ba;t;tleline in

Serendipitously, this issue turned out to be a Bat- tleline Special. First off, I encouraged John Prados to write the 0bjective:Atlanta article as part of my policy of promoting articles about other publish- ers' games. Then I get this phone-ln on the Machi- avelli piece and I have this Airforce/Dauntless number - so it begins to look as if MOVES 38 is published by BPI, uh . . . Battleline Publications. Inc.. right here at 23rd Street in New York by way of Dallas out of Atlanta. Well, we are in the South . . . of Manhattan.

Battleline is a relatively small but sturdy company which is now part of Heritage Models Inc. - a parent company only a llttle smaller than SPI. The Battleline staff consists of Steve Peek and Craig Taylor, both full-fledged game designers. Not so long ago, Steve was considering accepting an offer to join SPl's design team.

Two Battleline games are even now en- sconced under the umbrella of the Avalon Hill label - the popular Wooden Ships 8 Iron Men

and Submarine. They are virtually identical to the first Battleline edltions except for packaging. Battleline has a number of games other than the four which we treat in these MOVES art~cles: Flat Top, Alpha Omega (sf), Furyin the West, Shenan- doah, Custer's Last Stand, and Viva Espana. Send a SSAE for informarlon to Battleline Publications 99840 Monroe Drlve, Bldg 106, Dallas, Texas 75220. Tell them you heard of them in MOVES!

- RAS

GAME PROFILEIANALYSIS

BA;T;TLELINE IN THE AIR Air Brce and Dauntless: An Air Combat System by David Bieksza and Karl Wiegers

Air Force and Dauntless are Battleline's contributions to the World War I1 tactical air game field. Both were designed by S. Craig Taylor, Jr., and employ the same game system. AirForce deals with combat between German and Anglo-American forces in Europe, and Dauntless covers the Japanese- American conflict in the Pacific. In this article we describe the physical components, describe the common basic game system, and comment on some of the scenarios from the viewpoints of tactics of play, effectiveness of simulation, and application of optional rules.

The Components Both games come in sturdy cardboard

boxes with attractive illustrations on the front. The standard Battleline counter sort- ing trays are included, but are virtually useless. No dice are included. The physical components of the two games are virtually the same, and so will be described together.

Map. Both games use a six-piece, geomorphic map with individually numbered hexes. The map is printed on heavy cardstock in a pleasant shade of green. Unfortunately, the hexes d o not line up properly in all possible combinations, which negates the advantage of geomorphic maps. For some reason, the map pieces in AirForce come in three different sizes, which hinders leapfrogging of the map pieces. However, we have found that leapfrogging is not always necessary, so these are not serious flaws.

Counters. Air Force (hereinafter re- ferred to as AF) has one sheet of 255 half- inch, extra-thick counters, and the Dauntless (DL) mix has 375 counters. The playing pieces represent: every basic airplane type in the respective game (up to 18 counters per type); tanks and trucks; heavy and light flak units; clouds; abstracted ground targets; barrage balloons ( A F only); numerous ship types and torpedo markers (DL only); and even a counter for the sun. Each counter has an appropriate silhouette; those on the airplane counters are accurate top views of each distinct aircraft type. All of the

airplane, flak, and ship counters are individually numbered or lettered. The counters are printed in white on a glossy blue, red, or black background (black on yellow for Japanese planes). The counters are visually pleasing and uncluttered, and the extra thickness is a real asset in handling.

Rules. The AF rules booklet is 16 pages long, liberally illustrated, and well- organized. Specific and detailed examples are used in describing many situations, including a description of an entire basic game. The rules are very complete and quite clearly written, with few loopholes or omissions. However, the AF rules suffer from the absence of a table of contents, hints on play, designer's notes, and historical background. The 32-page rule b o ~ k for D L solves all these problems, including valuable hints on play and nearly five pages of historical information. The Basic Game rules are identical for both games. These rules deal only with fighter dogfights and use only basic maneuvers and armament. The optional rules in A F a r e nearly all included in DL, and the latter game has several new optional rules.

Playing Aids. The playing aids for these games are extremely well-designed and easy to use, although at first glance they look im- posing. The aids include the airplane data cards (ADC's), log sheets for plotting movement, and various tables and charts needed for play.

Each game provides 15 ADC's, printed on both sides, which thus contain information for 30 airplane types. Each card contains a movement characteristics chart and a target characteristics chart. The movement characteristics chart lists an aircraft's speeds (in hexes/turn) in the aircraft's stall, maneuver, level, or dive speed range. Also listed are the plane's available power and brake factors (for changing speed), climb and dive rates, and the number of hexes the plane must enter before performing each of five maneuvers. Furthermore, the data are presented t o reflect the airplane's flying characteristics at

any altitude, in increments of 5000 feet, from ground level to the airplane's ceiling.

