Game Day - Armoury Games - Pickerington, Ohio 2-13-2011

[The Cowman]

...and here we find ourselves again... a small group of loyal pilots trudging their way through the February mud to their trusty aircraft to battle it out in the Skies over Pickerington one more time...

As has been our pattern, we started off with some Free-For-All Furball Action, to give any late comers a chance to show up before we got into our planned Balloon Busting sortie...

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9236&d=1297921685

Snoopy (Once again piloted by Lady Von Tigger) and the Red Baron (Baronvontigger) immediately square off in one corner of the map...

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9235&d=1297921592

Before you know it, smoke begins to pour from the Baron's finely tuned Fokker Dr.1...

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9233&d=1297921582

Four turns later, and we find Snoopy and the Baron still in the air doing their dance of death, as Frank Luke's Spad XIII (piloted by the "Not so New Guy" Eric) and Cowman's lightly armed but agile Sopwith Triplane have finally made their way across the map to enter the fray...


http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9231&d=1297921575

Things turn very nasty, very quickly as The Cowman and Eric go head to head with guns blazing full bore... The fragile triplane bursts into flames (I smell steak grilling somewhere...) and Eric takes a slightly more deadly hit and rides Lieutenant Luke's Spad in to the ground... Frank is going to be a little upset as he just had the bird tuned up...


http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9230&d=1297921488

Baronvontigger immediately takes advantage of the situation, quickly turning to open up on The Cowman and save his proverbial "bacon". His shots send the burning Triplane to the ground, allowing The Cowman to escape before the flames are able to engulf him and T-bone becomes the menu item of the evening! Needless to say, Eric was a bit unhappy about having his kill stolen, and I am starting to get hungry with all this talk of food! Be right back after this quick snack break...

[The Cowman]

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9229&d=1297921485
... and Eric re-enters the battle behind the stick of his favorite SE.5a, heading straight for our intrepid Flying Ace, Snoopy, whose Camel DH is starting to show a bit of wear and tear from the fight...

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9228&d=1297921481

With some incredible maneuvering skill, Eric manages to get right (and I mean RIGHT) on the tail of Snoopy's Camel DH, unleashing the full fury of both his Vickers and Lewis Machine Guns...

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9226&d=1297921476

Our buddy Snoopy has taken a beating and is pouring smoke from both rear dog-bowl mounts... The Cowman has re-entered the fight as well as seeks to take advantage of the opportunity to "Bag the Beagle!"

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9225&d=1297921375

... Poor Snoopy is unable to avoid the inevitable as The Cowman steals a kill from Eric... It seems that the "Not so New Guy" is doing all the work but reaping little of the rewards...

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9224&d=1297921372

On the following turn, Snoopy exacts some serious revenge for Crystal AND Eric as she comes out of the chute shooting, and deals a boom card to The Cowman, putting his tripe into the dirt for the second time this session! Beef... its what's for dinner!

And so we end our Free-For-All Furball and take a small break, setting up for what is sure to be a Glorious balloon busting mission! Stay Tuned!

[The Cowman]

... OK History Buffs, if you have not already passed out from the re-spawning flying doghouses and cow-spotted Triplanes, please take this moment to shut down all sense of reality as I "unfold" our upcoming scenario...

Deep in the heart of the French countryside, not far from the site of the recently destroyed Royal Dog Food Factory, lies a well kept secret... until now. A simple, well concealed bunker, containing plans for an insidious weapon of incredible destructive power, and the scientists and Military officers responsible for this important project... on the cusp of a breakthrough that might change the path of the war and all wars to come... They are confident in the invincibility of their well protected bunker, so much that they are not even concerned about the delay in the arrival of protective artillery and infantry units.

Little do they know, a secret agent... disguised as a mess cook, has discovered a weakness in their supposed impenetrability, a small vent to the surface that has been placed unknowingly close to a large cache of explosives materials for the project. A simple one meter target, waiting to be exploited by the enemy. Many lives have been lost to deliver this information to the waiting hands of our Central Powers heroes...

And so our pilots of the Central Powers Forces have prepared and planned for this day... and take to the sky in three incredibly well armed aircraft. Baronvontigger in control of his favorite Fokker Dr.I, and a quick and maneuverable Fokker DVII. Lady Von Tigger has chosen to sit behind the controls of beautifully painted Albatross DVa. Each aircraft carries a full load of incendiary machine gun ammo, two salvos of Le Prieur rockets on experimental mounts, and one 5 kilogram high explosive hand dropped bomb.

Their mission: to make their way across enemy lines, and proceed to carry out a low altitude attack run on the only thing standing between them and their glorious target of opportunity... a line of barrage balloons, and two British SE.5a's. (piloted by The Cowman and the newly crowned "Experienced Dude" Eric) Once they have downed the Barrage line they must simply fly over the concealed bunker and drop there incendiary device down the one meter vent pipe...where it will then cause a cataclysmic chain reaction with the nearby explosives, destroying the bunker and its eeeeeeevil contents... Piece of Cake!

