Wings and Sails of Glory are some of my favorite games. A game that keeps it simple to start with and lets you add complications as you desire. Great review guys!
Sails of Glory looks tempting to add to my collection. Ive always wanted a ship combat game, do you enjoy it/ recommenced dropping the 70 bucks for it?
Beaver King I highly recommend it. It is one of my favorite Wargames for much of the same reasons that I love Wings of Glory. Very similar mechanics and gameplay. Much like Wings, it is not a super complicated or in-depth age of sails game. You can definitely find games that capture the period more accurately. But it is great if you want a simplified version of an age of sail game that many disparate people can easily pick up. Hope this helps. Little Wars Tv, your thoughts?
This was the first “wargame” my youngest grognard bought on his own. He loves the game. It’s “realistic” enough to be thematic but easy enough to pick up fast.
Thanks guys, another great review. I have a couple of tips: 1. If things are getting busy with multiple planes in the one area, one player can substitute their model with the plane card, allowing one plane to be right next to another without the bases clashing. 2. If you want a faster game consider buying the X-Wing measuring device so close hit gets three cards, medium gets two cards and long range gets one. The damage cards will accrue quicker. I also agree with the your altitude comments and I’ve never seen a big advantage in changing altitude and I rarely do it in games.
I have never been a fan of the altitude rules for WoW/G. I simply use the rules from the Canvas Eagles game instead. As for damage, I used the historical notes that the majority of combat was happening where 50 yards was the usual maximum for effective fire. At the scale of 1/144 that is roughly 12" and I found that the free paint stirrers at home improvement stores are this same length. I split them in half length-wise, divide them into three 4" segments of Close, Medium and Long ranges. Close is three damage cards, Medium is two cards and Long is one card. I also use a Rate of Fire where a Long burst is +1 damage card, Normal is +0 and Short is -1 damage card. I have found this is a fair simulation of managing gun jams. A long burst at short range might put more fire on target but you risk more gun jams.
I'm going to stand up as a Grognard and say there is no "Beer an Pretzels" games only fast quick flavourful games which are high in the fun as opposed to deep in complexity-fun.
I bought this back when it was Wings of War. It was a fun introductory game, even my 8 and 10 year old back in 05, both loved playing this with dear old dad.
Used to play Wings of War in Portland, Oregon with 4 to 8 people at a time at Katie Obrien's Irish Pub, with some of us flying 2 or more planes. Played on big table or on the pool table. Played a variety of mission types. Moved 200 miles away and eventually sold my collection. But still have good memories of the game.
Good review, Wings of Glory is my go-to First World War aerial dogfighting game. I like the pick up and play feel of the game. I agree that altitude isn't as important in the First War and I never use them in WoG. I figure all the fighting takes place in a similar level and good planning takes the place of 'diving out of the sun'. I did a solo video of the game recently, inspired by your last video on the Red Baron game.
As all ways, another wonderful and informative review. You have my son a 19 year old Battletech gaming college student, wanting to try the game after watching the game play and the rules review. I hope you are all doing well and staying safe. When the present crisis finally blows over, I hope to get down and game again with you guys at the club. Thanks again for another wonderful season.
Having started my collection with the release of Wings of War, before the Ares buy out, I would suggest anyone interested in using other miniatures in the 1/144 scale to track down the WoW booster packs and boxed sets. These offered multiple aircraft cards and maneuver decks for a wide range of nations and their aircraft. There is Crossfire, Dogfight, Hit and Run, Immelmann, Recon Patrol and Top Fighters booster packs. There is also the boxed sets Watch Your Back!, Burning Drachens, Famous Aces and Flight of the Giants. Many can still be found although they are no longer in print.
Many of the early war planes (Eindekkers, DH-2, RE-8) first released for WoG were OOP and no longer available when I began playing. As an alternative, I bought the WoW card sets to use with 1/72 aircraft models. The thought of building and painting all of the planes and upscaling/reprinting the cards to accomodate a larger scale eventually dissuaded me. Ares have recently reissued some of their earlier releases (Ni-11, Fok.D-2,3) so we may eventually get to again add "The Fokker Scourge", "Bloody April" and other significant campaigns to our WoG air battles.
Nice review. I mentioned in the previous video my group plays Blue Max/Canvas Eagles. Some people really dislike the hex-based, simultaneous plot aspect, but one thing the hexes do help with is delineating the action when planes end up close to each other - as long as you don't try to play with hexes that are too small (an easy trap to fall into). Stay safe - looking forward to next season!
