AAR the Gun Show

[Big Blake]

Howdy y'all,

Well Karen and I spent our anniversary at the Texas Gun Show on Sat and Sun. It was cool, low crowd, light sales for us, but spent time together.

However, Saturday nite was cool in that Karen let me go play a wargamer on our anny nite with a couple of guys from the gun show. I taught them Wings of War, basic standard game.

It was fun, they flew a Nieuport 17 and a Camel vs my UFAG C.I. *They deployed with about a foot between them even after I said they should be closer to each other to support each other. They said no. So I deployed between them. My moves were a hard left turn with 2 straights to move onto their flank and then sweep right making flybys on them both. That was the plan. However to my surprise and theirs too, they both did hard right turns, followed by 2 straights each. They were both closing on my exposed right flank. It was cool in that neither one of them told the other what they were doing and they did exactly what they should have if they had seen my move cards I had selected.

Needless to say, it was all downhill from there, their first burst killed my rear gunner! The Nieuport was tailing me and luckily the Camel had misread his move cards and was off flying in a random direction that kept him out of the dogfight for that game.

I did 2 short dives and a side slip to my right and the Nieuport zoomed right past me even getting tailing info from me. I got two bursts on him and jammed his rudder so he could not do right turns for 3 moves. I was able to get a couple more bursts into him before his rudder came back and he performed a perfect Immelmann. Caught me in his frontal arc for 2 bursts, I took heavy damage and my rudder damaged for no left turns for 3 turns! My return fire resulted in my guns jamming!!.

So I had to turn away from the table edge right into the Nieuports guns, the Camel finally got back around and was flying to help out. But he was waaaay on the other side of the board. I took more fire from the Nieuport and I was seeing sky through my canvas all around me but I was still in the air. . . Didn't know how much longer.

The Nieuport flew under me then zoomed ahead and Immelmann again we exchanged bursts, his guns jammed and my plane broke in half, game over.

They had fun and wanted to play again, I said okay. They kept their planes and I took 2 Albatros D.III. This was going to be a different game. Our first flybys and they both fired at one Alby, while I got off one burst with that Alby but jammed my guns, my 2nd Alby fired on the Camel.

We danced at close quarters with everyone outside all the firing arcs so my guns were cleared and ready for the next turn. I had forgotten how tight that Camel could turn right and 2 moves later he was blasting at close range on my Alby that had just cleared his guns. It took 2 heavy bursts and was one point away from being downed. The Nieuport and my other Alby exchanged long range bursts.

Next turn Camel flew past my damaged Alby and Immelmanned. Long burst and down went the damaged Alby.

The other Alby Immeled and got behind the both planes. One long burst at the Nieuport and jammed my guns! The next turn I dove, sideslipped and straighten out. They both Immeled and both fired at me - crap! *I took heavy damaged and could not turn for 3 turns all I could do was fly straight and not shoot. That was it, they both Immeled again as I had flow past them and they both took long bursts that ripped apart the Alby, drew a 5 and a 4 damage cards!!

So the Central powers were not very happy when the reports came back from what the troopers in the trenches saw that day.

Overall, they were both great games with lots of dancing and near misses of crates being in each others arcs. They both liked the game and look forward to playing next time they come to town for the gun show. They were even talking about getting some planes and playing together with each other at some other shows.

So it was a good Saturday, even got home before midnight and delivered the anniversary rose to Karen. All was good :-D

At one point I had taken a right rudder jam And a left rudder jam during the same firing sequence. So I read that as I couldn't make any turns so flew straight all three move cards.

Sorry no photos so don't know if this really counts as an AAR. But thought y'all might like to hear something from me


Cya with photos next time.


Hey this was my 100th posting I just noticed!

[Carl_Brisgamer]

Great descriptive AAR Blake, thanks for posting. Good to see the UFAG get some air time.

[wargamer]

Nice AAR. Grats on promotion with 100th post!

[Flying Officer Kyte]

I really enjoyed your AAR Blake. The little domestic scene was just a bonus to the main action.

Why do novices always have beginners' luck?
It was so entertaining that I did not miss the photos at all.
I will not miss the fact that you are buying in the Officers' Mess tonight for posting 100.
Nor I'm sure will Kyte.
Rob.

[HTRAINo]

Makes a good read! Doing AAR's with pictures on 2+ player games is difficult at the best of times, and can ruin the flow.

You made a good choice in just writing this one up. I thoroughly enjoyed it!!!

[Big Blake]

Thanks Gents! So did I do the right thing about not making any turns since I drew both the right and left rudder jams on the same phase?

I also used two A damage decks since we had four planes doing A damage. Is that what most of you would have done or would y'all have kept it at one deck?

Thanks.

[Huntron]

I guess I should have gone with you to be your wingman You always seem to get hosed by noobs and their beginners luck

[Lt. S.Kafloc]

Good read, didn't need the photo's to follow the action. Unless your divorced from the game (no pun intended) its hard to take photo's without breaking the flow of the game.

Neil

[MoonSylver]

Thanks Gents! So did I do the right thing about not making any turns since I drew both the right and left rudder jams on the same phase?

I also used two A damage decks since we had four planes doing A damage. Is that what most of you would have done or would y'all have kept it at one deck?

Thanks.

Don't know if there's any hard & fast rule on this. I tried using 2 decks on my last 2-on-2 & it seemed to draw the action out longer,as there wasn't a lot of damage or Special Damages coming out? So I suppose it depends. I think I'm going back to 1 next time to help speed things along a bit. But I think if I had more planes on the table I would go with 2.

I guess I should have gone with you to be your wingman You always seem to get hosed by noobs and their beginners luck

The confidence of youth.

[Big Blake]

Yes the luxury of being young is being able to smack talk your Dad just before he shoots down your plane Bring it Huntron

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Thanks Gents! So did I do the right thing about not making any turns since I drew both the right and left rudder jams on the same phase?

I also used two A damage decks since we had four planes doing A damage. Is that what most of you would have done or would y'all have kept it at one deck?

Thanks.

Yes Blake! No turns, but within the rules as stated, if not within the spirit, there is nothing to say that you cannot perform an Immelmann, and I'm not even so sure about a side slip. That's how I got out of the rule about not flying straight if on fire with two rudder jams. Just side slipped my way around and no one complained.
On the A damage thing. I always play two decks for all decks. It's Swings and Roundabouts really. May take longer, but not if two "Bang" cards come up in succession, or two engine damage on the same aircraft. This has happened.
Rob.

[MoonSylver]

Yes Blake! No turns, but within the rules as stated, if not within the spirit, there is nothing to say that you cannot perform an Immelmann, and I'm not even so sure about a side slip. That's how I got out of the rule about not flying straight if on fire with two rudder jams. Just side slipped my way around and no one complained.
On the A damage thing. I always play two decks for all decks. It's Swings and Roundabouts really. May take longer, but not if two "Bang" cards come up in succession, or two engine damage on the same aircraft. This has happened.
Rob.

Oops forgot to address the turns thing. I agree with the FO. One thing I thought of too on the deck thing too is how you employ them. It probably works a lot better the way Rob does it, shuffled as one community deck. I was playing with one deck for each side, hence my observations. YMMV.

[gully_raker]

Thanks Gents! So did I do the right thing about not making any turns since I drew both the right and left rudder jams on the same phase?

I also used two A damage decks since we had four planes doing A damage. Is that what most of you would have done or would y'all have kept it at one deck?

Thanks.

Yep! You got both those correct Blake. We play with double decks all the time.