(FYI, this is a continuation of the "Reverse Roland Rule" thread. I decided to start a new thread because I thought it was time to focus the ideas a bit differently.)
I've been pondering this whole discussion for the last couple of weeks, and I think (*cross my fingers*) that I've put all the facts together in a way that'll work in the game. Please let me know what you think!
Pilot shots:
Background: Historical testimony from pilots of the DH.2, which (like the FE2b) provided its pilots with a flexible forward machine gun mount, indicated that pilots generally hated the setup because it was very difficult to fly the plane and shoot a flexible gun at the same time. As a result, DH.2 pilots soon were routinely modifying their gun mounts so they were fixed in place to only fire forward, making it far easier to fly and shoot at the same time.
With that in mind, I propose the following rules for both the DH.2 (if playing so its gun has a flexible mount) and the FE2b:
* The pilot's gun has a 180-degree arc of fire facing forward. It can target aircraft at higher altitudes or the same altitude without constraint, but the observer creates a forward-facing blind spot for shooting targets at a lower altitude, identical to the rear-facing blind spot caused by the tail of other planes.
* Because of the difficulty of handling the flexible-mount weapon and flying at the same time, the pilot can fire his gun only during a phase in which the aircraft is flying a non-stressful straight maneuver. At no other time can the pilot fire his gun.
(Note that the above rules only apply to the DH.2 if the plane's gun is considered to be on a flexible mount. If the gun is considered to be fixed in place shooting forward, then normal shooting rules apply.)
Observer shots:
Background: FE2b observers' seats were situated in front of and below the pilot, allowing the pilot to shoot over their head. The pilot's gun was on a telescopic mount, however, and in practice the observer would often turn around, stand up in his seat, pull up the pilot's gun, and use it to fire at rearward targets. Testimony from observers indicated the high value of being able to do this, but also both the difficulty and the great risk, as the observers had no seatbelts to keep them from falling out of the aircraft should the pilot perform an unexpected maneuver.
With this in mind, I propose the following rules regarding observers in an FE2b using the pilot's gun to fire rearwards:
* An observer's forward gun is fully flexible, meaning it can shoot 180-degrees in a forward arc, and can fire without hindrance at targets higher, lower, and at the same level as their aircraft.
* When used by the observer to shoot rearward over the wing, the pilot's gun has a 180-degree rearward arc. Because of the position of the wings and the tail, rearward attacks cannot shoot at targets at a lower altitude, but the gun is unhindered when shooting at targets at the same or higher altitude.
* A marker should be used to indicate which gun an observer is currently controlling.
* An observer can switch between his own gun and the pilot's gun (or between the pilot's gun and his own gun) during any phase in which the aircraft is not performing a stressful maneuver.
* For obvious reasons, the observer cannot take control of the pilot's gun during a phase in which the pilot is using that gun.
* An observer cannot use a gun during the phase in which he switches to that gun.
* Because of the precariousness of the observer's situation, an aircraft cannot perform stressful (steep) maneuvers or Immelmann/Split-S maneuvers while an observer is shooting rearward.
Finally, note the following:
* The pilot of an FE2b can never operate the observer's forward gun, as it is much too far out of his reach
* It is possible that the pilot and the observer of an FE2b can both fire at the same target at the same time if it is in front of their aircraft. In this situation, both guns are considered separate attacks, which means that an enemy could receive four "B" damage hits if he is at close range.
Phew! I didn't expect that the FE2b would prove so ornery regarding finding proper rules to reflect historical accounts, but now I'm even more excited about using it in my early-war games!
Any comments on all this is, of course, quite welcome! See you in the skies!
-- Eris
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