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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Wargame Design: Abstraction is the Name of the Game

Recently, I reviewed Mike Hutchinson's latest game; Pacific Command.  This reminded me that Mr. Hutchinson is a master at using abstraction to focus game play on the key elements of the game that he wants to emphasize.  His abstraction technique has two parts to it: 

1. Focus on what the Game is intended to focus on

2. Reduce the energy need to complete everything else

I think he has only refined this ability as he has gone along.  I would say, it might even be considered his "signature" game design style.  This is a real skill and one of his key strengths as a designer.  Well, at least in my humble opinion.  Not all of the 4Ms.  Need to be given equal weight during a game.  

Wars of the Republic

What is Abstraction?

There has been a surprising amount of digital ink spilled on this topic.  Abstraction is surprisingly hard to pin down!  My definition of Abstraction is pretty straight forward. 

Abstraction = Reducing Complex Realities into Simple Game Procedures

For example, the process of flying an airplane is a very complex procedure involving a lot of physics and calculations.  It is so complex that I don't have the faintest idea of how it actually works.  It has a wide variety of factors involved in order to do it well and not doing it well can lead to the death of the people in the aircraft! 

We see the challenge of Abstraction when you look at many modern aircraft games.  There are complex maneuver cards, speed and altitude changes, stalling, and other complex rules.  The action that takes seconds in real-life can take half-a-day to play!  I love to play these types of rules sets because they often tax my brain tactically, but they are nothing like an actual dogfight.  These are very complex realities involved. 

Therefore, Abstraction would be taking these abstract realities and reducing them down so that the only decisions for the player are the ones the game designer intends them to make.  Taking a look at the air combat example again, Blood Red Skies abstracts most of the Physics of flying.  Instead, it focuses on decision to move your planes into a position where they can or can not shoot at the foe to reduce enemy morale.  The rest of the game is secondary to that main focus. 

Ork Fighters for Aeronautica Imperialis

Why Abstract? 

This is much easier to answer.  

Complex processes may more accurately reflect the reality of a given situation, but typically such complex procedures bog down the game, require a higher mastery of game play to execute, disrupt the pace, requires more resources, and makes a game less interesting to play.  Players spend more time operating the controls of the game than interacting with the experiences the game is trying to recreate.  This puts cognitive distance between the game and the player.  This cognitive distance is often considered to be "less fun" by large segment of wargame players.  

Of course, what is FUN is another question all together, and not easy to answer. 

Odin's Ravens

Abstraction in Wargame Design

There is a lot of debate about whether abstraction is: 

1. A compromise forced on game designers to make games playable 

2. Abstraction is the whole purpose of game design in the first place

The first argument basically believes that Wargames should be mostly simulation in nature.  They are trying to recreate a space and time as closely as possible in order to mirror the decision making of the participants.  The purpose of the game is to create an experience that can be used to teach, draw conclusions, or otherwise as a learning tool.  This approach is more commonly a mindset in "professional" wargaming community, the historical Hex-and-Counter community, and some Historical games.  

The second view is more of a gamist or narrative approach.  The focus is to create a game experience to either "find out what happens" or to entertain as a game.  In these approaches, the abstraction is necessary to make a game playable by a layman or leisurely hobbyist.  The abstraction is to allow players to resolve a scenario or game with a plausible conclusion in a timely manner.  Lessons and learnings can happen, but the focus is more on delivering an entertaining and satisfying conclusion to and for the players.  The main focus is on playability rather than completeness. 

Now, I am not doing either of these positions any justice.  Both are equally valid and useful ways to think about abstraction.  However, I have a strong bias towards the second for a simple reason, I am designing Hobby wargames with a more Gamist and Narrativist slant to them.  The Simulation is secondary for me.  

Since I lean into the second category, I tend to ABA- Always Be Abstracting.  Therefore, I am trying to create the shortest possible procedure to resolve a process in a way that I find satisfying and gets a solid result.  

Battle of Kadesh using In Strife and Conflict

Abstraction Tips and Tricks

 Here are some tips and tricks to help you think about abstraction in your game designs.  

1. Have a Point of View on how things work in your game world or historical setting.   

2. Decide which parts of your game you want to emphasize and put more rules and detail there. 

3. When you create a process to achieve a result, always try to strip it down to the fewest steps possible.            

4. At the point of emphasis, do not leave the rules flavorless.  This is the heart of your game, if it has no bite; than no one will want to play your rules.  

