I Guess Training Is Not His Forte

Life has been settling down a little bit. The vet confirmed that Buster has a lymphoma and he will be starting chemotherapy. His first session is Friday. In the interim he has been taking medication which has improved his health. We are enjoying his rebound.

Weather has been great this weekend. Usually, South Florida is already blistering hot at this time of year, but we had a cool front come through. The high was a mere 80 degrees, and not a cloud in the sky! Elizabeth and I had lunch in the park yesterday.

I've been having fun with S&L so I decided to try another game this morning. Instead of using cards to keep track of initiative I made markers for each plane. I then stacked them in order as I rolled. I also made a ruler out of a craft stick. I actually reduced the movement distances; each space is 3/4 of an inch. I think it works a little better on my small board.

The Dogfight
With Pip's plane out of commission, Dirk was out one wingman. The Squadron CO asked Dirk to take Walt Mahoney, one of the new pilots, out on a training flight.

"Keep a close eye on him." The CO commanded.

Dirk and Walt set out on a patrol over Lucranian airspace when they notice a flight of three enemy Raptors approaching.

Game Note - Once again, the Raptors use Albatross stats. One of the pilots is experienced while the other 2 are inexperienced. Dirk's Peregrine uses Sopwith Camel stats. Poor Walt, an inexperienced pilot, is saddled with an aging Goshawk fighter (a Nieuport 11).

The two enemy flights approach. Dirk and Walt are bottom left (gray)

Head-to head confrontations ensue. All those involved take damage!

The duelists circle one another. One of the Raptor pilots was so shaken by the head-on pass that he failed to maneuver!
Game Note - that plane rolled a modified 0 for maneuver, which meant that he had to fly straight.

Dirk circles around a cloud, trying to get onto the rear of the enemy. But then he spots the shaken Raptor all by itself.

Dirk forgets about his trainee to pursue the lone Raptor. Unfortunately, this leaves Walt at the mercy of the enemy.

Walt cannot shake the enemy leader. His plane goes down in flames. Fortunately, Walt is able to bail out.
Game Note: Since this scenario is set in a pseudo-1930s world, I assume they have parachutes. I gave Walt a 50% chance to bail out successfully.

Meanwhile, Dirk is damaged by a head-on pass. However, he has riddled his opponent.

The enemy leader flies to the rescue of his errant subordinate.

But Dirk targets the lone Raptor.

And it goes down in flames!
What a bad photo! Must have hit a pocket of turbulence

The remaining Raptors try to corral Dirk.

But his superior speed pays off. Dirk soon leaves them behind and flies for safety!

Game Note: Now I'm glad that damaged aircraft don't lose speed, otherwise Dirk might not have escaped.

Dirk makes it back to report his victory. When the CO asks about Walt, Dirk mumbles something about losing him in a cloud. The CO gives him a dressing down, and when Walt makes it back to Squadron, the CO vows that Dirk will never again fly with another novice pilot!

Analysis

• Once again, S&L provides an enjoyable game. Alas, this time Dirk's side did not fare so well. Both sides lost one plane and had one plane damaged; however the Imperials controlled the skies at the end. An Imperial victory for certain.
• And once again, I did not bother with the Power rules. I think the game plays well enough without them. The differences in Speed and Agility provide plenty of differentiation, as demonstrated by Dirk's escape. He was able to out turn and then outrun the enemy.
• Until I get dice to mark initiative, the markers worked fine. I'm thinking of making a track with boxes from 1 to 6. I can then put the tokens on their respective initiative score.

6 x 6 Challenge: Game 3.2 complete!