The target characteristics chart lists the number of wing, fuselage, cockpit, fuel, and engine hits the plane can absorb before being destroyed. Cockpit and engine hits for dual- cockpit and multi-engine planes are listed separately. The firepower of the airplane is given in terms of "gun factors." With a few exceptions, these are either fixed-forward ("FF") or flexible ("F") guns. Table I shows the number of gun factors that Battleline has assigned to each of the weapons used in these games. Armament variants of the basic airplanes are also shown on the ADC's. Thus, many more than 30 types of airplanes are available in each of these games. The totals, counting basic plane types, additional models (often on a separate ADC), and armament variants are 45 in A F and 63 in DL! No type of airplane appears in both AF and DL, although American planes found in one game can certainly be used in scenarios from the other.

Despite this mass of information, the ADC's are very easy to use, and the amount of research that has gone into each card is truly staggering. Our own studies of aerial warfare agree with the game data on all but a very few minor details.

A F and DL utilize an efficient plotting system for fully simultaneous movement. Each player has a log sheet which can handle up to four individual planes or four groups of planes. For each plane or group the log sheet contains columns for the current speed, altitude, banking attitude, the plotted movement, and the plotted change in altitude. Each game-turn's moves are plotted using an easily-learned notation code for activities performed. Damage accrued by airplanes is recorded in individual hit records on the log sheets.

All necessary tables are printed on both sides of one 8%" x 14" card. These include air combat tables, flak tables, bombing charts, rocket firing tables, spotting tables, and many others. The two games use the

same tables, but DL has a few more thanAF. A total of 27 tables and charts are printed on this card in DL, which allows rapid reference without a lot of fumbling around.

The Game System The basic game treats only dogfights

between fighters. It is intended to introduce movement and aerial gunnery. A one-on-one dogfight has little combat, but the action increases rapidly as more planes are added. For the beginner, two planes per side is probably enough, but an experienced player can easily control four to six individual aircraft.

Scale. A F and DL are super-tactical level games. Each counter represents a single airplane, whose activities are handled individually and in detail. Each turn represents ten seconds of real time, and one speed (movement) factor is about 50 miles per hour, corresponding to a center-to-center hex distance of about 225 meters. At this scale, a full game of twenty turns represents less than 3 !h minutes of actual time.

Movement. At the beginning of each game-turn, each airplane has a specific altitude, speed, and bank attitude due to the previous turn's movement. During the movement phase each airplane must use its entire current movement allowance (speed) by entering hexes straight ahead or by conducting maneuvers. Five basic maneuvers can be executed: a 60" change in bank attitude; a 60" turn in the direction of the bank; a side slip in the direction opposite the bank; a half-loop; and a half-roll. To carry out a particular maneuver, the airplane must have entered a certain number of hexes in a straight line since executing its last maneuver. (A slip followed by a turn provides an exception. After a slip in the opposite direction of the banking attitude, the plane has the option of immediately turning one or two hexsides toward the direction of the bank, or making no turn at all.) The number of hexes, which varies according to type of maneuver and altitude, is specified in the ADC for each plane, and is increased if the plane is moving in its level or dive speed increment, or if it is loaded with ordnance. Because of the written record created by plotting, linear movement in previous turns may be carried over to allow a maneuver in the present turn. Eac maneuver, except banking, counts as one hex entered, and causes a loss of one or two speed factors.

Table I GUN FACTORS (per weapon type; ranges

vary from 4 to 6 hexes)

Gun Type Gun Factors Light machine gun 1

Heavy machine gun 2

20 mm cannon 301-4

30 mm cannon 8

37 mm cannon 5

75 mm cannon 9

In addition to moving straight ahead and performing maneuvers, an airplane can climb or dive within given limits on each turn. Power or brake factors may be applied to alter speed, compensate for speed lost in maneuvering or climbing, or compensate for speed gained in diving. Climb and dive rates and power and brake factors available at each altitude are listed on the ADC's.

Prior to movement, a plot is made on the log sheet indicating each airplane's intended activities for that turn. For example, the notation "IB2TRIPP D0.3" means that the plane is to move forward one hex, bank to the right, move forward two more hexes, execute a left slip, turn 60" to the right, move one additional hex, apply two power factors, and dive 300 feet. Altitude, speed, and banking attitude after execution of the plot are noted for the next turn. The rules even provide instructions as to what must be done if a n airplane inadvertently is plotted to perform an illegal maneuver. Ample examples of plotting and movement are provided in the A F a n d DL rules booklets.

Combat: The airplanes used in the basic game are equipped only with fixed-forward ("FF") guns. These guns can fire at any target in the 60" sector directly in front of the plane (12 o'clock sector). Each model's gun factors and their range in hexes are listed on the ADC's; guns on a single plane may have different ranges. Gun factors are grouped according to their location on the plane and according to type (cannon or machine gun, an important distinction only when using the optional ammunition expenditure rule).

