Bloody April 4/9/1917 during Richthofen's War

 I've played with all the variants, except the 5-Second Game for this wargame classic. I can only see to mash the variants I have played together and run the full campaign scenario, Bloody April, which comes with the original game. I am playing a solo run through so my game master knack for creating stories, plots and adventure seeds will embellish this play and create my own fictional battle over Arras during this Allied offensive. None of the titles and descriptors relate to anything in real life. I completely made all this up for color as I played through the daily missions.

Personalizing the roster for both sides is the first step. The Allies consist of two squadrons from the 13th Army Wing. These are the 60th Fighter Squadron, the "Night Sheets", and the "Screaming Wall Cats" of the 11th Bomber. The sluggish Fe2s 11th Bomber must work with the NIEU17s from 60^th or they will be nothing but target practice for the German Alb3s!

These two elements assemble in Pizel on Thursday 4/5 under grey skies. The 9 Nieuports are piloted by Emerson (RAF), Darin (RAF), Duke (USA), Linwood (RAF), Taylor (CAC), Lee (CAC), Hildred (USA), Brendon (USA), Tye (USA). Emmerson is an Ace and the "Old Man" of the squadron. His fighter is called Wicked Jinx and he never goes anywhere without his wingman Darin and his plane Dead Bride.

 

11th Bomber matches with 9 Fe2. A single-seat photo recon aircraft, the pilot is responsible for flying and taking the mission photos. He is equipped with a front-firing Lewis machine gun, but the Fe2s best strategy is always to dive and bug out from any fighting. These brave and fool-hardy pilots are Workman (RAF), O'Dennell (RAF), Westly (RAF), Hayes (USA), Elton (USA), Zachary (RAF), Allan (USA), Karl (USA) and Ezekial (USA).

Jasta 11, the Rote Spinnen is led by two veteran fliers, Reinhardt and Nicoli, both Aces. Reinhardt, Norbert, Christian, Burkhard and Korbinian are tasked with attacking any and all reconnaissance missions. Specifically targeting the reconnaissance plane itself. Nicoli, an Austrian and an ugly racist, leads the 3 Alb2s in the squadron in his own Alb3, Glockliter Kafer. The d2s are flown by Dietmar and two Italians; Teobaldo and Vaso.

Monday morning comes cold, damp and drizzly. The pilots today are going to have to do all they can to keep their numb hands limber and to stave off hypothermia while flying through the rain at 4,000 meters. The mission board for the day is up and XIII Army Wing has many recon flights to execute. The Arras Offensive is hot and the ground forces need to find the Germans flank. A constant update on German Reserves and troop movements is vital to sustaining the attack!

Mission, Daily 1. PHOTO-T: NIE/1 and NIE/2 will escort Fe/1 to the German lines for 11-hex trench recon mission.

Mission, Daily 2. PHOTO-T: NIE/3 and NIE/4 escort Fe/2 to the German lines for11-hex trench recon.

Mission, Daily 3. PHOTO-T: Fe/3, Fe/4, and Fe/5 to the German lines for 11-hex trench recon.

Mission, Daily 4. BOMBING-U: NIE/5, NIE/6 AND NIE/7.

Mission, Daily 5. PHOTO-R: Fe/6, NIE/8 AND NIE/9.

Adv Lvl Richthiofen's War again

 Just finished playing out yet another variant from the pages of the General, the old house organ of the long defunct grand daddy of wargame companies Avalon Hill.

This article is written by Kenneth Erby and smacks of the perfect tenor for the Campaign Game, the April air war when the Baron met his fate. This is indeed what the game was designed for, to play out this large, multi-day scenario. A week of airel combat over France April, 1917. The Brits need to complete a series of photo-recon and bombing missions and the Huns attempt to blow them to pieces. 

It is a complete departure from all three previous variants I have played through this weekend. Erbey believes the game is incredibly broke. Once you are aware of the nature of the flaw you may never enjoy playing it ever again. He argues effective fire should not be determined by range, but by how long you have the enemy in your sights. I fired up two NIEU/17's and a piece of shit Fe2 and headed for the German lines. The Fe2 was to conduct photo-recon on the trench line. Up against the Allied cause was 3 Alb/d2's, a plane which should soak the enemy planes in curtains of machine gun fire. The German planes have a clear advantage in firepower, and with the focus shifting away from range the agile Albatross easily got long runs at the Allies with excellent sighting numbers and BLEWY. The Fe2 got smoked first. I wasn't even intending for the plane to carry out the mission. I hoped to peel off a single Alby intent on shooting down the Fe2 and swing both NIEU/17's onto the German's tail. The pilot of the slower recon plane was instructed to tuck tale and dive for home as soon as the enemy is sighted. 