5. Not all processes need to be given equal weight. 

6. Just because it happened one time doesn't mean you need rules for it, focus instead on what your rules are trying to do. 

7.  Be ruthless in streamlining your game.  Kill your favorite rules. 

8. It is always easier to add complexity via Special and Advanced Rules later.  

9. Abstracted rules give your more design space if you want to expand later

I talk more about this with Mark's Game Room

Final Thoughts

To me, the difference between good wargame design and not-so-good wargame design is often determined by how well it can abstract the core concepts into playable rules.  For my money, good designers should ABA- Always Be Abstracting.  Emphasize the key aspects of the game or period and abstract the rest even further.  

Abstraction is the name of the game.  

Until next time! 

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Battle Report: White Star/Red Star - CAP near Taejon, July 1950

 

July 19th, 1950 the USAF sought to establish air superiority against the invading communist forces.  This was know as the Air Battle of Korea.  At this stage in the war, the USAF was using a combination of piston and jet engine aircraft for this mission.  The primary opponents were the North Korean air force using propeller driven late WWII era aircraft.  

On July 19th, F-80's from the 5th air force took on advanced elements of the North Korean Air Force.  They engaged in a dogfight near Taejon.  In the engagement, the F-80s managed to down 3 enemy Yaks.   

I am super excited to get my Tumbling Dice miniatures out on the table to see how they look and feel on the table! 

Mission:

We used the rules from the book to determine the Sortie for today and came up with a Combat Air Patrol in clear weather.  This is a simple scenario to kill the other sides planes.  

Forces:

We have decided to use the North Koreans and USAF lists.  

USAF

3 F-80 Shooting Stars 

- Experienced pilots

North Koreans

4 Yak - 9 Franks

- 3 Rookie Pilot

- 1 Experienced Pilot

Set-up:

This games starts off with both players undetected.  There is also no need for terrain, but we added some for the look.  

The game is taking place on a 86 x 86 MU board.  1 MU is equal to 1/2 and inch.  

Two of the Yaks are connected as wing-men.  Everyone else is individuals in this furball. 

For reference, if a plane has no stand, it is at low altitude, stand is combat, and on top of a dice on a stand it is High altitude.  

Turn 1: 

Detection:

No one is detected this turn, so no planes enter play yet.  

Turn 2: 

Detection: 

No aircraft detected by either side still.  This is eating into the games turn limit, and allowing planes to deploy further in on the board once detection occurs. 

Turn 3: 

 Detection: 

Nothing. All pilots are still scanning the skies. 

Turn 4: 

Detection: 

The F-80's are spotted, and need to be deployed on the table.  Since it is the 4th turn, they can be deployed up to 24 MU in.  

The F-80's deploy with two at combat altitude and 1 at High.  They re moving diagonally across the board.

Rookie: 

The lead F-80 makes a 45 degree turn and heads towards the village.  The second stays high and straight, while the third makes a 20 degree turn and turns towards the village too. 

Experienced: 

The USAF continue to move.

Ace:

They all move straight, as they are Experienced pilots and can not make moves in this phase.  

Turn 5: 

This time, the USAF sees the North Korean Yaks.  The North Koreans can deploy up to 30 MU in from their board edge.  

The Yaks put their Rookie pair forward, going across the board to try and lure the USAF after them.  The other two are further back, with the last rookie at High altitude. 

Rookie: 

The North Koreans have to start moving planes first, since they have more of them.  Both sides begin to turn into the attack, looking like they are setting up to go head-to-head.  No one changes altitude. 

Experienced: 

The USAF have more Experienced planes and move first. The paired North Koreans have to move together as a pair, since they are a wing-man team.  

The USAF moves to bypass the rookie bait, and head for the North Korean Experienced pilot.  Both sides close the distance, and get ready to fire.  

Ace:

Neither side has any Aces, so the North Koreas move first.  All pilots can only go straight, and not change altitude.  They also can not shoot in this phase.    

Turn 6: 

Detection:

There are no more planes to detect, so this phase is no longer needed going forward. 

Rookie: 

The tailing Yak at high altitude banks 45 degrees to try and set-up against the high F-80.  Meanwhile, the Rookie pair turn at 20 degrees to dissuade the high F-80 from dropping down altitude. 

