After Geoff aka elliesdad got me into Battles of Medieval Britain, he recommended another solitaire wargame book. When I checked it out on Amazon, I also discovered this:
I'm still in a mood for gaming bombing runs, so I am assessing my options.
The Venerable Queen of the Skies
I immediately went online and tried to track down a copy of the Avalon Hill game. I hoped that someone had created a print and play option. Alas, no. I ended up bidding on a copy on ebay, but I was outbid. I may still try to find a reasonably priced copy.
Later, I found some PDFs (such as this one). They may be copyright violations, but I downloaded one. It seems complete, with the rules, map, counters, charts, and even the box covers. I have what I need to make my own version but I haven't got around to it yet.
Star Raiders
A few years ago, I dabbled with a homebrew set of rules I called Star Raiders. It was essentially B-17 lite in space.
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| Star raider schematic |
I could pull these out an give them a go. I think I was having issues with game balance, however, and ended up dropping them. Not sure if I want to get back into them.
Tweak B17 Fight for Air Supremacy
I still like the idea of B17 FfAS. Essentially, it could be a light version of QotS. I have ideas about keeping the basic framework but tweaking the rules to address my issues. I started working on it, creating my own version of the rules. I have not had a chance to playtest it yet.
Play Bomber Crew
I found a video game that covers bombing missions in WW2.
Called Bomber Crew, it is available on the Nintendo Switch and Steam. The graphics may be cutesy but I read that it is a challenging game.
I played the training mission and found the controls a little confusing. I need to try out more missions.
Kevin - what exactly are the issues with the rule book for B-17 The Fight For Air Supremacy? I also spotted that book (when browsing for “solitaire wargames” on Amazon), but decided against buying it. I do have a copy (somewhere) of B-17 Queen of the Skies - but as I’ve never played that then there seemed little point buying yet another game/book I was unlikely to play. 🙁
ReplyDeletePrices on eBay for B-17 QotS seem rather high - I suspect you’d have better luck getting a copy via boardgamegeek.
I recall there was an article/game in Miniature Wargames magazine (or was it Wargames Illustrated?) many years ago about WW2 bombing missions. At the time it seemed quite interesting, but I never progressed as far as actually playing it. Sadly I can’t remember much more than that… I guess it’s an “age thing”.
All the best,
Geoff
I was working on a review of FfAS but gave up halfway through. I'll go back and complete a version of it.
DeleteYesterday, I managed to get a reasonable copy of B-17. It's missing the counters but I can replicate those.