"Which Rule set?" Topic

I've always been a fan of aviation, mainly air WWI, WWII and modern and now I'm looking for a set of rules for gaming in one or all time frames. I've seen reviews for CY6 and sounds like a very good set of rules. The video on You Tube for it makes it sound like its easy to get a grasp of it. Bag the Hun by TFL looks good too. I've already got I Ain't Been Shot Mom and Chain Of Command…both of which I like quite a bit.
Wings of War I've heard is good too, not sure if its just the reviews that I've read, but seems like its more of a boardgame feel to it.

Scale of would be 1/300- 1/285. Now question is which set to get. I think the local hobby/game store has WoW not sure.
Play style would have to be fun first and foremost. Not too complicated would be second. Third, start off small with 6 planes total, then grow larger. Fourth, try and get a few others into the game, which goes back to play style.

So, some suggestions would be great.

Doug

I am a big fan of Bag the Hun. Three planes per side is a bit on the small side for BTH, but is certainly doable. In my opinion, the rule set really shines with multiple flights per side. Still, I would recommend trying them out.

Mike

Go with Check Your Six and you will not be sorry.

Personally, I like Wings of War / Glory for WWI.

We've very much enjoyed Axis and Allies Angels 20 for WWII.

Both are more fun and easy than complex and realistic. Both have that magic touch that makes it seem like you might be representing something more complex with the easy mechanics. And both have enough nuance to make different planes handle very differently.

But both fail to fall into the scale you're asking for.

Check Your 6 plays very well w/ two planes per player and is simple to grasp, quick and exciting. I have taught it to non-wargamers. You can play w/ up to 6 planes per player but it starts to get slower and more difficult. Planes per player I'm talking fighters. Big flights of bombers can lumber across the table as targets without being individually controlled.

you might want to look into the Blue Skies series

Check Your Six, Mustangs (available for free), or Bag the Hun, any one of them would do.

Hey all, thanks for the suggestions.

From what I've seen for CY6, looks like movement is based on hex maps? Same looks for Bag the Hun.

For both sets, where would I find some stands and bases that show the altitude?

Whats the Modern version of CY6 like. Anyone play that timeframe?

Thanks again,

Doug

Another vote for CY6. Great set of rules with supplements covering different timeframes and fronts. Yes it does use hexes.

Check Your Six Jet Age is quite good, and another fellow is developing a WW I version right now (with the approval of Scott Fisher, the author of the rules).

Bases are available in a number of places-- The Last Square has nice packs with both the bases and the planes link and I-94 has everything you need as well. i-94enterprises.com

You won't be sorry if you get Check Your Six!

Wings of War/Glory is a popular set of rules, but calls for 1/200 models. Most gamers buy the prepaints that the company puts out. There are 1/200 white metal and resin models available if you really want to build your own. No hexes for this game and the proprietary stands come with the prepainted models, or substitutes can be bought from third parties.

CY6! gives a good game with 3 or 4 planes per player, using 1/300 models on a 2" hex map. There's a very wide selection of historical scenarios in print. Many of the historical scenarios are much larger. These are best suited for multi-player games. The proprietary stands show both altitude and airspeed, which is convenient. Alternate stand designs are available from third parties.

I've never played BTH. Parameters seem similar to CY6!, but you have to make up a set of cards for each side, with some differences in the decks depending on the air force and theater in questions (so you don't have just two decks of identical cards for all games) and several sets of blinds to indicate unspotted or dummy enemy formations. Not too much work for a crafty gamer…but it was too much for me, so that I've never actually played my set of BTH, just leafed wistfully through it a few times.

Blue Skies is fun, but it has the flight model and other aspects simplified to encourage big multi-squadron actions between single players. It's on a bigger scale/lower granularity than you're considering.

I didn't like Angels 20. I think the 1/100 models and 5" hexes are too big for table top play. Also disliked the CCG aspects of the rules. Others like them fine…Reduce the scale to 1/300 + 2" hexes and rate the planes generically with no magical powers and you might have a game that would suit me.

Of the flight games I've played, I really liked the Blue Sky series.

Wings of War is greatly simplified, but not bad. I'm not entirely sure how it handles the different aircraft, it's been several years since I played it (though Blue Skies was even longer ago).

I own Air War C21, but haven't gotten around to playing it. AWC21 seems to work best for the long shots, BVR and the longer WVR shots. Once you get into a furball, there's no altitude mechanic, and IMO the key aspect of dogfighting in all eras is managing your energy.

I'm somewhat tempted by the Bird of Prey rules from Ad Astra, but that's strictly modern birds that have obscene power to weight ratios compared to prop planes.

As for minis, while I love the detail of larger models**, I like 1/300 scale for WW2 and Korea, and 1/600 for more recent aircraft. It's for one simple reason: modern jets are BIG. A B17G is 75 feet long and has a 104ft wingspan. An F111C (the Aussie version) is also 75 feet long with a wingspan of 70 feet. The P51D Mustang is 32 feet long with a 37ft wingspan, while an F16C is 50 feet long with a 32ft wingspan. An F15 is 63 feet long with a 42ft wingspan.

** I do have some 1/100 and 1/144 scale aircraft, some for Flames of War and some for gaming 'Yukikaze' ( link ), though I need to build some JAM aircraft first…

A set of rules for gaming all time frames (WWI, WWII and modern) will be difficult to find. For specific time periods, it will be a lot easier to find. But are you looking to play heavily detailed games, or simplified games?

As a change of pace you could try the 'Instant' series rules which are free. Instant Thunder is modern, Instant Bandits is WW2 and Instant Spandaus is WW1. Ironically IT is the simplest, followed by IB then IS.

Must declare an interest as I wrote them!

link

NL

CY6-Great game with limited effort and easy portability. I favor Guadalcanal era and use the plastic world at war ships; but all the theaters have their charm as long as there are Brewster Buffalo available.
CY6 Jet Age really models energy conservation wonderfully, spiraling dogfights as you swap altitude and maneuverability for speed and vice versa, and if you're lucky, hitting the afterburners to escape without attracting heat-seekers. Find it works really well in the early 70s-you line things up right, your primitive radar gets a lock then your missile streaks towards its target, then pssft it fails. This is when you realize after all that maneuvering, you don't have internal cannons or gun pods. Time for the afterburner, and hope the phantom doesn't have a sharp wingman or you're now in range of ground based aaa or sams. Only drawback no Brewsters. Slightly steeper curve than CY6 due to radar, cannon cones and missiles, but uses the same basic mechanics.