Part the first, was it fun? Yes, yes it was. we utilized far more of the Fate Core mechanics than I had in previous games. The game still impresses with how smooth and quick it runs. I did run into one minor issue with the mechanics of Fate Core. I tried to use an advantage as an obstacle, and this ended up not really doing anything special. It was just another Aspect that was used on a defense roll. Others and I have brought this issue and Mr. Hicks is aware of it. Aside from that one issue the game ran well. On a side note, I think my french accent slipped into a more German one mid game. This is not a gameplay issue, just something that I noticed.
Part the second, did the new rules for the scenario work? Overall I would say that yes they did. The dog fighting rules were pretty darn interesting, they did tend to lengthen combat over standard Fate Core, but it was not a dull extension. It was more like the game was very loose outside of Dog Fighting, and then when it starts the game suddenly dilates down to the action we all wanted. I would probably want to use a mechanic like this for other games, but reskin it for the part of the game that the game is focused on.
The second major rule change is the Relationships mechanic. As there were three of us(at the start) there were three relationships, only two of them ever really showed up in play. They did add a lot to the game though. the rivalry between mine and Frank's characters really drove much of the drama. at one point Rene(my char) punched Heinrich(Frank's char) in the face. Heinrich then accused Rene of being a traitor. He also fired on a zeppelin that he knew Rene was on. It was a blast to play such an open rivalry, we even came up with a bit of back story about how we flew against one another in the Great War. The other Relationships did not come up all that much, but it was only one session so that is not such a huge deal.
The third big item was the aircraft themselves. I believe that they are major game changers. In the air all of us were damned near unstoppable. I do not know if this was a part of the bonuses given by the planes or if it was the GMgiving us too easy a time, but we were dominating every dogfight. I know on my part, I was rolling with a +6 average in a dogfight, which is a lot in Fate. I didn't even take stress the whole game. again not sure if it is even a problem, just thought I would mention it.
The fourth and fifth new rules bits did not come up much. Wing men were never used(mostly we forgot they were there), and we only did one post dogfight interview thingy, so I have no idea if what I experienced is right, but it was an interesting idea that I think has a lot of legs on it.
And there you have it. I had fun, the scenario is spot on for a lot of what I look for in a world war on style dogfight simulator. I mean, I got to fly a Sopwith Camel in combat(just like Snoopy!), whats not to like? I would recommend the game and the campaign to anyone who wants to play a great game. It reminded me of a lot of what I loved about the Rocketeer and Sky Captain. Totally worth your time to play!
And here is the recording of the game:
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