Pilots

[Majorball68]

I am playing my first game without pilots and I must say it seems much better. I have always played with pilots and internment which gives the CW some extra pilots. Without pilots you build what you build and it costs you 2BP more. You have to live with the poor air units or relegate them to rear duties.
With pilots I find that some models never get put on the map because you can pick and choose what planes you wish to fill from your reserve units.

Thoughts?

[paulderynck]

I think you just mentioned all the reasons why I like to play with pilots. [:)]

[Majorball68]

ORIGINAL: paulderynck

I think you just mentioned all the reasons why I like to play with pilots. [:)]

Yes that was my point. Why bother with the early short range naval bombers for the CW when you can put the pilots in those nice juicy TAC bombers that can go bomb the German cities. Now you have to find a use for your poor air units. The CW can end up with 5-6 TAC bombers from Dec/Oct 1939. I reckon the game is more balanced without being able to pick and choose what you put a pilot in.

[paulderynck]

Because you're going to need them to protect your convoys. I've always been less then impressed with the selection of CW bombers in SO39 and would rather place/build FTRs and NAVs.

If opposed they have a good chance to go poof along with their pilot and if not opposed, they need to get lucky.

Another nice-to-pilot plane is the Anson with the white circle - if you get it - as it's handy for re-orging TRSs and CPs.

[WarHunter]

Playing without the pilot option is very retro WiF. I applaud the effort.

Hell, before PiF's, that was the only way to buy planes. Also the force pools were much smaller for aircraft. PiF's changed that.

Overall you will see yourself scraping a lot more planes. Because the force pools are so large, its very important to scrape whenever you can. You got to thin the herd.

The one force pool that really sucks without pilots, is the CVp pool. Because of the CV rating and the CVp rating and the pool being so large, you end up with some really weird combos of planes to carriers. No nation is exempted.

The pilot option works. To exclude it can be fun as a novelty game. I don't think its an option you want to do away with most of the time.