The Experienced North Korean Pilot and one of the F-80's are going head-to-head.  the North Korean fires, but the range is far enough for the USAF pilot to maneuver around the incoming fire. However, the North Korean pilot kept ammo in the hoppers for another pass with a disciplined burst.

The lead F-80 just misses the angle on the North Korean experienced pilot and can not fire.  The other F-80 is lined up after avoiding the incoming fire, and opens up a return burst.  The North Korean dodges the long range burst as well.  The USAF pilot also has ammo remaining. 

Experienced: 

This time, the USAF has the advantage as they have more experienced pilots.  The F-80 presses home the head-to-head attack on the experienced North Korean pilot, and this time is able to bring him down with a burst.  However, it was a long burst and the F-80's guns go dry.  He will want to break-off and away.  First kill to the USAF! 

The other North Korean pilots can not maneuver, as they are all rookies.  Instead, they go straight.  The High F-80 stays high and turns in to go over the Rookie pair.  Meanwhile, the F-80 leader turns back into the furball. 

Ace: 

No one can maneuver, so they all go straight! 

Turn 7: 

Rookie: 

The Rookie pair dive down to low altitude and make to break-off.  The F-80 that is out of ammo also turns away to break-off.  

The High Altitude North Korean Rookie sees a USAF F-80 bearing down, so he turns into the attack and fires.  However, he fails to hit the mark.  The incoming F-80 returns the favor.  However, he also misses.  Neither plane is out of ammo yet.  

The lead F-80 tries to duck in and cut-off the Rookie North Korean if he tries to break away or go lower.  

Experienced: 

The USAF F-80 fires on the Rookie Yak-9 pilot, who manages to dodge the shots.  The two aircraft race past each other.  Both with ammo remaining.  

The lead F-80 stays at combat altitude, incase the higher Yak dives.  

Ace: 

Everyone goes straight! 

Turn 8: 

Rookie: 

Everyone is faffing about and trying to regain position.  

Experienced: 

The F-80s still in the fight are using their superior speed and skill to get back in on the Yaks, cutting off their turning radius.      

Ace: 

Straight again! 

The F-80 that is out of ammo manages to disengage from the fight and head for home with 1 Kill to their record.  

Turn 9: 

Rookie: 

Lead F-80 is still 1 altitude level above his prey as they try to flee.  The last rookie Yak drops to combat altitude, hoping for a chance on the F-80 leader.  The last F-80 is still turning back into the scrum and at high altitude. 

Experienced:

The F-80s both dive.  However, the Lead F-80 can not get the angle on the pair of Rookie North Korean pilots.  However, their higher altitude pal also has no shot. 

Ace:

Straight ahead! 

Turn 10: 

Rookie: 

The North Koreans go first as they have more planes.  The rear Yak dives, but can not get a shot off.  

The second F-80 is still too high, but gets ready to cut-off the last North Korean aircraft.  

The Rookie pair try to cut in under the attacking Lead F-80, but he manages to fire a burst and take out the tailing plane.  The USAF pilots still has ammo.  

Experienced:

With 1 Kill under his belt, the lead F-80 breaks off from the fight and disengages off the board.  The second F-80 dives at the fleeing rookie Yaks, but misses the angle. 

The last Yak also has no shots, but does not have the skill to try a shot anyway. 

Ace:

They all fly straight. 

Turn 11- Disengagement Turn

With all three phases, the last planes can easily disengage off the board.  

Conclusion:

The USAF F-80s of the 5th Air Force managed to disengage with no losses, and 2 Kills to their record.  A successful day in the Air Battle of Korea

A couple observations from this battle.  Typically, I use 1 MU = 1 inch.  The shorter MU slowed the game down a bit, but allowed more maneuver.  With 1 MU is 1 inch, the game would have lasted closer to 6 or 7 turns instead and the action would have occurred much faster.  I think I will use the 1 MU = 1 inch going forward.  The shorter distance also made the aircraft feel slower as well.  

As the North Korean player, I was too aggressive with my Experienced pilot and when he was knocked down I did not have much to respond with.  My hopes for a draw fizzled when one of my Rookie wing-men got shot down.  Then, it was all about avoiding losing more planes and getting out alive! 

The faster Jets and skill of the American pilots played a part in the battle.  It was this advantages that allowed them to shoot my Experienced pilot down, and bag a Rookie.  A historically accurate result in this engagement.  

