Post by boomerbill on Oct 14, 2018 1:45:13 GMT
I was glad to have Dogtank and Johnny Kosciejew take part in "The Few" — my Battle of Britain scenario — at the first day of the two-day SkyCon convention in Kitchener today.
SkyCon targets the fantasy crowd, so my Spitfires and Bf109s looked a little unusual amidst the vampires, Balrogs, magic-users and space marines that usually populate the tables.
This was roughly the same scenario I used at Broadsword recently, with a few tweaks.
To recap: the scenario is based roughly on the situation in August 1940. The Luftwaffe was bombing airfields and challenging the RAF in the air.
The Axis player scores points by bombing airfields and shooting down RAF fighters (15 points). The RAF scores points by eliminating Luftwaffe aircraft. The larger the onboard crew, the more points, so an He-111 was worth 25 points, while a Bf109 was worth 5 points. An Axis aircraft that left the game crippled would count for full points, as the icy Channel waters awaited.
One of the tweaks was placing an airfield near the south map-edge, so that hit-and-run raiders could have an easier time, but reducing the number of victory points for hitting it. The Axis player got 10 points for hitting the southern airfield (Hawkinge) and 20 points for hitting the more inland airfield (Kenley).
The RAF had two Spitfire Aces, the Kusciuszko Hurricane (a Veteran) and the Average Hurricane Mk. I. The Luftwaffe had two Bf109E Aces and two Bf109E Wingmen, two Ju87 Stukas, two Ju-88As, and two He-111s.
Also stirred into the mix was a Boulton Paul Defiant for the RAF and a CR.42, escorting the Stukas.
Dogtank rolled for map edge and won the RAF.
Turn One was spent with the two Hurricanes racing to meet the two He-111s and escorting Bf110 heading for Hawkinge.
On Turn Two, an He-111 bombed Hawkinge for 10 points, but was hit by a Hurricane.
On Turn Three, two Spitfires entered the board from the north, while two Ju-88s and another escorting Bf110 entered from the southeast. An He-111 hit Hawkinge again, for 10 points.
On Turn Four, four Bf109s entered from the southeast edge on a fighter sweep, with two Stukas and an escorting CR.42 entered from the south edge. The RAF was scoring hits, downing a Ju-88 and an He-111 for 20 and 25 points, respectively.
On Turn Five, the 109s downed the Kusciuszko Hurricane and hit Hawkinge again, while the RAF downed an He-111.
On Turn Six, the Axis targeted Kenley, hitting it with a Ju-88 while hitting Hawkinge with a Stuka and downing a Spitfire. The RAF fought back, vitaling a 109.
On Turn Seven, hits were scored on various aircraft, but none were fatal. The second Ju-88 made its run for Kenley.
On Turn Eight, the Bf109s were running low on fuel and had to position themselves to leave the map by the next turn or risk ditching in the Channel. The Bf110s could remain to escort the bombers. Just as the second Ju-88 settled on Kenley to deliver its load, it was vitaled by the RAF, for 20 points.
On Turn Nine, the second Hurricane was downed, for 15 Axis points. At this point, the Defiant and the Spitfire had scored hits on several aircraft, which wisely chose to fly off the board.
The game ended on Turn Ten, with five points for the RAF due to the CR.42 running out of fuel.
The final score was RAF 100; Luftwaffe 95.
The Defiant did better than any of us had expected, and the RAF learned not to get in front of the Bf110 -- it packs a punch. The ability to make two difficult manoeuvres makes the Spitfire Ace and Bf109 Ace incredibly potent on the board. And the return fire from the He-111s and Ju-88s was pitiful.
The players were satisfied with the game overall, and I think it sparked a renewed interest in AAAF.
SkyCon targets the fantasy crowd, so my Spitfires and Bf109s looked a little unusual amidst the vampires, Balrogs, magic-users and space marines that usually populate the tables.
This was roughly the same scenario I used at Broadsword recently, with a few tweaks.
To recap: the scenario is based roughly on the situation in August 1940. The Luftwaffe was bombing airfields and challenging the RAF in the air.
The Axis player scores points by bombing airfields and shooting down RAF fighters (15 points). The RAF scores points by eliminating Luftwaffe aircraft. The larger the onboard crew, the more points, so an He-111 was worth 25 points, while a Bf109 was worth 5 points. An Axis aircraft that left the game crippled would count for full points, as the icy Channel waters awaited.
One of the tweaks was placing an airfield near the south map-edge, so that hit-and-run raiders could have an easier time, but reducing the number of victory points for hitting it. The Axis player got 10 points for hitting the southern airfield (Hawkinge) and 20 points for hitting the more inland airfield (Kenley).
The RAF had two Spitfire Aces, the Kusciuszko Hurricane (a Veteran) and the Average Hurricane Mk. I. The Luftwaffe had two Bf109E Aces and two Bf109E Wingmen, two Ju87 Stukas, two Ju-88As, and two He-111s.
Also stirred into the mix was a Boulton Paul Defiant for the RAF and a CR.42, escorting the Stukas.
Dogtank rolled for map edge and won the RAF.
Turn One was spent with the two Hurricanes racing to meet the two He-111s and escorting Bf110 heading for Hawkinge.
On Turn Two, an He-111 bombed Hawkinge for 10 points, but was hit by a Hurricane.
On Turn Three, two Spitfires entered the board from the north, while two Ju-88s and another escorting Bf110 entered from the southeast. An He-111 hit Hawkinge again, for 10 points.
On Turn Four, four Bf109s entered from the southeast edge on a fighter sweep, with two Stukas and an escorting CR.42 entered from the south edge. The RAF was scoring hits, downing a Ju-88 and an He-111 for 20 and 25 points, respectively.
On Turn Five, the 109s downed the Kusciuszko Hurricane and hit Hawkinge again, while the RAF downed an He-111.
On Turn Six, the Axis targeted Kenley, hitting it with a Ju-88 while hitting Hawkinge with a Stuka and downing a Spitfire. The RAF fought back, vitaling a 109.
On Turn Seven, hits were scored on various aircraft, but none were fatal. The second Ju-88 made its run for Kenley.
On Turn Eight, the Bf109s were running low on fuel and had to position themselves to leave the map by the next turn or risk ditching in the Channel. The Bf110s could remain to escort the bombers. Just as the second Ju-88 settled on Kenley to deliver its load, it was vitaled by the RAF, for 20 points.
On Turn Nine, the second Hurricane was downed, for 15 Axis points. At this point, the Defiant and the Spitfire had scored hits on several aircraft, which wisely chose to fly off the board.
The game ended on Turn Ten, with five points for the RAF due to the CR.42 running out of fuel.
The final score was RAF 100; Luftwaffe 95.
The Defiant did better than any of us had expected, and the RAF learned not to get in front of the Bf110 -- it packs a punch. The ability to make two difficult manoeuvres makes the Spitfire Ace and Bf109 Ace incredibly potent on the board. And the return fire from the He-111s and Ju-88s was pitiful.
The players were satisfied with the game overall, and I think it sparked a renewed interest in AAAF.
