The Great Balloon Hunt

[zenlizard]

I was reading Peter Hart's "Aces Falling: The War Above the Trenches, 1918" the other day, and one of the incidents in the book inspired this scenario. Since there's another gaming convention for me coming up soon, and Clipper recently off-loaded his "extra" minis, and with the release of WGF Series 9, a whole lot of disparate elements have come together. Note that this is a stand-alone scenario, not intended as part of a campaign. Also, it incorporates several "optional" aspects of the game; it is primarily designed as a teaching scenario. Without further ado:

[zenlizard]

A scenario for Wings of Glory (First World War)
The Great Balloon Hunt.

Introduction: 16 October 1916, the Verdun battlefield: the French have prepared a massive artillery concentration and have started a preliminary bombardment in obvious preparation for an offensive to reclaim what the Germans won earlier in the year. The German 5th Army has noticed a line of French observation balloons directing the artillery fire. The command sends out a flight to destroy the balloons. The French, knowing full well how important the observation is, have scraped together a defensive fighter patrol to stop any attempt to destroy the balloons.

Area: Four maps, laid out in a rectangle: roughly, 195cm/76.5” by 135cm/53”. Use Countryside or NML maps, if you have them: the mapsheets are there just to define the play area, and provide a little more visually entertaining surface than a blank tabletop. The play area is fixed. Designate one of the short sides as German safe side, the other short side as French safe side.

The Forces:
French: Four Observation balloons, four B-firing antiaircraft machineguns, one Nieuport 11 (defensive patrols are scraping the bottom of the barrel: most first-line aircraft have been sent off to the Somme), one Nieuport 17, and one SPAD S. VII. All French aircraft, regardless of model used, are B-firing.

German: One Albatros D-II, and one Roland C-II. (Again, the Germans have pulled out most of their aircraft to send to the Somme).

Victory Conditions:
The Germans must destroy all four observation balloons to ensure victory. Anything else is a French victory.

Set up:
1) Place the observation balloons roughly evenly spread out no more than ½ ruler length distance from the French safe side, at Altitude 3, plus two climb counters each. Antiaircraft machineguns are to set up anywhere on the playing surface within one rulers length of a balloon (yes, the guns can be concentrated around one balloon, leaving the others relatively undefended).
2) The Germans set up anywhere within one ruler distance of the German safe side-they may, and should consult between them before the game as to exactly where. They both start at altitude level 4, with no climb counters.
3) Each French player-again, they should consult beforehand-takes a straight, or a right or a left maneuver card, and displays it after the Germans set up. The French aircraft set up within one ruler’s length distance of their safe edge, and either the approximate middle or withing one ruler’s length distance of their right or left battlefield sides, as indicated by their maneuver cards. They should be no closer than ½ ruler length distance of a balloon-fudge the earlier set-up directions if this one is violated. They are at altitude level 5: each player may start with 0, 1 or 2 climb counters, as desired.

