Am I in range to fire?

[Skyguy001]

which set of rules does your group play for taking the shot?

[IRM]

Post to anywhere on the target's base with models, centre dot to any part of the aircraft image with cards (IMO playing centre to model is too easy since the models are double the size of the card images, experimented with a compromise by attaching the aircraft's card to the base and measuring to the image).

[CappyTom]

I have heard of players using post to post. That would really cut down on shots fired:guns:. It would help with DoW for making the game last longer:).

:salute:
Tom

[Flying Officer Kyte]

:guns::fokker: This should open up a nest of worms. How about from gun of attacking model to anywhere on enemy plane inboard of the first set of struts or the fuselage?
Rob.

[Dutchy]

The machine gun muzzle is at the front of the plane not the post. For nearly a year, for the Knoxville group, fire is from the front of the attacking plane to any part of the target plane. We haven't really come up with rules for a rear gun, we rerely use them, but fire should probably be from the center post to any part of the target plane. Dutchy

[grumpybear]

I have heard of players using post to post. That would really cut down on shots fired:guns:. It would help with DoW for making the game last longer:).

:salute:
Tom

We use post to post

[AndrewLupp]

I know it has been discussed before - but we use post of the plane to any part of the actual physical plane using models ( or illustration when using cards). I find it a happy medium between post to post - which makes the target plane somewhat out of reach at times ( e.g. if I am directly behind a plane same altitude and I have to get the ruler to the post - the ruler / bullets have to pass through the tail of the plane to reach... wouldn't they just hit the tail?) and front of the plane (where the guns are) to any other part of the target plane. If the firing arc is moved up to the front, it shifts the actual arc from the printed lines and limiting range to the sides.

As I right this, I realized that this tilts things a little in favor of the attacking plane - which I like. After all, the attacker has gained the upper hand. :guns: :surrender:

[Flying Officer Kyte]

I know it has been discussed before - but we use post of the plane to any part of the actual physical plane using models ( or illustration when using cards). I find it a happy medium between post to post - which makes the target plane somewhat out of reach at times ( e.g. if I am directly behind a plane same altitude and I have to get the ruler to the post - the ruler / bullets have to pass through the tail of the plane to reach... wouldn't they just hit the tail?) and front of the plane (where the guns are) to any other part of the target plane. If the firing arc is moved up to the front, it shifts the actual arc from the printed lines and limiting range to the sides.

As I right this, I realized that this tilts things a little in favor of the attacking plane - which I like. After all, the attacker has gained the upper hand. :guns: :surrender:

Hi Andrew. Our thinking is very similar on this. The only reason I said inboard of the first set of struts is that this is the first thing of any real size that you can destroy that will effect the integral structure of the plane to any great degree,as long as you ignore the odd flap control wire etc.
Rob.

[Skyguy001]

Dicta Boelcke Rules of successful air combat.
3. Fire only at close range and only when your opponent is properly in your sights.
*A common rookie's urge was to start blasting away upon sighting his first enemy machine. Shots taken at ranges of 1000 yards stood little chance of hitting their mark. The rattle of machine gun fire would alert the intended target and gave them time to react.
The machine guns available for aircraft during the Great War were not highly accurate at longer ranges. Add to that the difficulty of aiming from a moving, bouncing gun platform at a fast moving target and it is a marvel that anyone ever hit anything. Boelcke preferred to fly to within 100 yards or less before firing, to ensure hitting what he aimed at with his opening burst. Once the rattle of his guns was heard, the advantage of surprise was gone, so it was best to make that first shot most effective.
Another aspect of making each shot count was the limited supply of ammunition carried in WWI aircraft -- usually only several hundred rounds. This could amount to less than 60 seconds of sustained fire. Reloading in the air varied from dangerous to impossible. Spraying the sky with lead in hopes of hitting something, eventually, was not an option. Shots had to be chosen carefully. Early in the war, when a sense of chivalry still held sway, some men allowed their opponents to depart if they were out of ammunition or had jammed guns. Total war did not allow such courtesies to last for long.*
Rules of success in air combat, compiled by Hauptmann Oswald Boelcke.
Annotated by Micheal Shackelford.

This also gives the added challenge of more precision flying to get in close so you are not wasting the rounds available if your groups play with limited ammo. :guns:

[flash]

We play post to post too Shane, playing to the base I found is too easy for the attacker but hard for the defender to escape; playing post to the model is a reasonable compromise but if you're using gimbals that may cause issues, playing from the front is reasonable too but messes with the fire arc... Each to their own as usual :D

[rote Flügel]

Post to actual model parts. I like it and so does my usual gaming mate.. I can see good reasons to do all the others but .. this works and we have fun.. and that.. is the whole point. lol.. no vote as Post to Model isn't on the list..

[Hunter]

Post to edge of base. :guns::fokker: :camel::guns::serious:

[BobP]

My friend and I do post to post for the minis. With the cards it states dot to dot so we look at the post as the dot. May try base to base next time we play and see how that works. We played yesterday and we both had misses that were so close using post to post. Always have to try new ideas from others.