PHYSICAL QUALITY

RICHTHOFEN'S WAR is a game of the usual high AH quality. The mapboard predominates in greens and browns, and is drawn from an actual aerial photograph over the trenches in France. The aircraft counters number about 180, including over thirty different planes, balloons, balloon defenses, and various memnotic devices. The rules are printed on the usual large unwieldy sheet, and include rules for a basic game, tournament game, campaign game, and optional rules. There is also a detailed MISSION BRIEFING MANUAL which gives the historical background and aircraft profiles for the game. This book also includes auxiliary plane profiles for 33 more planes not given in the game, so you may fly almost any plane in the war with this game. The game has scenarios for RICHTHOFEN VS. BROWN, dog-fighting, photo-recon missions, trench strafing, tactical bombing, artillery spotting, and balloon busting. Also included with the game are AIRCRAFT STATUS PAD (ASP) sheets which constantly tell you speed, accumulated damage, ammo supply, maximum altitude, current altitude, maximum climb and dive maximum dive speed, maximum overdive speed, and critical hits taken. Physically, I would say that RICHTHOFEN'S WAR is one of AH's more impressive games.

FIGHT IN THE SKIES has a mapboard which is simply a brown square grid printed upon a blue background (as opposed to the hex grid found on the.other two games) and is of the same structural format as the Guidon Games DUNKIRK and ALEXANDER THE GREAT. Also included are aircraft performance cards, four sets of sixteen maneuver cards, a chart sheet (including CRT s), about 60 unit counters, and the rule book. The rule book, a more convenient format than a sheet, has 27 pages of rules for the basic game, optional rules, historical com- mentary and aircraft profile. The rulebook is the same size as the earlier Lowry PF's (with less pages). Physical- ly I would say the game is good; however, there is room for improvement in organization.

FLYING CIRCUS (now boxed) has a very simplistic physical design. The mapboard is little more than hex sheet (as FIGHT IN THE SKIES was only gridded) and a few details. There are about 170 counters, 28 counters for each plane. The game only includes three planes per side. Instead of having the realistic looking profiles as the other two games have, the SPI game has abstract silhouettes, each one representing a different altitude level. Each aircraft then has a card which shows its limitations and abilities, including speed, dive speed, ammo supply, climb progress, current altitude, and tur- ning abilities. The rules are printed on an accordian- folded sheet, which is more convenient than the AH for- mat but more awkward than the rules booklet.

Comparatively, the AH game is definitely superior in all ways when considering the physical aspects of the three games. RICHTHOFEN'S WAR does have a few minor draw- backs, specifically in the ASP and rules sheet. FIGHT IN THE SKIES requires some bookkeeping for which the player is not prepared, such as altitude and ammo records. FLYING CIRCUS, although not attractive, has the least physical problems and requires no writing to play the game.

GAME PROCEDURE AND MOVEMENT

RICHTHOFEN'S WAR and FLYING CIRCUS are of very similar game systems, and FIGHT IN THE SKIES generally is different from both. It appears that RICHTHOFEN'S WAR and FIGHT IN THE SKIES are the two most "finished" of the games available. For the sake of comparing the games, I will detail a certain area of game mechanics and compare how all three games treat it.

Game procedure in the AH and SPI games involves one player moving, both firing, and the other player moving, both firing. Both games have this dual fire phase. FIGHT IN THE SKIES, on the other hand, uses an interesting variant on the normal player turn. The plane that moves first is the one that is at the lower altitude, or if both planes are at the same altitude a die is rolled to see who moves first. After both players move, both players may fire. This gives the player who has the altitude advantage an added advantage in avoiding being shot at and.in getting in the first shots. Players at the same altitude depend merely on chance. This changes, however, when a player is tailing another player. Both players will then use the "maneuver cards" to resolve movement, but I will get into that first.

For the most part, in all three games, getting on your enemy's tail yields a combat advantage. This advantage is greatest in FIGHT IN THE SKIES and least in FLYING CIRCUS. This advantage decreases if the plane being tailed is superior (in speed, climb, or dive) to the tailing plane.

