Ranger
11-28-2011, 13:19
Despite the best efforts of the USPS to keep my Zep out of the air, she flew her first and second missions last week. I used the rules from the Airship Attack thread for the Zeppelin.
The basic scenario was the Zep trying to make it back over the lines at daybreak. In the first mission, three planes tried to shoot her down, two camels and a twin seater (with A guns mounted in the rear!).
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=27903&d=1322505791
The British aircraft quickly closed on the slow moving Zep.
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=27907&d=1322505895
The British scored some very heavy early hits (4 x 5 damage points cards in the first three turns) and took out the tail gunner, but the Zep struck back hard. In one turn, it set one of the Camels on fire, and took out the rear gunner on the two seater.
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=27902&d=1322505768
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=27908&d=1322505923
Within two more turns, one Camel was going down in flames and the two seater, being forced to fly in nose first instead of strafe with its rear guns, was in bad shape.
The scenario was called when the two seater went down and the last camel was set on fire. A decisive win for the Zep.
In the second mission, the two seater pilot (apparently having made it back to base) chose to fly an SE 5a instead and a third camel took to the air.
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=27910&d=1322505974
Once again, the scouts inflicted significant damage early on (4 x 5 damage points in the first three turns again... I shuffled the cards, but fate was not kind).
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=27911&d=1322505996
Even with just 4 planes in the air, the sky seemed crowded for the scouts...:eek:
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=27905&d=1322505843
Eventually it came down to one scout remaining against the battered Zep (less than 12 hit points left out of 128, and 4 out of 5 engine damage taken), but the Zep survived, downing the last scout just before its nose got to the edge of the game mat.
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=27909&d=1322505948
A sketch artist on the ground captured some of the action...
Overall, the ballance seemed very good with the 4 scouts vs. the Zep, reducing the number of regular move cards would make the game last a couple more turns, and adding in a German fighter should probably even it out with more than 4 Brits/Belgians attacking the airship.
The basic scenario was the Zep trying to make it back over the lines at daybreak. In the first mission, three planes tried to shoot her down, two camels and a twin seater (with A guns mounted in the rear!).
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=27903&d=1322505791
The British aircraft quickly closed on the slow moving Zep.
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=27907&d=1322505895
The British scored some very heavy early hits (4 x 5 damage points cards in the first three turns) and took out the tail gunner, but the Zep struck back hard. In one turn, it set one of the Camels on fire, and took out the rear gunner on the two seater.
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=27902&d=1322505768
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=27908&d=1322505923
Within two more turns, one Camel was going down in flames and the two seater, being forced to fly in nose first instead of strafe with its rear guns, was in bad shape.
The scenario was called when the two seater went down and the last camel was set on fire. A decisive win for the Zep.
In the second mission, the two seater pilot (apparently having made it back to base) chose to fly an SE 5a instead and a third camel took to the air.
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=27910&d=1322505974
Once again, the scouts inflicted significant damage early on (4 x 5 damage points in the first three turns again... I shuffled the cards, but fate was not kind).
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=27911&d=1322505996
Even with just 4 planes in the air, the sky seemed crowded for the scouts...:eek:
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=27905&d=1322505843
Eventually it came down to one scout remaining against the battered Zep (less than 12 hit points left out of 128, and 4 out of 5 engine damage taken), but the Zep survived, downing the last scout just before its nose got to the edge of the game mat.
http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=27909&d=1322505948
A sketch artist on the ground captured some of the action...
Overall, the ballance seemed very good with the 4 scouts vs. the Zep, reducing the number of regular move cards would make the game last a couple more turns, and adding in a German fighter should probably even it out with more than 4 Brits/Belgians attacking the airship.