Combat is executed simultaneously after movement, and is not plotted. Combat resolution begins with the range to the target in hexes (each 500-foot altitude differential counts as one additional hex) and attacker's gunfire factors. These two variables are cross-referenced in a table to determine which of twenty basic hit tables will be used; the higher the number of the table, the greater the number of hits which will be scored. This hit table number may be increased or decreased depending on various modifiers. Modifiers increasing the hit table number are size of target and stability of firing plane as a gun platform; firing while inverted decreases it. The combined influence of the modifiers is determined on a separate table and the final hit table is obtained. The die is rolled, and the target sustains some combination of wing, fuselage, cockpit, engine, fuel, and gun hits. At least one hit is obtained with any die roll on all but the lowest two hit tables. The entire combat procedure is quickly mastered with a little prac- tice.

An airplane is destroyed when the number of hits it has sustained in any one category (except gun hits) equals or exceeds the number indicated in the corresponding category on its ADC. Even before the aircraft is destroyed, however, accumulated damage can affect its flying performance and gunpower.

Winning tactics in aerial combat quickly become apparent as a player acquires ex-

perience, but for the novice we offer a few hints. First, don't get caught in a level banking attitude! As long as the plane's wingtips are level, it can only fly in a straight line; since its position next turn will be certain, hostile planes can line up advantageous firing positions. The slip is the most useful maneuver available. A slip combined with two in-place turns changes the plane's heading by 120°, practically instantaneously compared to two conventional turns. The most versatile maneuver is to perform a slip as the last operation of a game-turn; you can then evaluate the situation and turn zero, one, or two hexsides in the following game- turn. The disadvantage of a slip is that it slows the speed of the aircraft dramatically, usually more than can be compensated by power factors without diving. Half-loops allow an instant reversal of direction, but are rarely a surprise. Half-rolls provide a quick 180" change in bank attitude. When a large drop in altitude is desired, plan on losing an average of about a thousand feet per turn. Most planes lack the brake factors to hold the speed down, so speed-killing maneuvers must be conducted. Finally, gaining altitude is extremely difficult. But most planes can climb one to three hundred feet per turn without loss of speed, so climb whenever possible, as height is a real advantage.

Table I1 presents comparative data for all of the types of fighters included in AFand DL (the latest standard model of those types for which different models are included). All the data refer t o the airplane's performance at an altitude of 15,000 feet. The first column in the table is the total range of the airplane's maneuver and level speed increments; at slower speeds the plane will stall, and it must be diving to go any faster. The wider the speed range, the more flexibility the plane has in dogfights. Note that the P-38L, P-51D, Spitfire IX, and Mosquito VI are the best in this respect. The second column lists the power factors available to each aircraft. Only one power factor means that the plane is underpowered, and the execution of speed- consuming maneuvers is limited. Column three contains the airplane's maximum climb rate, in thousands of feet per turn. Larger i: better, but a lack of sufficient power factors to make up for speed lost restricts the number of turns that the airplane can main- tain its maximum rate of climb. The P-38L. P-47D, and Me-109G excel in this category. The fourth column shows the number of hexes the plane must enter before executing a bank, turn, or slip, respectively. Smaller ia better, and the F4U-1 Corsair, Spitfire IX, and NlKI-J George look the best here. Note the lack of maneuverability of the Me-262 jet fighter. The next column displays the total number of "FF" gun factors the airplane has, with ranges in parentheses. The Mos- quito VI, FW-190A, and Me-262A come out on top in the firepower category, although more powerful variants of several other types are indicated on the ADC's. Finally, the lasl column shows the point value Battleline has assigned to each type of airplane. Despite their mediocre dogfighting abilities, the

P-62A Black Widow and the Me-262A get the highest point values because of their specialized capabilities as night fighter and bomber destroyer, respectively.

An examination of Table I1 will help one in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of various types of planes. However, the out- come of any particular matchup in a dogfight is always very much in question, as it takes a skilled player to properly exploit the strengths of his own aircraft and the weaknesses of his opponent's. The ADC's also contain much interesting historical information that we could not show in Table 11. For example, the well-known ability of the P-47 Thunderbolt to sustain battle damage is indicated by the large number of wing and fuselage hits needed to destroy it. Also, the absence of self-sealing fuel tanks in the early Japanese airplanes is simulated by reduced numbers of sustainable fuel hits (2), as compared with Allied and German fighters (3 and 4). With experience, each player will develop preferences for specific airplanes of each nationality.

