Age of Dogfights: WWII

Update #49
7 months ago – Sat, Jun 15, 2024 at 09:38:18 AM

We are still waiting for a free slot at the Lucky Graf printing house to print all the instruction manuals. The delay occurred due to the specialized graphics equipment fair in Dusseldorf - "Drupa", and the absence of the owner for several days caused some changes and delays in their schedule. We hope, however, it will all be soon sorted out, and our manuals will be put to print as soon as possible. After this one, another update will follow, containing some important information related to this project.

We also use this opportunity to announce another campaign on our secondary Kickstarter profile, Forsage Light Games. This campaign was originally conceived as a reprint of the Carom Mini Golf game from last year (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2078586680/carom-mini-golf), but shortly before the start of the campaign, we’ve added a new variant: Carom Golf.

As always, we have provided gifts for early pledges (this time, the Garbage mini expansion) and a loyalty gift for all our returning backers: a multipurpose spinner.

About Carom Golf

Carom Golf is a tabletop simulation of golf, played on a modular board made of up to 12 board segments.

The goal of the game is to put the ball from one end of the course into the hole on the opposite side, and the winner is the player who manages to do so with the fewest strokes. The strokes are performed by rolling a die and moving the ball accordingly over the hex grid on the board; this is not a toy nor a flicking game, so dexterity doesn't play a role.

On its path to the hole, the ball may encounter different types of obstacles (provided in the set), with which it interacts in various ways. By carefully choosing the path, however, the ball can bypass any obstacle, and even fly over it, if it gets hit hard enough.

The game is designed for up to 12 players, as there are two sets of 6 balls each provided. It can also be played solo, as finding the best and the quickest path for the ball on any imaginable course is a joy in its own right. 

When playing in company, however, there is a special Carom mode where all players play one stroke at a time on the same hole, and their balls remain on the course at all times. In this mode, it is possible to hit the other player's ball with your own, change its position, and even knock it out of bounds, in order to mess with your opponent’s game. If you’re a competitive bunch, you’ll prefer this mode for sure.

Whatever you choose, you’ll be equipped for hours of fun. See you on the course! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2078586680/carom-golf?ref=dkpeuh

Summary of added elements
8 months ago – Sun, May 26, 2024 at 07:31:13 PM

At the time we started the Kickstarter campaign for Age of Dogfights: WWII, our previous game (AoD:WWI) had just been delivered to backers, who didn't have much time to unbox it and try it out. Our original intention was to make the WWII game slightly more extensive and detailed than its predecessor, so the rulebook was not finalized before the campaign. In the meantime, we started receiving excellent feedback for the AoD:WWI game, and we felt the need, as authors, to make the new game even better and more complete than the previous one (just as the aircraft from the WWII period were better and more advanced than WWI aircraft). So, we decided to include the rules for air-to-surface and surface-to-air actions in the game with the same level of detail and realism as for air-to-air actions (something that wasn't even featured in the AoD:WWI). The new, more detailed rules also required the introduction of many new physical elements in the game, which all in all significantly increased the contents of the game (and weight).

We, as authors, are very satisfied with how we managed to fit everything into a functional whole, and we believe that the gamers around the world will be pleased as well. The end product is a game that can simulate all aviation actions during WWII, so we're confident that the gamers will be able to play new, interesting games for many years, especially if they use at least one of the available expansions. We are eagerly awaiting the first comments about the new game, but we are sure the overall quality of the game will be recognized by the community.

However, looking from the business aspect, our decision to significantly expand the game was unfortunate. First, writing the rules took much longer than we anticipated, which created additional costs on its own. Second, in that extended period, many raw materials have become more expensive, not to mention the increase in shipping fees. Thirdly, for elements that were produced a long time ago (boxes, boards, turn counters, etc.) we had to rent additional storage space, as we do not have enough room in our existing premises (including the apartment). For all that, we are the only ones to blame, because we didn't properly estimate the time we needed to do everything we set out to do.  But, perhaps more than these additional costs, we are worried about the fact that we caused unsatisfaction among backers due to the delay in the shipping. Hopefully, that feeling will disappear when we finally deliver all the games.

