OTT-BYM Mission 11 - The Turkey 19th Dec 1916 - By Vagabond
The Turkey
Well, I think this is a pretty rotten war. Everything’s rotten. The weather’s rotten. This coffee is rotten – to say nothing of it being half cold. That record that some cad keeps playing on the gramophone is rotten. And our half-baked mess caterer is also rotten – putrid in fact.
In a few days it will be Christmas and there’s no turkey for dinner, we need to do something about it.
“Well why don’t you go and find us one” was the response to my outburst.
I jolly well will, I’ll go and fetch it right now, you see if I don’t and I strode out of the Mess knowing I’d recently seen a flock of turkeys but after a few moments I realized I’d seen them 30 to 40 miles the other side of the lines, that gave me pause for thought.
This was lifted from one of my favourite Biggles stories in “Biggles of 266” The story is entitled “The Turkey” and while that’s not the main component of my scenario it’s my homage to W.E.Johns and his books that gave me great enjoyment when I was a nipper and still do.
Having started with Biggles I’ll detail the main part of the scenario and come back to him later.
This is a routine photography mission taking place at altitude 3. The objective is to photograph a line of trenches represented by individual targets on the mat. Once you have done all of them then it’s home for tea and crumpet’s or the German equivalent.
The map is drawn from the British perspective with no mans land on the left and countryside on the right, for you chaps flying for the wrong side just reverse it.
Reconnaissance Tandem
The Reconnaissance Tandem starts on a diagonal line as shown. Flying along the points to be photographed, turning and flying back to pick up the ones missed on the first pass. You have enough fuel to make 3 passes along the line and no more.
Taking a photograph is a 2 card operation and requires 1 stall card to install a plate and take the photograph, then 1 movement card (any) to take out the plate and store it safely. You need to be within ˝ a ruler of the target to take a successful photograph.
This is slightly different to my reading of the rules where you just need to make a stall move when within ˝ a ruler of the target.
You can’t fire a gun and prepare or take a photograph in the same move.
When the Tandem is attacked you have 3 choices for the Observer.
a) Once in MG range you can ignore photos and defend yourself – your choice.
b) Maintain focus on the mission and continue taking photographs – your choice.
c) Make a random decision for each attack – in my trial game I chose this and rolled a D6 on 1,2,3 & 4 I took the photo and on 5 or 6 fired on the attacker.
Choose whichever you prefer or come up with your own solution to the problem, you can complete all the photographs in 2 passes but if you fire a gun you will need 3 passes.
Note this is only for the Observer, the pilot can fire as normal if he has his own gun.
2nd Note If your plane is on fire jinking left and right plus the stall will still allow you to complete the mission.
3rd Note If the rudder is damaged you might need to be a bit more creative making the turn and still be in the right line to take the photos.
4th Note You can’t make an Immelmann turn and take photographs on any of the 3 moves involved in the turn.
I envision you will fly the escorting Scout and that the Tandem’s mission will be pre planned, but I’ll leave that choice to you and so I’ve indicated the pre-planned route at the end of this scenario, just don’t read that bit if you want to work out a flight plan yourself.
Note I measured the distance between the targets based on the V deck, the K deck and Y deck are virtually identical I didn’t check the 3 turn circles are the same but just nudge the plane over a little if it doesn’t line up exactly after the turn. The game is all about the escort scout defending the Tandem from the 2 enemy.
Once you have the photos in the bag you still have to make it off the board on your edge, left for British, right for the Germans.
Escorting Scout
It starts 1 ruler from the Tandem, in a random direction. I used an arrowed dice but use what you have.
Note it’s peg to peg not base to base.
The Enemy
Two Scouts start in the position shown on the opposite side of the mat, half a ruler between them. Their primary target will be the Tandem.
Biggles, or, the pilot you’ve sent in his place.
In the story Biggles lands in a Belgian farmers field next to the turkey pen, there is only one turkey left, it’s Christmas, what did he expect, they’re all selected for someone else’s Christmas dinner table. The Belgian farmer appears and says he has to kill the turkey to feed the German troops stationed in his farmhouse. Upps.
