Gritty Goblin Games Wings of War/Glory, 4 April 2019

[RJG173]

A new venue for the group. We had eight players tonight and got two games in. Let's get to it.

AAR #1 A dogfight during Bloody April 1917. Sam (zenilizard), Craig and I flew Albatros D.II while Todd, Bob, BalticBob, Jim and John flew Airco DH.2s That's six guns versus five so a fair split. Craig brought some flags to mark the appropriate sides of the playing mat. I guess he didn't want to exit the mat on the wrong side.



Two Albatri versus one DH.2. That doesn't seem right.



Here I am on fire with 4 DH.2s jockeying for position to finish me off. This doesn't seem like Bloody April to me.



Craig draws an explosion. There is something wrong with this version of Bloody April.



Two close range A damage cards results in double pilot wounded for Jim. Double decks can do that. It's looking a little better for the Central Powers.

[RJG173]

(AAR #1 continued). Still on fire a long range shot from my Albatros hits Todd's gas tank and the resulting explosion shreds his airframe. He made a lovely crater below.



Bob has set Sam's plane ablaze. Hmm..



Eventually the fire went out on my airplane, but I decided to push my luck and see if I could down a third DH.2. I did have 12 damage points and should have retired as quite the gunslinger. However, in an exchange with John I set his plane on fire, but he inflicted two more damage points on me so I crashed somewhere behind German lines.



Meanwhile on another sector of the front Sam makes a successful dash for safety with Bob in pursuit. Bob could not catch Sam before he escaped with 13 damage points.



Two Central Powers airplanes destroyed while the British lost three aircraft. Maybe this was a good Bloody April dogfight after all.

[RJG173]

AAR #2 Todd had been reading about Bloody April and noted that the British made many recon missions during the month. We set up three targets from which one was selected randomly as the assignment of the mission. Two Sopwith 1-1/2 Strutters with three DH.2s as escort went up against the same three Albatros D.IIs. Maybe the allies will do better this time?

Here Craig is on fire while I in the second Albatros attempts to close on the 1-1/2 Strutters.



Sam, also on fires, explodes the first Strutter, flown by BalticBob. "That can't be good." Since it was so early in the game, we let BalticBob respawn as another 1-1/2 Strutter to help complete the photo recon mission.



Bob, flying the second 1-1/2 Strutter, suffers pilot wounded. Using the rules for 2-seaters, he drew a chit which indicated 2 wounds. So it would be 1) pilot wounded and observer wounded (who couldn't take a photograph) or 2) two pilot wounded which is pilot dead and a crashed airplane. After two more rounds of drawing chits and consulting the rules, Bob's pilot was dead. Second photo recon airplane down. Hmm... Bob respawned as a British SPAD VII to help with escort duty.



BalticBob's respawned 1-1/2 Strutter had barely made it off the flag base when I hit him with some gunfire and he drew another explosion card. That's THREE photo recon aircraft destroyed. [This target was either very well protected or High Command was reaching too far in this mission.]



We decided to keep playing to see how many escorts the British could lose, I mean, how much fighting spirit the British pilots had. Craig's burning Albatros draws an explosion and he is out of the game.



Now, I draw an explosion card. The guess the Brits got their revenge.



I believe Sam chose to retire from the field of battle at this point. Of course, the recon mission was a complete bust!
After tonight and last month's missions, BalticBob should be renamed ExplosionMagnet.

[Baxter]

Loved the mat and the bloody April scenario. I think the actual results in April 1917 reflected a 4 to 1 loss rate. Not a good time to be a newbie pilot in the RFC.

[Flying Helmut]

Great photos of what look like a super pair of games.
I have always admired that game mat, and there are some lovely repaints in evidence.

Well done all round!