Both RICHTHOFEN'S WAR and FLYING CIRCUS use movement point expenditure for turning, and there seem to be differences in opinion as to turning radii in these two games. SPI uses four standardized "turn modes"; with A and B allowing 180 degree turns, and C and D allowing 120 degree turns. These turns usually do not expend many movement points (between two and four). AH uses five standardized "maneuver schedules" (A through E), all allowing 180 degree turns. FIGHT IN THE SKIES allows a 45 degree turn for every square entered. Of course, let me point out a difference in scale, as RICHTHOFEN'S WAR uses 50 meter hexes, FLYING CIRCUS uses 60 meter hexes, and FIGHT IN THE SKIES uses 100 feet per square. Each turn is about 10 seconds.

With the exception of FIGHT IN THE SKIES, maneuvers like the Immelmann turn and loop are impossible. Obviously, there is a problem of game mechanics involved.

The game mechanics of FIGHT IN THE SKIES are much more simple than the other two games, and the addition of the complexities of maneuvers is what makes the duel. The game more interesting than a swirling gun maneuvers that are present in all three games include straight flying, banking, turning, climbing, diving, and circling. Tail spins are possible in both RICHTHOFEN'S WAR and in FIGHT IN THE SKIES. Those maneuvers only found in FIGHT IN THE SKIES include the loop, stall, Immelmann, barrel roll, wingover, falling leaf, and split-S. The maneuvers may be performed normally as the player wishes throughout his turn. They are used in conjunction with the maneuver cards only when there is the possibility of a collision or when a plane is being tailed. The collision possibility occurs when planes are at 200 ft. range or less. Both players then choose a maneuver and reveal them simultaneously. These are then cross indexed on the "collision index" in order to determine whether or not the planes collide.

Tailing procedure (in FITS) is also quite interesting as it gives the tailing player the last move advantage even when the two planes are at the same altitude. The player being tailed chooses one of the sixteen maneuver cards. The attacker (tailing player) then chooses between 8 and 11 cards, the closer he is the less cards he can pick.

If the attacker has picked the right card, then he will continue tailing and can fire again. If he has not, he moves out one of his maneuvers and may not fire on the next turn. To make things even nastier, if the defender uses a reversal card (either a loop, stall, or circle) and the attacker cannot cover it, then the attacker may not fire next turn. The defender then carries out his reversal maneuver, the attacker moves his full turn, and then the defender moves the rest of his turn, and may fire if he can. The danger of being reversed is always present.

However, I would feel that the reversal by means of the loop is too highly emphasized, as a good flyer like Richthofen usually despised the maneuver and could easily avoid being reversed. The circle maneuver, however, is most important to all three games. I would also see similar importance in the stall maneuver, not only as a reversal but as a means to reduce speed quickly.

CLIMBING AND DIVING

Climbing in all three games is fairly straightforward. In RICHTHOFEN'S WAR the player simply adjusts his altitude markers at the beginning of the turn. In the basic game this is the only effect on movement. In the tournament game there is a loss of one movement factor for every 100 meters of climbing. FIGHT IN THE SKIES simply involves writing down your increase in altitude. FLYING CIRCUS involves a rather nasty abstraction called the "climb progress scale", which determines the number of turns it takes to climb 11,000 feet in altitude. The average rate is about six turns. The altitude system in FLYING CIRCUS is somewhat of an abstraction, and rather a big pain to fool around with.

Although the other systems do not allow you to glance at a counter to determine this altitude, I do believe that asking your opponent his attitude is easier than the "dirt" that can be found in the SPI system.

Diving is almost the same, but the difference lies in maximum dive speeds. In RICHTHOFEN'S WAR, the basic game diving is the opposite of climbing -- you simply decrease altitude.

However, the tournament game dive is somewhat different. For one thing, the dive has to be done in contiguous hexes, each hex per 100 meters of dive. Planes may turn while diving (simulating the tail spin). Also, for every 100 meters of dive the plane gains one movement factor. Planes then have a maximum safe diving speed which they must adhere to. There are also provisions for overdive, which dives the plane faster than it can normally take, with a chance that your wing will peel off and you won't recover from the dive.

In FIGHT IN THE SKIES the dive is a simple decrease of altitude, with the same movement factor gain for a dive. In FLYING CIRCUS, however, the unwieldy mechanics do tend to foul things up. Planes ~re adjusted to the speed no greater than their dive maximum. The first 1,000 ft has no movement cost, and every 1,000 ft. drop afterwards costs five movement points. The climb progress indicator may be adjusted to any point at this time.

The problem of altitude is well handled in the AH and Guidon games. Altitude is always specific, and differences in altitude change and effect range. However, the SPI game not only uses a clumsy system, but allows some grossly unrealistic situations.

