Algernon Pulls It Off! in the Clouds

For the last scenario in the Jasta 18 project, I needed some rules for clouds in order to give the R.E.8 crew a chance to hide from the attentions of Junior Ace, Ltn.Mendel, in his far more manoeuvrable Fokker DVII. The R.E.8 flew like a house brick and had a reputation as being a bit of a flying coffin, easy prey for a nimble high performance scout, so it was common tactical doctrine to run for the nearest cloud in order to evade an attacker. Here's what I came up with, designed to be very simple but also realistic in historical terms, while not unbalancing the chances for Ltn.Mendel to score his final victory.

SPECIAL RULES

At the start of the game, roll 1D6 and scatter this number of cloud templates, each the size of a medium blind, on the table. To determine the position of each cloud, divide the table into twenty four squares, and roll a D4 and a D6 for each cloud. The D4 corresponds to the short table edge and the D6 to the long table edge. Place a cloud template in the corresponding grid square. There can be no clouds in horizontally or vertically adjacent squares (re-roll for a different position). To determine the altitude of each cloud, roll 1D6+2 and mark the height on the template.

In this example the player has rolled 5 on the initial D6 and then the following scores for positioning: 1/1, 4/2, 2/3. 3/4, 2/5 and 1/6. If he'd rolled adjacent squares, he would have re-rolled so that there were no 'walls' of cloud. 

Any aircraft entering a cloud template may emerge from the cloud in any direction when subsequently activated for movement. To enter a cloud the aircraft must be at the same alititude. An aircraft may not loiter inside a cloud. Any movement measurement begins and ends at the edge of the cloud template. If an aircraft has been spotted previously, it will emerge from the cloud as a new small blind at the same altitude that it entered. It must be re-spotted before any attacks can be made. Clouds only block line of sight for spotting if both the target and the spotting aircraft are at the same altitude as the cloud.

....I think this will work?

'Cat and Mouse' Algy Bonus Scenario

I'm not entirely happy with one of my scenarios for the Jasta 18 project, 'Baer's Really Bad Day', so I'm going to swap it out for a different one. This has already been written and so just needs to be slotted into the sequence in chronological order. It revolves around Ltn.Karl Albert Mendell, shooting down an R.E.8 of No.4 Squadron on 4th June 1918, for his seventh and final victory. 

In this game, the R.E.8 crew of Lt.Maltby and 2nd Lt.Simms must evade and escape from the Jasta 18 ace, using cloud cover to bugger up his chances of shooting them down. I've included a mechanism for cloud deployment and rules to cover popping in and out of clouds, tying in with the blinds system. It's a simple system and so should work well, hopefully enabling the RAF crew to get away relatively unscathed.

It's great that I can have a 'Harry Tate' in at least one of the games, as it's my favourite aircraft and often gets flown in Knights of the Sky games at the club. I also have one painted up in 1/600th scale and have another pair in 1/300th scale 3D printed form, which are going to be a lot of fun to paint up. At any rate, the scenarios are all completed now, so it's on to the play testing phase of the project.

Pilot Record Sheet for Algernon Pulls It Off!

Fokker DVII Filled In Sheet

Blank Template to Edit

 

Although I really like the nifty record sheets that Alex Sotheran has designed for Algernon Pulls It Off!, which are similar in format to my Bag the Hun ones, I thought I'd work up one of my own, so that I can edit it to fit whatever scenarios I'm playing or umpiring. Here's the current version, although I'm sure it will evolve further as I realise what I've missed off or buggered up. The big blank space at the top is for an illustration of whichever aircraft is involved, the numbers for which I will edit in as required, while the top row will be filled in with the pilot / crew details for each scenario. I think it's looking not too bad so far, but the proof will be when I have to add the numbers! 

Jasta 18 Scenario Seven

The last scenario for the Algernon Pulls It Off! Jasta 18 project is about to be drafted and I've chosen one that I think will be a really good game. This features the famous American ace, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, in a four to one dogfight with a kette of Jasta 18 Fokker DVII scouts. In this action of 14th September 1918, Rickenbacker ambushed the Jasta Raben pilots, claiming to have shot one down before making his escape unharmed. 