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In the previous post, we showed photos of all the elements from the AoD:WWII set. We also announced that we will soon list all those elements that were not announced during the campaign, and they are the result of the fact that we, the authors, decided to significantly expand the scope of the game.

1. Rulebook and Scenario Book

The AoD:WWI rulebook contained 16 pages, including the scenarios. We knew in advance that the rulebook for AoD:WWII would be more extensive, but the original estimate was between 24 and 32 pages. However, in the end, the rulebook for the new game has as many as 52 pages! (Which doesn't mean the game is much more complex, as explained in Update #46.)

The separate Scenario Book (36 pages) contains scenarios and texts with information about all types of aircraft from this set. There are also introductory articles on the German, British and American air forces of WWII.

First intended to be part of the Scenario Book, illustrations of all the aircraft from the basic game are printed on two posters. Those posters are folded in half so that they could fit in the box, but we believe that many backers will hang them on the wall.

So, in total, there are 52 (rulebook) + 36 (scenario book) + 4 (posters) = 92 pages with text and pictures, 6 times more than for AoD:WWI or about 3 times more than the original estimate for AoD: WWII. Due to the large volume of the books, we decided to make covers out of thicker laminated paper.

2. Player Aid

In AoD:WWI, there was just a small piece of cardboard with only one chart for reference, while here it is a large (32 x 23 cm) double-sided printed and laminated cardboard.

3. Terrain Markers

In order to realistically simulate the air-surface and surface-air effects, the set includes two cardboard sheets (32 x 23 cm) with printed terrain markers.

4. Task Markers

In AoD:WWI, there was a small set (6 + 6) of thin plastic task markers that represented task zones and ship silhouettes. AoD:WWII game contains two A4 sheets with a total of 37 + 37 task markers.

5. Barrage Sector

We managed to solve the challenge of simulating barrage fire of large-caliber anti-aircraft guns in an innovative way. For that, we have included three A4 transparent plastic sheets in each set, that feature some necessary numbers and symbols printed with a special color for plastic.

6. Speed indicators

AoD:WWI had no speed indicators, and we originally announced that there would be 24 of them in AoD:WWII, however, we've added 12 more, so the set contains 36 indicators consisting of plastic cubes and PVC stickers.

7. Dice

AoD:WWII contains 11 dice (9 special ones) instead of the originally announced 10 (the AoD:WWI set contains 6).

8. Chits (markers)

AoD:WWI contained 83 square markers, and for AoD:WWII we originally predicted only slightly more, but, in the end, there are as many as 154 round markers (which required making a more expensive punching tool).

9. Temporary Board Extensions

An element that was not present in AoD:WWI; AoD:WWII has two double-sided pieces (25x9cm).

10. Speed Calculators

Each AoD:WWII set contains two speed calculators.

11. Spacers

Each set contains 10 transparent plastic spacers.

12. KS exclusive content

This zip bag contains 6 small dial counters. They were announced in the campaign, but later we realized that they are not necessary, because it is simpler to use only the one main dial counter instead. Since they were already produced, we've included them in the set, so you could use them here if you wish, or in any other board game where they are useful.

Additionally, this zip bag contains two L+1 spacers that were not announced at the beginning of the campaign. We remind you that the set also includes 3 additional tokens with the corresponding control panels for three Bf 109 G-10 aircraft.

AoD:WWII sets in later retail will not contain this zip bag.

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All the things listed in the first 11 bullet points were either not foreseen nor announced in the campaign at all, or were announced, but in a smaller quantity, so producing them was a significant additional cost. In addition, the new content has increased the weight of the set, which will also affect the shipping fee.

In one of the following updates, we will announce some elements that we included in the expansions: Pacific Theater, Eastern Front, Blitzkrieg, Battle of Britain and African Campaign. Those additions are different for each of the 5 listed expansions and will significantly affect the quality and variety of scenarios. All these elements were not announced in the campaign, and we are sure that they will be welcomed by the players.

We are aware that many backers are unhappy about the delay, and they absolutely have the right to feel that way and to say so publicly. However, we believe that there are others who appreciate our effort to make the best possible version of the game, which resulted in the introduction of new elements into the game and, unfortunately, additional production and shipping costs. If you want to help us in covering the additional costs incurred due to the addition of these new elements, we offer you the possibility to donate a certain amount through our website.

