SteveMartin wrote:
I was not overly happy to see the PK and FTE chits removed either as such events happened with alarming frequency. One need only recall that the Red Baron himself was the victim of a PK chit.
To the extent that the ability to exclude certain chits from play showed that the site was open to creating options beyond the original Blue Max rules, I have been accepting of the change. Unfortunately, if the chit drawing system was to be changed, even just as an option, I would have preferred to see the change be to correct the non-original game distribution of chits used, rather than exclude chits which produced historically accurate results. However, that is a completely separate topic (and argument).
Its my opinion that too many people want to load the system in favour of the Germans.
Its fine if you want to give some advantages, but lets try and keep the balance as well. Sure, put an SST 4 on the board, but put it against a dozen or so Snipes to reflect the numerical advantage enjoyed by Allies. In late war scenarios apply -1 die modifiers to reflect the lack of trained pilots available to the German airforce. The list goes on.
I agree that many people seem to have a fascination with German forces, in both wars; however, I don't believe that this is particularly relevant in the original discussion. The issue is about balancing the way tactical combat occurs in the game based on a closer approximation of the historical background.
The Siemens-Schuckert D.IV or (D.III) is not the best choice of aircraft for an example, as its primary use was in rear area defense, not front line combat. As a result, a Snipe would most likely encounter a D.IV while the Snipe was on an escort mission, where German aircraft would be responding well within their own territory, and probably have a quite reasonable force.
The gross numerical superiority you suggest for the British forces falls into the same category as the sympathy for the Germans you mention, i.e., it is more in the mind of the beholder than in the history books. While the Allied forces did have a severe numerical superiority over the Germans during the time covered by the Blue Max game, the actual at-the-front encounters did not consistently reflect that superiority. The two major reasons for this were; 1) the concentration of German aircraft against their most active late war opponent, the British, and 2) the German's use of mobile formations to achieve local air equality or even superiority in specific areas. As a result, it would not be accurate to constantly require significantly larger numbers of Allied aircraft against German units.
Also, it seems you are suggesting (off from the original topic) that a difference in pilot quality be reflected via a game modification in the die rolls for German pilots. While questionable historically, it is more important to note that this capability is already built into the Blue Max rules. Unfortunately, this site has elected not to implement that part of the rules.
It might be glamourous to play with the German planes and be a part of that mystique so often applied to that side. But you should remember, you are playing the underdog, the dog that lost the war, so don't lament the fact that you are playing at a disadvantage.
I believe you miss the overall point in two significant ways.
First, the issue is not about Allied verses German sympathies, but about the way combat actually occurred, and the capabilities of the aircraft in those fights.
Second, the game is at the tactical level. These comments reflect operational and strategic issues. Within the question put forward by dvdswnn, the point is not how many aircraft should be present for each side, or how the pilots should be rated, but rather what should be the in-game capabilities of the aircraft represented. In that regard, I would suggest, as I have done in the past, that overall fuel capacity is a poor and arbitrary choice for governing the length of a game which represents aerial combat in the First World War.
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