Greetings. May I first express my gratitude to Pier and Andrea for designing such a wonderful game. A rather old-timer to board games, WoW WW1 has only been recently added to my play list, and as a military aviator I've toyed around with some ideas to take the game to the next level.
I would like to offer the idea of an "Advanced Rule" set. Stumbling through various forums, I see that a campaign/scenario set has already been proposed. I've tested some house rules, namely with regard to altitude, ammunition count, and critical damage cards to enhance play realism. In doing so, I found that attempting full realism really bogged and hurt the game, so I can best offer the designers 9or anyone else) some compromised (and non-proprietary) ideas that enhance realism, yet allow the current simple and fast paced game play. For example:
Plane On Fire: plane neither fly straight nor climb; it must play at least one side-slip (S-turn) card each turn. As well, a pilot with a plane on fire cannot unjam or reload guns. Realistically, the pilot would also try to land, but adding a dive made for bad game play, considering the already low altitudes and a "fixed" play area (table top). As well, if the rudder is jammed in both directions and plane cannot side-slip, it takes an additional "A" damage card at the end of the turn.
I also have some ideas on Ace rules, chances of returning to flying ops after being shot down, and have designed a 1D20 (twenty-side dice) Airplane Selection table for Spring/Fall seasons between 1916 and 1918 that reflect historical Orders of Battle percentages (or best I could, since information varies and is dependent upon the author). In essence you roll for your planes randomly (or choose cards from numbers 1-20) to select your plane. For example, in early 1918 a SSw D.III is only available if you roll a "20".
While house rules are fine, as are optional ones, I would think that several players would like to dwelve at the next level, using "designer approved" advanced rules that are not optional.
If nothing else, could I propose that for miniature play, coloured altitude pegs become available in a future product. The coloured pegs could indicate an altitude of 5. Thus an altitude of 11 would be 2x coloured pegs (10) plus 2x clear pegs (one to make 11 plus the one base peg that always remains in play. I've already painted some pegs myself which has allowed dropping the altitude differential restrictions.
For your consideration, Perry