

Never got through a campaign though. Probably after about a dozen missions, all of the original crew had died or were captured and/or the original AC was shot down. Usually went through more AC then pilots. Crash landing, damaged beyond repair, etc.

 

[Mike Duffy]

My favorite air system is Webster's Flying Wings stuff, but the learning curve is awfully high & I have a hell of a time introducing it to novices. I have played just about everything from Air Force to Foxbats & Phantoms to B-17 to Hornet Leader but I have sold most of them. The best operational game is undoubtedly Downtown and I can't wait to see other games in this series. Yaquinto's old Bomber was the only thing even close in scope but that game had lots of problems.

 

[trauth116]

West End also had a solitaire Battle of Britain game out there - about the same scale as SPI's ...

Dunno if this counts - but GDW did Their Finest Hour for the Europa series too ... which can ultimately involve Sealion...

Edited: West End's game was called RAF

 

[jguritza]

Originally posted by Iron Mike USMC

Been about ten years since I played B-17, and about 25 for the others, not since I was in the service. Tried to fly a multi-plane mission in B-17, but it just got too tedious. Better done with multiple players.

Never got through a campaign though. Probably after about a dozen missions, all of the original crew had died or were captured and/or the original AC was shot down. Usually went through more AC then pilots. Crash landing, damaged beyond repair, etc.

I still have a few campaigns running with B-17. The most missions I have ever flown were 13. That’s right 13. I had one plane called “Sweet Betty” on the fable 13th mission blew up in the sky. I have several at about 5 missions right now but I have never gotten past 13. Right now I would be happy to get to 14 missions.

 

[Mike Duffy]

RAF was a stripped down, solitaire version of SPI(TSR)'s Battle over Britain, which may or may not have been a great game but I never even punched it before I sold it. The Europa version (actually 2 quite different games, TFH I & II) was typical Europa but without much action or excitement. Wrong scale.

 

[tadcar]

Downtown

I recently purchased Downtown by GMT which simulates air operations during the Vietnam war. Since I only play solitaire, I discovered a nice website devoted to Downtown and lo and behold there was a download for solo rules!! I highly recommend this game.

 

[trauth116]

screeching halt - oh - favorites - yeh well none of those were my favorites ...I just got them ...

I really enjoyed Wings by Yaquinto -- although I kinda like Nova's book game Ace of Aces ...

I guess mileage vaires on TFH II - I did not find that it lacked excitement. otoh - we are talking about say about 1985 or so -- when the nearest thing to a computer game was some pos Eastern front game played on an Atari 400 with a caseete player - so I guess everything is relative.

-Flat-top and CV might qualify - although those are air/sea games...

 

[JohnnyWilson]

Completist Mentality

I learn a lot by perusing these old, old threads. Then, I see something I could add and oops...there he goes again!

I noticed two tactical games were not listed and one I wasn't sure was listed.

The one I don't remember seeing was TSR's Dawn Patrol (essentially 2nd edition of Knights of the Sky).

The two that seemed absent were:

3W's RED BARON (Wargamer #48) with a map that is half the size of the typical GMT map (think 4 magazines pages on each side instead of 8 magazine pages on a side), 100 1/2 inch die-cut aircraft counters and 30 1/2 inch markers (balloons, bombs, explosions, etc.) and

GDW's BLUE MAX with bigger counters and a map that was about 2/3 the size of the typical GMT maps (6 pages compared to 8?). Of course, the hexes were so big on GDW's BLUE MAX that you couldn't maneuver very much before you had to move the planes.

There is also a fascinating game from a one-person company that involves using zeppelins to bomb various targets. It is Riesenflugzeugabteilungen
Sierra Madre Games
Price: $3.00, but requires: Airships at War 1914-1941 ($24.00) or Luftschiff ($16.00). This is a solitaire game (and a pretty cool one), but there is a ZCRV module that lets two players go at it.

Finally, I think Gamefix #2 had a strategic bombing campaign that used an area map and a deck of cards for defense and offense. It's a VERY fast-playing game, but has some interesting decisions to make. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find my box of Gamefix magazines and board games since I moved.