The Germans appear at the farm door and Biggles grabs the turkey and runs to his Camel, falling in the way. He lands on the turkey when he falls and stuns it. Realising that he can’t quickly put it on the cockpit floor he slings it onto his seat and sits on it. Because it’s stunned it doesn’t move and he takes off and climbs into the cloud.
So far, so good.
Deciding he needs to know where he is, he descends below the cloud and sees a German scout which is when the turkey wakes up. The turkey starts to jump around and the German scout appears reluctant to attack fearing an ambush. This is possibly because Biggles is sat 2’ above the normal pilot’s position, he can’t control the plane because of the turkey’s movements and is flying erratically. He also realizes that because of his position he can’t see the gun sights and so can’t fire accurately.
So far, not so good.
Biggles starts as shown in the middle of the German base line, 2 rulers measured to the front of his planes base.
All Biggles is trying to do is fly home and so will make every attempt to fly off the mat on the British long side, he will take any opportunity shots that present themselves but otherwise won’t engage with the enemy.
To represent this I suggest you use the AI set to 12 o’clock and opening but having selected the 3 movement cards, you add a stall card if there isn’t already one in the selection. Shuffle the 4 cards and select blindly 3 of them, this represents the extra weight of the turkey slowing down the plane. Then take a right and left movement card and shuffle, select 1 and add it to the existing 3 cards, this represents the turkey jumping about with unpredictable moves. Shuffle again and select 3 cards to play. I played these randomly but you might find so much randomness offends your sensibilities so do it how you think best.
Regarding firing at long range select 2 cards and chose the worse, at close range select 3 cards and use the worse 2 cards.
Note – At any time Biggles can let the turkey fly free and so be relieved of any restrictions and can help protect the Tandem and engage in the dogfight if desired.
Note 2 – If the pilot is hit treat this as a Tandem i.e. the turkey takes his chances the same as an observer, in the story the turkey got killed with a bullet that would have hit Biggles.
Note 3 – If the random card choice means Biggles goes off the table on the side edge then intervene to keep him on the mat and heading for his objective, which is a safe landing at the Drome on the British long side of the mat.
Note 4 – He can not make an Immelmann turn with the turkey in the cockpit because he can’t fasten the safety belt.
Biggles Pursuer
Starts as shown, ˝ ruler to the front of the base and so 1 ˝ rulers behind Biggles. The pursuer will follow Biggles whichever way he goes and if Biggles makes it off the table the pursuer will follow off the table as well.
Note – If Biggles jettisons the turkey and flies as normal then the pursuer will do the same.
Biggles is there to provide a bit of light entertainment in the game but if you don’t like that idea let the turkey fly free and you have a standard air fight.
Regarding planes, use which ever you like that are in period and will give you a good game, I used a 1 ˝ Strutter, protected by a Pup and Biggles flew a Pup, the enemy were 2 Albatros Dll “B” firing and 1 Albatros Dlll “A” firing.
Victory Points:
I think if you get the turkey back to the drome that's 20 points to your side, if you don't that's 20 to the other side.
If you photograph all the target points that's 15 points but it must be all of them, if you don't then it's 10 points to the other side.
Gain 5 points for each plane shot down.
Gain 2pts for each plane FRTB
As you probably know I almost never total up the points for a game so if anyone has a better suggestion for how I should allocate points - please keep it to your self.
OK I hope that's understandable but if there's any questions feel free to ask
Pre Planned flight for the Tandem
Start with 1 long move, then a stall and take the picture, this captures the 2nd target. Then long and stall, captures 4th target, then long and stall, captures 6th target.
Turning a full circle at the end the turn is either 1 left, 5 right, and then 1 left or the opposite, right left right.
I used a V deck and this brings you back near enough to the line to be photographed. If the deck you are using doesn’t quite do this, then nudge the plane a little.
Then fly back along the line 1 stall take 5th target 1 long, 1 stall capture 3rd target, 1 long, 1 stall capture 1st target. They can all be photographed in 2 passes if nothing interrupts the flight, i.e. firing, if you fire then it will take at least 3 passes and that’s all you have.
This picture should be portrait.and just illustrates the cards travelled and turning circles at each end.
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Originally Posted by flash
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