It all happened like that, except the German plane blew the Fe2 out of the sky before the NIEU/'s could catch up! They fired at the distant enemy’s tail but had to tuck tail themselves as the other two Alb/2's closed in. They got shot up but risking Overdive got them off the map in time to get home and land. I don't know if this variant destroys any "balance" between the planes and makes it unwinnable for the Allies in the Campaign Scenario? No one it seems has logged any record of playing it.

I then set up a single contest between a Fokker dr1 and a Sopwith Camel. The planes flew and engaged each other like you would expect in a real ariel encounter. The two kept circling each other, climbing and diving for extra speed, and making snap shots at their opponents tail briefly sighted. This has to do with the planes, in game turns, having equivalent firepower and turning ability. Trying different things to get a target sighted for 4-5 movement points, which increases effective fire, Snoopy fucked up and the Baron blew the shit out of the Sopwith. Speed reduced, no ability to climb, you can guess the rest.

Conclusion

More of so far what I think, because the 5-second game needs to be assessed. This variant will make for a faster playing campaign game. The performance differences between the planes is amplified so once combat is engaged slower, less maneuverable planes get wiped out quick. Evenly matched fighters circle each other looking to fly at their opponent for as many hexes in a row they can accumulate before firing, which is tough to do, for effective firepower.

But for setting up the board and engaging some friends for two or three random games I think you have to return to the Unexpected Manuevers with plotted movement or with preset flight controls prior to movement. This makes for free-wheeling fun and makes it harder to shake an adversary if they stay on your six too long.

There really is nothing left to do for this analysis except play the much touted 5 Second Game!

 

Advanced Level Richthofen's War

 Promises simultaneous movement and combat. I hope it doesn't bust the game's simple mechanics. One of the strong points of RW is fast set up and fast play.This variant from David A. Bottger gets high praise from the editor at the General, Avalon Hill’s house organ for their line of classic wargames. The main feature of this variant is simultaneous movement and firing. The game turn changes from an IGO-UGO

move and fire schedule so a game turn is only 1 segment instead of 2 segments per RAW. What this gives a pilot in the game is an edge to the one who knows their plane the best. In ariel combat absolute understanding of your plane’s capabilities is an essential ingredient for survival. To me this means the variant is off to a very promising start. 

The other feature is “Tailing”. This returns the real-life advantage of being on your enemy’s 6 to anticipate their move and line up your shot for the kill. Awesome. The tailing mechanic is a target number set by position, range, and the two plane’s maneuver schedules. Degree of success determines the percentage of the tailed plane’s plotted movement which must be revealed to the tailing pilot. This information should be limited to the players/pilots involved because WWI craft had no radios. From my first read through of the variant I do not believe there is a limit to the number of planes which can tail a target and the tailer can be jumped and tailed by other enemy craft at the same time. Getting even better!

Take note, the field of fire is no longer limited to a straight line out from the front of your plane. It has been increased to a 60 degree front-facing arc. This is to compensate for the difficulty of getting directly in line for your shot when there is guess work in where you and your opponent is going to end up at the end of the movement phase. I do not know if this is necessary, but we will go with it for now. I anticipate much more shooting in this variant then regular play.

Unexpected Maneuvers are expected to be used. But unlike Flying Lessons the author gives very clear instructions on their use. I am now going to set up the first scenario again and run through some turns to reach a verdict on this variant. Does it enhance, does it detract, does it play with little or no ambiguity? I set the pieces on the board differently than the previous game, but it does not change the start of the game much. The planes are shooting at each other in the first turn! I messed around with different throttle settings in the previous game to see the effect. I came to the conclusion speed is king. All planes in this start come out full throttle with no intention of letting up. The Sopwith Camel has a top throttle speed of 10 and the Fokker Dr 1 is 9. The Fokker can climb and dive farther than the Sopwith in a turn, but all in all these two planes are an even match. I see the Fokkers climbing and diving in this match up much more than the previous run.

But not for the first two turns. I plot movement and resolve. Everybody is eager to shoot someone down so almost all the aircraft are currently at 3,000m. The combatants blow by each other spitting hot lead and turn around and do it again. With the increased arc of fire there are many more shots being fired, and hits! 7 damage points are spread among two of the Sopwiths while one of the Fokkers takes 6 points of damage. This first clash sees the Sops getting the better of it. They have 12 damage points compared to the Fokkers 10. With only 4 points left the stricken German is going to scoot out of the engagement real soon.

