The Inside Scoop on Gaming

First things first, I will say I never really played B-17 (in the way the original writers probably ever intended) all that much. Not that I ever played much different, I used the same basic rules, same basic theme. However thanks to some geniuses at a convention (Mike Moore and Chris Renaut), this basically solitaire game has turned into a multiplayer, semi-role-playing extravaganza.

The basic premise of the game is you take one (or perhaps several B-17's depending on your luck) on missions into occupied Europe. The pretext is fairly vanilla and general. You brush off fighters, brave flak, drop bombs, fight like heck to get home. As much as I love and am interested in WWII bomber history and other games. B-17 as a whole is not something I would break out and play. But then I discovered this keen variant as a gaming convention.

Now what turns this fair board game into a great deal of fun is when you take 30 people and play all at the same time. It sometimes looses a little realism, but more than makes up for it in sheer excitement. Break the players into groups of 6 and keep dividing till squadrons are formed. The group aspect of this twist on an old theme gives b-17 a momentum all it's own (imagine a crowded convention being disrupted by making propeller sounds or singing "Wild Blue Yonder" en masse). You cheer your squad mates' success console their losses and do the same for the other squadrons (well most…).

The next ingredient to this is a mission. Not some anonymous factory in France or rail yards in Germany. No sir, these have been on the order of complexity, excitement and occasional goofiness. Add too many fighters, lots of flak and occasional fighter coverage. Usually the zones are similar to the ones in the game, though for pacific missions or other odd scenarios this is wholly optional. Part of the fun truly is seeing how long you can survive, or what you have to go through just to get back home.

The worst part of this variant of B-17 is that it is almost exclusively found in Denver so far as I know and that it has never been published in any significant way. (Reviewer's note, if other people are doing this, shoot me an e-mail). The other drawback to this is you need more than a couple of people to play (6-36+ works just fine) and a copy of the rules is required for each player.

The mechanics of the system are not a great deal different than the solitaire game. You run the charts, roll the dice and generally swear at fates ugly turns. Flak, fighter coverage and enemy fighters are the same for each bomber in the formation. Anyone familiar with the game (or not, the rules are fairly easy to follow) can simply run or play the game without much issue.

Some of the interesting missions over the past 10 years have been Achtung London (bombing London in captured B-17's), High Yield Tango (Nuke), Fatherland Express (Germany).

As a solitaire game B-17 might be you cup of tea. It is solid and can be fun to see what happen to your planes and crews over the course of a tour of duty. As a multiplayer experience, this game shines.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 3 (Average)

B-17 Queen of the Skies (base game and variant)
Author: Unknown Category: Boardgame Company/Publisher: Avalon Hill Line: N/A Cost: 19.95 Page count: n/a SKU: 851 Capsule Review by Wes Johnson on 10/21/99. Genre tags: Historical	First things first, I will say I never really played B-17 (in the way the original writers probably ever intended) all that much. Not that I ever played much different, I used the same basic rules, same basic theme. However thanks to some geniuses at a convention (Mike Moore and Chris Renaut), this basically solitaire game has turned into a multiplayer, semi-role-playing extravaganza. The basic premise of the game is you take one (or perhaps several B-17's depending on your luck) on missions into occupied Europe. The pretext is fairly vanilla and general. You brush off fighters, brave flak, drop bombs, fight like heck to get home. As much as I love and am interested in WWII bomber history and other games. B-17 as a whole is not something I would break out and play. But then I discovered this keen variant as a gaming convention. Now what turns this fair board game into a great deal of fun is when you take 30 people and play all at the same time. It sometimes looses a little realism, but more than makes up for it in sheer excitement. Break the players into groups of 6 and keep dividing till squadrons are formed. The group aspect of this twist on an old theme gives b-17 a momentum all it's own (imagine a crowded convention being disrupted by making propeller sounds or singing "Wild Blue Yonder" en masse). You cheer your squad mates' success console their losses and do the same for the other squadrons (well most…). The next ingredient to this is a mission. Not some anonymous factory in France or rail yards in Germany. No sir, these have been on the order of complexity, excitement and occasional goofiness. Add too many fighters, lots of flak and occasional fighter coverage. Usually the zones are similar to the ones in the game, though for pacific missions or other odd scenarios this is wholly optional. Part of the fun truly is seeing how long you can survive, or what you have to go through just to get back home. The worst part of this variant of B-17 is that it is almost exclusively found in Denver so far as I know and that it has never been published in any significant way. (Reviewer's note, if other people are doing this, shoot me an e-mail). The other drawback to this is you need more than a couple of people to play (6-36+ works just fine) and a copy of the rules is required for each player. The mechanics of the system are not a great deal different than the solitaire game. You run the charts, roll the dice and generally swear at fates ugly turns. Flak, fighter coverage and enemy fighters are the same for each bomber in the formation. Anyone familiar with the game (or not, the rules are fairly easy to follow) can simply run or play the game without much issue. Some of the interesting missions over the past 10 years have been Achtung London (bombing London in captured B-17's), High Yield Tango (Nuke), Fatherland Express (Germany). As a solitaire game B-17 might be you cup of tea. It is solid and can be fun to see what happen to your planes and crews over the course of a tour of duty. As a multiplayer experience, this game shines. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 3 (Average)

B-17 Queen of the Skies (base game and variant)