Spreading my Wings....

D&D is my mainstay of gaming.  it's fun, I can imagine lots of things with it and implement it into my world.   I look at D&D this way:  it's similar to Acting in a movie.   You've got your Director, Producer, and Writer (all the game master); the Actors (players), the script (the adventure) and props (miniatures, actual items etc.)   So if you have a good director/producer/writer, and good acting, it can be a fun time.  There's adventure, mystery, crime drama, popcorn flick type action, all that makes a good movie great can be in roleplaying games.

But sometimes, you just want to do re-enactments of famous battles.   That's where I got into Wings Of War.  a cool game where you control a bi-plane from WWI.  You choose the side and fly your plane.  you pick up three maneuvers to fly and get to check to see if you can fire on the enemy.  The game is now called Wings of Glory, but it is still the same great game.

I mainly stay with the WWI line, but there is the WWII sets as well.   the minis are great as well, even for the collector who doesn't play the game.  You can find the game here:  Ares Wings of Glory.  They have single seat planes, double seats, the bombers, Balloons, and even a Zeppelin is planned.  I want, nay, need to get the Wings of Glory battlemaps that are coming.   My foray into making a map for that game was great.  Domjan Svilkovic made a map off Google Earth for another game and I converted it to the Wings game, with his permission of course.  Photo-realistic and beautiful.  However, the maps that Ares is coming out with are better as there are three of them that can be combines in multitude of ways, making a much bigger gaming area.  And here it is:

If you'd like to download it, you can find it here:

LingSter's Custom Map for Wings Of War/Glory

I like Wings of War.  I also like the idea that people would climb into "flying wood coffins" and go into the air and shoot at others.  They had guns mounted on the fuselage that shot through the propeller of the plane.  an interrupter gear worked to allow you to do that without shooting your prop off.  It's fascinating to me.  I've got many books on WWI air combat.

You can even play as the "Red Baron", WWI's most famous flying Ace...

There is something to be said for skirmish type battles.  One on one fighting.  Mano a Mano....  ok, not really hand to hand, but plane to plane.  Juking, diving, getting into position and shooting your enemy down to control the skies.... or bomb the target, miss, and have to swing around and hope you get lined up again without being shot down yourself.