Phonix D.I Query
I've wrestled with the unreachable guns issue of the Phonix D.I ... in that I've not seen any mention of it in my readings. The only thing I've found are references to it's having rectified the unreachable wing-mounted gun problem of its predecessor, the Brandenburg D.I. Can anybody shed some light on this subject?
The profile #175 book states simply that the guns were mounted so far forward that they could not be reached Mike so that any jam could not be remedied by the pilot.
To counteract this deficiency in game I would suggest that you take advantage of the 1 gun jam solution suggested by Andrea
or you could try a variant of it - we have this as an optional rule in OTTJamming twin guns (A firing planes)
When you fire with an A weapon, that represents twin guns, you could jam one of the machineguns or, more rarely, both of them.
If you are at short distance, you jam a machinegun if target picks up a jammed Damage card, you jam both of them if he picks up two of them. Firing at long distance, you jam both of them if the target picks the 0 red jammed Damage card, only one if he picks the 2 red or a green jammed Damage card.
Planes jamming a single gun take three jammed counters. Each turn after moving, the player can decide if unjam the jammed machinegun or if they want to fire with the remaining one. If they unjam, they discard a token; if they fire they do it at B capability (and they normally jam this second weapon if a jamming B card is picked by the target). The weapon is unjammed if the player unjam it after three consecutive maneuvers. It is allowed to stop unjamming to fire with the other weapon at any moment, but the jamned counters are immediately restored to three.
If both weapons are jammed, they are unjammed at the same time after the same three consecutive maneuvers. No dseparate account of unjamming is necessary.
Gun Jams: Optional rule for twin mounted guns.
At any range one gun is jammed on any gun jam card except a 0 Red GJ or a 0 Green GJ in which case BOTH guns are jammed.
Both guns are jammed if two gun jam cards are received in a single phase.
After each manoeuvre a player can decide to clear the jammed gun, or, fire the remaining gun.
If they choose to clear, they discard a jam token; if they choose to fire they use the B deck.
It is allowed to stop clearing a gun to fire with the other weapon in any phase, but the jammed counters are immediately restored to three.
If both weapons are jammed, they are cleared at the same time after three consecutive manoeuvres. No separate account of clearing each weapon is necessary.
Sapiens qui vigilat... "He is wise who watches"
Dave is correct. The guns were beyond the reach of the pilot while in flight. I've seen this confirmed in a number of sources, most recently in Flying Aces 1914-1918.Originally Posted by flash
This "flaw" was present in the D.I, D.II, and D.IIA variants... but was to be rectified in the D.III (never delivered).
Thanks for the info, guys. I didn't doubt it was true but couldn't find anything documenting the issue.
In the meantime, I must admit that I did NOT realize twin machine guns could jam individually. I always thought they were operated together from a common firing mechanism and if one jammed, they were both jammed. One (of a few) reason why I presumed there was a preference for a wing-mounted option for the second gun on some airplanes...even if there was the drawback of a limited magazine.
Dave, I have used a similar rule to the one shared from your OTT rules for the cowl/wing-mounted planes, but I particularly like the 0-Red/0-Green treatment for jamming both guns. Granted, it'll still require a die-roll for determining cowl vs. wing for non-0's, but I'll have to give it a try!
It doesn't need a die roll Mike as it just results in a gun being jammed & dropping down to a B deck, you could determine that if it's red it's the belt fed, if it's green the overwing gun, or, port & starboard on a twin mount if you wished though. Which one really doesn't matter but I usually put it on the Lewis gun in my AAR's....Dave, I have used a similar rule to the one shared from your OTT rules for the cowl/wing-mounted planes, but I particularly like the 0-Red/0-Green treatment for jamming both guns. Granted, it'll still require a die-roll for determining cowl vs. wing for non-0's, but I'll have to give it a try!
Sapiens qui vigilat... "He is wise who watches"
That being said, how do you deal with "Bullet Checkers"?
'Bullet checkers' don't jam on a green jam card, your chances of jamming are halved - there's nothing to deal with otherwise.
If you want to determine which gun has jammed when both are working use the red/green card method to decide which - if you get a second jam card (any colour) when you have only one gun still functioning then that one jams too - except a 'Bullet checker' wouldn't jam on a green.
Sapiens qui vigilat... "He is wise who watches"
Actually, that varied from one plane type to the next, and it is a detail that is rarely covered in gaming. I even imagine there were three variants: dual, independent firing mechanisms; single firing mechanism, but a jam of one gun would not affect the other; and single firing mechanism, a jam of either affects both guns.
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