Bay 12 Games Forum

Cnidaros, if we buy bombs for our planes would the mounting for them be free, or would we need a revision for the mounts?

You don't get any mounts when buying the bombs. If you order them to carry out bombing raids, the mortar rounds will simply be carried in the cockpit and thrown over the side, like the Verusan grenades.

Anyway, the votebox is a little muddled. I will say you can't assign two dice to a revision, but you can do two revisions, each for different aspects of the same thing.

Verusa Design Phase, Late Autumn 1915

VRAC A.1 “Emu” (2 dice spent)

Progress: 7+4+6 = 17/15. 4 PP spent.

After last month’s storm of protest over the potential cuts to the Emu’s decorations, the engineers get back to work on the project. The blueprints are finalised and sent off to the factories in double-quick time, while discussion over the over-elaborate features is mostly limited to the occasional hand-carved emu head being passive-aggressively left on the main tables. The production model of the VRAC A.1 “Emu” still includes all these features, which may be a good or bad thing depending on who you’re asking.

Project Complete! You can now deploy as many squadrons of VRAC A.1 “Emu” biplanes as you can afford.

Requisition: Artillery Shells

Artillery shells are currently in extremely short supply owing to the artillery-intensive nature of fighting at the moment. However, one of the artillery officers shares with you a secret: apparently there exists a stock of shells imported from abroad, which lies unused. It proves difficult to track these down owing to the lack of documentation (which seems to have been intentionally destroyed), but eventually the Sky Crusaders are the new owners of the M1909-5.2 Shell and the plans for its manufacture.

M1905-5.2 Shell: This isn’t a 5.2-inch shell as one might expect, it’s actually a 5.17-inch shell. Questionable calibre decisions aside, the M1905-5.2 is a high-explosive shell with a direct-action fuse, weighing in at 85 pounds. Cost: 1 PP.

It is now the Revision Phase, Late Autumn 1915. You have 4 dice remaining to spend on Revisions or bank for the next turn.

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Cnidaros, how much prestige would we need before we start seeing results? Like, are we just throwing away PP having that acrobatics squad? Or do we have to specifically request a budget increase?

A radio at this stage would be far too bulky and hard to use for a single-seater.

The acrobatics squadron is an extra roll each turn for your prestige to increase. Without giving away too much, you're still a couple of levels below seeing a measurable result. You don't have to request a budget increase, PP will increase once your prestige reaches certain levels.

Design Phase, Late Autumn 1915

Squadron 1 of Feather-1914s at Derboise is now at Rookie experience level, and the pilots pass around a petition to have their planes upgraded with ailerons.

Although they have successfully captured Derboise, the army generals are a little annoyed that you weren’t able to adequately protect the artillery batteries from bombing raids. They do appreciate the assistance from the Hykib observers, and wonder why you requisitioned the artillery spotting equipment if it’s not going to be issued to the observers.

At Dreidansk, the general assigned to defend the city is mad that the air force has essentially abandoned the entire front, even given the lacklustre state of enemy air forces here. With the Sky Eyes still afloat, he warns that there is a good chance the city will fall next turn, and if the balloons return to their previous numbers, that is almost guaranteed.

The KPAF is finally known to the Kolechian public as the official organisation in charge of planes, but it will take some time for the acrobatic squadron to gather prestige.

A group of junior navy officers has approached the KPAF to ask for a loan of a Hykib balloon squadron, to test their ideas of dedicated balloon tenders.

High command has increased your budget by 2 PP, as the country devotes more factories to war. Top-quality Kolechian cigars have been replaced by cheap cigarettes, and the remaining boxes of cigars are fetching a high price on the black market.

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Battle Report, Early Autumn 1915

This turn, the Verusan Sky Crusaders have retrofitted their Rhino biplanes to have ailerons as well, calling them Rhino’s Feet. Increasingly anatomically inaccurate Rhinos with this upgrade are now the equal of the Feather-1914 in manoeuvrability. They’ve also requisitioned obsolete Beehive Grenades from the army, the use of which inaugurates a new type of aerial warfare.