SPEED

Speed is a factor that terribly influences the ability of a plane to undergo combat. All three games include maximum and minimum speeds. These speeds vary in the AH and SPI games, but all planes in FIGHT IN THE SKIES have a minimum speed of six.

Speed is only influenced by the player in RICHTOFEN'S WAR. He may increase or decrease it by two movement points. As in all three games, once you are moving at a speed you MUST move so as to expend all your movement points.

FLYING CIRCUS uses a system quite similar, however speed may only be increased by one point per turn. Damage in FLYING CIRCUS slows the aircraft down until the plane reaches its stall speed and is shot down. Thusly you may become severely limited as your craft accrues damage.

The FIGHT IN THE SKIES systems leaves something to be desired, as the player may change speed at will, as long as he expends six movement points. This game also differs in that it has a different maximum speed when the plane is turning. Also, maximum speed varies at different areas of altitude.

COMBAT

This, of course, is the heart and soul of all three of the games we have under consideration, and all three games treat the subject differently. For the most part, the combat procedures of RICHTOFEN'S WAR and FLYING CIRCUS are the least complicated.

Firstly there is the problem of target acquisition. In the basic game of RICHTOFEN'S WAR and in FIGHT IN THE SKIES the planes may fire whenever a plane enters their field of fire. However, in the tourny game of RICHTOFEN'S WAR and in FLYING CIRCUS, the planes must hold a plane in their field of fire for a certain amount of time. The AH game requires that a plane be in your field of fire for the last two movement points to be expended, and points used in turning may not be counted.

In the SPI game the target must be in the field of fire for the last HALF of the movement phase, and points used in turning may be counted towards this. This target acquisition complicates the game a good deal, and makes the game more a contest of skill. However, the overly strenuous demands of FLYING CIRCUS make one-on-one dogfighting next to impossible to play on the game board. This is probably the single major drawback to the play of the game.

Combat procedures in FLYING CIRCUS involves determining the range of the target and firing on the appropriate CRT. Damage is accrued in loss of speed on the aircraft, reducing both the maximum speed and maximum dive speed.

Combat procedure in RICHTHOFEN's WAR is somewhat more complex, as the CRT uses a double die system. You must first find the type of gun you are using (A through D), and under the gun type find the appropriate range. Both dice are then rolled and the damage is marked on the ASP. Once a plane has accrued all its damage points it is shot down. If a result with an asterisk (*) is rolled, then the dice are rolled for the Critical Hits Table (CHT). Results here include "freak shots" like hitting a gas tank, shattering struts, or killing the pilot.

The procedure in FIGHT IN THE SKIES is much more complex, and I will detail the full procedure including all optionals. Firstly, you must know what type of gun (single/double deck, or single wing) is on your plane, and then you must decide what type of burst you will fire (long, interrupted, or short). Once this is done, you roll the range table to see whether or not you hit your opponent. If no hit occurs, you simply expend ammo.

If a hit does occur, then you determine the range/firepower effectiveness by cross indexing the type of gun, type of burst and range, which will give you a table to roll to see how effective your shot was. This will then tell you how many damage factors you accrue. Then you refer to the angle of attack tables to determine the area which the damage affects, depending whether you attack from the side, tail, top, bottom, or head-on.

If here you roll an asterisk you get a shot at a critical hit. You then have to determine the chances of a critical hit occuring, which goes up as the damage increases on a given area. You then roll on the percentage index. It the roll is successful, then you roll on one of the appropriate critical hit tables in the rulebook. See what I mean about being complicated? But the basic game is much less complicated, as you only roll the range table, a firepower effectiveness table, and the attack angle tables -- really not much more than the AH games. Still it is the most complex of the three when dealing with combat procedures.

GLIDING, "ACES", AND SCENARIOS

Critical hit damage can incur gliding and forced landings, an aspect which is included in both RICHTHOFEN'S WAR and in FIGHT IN THE SKIES.

RICHTHOFEN'S WAR introduces an aspect unique among the three games, and that is the "ace" with five victories. This allows players to increase their combat ability after five consecutive wins. This is also included with some of the scenarios with the game, as one or more planes are arbitrarily designated as aces. This lends itself to an interesting competitive arrangement, and also makes the campaign game part of what it is.

