The Early War Campaign

[WWIflyingace]

I would very much like to be a part of this campaign on the Entente side. I have Halberstadt D.IIIs, Roland C.IIs, Fokker E.IIIs, Nieuport 16s and 17s. So most of my stuff would be arriving at the front spring to early-mid summer. I can proxy Fokker D.I by using my Halberstadt models. Will also soon have Spad S.VIIs and Albatros D.IIs. I guess a Gotha G.V could also proxy for a Gotha G.III if we had stats for it. Will this be a cooperative solo campaign?

[Twisted_terrain]

Nieuport 17's look similar to nieuport 11's so you could proxy them?
Those Valom 17's look easier to convert each time I look at them...

[WWIflyingace]

True, but I'd have to make an E deck to fly it. That's one I don't have.

[WWIflyingace]

Okay, I can build an E deck. The Pfalz E.II, III and V can also be proxied using the Fokker E.III. I don't see stats for the Fokker E.I or E.II anywhere, but they are likely similar to the E.III.

[WWIflyingace]

Nieuport 16 came into service January 1916. The Nieuport 17 went into service May 1916 (first delivery July 19, 1916 to British service).

[tusekine]

Sorry guys but how do you play OTT? I would like to join if possible; I have three MF shorthorns, an Farman F. 30 and a F. 40, a BE2c, a 504, and an Alb DI and a DII. Also have some early war A-Hs but that seems to be the wrong scenario. Oh, so have a Nieu 16 from the ballon buster kit.

[gully_raker]

If Dave is suggesting purchaces of 2-seaters, you can assure we'll be flying them. Photo recon, artillery spotting, bombing, all kinds of things you miss out on if you don't have 2-seaters.

So far I've sourced models for:

the Be2, Avro 504, Bristol Scout C&D for the British, possibly a FE2.b (could the DH2 be substituted for them? They look awfully similar...)


(

Hi Rob!
the FE2b is a 2 seater & there is a nice Shapeways available but cant remember who designed it.

[flash]

Sorry guys but how do you play OTT? I would like to join if possible; I have three MF shorthorns, an Farman F. 30 and a F. 40, a BE2c, a 504, and an Alb DI and a DII. Also have some early war A-Hs but that seems to be the wrong scenario. Oh, so have a Nieu 16 from the ballon buster kit.

Basically Anthony someone writes a scenario, using Richard Bradleys solo rules in combination with the campaign rules we all solo game that mission, write and post an AAR in the sub-forum. We tend to do one per month for about a year or more and cover the period of the campaign introducing different aircraft types. Have a look at the other OTT campaign AARs in the sticky section to get a handle on what it's all about. If you can make that sort of commitment then by all means join in & let me know which side you want to be on.

[flash]

I would very much like to be a part of this campaign on the Entente side. I have Halberstadt D.IIIs, Roland C.IIs, Fokker E.IIIs, Nieuport 16s and 17s. So most of my stuff would be arriving at the front spring to early-mid summer. I can proxy Fokker D.I by using my Halberstadt models. Will also soon have Spad S.VIIs and Albatros D.IIs. I guess a Gotha G.V could also proxy for a Gotha G.III if we had stats for it. Will this be a cooperative solo campaign?

You're on the roster Chuck, having a Morane and a DH2 may be helpful too !

[flash]

WILCO. Cheers for that. Looking for 2 early birds for each side. Already have Moraines, DH2's, Eindeckers and Halberstads. BE2c, Gunbus, Albatross DII dunno for a second German though. Neil

Scouts: Fokker D.II - 16/Q1-16/Q4, P, B, 13, 10, 4 or Alb D.I ! or get a two seater Aviatik C.I, Albatros C.I/C.III.

[Lt. S.Kafloc]

I'll have a gander.