Scenario rules:
1. This is primarily designed as a teaching scenario, assuming the presence of an experienced gamesmaster, whose main role is to remind players of how the rules work. The gamesmaster does however, control the AA machienguns. In contrast to the standard rules, each AA machinegun may be rotated around its red dot up to 90 degress in the planning phase of each turn. As an added option, the scenario may be played with limited intelligence, with the gamesmaster drawing all damage cards, and revealing, even tot he players concerned only the relevant damage (explosion, fire & smoke to all players, jams to the firing player, crewmember wounds, engine damage & the like to only the target player. In this case, announce only hit or miss (0 damage or number damage) to the players, with the actual amount kept secret from all players.
2. Try not to fly off the playing area. If an aircraft does fly off the playing area, other than on its safe side, then extend the playing area as necessary to return the aircraft as quickly as possible. Assume that this scenario takes place on the French side of the lines. Any German aircraft exiting the mapsheet in an unsafe direction will be shot at my French antiaircraft fire. Take a C damage card at the end of each turn it is out of the playing area; even if it is only off the mapsheet for part of the turn (exception: due to the proximity of the balloons to the French safe edge, a German airplane may overshoot its baloon target, and be forced off the playing area there. In this case, do not draw a C damage card if the German is off the mapsheet for only part of a turn. French aircraft exiting the mapsheet off either of the two “neutral” sides risk being mistaken for Germans, and shot at. Flip a coin, roll a die, or some other 50/50 chance: if the French aircraft is unlucky, the draw a C damage card, as for the German aircraft. French aircraft exiting the German safe side will automatically be mistaken for Germans, and shot at accordingly. This rule requires some common sense on the part of the gamesmaster, and is primarily designed to teach the players to be aware of their aircraft handling. Any aircraft exiting the playing surface along its safe side is assumed to be escaping, and may not re-enter the game. Resolve any remaining damage from fire cards.
3. Use the Altitude rules. The Albatros D-II’s climb rate is 5. Also use the incendiary ammunition rules (see scenario rule 6).
4. For this scenario (it is aimed at beginners, after all), two planes will collide only if one of their bases overlaps the central peg (or red dot) of another, and the two are at the same altitude level, with the same number of climb counters.
5. An aircraft will collide with a balloon if its central peg (or red dot) overlaps the balloon footprint, and they are at the same altitude level, regardless of climb counters (balloons are huge, after all).
6. The Albatros D-II is using incendiary ammunition. All other aircraft are using ordinary ball ammunition.
7. Use von Richthofen’s Roland C-II without the front gun. The forward gun has been removed to save weight. [If you don’t have the von Richthofen model, just ignore the front firing arc of the Roland you do have]. The Roland is carrying a radio instead:
8. The Germans have a long-range artillery battery ranged roughly on the balloons. This battery does need fire correction, however. Starting with the first maneuver & fire phase of the 2nd turn, the Roland may call artillery fire on any one balloon (or, if any antiaircraft machinegun has fired, on that gun). The first artillery shot on any target will automatically miss (draw no damage card); the next, and subsequent fire phases, the Roland will draw one card from the C damage deck to represent the effect of the artillery fire. Yes, the Germans do get to see what damage they cause the target. Ignore all jams, and all other special damage except explosion, fire, smoke, rudder jammed & engine damage; these last three count as fire damage, as per the normal balloon rules. The observer may not fire his machinegun while spotting for the artillery; if he does fire his machinegun, the artillery battery will cease fire until it receives further orders. No more damage cards will be drawn until the observer resumes spotting. In subsequent maneuver & fire phases, the observer may spot for the battery, but any interruption in the firing sequence, or change in target at all will result in the “first shot” from the artillery automatically missing, as above. The observer may spot for artillery if wounded; however, two wounds to the observer kills him, and the battery will cease fire due to lack of orders. The gamesmaster should absolutely not inform the French of this aspect: it is up to them to recognize the Roland as the German ace-in-the-hole.
9. If points are needed for a tie-breaker of some sort, then assign:
Each AA machinegun destroyed (5 or more damage): 1
Each enemy single-seater damaged: 2
Each enemy two-seater damaged: 3
Each enemy single-seater shot down: 4
Each enemy two-seater shot down: 5
Each balloon damaged:, without being destroyed: 8
Each balloon destroyed: 9
(maybe assign half points to the Roland for balloons & machineguns destroyed by artillery fire ?)

[Carl_Brisgamer]

You have put a lot of work in on this one Sam. The Germans will have a rough time of it with only one scout against three French, have you considered giving the Germans at least one more scout? Perhaps a Halberstadt D.III or even a Fokker E.III?

[flash]

Have you tried this out Sam ? Carl's right, this is a big ask for two machines even with artillery back up.

