This game has interested be for a while now so I decided to buy the Famous Aces and Watch Your Back Sets. After opening up the box I was shocked at how poorly this game is put together.

First off, the instruction booklet makes it sound like everyone gets their own deck of Damage cards yet the game only comes with one set. It's pretty pathetic that a game that claims to be for 2-4 players does not offer enough cards for 2 players to even play. If that wasn't bad enough, three of the planes in Famous Aces require B damage decks and this set doesn't even come with them.

The manuever decks are only slightly better in that it gives A, B, C, and D decks but there is also a problem with this. If two people want to play the same type they cannot.

What really ticks me off is when I was looking at the Watch Your Back Set. This one does give the B damage deck but I was missing the last card.

I have been gaming for years and have never seen such a poorly boxed game. I would take them back and get a refund but my LGS as a policy against refunds or returns on any opened products.

Yes I agree with you I found it confusing I purchased the Burning Drachens and it has cards not related to the game in the instuctions it say's they are for another game very bad I feel ripped off, one has to spend more money seems to be the way they go.

A couple comments. You don't need seperate damage decks - shuffle them well and alternate in taking damage cards.

As to the B damage - there is a reference in one of the rule books about that - you take the damage card and half it....keep a mental tally or a postit is worth it too.

If you are missing a card, contact the company they have been, readingthrough the forums, pretty quick to respond.

R

Sorry you feel that way, I find the game to be the opposite, albeit I concur on some of the weak wording in the rulebook.

As has been mentioned many times, a single "A" damage deck WILL accommodate a 4-plane game.

Not good news about having a missing card, but as rifferton said, contact the company (or the Vendor) for the missing card, or make your own from one of the blanks. There are cards on-line that can be printed and glued onto a blank if you want asthetics.

Regarding purchase playability aspects, this marketing strategy is not much different than most computer game minimum specs listings- ie "system requires xx processor, yy ram, zz video card as a minimum. Yeah, the game works, but barely. You need "more" to have the game run "richer". Reading the back of the Famous Aces box - "..complete card game which may be combined with other sets to play larger and richer scenarios." So in Famous Aces you do get to play full basic rules and scenarios - save for having a Fokker DR.1 battle a Sopwith Triplane. For the "richer" aspects, be prepared to buy the expansion packs, miniatures and the booster maneouvre decks. IMO, its well worth it.

PS - you can avoid buying various booster packs if you buy that pack's miniatures instead.

Miniatures are a super value, IMO. You get the miniature, a stand for the miniature with altitude pegs, plus you get a maneuver deck for that particular aircraft.

Famous Aces, Watch Your Back & Burning Drachens are great for the basic materials needed to play this game, but the miniatures are where it's at.

Kel25 said:

As noted elsewhere on this forum: If one has multiple planes requiring a single type of deck, one can simply write down the numbers of the cards one wishes to use, in the order they're to be used (bearing in mind a number can't be used twice in the same turn).

Kel25 said:

Wow.

Wings of War is likely my favourite board game of all time. I play with the miniatures, have every single released to date.

I was missing a card from one maneuver deck, received it within 2 weeks after emailing the company, excellent service.

As others have pointed out, one damage deck is enough for a number of players. After a player is shot down, we usually shuffle their damage cards back in.

Perhaps you should consider simpler games, like Monopoly or perhaps Hungry Hungry Hippo. Although I hesitate to think what you do if a marble was missing...

I agree with those who like and love this game.

Missing pieces, card or whatever is a common occurence in all games, that all the companies have a replacement program on their websites, or contact information in the book. Minor issue. The first edition printings of WoW and WYB came with a card that could not be used unless you have the other boxset, or used the work up listed on the website when they were first released. Simply, it's a marketing ploy, and boy did it work.

Every reprint is usually sold out in my usually a couple of weeks.

Do people not like the game? Sure, but they either return it or sell it on eBay or give it to one of their friends and that's it. So if you do not like it, go ahead and do one of those things.

The prices are what they are, nothing can change that. I remeber buying board games for 10 bucks. Now it's common place they are $40 - $60. But if you really like the game or the concept it's not going to stop you. Example, I have 2 of each box set (including WoW WWII), 3 of each booster pack (including WoW WWII), 2 sets of each minature in all three series. You can do the math yourself, but it's no greater then what I spent on roleplaying games, or video games, or books over the years.

So try the game, ask fr help if you needed, but stop the belly aching. :-)

~Mikey

I hope you can resolve your problems with this game, as it really is a lot of fun to play. I can only concur with the things others have written as to how good it is.

tyarlashan said:

I am to be blamed more than the marketing team for putting stuff that had no immediate use. But as a fond gamers with a long experience as a customer, I tought that a B-firing variant of a Sopwith Triplane that could add variability if you had the other box, or a promo card for another set, was more useful than just another 6th color scheme for the same airplane (no room for another maneuvre or damage deck anyway). The paradox is that if I did not put that additional card, the game could have been marketed as a 131 cards game instead than a 132 cards one and people would not complain... having less! (for Famous Aces 128 cards, having 3 B-firing Triplanes and one promo).

tyarlashan said: