so does this really support front-line campaigns?  or can you run, say, the battle of britain, then continue into the air war in the european theater?  do you give campaign ideas for an island-hopping pacific theme?  

i would think the "notice" mechanic would work much better in an area with an active front, as opposed to a offensive / new front / support sort of campaign.

Quote from: beeberso does this really support front-line campaigns?  or can you run, say, the battle of britain, then continue into the air war in the european theater?  do you give campaign ideas for an island-hopping pacific theme?  

i would think the "notice" mechanic would work much better in an area with an active front, as opposed to a offensive / new front / support sort of campaign.

I intend to, but you do realize it's not finished yet.

We'll see how it works out in play starting tomorrow.

-clash

The playtest started Saturday, and went - very - well! The Players were ferrying in new F-4F Wildcats into Pearl on Dec. 7, when they heard all kinds of wierd on their radios, finally figuring out that Pearl had been attacked. As they came up on the coast, they saw a couple dozen Vals at 7500 meters. Four of them attacked from 10500 meters in a dive, while two flew top cover. Six escorting zeros dove at them from 10000 meters, the zero's ceiling, and the two top cover Wildcats dove on the zeros. A wild dogfight ensued. One wildcat ditched, and four zeros were smoked. Three vals also were shot down. The japs weren't expecting planes behind them...

They set down on Ford Island after getting greeted by wild AA fire from everything in the harbor, their ferried wildcats riddled with bullets and frag. They were patched up by nurses at the base hospital - doctors were too busy with REAL problems. They spent the next week rescuing sailors trapped inside warships, patching up the facilities, dating nurses, and flying patrols over the island. Their ship, the USS Maui, was forced to stay out of Pearl while the Enterprise took on fuel and supplies - can't have two carriers helpless in port at the same time! We left off with them about to rejoin the Maui.

Word from the players was it was especially awesome! Three of them took special pains to let me know. The fight went very well - as expected, the Zeros were acrobatic, but became torches with a good hit, the Wildcats soaked damage like crazy, and the Vals were tough customers. Good show all around!

-clash

Quote from: flyingmiceWord from the players was it was especially awesome! Three of them took special pains to let me know. The fight went very well - as expected, the Zeros were acrobatic, but became torches with a good hit, the Wildcats soaked damage like crazy, and the Vals were tough customers. Good show all around!

-clash

Congrats clash!!  Always great when games go well, but when they actually let you know that they enjoyed the game...  very cool man!!  Sounds like a great new addition to your stable of games.

Quote from: cnath.rmCongrats clash!!  Always great when games go well, but when they actually let you know that they enjoyed the game...  very cool man!!  Sounds like a great new addition to your stable of games.

Thanks! I'm getting excited about this!

Maybe you can tell...

-clash

Wow, that sounds like a good playtest, Clash. Count me in as intrigued!

How is the troupe-style play set up, exactly? On a per-squadron basis? If so, will you have sample squadrons in the book? Would one expect the sort of high attrition rates seen in, say, the Battle of Britain, or are PC pilots exceptionally skilled and/or robust? If you're going the 'realistic' route, how are you handling green replacements vs. veteran pilots (if balance is even an issue you care about)?

How about mechanical issues with the planes? Are there rules for breakdowns (or, for that matter, specific combat damage issues (oil leaks, fuel leaks, fire, etc.)). Is there any advantage to having a crack ground crew and a top-notch quarter-master? Are there rules for acquiring that sort of personnel, or is it handled strictly through in-game roleplaying?

On a side note (and I don't know how far along you are with this stuff) I would totally do the layout and design in a hardcore WWII military manual style. That would OOZE flavor! Lots of computer flight sims have gone that route, or you could even look to something like the Fallout CRPG for inspiration. Just a thought.

Sorry for all the questions (especially if they've been answered up-thread).

Tim

Quote from: TimWow, that sounds like a good playtest, Clash. Count me in as intrigued!

Thanks! We'll be exploring this more in depth as time goes on. Next week is Wake Island.

QuoteHow is the troupe-style play set up, exactly? On a per-squadron basis? If so, will you have sample squadrons in the book?

Troupe play uses a three-tiered Squadron-based setup. The player has a main pilot character, a squadron officer - chaplain, supply officer, recording officer, armament officer, etc., and an enlisted specialist - mechanic, machinist, plane rigger, clerk, cook, etc.