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Battle Report: White Star/Red Star - CAP in MIG Alley II

 

Image from here:
https://www.scalemates.com/books/the-korean-air-war-robert-f-dorr-warren-thompson--109961

MIG Alley was the nickname for the Northwest corner of Korea, where the Yalu River enters into the Yellow Sea.  This was the area where Communist MIG-15s tended to scrap with USAF Sabres for control of the skies.  Here, high above Korea was the site of many of the first Jet-vs-Jet battles in history.

The Korean War officially began June 25th, 1950.  The initial air battles were fought between the North Korean Air Force using old WWII era planes, and the South and their allies.  The USAF used later WWI propeller driven aircraft and some early Jet aircraft.  

On November 1st, 1950 the first MIG-15 jet fighters attacked a flight of USAF F-51 Mustang fighter-bombers.  Later that day, the first jet vs. jet combat took place between the MIg-15 and the F-80 Shooting Star.  The USAF's early jets were inadequate for the task, and soon the USAF was resupplying and using the new F-86 Sabre to counter the Communist threat.  

The MIG-15's during the early phase of the war were secretly being operated by the Soviet Unions highly skilled 64th Fighter Aviation Corp.  While the Soviet pilots were engaging in the air, they were also starting to build up the North Korean and Chinese pilots to eventually rotate in and replace them.  

As the F-86 began to appear in the skies over North Korea Mid-December the stage was set for a clash for control of the Skies over North Korea between the MIG-15 and the F-86 Sabre.  

After several play tests, and getting feedback from others I made a couple of BIG changes to these rules.  The first big change was to remove the "action economy" element of the game.  In the old version, all pilots took action in the Rookie Phase, Experienced Pilots and Aces in the Experienced Phase, and Aces only in the Ace phase.  This proved to be unpopular as an Ace pilot in a Prop plane could go faster than a rookie in a Mig.  Therefore, I removed this and instead gave the different levels of pilots the ability turn or change altitudes differently.  Rookies could only initiate a turn at the start of their move OR change altitude, experienced can at any point OR change altitude, while aces can change altitude and turn freely.  

I also made a bit of a change with Wingmen and formations.  Therefore, you can better imitate the true Finger Four formation or pairs of aircraft working in tandem on the table.  A formation has the Wing Leader activate first, and it auto actives the wingman who must maneuver the exact same way as the Wing Leader. 

Finally, I modified Detection so it was a bit harder to detect some planes right off the bat.  This allowed you to "sneak" them in and deploy them closer to the enemy.  I did this by changing it from a straight d6 to a d6+Turn mechanic.  I then increased the Detection number of all aircraft.  It is possible to detect a Jet fighter on turn 1, but it is unlikely.  Let's see what these changes did to the game. 

I intend on giving both of these changes a try today.   

Sortie: 

This time, I am purposely re-creating a playtest battle I posted previously.  As such, it will mirror the set-up of that battle in order to test the key changes I made to the rules.  The UN is the attacker, and the sortie will be the Combat Air Patrol.  

Set-up: 

Again, we are mirroring the original combat.  The weather was determined to be clear.  

Since this is a standard Combat Air Patrol in MIG Alley, no additional terrain is needed.  However, we add some hills on the edges of the board, ad determine them to be difficult terrain at Low Altitude. 

The board is 48MU by 48 MU and an MU equals 1 inch.  

Forces:

Today's battle will be using my (in)famous Paper Templates. 

USAF

4 F-86 Sabres- Experienced Pilots

Soviets

4 Mig-15s- Experienced Pilots

This will be a straight up dogfight between the two sides of equal points and aircraft.  

Turn 1: 

Detection Phase:

A great Soviet roll, leaves all the Sabres detected, while the Migs are not detected.  The Soviet player rolled a 6 +1 for the turn to get a 7.  The detection rating on a Sabre is a 7, so the Sabres are detected. 

I place the F-86's in a finger 4 formation, relative center of the table, and at high altitude to get us all started.  I decide that Sabre #1 and #2 are wingmen, and #3 and #4 are also wingmen.    

No Migs in sight yet. 

Action Phase:

The F-86s have no reason to split up, so continue going forward on their merry way.  They are blissfully unaware that Soviet Migs are about. 

