"Wings of Glory, Solo Wargaming Demonstration Video" Topic

Here's a new video, a demonstration of playing Wings of Glory as a solo game. Something to help to get rid of those Covid-19 blues!

youtu.be/sYkq8GQBHYg

Nice instruction video. Hint…Instead of fooling around with the Sectors template why not jut make a mark with permanent marker on the stand edges for each sector. That way you aren't snagging the base with the sector template and spending time laying it down then picking it up.

Thanks for demonstrating the system! I am always glad when others like my rules!

@ BuckeyeBob, I indeed tried putting a small template on top of the plastic base, but found it looked funny, and the short distance from the stem to the sector marker was too short to accurately determine which sector the enemy plane was in. Using a marker pen, even a thin one, I suspect, might suffer from the same problem?!
I would be interested to find if anyone has used your suggestion successfully!

Thanks Guys. @Bob, this was more to with showing the system as it is, rather than me changing someone's work. And to be honest, I'm not very keen on drawing on my stands anyway. It's hardly a drag to use the templates as they are, tbh.

@Herky Bird, I am glad you saw this and enjoyed the video! It is an excellent system and worked really well. One thing though, do you have any ideas about tailing from the AI player?

Sadly, no! It was never considered when I developed the system! That is one of the reasons (Apart from making the book keeping easier) I don't apply damage (apart from the BANG) to solo planes- it sort of balances things up.
I really aimed at a very simple system, so we could do the solo planes quite quickly. I usually don't even have to consult the template to determine which sector a plane is in in most situations!
The written rules on the back of each manoeuvre card sheet is the only complexity, and I think personally its (hopefully) enough.
If anyone wants to add rules, or change things, I have no objections! I will even send you a Word docx for you to edit as you wish, just e-mail me (or PM me here!)

Yeah, I just wondered if you had thought it. I think it's easy enough to come up with a system that is similar to the rules in the book, that is choose the best manoeuvre set from the sector line, rather than rolling for it. Just a thought.

That solution would be quite workeable!

Incidentally, when working out the 3 choices of manoeuvre for each sector, I chose what I would probably do, if the enemy plane was flying parallel to the solo plane, what I would do if the enemy plane was going towards or away, and one 'silly' manoeuvre. Its surprising how often the 'Silly' manoeuvre option actually works better than either of the alleged 'Sensible' options!

It's good to know your thinking behind the deck choices. The only thing that came up was on my last move when the surviving albatross ended up with three straight moves (he was shot down before he could use the final card in the video). That was the only one that stuck in my mind as being something I wouldn't have chosen myself. But again, I could have gotten around this by just choosing one of the other options.

In the many games we have played using the solo system, several things have become canon when we play.

(The solo system is single minded on getting a good shot in on the nearest enemy, unless the solo plane is getting shot at, when it becomes defensive.
This invariably makes it less good than a player, who can react to the whole picture.I would be worried if it wasn't!)

So…

(1) A 1 on 1 combat works fine.

(2) if a single solo plane is facing multiple enemies, the system tends to get overwhelmed, so we assume the last solo plane dives for cloud and escapes. This also seems more realistic than a fight to the death!

(3) We don't allow players co use more than 1 plane at a time, as the player invariably co-ordinates the actions of the planes under his command, after all, they didn't have radios!-- In your game, we would have had the second SE5a solo run as well.

(4) We sometimes use an extra solo plane if using very good planes ourselves, so in your game you would have faced 3 Albatross DVa's, for example.

But as ever, do whatever you want! The solo system doesn't get uppity when it gets seriously trashed!

They are some good suggestions. In our usual games we control a few planes each as there are only three of us playing at most, but it's a good point on the coordination.

I chose the SEs and Albs for no other reason than they were at the top of the carry box when I opened it! But it would be interesting to have a mix of solo planes to shake up things.

The greater threat point did come up at one point when I had the single Alb, I think I mention it, when the two player planes are the same distance away, I made a choice on which was the greater threat and planned for that plane, as I would if I were controlling the plane myself.

it's great system, I really enjoyed the game, and this chat has been good to see how the designers mind works! Thanks!