 

[Priest]

The only ones that I've played is Flight Leader, B-17 and Luftwaffe.

 

[crabe tambour]

I just discovered ACES HIGH from 3W. Very good game.
It's WWI tactical dog fight. The map is great, counters a little too sober.
Rules are not completely easy, but it's ok after a while, and pretty "realistic".
Game is simultaneous (a priority, i think, for aerial combat). Each player write secretly his next maneuver on a log sheet (one sheet by plane). The game take account of altitudes, bank etc...
Almost all of the WWI planes are present with thier own characteristics (speed; manoeuvrability, weapons, toughness etc..). There are a lot of scenarios (simple dog fight, bombing or recon missions, ballons attack etc...). Campaign game is possible with creation of Aces.
With a dozen of planes on the map, it's pretty impressive. you can play from 2 to x players (and then, it's a lot of fun)
We're going to begin a large campaign with some friends (each one a three pilots, two last years of war.). A very good game
And there is an expansion, AMERICAN ACES.
(sorry for bad english)

 

[Doughboy]

Air wargames. They fall into two categories--tactical and grand tactical/operational. What are your favorites? Here are mine:

Tactical. This is easy--J.D. Webster's AirPower series. These are published by Clash of Arms games and include SPEED OF HEAT (Korea and Vietnam), OVER THE REICH (Bombing over Germany, WWII), ACHTUNG! SPITFIRE (Battle of Britain, WWII), and most recently, WHISTLING DEATH (Pacific Air Combat, WWII). Some of us still have his GDW titles, AIR SUPERIORITY and AIR STRIKE.

Nothing else compares. I've played SPI's AIR WAR, Battleline's/AH's AIR FORCE/DAUNTLESS, KNIGHTS OF THE AIR (AH), WINGS (Yaquinto/Excalibur), ACES HIGH (3W), RED BARON (3W), RICHTHOFEN'S WAR (AH), FOXBAT AND PHANTOM (SPI), FLYING CIRCUS (SPI), etc.

Operational. There aren't too many games that can compete here. We have LUFTWAFFE (AH)--I'll pass that one by, BOMBER COMMAND (?) Yaquinto--I've not played, CRISIS: SINAI (It's okay), CRISIS: KOREA 1995 (It's okay), ROLLING THUNDER (I forget who published this), and now the ultimate game, DOWNTOWN by GMT. Get this piece de resistance on the Vietnam Air War...

What are your favorites?

--emw

Dude!
Air War is definitely hardcore, played with miniatures on telescoping stands for a couple years especially the Vietnam War scenarios with a couple of Aerospace Engineer buddys of mine. In fact our group even played with JD Webster a bit when he was developing his easier version of modern air combat "Air Superiorty" I still have the first 50 issues of his newsletter I think it was called check six?

Anyway, still look back at the days we used to play Air War in my friend's basement floor, watching my F-4 exploding from those pesky Atolls, cringe.

:cheeky:

 

[JohnnyWilson]

Minis and Dogfights

Dude!
Air War is definitely hardcore, played with miniatures on telescoping stands for a couple years especially the Vietnam War scenarios with a couple of Aerospace Engineer buddys of mine. In fact our group even played with JD Webster a bit when he was developing his easier version of modern air combat "Air Superiorty" I still have the first 50 issues of his newsletter I think it was called check six?

Anyway, still look back at the days we used to play Air War in my friend's basement floor, watching my F-4 exploding from those pesky Atolls, cringe.

:cheeky:

When I was in grad school, a guy named Tom Keller used to bring his WWI models down to the Falls of the Ohio Wargaming Society (met in the New Albany Public Library) and we would play with models on telescoping stands and use the original Knights in the Sky rules from TSR (or was it spelled out Tactical Studies Rules in those days?). I can remember Vance von Borries occasionally looking up at us in disgust when we would start cheering loudly about some critical hit we had just inflicted while he was trying to educate a playtester on the beauty of some Lucken und Flachentaktik that could be used in an eastern front game. Since I still play WWII games and don't have an opponent for any air war games, I probably should have listened to Vance.