[Twisted_terrain]

I can't bring myself to get the shapeways, they look too klunky, then you have put a lot of effort in to make them look good, can't deal with the grainyness. However I bet they work better on gimble mounts than red eagle, whinge, whinge, moan, moan. I want my toys!
Although an FE2b and another type of Albatros.

http://www.shapeways.com/model/34667...s&materialId=6

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Hi Si.
They actually look worse when photographed than they do in real life. I dislike painting anything with uneven surfaces especially when trying to get fine straight lines, but have had no problems with them so far except the first one I had when they were trialing them and ironing out the teething troubles. I'd just get one to try it out.
Rob.

[tusekine]

If you can make that sort of commitment then by all means join in & let me know which side you want to be on.

I can make that commitment (playing more games is always an option ). I would like to be on the CP side but can handle Entente if necessary. My early war stable currently is as follows:

1 Alb. D.I, 1 Alb. D.II, 2 Fokker E.IIIs, 5 Roland C.IIs, 2 Halberstadts. I also have a Gotha G.I.
4 Shorthorns (three are Italians but you can't see that from above, only below), 1 Farman F.30, 1 Farman F.40, 1 MS N-type, 2 DH-2s, 1 Nieu 16, and 2 Nieu 17s (one is Italian), 1 Be2c and an Avro 504K.

[MoonSylver]

Hi Rob!
the FE2b is a 2 seater & there is a nice Shapeways available but cant remember who designed it.

Thanks Barry. I'm still waffling on paper or Shapeways. Right now I've waffled back to paper for a couple of reasons:

#1 - I've reduced my build time considerably in the past couple of weeks (I started a plane Monday night, have put in 4 hrs & am 90% done. One more hr tonight should do the trick). I don't know if I could paint a Shapeways in that amount of time?

#2 - I gotten good enough w/ GIMP that I can do customs of probably just about any plane, if I have a model to work with. I took a B&W Spad XIII from FG & did a DeTurrene Spad recently. I think I can probably "paint" & "decal" easier in GIMP than I can in real life on a Shapeways.

The one thing that IS giving me some pause is availability of Early War models. I think, based on the ones I've listed/sourced thus far that I MIGHT be able to squeek by. We shall see at any rate.

One thing I am considering is doing some more research on how difficult it is to design a model from scratch & what software I'd need (only did some preliminary reading thus far), OR how much work I'd need to do to convert 1/33'rd scale models (I'm thinking if I did some work on the line thickness, either w/ layers in GIMP, or by hand) that it might be feasible.

[flash]

I can make that commitment (playing more games is always an option ). I would like to be on the CP side ...

Done !

[gully_raker]

G'day Rob!
Just to tempt you into some shapeways here are a few early war birds that wont take long to paint as they are CDL!
The Pup & Gunbus could be done in CDL as well. There was only one Camo Gunbus built but it appealed to me as it had Union Jack flags on the Rudder.

WGF BE2c 1.jpg  Views: 0  Size: 155.3 KB  ID: 123215" class="thumbnail" style="float:CONFIG" />WGF Sopwith Pup..jpg  Views: 84  Size: 170.1 KB  ID: 123218" class="thumbnail" style="float:CONFIG" />WSF Sopwith Strutter.jpg  Views: 84  Size: 349.8 KB  ID: 123217" class="thumbnail" style="float:CONFIG" />WSF Aviatik C.II 2.jpg  Views: 84  Size: 118.8 KB  ID: 123216" class="thumbnail" style="float:CONFIG" />
WoG Gunbus Side.jpg  Views: 0  Size: 107.7 KB  ID: 123220" class="thumbnail" style="float:CONFIG" />WoG Gunbus Top.jpg  Views: 0  Size: 224.9 KB  ID: 123219" class="thumbnail" style="float:CONFIG" />

? Seems those images posted before the "hack" some time ago wont show. Sorry Rob!

[flash]

I can't bring myself to get the shapeways, they look too klunky, then you have put a lot of effort in to make them look good, can't deal with the grainyness....

Check out my albums Si - I have a few in there if you look at the thumbnail shots you get the table top look of the models. Brisfits, Halb CL.II, Sopwiths various, DH.9, AFB-1, and the list goes on. They ain't perfect but they do fit the bill & much lighter than white metal !

[WWIflyingace]

About writing scenarios:

Is there an approval process?

