Review: Blood Red Skies- Warlord Games

Via Boardgame Geek

I downloaded the rulebook for Blood Red Skies for free from the Warlord site.  I had been pointed to these rules as I was working on the rules for Glittering Void at the time.  One of my readers thought that my struggles with altitude bands in a space mecha game could benefit from reading these rules and seeing what I learned about air combat rules and how they applied to Space Mecha.  Perhaps they were trolling me because they thought my rules sucked!  Who knows?  I guess I got the last laugh because I downloaded them and have read them.  He who laughs last laughs best!

When I was a wee lad, I used to love to watch a TV show on the Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) called Piece of Cake.  It was a show imported from the BBC to the states and consequently had strange viewing slots, so I often would only catch bits and pieces of it.  The movie was about a British Spitfire Squadron during the Battle of Britain.  I wish I could still find it on YouTube or somewhere as I would gladly watch it again.  I have never been able to see it again so if you know of it, have a link, etc. please leave me a comment!

Piece of Cake kindled an interest in World War II, and the air war in particular.  The jargon, the tactics, the personalities, and of course the amazing planes.  Granted, it is not a topic that I have exhaustive knowledge on, but it is an area of interest to me.

Anyway, this game was written by the (in)famous Andy Chambers.  You may remember him for writing the rules for the Starship Troopers game.... and maybe some other smaller game systems here and there.  He was/is a pretty well known name in the wargame industry and fits pretty well with the stable of ex-Games Workshop writers that freelance with Warlord from time-to-time.

I am a huge fan of Warwick Kinrade's Aeronautica Imperialis rules that were put out by Forgeworld.  He was a near contemporary with Andy at GW.  It is also a fighter plane game, but one using 40K universe aircraft.  Everyone knows that 40K aircraft are basically WWII fighters and bombers... IN SPACE!.... so it will be an interesting contrast.  I am also familiar with Check Your 6, X-wing, and Wings of War to contrast the rules with. 

I only have the core 16 page rulebook and not all the fighter stats and pilot stats.  However, after reading and absorbing the game, I think I have a pretty good feel for the rules and how it plays.

Let's clear the runway and get up and at 'em then!  Piece of Cake!

via Warlord's Site

Things That I Like
The win conditions for this game are not necessarily based on shooting down enemy planes.  Instead, it is based on morale, and morale is recorded using Boom tokens.  A Boom token is given when a plane is shot successfully, even if they are not destroyed or shot down.  Of ocurse, you get more if they are shot down.  If you have more Boom Tokens than planes at any point, you lose.

The core rules are Stat of the Pilot + Features of the plane = how many dice you roll.  You are looking for a Target Number of 6 to earn successes.  The more success the better.  This set-up allows for differentiation between pilot skill and plane features.  Therefore, pilot and machine counts when you play the game and allows you a lot of space in between for customization of aircraft types.  Pilot skill and aircraft performance is also used to determine who can act first.

Shooting attacks allow both players to participate.  The plane shooting makes dice rolls based on pilot skill, and the defender makes dice rolls to avoid getting shot up.  This allows both players to participate instead of one just dying.  This also allows some room to add in special rules for head-to-head shooting and deflection shots.  These rules naturally make these types of attacks less enticing, so you want to try to position your plane to avoid them.  This is a nice bit of design that encourages the right period "tactics" but does not force them on you.

The turn sequence is broken down in a few different ways, but the core is:

1. Shoot
2. Move
3. Take an action

This is nice as the Pilot Actions allow you to make some decisions besides simple move and target priority.  These actions include shooting more, outmaneuvering an opponent which can give them a penalty, or trying to improve your place in the turn sequence later, make a flying maneuver to enhance/change distance moved, etc.  They are nice elements of decision making without giving up core actions like moving and shooting.

Finally, the rules for Tailing are natural and again encourage you to use the proper tactics such as a wingman, without forcing you to do it.

Oh look, a Korean War version!
Via the Warlord Site 

Things I Do Not Like
This game uses a very abstract method of determining energy vs. altitude vis-a-vis maneuver.  Many aircraft games use various height bands, thrust changes, set maneuvers that modify your speed or altitude, etc.  This game dispenses with and abstracts most of this detail using a completely different system referred to as Advantage.

