The biggest change is how the maneuvers are actually planned. Instead of laying down three cards at a time and executing them all one after the other, the WWII game is much more fluid, as this picture explains:
You'll also notice you now have the option of choosing your speed! This adds a very new element that gives you a feeling of greater maneuverability than in the WWI game.
Another difference is in the damage. The base game comes with three sets of "damage chits." There are weaker A damage chits, and the stronger B or C. While B and C have the same average, though, the C deck contains the most zeroes, meaning any damage you do take will be very high numbers, which can cause some drastic swings to occur (I took 14 damage in one shot by a plane shooting 2 C and 1 A at close range).
The C chit damage:
Look at all those 0s... but also all those 8s
There are also new rules for pilot abilities, such as being able to perform other maneuvers besides a straight coming out of Immelman turns or being immune to tailing, amongst others. These are a nice addition, and could easily be used for the WWI version. Most of the other variants are the same, with the notable exception of fuel. High maneuvers cost 2 fuel, slow maneuvers cost 1, and each player is given an agreed upon amount of fuel at the beginning of the game. This can be used to set a time limit on the game, and handicap a better plane (or player).
The pilot abilities and the fuel are both excellent new tools for balancing the planes, but the real change to the game comes in the planning, and this is where the game fell flat for us. By constantly cycling the maneuver cards everything is always a bit unsure, unlike in Famous Aces where the start of the turn everybody knows where they are and can plan accordingly. In WWII, you really need to have a good feel for the cards to make any sort of coordinated advance, because knowing where your next card will take you is half the battle.
By constantly cycling the maneuvers there is definitely a different pace to the game. In Famous Aces you agonize over your planning, and then sit back and watch your master work unfold or fail. In WWII you must be constantly engaged in what's going on, because you are planning after every move. This does three things:
1. it takes away from the relaxing atmosphere Famous Aces provides. Instead of joking and talking during the resolution phase that occurs in our Famous Aces game, most of the time in Dawn of War you are thinking and planning what will go next. For people who prefer a more serious game with little downtime and a lot of "let's get straight to business" this will be a boon. It is a constant flurry of planning, resolving, planning, resolving, all the while trying to outguess your opponent. For people who enjoyed the more laid back feel of the resolution stage, this will be a disadvantage.
2. it takes away the advantage from people who are really good at planning ahead. My primary opponent knows me very well. In Famous Aces she can predict my final position based on my first card, and she's very good at guessing what that first card will be. In Dawn of War, this advantage is stripped because I can constantly mix up my maneuvers, so if I see her getting a hint of what I'm doing, I can throw something unexpected in. Her ability to project my actions is lost because I am constantly tweaking those actions.
3. it makes the game feel more strategic. This is a relative thing, but by constantly being able to adjust your plan gives you a better feel that you're in control, rather than setting up a plan and hoping everything goes well as in Famous Aces. Also, for the planes that deal a lot of damage at once (as in my previous example), one pass at close range may be enough to finish off a plane, or cripple it severely. This makes the maneuvering much more important, because one misstep and you could wind up in front of some very powerful guns. It also allows you to coordinate attacks more efficiently, letting the powerhouse player taking one ripping shot at a plane, and then having your more reliable B gunner move in to finish off the few remaining points that are left. This is providing, of course, that those dreadful 0s were not drawn
There is one huge advantage to Dawn of War, though, and that is the decision to include 6 maneuver decks. An A, B, 2 Cs, and 2 Ds. This lets you fly planes of the same type, and gives you a better selection of games rather than the limiting feeling you get with only an A,B,C, and D in Famous Aces. This better organization makes for much easier "out of the box" games than in Famous Aces, where it felt almost obligatory to buy the "not an expansion" expansions if you wanted a rich, engaging game. The expansions for Dawn of War also look very good, focusing on one squadron and coming with 3 maneuver decks for those types on planes. This will let you fly different planes of the same type, allowing you greater flexibility in customizing your scenarios.
Dawn of War definitely provides a different feel than Famous Aces, and this may be better or worse depending on what you like in the series. Myself I enjoyed it less than Famous Aces, but that is because I felt the more thought-intensive flow in Dawn of War was limiting for my game group. So if you enjoyed WWI a little and feel like the changes might improve the game, I would recommend buying it. If you enjoyed WWI a lot, I would consider purchasing it anyways. For $30 it certainly changes the game a lot, and since the base set contains everything you need it will always be a nice Wings of War alternative.
Posted Wed Jul 25,2007 07:55 pm