[MoonSylver]

G'day Rob!
Just to tempt you into some shapeways here are a few early war birds that wont take long to paint as they are CDL!
The Pup & Gunbus could be done in CDL as well. There was only one Camo Gunbus built but it appealed to me as it had Union Jack flags on the Rudder.

Those do look rather spiffing Baz. I have 4 N.11's & a brand new airbrush at home that I picked up over the winter that have gone untouched since I got them. Casualties of my waffling. Depending on how they come out I may swing back the other way again.

Getting started with that airbrush has been the next hurdle to work up to. Every time I think I'm going to, I talk myself out of it, because I think about the fact in the time it's going to take me to practice with it & learn how to use it that I could be building another paper bird instead!

This weekend I may take another go at it & see what happens.

[flash]

About writing scenarios: Is there an approval process?

Have you looked at the other OTT campaigns ?!! No, there is no scenario approval process Chuck, except the barbs and arrows of your fellow players.
Main thing to keep in mind is not everyone has all the stuff you have, or, the free time to play an overly complex, or, full of aircraft game and you have to remember the AAR can easily take a couple of hours to prepare too. Sometimes less is more.

[tikkifriend]

Hi Chuck, Just write your AAR the way you want it to be . We are a friendly bunch here in the OTT campaign so no one is looking for a Pulitzer Prize winning account of your game.

[Twisted_terrain]

Rob, I was going to go on your recomendations, I then saw gully's planes and finally found daves albums, so a big sold!
@ Gully, what colour/make is on your aviatik, is there a vallejo version, model air maybe?

[flash]

Glad my simple offerings had an affect Si - just remember the P's when you get them - Proper Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance - and they should turn out fine !

[MoonSylver]

Rob, I was going to go on your recomendations, I then saw gully's planes and finally found daves albums, so a big sold!
@ Gully, what colour/make is on your aviatik, is there a vallejo version, model air maybe?

Good luck with them! As I say, depending on how my own efforts turn out when I get around to trying my own, I may join you.

[Lt. S.Kafloc]

Well my first shapeways are on the way. Vickers Gunbus, BE2c, Fokker D1 and an Albatross DII. Lets see how I get on with them then I'll think about some more.

[Archidamus]

Well my first shapeways are on the way. Vickers Gunbus, BE2c, Fokker D1 and an Albatross DII. Lets see how I get on with them then I'll think about some more.

Neil,

I've got a Gunbus, Strutter, Fokker DII and Ago CII - all were fine, and if a bit rough-surfaced, look OK on the game mat. Hopefully yours will be the same or better.

Have a FE2b and two-seat Strutter on order to give my Entente pilots a range of early birds.

[gully_raker]

Rob, I was going to go on your recomendations, I then saw gully's planes and finally found daves albums, so a big sold!
@ Gully, what colour/make is on your aviatik, is there a vallejo version, model air maybe?

G'day Si!
Unfortunately I mix my own colours to suit the aircraft I am doing.
I usually start with GW's Bleached Bone for CDL & colour more yellow for German Aircraft whilst the British planes are pretty much standard BB. I mix my own PC 10 but Vallejo's Brown Violet is pretty close.
You might like to check out my Model Aircraft Album to see the Camo Gunbus & many others.
If you are using Shapeways WSF make sure you wash thoroughly in warm water with just a little dishwashing liquid. Dry for a day & then seal with a floor/tile/slate sealer. There are other sealing options including watered down PVA glue but I have found the floor sealer works with usually one coat.

Good Luck!

[Zoe Brain]

Shapeways on the table - an F2B and an E.IV. The F2B is a large aircraft, one of the larger 2-seaters, twice the size of a DH2 and some.

[WWIflyingace]

Okay, I have three scenarios I would like to write with 2-3 planes per side. I think they are pretty straight forward The beauty of the early to mid war years to the middle of 1916 (August or later) is that the numbers of aircraft involved in any given battle are small; often one-on-one.

