Bloody April for Algernon Pulls It Off!

 

For my next sortie with Algernon Pulls It Off! I'm going back to the first half of 1917, leading up to the period known as 'Bloody April' during which the Albatros DIII and the newly formed Jastas, cut a swathe through the RFC and RNAS ranks. I've played a lot of games based on this period using other rules, so I know that it's a really good basis for some exciting scenarios.

I've already painted the required Tumbling Dice models for 1/1600th games, but have now just enquired with Paul at Sabotage3D about a selection of 1/300th scale prints including Albatros DIII's, Sopwith Pups, Sopwith Triplanes, Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutters, Nieuport 17's and a couple of aerial reconnaissance / artillery spotting types for both sides. 

This is quite a lot of models but will allow me to write some really good scenarios and set up some classic 'dogfight' games, for my own solo wargaming but also for the club. when I get round to running some games. I'm thinking of writing a follow on article for the Lard Mag based on this different timeframe, to complement the later Jasta 18 scenario project, but it all depends on getting the ply testing done for that one first.

Caquot Balloon Painting Progress

It's been a hectic weekend, with a full day spent taking my daughter up and down to a university open day, followed by Mother's Day, so painting has been pushed to the margins. All I've managed to do is the Caquot balloon dry brushing, which has turned out looking not too bad, using Foundry Drab and a final touch of War Paints Skeleton Bone. It actually looks a lot lighter in real life compared to the photos on my dodgy no-name phone. The next thing will be to paint the ropes and cables, followed by the basket, although when I can find the time is a bit of an obstacle.

Airco DH.2 Aircraft Record Sheet

 

I was asked to create an aircraft record sheet for the Airco DH2 for Algernon Pulls It Off! so here it is. I have a bit of a soft spot for pushers, especially this one, so will have to put my mind into writing some scenarios for late 1916 - early 1917 at some point. The Tumbling Dice 1/600th DH2 is very nifty and I've also got some superb 3D printed models in 1/300th scale, so there's really no excuse!

Hurricats and Catafighters

I've decided to write a Lard Mag article for Bag the Hun focussing on FCS and CAM ship 'Hurricats' or 'Catafighters' on the Arctic and North Atlantic convoys. I've already done some research online, as you do these days, but have also bought a handful of second hand hard back books on the subject including Ralph Barker's 'The Hurricats' to replace my digital copy with something sniffable. 

I've got a few ideas for solo scenario mechanics, to handle both launching and ditching but also intercepting enemy aircraft, so it's looking like a feasible solo themed project already. I have also considered a two player scenario, but that's very sketchy. As usual, I will play test whatever I come up with using 1/600th scale Tumbling Dice aircraft and 1/3000th scale ships, although I'm also tempted by 1/1200th if I can find some suitable models. 

Balloon Busting

I'm really busy this weekend but determined to crack on with the balloon busting, painting the British Caquot balloon and building a Drachen for the Germans. There's a bit of an historical debate, so it would seem, about the exact colour of observation balloons, with various possible shades from khaki, to canvas, olive green and even silver dope. I've gone for Foundry Drab in three layers for the Caquot balloon but will paint the Drachen in a shade of faded green, which seems to have been aone of the colours used at the time.

Rocketeers over the Reich Redux

Now that I've nearly finished writing the Jasta 18 scenarios for Algernon Pulls It Off! I'm turning my attention back to at least one Lard Mag article for Bag the Hun. I have some ideas for this, including the Hurricat games, but it won't be Arctic Eagles as originally planned because that's a really big project to do on top of Raben's Ravens. As very few articles seem to be submitted for Bag the Hun, it is incumbent on me to put together at least one each year, in order to keep the flag flying for the rules.

As a fall back, in case I don't get my act together, I have a couple of scenarios I devised and played several years ago, featuring the 336th Fighter Squadron, USAAF, in late 1944 to early 1945. There are two scenarios already written but they need some tweaking and balancing to make them more effective, so I'm going to have a think about that, as well as writing an introduction for the article. I may even write a third scenario to bundle in with the other two, as that would round things off nicely.

Algy Aircraft Multiple Record Sheet

 

I've reformatted the aircraft record sheets that I designed over the last couple of days to produce sheets with multiples of each card, the aim being to cut down on photocopying and to make it easier to manage scenarios with multiple aircraft on either side. This is the approach I have taken for Bag the Hun using squadron sheets, but those don't really work for Algernon Pulls It Off! due to the individual pilot move / fire cards, so this is the next best option. They are now smaller but still perfectly legible and can be cut out and laminated or kept as a single sheet with four aircraft. Very handy!

Algy Aircraft Record Sheets Sorted

I have now wrapped up the paperwork part of the Jasta 18 - Raben's Ravens - project, with the aircraft record sheets filled in and saved in both .doc and .pdf format. In the end, I decided to use the stats from the Expanded Aircraft Charts, which I'm not quite sure about but which include some types that are not in the original rules book. I did leave off the Rate of Dive numbers, however, as they are not referenced in either version of the rules. 

I really think that the original stats from from the rules are a bit wonky but I'm also not convinced by some of the numbers in the revised lists. What's really needed is a mechanism to convert actual performance into game data, something I may have a go at myself. There is a system of sorts for the first edition of Bag the Hun which might be adaptable for Algy, so that would be a good place to start.

Wings at War South Pacific

One of the chaps on the Facebook Wings at War group has developed a really interesting variant of the rules for the South Pacific theatre, specifically Papua New Guinea and Guadalcanal. 

The nuts and bolts are built around Scramble for Britain but there are some very original mechanisms that have been decided for things like air sea rescue, torpedo strikes and ground targets. 

I've offered to do some play testing so will need to get some models painted up at some point, which I've already got in the lead pile. It's a diversion from my First World War focus but will be worth it if the rules end up being published. 

It still needs a suitable title, however, so answers on a postcard!

Steamer Wars WW1 Africa Project

It's a couple of weeks until the holidays and we'll be off to Brittany as usual. I always take some models to assemble, base and occasionally paint, so have been thinking about what to do this year, given that the focus is the First World War. I fancy something nautical, so my first port of call was Coronel and the Falklands, but I haven't made up my mind about the scale as yet, having both 1/2400 and 1/4800 as options. 

Instead, I'm going to revive a project from a few years ago that didn't get beyond the planning stage, assembling the ships and boats for the campaign on Lake Tanganyika, using the Tumbling Dice 1/600th scale range and some extra bits. This has the advantage of being a bit different and with potential for some conversion or scratch building, as well as being ready to go. 

I'll be using Long Face Games Steamer Wars for this project, perhaps even dabbling with the hex based version of the rules, and will be looking to make some bespoke coastal terrain too. It's a good fit with my First World War theme for this year and I'm looking forward to some games at the end of it, perhaps even a solo campaign over the summer holidays later this year.