Western Front Ace - Gameplay

A playthrough of one sortie from the game Western Front Ace from Compass Games, designed by Gregory Smith and Ian Cooper. The game covers aerial combat during the First World War on the Western and Italian Fronts in the years 1916-18.
Game's page on BGG:
boardgamegeek....
Compass Games page:
www.compassgam...
The correction to the missing chart I mention in the video is available from the Compass Games website on the page linked above (just click the Rules, Errata, Downloads link on the left side of that page). You can d/l it here directly:
compassgamesbu...

[@timothysmith6211]

thanks for the video and posting the link to the missing sheet. Seems like a pretty big thing not to notice, I hope their QC guy never goes to work for an airline.

[@HexedAndCountered]

Thanks, your comment made me laugh. You're right of course. While there is a lot in the box, there should probably have been a list that could be checked twice (Christmas reference in July). Thanks again!

[@jeffprincevalle1301]

Hey Joe - thanks for the excellent video! Based on that and a few others also up, I'll be adding this game to my collection. FYI - already own Aces of Valor from Legion Games which essentially is a one level up version of WFA where you are controlling an entire squadron of pilots as opposed to an individual. A great game that also lends itself nicely to a narrative style and perhaps will find itself a subject of a future video. Keep up the good work. Cheers!

[@HexedAndCountered]

Thanks Jeff! I do have a video on Aces of Valor too and agree, it's a good game (I actually also have the "old" print & play version that I purchased years ago). WWI aerial games seem to be a hot thing at the moment - in addition to AOV and WFA you also have the Revolution Games' Eagles in the Sky (which is two-player only).

[@StackingLimit]

I really hope you document your campaign. This was a great video and I would love to follow along!

[@HexedAndCountered]

Thanks! I'm going to try to mix it in with the other things I'll be doing in the next few weeks.

[@itaphil]

Very helpful. I feel like I understand the basics and some nuances of the game.

[@HexedAndCountered]

Thanks, glad it helped!

[@dhmosquitoiv]

Hey Joe, just a couple of points.... The Fokker is a Prestige level 2 Aircraft and I don't think you have the prestige available to fly it. The DH-4 isn't available as an adversary yet (there is a 2 seater table) and the fuel tank hit might have caused a fire (there is a sub table) oh and you forgot when you were tailing you get an auto tail hit.... Great video...... will watch on if you do more videos. Congrats on the kill... good stuff!

[@HexedAndCountered]

Thanks Ian! I always manage to miss stuff. I swear it's like a walking and chewing gum thing; as I play and try to talk about what I'm doing I invariably forget things.

[@johnnymustang760]

@@HexedAndCountered There are a lot of little things that are easy to miss or aren't exactly clear. I've learned a lot from watching videos and reading on BGG.

[@johnnymustang760]

Both engine and fuel tank hits can cause a fire. They both check for that on the Fuel Tank hit section on the hits chart. Engine fire on 2, 12 and Fuel Tank fire on 12.

[@HexedAndCountered]

Thanks. Believe it or not, I knew that and forgot in the "heat of the moment" - yes, pun intended.

[@brad5015]

Lol!

[@A._J_.]

This game seems better than the Doolittle Raid, which I played once and tossed. But not sure about games where the assets don't maneuver around each other on a map.

[@HexedAndCountered]

I haven't played the Doolittle Raid (or the Dambusters game) so I can't really compare. I have played several of this type of game and can say that I know that the abstracted combat is something not everyone loves. Air combat I think works better than ground combat would because in the sky there's no real "terrain" and once combat starts most things are relative. Clouds and so on will come into play when trying to disengage (as will ground fire when diving to get away over no man's land). I really only scratched the surface, there's a lot of depth here. But I also am well aware that not everyone loves the more narrative style of game. It is absolutely a different experience than playing a tactical or operational hex & counter game. I enjoy it a lot, but ymmv. Thanks!