I.A.F. Israeli Air Force Leader
by
Dan Verssen Games
DVG ( Dan Verssen Games) has been offering a large amount of solitaire wargames to us for a few years now. These are:
Field commander Alexander
Field Commander Napoleon
Field Commander Rommel
Fleet commander Nimitz
Gato leader
U-Boat Leader
Tiger Leader
Then there is a bunch of airwar solitaire games:
Hornet Leader
Phantom leader
Thunderbolt Apache Leader
Mike reviewed their 'Tiger Leader' for us, and I had the pleasure of reviewing 'Phantom Leader' and 'B-17 Flying Fortress Leader'.
http://www.awargamersneedfulthings.co.uk/2017/05/b-17-leader-by-dan-verssen-games.html
http://www.awargamersneedfulthings.co.uk/2017/05/phantom-leader-for-pc-by-dan-verssen.html
http://www.awargamersneedfulthings.co.uk/2016/12/tiger-leader.html
http://www.awargamersneedfulthings.co.uk/2017/05/b-17-leader-by-dan-verssen-games.html
http://www.awargamersneedfulthings.co.uk/2017/05/phantom-leader-for-pc-by-dan-verssen.html
http://www.awargamersneedfulthings.co.uk/2016/12/tiger-leader.html
If I had to use only one word to describe I.A.F. it would be 'scope'. The sheer amount of aircraft and campaigns is truly exceptional for a wargame. The campaigns are:
1948 War Of Independence
1956 The Suez Crisis
1967 The Six Day War
1973 Yom Kippur War
1981 Operation Babylon
1982 Lebanon I
1991 Desert Storm
2006 Lebanon II
2022 Armageddon
The plane selection is even greater. They are:
Mustangs
Czech built AVIA S-199 ( BF 109G frames new engine)
Spitfires
Meteors
Mirages
These continue all the way to the F-35 Lightning II. The weapons you can carry fill up 2 1/2 pages, from the simplest iron bombs to the newest guided ones.
The campaigns range from as short as three days to the longest of twelve days. DVG's airwar games seem to have a common skeleton that they all possess. The designer then builds upon it to give each of the the simulations its own historical feel. The main point of the games are to put you in the shoes of an Air force commander. You will not only deal with logistics, but also with pilot stress, etc. Your job is not only to destroy this mission's target, but to have planes and pilots for the next.
Just like 'B-17 Leader' the target display, counters, and cards are of the highest quality. The counters drop out like butter with no bits of cardboard attached. For those of you who cannot play any other way, they even come clipped. The game pieces alone are worth the price. The fact that you get a world class solitaire game along with them is simply outstanding.
For those of you who have not picked one up yet, the game play is pretty much the same in each game. You pick the campaign you want to play. Then, following the campaign rules, you pick your pilots and planes. You are given 'X" amount of each of the following pilots:
Newbie
Green
Average
Skilled
Veteran
Ace
Each campaign has a different amount of SOs (special options) points that a player can use to purchase special weapons, aircraft, or priority options. Event Cards, escalation cards, and Pilot loss penalties cause you to lose your 'SO' points. This is important, because if you fall below zero 'SO' points, you automatically lose the game. You then have your pick of 'target cards' to attack. Some of these also have special rules that apply only to them. Then the real fun starts. You have to destroy the target or call off the mission due to losses etc. You have to keep track of your pilots with a written log. As I said in the 'B-17 Leader' review the process is not an onus.
I would recommend I.A.F. to anyone interested in these historic scenarios, or anyone in need of a great solitaire wargame. "Phantom leader, "B-17 Leader', and I.A.F etc. all fit the bill. In a very nice touch, all of the Kickstarter buyers are on the outside of the box.
This is a pic of my latest campaign during The Six Day war. I became enamored of the Vautour even after I found out it is French for vulture. It actually used a Norden bombsight, and could only be used in clear weather and daylight.
This is a pic of my latest campaign during The Six Day war. I became enamored of the Vautour even after I found out it is French for vulture. It actually used a Norden bombsight, and could only be used in clear weather and daylight.
Robert
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