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View Full Version : 8th Solitaire game with Richard Bradley solo rules - Clash of Flights



Blackronin
03-02-2012, 15:56
"Rittmeister Joachim, when will you put your men in their machines and let them fly and fight?! I'm waiting to see how you'll manage your flight. What are you expecting to achieve with all these training days?" "I'm expecting them to return alive, Herr Hauptmann!" "You didn't have all this training before you took your first enemy, did you?" "Nein, Herr Hauptmann! I was lucky. I want them to have a little bit more than just raw luck." "Ah, Rittmeister Joachim?! So! I was right. You were lucky." "Jawoll, Herr Hauptmann!" "Hmmm! It's nice to know that you can see yourself in a mirror!! We just might become friends!" "What, Herr Hauptmann?! Who told you that I wanted to be your friend!?" "That was a good reply, Rittmeister. Well. You were sent another Albatros for you to destroy. You can give yours to one of your new pilots and put the second Pfalz on reserve." "Very well, Herr Hauptmann. Today I'll take my flight in a patrol over the front." "It was about time for you to take that green look out of them. Proceed."

As the biplanes took off I looked at the steady hands of my new flight members. They could be green, as the Hauptmann said, but they were solid pilots. I was expecting to find one or two enemy planes during the patrol, so that I could guide them through their first combat. We would not be that lucky. I decided that Leutnant Andrzej Kaut would be my wingman and Leutnant Hans Zakopious would be Leutnant Willarm wingman. I had drilled in their heads that being near their wing leaders would save their lives. I just hoped that they would understand that concept before it was too late. I gave the new plane to Leutnant Andrzej, and kept mine to me. The amount of damage my Albatros had already taken made him hard to pilot by the new pilots, so, under the scowl of the Hauptmann, I took off in my old plane, followed by my men.

http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=42638&d=1335356474

As we were flying above the trenches and watching the skies, I thought of beautiful Ina. I couldn't hardly wait until my next leave so that I could see her again and maybe, if I was lucky, steal a kiss from her lips. I was awake from my dreams as Leutnant Andrzej waved at me and pointed at four dots above the horizon. Good eyes! I smiled to him and we banked in that direction. Four of them.

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I made a sign to Willarm to maintain course while I slide left closely followed my my new wingman. We approached each other at full throttle.

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I was reciting to myself what I had drilled in my men. Wait until you see the white of the enemy eyes. Face the enemy while firing and pull right as soon as you stop firing. It was then that I understood that my little maneuver had been successful.

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Leutnant Andrzej and I took them from their right side. As we approached, the British pilots maintained their positions. Terrible mistake. We raked them from the side.

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I fired against the second Camel, closely followed by Leutnant Andrzej. The Camel fired back at me half heartedly. I took no damage and for my great surprise, it exploded under our fire. It was a very welcome lucky shot, as it gave us the upper hand in the dogfight that soon took place.

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Willarm and Leutnant Hans Zakopious made a frontal pass against the stout and fast Spads XIII. Both Spads fired at Willarm, making some light damage. Willarm and Zakopious fired against the leading Spad damaging it heavily and putting the plane on fire. Willarm jammed his guns in the process.

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In the confusion, our wingmen stopped following us, and as I side slipped the remaining Camel, I watched them trying to escape the enemy and circulating them. Slower as it was, the Pfalz took his share of damage. But Leutnant Zakopious managed to escape, even if badly mauled by one of the Spads. He tried to tail the other Spad and fired against it, but the greater speed of the enemy plane soon took him out of range of the Pfalz guns.

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Wounded, Leutnant Zakopious escaped to our lines and when I saw him out of danger, I pressed the attack against the Spads. I kept firing against the Spad that had burned previously and with a well put stream of bullets I took him down.

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As I watch it falling down I could see my two remaining pilots pressing against the other two planes. I was amazed with their skill and courage.

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Leutnant Andrzej kept firing against the remaining Camel, and not being very effective in his fire, he still chased away his enemy along the front line.

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Willarm chased the last Spad into his lines and after the Spad gained some distance he quit the chase and wisely returned, even if without a kill.

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We reformed our wing and went back home trying to catch up with Leutnant Zakopious. We had been lucky in this first sortie and my confidence in my flight filled me with joy.

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Leutnant Zakopious was already landed when we arrived. He was wounded but it was a light wound and soon he would be fit to fight again. I was certain of that, as he had four glasses filled with schnaps and was waiting for us besides his plane.