The Scenarios In the rest of the article, we will describe

the major scenarios presented in Air Force and Dauntless. Nearly all of the scenarios last 20 game-turns. Victory points are always

awarded for destroying (but not for damag- ing) enemy planes. Each airplane's data card lists its point value, which ranges from 14 for the Ju-87B Stuka and TBD Devastator to 54 for the B-29 Superfortress. Additional sources of victory points in individual scenarios are indicated below.

Advanced Level Dogfights (AF and DL). The advanced dogfight scenario is fun- damentally the same as the basic game, except that any desired optional rules may be included. The most important optional rules are the visibility options (spotting rules), firing options, optional maneuvers, damage options, and the training and experience rules. The beauty of the game system is that, once the basic rules have been mastered, any or all of the wide variety of optional rules may be incorporated to achieve any desired level of complexity and realism.

The visibility options simulate the difficulty of locating an airplane against the sky. When using these rules, movement plots are made for six turns in advance. The planes can begin plotting and moving normally only when an enemy is sighted. Each airplane may attempt to spot one opponent per turn by rolling a die. There is a nominal 50% chance of success on each spotting attempt, but the die roll is modified for blind spots in the spotting airplane, distance between spotter and

target, bank attitude in relation to the target, the use of radar, looking into the sun, and spotting at night. The spotting procedure is somewhat laborious, and rarely provides enough suspense to justify the effort.

The firing options greatly enrich the flavor of air-to-air combat, and we recommend that soon after the basic play of the AF/DL system is mastered, all of the firing options should be used. One rule concerns the nose attitude of the firing plane; "FF" guns can only fire at a target above the firing plane if it did not dive on that turn, and vice- versa. Combat can even take place in a single hex if the planes have the appropriate nose attitudes. The ammunition expenditure rule also adds realism, as each plane can only fire its weapons a limited number of times. An important optional combat rule covers "deflections," the angle between firing and target planes. Now head-on attacks become less favorable, and tail shots are more favorable. Other optional firing modifiers include targets in evasive maneuvers, firing while in a spin, high speed, and so forth. These modifiers are combined with the Basic Game modifiers to alter the number of the basic hit table as described previously. Although using these options does slow down the game a little, advanced players will

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orsair

'ERISTIC - S OF FIG -..

HTERS A .. 1 Ype ~aneuver- ever rower ~ u m o rran~/~urn/ar lp -'FF" rolnrs

Speed Range Factors Rate Guns P-38L 3-8 3 0.5 3/3/3 12(6) 24

P-39D 1-7 1 0.2 3/3/3 )(4,6) 16

P-40N 1-7 1 0.3 3/3/3 2(5) 17

P-47D 5-7 2 0.5 1/3/3 6(5) 23

2 2/3/3 12(5) P-5 1 D 3-8 0.4

P-6 1 A 3-7 2 0.3 3/3/3 16(6)

F2A Buf t-6 1 0.2 3/3/3 (5,6) F4F Wilc 3/2/2

F6F Hell 2/3/3

F4U-I C 2/2/2

Hurricane 11 3-6 2 0.3 3/2/2 16(4)

Spitfire I 3-8 2 2/2/2 12(5)

Mosquitc 3-8 3 4/3/3 20(5,6)

Tempest

Me- 109C

Me-] 1OC

Me-262A 6-1 1 1 0.4 4/7/7 32(6)

FW-190k 4-8 2 1 /3/3 )(4,5) Ki.84 Frank 4- 8 2 0.3 3/2/2 12(4,5)

NIKI-J ( 2/2/2 Ki.45 Nil 4/2/2

Ki.43 0 s 3/1/1 Ki.44 Tojo 4-7 1 0.4 3/3/3 8(4,5)

Ki.61 Tony 4-7 1 0.3 3/3/3 8(4,5)

A6M5 Zero 4- 7 1 0.3 3/2/2 11(4,5)

'EET "..

find the additional realism and complexity desirable.

The DL rules book describes several optional modifications to some of the standard maneuvers, providing additional flexibility or limitations. As with the firing options, the realism these rules provide makes them worth including. Unfortunately, these rules are not included in the AFrules booklet.

The optional damage rules deal primari- ly with the effects of damage on multi-engine and dual-cockpit airplanes. Another interesting rule covers engine hits on planes with inline (as opposed to radial) engines. Li- quid-cooled inline engines, such as those found in the Spitfire, Me-109 and P-51, were very vulnerable to a hit in the cooling system. Therefore, whenever a hit is scored on a n inline engine, two dice are rolled to determine if the engine freezes and destroys the airplane. This rule adds realism, but the description of how to use the pertinent table is somewhat vague.

The optional training and experience rules provide a mechanism for refighting a World War I1 air campaign. Individual pilots and crews can have one of three levels of experience: green, average, and ace. Average pilots perform- exactly as stated in the rules; green pilots pay movement and combat penalties; and aces enjoy combat bonuses. An individual airplane counter can earn quality from game to game by scoring "kills." T o increase the chances of survival of the pilot and crew, rules are even provided for bailing out! This group of rules would be meaningful for a campaign of many games, specific historical scenarios, o r for the sake of experimentation or play balance.