On their part, the KPAF looks into requisitioning Artillery Spotter Equipment from the army for their Hykib observers. The equipment consists of binoculars with range markings and the uniquely Kolechian ‘comtant’, a combination of compass and sextant.

The Northern Mountains

In the mountains, light snows begin to fall. A Kolechian patrol hikes their way up to the summit of Mount Koldova to replace the Verusan flag with their own, but is captured by a Verusan platoon waiting for them to do just that.

The fighting in the highlands is mostly centred around the battle for Derboise. Undoubtedly the biggest development here is the new tactics used by the Sky Crusaders. Rhino biplanes swoop in low over Kolechian artillery positions, their pilots clutching Beehive grenades in both hands. Then, with a quick twist, pull and flick, the grenades are away! Several Kolechian batteries go up in flames as grenades hit wagons piled high with artillery shells. Kolechian pilots scrambling to intercept these planes soon learn that for every such bomber, there’s another Rhino just behind it, waiting to get on their rear. Shootdowns of the makeshift bombers are extremely rare, and not worth the cost in planes lost for the KPAF.

While frightening, these raids aren’t all that effective, once Kolechian artillerymen begin organising into defensive formations. The bombing Rhinos fly low enough – barely a couple hundred feet above the ground - that one or two platoons’ worth of rifle fire is enough to shoot them down. The grenades, although fixed on sticks for better throwing accuracy, aren’t all that accurate as pilots must lean out of their cockpits to aim and throw them while moving faster than a speeding automobile. As fighting progresses into the city, Verusan pilots fly a series of daring raids down the city streets they know, staying out of sight until the last moment to throw their grenades. Kolechian commanders begin posting machine-gun nests in church steeples.

Somewhat higher in the skies, the artillery exchange is aided by balloons on both sides. The Kolechians have more of their Hykib balloons than the Verusans have Sky Eyes, although Hykib observers complain that they haven’t been issued binoculars despite the recent rumours otherwise. Rhinos and Feather-1914s tussle in the sky on mostly equal terms, although issues with their Foster mountings mean the Rhino has a slight advantage, and the Rhino pilots are also slightly more experienced. However, the Kolechians have another entire squadron of Feathers dedicated to balloon-busting, and more Sky Eyes are lost than Hykibs. Along with the continuation of accurate photoreconnaissance using Lvoc Cameras, this is enough to tilt the battle in Kolechia’s favour, and the city of Derboise falls.


The Central Plains

In the central plains, events in the air are much more subdued, as both sides have pulled away forces to focus on the battle for Derboise. A lone squadron of Feathers attempts to shoot down Sky Eyes, but suffers heavy losses to a squadron of Rhinos dedicated to securing air superiority. A Type 11 LMG-armed Feather can shoot down Sky Eyes without taking any return fire, but it must descend to their level and make multiple passes. This exposes it to Rhinos diving from higher altitudes, which gain the speed advantage and shoot down the Feathers in turn. The Sky Crusaders adjust their flight plans to patrol over the Sky Eyes, and few balloons are destroyed this month.

With the Sky Eye menace still present (albeit in reduced numbers), no balloons of their own for spotting, and suffering from the lack of aerial photography that they have gotten used to, the Kolechian army is pushed back to the outskirts of Dreidansk. The Verusans also solidify the flanks of their salient, pushing into the Cranve Forest despite harassing raids from Kolechian cavalry.

In the south-eastern alley, the motorcycle company’s advance is halted by a Kolechian trenchline, although Verusan infantry manage to hold onto their gains.


The Southern Islands

Here, the Sky Crusaders have petitioned the navy to deploy a single squadron of Sky Eyes at Basselton. The petition is successful, and the balloons go up just in time to meet a Kolechian army offensive aimed at the city. The attack is repulsed with heavy casualties thanks to the Sky Eyes, but other elements of the army continue their advance along the cape. Scattered raids on Verusan convoys continue, with the bulk of the Verusan navy tied down doing shore bombardment along the coastal road.

