Saturday 23 December 2023

On a Wing and a Prayer


Naturally the Blue Max and Aces High will be required viewing for research purposes….I may even look at Dawn Patrol


The back of the box

Phew! It has been an insanely busy week or so since my last post - work and the domestic round being the guilty parties - so I figured it would be a good time to rectify this regrettable oversight!

With the Christmas break fast approaching - I now off until the second of January - I am determined to fit in some gaming ‘me’ time at some point. This usually means not a lot but I have organised some quick wins that should be achievable. To start with I have some ACW ships to finish as well as a few to start building - luckily these are for the most part simple gunboats and so should not take too long.

Given that much of my gaming these days tends to be solo it is probably surprising that I have not really gone for any dedicated solo boardgames. This is changing though and I suspect that a few others will appear within the collection over time. Western Front Ace is exactly what it says on the lid in that you start off as a new pilot in 1916 and then attempt to stay alive, complete missions, shoot down enemy aircraft, stay alive, gain prestige, promotion and awards, did I mention stay alive? The game is quite brutal and in this sense represents the usually very short lifespan of a Great War Scout (fighter) pilot rather well, some may say rather too well! There are all the usual types represented and one can campaign as one of the historic aces if desired. I am looking forward to this - the game was acquired secondhand but was barely punched and in fact the previous owner only flew twice.

I have a WW2 updated equivalent of the classic Avalon Hill game B17 - Queen of the Skies called Target for Today (there is also an RAF themed version called Target for Tonight) which expands the bombers available to include the B24 which should be fun to do. Although the game is designed with the 8th Air Force in mind it also covers the 15th and so missions over Italy and the Balkans etc will feature - along with Romanian IAR Fighters. Again, this will keep me busy.

I have some reading to catch up on and have a feeling that some books may feature for Christmas but that will feature in a later post.


14 comments:

The Good Soldier Svjek said...

I have been eyeing up that game , may get it in the New Year.

Aly Morrison said...

An interesting looking game David…
I am looking forward to see what you get up to over the holidays.

All the best. Aly

Paul O'G said...

Well that WW1 game was designed by a friend of mine, whose other design credits also include The Hunters and Zeppelin Raider. And in fact, I may have just had a copy delivered to me also...

Merry Christmas mate!

Steve J. said...

I hope you manage to get some 'me' gaming time in David, something that we all aspire to I'm sure at this time of year. Wishing you and yours a very Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year!

david in suffolk said...

That looks good, and an ideal subject for a solo game I suspect... Do report back on how long your novice pilot survives! I have 'Dawn Patrol' from years ago and always mean to give it another go.
A very Merry Xmas to you and your family!

Geordie an Exiled FoG said...

By air, land or sea .. no area of wargaming is off limits
Exceptional work
Have a Merry Xmas and a great New Year

Jim Jackaman said...

I'm looking forward to some game reports and feedback...I may well pick up a copy myself!

David Crook said...

Hiya Good Soldier Svjek,

It looks really good and now that I have finally tidied up the counters I am all set to take the skies! AARs will follow in due course.

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

G’Day Paul,

Now that is interesting! I rather fancy the Hunters so who knows? Maybe one day!

All the best and enjoy your copy,

DC

David Crook said...

Hi Steve J,

A belated Merry Christmas to you and yours! I have gotten some things in and have even more plans so I am hoping that 2024 will see a better rate of return in terms of games played.

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hello there Aly,

Thus far not as much as I would like but more than I expected! As a lot of my gaming is solo the idea of solo based boardgames is an appealing one so I expect to be adding a few more over the course of the new year.

Hope you had a fab Christmas!

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hello there Mr Barnes,

I am planning on running two pilots - one RFC and one German - to see who lasts the longest. As a novice to this game the smart move would be be go German first as all those twin machine guns come in handy!

A merry Christmas to you old chap, see you in the news year!

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hi Geordie,

You forgot to mention the depths of space….

Have a great Christmas old chap!

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hi Jim,

I reckon you could tie in the action with Algernon well enough - you certainly have no shortage of models to do so! I have all the counters trimmed and punched out and am just waiting for the opportunity to crack on.

Chock away and all that!

All the best for Christmas and the new year!

DC