Any combination of the numerous optional rules can be used in the advanced level dogfights, up to the limit of complexity and time consumptions that the players desire. We recommend that the optional rules be employed in the groups as described above.

Shipping Strike (DL). George Kenney's Fifth Air Force provided the raw material for this scenario, which is easily playable solitaire. We pitted an A-20G with three bombs and a B-25G with eight air-to-ground rockets against one Fubuki-class destroyer and a large transport. The bombers used in this game should be the strafer or ground attack variants.

In this case, both bombers were holed by flak during their approach. The A-20 was attempting to skip bomb the destroyer, but was forced to jettison its bombs when an engine was knocked out. The difficulty of getting in- to an effective skip bombing position was vividly illustrated by this incident. However, the B-25 obtained a rocket hit on the transport, then deliverd the coup de grace with its 75 mm cannon. "Shipping Strike" is a fast, simple scenario which can easily be made more complex with the addition of more bombers and ships, o r fighters on both sides.

Bomber Stream ( A n . "Bomber Stream" is a re-enactment of the Luftwaffe night fighter interceptions of the massed

night attacks made by RAF Bomber Com- mand against Germany. Twelve Lancasters or Mosquito IV bombers enter the mapboard in groups of three, and four JU-88C or Me- 1 IOG attempt to intercept. The simulation considers the Lichtenstein radar carried by the night fighters to have been rendered useless by the use of the "Window," so that the fighters are using the "Tame Boar" method of ground-controlling vectoring into the bomber stream. Groups of bombers and individual fighters will enter the map on pre- determined hexes, but the plane appearances may be delayed, a die roll of 5 or 6 being necessary to enter the map. Victory points are awarded to the British player for bombers which have intact bomb loads after 20 turns, four points per bomber.

The night fighters possess great firepower. The Ju-88C, for example, as 12 "FF" gun factors, plus eight gun factors in the fixed-high ("FF") position: the Schraege Musik installation of two 20mm cannon. The "FH" guns can fire at a target in the same hex but a t a higher altitude, or a t a target in the 12 o'clock high sector (at least 500 feet above the firing plane). The optimum firing position, then, is either directly beneath the bomber, or behind and at least 500 feet below it. Only in these positions can the entire firepower of the night fighter be used at once. Fortunately for the German player, these positions are in fields of very weak defensive fire from the Lancaster; the Mos- quito is unarmed.

The Lancaster can absorb a great deal of damage: nine wing and eight fuselage hits, plus the usual three fuel hits and two hits apiece for the two cockpits and four engines. T o bring one down, at least two or three attacks are usually needed even on the highest hit table. For this reason, the most effective attacks will be made when two or more night fighters simultaneously attack a single bomber-easier said than done. The uncer- tainty regarding the actual turn of appearance of each plane on the map makes it very difficult to coordinate attacks. Also, since a Lancaster loaded with bombs can ac- tually cruise at a speed of six above 10,000 feet, the Me-110 and Ju-88 have a difficult time getting into a good firing position with their maximum level speed of six and dive speed of eight or nine. Attacks made by lone fighters from positions in which the Lancs have heavy defensive firepower can be cata- strophic, especially because three bombers are concentrated on a single fighter. In one game, three of the four fighters were shot down in exchange for only one Lancaster destroyed. Two other Lancs were badly shot up, but did not have to jettison ordnance, and so they gave the German player no victory points.

This scenario presents a real challenge for the German player. He will improve his chances of success if his original entry hexes are selected to be as far "downstream" of the bombers as possible to allow for the random delays in entering the battle. The visibility options are a vital component of this scenario. The night fighters will be spotted

quickly, because so many bombers can make spotting attempts each turn. But since there are so few fighters, and since sighting is quite difficult a t night, several of the bombers will no doubt slip through undetected and un- molested.

Anti-Torpedo Plane Patrol (DL). This scenario pits four unloaded SBD Dauntless dive bombers on a low altitude patrol against four B5N Kate torpedo bombers, which are attempting to run the SBD gauntlet toward better prey off the end of the mapboard. Vic- tory points are awarded to the American player for forcing the Kates to jettison their torpedos due to accumulated damage, and t o the Japanese player for exiting the map with loads intact.

Unfortunately, this historically accurate scenario tends to degenerate into a "dogfight" between unmaneuverable, lightly armed aircraft. The SBD has only four "FF" gun factors, which is exactly twice the "FF" gunpower of the Kate. The two "F" gun factors covering the SBD's tail are unlikely to ever have a target. The unwieldy Kates are further hindered by their "loaded" configur- ation. While each Kate's one flexible gun factor pecks away, the SBD's try to inflict sufficient damage to force jettisoning of the torpedoes before their ammunition runs out -and they only get four bursts apiece. This scenario is too boring to be worth playing 20 turns. Just play until the Kates exit the edge of the original map and call it a draw.

