Over the Reich covers air combat over western Europe from 1943-45 and represents J.D. Webster's first foray into World War II air combat games. As with the other games from Clash of Arms, the artwork on the counters and map is very good. At first glance the rules booklet looks quite formidable, but once you look through it you can see that only about half of the booklet's 72 pages are devoted to rules, with the rest covering scenarios and historical background. While thirty-some odd pages does sound like a lot of rules, there are a lot of examples of play and advanced/optional rules mixed in. So the basic rules for flying and fighting aren't really that long. The booklet containing the aircraft data cards and game tables is the only component that disappointed me. Instead of printing the data cards and tables on cardstock (as was done in Speed of Heat), Clash of Arms chose to print them on regular paper, then bind them together into a booklet. OTR is similar to other tactical air games, but there are also a lot of new and interesting additions that take it beyond other games. OTR can be played on three different levels: the combat level, the tactical level and the operational level. The combat level, which is the real heart of the game and can be played independently of the other levels, covers movement and combat of individual aircraft on the game map. In the combat level each turn represents 4.1 seconds of real time, with each hex covering a distance of 100 yards, and each movement point (called flight points in the game) representing 50 mph. The rules are fairly straight-forward and easy to understand. They are structured to first introduce players to the movement and maneuvering system (there are even several training scenarios where players can just fly their planes around the map, with no combat, to get the feel for the movement system). Then the rules move on to air-to-air combat and finally air-to-ground combat. The aircraft movement system in OTR is similar to that found in J.D’s other games and will be familiar to anyone who has played other tactical air games. One thing I like about the rules is that they tell you how to actually perform various maneuvers (like loops and wingovers), rather than just telling you to fly X number of hexes then place your plane in the proper aspect for the maneuver. This provides the player with the feeling that he is actually flying the aircraft, instead of just pushing a piece of cardboard around a map. Like the movement system, the combat system for OTR is familiar, with some unique aspects. In most other games, aircraft are rated for a certain hit capacity and the weapons slowly chew away at a plane until the hit capacity is reached and the plane is shot down. While OTR has this basic damage system, it also has an inventive way to handle critical hits which cause most aircraft to be shot down or forced to disengage before their damage capacity is reached. Each weapons group on an aircraft is rated for attack and critical hit factors. Critical hits range from hollow hits (which have no effect) and controls system hits all the way to fuel tank explosions and pilot casualties. The critical hits in the combat system make each attack a potentially deadly affair and adds a lot to the overall realism of the game. The innovations in OTR don't stop in the combat level game but continue on with the inclusion of the tactical and operational level games. Most other air games only provide you with the means to resolve air combat after an interception occurs, but they don't give you a process for moving aircraft into position for an interception, or a way of resolving a mission from take-off to landing. OTR has both of these features, and they are done in a simple and entertaining manner. The tactical level represents nothing more than the pre-dogfight maneuvering to gain position against your enemy and can be used as a bridge between the combat and operational levels or to provide a set-up for a combat level game. It is resolved on a Tactical Maneuvering Grid, and each turn on this level represents one minute of real time. So you can actually have a combat level battle going on while other aircraft maneuver to join (or avoid) the fray. The tactical level portion of the game moves quickly and provides a satisfying way to get aircraft set up for a combat level game. The operational level puts the player in the position of planning a bombing raid, or the interception of the raid, including planning when your escorts/interceptors will take-off and refuel. The operational level includes local weather effects and random events, ranging from unexpected flak attacks and encounters with other aircraft to navigation errors and aircraft malfunctions. Each turn represents 10 minutes of real time, and this is the level in which the endurance of aircraft becomes important. It is here that the major weakness of the German fighters, their poor range, shows up. Some of the mission scenarios can become quite a cat and mouse affair with the Germans waiting until the Allied fighters have to turn back before attacking the incoming bombers, and the Allied player trying to stretch his fighter escort to its limit before leaving the bombers. The operational level provides another level of tension (and enjoyment) to the game. The only major complaint I have with the game is the relatively small number of aircraft covered by the game. OTR comes with 24 total aircraft types, 12 Allied and 12 German. While thie selection represents the major aircraft used by both sides at that time, I would liked to have seen some other aircraft included. Luckily two more releases in this series are planned: one will cover the early part of the war, with an emphasis on the Battle of Britain, and the other will focus on the air war in the Pacific theater. OTR is not a beginner's game (and doesn't advertise itself as one), but the rules can be easily learned by players new to air games, and they are detailed enough to keep any hard-core air gamer happy. The addition of the tactical and operational levels puts OTR well ahead of any other air game and makes it the most complete air game on the market. If you are interested in WWII air combat and are looking for a game with a detailed coverage of the subject, then this is the game you're looking for. CAPSULE COMMENTS Graphical presentation: Very Good. Usual Clash of Arms quality. Playability: Good. It could be a little tough for players unfamiliar with air games to get into. Replayability: Excellent. Lots of scenarios. Wristage: Average Creativity: Very Good. A lot in common with J.D.Webster's jet era games, but it is different enough that you don't feel like you're simply flying a jet with a propeller on the nose. Historicity: Very Good.A lot of information and enough detail to satisfy any WWII aviation buff. Comparisons: Much more detailed and complicated than AH’s Mustangs or GMT's Rise of the Luftwaffe; slightly more so than Air Force/Dauntless. The inclusion of the operational and tactical level games makes OTR a much more complete and satisfying simulation. Overall: A must for anyone interested in a realistic treatment of WWII air combat from CLASH OF ARMS GAMES 1 22" X 34" double-sided map, 240 counters, Rules Booklet, Aircraft and Tables Booklet, Boxed. Clash of Arms Games, The Byrne Building #205, Lincoln and Morgan Streets, Phoenixville, PA 19460. Back to Berg's Review of Games Vol. II # 16 Table of Contents Back to Berg's Review of Games List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1993 by Richard Berg This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com