zur Review-

	Rating	Grade (1-10)
	Graphic Presentation	5
	Rules	8
	Playability	8
	Replay Value	8
	Overall Result:	7,25

PRO	A good simulation of the limited possibilities of a B-17 crew during a flight
CONTRA	Boring table and sheets layout; Player has very few options during the game (this is intentional: PRO), dicey

B-17
Review #1 written by: Andreas Ludwig

Graphic Presentation Everything is produced in a rather good quality, but don't expect too much. You get a good looking B-17 board where you place your crew members. These are not represented with pics, alas, just with plain text counters. The strategic map is divided into several zones and shows the possible targets for the raids - all without too much detail, but that doesn't matter for this kind of a game anyway. The fighters look very good and all sheets used in the game are printed on thick paper. So everything's fine with these elements of the game.

Rules A well written and short rulebook which explains everything without any "black holes" one is so often afraid of. The rulebook contains some mission examples, too.

Playability You can face missions which are very short and where you don't get a single shot by enemy fighters or you are part of bloody dogfights that will take your breath. It's possible to lose every crew member by a deadly shot in the first mission, or to fly the 20th mission with all your buddies still at your side. The game plays smooth and comfortable once you know where, how and when to look at the various charts. Once you got a grasp of the game system you go thru the combat sequences in an easy manner.

Replay Value Well, that will depend on whether you like the game or not. If you like it, you'll come back for sure to fly the next mission; if you don't like it, you won't play many missions, that's also for sure.

Creativity B-17 is a very innovative game because it was the first game that accurately portrays bombing raid air combat - and it does so in a very convincing manner.

Simulation Value B-17 is also a good simulation, although the game mechanics are simple. It portrays the situation every crew member on board of a bomber is facing in a very good way. That there's not that much to do on such a raid except praying that you'll make it home alive was a fact in these WWII bombers.

Solitaire-Factor This game was done as a true solitaire game, but there's a 2 player variant that comes with it. Multiplayer variants are quite popular on tournaments.

Can be compared to If one looks at the various air combat games, there's nothing that can be compared with B-17, because the other games usually work on a different scale, say the player commands several fighters, like in RAF or London's Burning. Compared to these games, B-17 plays much faster and is easier to get into. The only game that one can compare to B-17 is Patton's Best, which is a simulation of one tank and its crew. The Fighting Wing games can also be compared with it because they portray tactical air combat, but they are not a solitaire game and most of the time you'll control more than one fighter/bomber. Besides this, B-17 is much simpler.

Short Review As I said, B-17 belongs to the games you either love or hate. Many gamers are complaining about B-17 being a "dice fest", that the player can't really make his own decisions but has to watch what's happening. Whether you like this game or not will strongly depend on your expectations you bring into the gaming session: if you are after a simulation, want to really get a feel of such missions, to portray what those men in their Flying Fortresses had to endure, then well, you get exactly this. You are in command of a single heavy bomber and you are sitting there with your crew at your side, hoping that everything will turn out for good. If german fighters attack the Queen or heavy Flak starts firing, there's actually not much you can, or could, do against this - except keeping your nerves while the explosions come nearer and you try to shoot down the enemy. If you are more the action oriented player, this kind of game can get boring very soon. I'd say B-17 is a true consim and that only players who are interested into this topic will have fun playing it. I personally do like it very much because it does a wonderful job simulating air combat, you can play it whenever you like, it doesn't consume much table space and you are always in an ongoing campaign. You can fly your missions, one per day, three per day or one in three weeks - just as you like, there's no pressure. Furthermore, the game has a very personal touch because of the roleplaying elements in creating your crew, so you actually start to get worried about their fate. It's a good base for cool AARs about the missions, too (we published some in our german AAR section). B-17 is a classic and a game a wargamer should have on the shelf, imho. And it is said that the multiplayer missions with whole bomber squadrons, played on cons with 60 people and up are an absolute blast!

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B-17 Review #1	written by: Andreas Ludwig
Graphic Presentation	Everything is produced in a rather good quality, but don't expect too much. You get a good looking B-17 board where you place your crew members. These are not represented with pics, alas, just with plain text counters. The strategic map is divided into several zones and shows the possible targets for the raids - all without too much detail, but that doesn't matter for this kind of a game anyway. The fighters look very good and all sheets used in the game are printed on thick paper. So everything's fine with these elements of the game.
Rules	A well written and short rulebook which explains everything without any "black holes" one is so often afraid of. The rulebook contains some mission examples, too.
Playability	You can face missions which are very short and where you don't get a single shot by enemy fighters or you are part of bloody dogfights that will take your breath. It's possible to lose every crew member by a deadly shot in the first mission, or to fly the 20th mission with all your buddies still at your side. The game plays smooth and comfortable once you know where, how and when to look at the various charts. Once you got a grasp of the game system you go thru the combat sequences in an easy manner.
Replay Value	Well, that will depend on whether you like the game or not. If you like it, you'll come back for sure to fly the next mission; if you don't like it, you won't play many missions, that's also for sure.
Creativity	B-17 is a very innovative game because it was the first game that accurately portrays bombing raid air combat - and it does so in a very convincing manner.
Simulation Value	B-17 is also a good simulation, although the game mechanics are simple. It portrays the situation every crew member on board of a bomber is facing in a very good way. That there's not that much to do on such a raid except praying that you'll make it home alive was a fact in these WWII bombers.
Solitaire-Factor	This game was done as a true solitaire game, but there's a 2 player variant that comes with it. Multiplayer variants are quite popular on tournaments.
Can be compared to	If one looks at the various air combat games, there's nothing that can be compared with B-17, because the other games usually work on a different scale, say the player commands several fighters, like in RAF or London's Burning. Compared to these games, B-17 plays much faster and is easier to get into. The only game that one can compare to B-17 is Patton's Best, which is a simulation of one tank and its crew. The Fighting Wing games can also be compared with it because they portray tactical air combat, but they are not a solitaire game and most of the time you'll control more than one fighter/bomber. Besides this, B-17 is much simpler.
Short Review	As I said, B-17 belongs to the games you either love or hate. Many gamers are complaining about B-17 being a "dice fest", that the player can't really make his own decisions but has to watch what's happening. Whether you like this game or not will strongly depend on your expectations you bring into the gaming session: if you are after a simulation, want to really get a feel of such missions, to portray what those men in their Flying Fortresses had to endure, then well, you get exactly this. You are in command of a single heavy bomber and you are sitting there with your crew at your side, hoping that everything will turn out for good. If german fighters attack the Queen or heavy Flak starts firing, there's actually not much you can, or could, do against this - except keeping your nerves while the explosions come nearer and you try to shoot down the enemy. If you are more the action oriented player, this kind of game can get boring very soon. I'd say B-17 is a true consim and that only players who are interested into this topic will have fun playing it. I personally do like it very much because it does a wonderful job simulating air combat, you can play it whenever you like, it doesn't consume much table space and you are always in an ongoing campaign. You can fly your missions, one per day, three per day or one in three weeks - just as you like, there's no pressure. Furthermore, the game has a very personal touch because of the roleplaying elements in creating your crew, so you actually start to get worried about their fate. It's a good base for cool AARs about the missions, too (we published some in our german AAR section). B-17 is a classic and a game a wargamer should have on the shelf, imho. And it is said that the multiplayer missions with whole bomber squadrons, played on cons with 60 people and up are an absolute blast!