After Action Report

I played my eight solo scenario with my pilot - Rittmeister Joachim.
I wanted to use my recent present - the Albatros Andrzej offered me - and the expanded solo rules, so I crafted a bigger scenario.
All planes except mine and Andrzej Kaut's were using the Richard Bradley Solo rules with my home-made table and the AI rules below:

Die Roll: --------- 1 --------------------------- 6 --------
1/12 Stall/Straight/Stall --------- Straight/Straight/Loop
2/3 Hard Turn R./Stall/Hard Turn R. -- Straight/Straight/Loop
5/4 Straight/Loop/Straight -------- Straight/Loop/Straight
6/7 ---------------------- No changes ----------------------
8/9 Straight/Loop/Straight -------- Straight/Loop/Straight
10/11 Hard Turn L./Stall/Hard Turn L. -- Straight/Straight/Loop

I played with two aces rules:
Deadly Aim. One of the cards of damage I deal gives +1 damage if it's not a zero.
Gritty Luck. I can negate one card of damage per scenario.

Expanded solo rules to Special Damage and Artificial Intelligence:

AI DAMAGE RULES

Rudder Jammed: In Solo games, when the A.I. receives this damage, be it right or left, these are the rules: In the following turn, after the living players play their cards, roll a 1D6 die: 1-3 - cannot turn left, 4-6 - Cannot turn right.
Pilot Wounded: If an AI pilot is wounded, he cannot make any more Himmelmanns. The second wound kills him.
Engine Damage: Roll a die to find in which manouver the stall should be performed. 1-2 = first, 34 = second, 5-6 = third.
Smoke - Per the rules.
Fire - Per the rules.

AI BEHAVIOUR

Wounded pilots: After being wounded, AI pilots roll 1D6 die after players play their turn. On a 4-6 they start to move away from the combat to their lines.
Plane on Fire: When the plane is on fire and the plane has more than half of total damage, AI pilots roll 1D6 die after players play their turn. On a 4-6 they start to move away from the combat to their lines.

Characters in the Campaign:

Rittmeister Joachim - 8 kills and 1 shared kill (Ace abilities: Deadly Aim, Gritty Luck)
Leutnant Willarm - 2 Kills
Leutnant Hans Zakopious - No kills (Wounded)
Leutnant Andrzej Kaut - 1 shared kill

Hauptmann Schroeder (Jasta 23 Operational Officer)
Ina (Lovely Willarm's sister)

crashx
03-02-2012, 20:03
Very nice Joaquim!!! Great report!!!

Dwarflord22
03-02-2012, 20:31
Another excellent battle report! :clap::clap: Thanks for posting!! :thumbsup:

Blackronin
03-03-2012, 02:31
Thank you my friends. And thank you for the reputation. You are too kind.

Flying Officer Kyte
03-03-2012, 03:10
I would like to add my approbation to your plaudits from the other pilots. It was another masterful report as well as display of flying.
F.O. Kytes remarks about the innepitude of the R.F.C. and American pilots are not printable I'm afraid.
Rob.

Archidamus
03-03-2012, 04:09
Great report and photos Joaquim - and I think I heard F.O. Kyte's howls of outrage from my aerodrome!

Nightbomber
03-03-2012, 05:12
Excellent report, Joaquim! I like it A LOT! The paper planes are really cool. And I can see a new flight member "Weber" did a great job in the air:thumbsup:

Marechallannes
03-03-2012, 06:13
Ah, there is the exported Albatros!

Ok, ok, plane and pilot did a great job...:hmm:

Good idea to reinforce the Portugal volunteers.:thumbsup:

Interesting AAR, Joaquim.

I'am afraid you unriddled the secret system of the solo rules.;)

Flying Officer Kyte
03-03-2012, 07:39
Great report and photos Joaquim - and I think I heard F.O. Kyte's howls of outrage from my aerodrome!

They could certainly hear it from certain parts of Kent Brian. I'm suprised that we didn't get a complaint about the noise from Berlin or Paris.
Rob.

Blackronin
03-03-2012, 10:40
Thank you my friends. For the replies and for the Reputation given.
The solo rules are fascinating in the way that they do resemble reality. In this scenario, I was baffled by the fact that the behaviour of the A.I. planes, 6 out of 8, was so realistic. As soon as the system decided that the planes should leave and I used the compass to face the leaving edge of both sides, the planes tried to leave as soon as possible and 3 of them were able to do it. It is really amazing.

Nightbomber
03-05-2012, 01:50
Although "Andrzej" didn't score a kill, he will do his best some other time;).

Blackronin
03-05-2012, 11:04
Although "Andrzej" didn't score a kill, he will do his best some other time;).

I'm pretty sure of that, Andrzej!

Blackronin
03-09-2012, 11:38
Revamped as the other 7 before. This one just a little.

Blackronin
04-25-2012, 05:48
Re-uploading the photos. Six more to go.