This system is the main gimmick of the game and is integrated very closely into the games workings.  Players are constantly moving or being forced to move between Disadvantaged, Nuetral, or Advantaged states of play.  All planes in the Advantaged state get to move through the turn sequence first by order of pilot/machine performance.  Various maneuvers change the state of the aircraft between these three levels.  Planes can only shoot at planes that are within 1 Advantage level so Disadvantaged planes can never fire on Advantaged planes and vis-versa.  Climbing, Outmaneuvering, Tailing change the Advantage state of the target planes.  Only planes at Disadvantage can be shot down, the rest can be shot at but only to earn Boom Tokens.  Remember, a Boom Token is a morale measurement not actual damage necessarily.

These advantage states greatly streamline play and speed up the game.  However, it also forces the game into a very abstract air battle.  In play, they have some aspects of altitude in other games, but also adds an abstract element of pilot space and timing to the game.  If you can handle/want this level of abstraction then you will be fine.  I had some trouble adapting to it since it is very different mechanically than other aircraft games I have played.

Finally, the game is supposed to use custom dice, but only one facing matters on them in the core rules.  You can use ordinary d6 just fine, but proprietary dice make money so..... let's put them in! 

Meh and Other Uncertainties
Now, I only have the core rulebook.  Therefore, I have no idea about the scenarios, different aircraft stats, pilot upgrades etc.  There is space in the rules for this type of chrome and I am sure it is there, but I can't really review what I can't read/see.  Therefore, I don't have much else to say.  I found the core rules fell into Things I Liked or Things I Did Not Like.

The very PDF I downloaded
Via the Warlord Site

Conclusion
This is an innovative take on aircraft combat.  I am very glad that I downloaded the rulebook and took a look at.  Ultimately, if you can handle the abstraction inherent in the rules then you will probably be all set to enjoy it.  The rules work to foster the proper tactics of the period well.  The mechanics are streamlined, easy to figure out, and intuitive.  Resolution is pretty quick.

Despite all these positives, I am just not ready to buy in to the abstraction of the game.  I LIKE altitude bands, maneuver cards, and thrust ratings!  Why, because it allows you to emphasize maneuver in a way that ground or naval combat just can not bring to the table.  To me what makes air combat interesting is the Maneuver vs Firepower element and the trade-offs you have to make.  The game has abstracted maneuver to such a degree that I am unsure if it will deliver the type of game experience I personally will find satisfying.

I can see the appeal, and recognize the elegance in the design.  It has done a lot to "modernize" the air combat game.  However, I do not think it is for me, and that is okay. 

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Battle Report: Combat! Starring Vic Morrow- Co-op Play

It is surprising the number of times I play and lose games against my wife and against my daughter. I have been playing and designing wargames much longer than they have. Yet somehow, they still consistently beat me. I would say the ratio is 60:40 in their favor. Therefore, I finally figured out a way to not lose. I decided to play a Co-op game with them!

The game we decided to give a go was Combat! Starring Vic Morrow. This is a game I designed in homage to the old (mostly) black-and-white television show of the same name. Therefore, it is set in World War II; but with a twist. It is not designed to be super realistic, but to adhere to the tropes of TV war shows. The game has player-vs-player, Player-vs- AI, and Co-op game modes. In Co-op the player can take control of a number of cast members form the show and play against Decision tree opponents and randomized enemies.

Somewhere west of Paris, the American forces were pushing the Germans closer to the French capital. However, the fighting was fierce and the American troops had to bleed for every mile. 2nd Lt. Hanley was tasked with escorting an Army Air Corp observer into German territory to determine the effect and extent of the night time bombing raid carried out by the British RAF.

This was a mission that would require speed to succeed. However, Lt. Hanley knew he would also need to back-up his speed with firepower to bust through enemy lines. He surveyed the squad and called Sgt. Saunders and Private Kirby to his side.

We decided to pick cast members from the show. In this case, I played Lt. Hanley, my daughter was Sgt. Saunders, and my wife was Kirby.

Forces

2nd Lt. Hanley- Star

Rifle, Pistol, Knife, Grenades

Sgt. Saunders- Star

Tommy Gun, Knife

Pvt. Kirby- Cast

Browning Automatic Rifle, Knife

1 Army Air Corp Observer- Co-star

Pistol, Knife

vs.

