Cat and Mouse Scenario Play Test

I solo play tested the 'Cat and Mouse' scenario from the Jasta 18 project this afternoon and it turned out to be a good game, after a bit of a false start. The initial scenario set up had both aircraft deployed as blinds but I soon realised that this would make it too easy for the RE8 to make a get away, so changed it to a blind for Lt.Mendel alone. The first couple of turns ended with Lt.Mendel's Albatros sneaking up behind the unexpecting RE8 crew, only to be spotted by Lt.Simms, the observer at the last turn of the card deck. 

Luckily for Lt.Mendel, in the following turn the card deck was in his favour, allowing him to close to within three hexes of the RE8, get on the tail and open fire twice. The first burst caused structural damage and killed Lt.Simms, leaving Lt.Maltby with no rear gunner and unable to hard manoeuvre or dive more than three levels at a time. The second burst resulted in a sideslip but otherwise gave Lt.Maltby a chance to make a getaway, a slim chance but better than none at all.

In the last two turns, Lt.Mendel was able to maintain his tailing position as Lt.Malby was unable to throw him off due to the damage to his machine. Another burst of fire hit the pilot but only gave him a light wound, with no affect on his ability to fly the RE8 to safety. Lt.Mendel poured in another eight second burst, his last before he was almost out of ammunition, and this time Lt.Maltby lost control of the RE8 and it went into a spin. Despite his desperate efforts to regain control, his wounds, the damage to the airframe and his low altitude meant that the RE8 smashed into the ground in No Man's Land. A historical outcome which is always a good thing when writing scenarios based on actual events.

This was a very fast moving and enjoyable game. Lt.Mendel almost jammed his guns at one point, which would have allowed the RAF crew to get across the line, while the final burst left Lt.Mendel with only three seconds of ammunition left, not enough to stop the RE8 if it hadn't gone into a spin. Also, Lt.Maltby could have evaded into a nearby cloud but it was at low altitude and he was unable to dive fast enough to make it into cover, largely due to the damage the RE8 had sustained. I tried this out as a 'What If?' after the game and it did actually end up with the RE8 getting away from the Albatros, albeit it only for a turn or so before Lt.Mendel caught up.

That's another scenario play test ticked off...good fun and I reckon I'll give it at least one more go when I get the time, as I really enjoyed it.