House Rule Vote #2 - Pfalz D III unjamming

[kevan]

This poll question is something that has been bugging me since I read Osprey's Pfalz Aces of World War I last spring and was reminded that Pfalz D III machineguns were buried in the fuselage, and couldn't be accessed by pilots in flight. As a result, they couldn't be unjammed. This was corrected in the D IIIa, which mounted the machineguns on top of the fuselage.

So I propose that we adopt a house rule that jammed guns in a Pfalz D III cannot be unjammed. What do you think?

If anyone has another solution they would like to propose, I encourage you to post it.

[Orion]

I agree with the new rule. Suppose we have an airfield defense mission though? What are the chances to clear the jam after a successful landing? It should be higher with a mechanic helping, etc. If the pilot is doing it himself on the ground (i.e. all hangars destroyed and mechanics presumed dead) - it should be the same chances as in flight. Am I getting too detailed? ;-)

[kevan]

I think maybe you are. I'll admit that I don't know how long it would take to access and unjam on the ground, but with each game turn being a fairly short amount of time, I doubt you would have time to land, unjam, then take off before the dogfight was over.

[AP]

I believe this will be addressed in the famed 'next addition, so we might as well start using it now!

[kevan]

Should this rule also apply to the LFG Roland D.II? I should have thought to include it in the original question. It's guns were also buried in the fuselage, but I can't remember if they could be accessed for unjamming in the air.

[kirkh]

I voted yes because I remember this happening in a VDP game a while back and was sort of amazed there wasn't a rule against it.