I have written the first scenario which would take place in January 1916 and would involve a rookie pilot being taken on his first combat mission. The second would take place in July 1916 and involve said rookie pilot now hopefully being an ace evaluating a new aeroplane. The third would take place in the summer of 1916 and involve intercepting two bombers or recon aircraft.

Will there be a folder to place these?

Also, if I have other files I wish to share where would they go? For example I have been working on an excel sheet where I am trying to list by nationality - British, French and German - the month each plane made it to the front.

I did some research on early aces for the Germans. They are:

January 1916 - Boelcke and Immelman; von Crailsheim died 5 days after crashing on 30 December 1915. Buddecke is transferred to southern front where he becomes an ace.

16 April 1916 - Berthold

30 April 1916 - von Althaus

between 20 May and 24 June - Wintgens

I'll try to come up with a similar list for the British Empire and France but a partial list includes:

Pegoud - April 1915 (France)
Ball - 25 June 1916 (Britain)
Nungesser - April 1916 (France)

[flash]

That's all very good Chuck, like the enthusiasm. To answer some of your questions:

We generally write one scenario each to get us through the campaign & as there are currently sixteen pilots we may very well have it covered with that, though opportunities to do two or more can occur as we lose people from the campaign.

There is no folder to keep scenarios in as the guys post them as their turn comes round. I then post them in the sticky. That way they are fresh & everyone gets into them at the same time. (There is a scenarios file in the file section somewhere I believe)

Upload any other files you create to the files system as usual & let us have the link so we can all find it easily & I will post that in the rules sticky.

Aces et al: I usually avoid using real pilots names in games myself, that's a personal thing, though the many pilots I provide as opposition are real names but juggled ie first & last names are switched between them. I use this as a quick reference to the names of aces
When using named aces I rarely find that they live up to their reality !!

[flash]

By the way, all your enemy pilots are now on the roster !

If you chaps would like to pm me your starting 4 pilots (Lt & 3 2Lts, or, Obltn & 3 Ltns) then I will add them to the roster.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Wilco that Dave.
Rob.

[flash]

Haven't done you any Jerries Rob, let me know if you want them !

[WWIflyingace]

That's all very good Chuck, like the enthusiasm. To answer some of your questions:

We generally write one scenario each to get us through the campaign & as there are currently sixteen pilots we may very well have it covered with that, though opportunities to do two or more can occur as we lose people from the campaign.

There is no folder to keep scenarios in as the guys post them as their turn comes round. I then post them in the sticky. That way they are fresh & everyone gets into them at the same time. (There is a scenarios file in the file section somewhere I believe)

Upload any other files you create to the files system as usual & let us have the link so we can all find it easily & I will post that in the rules sticky.

Aces et al: I usually avoid using real pilots names in games myself, that's a personal thing, though the many pilots I provide as opposition are real names but juggled ie first & last names are switched between them. I use this as a quick reference to the names of aces
When using named aces I rarely find that they live up to their reality !!

Darn! I was afraid we were limited to one. But that's okay. i would still like to submit all three and you can pick the one that best fits the campaign.

I only made the list to show how few aces there were at this point in the war. So there shouldn't be many ace pilots to go up against when the scenarios are written. In August things really heat up, but before then just a handful of aces on each side.

[gully_raker]

I believe for this early War campaign there should be no Aces in your rosters & your Pilots achieve Ace status as & if they reach the min 5 kills.

[Twisted_terrain]

Cheers gully, sorry no quote, using my phone to surf atm. It is a nightmare, I had at look at the thumbails, gunbus looks awesome. Does the sealant fill gaps and/or give the paint something to adhere to? Cheers for colours, I'm colour blind in greens n browns and have a pot of brown violet, it was a question I was gong to pose. I think I could trace a vallejo version of bleached bone.

[Twisted_terrain]

At Dave is there any chance one or two of my pilots could be flt sgts?

[flash]

I believe for this early War campaign there should be no Aces in your rosters & your Pilots achieve Ace status as & if they reach the min 5 kills.

As already stated in the rules sticky Baz !
Though the count may differ for some - early war I saw somewhere that the Germans Uberkanonen status came at 7 ?!