Top of turn 3 and we are looking at our first tailing opportunity. Sop2 forgoes shooting at the Baron who is right close and picks a Fokker farther out flying away from the Sops ten o’clock as its target. With the increased distance the Sop is increasing its chances of a successful tail. The fire resolution is a miss and reading the tailing rules closely I find the Allied plane is too far away to force the tailing rules on its opponent. Everybody plots their moves in secret!

Turns 4-8 see the Sop3 spraying most of the ammo. It got one good shot on Fok3 reducing it to 4 pts of damage. This is over 50% of the triplanes hit points so its climb and speed have been reduced. With his plane holding together by the merest strips of canvas the Fok 3 heads to the deck and bugs out. The rest of the planes circle, maneuver, pull special maneuvers- all trying to get behind their enemy close enough to tail. Interesting. Both the Sops and the two remaining Fokkers find themselves shooting at the limits of their range and always just one hex away from being close enough to tail. Everyone is just keeping that 50m cushion putting this advantage out of reach of their opponent.  Shots are traded, but we are now scoring 1 or 2 hits of damage an attack. The Baron did drop right in behind Capt. Brown, but the altitude difference was too great to achieve tailing.

The rules are all working fine with little to no ambiguities. It is easy to see how and when you can perform a special maneuver. There are easy to assess attack modifiers which consider angle of attack, speed, Ace status and the like. The tailing rules make a great substitute for the RAW spotting rules. Side-Slips and Barrel Rolls and Loops keep the action tight. 

And I don’t like it as much as the “Flying Lessons” variant. What is up with that?  It is the ease of maneuver, which is also present in RAW, the planes can produce. The previous variant locks you in to a left, right or straight flight path for your entire movement. But if you start receiving a hail of bullets the variant asks you to bust out the Unexpected Maneuvers schedule or pull extreme Gs to roll out of a certain death tailing situation. I may be frustrated with the holes, the vagueness in the rule interpretations for the Flying variant, but pulling the stick and shifting the rudder to set up my attack run was more fun. I didn’t notice a difference in firing chances either, which you would expect because “Advanced” increases the arc of fire. The Flying Lessons variant remains true to the RAW, your firing arc is directly ahead. While the Advanced must add an additional rule to shooting your guns to cover the flexible maneuver abilities, the Flying variant forces you to target more carefully. But I had just as many firing chances during the session. Go figure. 

The Day the Baron Died Wargame Report

The line up for Scenario #1 is Richthofen vs. Brown, an attempt to simulate the Red Baron's last engagement on the morning of April 21, 1918. This is also the only scenario I ever remember playing as kid, and it was only ever the Basic Level, just two planes involved, the Captain and the Baron. We are going advanced level which gives each side a couple of wingmen, six planes engaged in all! 

Just to reiterate, I am using the "Flying Lesson" variant with the the "Unexpected Manuevers" variant bolted on. The two evenly matched squads close quickly and manuever to get a killing shot. Side note, I wouldn't have been able to keep track of all the details without some sort of log to record the manuever choices at the begining of each turn. Once again the Board Game Geek website is your go to for fan-created play aids. I downloaded the log and start recording turn actions. 

First three turns have been run through and it appears as if the first clash is a high-speed fly by. Capt. Brown was able to get a shot at the Baron but missed. The Baron, being shot at has the option of pulling a maneuver and goes for a 2-hex loop (costs 6 MP). Capt. Brown can react but will not know what the Baron picked. Both have advantage so it cancels out. Brown picks a Loop maneuver as well but blows the roll to because of the close 2-hex range. Even as an Ace, by rolling a 6 (6-3=3). I move the Sopwith Camel 6 hexes forward straight as it blows by the looping Baron.

This is where mashing two variants gets tricky. There are intersections of the rules which leave for vague interpretation. Here is how I’m playing it. The Baron is pulling a Loop so sets his controls appropriately. This will be the maneuver the bright red, triple-winged Fokker will take for it’s the upcoming game turn. The opposing Sopwith, not knowing what the Baron is planning climbs hard, banking right. 