We emphasize that this is not mandatory, nor will it affect the order of delivery. All backers will receive their games in the first wave, and the ones who ordered add-ons will receive them in the second wave according to the schedule we have already established. The donations will be used to cover the production costs of those additional elements, and we thank you in advance for that.

Donations can be made on our website, at the link below (due to some technical issues, PayPal is the only payment option). There are three options: a 5 Euros donation, a 10 Euros donation, and a 15 Euros donation.

DONATE

As a thank you for the payment, every donor (regardless of the donated amount) will immediately receive 18 digital wallpapers with illustrations of aircraft from the AoD:WWII base game and the Advanced German Aircraft expansion (in resolution 3840x2160).

Start of shipping the first packages!
8 months ago – Wed, May 08, 2024 at 07:01:19 PM

Rulebook complexity
9 months ago – Wed, Apr 17, 2024 at 04:39:57 AM

While we are waiting for a few last components to arrive these days, when we will show the whole box contents in the next update (and shortly after, the first packages will start shipping), we are now showing one important element – the Player Aid sheet.

During the campaign, and especially during this long period while we were writing the rules, there were a lot of comments and questions related to the overall complexity of this game. A comparison with the game AoD:WW1, for which we received a lot of praise, also arises. Among other things, gamers especially liked the fact that in AoD1, besides high realism and the ability to use a lot of aircraft in a game at once, the game kept simplicity and easy gameplay without the need to analyze complex charts and formulas. AoD1 rulebook fits on 16 pages. The rulebook of the new game (AoD:WWII) has as many as 52 pages, so some backers fear that the game has lost the ease of playing.

The reasons for the longer rulebook are the following:

1) AoD2 has a lot more elements compared to AoD1. New content is added in the Movement section, such as Inertia (which is especially important because it gives additional realism to the game), Aerobatics has been expanded with new maneuvers, etc. The Air-to-Surface Actions are explained in much more detail, and a new section has been added: the Surface-to-Air Firing (which was in an expansion of AoD1 and it was much shorter). Air-to-Air Firing is also shown in more detail and some more factors are added.

2) The way of writing the rules itself has been improved, there are more examples and diagrams. We also included negative examples showing how something should not be done.

What should be pointed out is that many rules are optional and this is clearly highlighted. The rulebook also provides instructions on how to adjust the complexity of the game according to players' affinities. In practice, when most of the optional rules are removed and some simpler scenarios are played (without complex air-ground tasks) the game is very similar to AoD1, with the fact that the rules are written more clearly and with more examples.

We as the authors are very satisfied because we think that we have introduced significant improvements and additional realism to the game compared to AoD1, while retaining the dynamic and fluid gameplay.

Player Aid

Once all the rules have been read and a few games have been played, the Player Aid is sufficient as a reminder during play. Only when using more complex optional rules (such as Aerobatics) and playing more complex scenarios, players would need to occasionally look at some part of the Rulebook during the game.

Player Aid summarizes all important rules and all charts, on a double sided sheet. Two sheets are in the set so that each player has one at hand.

Significant portion of the front side of the sheet is used by optional rules, and the back side mostly covers charts for bombing, launching rockets, anti-aircraft firing etc. Therefore, when playing simpler scenarios, a little more than half a page is needed as a reminder during play.

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Our collaborator on writing the rules, Steve Clack, gave us his remarks and comments during the proofreading of the text, which helped us a lot to make the instructions clearer and more specific. His opinion about the rulebook is as follows:

“Although the AoD WWII rulebook is much longer than the AoD WWI equivalent, the core rules are still under 20 pages. More than a dozen pages are devoted to detailed diagrams and examples, half a dozen pages to (fascinating) historical background and technical explanations, and the remainder to optional rules that can be added in almost any combination, as desired.

For those seeking a more streamlined gaming experience, the rulebook provides the option to omit more than eight pages of the core rules (clearly marked). These sections primarily cover special mission types, such as air-to-surface attacks and surface-to-air firing. By choosing to exclude these sections, the basic game rules can be condensed to a length comparable to those of AoD WWI.”

Update #45
10 months ago – Sat, Mar 16, 2024 at 09:15:59 AM