LINK http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-OkllpbAFc

Hey Joe. Nice review! Keep 'em coming! You make me want to play wargames. Watching your video on TS, made me buy it immediately. What game would you suggest for someone starting out in the solo wargaming arena with no wargaming experience?

Side Note: What ever happened to the rest of your top 10 videos? You stopped at number 4 which made me sad.

You forgot to mention all the files ready to download here at BGG and all the variations you can play like different plane types, night bombing as an UK Lancaster, bases in Africa or Italy and so on!!

And must important - join a Bomber Group!!
There are some out there waiting for you to join!!!

This game never stops!!!!

http://www.slotrace.dk/B-17/DreamHC/Side0.html

B17 Queen of the Skies is not what I call a game - there is no decision making at all. Just a load of dice rolls resulting in an exercise in tedium. If you like stats that much go and play with a spreadsheet. It is the worst solitaire game out there by far. Check out Fields of Fire for a really challenging solitaire game.

99% you are right but the game gives a lot of fun, to some people of course.

Obviously I can't dispute your opinion but I will dispute your claim that there is no decision making.

Many times in the game you are faced with enemy fighters coming from a variety of directions. There may be one gun that has two (or more) fighters in its field of fire. However, you can only choose one to fire at. Do you go with the one you have the greater chance of hitting? Or, do you go with the one that you feel will do more damage if it hits?

In like fashion, there are times when you can abort the mission. Do you abort and break formation or do you choose to remain in formation to gain the benefits therein? Frostbite chance or drop to 10,000 feet? Bailout or try to land with negative modifiers?

Granted, the game does not have a lot of decisions but they are there and they do have an effect on the outcome.

It's cool that you don't like the game and that your opinion is that it is tedious but the fact is that the game does have some decision making to be done.

Oh well, at least you like beer!

You are correct - but it's splitting hairs as far as I am concerned. The number of decisions is very very small in relation to the overall game. A bit like shall I wash my left leg or my right leg first.

It is, of course, very thematic and undoubtedly some people are going to like it for this. But theme alone does not a game make.

The game's appeal for me is sweating out what the dice hold in store for my plane and crew and watching their progress thoughout a campaign. I feel more angst when I lose a bomber or an individual crew member in B17 than when games of Squad Leader don't go my way.

There are decisions to be made which affect the game which were elaborated by another earlier. I'd like to know what decisions have to be made in other games that are significantly more profound than what occurs in B17. After all do not all games simply come down to decisions like "shall I move here or there" or "should I fire here or there". I suppose you could add "do I move this big stack here" or "do I split the stack up and two smaller stacks here and here". The fact that you may have to do that a multitude of times more in say squad leader does not make the decisions any more thought-provoking does it?

To further your comparison, it doen't matter how many times you have to decide to wash either the left or right leg, it still is just washing your legs. In the end it's how much perceived enjoyment you get from washing your legs I guess.

A further note: The game has been around for a LONG time and still has a large following actively and regularly playing it. I think that speaks volumes for whether or not it is a good game.

Perhaps there would be more enjoyment if you chose to wash your right leg first and then your left leg got frostbite as a result?

All down to taste of course. If peopel like it, that's fine. If you read the comments BGG Users have made, a large proportion of them talk about the lack of decision making - even those who like the game.

The main point of my posting is that any review of this game should bring that factor out - the video review above ignores it and is therefore, in my opinion, a poor review of the game. I shall now retreat before more gunners are aimed in my direction

The gunners of Hell's Bells swing in unison at the sound of the starboard waist's gunner proclaimation "Boogie 1 o'clock high". They are a nervous crew as Hell's Bells had an engine shot out and had to abort the mission and turn for home. Waiting for identification or a hail of tracers before committing to fire the gunners finger their triggers impatiently. Suddenly the flight engineer's voice sounds over the comm. "Little Friend 1 o'clock, looks like he's got some engine trouble too." The gunners relax only momentarily but then go back to scanning the skies. The Spitfire waggles his wings, banks right and slides into a parallel flight pattern. Together the crew of the B-17 and the pilot of the Spitfire make their way home through the hostile skies.

LOL...

I am pretty sure that I said that "if you like statistics" not much decision making in looking at statistics is there? ... I think I said that it played out like a movie as well... not a lot of decision making in watching a movie either is there? ...

Besides, there is decision making in the game, as others have pointed out.

The crew of the New Miss Matic also relax as they realize the fighter is an ally. They may not always agree with their methods but they are glad they are both on the same side.

Happy Hunting!!!