Turn 2:

Detection Phase: 

This time, I roll a 5 + 2 for the Turn for a total of 7. This time, I get eyes on the Migs.  They can deploy up to 12 MU in on the board.  They deploy at low altitude, echelon right on their right edge of the board.  The Soviet player declares all her Migs are Wingmen to each other, so they will move as a unit.

 

 

Action Phase: 

The Sabres move forward and stay in formation, at high altitude.  The Migs also just stay going forward and in formation. 

Turn 3: 

We dispense with the Detection Phase since all planes are in sight.  

Action: 

The Migs ae coming in at an angle, so the question is whether to turn towards them to engage, or if I should do something different.  I am reluctant to go head-to-head with all that firepower, but to maneuver away may leave me sourly out of position, and still in a danger zone.  I decide I want to try to lure the big formation after i set of Sabres, while the other gets behind the Migs.  

Sabres #3 and #4 break left with a 45 degree turn.  The Migs, do not deviate from the low altitude flight path.  Sabres #1 and #2 using wingmen rules break to the left at 45 degrees.  

We will see if this works! 

Turn 4:

Sabre #1 & #2 continue with slight 20 degree turns to get behind the Migs.  The Migs, keep going forward in formation and pivot 20 degrees as well, towards Sabre #3 and #4, but stay low.   The final Sabres do a 180 degree turn by inverting, and drop to Combat altitude.  They are trying to avoid the oncoming MIGS.  

Turn 5:

Sabre #1 and #2 do 90 degree turns at high altitude to try and start getting behind the Migs.  The MIGs use their wingman formation and all go to Combat speed, and open fire on Sabre #3 and #4.  

Only Mig #3 has a shot and he fires at Sabre #4 at long range.  He gets two hits, but thanks to range and deflection, the Sabre jinks away.  Mig #3 has fired off all his limited ammo.  

The last Sabres hard break back towards their fellows and the Migs at Combat altitude. 

Turn 6:

Sabre #1 and #2 take 45 degree turns to get in behind the MIGs.  They still do not have the Angle as the MIG formation turns 45 degrees as well and towards Sabres #3 and #4.  

Mig # 4 and Mig #2 light up Sabres #3 and #4 respectively.  The Sabres again manages to shake off the shooting with maneuvers.  MIG #4 runs out of ammo from his pass.

The Sabres turn in and good head-to-head against the MIG line.  There shooting fails to bring down any enemy planes either.  They also have more ammo left in their feeds.  

Turn 7:

The aircraft maneuver around, but are in a furball up close.  

Sabres #1 and #2 are up high and failing to get the drop on the MIGs.  Meanwhile, the MIGs stay in formation and break hard left.  Sabres #3 and #4 cross their trail, but can't get the bead as they break 45 degrees to their right.  

Turn 8:

Sabres #1 and #2 drop to combat altitude.  

The Migs turn towards them, hoping to get a bead on them, but fail.  

Sabres #3 and #4 bank hard and swoop in on the MIGs tails.  Only #3 has a shot and opens up.  MIG #2 manages to maneuver away from the shots!  However, Sabre #3 still has ammo left.

Turn 9:

Sabres #1 and #2 cut across the MIGS flight path as they roar past the opposite way.  

Sabres #3 and #4 seem to have them in firing position and chase them down with a hard bank. 

Sabre 33 opens up on MIG #4, but the pilot evades masterfully.  Sabre #4 also fires on Mig #3, and this time he manages to blow the wing off his foe.  Scratch 1 MIG! 

Turn 10- Disengagement Turn

Sabres #1 and #2 try to gain altitude and disengage.  However, the MIG flight inverts and climbs to take them on.  MIG #1 opens fire on Sabre #1, but misses.  He still has ammo.  

Sabres #3 and #4 jet past underneath the MIG formation.  

Conclusion:

All aircraft break for home, running low on fuel and ammo.  The USAF won by downing 1 MIG to 0.    

So, the game felt very different with the changes I made.  Planes did less, zipping around then they did before, and the battle felt a lot less Vertical.  This felt like a more traditional WWII air battle game this time.  I am do not think it accomplished my design goals fully.  

I think I am going to go back and take another shot at the action economy approach, but this time, all pilots activate in the turn, but only the turn names pilots can maneuver in their turn.  otherwise they just fly straight?  That is another big change to the rules.  

The Detection rules worked better though, so those can stay!  I am also less sure about Wingmen movement, as they just ended up being big "groupings" of aircraft.  This is not necessarily bad though, and seemed to match my reading of the Korean War.  I will have to test those with the new "Action" economy again. 