Randomized German Stooges!

-Based on the Ratings of the Combat! Cast members we choose, we would face off against about 7 Combat Markers of unknown enemies.

For this game, we used some of my (in)famous green army men to take the game for a spin.

Mission:

The mission was randomly generated, and it was to escort the Army Air Corp Observer across the board. He had to leave the opposite table edge. Lt. Hanley decided to escort the Observer himself.

Set-up:

The board will be a 4 by 4 board for today's battle. There was a road across the board, a hill, and several fields. A stream cut across the corner of the far side. The Combat! Markers were scattered in cover all over the board. Kirby was on the right flank, Sgt. Saunders in the center, and Lt. Hanley and the Observer on the left.

Normally, I have pretty detailed batreps for the games I play, but this one did not work that way. I was busy trying to help my family through the game. Therefore, I only have the general idea of what happened.

The Game

Kirby cut across the field in front of him and found a German soldier with a rifle on the other side. He took a shot at Lt. Hanley and forced him to take cover. However, Saunders moved up and Tommy Gunned him down.

As Hanley and the Observer went up over the hill, they revealed a German with a sub-machine gun. He opened fire on Saunders, but missed. Lt. Hanley tried to get the drop on him, but missed. The German was pinned from the shooting. Eventually, Saunders scuttled over and traded shots with the German while Hanley and the Observer hurried past. Eventually, Saunders managed to gun the plucky German down.

As Kirby approached the road, he was jumped by three German soldiers. They fired wildly and missed him, and Kirby kept his cool and fired back. 1 went down. Things looked bad for Kirby until Lt. Hanley tossed a grenade into the German position and took them all out.

The group scurried across the road, but a group of German soldiers appeared from a nearby field. Saunders drew his knife and charge into their ranks to keep them from attacking Lt. Hanley and the Observer. This kept them distracted as the wildly defended themselves against the Sergeant.

Lt. Hanley and the Observer rushed ahead to bypass the German's in the field but turned the corner and came face-to-face with a German NCO. He fired a quick burst from his sub-machine gun and rushed Lt. Hanley. The Lt. Dropped his rifle and tried to pull his pistol but was too slow. The German NCO bowled him over with his momentum and proceeded to stomp Lt. Hanley into unconsciousness.
 

Lt. Hanley was lucky that Kirby was covering the flank because he turned and fired, taking the German NCO out. Kirby rushed forward and took control of the Observer who had hunkered down into cover.

Saunders was battered but he eventually took out the three Germans he was tussling with. That's why he was the star of the show! He moved up to support Kirby and the Observer. Kirby grabbed Lt. Hanley and slung up over his shoulder. The small group then managed to bypass the last German patrols and make it into German held territory.

Mission a success.

Conclusion:

Eventually, the small group made it to the target area. 2nd Lt. Hanley had recovered enough to take care of himself, but he was nursing a swell goose egg on his forehead. After getting past the frontlines, German activity thinned out and they had made good time.

The four of them huddled in the bushes, as the Observer pulled out his camera and started snapping pictures. Then, he eagerly jotted notes with a grease pencil into a small pad. After about 60 minutes of traversing around the demolished rail yard, the team took cover in a small french bard for the night.

“We'll wait here until dawn, and then head back to our own lines.” 2^nd Lt. Hanley ordered, “Did you get what you needed?”

The observer tapped his notepad, “All right here. Are you feeling okay Lt.?”

“He's had worse,” Kirby chirped in.

“Nothing a relaxing walk in the French coutnryside tomorrow won't cure,” grinned Sgt. Saunders.

Music swells and roll credits.

The mission was successful, but not without some tight spots and daring do! My wife immediately noticed that the “Stars” of the show had more opportunity to act and complete objectives than the Extras and Cast Members. Through the adventure we used all the little things that make this ruleset somewhat unique such as extending Screentime for more actions, suppression fire, aimed fire, pinning, Star Power to re-roll a dice, and Plot armor to take more than one hit. I wish we would have thought of using the First Aid action on Lt. Hanley.... Oh well!