Great review as always. I would love to see a tutorial--à la the flashing cannon lights from the Trafalgar game--of the conversion from the standard, short bases to the telescoping bases which work much better. Thanks, MJH p.s. Is it next season yet?
Been playing this game for a few years and it is one of the few games we play monthly at the local hobby shop. You guys are pretty spot on about everything. Biggest issue is the planes, they have short releases of limited numbers and years between releases. Wings of War planes are 100% usable and in some cases preferred due to quality loss over the years by the manufactures. Trick is to get the older WoW box sets because you get the maneuver decks in the box with plane cards to either play just as a card game or replace the models with Shapeways planes you paint yourself (Most older players and painters go this route). There are 3 versions of the game out though and I will list them below 1st is WoW/WoG WWI both releases are 100% compatible with each other and have had lots of plane releases over the years. Between the big planes that were released on Kick Starter (Can sometimes still be found in shops and E-Bay) and Wings of Wars Balloon Box set (a Balloon and fighter, Very hard to find these days). Also WoW had a box set with 4 planes included in it for a quick start right out of the box. Now WoG has 2 plane starter sets that do the same thing and are a good first purchase though you sill still want the rules box. The major difference was the early WoW sets were a card game using plane cards with the maneuver decks so the box sets had extra plane cards (Lots of them). You could also get small booster packs with even more plane cards and a couple of maneuver decks. Wings of Glore used the same system but replaced the cards with a model plane with the same footprint as the old plane cards (and a plane card in case 2 planes were overlapped) 2nd is the WWII version with almost the same support and history as the WWI set including bombers. This version moves a bit quicker and hits harder making planes go down much quicker. Not as enjoyable as WWI but still good. 3rd is the War Of the Worlds box set that was a Kick Starter release but also in stores. It folds in Martian walkers to the WWI time line allowing you to use your WWI planes against walkers with their own special rules. For older players there is NO learning curve for the planes, the Walkers take a little getting used to but are simple enough. If you can get some of the Older WoW box sets with maneuver decks and plane cards, you can replace the planes with Shapeways models. Plane stands can be ordered on the Aerodrome web store also. This works for both WWI (shapeways models) or WWII (AIM models in resin). Last is all the information and support you can ever need is on the Aerodrome website. There are a lot of dedicated players and modelers on the site who have worked out stats for almost every WWI plane including what decks to use. Some of the Shapeways Model Makers are also active on the site along with some decal makers to make the decals you need for your planes. It also includes a web store for buying extra game aids including stands and the like and a small stock of recent released planes on hand. I will admit a large percentage of us older folk live there though so it is sort of a hardcore historical group with posters from all over the world active. Other things you can find on the site are stats for a lot of planes including what decks they would use, history, some custom plane cards the guys made for different pilots, battle reports, some plane pictures in the hobby area, and a spot for people to buy and sell stuff also. Give it a look, as I am there almost every day posting stuff in the hobby area as Shadowcat.
Planes drifting out of contact could represent the pilots losing sight one one another which happened all the time but not so much in miniatures games.
Great little game. I think that it would have been nice to have a couple of aircraft included in the box to start with though, as here in the UK it seems that the vast majority of the aircraft are extremely hard to find in stock anywhere, and those few that are, are pretty expensive.
you can use aftermarket minis but it requires some legwork to source base. pegs, and cards. but its doable. great review. i was kind of cringing when you got to the support section (we all know why) but i heaved a heavy sigh of relief when i saw that you included fan support lol. not many games have the fanatical support of players wings of glory does lol.
We have sometimes played this like a kind of Red Bull racing game. Set up a series of checkpoints that each plane has to fly through between (so getting your moves right is critical) and you can still shoot down other planes. Also means you can have multiple players and it is essentially a bit of a free for all.
I'm obsessed with ww1 aerial combat and the planes involved. I first got into flight simulators specifically to learn to fly a fokker dr.i and so this tabletop game has always had me hooked. The main issue is that they don't print models fast enough to meet demand and you HAVE to use their models to play. The planes are NOT always in stock. I can't find a fokker dvii anywhere, for example.
