Balloon Missions -- VOTE --
Here are the missions that were submitted for the balloon contest. Please look each one over and vote for the one that you like best. The winner of the contest will receive a new Balloon Buster set!
Good luck to the contestants!
Entry 1
(Any Year, 1915-1918)
Mission: Blind the Enemy
HQ is planning on marshaling troops for a major offensive in the coming days. The Enemy has anticipated this action, but are unaware of what sector of the front will be the main point of effort. They have launched Balloons all along the front in order to observe any troop concentrations on the other side. This mission requires sorties all along the front to engage and disrupt the enemy’s balloon observation capabilities long enough for friendly troop concentrations to be accomplished without early detection by the enemy.
Type: Balloon Busting
Sorties: 4
Victory Conditions: Destroy 6 balloons.
Fallback: Mission (Dependent on where this mission is placed in the campaign)
Setup: Mission should be played length wise on a 4’x6’ table. The Attackers have a 12 inch deployment zone and the Defenders have a 36 inch deployment zone. This leaves 24 inches of No-man’s Land.
- Both sides must start the sortie with their planes inside their deployments zones and at least one ruler length from any table edge.
- The defender’s side must place two balloons per sortie. If the Defenders are the Central powers, then the Balloons will be Parseval-Sigsfeld Balloons. If the Defenders are the Allied powers, then they have the option of the Parseval Balloon, or a Caquot M Balloon.
- Each Balloon must be placed in the Balloon Deployment area (18-24” from the defenders edge of the table) at least one ruler length from the table edge using the special Balloon Rules, with the exception that all Balloons are unarmed.
- The Defender places four AA Guns (using Damage Deck C when inflicting damage) between the Balloons and No-Mans Land, and at least one ruler length from the table edge. All other special Ground Target Rules apply.
- The Attacker designates one plane per sortie, as being armed with Le Prieur Rockets by placing (face down) on his aircraft card, the rocket counters. Which plane is armed with these rockets can not be revealed to the Defender until one of the Defenders planes flies within two ruler lengths of the La Prieur armed aircraft.
- No Incendiary rounds during these sorties.
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A few notes and comments about the Mission.
On the Balloons:
As it is written, it is set up for 1916. This year forces the Central powers to use the Parsevel-Sigsfeld Balloon (aka Drachen), while allowing the Allies to choose between the Parsevel or the Caquot.
If used for 1915, both sides must use the Parsevel-Sigsfeld.
If used after 1916, then the Allies use the Caquot, and the Central powers can choose between the Parsevel or the Caquot.
Available Ammunition for the attackers:
After 1916, allow the attackers the option to arm up to one-half of their sortie with incendiary rounds in lieu of the one plane armed with the Le Prieur rockets. Airplanes armed with incendiary rounds will have appropriate counters placed on their airplane card.
Optional Altitude Rules:
If using the Optional Altitude rules from the Burning Drachens set, include all Combining Altitude With Balloons and Ground Fire Rules.
Attackers start at an altitude of 5. The Defenders start at any altitude.
The Parsevel-Sigsfeld Balloons start at altitude 3. The Caquots start at altitude 4.
All Balloons immediately begin descending as soon as any enemy planes enter No-Man’s land.
Entry 2
1918
Mission 7x: Breach the Balloon Barrage
The enemy has erected a Balloon Barrage forward of vital industrial complexes, HQ has ordered the air service to create breaches in the Balloon Barrage so as to allow for following flights to penetrate and destroy those high value ground targets.
Type: Balloon Busting
Sorties: 3
Victory Conditions: Destroy 6 Balloons.
Fallback: Mission 6a
Setup: Mission should be played length wise on a 4’x6’ table.
- Both sides must start the sortie with their planes inside their deployments zones.
- The attackers may have up to one-half of their sortie armed with incendiary rounds. Those planes so armed will have incendiary counters placed on their airplane cards.
- The Balloon Barrage should enter the table 36 inches along the long edge opposite the deployment side. It should exit the table 12 inches from the opposite long table edge. The Balloon Barrage should have a line of Balloons extending along the entire line marked as ‘Defenders Line of Barrage Balloons'. Each Balloon must be one ruler of distance from each other, lined up end to end. Use the Balloon Barrage Rules as presented in Burning Drachens. These Balloons are unarmed, unmanned and will not be brought to the ground by the defenders.