I have a major complaint about scenarios. In FLYING CIRCUS many scenarios have problems because of climbing and diving capabilities are so disparate. This can show up in the recon or strafing missions especially. I think it would also be interesting to let players choose their own altitudes (as they would in real life) without letting the other player know about it until the game begins. Sometimes this could be fatal. But for the most part I would say the FLYING CIRCUS scenarios are good.

My major complaint about FIGHT IN THE SKIES will be the total lack of scenarios. Thusly one must sit down and devise his own scenarios it he wants to play. This is an inconvenience which should be done away with.

For the most part I am quite happy with the RICHTHOFEN'S WAR scenarios. I think they are diverse enough to satisfy the most demanding of players. The aspect that I find most interesting is that of the campaign game. Set during the Arras campaign ("Bloody April"), the game covers seven days of air activity with a maximum of five missions per day, or a maximum of 35 missions. Each mission takes about half an hour with experienced players. The game portrays the problems of machine fatigue, crew fatigue, and the effects of attrition on the squadrons (or jastas) involved. Pilots can become aces (there are three to begin the game) and pilots keep separate scores, etc. I think it has great potential for running competition between players, or even as a convention game.

HISTORICAL ACCURACY

Since I took the time to research the era coming under consideration here, I w' 11 offer my thoughts as to the historical accuracy of the three games. Be it noted here that none of the game are totally accurate, and I think for the most part this is in the interest of playability. The exception here is FLYING CIRCUS, for some unrealistic aspects instead of increasing playability has hindered it - a strange phenomena indeed. However, these games are unlike any other game prevalent today, and I think that these games will be very popular with tactically oriented players, especially since the average game only takes up half an hour.

FLYING CIRCUS

There is the unrealistic altitude system which is a major problem in the game. Planes that are within a few feet of altitude cannot fire because one is at 6,000 ft. and the other is at 7,001 ft. Admittedly this is an extreme example, but this is basically what occurs many times. You are not allowed to turn while diving (spin) and diving creates no increase in speed.

The game also ignores any advantage in altitude -- I've even found it to be a disadvantage at times! There is also an inability to do many maneuvers that were used during that time. Also, there is the problem of the target acquisition system, which is a major headache in the game.

Usually what happens is each player waits for the other to make a mistake. Finally, I thought the Pfalz was definitely maligned by SPI, as it was one of the better planes in a dive -- at least as good or better than the Albatros - and in FLYING CIRCUS it can hardly dive!

FIGHT IN THE SKIES

This game has a major advantage over the other two in that it includes all the possible maneuvers for WWI aircraft. There is a total lack of target acquisition rules. Also, the planes may increse or decrease speed at will - from maximum to minimum '1' in the same turn. There is too much advantage in the looping maneuver. There is no maximum dive speed. All the aircraft have identical turning characteristics - one area where the game is sadly lacking.

RICHTHOFEN'S WAR

I would say that this game is the most finished game of the three. Its major historical drawback is the lack of all the maneuvers. Otherwise I have little complaint with the game. The game was authenticated by the pilots of the Flying Circus Aerodome in Bealston, Va., and it shows.

OVERALL EVALUATION

RICHTHOFEN'S WAR is definitely the best game of the three, with FIGHT IN THE SKIES not far behind. FLYING CIRCUS is a good, clean game -- but I would venture that you would be wiser to invest your money in a much better product, RICHTHOFEN'S WAR is clearly a much better quality product than AH's last one, FRANCE '40. The Guidon format has little change between FIGHT IN THE SKIES and ALEXANDER.

Playability is very good on all three, and playing time is short. Historically the games are passible, but each fails in its own way. All in all I would say that they are good games and fair simulations. As you all probably know by now, I prefer a game to a simulation. All three games are simple in regards to playability, probably because the rules are not complex and only a few planes fight at a time. Organization is very good, except I think you should read the rules through twice for FIGHT IN THE SKIES. The mechanics, victory conditions, and play balance are all at least satisfactory, but are usually very good.

I would recommend RICHTHOFEN'S WAR to the novice. I know non-wargamers who literally love the game. All three games deserve playability kudos, so I don't think any playability freaks will be dissatisfied. Historical realism nuts might be put off by FLYING CIRCUS's altitude system and RICHTHOFEN'S WAR's lack of maneuvers. Excitement fans will do best with RICHTHOFEN'S WAR. Complexity fans won't find what they're looking for in any of these games -- unless perhaps it will be in the campaign game of RICHTHOFEN'S WAR. All in all, having to recommend a single game as my favorite, I pick RICHTHOFEN'S WAR.