Wings of Glory: WWII - Battle of Britain Starter Set Review

Let's clear the air, so to speak, right away about this quite excellent WWII plane combat game. It is the most recent iteration of a design that reaches back almost ten years to Wings of War, which was a card-based WWI dogfight game. That game, which was handled by Fantasy Flight Games in the US, wound up being the uncredited source material for X-Wing, which has of course gone on to become a generation-defining blockbuster hobby game. It's rather unfortunate that the Wings system was sort of left in the dust because it is, as evidenced by this new starter, very much a viable and compelling game in its own right.

One of the things that are most impressive about Wings of Glory is the sheer love for the subject matter that you can feel radiating from every aspect of it. Andrea Angiolino and Pier Giorgio Paglia love these planes and this style of air combat and it shines through the wonderful pre-painted models to the highly detailed gameplay options ranging from miniscule plane variations to scenarios that are considerably more complex, historical concepts. There is a charming old timey-ness to it all, this game about toy airplanes machine-gunning each other out of the sky.

The miniature planes are awesome!

This starter set comes with two British Spitfires and two German Messerschmitt Bf.109s, two of the "superstar" planes of the second World War and they are just delightful little models every bit as cool as the X-Wing ships. In addition to the planes, bases and altitude posts You also get the maneuver decks that each plane uses to move (no templates here), assorted cards depicting ground targets, control consoles, assorted tokens, and range markers. It's kind of a whiff that a playing surface wasn't included, maybe just a fold-out sheet, but that is pretty common for miniatures starters. All in, I still think this is a pretty satisfying set to kick off a Wings of Glory collection- just be aware that this game may be more of a money sink than X-Wing, especially if you want specific planes or you want to play some of the larger scenarios.

Gameplay follows a programmed movement scheme. You lock in maneuver cards, which indicate a flight path. Everybody shows their cards and simultaneously scoots their planes along their flight paths. I especially like that planes can overlap when they finish, which is a nice change from X-Wing where apparently two ships can't possibly be at any orientation with each other than crashing. Once everyone is settled into their new position, everything gets to shoot from its firing arc. But wait- there's no dice. It's a chit-pull, with players drawing from pools designated by the type of weapon and the number of draws is equal to the plane's firepower rating. Damage can either be a numerical value or special damage that affects your plane's performance or impacts its systems. If you draw the explosion counter, hope your parachute works!

It's a fun system, but it gets even better when you apply standard and advanced rules. Then you start getting into special pilots, altitude, special maneuvers like the beloved Immelman Turn, speed changes, dive attacks, tailing, landings and takeoffs, taking cover in clouds, and other details that add lots of color. And then there is artillery, ground troops, multi-engine planes, ventral guns, turrets...and all of this is handled without the need for endless piles of upgrade cards, and the rulebook is completely reasonable- well written, brief, and organized.

Add in some extra planes like this P-51, get a terrain mat, and that German plane will resemble your gaming budget- but it may be worth it.

Dogfights are one thing, but where this game really takes flight is in its scenarios. The included scenario guide gives you a couple to go on including some solitaire and co-op options (which is very, very welcome in this genre space), but many call for additional planes. But they are so tantalizing- Stuka bombing runs, night raids, escort missions...I wouldn't blame you for looking at the pictures of all the planes at the back of this booklet and filling up a cart here at Miniature Market. I've had to stop myself a couple of times.

This is an excellent game all around, but it is first and foremost a miniatures design and all that entails. I would not recommend this starter as an "only" purchase and I would not regard it as a "complete" game. But it is enough to give you a taste of what Wings of Glory is all about, and that taste is pretty yummy. The two or three of you out there that have no interest in Star Wars but are interested in a top flight dogfight game should look no further- this is the one you want.