- The defender’s side will place one ground target per Balloon. Use the special Ground Targets rules. Ground targets must be placed within 1 ruler of the Balloon Barrage, between the Barrage line and the Attackers Deployment area.
Entry 3
3 December 1917
"After escorting RE8s, Lt. Cooper, Lt. Waltho & I crossed the River Piave at low altitude and attacked a hostile balloon NE of Conegliano. I fired about 40 rounds into it at a height of of 1000 feet and it began to descend. I then observed an Albatros Scout about to attack Lt. Waltho. I immediately engaged the E.A., drove him down to 300 feet, and then succeeded in getting a burst of fire into him. He dived vertically, crashed, and the wreckage burst into flames. I then re-attacked the balloon, and after firing at very close range, saw it in flames on the ground."
Type: Balloon Busting
Sorties: 3
Victory Conditions: Destroy 1 balloon and drive away Enemy Aircraft.
Fallback: Ground Attack or Hunting Enemy Scouts mission, dependent on campaign.
Setup: Mission should be played on a 4’x4' table.
Entry 4
To Be Surprised or Not To Be Surprised, that is the Mission
Year: 1916 +
Allied Orders:
The Germans are across the Meuse in only one area south of Verdun. In this area they are dangerously close to the main North / South railroad supplying the defenders at Verdun. We can not spare a large number of troops to push them back so we are going to try a surprise push. We will move our troops up to a staging area behind the lines under the cover of darkness and advance to attack positions shortly after dawn.
This advance MUST be unseen by the enemy, specifically their Observation Balloons. At the same time, since we will not be using a long pre-attack bombardment, the artillery fire the morning of the attack MUST be accurate. Therefore, our Observation Balloons must be protected. We can not spare you any reinforcements; you must make do with your squadron as is.
German Orders:
One of our agents has provided us with information that the French are planning a small surprise push somewhere south of Verdun. He was unable to provide anymore details. We must know where this attack is coming from. We can not spare you any reinforcements until we know where this push is will be. All of our observation planes are busy elsewhere so our Observation Balloons are critical to locating the point of the attack. Our agent was able to inform us that an effort would be made to destroy our ability to observe the French advance to the lines. You must protect our Observation Balloons.
We have a force prepared to respond to the point of the attack as reinforcements. If these reinforcements cane reach the battle undetected it could allow us to turn the table on the French. In the case of an attack in your sector you must eliminate the French Balloons so they can not observe out troops approach.
Sorties:
This is a mini-campaign played in two rounds. Each round may consist of up to 6 scenarios.
Forces:
Each side has one squadron of 12 planes available to it. Players should agree on time period so aircraft are equivalent to each other.
Each side has 12 shots worth of rockets total for campaign.
Each side may equip up to 4 fighters total during the campaign with incendiary bullets.
Objective:
Destroy the enemy balloons in your sector while at the same time protecting your balloons
Round Play:
Your sector has been divided into 6 zones on the map.
A” zones contain an Allied Balloon while “C” zones contain a German Balloon
At the start of each round you secretly decide where you are going to deploy your fighters. On a piece of paper write the zone label and which planes, and any rockets of incendiary bullets they have, are being sent to that zone.
Once deployment is complete you reveal your deployments to the other player. In those zones which contain only one side’s forces nothing happens this round. In those zones that contain both sides a battle is fought. If it is an “A” zone then the Germans are the attacker and the Allies are the Defender. For “C” zones that is reversed.
Between Rounds:
You may remove 3 points of damage to each aircraft between round 1 and round 2. This is NOT cumulative so you can not remove 6 points from one plane because another plane had no damage. Planes may be committed to battle with damage. Planes destroyed in round 1 ARE NOT available in round 2.
After all battles have been fought the round is over. Between round 1 and round 2 you may raise any of your balloons that were pulled down but not destroyed in round 1. All balloons that are flying will have observers. You may remove 6 points of damage from each balloon that was damaged but not destroyed in round 1.