He believed that he was fighting against Richthofen's elite 'Flying Circus', being very impressed by the German pilots flying skills and aggressive tactics, but in all probability he was up against Jasta 18, although exactly who is unknown. This should be a bit of a cracker if I can work in the use of blinds and possibly some special characteristics for Rickenbacker, who will otherwise just be classed as a Junior Ace. 

Epic Black Powder Waterloo Club Multiplayer Game

It was the Battle of Waterloo using the Epic Black Powder rules today, involving ten players and a massive 18' x 6' table for the whole day. I was in command of the French far right flank and, very much to my surprise, did a pretty good job of it, even after the Prussians turned up. It was a resounding victory for the French in the end too. A cracking day of wargaming, despite not really knowing what I was doing! Vive La France!

Algernon Pulls It Off! Facebook Group

Here's a link:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1389643458696575/?ref=share

'Biggles and the Black Ravens' Scenario

 

I have just finished writing the penultimate scenario for the Algernon Pulls It Off! Jasta 18 project, which is one I initially rejected as being too similar to an earlier scenario. This one features the crew of No.55 Squadron, Independent Air Force, battling the pilots of  Jasta 18 amongst others, on a return flight from a bombing raid on Thionville in August 1918. There are a number of differences to the earlier scenario in the set up, most notably the lack of a formation and randomised battle damage for the Airco DH4 bombers, which make it a challenging game for the British but equally, far from a push over for the Germans. 

The scenario title comes from the interesting side note that 2nd Lt.W.E.Johns, author of the famous 'Biggles' stories, was not on the raid but might well have been, had he been assigned to the mission:

"The previous evening I was one of a poker school of six. By lunch time the next day I was the only survivor, and that because I wasn't on the show. 

Bell took a formation of six machines over and came back alone after fighting twenty-seven EA for the best part of an hour. Dowswell brought his machine back over the lines, but force-landed at Pont St Vincent. Gompertz was his gunner. He got two EA, but what a mess he was in when the tender brought him home! 

This was due to the fact that Dowswell had an aileron shot off and could only fly dead straight. Gompertz's Sidcot hung on him in ribbons; it had literally been shot off his back....one bullet only hit him in the shoulder. He didn't seem in the least upset. He just sat in the door of his hut, with the rags still hanging on him, and laughed." 

When Bell climbed from his solitary and shattered DH4 back at Azelot, he faced Major Gray. It was a grim exchange between two 'men of few words'. "Where are the others?" "They are all gone." Bell had a bullet score across the top of his flying helmet. The little top button had vanished''

Algernon Pulls It Off! Facebook Group

I feel like I'm sort of stepping on the toes of other Facebook groups, especially Bag the Hun, with the stuff I'm writing for Algernon Pulls It Off! I was wondering if there would be enough interest in a separate FB group for Algy? 

The idea would be to get more people to try out the rules, contribute game reports and general posts of interest in terms of modelling, painting, scenarios etc. Other groups exist for aerial wargaming and WW1 wargaming, but this would be a specific group. 

Also potential development of a new version of the rules bringing in elements of Bag the Hun 2 and a campaign system of some sort, as well as related TFL rules that might be connected to WW1 air wargaming. I've put out some feelers and will wait and see.

Bombs Away Biggles!

I was doing some online research for the next Jasta 18 scenario when I found an article originally written by Captain W.E.Johns, the author of the Biggles series of stories, based on a sortie that he had flown in the Summer of 1918 as a pilot in No.55 Squadron. The illustrations caught my eye, especially the one with the rear gunner chucking empty ammo drums at the enemy Fokkers! I really should try to include that in the scenario....?

'Flaming Sausages' Play Test Turn Cards

I've been a bit under the weather over the last couple of days, so not a lot has been done for the Algy Jasta 18 scenario project, apart from the play test cards for 'Flaming Sausages'. As you can see this is a pretty minimalist deck, consisting of only six cards, but that's all that's needed for the game, given that there's only one aircraft and the observation balloon 'Archie' gunners to think about. In fact, I was wondering about inventing some special cards to supplement these six, or possibly incorporating some blinds into the game, but I don't want to over complicate things as it's a solo set up. I've also found a copy of Cross and Cockade that I bought years ago, featuring several articles, photos and plans of observation balloons, that will be really useful when I get round to assembling the Tumbling Dice 1/600th scale model and if I can track down a model in 1/300th scale.