In the south of Okinso, Verusan infantry make great strides, capturing most of the northern shore of Lake Okinso. Cut-off groups of Kolechian marines in the east retreat to Mizogorod to reorganise and resupply.


Behind the Frontlines:

The official KPAF acrobatic squadron makes its debut, flying Feather-1914 planes in a tour of various Kolechian cities. Audiences are wowed by the sight of planes doing loop-the-loops and steep dives, and the highlight of the show is a flight of seven Feathers executing a synchronised barrel roll. Perhaps the only drawback is that “Squadron 2” is a rather uninspiring name for these pilots, though the KPAF does gain some publicity among the public.

The Outside World:

The French pilot Roland Garros scores the first kill achieved by firing a machinegun through a propeller, using armoured deflector wedges on his propeller. He is later shot down and his aircraft captured by the Germans. Another French pilot, Adolphe Pégoud, scores his fifth kill and becomes the world’s first fighter ace. The United States Navy launches the first aircraft from a catapult on a floating platform. The Germans begin the large-scale use of poison gas on the Western Front at the Second Battle of Ypres. British forces start the Gallipolli Campaign with landings at Anzac Cove and Cape Helles. Italy signs the Treaty of London, secretly agreeing to join the Entente Powers in exchange for parts of Austria-Hungary and Dalmatia. The ocean liner RMS Lusitania is sunk by a U-boat, causing tensions between Germany and the United States to rise. Finally, plans for the large-scale manufacture of Foster mounts begin in the RAF squadrons sent to France.

Event! The Imperial German Navy has been frustrated at the poor performance of its Zeppelins after a series of failed raids on England. They are seeking help from foreign sources to improve their Zeppelin design and are looking for an engineering partnership with a neutral nation. You may choose to spend up to 2 dice in support of the Germans, at a cost of 1 PP per die. In return, the side which rolls the highest combined total will receive an Airship Design Bonus. Said bonus will be a +1 to Effectiveness and +2 to Bugs when rolling for a Design related to rigid airships. Of course, those who will be getting bombed by the improved Zeppelins might not be too happy…

It is now the Design Phase, Late Autumn 1915.

I'm considering designing the "Verusan Bench", which is a 0 cost, 0 maintenance wingless/engineless aircraft, which we can assign pilots to man during periods where we're upgrading squadrons or need to cut costs for PP management.

Efficacy: 6

The "Verusan Bench" isn't a proper aircraft, or even a wingless/engineless aircraft - it's an entire building complex designed to house Verusan pilots during times of transition. The army draft enforcers are assured that pilots are doing actual war-useful work inside. The complex consists of quarters to house the pilots, classes to hone their flying skills, and a number of recreational facilities such as Olympic-sized swimming pools and playing fields for them to unwind.

Unfortunately, word reaches the army generals after one-too-many picturesque postcards are sent home by its occupants. The army requisitions the Verusan Bench, which is promptly converted into a resort hotel and bar "The Bench", where the top brass go to sip martinis and boast about their latest exploits capturing another quarter-mile of territory. The army is pleased by this development, and suggests the Sky Crusaders change their name to Knights Hotelier.

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There will now be free and unlimited equipment storage. Squadrons can now be mothballed, preserving their experience and equipment. Experience will decay very gradually for mothballed squadrons. Mothballed squadrons can be reactivated during the production phase at a cost of 1 PP and only return after 1 turn: rather than in the next battle phase, they'll appear in the next next battle phase.

Actually, that rule was to minimize the "snowball" effect of one side having a higher PP income than the other. I'll consider changing it, further discussion will be in the core thread.

Question to the GM, if we take down one of our squads, what happend to the pilots?

The pilots are reassigned to the infantry units earmarked for the next mass charge. If you disband a squadron, all the experience and equipment is lost.

Squadron 2 is the most experienced actually.

GM : Can we shuffle equipment around?

Yes, you can shuffle equipment from one squadron to another.