1 24" x 34" double-sided map, 280 counters, rules booklet, 1 ten-sided die, 14 pages of charts and tables, 1 operational mission track, 24 aircraft data cards and aircraft logsheets; boxed. Clash of Arms Games, The Byrne Building #205, Lincoln and Morgan Streets, Phoenixville, PA 19460. $40. BROG getting review copies of a Clash of Arms game being on the same plane of probability as spotting Pamela Anderson at a wargame convention, we're a bit late with this one, folks. However, thanks to the beneficence of the high-flying designer, who air-dropped the game during one of his many commercial flights, we're no later than a slew of Priority Mail packages. Achtung-Spitfire! - nice title; won't find anyone carrying this one unwrapped on the Berlin U-bahn -is the second release in the Fighting Wings series and covers the German and British planes that fought the air war over Europe from 1940 to 1943. The first game of this series was Over the Reich which covered the second half of the Western European air war. I guess that this chronological switcheroo was done because late war aircraft are more popular. There are very few rules changes in AS! from its OtR sister, so you Reichflier veterans can jump right in on this without going over the 45 pages of rules (plus 23 pages of scenarios). It is this 72 page rulesbook which scares off gamers who might be attracted to the game for its beauty, professionalism, or historical setting but will not have anything to do with a game that demands such patience and study to play. Knowledge of the aircraft is required because the rules basically assume that the player knows certain things, such as which aircraft were painted camouflage and which aircraft were silver finished. Play of the Fighting Wings series can be enjoyable and rewarding, but only after tackling the steep learning curve of the rules and the playing of programmed introductory training scenarios to familiarize yourself with the way that the planes are flown in the game. (I had an easier time learning medical microbiology.) After familiarizing yourself with what all the data on the aircraft sheets represents (the explanations are vague, unillustrated, and dispersed throughout the rules), and innumerable page flippings to hunt for obscure pertinent rules later, then the long-suffering player can fly with the best of them. The heart of the game's mechanics is energy management, wherein aircraft that make very tight maneuvers will be robbed of power later on and be faced with the grim predicament of wallowing like a cow to gain airspeed or stalling and falling out of the air. The game thus requires heavy book-keeping, with all its move-plot and acceleration and deceleration computations. The planes move on a twelve-point compass direction, allowing them to be placed in and out of the hexes to point at hexsides or hexjunctures. After visualizing how the complex movements like the immelmann, hammerhead stall, half-s, etc., work, then the heavy detail of the game becomes manageable and play becomes much easier. Combat uses odds computations for fire results. Cannon-armed aircraft are given the ability to inflict large amounts of critical hits but they have less ammo points than machine-guns. It is easy to see how these 20 and 30mm cannons can eat up a targeted aircraft, but these guns had the problems of being short range, low velocity, and the shells would not explode half the time they hit. After the players go through the procedure of who fires first, the effects of turrets, harmonized guns, long and short bursts which modify jamming, and any hits accrued, the players must still worry about flying through the exploded debris of destroyed aircraft and the end-turn bugaboo of midair collisions. Missions are also flown against ground targets, which are fun and are played on Rick Barber's excellent maps that show the idyllic European countryside on which the targets, flak guns, and aircraft are placed. The map's flip side is a deep blue environment for dogfights or attacks on ships. The series also includes tactical and operational level versions as well as the combat level game. The tactical level represents the pre-dogfight maneuvering leading to combat, while the operational game gives the players the job of planning fighter sweeps, bombing raids or intercepting them. Fuel and ammo expenditure becomes important here, along with take-off/landing attrition, rendezvous screw-ups and random events. The main problem that fans of this game complain of is the limited aircraft included. AS! includes some rarely seen aircraft, such as the Westland Whirlwind, Fairey Battle Mk. III, and the Bf 109 F-4/Z but, for the money, the customers want the aircraft and campaigns of the Polish, Dutch, Belgian, French, Italian, and Soviet air forces. Those of you who want more aircraft should get a subscription to J.D. Webster's "Air Power" magazine, which always includes new aircraft and scenarios, mostly devoted to the Fighting Wings series. Be warned though, that JD can be a mite peevish when provoked. Still, he does design the most accurate and intensive board air games around. CAPSULE COMMENTS Graphic Presentation: Absolutely superb. Playability: Even with programmed instructions, only those gamers who meet the strident prerequisites will get anywhere in this series. Replayability: Quite high with the many scenarios. Wristage: Pushing the envelope of acceptable Historicity: Very high. Creativity: A good melding of WWII air detail and serious simulation design. Comparisons: Much more detailed and complicated than any other WW2 air combat simulations out there, but that does not mean that it is better. Overall: If you are a dedicated air combat enthusiast and you crave more detail in your games, then this is for you. Those of you who don't will treat it like Ebola. Back to Berg's Review of Games Vol. 2 #24 Table of Contents Back to Berg's Review of Games List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1996 by Richard Berg This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com