Anybody for a Game on Memorial Day Tonight?

[kirkh]

It would be an appropriate way to honor our nations vets by having a VDP game on Memorial Day. Maybe we can have a game tonight with the requirement being one side during the game be Americans. We rarely fly with our American pilots and this might be a good way to get them a mission or two.
Just a thought.

[kirkh]

Didn't have any takers for a game last night, but I still have a question about game setup. Are we required to randomly determine our planes all the time or can we simply suggest a scenario that everyone agrees to play? I ask because it seems these last few weeks my Alb pilots have been getting a workout while other pilots rarely get used. Also, how often do two-seaters get used? Would a scenario involving a couple Hanriot HD-1's attacking a couple Alb C types (or some other German two-seater) be out of the question? Just a thought.

[AP]

Random roll-up is not required, as long as everyone playing agrees to it, you are welcome to propose a scenario at any time!
I forget how two-seaters work in the 7th ed. I seem ro remember rolling randomly to see if you had one first...but its been a LONG time!

[kirkh]

It's just that when roll up a game, two seaters aren't on the chart. Two seaters have their own chart that we never use. In addition to that though, it would be nice to take up different planes every once in a while. Also, the purely random game rollups sometimes produce lopsided games. As an example, last Sunday when we had three Albs against three SPADs. Three on three is bad enough, but when we had only five initially and were rolling for the fifth player, I was truly hoping he wouldn't be a German. Three twin gun Albs against a pair of single gun SPADs just wouldn't be much fun. As it was the SPADs fled early, but if there had been only two of them the game may not have lasted the few turns it did. I know people will say "but the air war wasn't always a fair contest" but my retort to that is that DP is a game first. There's little point in playing of one feels they have no chance to win. Also, it's just a waste of everybody's time if the game is started and then the players with the disadvantage simply escape.

[AP]

I have played in MANY a game where one side was outgunned 6-2. The SPAD has to use its speed to its advantage in that situation, and you would be surprised at how many times the 2 guns can defeat the 6!! Otherwise, yes, they may escape very quickly, in which case its not a 'waste' because you get quick easy mission credit.
I think we used to play it that if you rolled a '1' you moved to the 2-seater chart... we could add that in on Thurs night.

[kevan]

Including 2-seaters is something to consider for the campaign. I was already thinking of a campaign mission chart to mix things up a bit. I didn't get around to the campaign rules on the weekend though, and I think they will have to wait until after I finish the current Plane Pack. I'm up to Fokker DVII now.

[AP]

The 'new' charts incorporate all different fronts, and scenarios. You roll 2d10 at the beginning of the game to determine the scenario and how many are on each side. We can start using it on Thurs nights if everyone would like.

[kirkh]

That only works if everyone has the aircraft data for all the planes that have been introduced since the 7th edition. I know I have it, but I can't speak for other players.

[AP]

Well,
We can still use the 7th ed. charts to determine the aircraft. If we roll a Italian front or North Sea Mission we can just 'round up' to the next avail mission, which i think is Balloon Busting.

[Stephen]

"Set up games" (as we call them) are sometimes the most fun. We used to use them all the time... probably for half of our total games. Unfortunately we've gotten away from that in recent years.