Game Idea: Iliad XX

Chapter 20 of the Iliad begins with the gods dividing theirselves between the Greek and Trojan armies, with Zeus deciding to stay out of the conflict. The rest of the chapter has Achilles racing about the battlefield cutting down the commanders of Troy and fighting Hector and Aeneas.

The game I propose would be a combat game for 1 - 2 players to play as the heroes and gods fighting on either side.

As Achilles, players would be an invincible warrior, but must find and defeat the Trojan commanders in time to achieve victory.

As Hector and Aeneas, players must protect their soldiers from being overwhelmed on the battlefield, and survive against Achilles when he is encountered.

Finally, players would have the option of playing as the gods to support the heroes and soldiers in the battlefield and change the tide of the battle. The Greek supporters would try to help overrun the Trojan, while the Trojan supporters would try ro push back the Greeks.

The game would take place in an open 3D environment. Players would control their character from a 3rd person perspective with horizontal control of the camera to allow a better view of their surroundings. As a god, players move above the battle with markers to show where key characters are on the battlefield.

The would also be a 'Versus Mode' where players can choose to play as a hero or a god against each others forces. This feature should allow for online play as well as split screen to allow a broader range of people who can play.

Wings of War Review

Wings of War is a game based an aerial combat from the WWI era. At first, it looked like it would be complicated, but the rules felt natural once I got a couple of turns in. The method for moving the planes (players place a card showing the flight path infront of the plane card) has several openings for slight adjustments which could affect how the planes engage in combat, but it works anyway because it is an inexact system. Combat consist of short an long range attacks (determined by a special ruler) which are relativly balanced for power in relation to the agility of the plane. Further more, damage is assigned with numbered counters, some of which have effects like flames or jammed guns.

Improvements were made in a WWII iteration of the game in which the planes' movement is more precise, and only two movements are chosen a round to speed things up by quickening the pace of strategy.

There are several variants of the game, and I don't have any issues myself with the mechanics. It can be daunting at first, but the game has simplified versions to ease people in. You don't need to be an aviation enthusiast to enjoy, and there is enough flexability to play almost any way you can think of.

8/10

Ian C.