First Draft - Playtest Three

The third and, for the moment, the final playtest of Jet Knights of the Sky today was a much better experience and I actually got to use missiles properly for the first time. I set up an interception game between an SU-22 and a Mirage F1C, with the Mirage attempting to ambush the Fitter from above. The Mirage and SU-22 ended up at close range again but this time I could use my I/R missiles, albeit at minimum range. The first one locked on, fired and hit despite two flares being popped by the Fitter. It caused three wing hits and one fuselage hit, the wings being left with serious structural damage and almost being ripped off. In fact one more wing hit and it would have been a parachute home for the Sukhoi pilot.

The SU-22 decided it was a bad idea to carry on so attempted a diving retreat, chased by the Mirage. The Mirage pilot got a second I/R lock on at maximum range, fired but the missile was defeated by a triple flare burst from the Sukhoi. In the final moments, just as the SU-22 was about to cross the line, the Mirage fired a third and final missile, this time an R/G missile at minimum range, which hit home despite the SU-22 punching out three chaff bursts. Luckily for the pilot, two of the resulting hits were on the tail with a poor set of dice rolls causing minimal damage, while the other two were on the fuselage, knocking out some systems but not preventing the Fitter from limping back to base. 

I was pleased with the flow of the game and the fact that it seemed quite balanced, without one side or the other being knocked out in seconds but with serious damage being inflicted by two missile hits on the SU-22. If the game had continued, a final missile hit by the Mirage would have destroyed the Fitter, which seems like a fair end result. It was a set of lucky dice rolls that prevented the second missile from toasting the SU-22, while the first missile hit did just enough damage to allow it to keep flying but not blow up. I think the revised missile arcs and ranges are justified and I'll keep them as they are without the need for any more tweaking. It's now a good time for some other players to try out the system, so that I can get a break!