Since I'm opening the game up to let the squadron be from USA, UK, Japan, Germany, USSR, or Italy, I can't get into specifics about squadrons, which vary from country to country. The squadron officers are listed by function, not title. There will always be someone who deals with forms and requisitions, no matter what he is called. Each type of possible troupe character has a function in the squadron, a pool of skills to draw on, and a typical example youcan use right out of the book.

QuoteWould one expect the sort of high attrition rates seen in, say, the Battle of Britain, or are PC pilots exceptionally skilled and/or robust? If you're going the 'realistic' route, how are you handling green replacements vs. veteran pilots (if balance is even an issue you care about)?

Green pilots, who come into play straight from the pilot training program, will have a substantially higher attrition rate than veteran pilots. I gave my PCs a couple of years as pilots before the war started - I should explain that character progression is by time, not XP - which is enough time to master their jobs. Any replacements would, of course, be green.

QuoteHow about mechanical issues with the planes? Are there rules for breakdowns (or, for that matter, specific combat damage issues (oil leaks, fuel leaks, fire, etc.)). Is there any advantage to having a crack ground crew and a top-notch quarter-master? Are there rules for acquiring that sort of personnel, or is it handled strictly through in-game roleplaying?

There are rules for breakdowns, and limited rules for specific combat damage - Lucky Shots - but generally, as your plane absorbs damage, it's flying qualities deteriorate across the board.

A crack ground crew will keep your plane in better repair, lessening chances for breakdowns. A crack Supply Officer will improve living conditions over time, etc.

QuoteOn a side note (and I don't know how far along you are with this stuff) I would totally do the layout and design in a hardcore WWII military manual style. That would OOZE flavor! Lots of computer flight sims have gone that route, or you could even look to something like the Fallout CRPG for inspiration. Just a thought.

Sorry for all the questions (especially if they've been answered up-thread).

Tim

I haven't the technical chops in layout to even attempt anything as fancy as that. At best I can do clean and readable. I'm rather infamous for that...

Sounds really sweet.

Quote from: Old GeezerSounds really sweet.

Glad you're still in here reading, Geezer!

-clash

Thanks for the rundown!

You're very welcome, Tim! Thank you for asking! Those were all good questions.

-clash

Here's how I'm thinking maintenance will work in Aces And Angels, and I'd appreciate any feedback:

Each plane model is given a Maintenance rating, ranging from 11 to 35. This number depends on the general ruggedness, simplicity, and ease of maintenance for that type of plane.

From this you deduct:

Your service's Logistics rating, which varies depending on the nation.
Your Ground Crew rating.
Your Supply Officer's rating.

The Logistics rating is the availability of spare parts in the normal pipeline. This varies from 0 to 4 depending on the nation:

USA 4
UK 3
Germany 3
USSR 2
Italy 1
Japan 1

Advance bases subtract 2 from this number, with 0 being the minimum.  

The Ground Crew rating is the ability of the crew to assess, maintain, and repair damage. It will be one of Green (1) Veteran (2) or Crack (3) and can be raised by training and lowered by dilution.

The Supply Officer rating is the ability of the Squadron Supply Officer to find spare parts out of the normal channels, trading toilet paper with another squadron for piston rings, for example. It will be one of Green (1) Veteran (2) or Crack (3) and if the SO is a Troupe PC, can be based on his skills.

Thus the positive modifiers max at 10, with a minimum of 2.

The GM rolls d% for each plane, each sortie. If the roll is equal to or under the modified Maintenance Rating, that plane will develop trouble that sortie - GM discretion as to what type of trouble develops.

How does this sound?

-clash

looks good so far.  

why would min. be 0 (logistics/adv. bases) if IT & JP start at 1?  shouldn't they be allowed to go to -1, to then be offset by good support crews?  then the overall minimum will still be 1.

just a thought

Quote from: beeberlooks good so far.  

why would min. be 0 (logistics/adv. bases) if IT & JP start at 1?  shouldn't they be allowed to go to -1, to then be offset by good support crews?  then the overall minimum will still be 1.

just a thought

Thanks, beeber!

My thinking was that the Logistics supply line logically can't be negative - that would entail actively removing supplies, not just not supporting bases. Does that make sense?

-clash

Quote from: flyingmiceGlad you're still in here reading, Geezer!

-clash

I've been looking for a decent WW2 aircraft wargame since 1971.  Of COURSE I'm still here.