Compass Games is killing me

[BanzaiCat]

[BanzaiCat]

My copy arrived today. I'm very surprised at how light it is - 228 counters, but 24 of those are for other games (Zeppelin Raider and Interceptor Ace...uhhm...both of which I have, LOL). The rules is only 15 pages and some of that is design notes/history.

An unboxing for the "front page" will be coming soon! 

[bob48]

Are they not amended counters for those games?

[BanzaiCat]

Are they not amended counters for those games?

Indeed they are, though I'd not noticed anything amiss with my copy of Interceptor Ace.

[bob48]

There ya go then 

[judgedredd]

BC - do you have a favourite between Nightfighter Ace and Interceptor Ace? I'm more pulled towards Nightfighter Ace myself.

[BanzaiCat]

BC - do you have a favourite between Nightfighter Ace and Interceptor Ace? I'm more pulled towards Nightfighter Ace myself.

Good question.

I've not played Interceptor Ace though I've poured over the content and rules (I helped them proof the rules and they put my name in the credits - LOL), so I'm fairly familiar with Interceptor Ace.

IA is pretty much the same as NA, though there is a major difference - IA has more rules for dog-fighting. Since IA deals with daylight bombing, you will be dealing with daylight interceptors escorting bombers (not always, but your odds with encountering them will grow greatly as the war progresses, as the Allies add fighters with greater ranges). NA deals with dog-fighting Mosquitoes, but I've yet to get so far in the game that they make an appearance (they CAN appear early in the game, but I've never rolled to encounter one).

It also depends on your own tastes. If you like the idea of flying night fighters against Bomber Command's raids, NA is for you. If you enjoy the thought of flying against American bombers during daylight raids, that's for you. Really, two sides of the same coin, but since IA came after NA, IA incorporates some more polished rules...though that's nothing I'm meaning to slight when it comes to NA.

So, NA is more about fighting bombers, while IA is more about dog-fighting AND bomber attacks.

Another one I have that I've not gotten to is Skies Above the Reich, a solitaire game where you command a squadron of German interceptors (rather than one, as in IA and NA). SATR might be an option though it's expensive, component-heavy, and not focusing on just one fighter, which has a good amount of appeal to me.

I know I've not given you a definitive answer, and that's on purpose - it really depends on your preferences, and I tried to detail some of them here. I had bought NA because I'd had zero idea of night fighting efforts in World War 2, and it opened up avenues of further exploration (buying books and learning a great deal more on the subject). Whereas, there's a right plethora of books on daylight bombing, there aren't as many on night fighting.

Hope that helps, but if you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask.

[judgedredd]

Nah - cracking reply - thanks.

[BanzaiCat]

I forgot to mention that dog-fighting Mosquitoes in NA is pretty abstract, about as much so as attacking bombers. IA adds more detail though it's still easy to play through.

[bob48]

Without wishing to sidetrack you from continuing with NA, I will admit that IA intrigues me, especially since its based on the same system. I can imagine that its a lot more sanguine in combat that NA, and harder to get your character to a high level?

[BanzaiCat]

I can imagine that its a lot more sanguine in combat that NA, and harder to get your character to a high level?

You're not wrong. Combat is rough in IA, especially against the B-17, just as you might imagine. In daylight you can't sneak up on your prey like you can in NA (though you can be spotted in NA, just not automatically like in IA).

In NA, though, you're dealing with a crew, so you get attached to all of them. While you are the "pilot" the others build their skills too and losing them or having them injured and needing to replace them is hard. In IA you can fly the Bf-110 if I remember right so you'd have a crew there, though it's mostly truly solo (e.g. Bf-109, Fw-190, etc.). I'd have to look through it again.

And then there's BGG. In both cases I'm certain you can find fan-made campaigns that allow you to continue fighting beyond the scope of the game. Personally I'd love to see a Go-229 and I have no doubt that would be in there somewhere, or that someone might create one eventually.

[bob48]

I'd be really interested if IA goes up to include stuff like the Me-210 / 410 though.

[Barthheart]

Or the ME-262! 

[bob48]

We need a ground-attack version of the game so that we can have Hs 129's

[BanzaiCat]

All of the above are excellent points.

We need a ground-attack version of the game so that we can have Hs 129's

I'd posit that Wing Leader fits that niche, no?

I own Wing Leader Supremacy and...yep, you guessed it.