Overall, the AI decision tree worked even if it did feel a bit roll heavy on occasion. Also, the activation process using multiple, collaborating players as opposed to Axis vs. Allies was a little bit more challenging. It required us to decide as a group who was going to use Screentime next. Finally, I may have deployed the Combat! Markers incorrectly as I placed them in cover randomly around the board instead of by the letter of the rules. This allowed us to bypass a couple. Despite these minor quibbles, the game worked just fine as a cooperative battle.

My family said they would play again as they prefer co-op games instead of versus games all the time. That means, some of my future design work may try to cater to this preference. Can anyone point out other fun co-operative miniature rules?

Combat! Starring Vic Morrow!- Battle Report- A Chance Encounter

Combat! Starring Vic Murrow!
A Chance Encounter

Sgt. Saunders and his squad awake in the ruins of an old French house at the edge of a wood.  Perhaps it was a hunting den or small cottage before the war, but now it is just wreckage.  However, what woke them is the sounds of men moving through the brush.  This close to the front lines, and it is probably a German patrol sweeping the area and doing some scouting of their own.  Now what?

Forces:
Americans
Sgt. Saunders- Star
Tommy Gun, Pistol

Little John- Cast
Rifle, Bayonet, Grenades

Kirby- Cast
Automatic Rifle, Knife

2 Extras
Rifle, Bayonet

Germans
Sergeant- Cast
SMG, Knife, Grenades

2 Extras
LMG

3 Extras
Rifles

I realized right away that my terrain selection for WWII games set in France is not very good. Therefore, I threw together a wooded board.  It is 3 feet by 3 feet.  The models themselves will just be Green Army Men, perhaps later I will get a box of Americans and Germans from somewhere for something a bit more in-character.

The scenario will be straight forward.  Try to eliminate the enemy and not get killed yourself.

Shall we begin?

Scene 1

Per the rules, we roll a d6 to see who gets to activate a model.  Even it is the Allies, and Odd it is the Axis.  A 5, so the Axis.  An extra got the nod and made for the center hill.  He couldn't get there so he rolled an Action roll for his extra Screentime and succeeded.  He moved up to the edge to cover the road.

Next, we rolled Even, so Kirby moved down the road.  He saw the German and tried to use his Screentime to shoot, but failed.  Lucky for Kirby the Extra had no more Screentime to fire at him!  Unlucky for Kirby he was in an exposed position for the other guys.

However, for our next activation roll the Allies won, so Kirby took a shot at the German extra anyway!  He sprayed away at him with his Browning, and managed 1 single hit!  It was enough as the Injury roll was Removed from Episode! However, Kirby has used all his Screentime!  The Krauts are out there!

One of my Extras can draw LOS on Kirby and fires away!  He has 2 firepower and needs a 6 to hit, but he misses.  However, since Kirby is in the open he must take a Guts N Glory test or be pinned!  He passes with a 6!  So he isn't even pinned.  My extra tries for extra Screentime to move, but fails.

The Axis and Allies trade off activation and move around a bit.  No one tries for extra Screentime.  The LMG moves to try and get the bead on Kirby, but is blocked by a hill.  On the next activation they move up to cover the right side of the hill.

One of the Allies Extra used his last Screentime to fire on the LMG team that is in cover instead of getting out of the way!  He rolls his two dice and gets a 6 for suppression fire!  A hit!  The Loader goes down with a Wilhelm scream and the Extra manning the gun takes a Guts N' Glory test with a +2 because he is behind blocking cover!  Which he passes with a 6.  The LMG has lost a crewman, so it is now immobile.  However, I am okay with the fire arc.

The Allies and Axis trade moves as Little John and an Extra move up on the left side of the center hill, and the Germans set-up to receive them.  Saunders wisely moves out of the LOS of the LMG, and uses Screentime to do so.  The German Sergeant fails to go on Covering Fire to cover the right side of the hill with his SMG.  He decides to hold onto his activation as a deterrent.

Sgt. Suanders moves up and takes cover behind the center hill and the German NCO takes cover behind a big tree and covers the left side of the hill, content to let the LMG cover the other side.  There is no more Screentime left to be used, and the scene ends.