[flash]

At Dave is there any chance one or two of my pilots could be flt sgts?

Not sure there were many Sgt pilots if any early war - so no. Besides Flight Sgt is not a RFC rank and you won't be allowed in the Mess !
Flying officer & pilot officer were also job descriptions rather than ranks at the time so your chaps should be Pilot Officer 2Lt Bloggs; if we had observers they'd be Flying Officer 2Lt Bloggs.

[Twisted_terrain]

Not sure there were many Sgt pilots if any early war - so no. Besides Flight Sgt is not a RFC rank and you won't be allowed in the Mess !
Flying officer & pilot officer were also job descriptions rather than ranks at the time so your chaps should be Pilot Officer 2Lt Bloggs; if we had observers they'd be Flying Officer 2Lt Bloggs.

Makes complete sense, they were few and far between, however both my great grandad and his hut mate james mc udden started out as flt sgts, they were both made 2nd lts at the same time, dec 16. The otherthing I realised is I'm playing CP and not entente.
Cheers.

[gully_raker]

Cheers gully, sorry no quote, using my phone to surf atm. It is a nightmare, I had at look at the thumbails, gunbus looks awesome. Does the sealant fill gaps and/or give the paint something to adhere to? Cheers for colours, I'm colour blind in greens n browns and have a pot of brown violet, it was a question I was gong to pose. I think I could trace a vallejo version of bleached bone.

G'day Si. The sealer wont fill gaps but then you should not have any gaps in the Shapeways aircraft but "green stuff" would work.
Paint will cover the sealer perfectly. I usually dont undercoat just a couple or 3 coats of the final colour depending on the paint thickness.

[gully_raker]

Makes complete sense, they were few and far between, however both my great grandad and his hut mate james mc udden started out as flt sgts, they were both made 2nd lts at the same time, dec 16. The otherthing I realised is I'm playing CP and not entente.
Cheers.

What a great bit of history there!
Your Grandfather & Mack McCudden Hut mates. Wow!
I was going to mention that McCudden was flying two seat Morane Parasols as a Sgt Pilot.

[gully_raker]

Flash! If its O.K. with you & the crew I would like to list my 4 Pilots in the hope that I can squeeze in some of your Early War games between our Club Campaign & the WW2 Pacific War campaign.
Let me know & I will post my list.

[WWIflyingace]

My great-grandfather was a flying sergeant as well!

[flash]

Flash! If its O.K. with you & the crew I would like to list my 4 Pilots in the hope that I can squeeze in some of your Early War games between our Club Campaign & the WW2 Pacific War campaign.
Let me know & I will post my list.

Pm me their details Baz & I will add you to the roster !

[flash]

I'm off to Cavalier 2014 today so later peeps !

[johnbiggles]

If Dave is suggesting purchaces of 2-seaters, you can assure we'll be flying them. Photo recon, artillery spotting, bombing, all kinds of things you miss out on if you don't have 2-seaters.

Funny you brought this up Dave, as I was just seeing what models are available in the correct scales if one builds paper instead of ordering from Shapeways, & just found a Albatros C.1.

So far I've sourced models for:

the Be2, Avro 504, Bristol Scout C&D for the British, possibly a FE2.b (could the DH2 be substituted for them? They look awfully similar...)

Nieuport 11's for the French & possibly a Voisin III (1/50th scale, but listed with a lot of parts & a high difficulty)

Albatros C.I for the CP

I found models for the Caudron G4, but 1/32 scale unfortunately.

Hi Rob,
have a look in my album, I've just posted a picture comparing a Dh2, an Fb5, an Fe2 and a Caudron G4

[WWIflyingace]

Have to admit there are some aircraft I wouldn't be interested in flying; namely pusher aircraft and monoplanes (I only have the endeckkers and Rolands for my Nieuports to fly against). So I hope the scenarios are open enough to allow substitution of aircraft. Nieuports all the way for me!

[Nightbomber]

Count me in for Central Powers, Dave. Now both forces are equal in strenghts (9:9 players)