Low Level Missions: Vehicle Attacks (AF and DL). This is a solitaire scenario in which two ground attack planes or fighters attack six tank and six truck counters using bombs, rockets, cannon, and/or machine guns. The defenders have 40 light flak guns (two gun factors each) distributed among 16 batteries. The vehicles can move, and the situation is made more interesting by the addition of a number of surface terrain counters of various elevations. These "hills" (pillars really, since they occupy only one hex each) block fire, and unwary aircraft may crash into them. Unfortunately, the number of terrain counters which is recommended (55!) is prohibitively large; the time involved in labeling and setting them up is great, and there aren't very many blank counters in the mix. The number of flak counters is also a bit awkward, but simplifications can be made in both areas without seriously affecting the flavor of the situation. Victory points are awarded t o the attacker for destroying vehicles and flak guns, and to the defender for shooting down enemy airplanes. T o win, one side must gain at least 20 victory points and have more points than the other. The strafing aircraft must roar in at low altitude, shoot up the randomly moving vehicles, then scoot out in one piece. The attackers quickly learn that a large number of even weak AA guns can be very effective.

Bedcheck Charlie (DL). What could be more boring than a reluctant dogfight between two twin-engine aircraft at night? That's what this situation quickly becomes, as one American or Japanese bomber (Betty or B-24) simply tries to stay in the air for 20

turns, while a night fighter (P-61 or P-70, or Ki.45 Nick) attempts to thwart the intruder's mission. The intruder receives one victory point for each turn the bomber is on the map, and the night fighter one point for each turn it is not. The biggest disappointment was that using the visibility options did not provide much mystery at all. Each plane spotted the other after one or two turns, and then it was just a matter of the bomber avoiding combat as long as possible. A rather frustrating match, but the firepower of the P-61 Black Widow is certainly awesome: 16 "FF" cannon factors with a range of six hexes, plus eight "FF" factors (also a range of six) with the optional turret.

Mass Bombers (AF and DL). Instruc- tions are provided for playing the mass bomber scenario as either a solitaire or a competition game. The competition game is a large scale operation: 12-18 bombers with four escorting fighters versus 8-16 intercep- ting fighters. The defender also has two heavy flak gun batteries with a total of 60 gun factors. The bombing target consists of four abstract "ground targets," each of a six-hex radius. The player controlling the bombers receives victory points for successfully drop- ping bombs on the target areas, and the number of points obtained depends on a die roll modified by such factors as the size of the target area, the size of the bomb load dropped, whether the target is obscured by previous hits, etc.

On the tactical scale of the AF/DL system, there is little the bombers can d o in this scenario but fly in a straight line. For example, a B-17G loaded with bombs flying at 23,000 feet at a speed of three hexes/turn must move 10 hexes just to change its banking attitude, and 22 more hexes to make a 60" turn.

The manipulation of such large numbers of airplanes is facilitated by the AF/DL plotting system, in which a formation of airplanes is handled as one unit for movement purposes, but combat and damage are handled separately. The plotting and movement of the large number of fighters is simplified by maneuvering them in pairs. Whereas dealing with the activities of each plane individually would be prohibitively time-consuming, these simple expedients keep the game moving at a reasonable pace.

The tactics of attacking a bomber formation must be given careful consideration. A heavy or medium bomber can absorb much damage, and several effective attacks must be made to bring one down. Also, the defensive armament of a heavy bomber is not to be trifled with: a B-17G can bring 16 gun factors (the same as the "FF" armament of a P-47) to bear in the 2 o'clock and 10 o'clock level sectors.

The optional rules regarding flexible guns limit planes with "F" guns to one attack per turn. This rule implies that all the 0.50-cal machine guns in a Flying Fortress that could be brought to bear would fire at a

AIR FORCE: Charts &Tables 1

I AIRGUNNERY 1

1 Tv;L 1 ;iN:il 1 FACTORS 1 2 3 4 5 6

RANGE TABLES AND MODIFIERS

single target, while the other guns would re- main silent. Since it is more likely that several gunners really would be firing at different targets, the effective firepower of each plane in actual combat would be much diluted. Therefore, this rule artificially increases the defensive capabilities of the bombers, an unavoidable sacrifice of realism for playabil- ity. Historically, the heavy bombers of the Eighth Air Force which flew over Europe were credited with the destruction of 6242% Axis fighters against a loss of 4232 bombers, a ratio of about 1.5 fighters per bomber lost. In AF, that ratio is usually somewhat higher, as the fighters get the worse of the matter.