[zenlizard]

Haven't actually had a chance to playtest it yet. I did deliberately design it to be a tall order for the Germans. And yes, the addition of a Halberstadt with incendiary ammunition would go a long way towards evening things out a bit. I would lay that out as an option for a fairly experienced group running the scenario. (And in that case, the "limited intelligence" aspect would make things even more interesting).

But again, it's mainly designed as a teaching scenario, to be run as a one-off at a convention: thus, the inclusion of several "optional" rules. But here, the gamers are presented with several conflicting decisions:
The French need to recognize the real threat in the form of the Roland, and decide how to deal with that: try and take it out with one, two, or all three aircraft-that last is risky, as it opens them up to being picked off by the Albatros. OTOH, if they send one to the Albatross, and two the the Roland, they may or may not get there in time to avoid the destruction of the balloons, and the Albatros is *likely* to be able to take out the single aircraft against it. Two against the Albatros and one against the Roland will increase the likelyhood of victory in the fighter battle, but opens up the opportunity for the German artillery even more.
The Albatros needs to decide to concentrate on two conflicting goals, as well: go after a balloon or two, or intervene to save the Roland. Response should, by any reasonable standard, depend on the Albatros pilot recognizing early on what the French course of action is, and react accordingly.
The Roland player needs to recognize that what he really needs to do is try and avoid direct combat, as far as he can: and then make a decision about whether to directly attack a balloon or two, or assist the Albatros in any balloon strafe, by destroying the AA machineguns.

In any case, no player or side will do well by floundering around, making a decision by not making a decision, and trying to do everything at once.

Keep in mind, that a given player's "doing well" in a game situation is not the same as necessarily winning the game for his side: but if the player's side won the game because of good decisions made by the player, then that is what should define success.

[flash]

I look forward to seeing how your playtest works out Sam, though I don't fancy the Albatros pilots chances if he gets shot down and he's used incendiaries against another aircraft !

[zenlizard]

I got the chance to playtest this at the weekend Congress of Gamers. Unfortunately, I had to move it, due to space constraints in the originally scheduled room; and due to time constraints (risked conflicting with another event scheduled in the space I moved to immediately following my time slot), I didn't have time to photo document how it went down. And the venue change meant that only two people showed, instead of the five I was hoping for. However, both of those were newcomers, so I did get to showcase the game a little bit. I had them run as German & French players. And even the German player had to run out early, so I had to take over the German side. But as far as the scenario itself went: the German player realized right off what he needed to do, and sent the Albatros ahead, while holding the Roland back, to direct artillery fire. The French player sent all three scouts ahead: and managed to overshoot the Albatros completely. Shortly thereafter, the French player started noticing his balloons blowing up, and couldn't figure out why. The Albatros started to turn back, figuring that the French defenders were going to mass attack the Roland: but the French player, instead, figured that the Roland was a ruse, and tried to initiate a turning dogfight with the Albatros. The German player then doubled back for the balloons, drawing all the fighters away from the Roland. It was at this point that the German player had to leave. As the German player, I then continued what seemed to be the previous German player's strategy: let the artillery take out most of the balloons, and concentrate on attacking the remaining one. But by this time, there was considerable vertical separation between the two German planes (the Albatros was chasing the balloons down), with the French defenders sandwiched. Beautiful tactical doughnut, but the Germans weren't interested in the fighters: the French player's failure to recognize the artillery threat doomed three of the balloons, while the Albatros set the remaining balloon on fire. The result was a German victory.

As far as the game play itself went though, the French player did do fairly well in putting his planes where he wanted to for his operational scheme. So in the end, I gave him the advertised prize for the event: the Luke/Bäumer duel pack. He did ask me a couple of times if it really was OK that he walked off with it, and I reaffirmed my promise of the prize to the best-performing newcomer. Oh, and after the event, I did explain to him what his great mistake was, and how to deal with the artillery fire. There was a look of enlightenment that came over his face, and he then seemed to appreciate the dilemma I had set out initially.

I just wish that I had had time for proper photo and text documentation, but that was not to be. Maybe next year.