The Sopwith on the Captains wing shoots at his target at a range of 5, scoring a single hit. The Fokker elects to choose an Unexpected maneuver, a Nose Dive! The Sopwith makes their roll to follow and makes a Barrel Roll right in reaction. I’m going to see if the Allied fighter can “sit” on top of the diving Fokker. Who knows, he may get a great view of the Fokker’s wings rip off as it takes this hazardous maneuver! With the conclusion of the 1^st game turn (yes, clashes out of the gate!) the pilots set their controls for turn 2. Two of the Fokkers have committed to their move. The third decides to fly straight through the scrum and looks to jump on his commanders wing next turn.

The Fokker pulling the nose dive makes their Overdive roll and successfully drops 500m. The baron completes his loop and takes the last movement point straight ahead because he has to. The Sop which started on the east side of the board has been flying straight at full throttle to catch up with his mates flies right past the Baron. Brown has turned his plane around and looking to get on the Baron’s six. Good luck with that!

Turn 3 and the Baron is going to lose altitude to 2700m and bank left towards Brown. Fokker #2 is going to climb and bank left. Fokker #3 maintains altitude of 3300m, opens up the throttle to top speed and turns right. This puts the German on Sopwith 3’s tail! Twin Vickers are depressed and a stream of bullets flash out of the muzzles. The Sopwith Camel takes 2 points of damage. The Fokker is only two hexes away, but due to the altitude difference the attack is at a range of 4. None of the allied planes have a target for defensive fire so we go for another unexpected maneuver. Sop #3 needs to shake the tri-plane on his tail. He is going to abort to a 4 MP Loop. The Fokker is going to try and follow. It needs a 4 or less to be successful. 5-2=3 (for the plane’s maneuver schedule). Success. The German knows the Allied plane is going for a Loop so can adjust his controls accordingly for the upcoming turn. Now here the rules are really not meshing. I have no idea when or how the Fokker is supposed to follow its prey. Does all these special maneuver happen now in the Sops defensive fire phase? I’m assuming the Sop just gets the opportunity to choose an unexpected maneuver for its upcoming move?

Turn 3 Allied move. Sop 3 pulls the Loop. This effectively leaves the plane in its same spot. Moves 1 back for the loop and with 1 MP left must move 1 forward, back where he started! I have know idea if this is going to helpful or not. Allied Ace Brown pulls his plane around and is flying head on at two Fokkers 6 or 7 hexes distance. Sop #2 going flat out banks sharply left ending up at the same altitude as Fok #3 one hex away on the German’s 11 o’clock. The Sop fires. The roll is shit, causing 1 point of damage. Focker #3 opts for an U.M. for turn 4. A Barrel Roll Right.

Turn plays out and Sop3 ends up with Fok3 still on its tail. The German is two hexes back and altitude difference add 3 to the range for a final of 5. Two points of damage to the Camel. Sop3 commits to an Immelmann Turn for Turn 5. The German sees what the Sop is trying to do so picks the same manuever.

Turn 5 Germans make their maneuvers. Fok2 ends up on Brown’s seven one hex away, same altitude and fires. Brown is an Ace so the Fok2 suffers a minus 1 to the roll. 2 points of damage.

Turn 5 for Sop3 is going to suck. The pilot, in a panic, opened up the throttle when making this Immelmann Turn and ends up in Fok3’s 12 o’clock again. But wait, Capt. Brown has maneuvered up on Fok3. If he can shoot the German down before the German gets defensive fire he may save one of his men. Sop2 is able to get on Fok2’s tail so let us see if we can bring some planes down! Brown is at a range of 2 and gets a +1 for Ace status. 10, the Fokker is lit up for 5 points of damage! Sop2 has a range of two as well. Rolling a 10 we know what that is, 5 points to the German plane! Now for the German defensive fire, an 11 for 4 points damage. At the conclusion of Turn 5 we have two Fok’s down to 4 damage points left, same for Sop3. Hard to tell which side is getting the better of it, a couple more turns though may decide this engagement.

I have to call it here because the variants together, while giving exactly what I want, a whirling dog-fight with fast, desperate maneuvering, are not clear on how they mesh. This is obviously because each is written by a different person. But Mike has the burden of making it work because he is adding the Unexpected Maneuvers to his flight control variant. Players will have to come to a consensus how to play before the start. My verdict is, while an attractive combination, Flying Lesson’s with the Baron needs to be played by itself. The features of this variant being locking in your flight controls at the start of the turn and positioning for advantage so your opponent has to show you what they are setting their controls at for the next turn. This creates a situation where it is harder to get an enemy off your tail than the RAW.

The additional counters on the ASP to set flight controls is a BIG leap up on the fun factor. If I can get sorted on how to correctly apply the UM variant the game certainly has climbed measurably in enjoyment.