Flexible guns are not only devastating against the enemy, but when using the option friend or foe identification rule, there is a one-sixth chance that "F" guns may shoot at a friendly plane if there is one which is closer to the firing plane that is the intended target. This rule detracts somewhat from the effectiveness of the combined firepower of a mass of bombers, and may even give aid and com- fort to the enemy, as we found out when two B-25s assisted a Zero in shooting down a third Mitchell.

In view of the overwhelming firepower facing the interceptors, the methods of attack should be carefully selected. Air-to-air rockets ( A F only) are by far the most effective weapon in the fighter pilot's arsenal. Not only do the rockets have a range of eight hexes, but planes up to two hexes away from the target are in the strike zone-and each hit

- -

VICTORY POINTS

LIGHT FLAK GUN DESTROYED 1Pt12 gun factors. HEAVY FLAK GUN DESTROYED 1Ptlgun factor. TRUCK DESTROYED 2 Polntr. TANK DESTROYED 5 Palntr BARRAGE BALLOON DESTROYED- 2 Polntr.

HIT TABLES: Roll one die and crossgrid on proper column to determine the types of hits. I

BAILING OUT IDP.)

SILHOUETTE MODIFIER: As given. FIRING INVERTED: -3 Bail Out Bail Out Bail Out

Ball Out Ball Out Fatlure Bail Out Bail Out Failure Bail Out Failure Failure

SPOTTING MODIFIERS PLANE MODIFIERS

On #nd#v~dual AOC. SPOT ON GROUND: -1 A ROLL OF "5" OR

OUT OFSUN. -3 "6" IS REOUIRED

RANGE 10 HEXES TO START ENGINES. NO MORE THAN ONE

SPOT FROM GROUND +2 POWER FACTORITURN

ACE SPOTTING: +2 RADAR IIZHML. 15HEX

THE PLANE LEAVES THE GROUND.

ROCKET FIRING TABLE (OP.) MODIFIED

RESULTS

5 or lerr

9-12 2 Hitr 3 Hitr

ROCKET FIRE MODIFIERS SINGLE TARGFT -7 - RANGE 4 HEXES

OR LESS: + I MOBILE SURFACE

TARGET + l IMMOBILE SURFACE

TARGET +2 PER TARGET IN HIT

AREA. t l ieach 7-12 ROCKETS FIRED. +1 13-24 ROCKETS FIRED- +2 25-36 ROCKETS FIRED. +3 3748 ROCKETS FIREO: +4

will down one bomber! After rockets, the next best mode of attack is with the very large number of "FF" gun factors carried by certain fighters. One variant of the FW-190A has 28 "FF" gun factors, and the Me-262A jet fighter boasts 32 cannon factors. Finally, the defending player would be well advised to study the airplane data cards of the bomber types being used for the "F" gun factors in various sectors, in order to select the least hazardous attack position.

The heavy flak installations can also d o a great deal of damage. The 60 flak factors are split into two batteries, so that two targets can be attacked each turn. The long approach to the target ensures that the flak batteries will get in many shots, and since each shot will inflict some damage, the player controlling the bombers can expect to lose two to three bombers to antiaircraft fire alone.

Get Yamamoto (DL). This is a specific historical simulation of the interception of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's flight of two G4M Betty bombers and six A6M2 Zero fighters by four P-38s on April 18, 1943. The Americans win if both Bettys are shot down within 15 turns. It is necessary to destroy both bombers since it was not known which one carried Yamamoto. Some of the fighter pilots on both sides are designated as aces, which gives them a firing advantage in aerial combat. This is an action-filled scenario, with a specific historical significance and very clear-cut victory conditions beyond those of simple attrition.

Ploesti Refinery Raid ( A n . This repre- sentation of the low level attack by American heavy bombers on the Rumanian oil fields at Ploesti is easily playable solitaire. The map is occupied by seven rather small ground targets, six barrage balloons, 16 flak counters (five heavy and 11 light), and literal- ly dozens of surface terrain counters (one- third of the recommended number of 65 terrain counters is probably adequate). Eigh- teen B-24Ds must dodge the hills and balloons, survive two Me-109Fs and a hail of flak, and bomb with pinpoint precision. Vic- tory points are awarded to the attacker for bombing the ground targets at five points per hex bombed, plus a 75 point bonus if all seven targets are hit.

The B-24 force enters the map in four elements, a t a n altitude of 300 feet or less. The entry hexes are determined randomly, and a die roll of six is required before each group can enter the map; the appearance of the interceptors may also be delayed. The bombers will use the glide bombing tech- nique, in which a dice roll for each bomb dropped (each bomber carries six bombs) determines the actual impact hex, reflecting scatter and inaccuracy in bombing. (Inciden- tally, the same scatter charts are used in other scenarios for dive bombing.)