Great game played it for years has a huge fan base. The Guild House Game store in Bellflower Ca has a good supply of the lanes in stock. You can also play it just using the plane cards as well it, after all, started out as a card game which added miniatures a great tabletop game
Nice review. I've played the Wings of War version of this quite a few times and really enjoyed it. I've also got Sails of Glory and a few of the other games built off this system. It is a simple mechanic that works really well and is easy to teach. As you said, it is great for newer gamers and still fun for experienced players.
I think I might pick this up after watching this review and your last episode. To address the concern of spending a couple of turns trying to engage, how about trying a modification to the three plot cards? What if you planned a left turn and your opponent went the opposite direction, you then had the option of discarding the next flight cart to perform the opposite turn you just made? You guys would know if this would be a good idea or not since you are familiar with the game, but from my perspective from listening to the review, it seems worth a try. Really enjoy your channel. Look forward to seeing more in the future.
Ace review, very informative and interesting, I am a check your six player by preference, and I agree with the sentiments Reference the restrictions on models cards etc, which is where Fow and Lotr GW lost my custom, look forward to the next
The game system works and is easy to teach and looks great. One of the biggest pluses to the game is the fact that you can play with as many people as you want with the simultaneous movement. I don't know of any other game that can do this other than the other games in the series. I have over 130 planes to the WWI system........eeehhhhhh.... yeah.
Irony is that while I watched your review I had laid out the game to familiarise myself; guess what mat I have - 'Noman's Land'. I obtained it on special from my FLGS. Great game, great review.
Looking forward to your review of the World war 2 version which is also out as well as the WW1 variant Tripods and Tri-Planes which is the WOG version vs World of the Worlds still WOG whichever version you play I enjoy both the WW 1 version and WW2
you know, thats actually 100% a supply chain effort issue. I stock both Wings of Glory & Sails of Glory, Wings have lots which are unavailable, no wholesaler has any left. Sales however? its there. I've got 100% in stock on my store Rival Sky Games and can get resupply too. The actual cause is that its really expensive to keep entire lines on shelves. And given that Sails is even more niche than Wings, its gonna be hard for a store to afford that. Only reason I can do it is because my strategy is to be a specialist store. 3 or 4 games, done really well.
Richtofens (SP) War, still have a copy from the early 70's It was a hex based game using chits rather then minis, same with TSR's Dogfight rules from the 80's.
Thanks for this reveiw. I have seen the game and miniatures in stores for years and have been tempted to buy this. I know there is also a World War Two version. Seems like either would be good. I'll have to get it after this shutdown we are presently enduring ends. Thanks again!
Wonderful review, gents. Heroscape is my all-time favorite game. Wings of War/Wings of Glory is a very close second. Easy to teach and play and plays simultaneously with a large number of players, er, pilots, as long ad you have the planes and decks.
Thank you both. I will never play this as I would not have anyone to play it with, but your Review in itself was a glorious enjoyable way to pass a half hour during lockdown. As an ex-model maker I actually would buy the miniatures just for themselves 😊 Thanks again, stay safe & greetings from the NRW Region Germany.
We've been playing this since 2007 or before, and it's still our 'go to' pick up game for those club nights. I've taken it to conventions where it's been very popular with young and old, male and female alike: it's quite surprising the number of gals that take to this even though they are not interested in other wargames. Something about beating the boys at their own game perhaps! The only thing we all hate is the clunky altitude system of collecting counters every tun before climbing - it may be realistic but it drags the game terribly and ruins the fast, beer & pretzels element, so we substituted a simple house rule that keeps players in the action more. Great review!
I have to agree with you on two main points: 1. Yes, it is a "Beer-and-Pretzels" game, as opposed to a "crunchy", or "simulation" or "gamer's" game. This is very directly related to point: 2. The altitude system is the weakest part of the game. I have played the game for years, greatly enjoy it, but like any game, no, it's not perfect.
I always liked the Siemens Schukert D.III and D.IV. after playing the old TSR game Dawn Patrol. Did I see a model of one in the game from the last video?
As a HMGS-PSW member it is always at our convention each year. We even do the updated King Kong Skull Island scenario with the WW1 planes always a draw
Pavia no, but years ago we did have some occasional War of the Roses action in the club in 15mm scale. We never had a large collection for it and I recall we were using DBA at the time.
@@gaslightstudiosrebooted3432 I was going to flat contradict you & say it's not the battle of Stoke on Trent. But East Stoke where the battle took place is on the Trent so I suppose technically* you are correct... We usually just call it the Battle of Stoke though. Also good riddance! *the best kind of correct
There are other 1:144 scale plastic or metal miniatures that can be used with this game. Just buy the card decks. Some came in the early rules boxes without miniatures.