Back to draft again...... 

       

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Battle Report White Star/Red Star- CAP in MIG Alley

 

Image from here:
https://www.scalemates.com/books/the-korean-air-war-robert-f-dorr-warren-thompson--109961

MIG Alley was the nickname for the Northwest corner of Korea, where the Yalu River enters into the Yellow Sea.  This was the area where Communist MIG-15s tended to scrap with USAF Sabres for control of the skies.  Here, high above Korea was the site of many of the first Jet-vs-Jet battles in history.

The Korean War officially began June 25th, 1950.  The initial air battles were fought between the North Korean Air Force using old WWII era planes, and the South and their allies.  The USAF used later WWI propeller driven aircraft and some early Jet aircraft.  

On November 1st, 1950 the first MIG-15 jet fighters attacked a flight of USAF F-51 Mustang fighter-bombers.  Later that day, the first jet vs. jet combat took place between the MIg-15 and the F-80 Shooting Star.  The USAF's early jets were inadequate for the task, and soon the USAF was resupplying and using the new F-86 Sabre to counter the Communist threat.  

The MIG-15's during the early phase of the war were secretly being operated by the Soviet Unions highly skilled 64th Fighter Aviation Corp.  While the Soviet pilots were engaging in the air, they were also starting to build up the North Korean and Chinese pilots to eventually rotate in and replace them.  

As the F-86 began to appear in the skies over North Korea Mid-December the stage was set for a clash for control of the Skies over North Korea between the MIG-15 and the F-86 Sabre.  

Sortie: 

We randomly determined who the Attacker/Defender was and UN forces decided to be the attackers.  The Sortie was also randomly determined to be a Combat Air Patrol.    

Set-up: 

We used the standard rules to create the set-up for this sortie.  The weather was determined to be clear.  

Since this is a standard Combat Air Patrol in MIG Alley, no additional terrain is needed.  However, we add some hills on the edges of the board, ad determine them to be difficult terrain at Low Altitude. 

The board is 48MU by 48 MU and an MU equals 1 inch.  

Forces:

Today's battle will be using my (in)famous Paper Templates. 

USAF

4 F-86 Sabres- Experienced Pilots

Soviets

4 Mig-15s- Experienced Pilots

This will be a straight up dogfight between the two sides of equal points and aircraft.  

Turn 1: 

Detection Phase: 

Things start out with both sides rolling very well for detection.  The Mig-15's and the F-86's are both detected by the enemies radar systems.  Since the USAF are the attackers, they choose to have the MIG-15's place first. 

Since the MIG-15 is an excellent climber, the Soviets decide to place themselves at Low altitude to start with.  The MIGS deploy with their Leader out front on the east side, and the rest deployed within 12 MU in echelon.  

The F-86 Sabres decide to deploy at High Altitude as they are better at diving on their foes.  They deploy with their leader in the center of the board, and use a tight "Finger Four" formation.  Since they are at high altitude, I put two dice under each template.  The MIGS at low altitude need no height markers.  There are only Low, Combat, and High Altitudes in the game, and I use dice under the template/base to represent height changes.    

When deploying, all aircraft of the same type need to deploy at the same altitude and within 12 MU of another craft of the same type.  This represents the aircraft working together as part of a squadron at deployment.  

Rookie:

All the pilots in this battle are experienced Pilots.  Therefore, they will be able to move and act in the Rookie Phase and the Experienced Phase, but not the ACE phase.  

MIG #3 and #4 take 20 degree turns and head towards the hills.  Meanwhile the Sabres press ahead, as do MIG #1 and #2.  No one is close enough for any shooting..... yet. 

Experienced:

MIG #4 needs to go up 1 altitude to avoid any issues with the hills.  Otherwise, he and MIG #3 stay on course to the outside edge of the oncoming furball.  The Sabres all keep moving straight.  MIG #1 and #2 do the same.  

The distance is still too great for shooting.  Timing your Dives/climbs and turns for maximum effect is not easy.  

Turn 2: 

Detection: All Planes are detected and deployed. 

Rookie: 

MIG #3 stays on course to the western hills.  

The lead Sabre dives on MIG #2 and opens fire at long range.  The .50 Cal machine guns in the nose of the Sabre open fire with a burst at long range, but the MIG evades it with a successful maneuver test.  