There is plenty of excitement and uncer- tainty in the Ploesti attack. In one game, eight B-24s were destroyed and all but one of the others damaged, while six of the targets were thoroughly bombed and several flak guns knocked out by strafing. The defenders

won that game, but just by a nose. The "Ploesti Refinery Raid" shouldn't bore any- body.

Carrier Strike (DL). In this situation is simulated the essence of naval warfare in the Pacific, and one is tempted t o draw com- parisons with, for example, the tactical combat phase of Fast Carriers (SPI). The sides suggested for this scenario are eight dive and/or torpedo bombers vs. one major surface vessel (BB, CV, or CA) and two smaller vessels. Defending and escorting fighters may be added as desired. The game is suitable for solitaire play in the absence of fighters.

The defeAding ships are able to turn and move; and, boy, can they move! One entire page of the DL rules book lists flak factors, point values, movement factors, etc., for many types of US and Japanese ships. Many ships can move one hex and make one 60" turn on each game-turn. Recalling the scale of the game, this gives a speed of 50 mph to such ships and the ability to change heading by 60' in 10 seconds. These factors give an unrealistic edge to ships subjected to air attack, as that degree of nimbleness makes it very difficult for airplanes to score torpedo or bomb hits.

The historical tactics of splitting one's torpedo planes into two groups for an "an- vil" attack is not successful here, because of the flak rules. Each ship is assigned both heavy and light flak factors which it can fire into each of the six clock sectors on every turn. Consequently, dividing one's force effectively doubles the available AA strength. Also, since flak guns must fire at the nearest target, attacking on a broad front will provide more targets. While the antiaircraft strength attributed to each ship type may be historically accurate, flak seems to be ahistorically deadly.

The best approach for the attacking planes thus seems t o be: (1) concentrate the aircraft in a single clock sector, a t least with respect to the major target; (2) attack with planes in line astern rather than in line abreast; (3) begin the approach with the dive , bombers high and torpedo bombers low, rather than attempting to reach the optimum altitude during the approach. Torpedos must be dropped from an altitude of 100 feet (American) or 300 feet (Japanese), but can move on their own. Dive bombing increases in accuracy as the altitude of bomb release decreases from 8000 feet (maximum); the best chance of a hit is found below 3000 feet. Successful bombing requires careful planning of altitude, speed, bank attitude, etc., well in advance of the instant of bombing. In the absence of such planning, the "Carrier Strike" can be very frustrating for the attacker, as his planes-get shot out of the sky one after the other.

Fleet Contact Reconnaissance (DL). In this scenario a single bomber or flying boat attempts to spot individual ships in a task force of 12 ships, which has two fighters as air cover. The recon plane gets two victory points for each ship spotted, but needs a t least 12 points more than the opposition to

win. The visibility options are essential here, as is the use of cloud formations. For cloud masses we recommend random determina- tion of the number of clouds, span of altitudes, radius in hexes (clouds in AF/DL are cylindrical), and location on the map.

Fortunately, the ships d o not use their flak in this situation. This factor, plus the possibility of favorably situated cloud masses, gives the spotting plane a decent chance to win. Since only one attempt to spot an individual ship may be made per turn, the recon plane can expect to have to fight off re- peated fighter attacks. Therefore, one might want to use a reconnaissance plane with a fairly heavy defensive armament, such as the H8K Emily flying boat. The recon plane's one spotting attempt per turn can be directed at either a ship or a plane, but not both. Observation of the ships is obviously more valuable, so the fighters can work in close for deadly opening shots. Only after the fighters shoot, automatically becoming spotted, can the recon plane fire back. The G4M Betty we used got shot up by the two F4F Wildcats on CAP, but spotted the requisite number of ships and ducked into the clouds just in time to escape. An interesting scenario!

Conclusion Air Force and Dauntless comprise a

unique game system which accurately recre- ates tactical air combat in World War I1 in a highly playable and informative format. A wealth of historical information is provided in the well-designed palying aids. Battleline plans to offer an expansion kit with additional airplane data cards and counters, to expand the AF/DL game system to other theaters. The diversity of scenarios, both solitaire and competition, and the virtually limitless possible combinations of fighters in dogfights ensures that each of these games will provide many hours of enjoyment, as well as a deeper understanding of tactics in the air in World War 11.

FEEDBACK RESULTS MOVES 36 Rank Article Rating

1 . Designer's Notes 6.96 2. Cobra 6.86 3. Wargamer and Historian 6.78 4. Forward Observer 6.67 5. Opening MO VES 6.60 6. Russian Campaign 6.57 7. 1918 6.37 8. I See You. . . D o You See Me? 6.35 9. Fulda Gap: Profile 6.25

10. Things to Come? 6.10 1 1 . Playback 6.05 12. Fulda Gap: Variant 5.88 13. VeraQuiz 4.61

This Issue OveraIl 6.68

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