The Great War 1914-1918: Clash of Empires

Of course!
It is an important aspect if such a big WWI game comes out!

In geek dreamland every power has its own sculpts AND the chosen ones really represent the respective units/classes!

If I can tell a destroyer from a cruiser I’m doing well.

If anything, I actually prefer generic sculpts for ships as it means fewer outlines to have to remember.

Not so for planes, though. I want at least 3 different types of fighter sculpt for each side.

@Flashman:

…
Not so for planes, though. I want at least 3 different types of fighter sculpt for each side.

I assume you have the “Fighter Race” in mind when saying this! ;)

I would even say 4 types as ALL aircraft 1914 was unarmed reconnaissance!

Dr Larson & Others,

@DrLarsen:

Tall Paul: Sorry, this means no US 4-piper.  Here’s the consolation, though: the 4-pipers converted to “green dragons” generally lost a pipe anyway, and so they probably wouldn’t be all that far off from the look of the Admiralty type or the Bouclier, anyway.  (They do have a raised forecastle rather than a flush-deck from the looks of it, but some of the APD classes were made from other destroyer classes; perhaps some of them also had raised forecastles, too, and even if they didn’t, it’s a small difference that only a nerd like me would probably notice…) 
The bottom line of the APD concept was to take relatively low-combat-value destroyers by using either old DD or new DE hulls, and rebuild them for the new mission, so the layout specs could be quite variable… and if different ships had been available, different ones would have been used.  The 4-pipers were used mainly because the US had made like, 300 of these things, most of which were finished too late to get into WW1, so alot of them had gone almost straight from the shipbuilders to mothballs… and thus had hulls in relatively good shape for ships that old by ww2, making them available for reuse and experimentation.

––In adapting the “4-piper DDs” into APDs they took out half of the ‘engineering spaces’, including TWO of the four stacks, and replaced this with berthing spaces for the Marine Raider forces.
----I’m very confident that IL’s sculpt for this unit will be convertible into my APD’s. After all,…I believe SgtWilTan to be so talented that he could make me some APDs out of matchsticks if I asked him. He is ‘THE MAN’ for A&A modifications, no doubt!

----In truth,…This game,…TGW1914-1918COE looks like a DEFINATE must have in and of itself!

“Tall Paul”

Exactly.

Recon planes 1 in combat, move 4 (start)

1st gen fighter 2 in combat move 2 (1915)

2nd gen fighter 3 in combat move 2 (1916)

3rd gen fighter 4 in combat move 2 (1917)

Bomber 1 in combat move 6 has bombing ability (1917)

@xxstefanx:

@Flashman:

…
Not so for planes, though. I want at least 3 different types of fighter sculpt for each side.

I assume you have the “Fighter Race” in mind when saying this! ;)

I would even say 4 types as ALL aircraft 1914 was unarmed reconnaissance!

As I said, ALL aircraft were UNARMED reconnaissance at the start of the war.

THUS

Start: Recon plane A=0; D=0, M=3 (yes, less than the WWII planes!)
-> basic function: Boosting your artillery +1

then Fghters with whatever.

Mmm, I think recons should have a limited ability to fight back. They carried small arms and light machine-guns. Also dropped a few small bombs.

Don’t like the idea of air combat being a walkover.

So how to promote fighters to the next level:

1. By experience; one kill moves a fighter up one level to max 4

2. By game turn; the next model becomes available on turn X

3. By tech; you have to develop planes by investing in research

I also prefer that (in 2 & 3) only new planes are the latest model, you don’t automatically upgrade all your old units.

I like your thinking on your choice of infantry sculpts IL. Love the updates. This might be the game of the year.

@Flashman

Sorry, that I must correct you:
The aircraft at the start of the war 1914 had absolutely no weapons on board! Pure recon planes!
Pilots often even waved at each other as they flew by!

This changed early in the war, but later (1915).

Battles like Marne and Tannenberg were won by observing not fighting aircraft!

This is true as it goes, but they soon remembered to take shotguns with them, and small bombs to drop on ground targets.

Perhaps you’re suggesting that they roll to “outmaneuver” the enemy, and that the defeated pilot simply heads for home?

Or do they both get air superiority?

Should a Fighter vs Recon plane be an automatic shoot-down; it wasn’t always like that.

If both sides just have recon planes simply let them boost their respective artillery.
IF you do not want the opponent to do so, develop fighters (as in the real war!)
If at least one side has fighters dogfight takes over!

@Flashman:

If I can tell a destroyer from a cruiser I’m doing well.

If anything, I actually prefer generic sculpts for ships as it means fewer outlines to have to remember.

Not so for planes, though. I want at least 3 different types of fighter sculpt for each side.

That’s partly because of the scales they use. Â They usually make the BB’s & CA/CL’s somewhere around 1/3200 so they’re not too big for the board, but make DD’s closer to 1/2400 so they’re not too tiny. Â Understandable from a playability standpoint, but sometimes makes DD’s too close in size to cruisers. Â For the ww2 models, Flashman, CA’s inevitably have BB-style twin or triple turrets (though smaller ones) which make them fairly easy to distinguish, whereas DD’s have much smaller guns that barely stand out from the rest of the ship on this scale, so that’s how I’ve always told them apart. Â It could presumably get a bit more difficult w/ ww1 ships, though, since CL’s of that era rarely ever had fully enclosed gunhouses, much less twin or triple turrets for their 4-6" guns. Â

Older ACR’s had turrets just like BB’s, but had become even more obsolete than pre-dreadnought BB’s, being rapidly left behind by turbine engine tech. Â This meant that many turbine-engined dreadnought BB’s were faster than the old ACR’s (in some cases even ones just one design-generation older!) Â And that’s on top of totally outgunning them! Â CA’s hadn’t been invented yet…

So there could be even more of a problem in telling apart CL’s and DD’s of this period if size differences aren’t carefully maintained… but just look for those turrets on the ww2-era pieces!

With so many different units this game is going to make my head hurt (not I said ‘going to’ because I will probably still buy it).

Can you tell us how the units compare in size to 1914 pieces; in regard to tanks and fighters in particular?

I will admit that AA14 is the first AA game I’ve have decided not to buy. The sculpts, weird map, and lack of matching colors turned me off. Just not my cup of tea. But the overwhelming factor in my decision was the existence of IL’s game. IL, had it not been for you I would have likely shelled out the $100 for AA14 like the AA lemming I am. I thank you for saving me from this and look forward to handing you my cash for this game instead!

@Variable:

I will admit that AA14 is the first AA game I’ve have decided not to buy. The sculpts, weird map, and lack of matching colors turned me off. Just not my cup of tea. But the overwhelming factor in my decision was the existence of IL’s game. IL, had it not been for you I would have likely shelled out the $100 for AA14 like the AA lemming I am. I thank you for saving me from this and look forward to handing you my cash for this game instead!

I was wondering if any one else thought as I do on this issue. I am with Variable on this. I have been spoiled with nation specific sculpts. No more games for me with the same sculpts for each nation. I want to see ILs game. It will take a special game for me to get into WW I.

The “entire game” minus pieces?

Which is, what, box and rulebook?