Scene 2
We start with the establishing shot.  However, no one needs to Get Up, Check for Wounds, or take any Guts N Glory tests.  Everyone's Screentime is replenished.

The Activation goes to the Germans.  Too bad for Kirby and an Extra as they are standing in the Line of Sight of a LMG.  He opens fire with the LMG, and fails to hit any of the targets!  However, he forces them to take Pinning Tests on their Guts N Glory stat.  Both of them fail, so they hit the dirt, pinned.  That means Kirby and that Extra won;t be doing anything until the next Scene.

The German Sergeant sets up Covering Fire on the left side of the hill, waiting for Little John or another American to come around the corner.  While one of the Extras moves up and covers the other side.  The last Extra fails to set-up Covering Fire with a failed Action roll.  The one on the right dashes across trail, and gets behind some trees.

Finally, the Americans win an activation roll!  The American Extra re-positions himself in cover to try and get a shot at the German extra coming around the LMG covered side of the hill.  He rolls and gets more Screentime, and fires on the Kraut, but misses.  The German passes his Guts N Glory test, and is not pinned.

The Germans keep winning activation, but they are set-up pretty well!  The Extra behind the hill gets Cover Fire set-up, and the LMG fails to do likewise.

Finally, the Americans get a go.  Littlejohn darts across the trail towards a tree, but the German Sergeant opens fire on him!  He removes Littlejohn's Plot Armor as a Cast member and forces him to take a Pinning test in the open!  He fails, and hits the dirt.

Seeing his buddy go down, and knowing the Kraut Sergeant only has 1 Activation left, he goes for it and dashes around the edge of the hill.  The Kraut Extra on Cover Fire shoots as he rounds the hill, and removes his 1 Plot Armor, and Saunders fails his pinning test!  Oh no!  Is this the end for our heroes?

With his final activation, the Kraut sergeant shoots at the pinned Sgt. Saunders, but misses.

Scene 3

As the Establishing shot starts, things look bad for our heroes!  It is time to try and Get-up! Kirby and Little John fail, but the Extra and Saunders get up! No other tests are needed.  A lot rides on this first activation roll!  It is a 2, the Americans!

Saunders Activates, he takes aim at the German Sergeant and then rolls for extra Screentime to shoot, he needs a 3+ as a Star.  4!  Wow, suspenseful.  Now, he only needs a 4+ on his shooting to hit the German. 6, 6, 4!  Three hits, I guess he didn't need to aim!  The German loses his 1 Plot Armor, and rolls for injury.  6 and 5!  Just a scratch twice!  However, he is still considered downed as his stats go above 6+.  Either way he is pinned and not a threat.

Saunders isn't out of the woods yet!  There is still a German Extra off to the side of him, and the Star is out of Plot Armor!  He has to extend his Screentime again to act!  He needs a 3+ and gets a 6!  He quickly backpedals behind the hill and safety!  He decides to hold onto his last Screentime.

The Americans activate again.  The extra in the way of the LMG high tails it out of the way.  Which is lucky for him as the Germans activate next.  The LMG opens fire on the pinned Kirby.  One hit removes his point of plot armor!  However, the LMG is jammed and out of the game.  The Axis again get the activation and the extra by the tree, turns to potentially trade shots with the American Extras.  The German fails to get any extra Screentime though.  

One of the Americans shoots first!  However, his rifle jams, and is now useless!  The other extra opens fire.  He misses, gets extra Screentime and misses again.  However, the German fails his Guts N' Glory test and is pinned in Cover.

The German Extra on the other side steps around the hill enough to shoot at the pinned Little John, gets extra Screentime and shoots but misses.

For the final activation, Saunders tries to rally Little John.  It succeeds and he immediately becomes unpinned.  Since no one has activations, Little John unloads on the Kraut extra.  He hits the target twice and puts him down!

Conclusion
With that, the remaining Germans decide that discretion is the better part of valor and withdraw!  Sgt. Saunders and his squad can push onward to Paris!        

Final Thoughts
The Campaign phase will make each scenario and battle count even more.  That is where many of the TV Show elements get added.  However, for today, I just wanted to show-off a stand-alone game to show how the game works.  If you want to give it a try yourself feel free as it is available in the Free Games section of the blog.  Just let me know how the game went!