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9223&d=1297921369

And so the battlefield is set and our pilots are ready to engage...

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9221&d=1297921181

Lady Von Tigger, unhindered by the British patrol, makes a beeline run toward the North Balloon and prepares to fire a salvo of rockets...

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9220&d=1297921176

...meanwhile "Experienced Dude" Eric has turned and is attempting to close and stop the Albatross, but must watch helplessly from a distance and she ignites her first Salvo...

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9216&d=1297921047

and misses... she has underestimated her proximity to the barrage lines and must pull up into a harried "Renversement" (as know by the French) , barely skimming the cables and avoiding a terrible death. Not expecting her sudden turn, Eric has turned to engage the other enemy aircraft.

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9218&d=1297921054

Meanwhile, to the South and West, The Cowman has turned to engage the DR.1 and suddenly notices the Fokker DVII off his left side...

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9217&d=1297921050

Both aircraft turn into each other, barreling full speed into a head on pass, guns blazing...

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9214&d=1297920937

The Fokker has scored a lucky hit, as the Cowman's guns jam and his stick suddenly becomes extremely sluggish to the left...

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9213&d=1297920934

Both pilots quickly exchange Grey Poupon recipes as they narrowly miss each other in their pass...

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9212&d=1297920927

With his Guns still jammed and his rudder damaged, it looks like the Cowman might just be out of this fight for a bit... and that could be a costly bit...

(to be continued...)

[The Cowman]

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9210&d=1297920616

"Experienced Dude" Eric has decided to set his sights on the DVII as well and has moved to assist The Cowman... meanwhile the DR.I has homed in on the northern Balloon as well, as its defenseless observation crew begins to panic...

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9209&d=1297920561

Baronvontigger lets loose with a salvo of rockets as Lady Von Tigger lines her Albatross for a second run...

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9206&d=1297920490

Baronvontigger's strike has left the Balloon damaged and burning as Lady Von Tigger releases the fury of her second and final salvo of Le Prieurs...

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9205&d=1297920425

With a fiery explosion the Balloon goes up in flames and then falls to the earth, dropping the barrage line... Lady Von Tigger claims her first Balloon kill and the enemy bunker is now theirs for the taking... with the British planes completely out of position to stop them...

(The exciting conclusion awaits...)

[The Cowman]

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9204&d=1297920400

The Cowman has been pushing his engines to the limits to return to defend the bunker as he helplessly must watch the Barrage lines fall. Lady Von Tigger is on an intercept course, as Baronvontigger's DVII unleashes a rocket barrage on the Southern Balloon to little effect.

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9202&d=1297920310

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9200&d=1297920233

After finally gaining on the slightly slower DVII, and taking a small amount of fire from Lady Von Tigger, The Cowman then watches with joy as the Lady once again misjudges her distance to the barrage lines remaining to the south of the Balloon, totally obliterating her Albatross! At the same time a final shot has finally done in the DVII and it goes down near the Balloon, burning all the way! The Cowman is now free to engage the final DR.1 and protect the secret project...

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9199&d=1297920233

...unfortunately The Cowman is too late. Despite a valiant effort by "Experienced Guy" Eric to stop him, The Enemy has arrived at the target. The demise of both the DVII and the Albatross were not in vain as they manage to delay The Cowman just long enough, and Baronvontigger's DR.I delivers its incendiary package. The small bomb drops through the air and the Baron watches as it clanks off the rim of the vent pipe precariously... then drops in and vaporizes the bunker a moment later... dealing an incredible loss to the Empire... err... I mean the Entente....

A "Blast" was once again had by all! Another Pickerington Game Day under wraps...:D

And thus ends my AAR... prepare for the 27th... "Kong" is coming... and the recent increase in the price of bananas has left him in a very sour mood... :eek: :cool:

[tuladin]

Great shot kid - that was one in a million!

Nice AAR - looks like you all had a fun day, even with the sad news about the shop closing.

As for the photos... OOOOHH and AAAAAHHH. :)

[The Cowman]

Thanks Larry, much appreciated! At least I know now that one person read it. Makes the time spent worth it! I changed the title to say AAR so it would be less confusing, but it does not reflect in the actual thread lists... so no help there...

[CappyTom]

Nice photos and report. Love those smoke and flame markers you have. I really enjoy doing scenarios, dogfights are fun but I like having a mission to complete as well.

Good job Ken.
Tom

[Canuck]

Those photos really add up to make a great AAR! Thanks Ken.

[The Cowman]

Those photos really add up to make a great AAR! Thanks Ken.

It takes me a while to do it this way, but the photos are the best way for me to remember the specific events in question!