@Variable:
Interesting project. I had worked on a similar one myself using IL’s rules as a base and simplifying them for a more “A&A” feel. My game board ended up being so huge to fit all the pieces that I currently don’t have a table to support it. Play testing is temporarily suspended…
What is your suggestion for the non-A&A pieces like bi-planes, cavalry, etc? Just curious what others are using. I bought a bunch of Central Powers pieces from Jack (Table Tactics) a while back, but had to invent some stuff to go with it.
The Conflict game on the sticky thread above looks to have some decent bi-plane fighters and bombers. Between it, Central Powers and A&A, we should have almost everything, though we have a while to wait yet for the Conflict to be available. It lacks cruisers and airships and country-specific infantry and cavalry, which seem to be its biggest deficits as far as pieces, but most of the A&A infantry would work pretty much just as well for WW1 (British, German, French would do just fine for WW1, though Russia, US, & Italy not so much…)
You could go to the HO figure market for more troops if you’re a bit of a uniform purist like me. Hat has the best selection of WW1 infantry and Strelets*R for cavalry. Check Plastic Soldier Review for even more options. To order such pieces online, check out the following 3 sites: The Toy Soldier Company, the Michigan Toy Soldier Company, and Classic Toy Soldiers, all of which have a huge variety that you can order online. (From just about every period you can imagine, really, though WW1 is the topic at hand; WW1 has been a bit of a weak area until recently for HO’s, but it has filled out considerably over the last 10 years or so…)
Between all of these a fairly complete WW1 piece set can definitely be built, though the different components wouldn’t match each other as well as I’d like…