Antiaircraft artillery that is destroyed in round 1 IS NOT replaced for round 2.
Battle Play:
The battle should take place on an area at least 90cm by 90 cm.
The defender sets up first. The Balloon must be placed at least 2 rulers length from each side and at least 1 ruler length from the defenders side but must still be on the defenders half of the playing area. The Balloon has 2 observers on board. At anytime during the battle the defender may announce the observers have bailed out.
Aircraft, if any, may be placed anywhere on the defenders half of the playing area.
Two anti-aircraft guns may placed anywhere on the defenders half of the playing area at least one ruler from the edge of the playing area..
The attacker sets up second within one ruler of their side.
Once the battle begins the attacker has 12 turns to destroy the balloon before the balloon is pulled to the ground. Once the balloon is on the ground it can not be attacked.
The battle ends when only one side has forces in the battle area.
There is no movement between zones during the battle.
Scoring:
At the end of EACH ROUND you score points for the following:
6 points for each of your Balloons still flying WITH observers.
3 Points for each of your Balloons that have not been destroyed.
6 points for each enemy Balloon destroyed.
3 points for each enemy Balloon whose observers bailed out.
You do not score points for destroying planes (pilots and planes are expendable if they accomplish their mission.)
Victory goes to the side with the higher point total. In case of a tie then the side with more surviving aircraft is the winner.
Variations:
Add altitude rules. In that case Balloons start at an altitude of 3. Aircraft starting altitude is set during round deployment.
Allow movement between zones during the battle. Although each zone is much larger than the battle area you may allow planes in a zone that starts the round without enemy forces to move to an adjacent zone, entering the battle in the new zone on turn 6. If this zone ONLY has an enemy balloon then the battle begins on turn 1.
Allow each player to deploy their 6 antiaircraft guns in any of their zones (exp. 4 guns in one zone with 1 gun in each of the other zones.)
Change the number of starting planes to increase or decrease the complexity of the campaign.
Play Balance:
Give one side more planes to compensate for different player skills.
Increase or decrease the amount of rockets and incendiary bullets.
Entry 5
How Good Are You?
This is a series of solitaire scenarios designed to test your skill as it increases your challenges.
Objective: Shoot down the Balloon and exit on your side of the map.
Sorties: Variable (see Scenario Rules)
Attacker (Player): One Aircraft of their choice.
Defender: Balloon, Three Anti-Aircraft Guns, Optional Two Machine Guns
Setup: Play Area 90 cm x 90 cm
Attacker sets up anywhere within ˝ of ruler of their side
Defender: Balloon is placed equidistant from each side (approx 40.5 cm) and 1 ruler from defender side. One AA gun is set 1 ˝ rulers in front of Balloon, the other two AA guns are set 1 ˝ rulers from back and side (see map).
Rules: The player starts with his aircraft armed with rockets and incendiary bullets.
The attacker had 12 turns to shoot down the balloon before it is pulled to the ground to safety.
The AA guns and optional machine guns use the solitaire rules from Burning Drachens.
Progressive Scenarios:
Each time you win this scenario it gets harder as follows:
Continue to try the first Scenario until you are victorious then move onto Scenario 2. Repeat each scenario until you are victorious then move onto the next one.
1st Scenario your plane is armed with rockets AND incendiary bullets.
2nd Scenario your plane only has incendiary bullets.
3rd Scenario your plane is armed with normal ammunition.
4th Scenario use the Altitude Rules with the Balloon starting at Altitude 3 and two B machine guns equidistant between the AA guns.
5th Scenario use the Altitude Rules with the Balloon starting at Altitude 3 and two A machine guns equidistant between the AA guns.
Options:
1) To make the progression longer you can add rockets and incendiary bullets to Scenario 4 and use the same progression from Scenarios 1 – 3 as Scenario 4A – 4C before progressing to Scenario 5.
2) Once you defeat Scenario 5 you can start again with a weaker plane.
3) Plot your moves 2 or even 3 turns in advance to practice visualizing where you are going.
Reply With Quote
Great Job!
Originally Posted by richard m schwab
Great Scenarios - thanks for sharing
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