We have had some past discussions about the updated BM game called Canvas Eagles.

One new player posted a question ("can I fly two planes?") and in the course of that discussion (really BAD timing for that question!!!!) he mentioned doing this with friends playing Wings of War.

(Of course, flying muliple planes is a very different situation in a face to face game when everyone knows!)

Anyway, one writer was not familiar with Wings (WoW) and I wrote a lengthy description...which is hardly likely to be seen on a thread titled "Can I fly two planes?"

I was slapping myself for not having mentioned it before-- I've sent WoW/BM players here but it did not occur to me to send folks in that direction. Wow is a lovely face to face game, it is "pretty" (the airplane card images are very nice) and it plays very easily. I used it in a "demo" at a game con here and people can pick it up much faster than BM. So if you get the opportunity for some face to face play and want a bit of a change from BM, or want to bring in a newer player to a less complex game, this would work. I'm pasting in my long previous message, which describes the game.

Enjoy!

"Wings of War" is a lovely game that came out about 2 years ago.

From Italy! (Nexus is the company). It looks like the best things about WWI planes are coming from Italy these days.

Planes have a maneuver "deck" of cards, which have a start point and a finish point on the card. The planes themselves are also on a card with specific points to line up with the maneuver cards. The planes have an "arc" that regulates their shooting and a simple "ruler" to handle line of sight and range. There are no dice, but there is a damage "deck" on which generic points of damage (or zero) are included, as well as a few kinds of special damage.

Players select 3 different card moves down for each turn. Then everyone reveals the first card and puts it on the board and moves their airplane according to what is on the card. After everyone has moved, players check "arcs of fire" and range and see if anyone has been hit. "close" draws two damage cards and farther but still in range draws 1 card. Then the second card is revealed and the possible shooting is resolved, then the third/last card and again shooting checks.

So think of the three cards of a turn as sort of assemblng the moves on a single BM turn, except you get to check for shooting in each impulse (so those times when we run right through someone's guns during the turn but end up out of site do not happen in WoW.)

The maneuver decks vary according to the speed and turning ability of the planes-- they have "runners" and "dancers' too.

The first game-- Famous Aces-- came with 5 fighters (Spad 13, Sopwith Camel and Triplane, Albatros DV and Fokker Dr1.)
The second game--Watch Your Back-- had a two-seater from each side, the Dh4 and a plane you may not be familiar with, the Austrian Ufag C. Nexus wanted to use the same deck for both two seaters and, having picked the speedy DH4 for some reason, they had to struggle to find a Central Powers 2 seater to match the speed.) Anyway, the game also has the Hanroit D fighter and two older ones-- the Nieuport 11 and Halberstadt D-2. Nexus used flight stats to decide that the "famous" Siemens S. D-1 (copy of the N-17) really flew more like the N-11, so used the same decks for giving you an extra German plane option. (It's like the N-11 but more sturdy, so it takes more damage.)

Coming soon is Game 3, with only 2 plane decks, one to cover the Alb D-III and Pfalz D-3 (which Nexus feels maneuver and speed about the same) and the N-17 and some of the follow up Ns prior to 27, which Nexus also feels are about the same. Also included will be stuff for balloon busting, ground attack missiones, etc. Behind this game (currently called Burning Drachens) are plans for some "blister packs" that just offer 2 more maneuver decks and the planes that go with them.
One blister likely will have the Fokker D-7 and the Sopwith Snipe--which (like BM) will use the same maneuver deck to be the Siemens Super planes. (is there no end?)

Anyway, it's a very nice system and a good social game-- faster to play than face to face BM. And dealing with the original question, given the 3 card things, it is harder for one pilot to coordinate two planes in as advantageous a way as he might do if he were running 2 planes in BM. WoW has a tailing system of it's own, but for multiple plane pilots I'd just suggest tossing that out.

Sorry to make a long ad-- I've been supporting this game in a couple ways.
More info at Nexus WoW web site (in English and Italian)
http://www.wingsofwar.it/list.asp
boardgamegeek.com also has some very useful files.

US folks, the games are available from the better mail order distributors-- Boulder Games probably has the best price, but others have it.

End of message--I'll go submit my advertising invoice to Nexus now!
(Odd, I've been talking with Wow players on Consim and BGG and steering them to youplay.it, but it never occurred to me to try the other direction.)
Duh!