MIG #2 moves closer to the lead Sabre and opens fire with their cannons.  He scores 2 hits, and the Sabre only scores 1 Maneuver success.  The wing leader is shot from the sky!  MIG #2 still has ammo for the next Sabre.  

Sabre #3 stays at High Altitude, judging the Dive would not get a MIG in his fire arc.  MIG #4 breaks back towards the furball with a 45 degree turn.  Planes can turn OR change altitude, but not both in a turn.  

Sabre #2 turns towards the western hills and MIG #3.  MIG #2 turns at low altitude to fall in behind MIG #2.  Sabre #4 dives down to low altitude now as well.  

Experienced:

MIG #3 turns back into the furball in the valley.  Sabre #2 swoops down at him, but misses the angle and overshoots!  MIG #2 makes a sharp turn and gets the angle on Sabre #2, but it will be a Deflection shot.  He opens fire with his cannon and gets 2 successes.  The Sabre only gets 1 Maneuver save and his taken down by the MIG!  However, MIG #2 is out of ammo!  

Sabre #3 swoops from high altitude to low altitude and opens fire on MIG #1.  He scores 1 hit, and the MIG pilot scores 0 Maneuver saves.  Scratch 1 MIG!  However, Sabre #3 runs out of ammo due to the long burst he used.  

MIG #3 goes up altitude, while Sabre #4 turns in to the attack.  He gets a bead on Mig #2 and opens fire with long bursts from his nose machine guns.  However, the MIG maneuvers away from the shots as the Sabres guns run dry.  

With 2 Sabres down and the rest Out-of-Ammo, we move into the Disengagement Turn. 

Turn 3- Disengagement Turn

Detection: All planes detected and deployed. 

Rookie:

MIG #4 turns into the dogfight and gets a bead on Sabre #4.  he opens fire at combat range, but the Sabre avoids the cannon fire.  The MIG is out of ammo.  Sabre #4 takes a hard, high-G turn and tries to bug out.  He flies in low over the hills with a successful Maneuver check.  

MIG #3 sees no shot, and decides to get to safety.  He climbs to high Altitude to avoid contact.  Sabre #3 goes guns the throttle to get out of there and tries to break contact.  

MIG #2 and MIG #4 break contact by climbing to High Altitude.  

Experienced

No one wishes to engage further and the game is called.  

Conclusion

The Soviets win with 2 Kills to 1 Kill.  When the last remaining Sabres ran out of ammo, it was all over but the crying! 

As the Soviet player, I was lucky that the Wing Leader's swooping attack failed to stick.  From there, I had the USAF on the back foot and I was able to concentrate firepower more effectively.  As always, my daughter did a better job of keeping her forces and firepower together, but this time my flanking maneuver to attack in echelon paid off.  

Here are some high level thoughts on the game: 

• That was quick, quick, quick! 
• The rules were super easy to play.
• Timing your dives, climbs, and turns is harder than you would think.
• Timing is critical as the engagement window is small with straight fire arcs on 1 altitude band
• Turning vs Altitude change is a big decision point
• Choosing when to shoot matters as you WILL run out of ammo, so make every shot as high percentage as possible!
• Detection played no part in this battle.          

Overall, that was quick and fun.  There was decision making, but no one was agonizing over the mechanics of flying.  Instead, it was about how and when to engage and shoot.  So, it worked well as a game and met my design goals.  

The next question is how historically accurate is it?  Traditionally, Mig patrols were looking for B-29's to take out.  They would often fly low and then quickly climb to attack them.  Sabres would fly high and then dive in to the attack, while the Migs would scatter and try to out climb the USAF to get away from danger.  The USAF valued enemy aircraft kills, while Soviet pilots were less focused on dogfighting and more focused on interception.  My daughter doesn't know any of  that, but naturally adopted the "swooping" tactic based on her reading of the aircraft profile.  

In the end, much of this dog fight was vertical vs. horizontal which is pretty accurate.  The "shooting" only lasted a few moments and there was no protracted "dogfighting" like in WWII.  It ended with the USAF running out of ammo, which was not uncommon.  Then, the Migs going high to get away from danger which was a common tactic.  It matched a "typical" encounter of the period with one glaring exception.  The Soviets won and drove the Sabres off.  Usually, the Migs were the ones to bug out from an USAF CAP!  

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