Didn’t enjoy rules for the Aerial combat, however the cards for movement are great. If you like dice and a hopefully more realistic outcome to shooting. Have a look at ‘ALWAYS ABOVE’ from Empires at War. I developed this set of rules to get a feel for flight in WW1 having met quite a few pilots who flew in this conflict. Including the last victim of VOSS. There are plenty of flying rules too which you could add these gunnery rules to, if like me you like a dice roll .
Very beer & pretzels even with every-single-option. Altitude (as mentioned) is just a light-tack-on optional rule. Nothing in the game at all to reflect how aircraft BANK and roll (insanely important). It is a good game for what it is: Beer & Pretzels WW1 historically flavored...if a bit fiddly for that matter.
i think wings is much much better given adequate space. as long as you have someone moderating calling out to plan and play, its scalability is massive. the world record is 100 people playing in the same game. no way youre doing that with blue max. to give you a personal example. i used to be a huge blue max fan until i couldnt get people to play it anymore (too many shiny an new things around). after getting into wings i sold my blue max game as, fun as it was, i could never see myself going back to it after playing wings. ive played in games approaching 30 myself at origins game fair.
The models are fantastic for the price they are selling at. However, I disagree with your play ability scores. The large-oblong stands are a poor choice for this type of game. Units in proximity cause a headache of 'overlapping stands'. But it gets worse. To move a plane, you gotta place a movement-card on the table, directly in front of the stand. That makes the proximity problem into a bigger headache. You gotta lift/move ALL THE OTHER MODELS just to place the card and move. I appreciate what they did for WW1 flying. I think they did a good job with their rules. They created a very 'playable' game, despite my headache. I agree with their movement cards. But I'm not flying that headache. I apologize to everyone who enjoys this game. I'm glad you are flying. I consider WW1 flying to be the 'golden age' of flying-games. I don't mean to criticize your choice to fly these rules.
The Good: I can have new players up & flying in a couple minutes. As children, friend and I had to play Amer. Heritage Dogfight.🤢 Would have killed for this game. Planes are beautiful. Maps, too--get 'em. Play is fast like real aerial combat--other games can be ponderous. Ace cards a nice feature. The Bad: Beveled edges on the stands make them hard to handle (Aries got it right with Sails of Glory). Maneuver decks are NOT relatively representative: DH2 & Nieuport near-identical to Albatross, just slower. Later decks a little better here. Can only change altitude with two straight cards--not realistic. (House rules: add/subt. counters with non-steep cards). Early birds (my favorites) are largely unavailable, so I advise prospective buyers to see if what they want is actually for sale now and buy all at once. Still, I love the game. (If you read this, Ares, bring out the greatest plane of WWI--the FE2b. 😊)
yeah, i dont know what they were thinking with the beveled edges. cant count the number of times i though i had a good grip on it only for it to slip from my grasp. i like aerodrome accessories aftermarket bases much better.
Hey guys, thanks for the review. Loved the game play along with the aerial footage you guys filmed!! Great fun! There is a great game called " In Clouds of Glory " www.icog.dk They use 1/350 scale planes. 3D dogfighting, Rules are free along with loads of cockpit panels. The downside is making a terrain board and printing stuff out. All the best to you all guys! Looking forward to more great content! Regards from the UK
basically there is no point system because war is never really fair. the planes are made on historical data and often the difference is made only by the "pilot"
The publisher has been knocking around with a point system on the Aerodrome website but it is best when played with planes matched up as they did in real life Taking a Fokker D7 vs a Nieuport 11 is not going to be a fun game.
the game designer has published a point system on the fan websight they mentioned. but you can also just go historical or weird whatever. plus you can find some pretty close matches.
Have you ever tried "ACE OF ACES" by Nova Game Design Inc 1981, its a two book game, no figures and there were a few series. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ace_of_Aces_(picture_book_game)
No argument here. Strongly agree with that assessment, but Wings of Glory is pitched for a much easier, beer & pretzels style of play. This is more of an introductory game (and a really good one for new players!). Veterans will most likely prefer Blue Max.
@@LittleWarsTV Yep Blue Max is an old fun game, I also tried Wings, Red baron, Dawn Patrol and my favorite was the Ace of Aces book game. Luckily I had friends that had all these games.
