From: Wendell Martin Subject: Knights of the Air campaign rules KNIGHTS OF THE AIR EXPANDED CAMPAIGN RULES Wendell Martin (wendell.martin@the-matrix.com, www.bham.net/users/wendell) Jan. 8, 1997 The rules below augment the ones given in the Campaigns section of the Knights of the Air rules manual. They are meant as guidelines - feel free to change or amplify anything you like. 3. The suggested budget is 125 points for each side. This allows for 5-6 fighters, 1-2 multi-seaters, and some non-novice crewmen (other combinations are possible, of course). 5. Each day, roll one die at the start of the day to determine if the weather is suitable for flying: 1 2 3 4 5 6 May-Sep Y Y Y Y Y N Oct Y Y Y Y N N Nov Y Y Y N N N Dec-Feb Y Y N N N N Mar Y Y Y N N N Apr Y Y Y Y N N If the weather isn't suitable, no missions may be flown, but the day counts for all other purposes, such a aircraft repair and pilot recuperation. a. Single-seater aircraft are only capable of Dogfight, Balloon Busting, and Trench Strafing missions, and of escorting multi-seater aircraft on Reconnaissance and Bombing missions. Multi-seater capabilities are below: Dogft/ Trench B. Bust. Strafing Recon. Bombing Gotha No No No Yes Halberstadt CL.II No Yes Yes Yes Roland C.II No Yes Yes Yes Airco DH 4 No No Yes Yes Bristol Fighter Yes Yes Yes Yes If a given multi-seater aircraft is not capable of executing a given mission type, it may not participate in any missions of that type, even as an escort. d. & f. No victory points are awarded for the lack of missions being announced on non-flying days. 6. Of course, a novice pilot doesn't become experienced the moment he shoots down his first plane; he has to wait until that mission is over. Similarly, a pilot earning his fifth kill becomes an ace only after completing the mission in which he earned that kill. 7. Pilots who crackup while on the "wrong" side of the map are assumed to be captured. The map to the north of the northern line of trenches (inclusive) is German, and the map to the south of the southern line of trenches (inclusive) is Allied. If a pilot cracks up in the narrow no man's land area between the two trench lines (exclusive), roll one die: 1-2=killed by gunfire, 3-4=captured, 5-6=rescued by friendly troops (normal crackup). 9. More detailed guidelines for each mission type are below: In Dogfight and Balloon Busting missions, the attacking side may send up to three fighters (single-seaters and/or Bristol Fighters). In Trench Strafing missions, up to three attacking planes may be sent, all of which must be capable of strafing (single-seaters and/or strafe-capable multi-seaters). In Reconnaissance and Bombing missions, one reconnaissance aircraft or bomber is sent, along with up to two escorts (single-seaters only). The defender always employs one to three single-seaters and/or Bristol Fighters. Allied Side starting hexes: within three hexes of the south map edge (xx36 - xx38), facing NW, N, or NE. German Side starting hexes: within three hexes of the north map edge (xx01 - xx03), facing SW, S, or SE. All planes start at full throttle with a control stick setting of 0 (and at the speed which those settings determine). Dogfight The attacking side places its planes within its starting section of the map, then the other side its planes within its starting section. The side executing the mission rolls one die to determine initial altitude for all of its planes: 1=9,000', 2=10,000', 3=11,000', 4=12,000', 5=13,000', 6=14,000' The defending side then rolls one die and adds or subtracts a differential to the other side's altitude to determine the starting altitude of all of its planes: 1=-2,000', 2=-1,000', 3=-489' (x,511'), 4=0, 5=+511', 6=+1,000' Use the victory conditions and special note of the Dogfight scenario. Balloon Busting The side not executing the mission places a balloon in any hex between 6 and 8 hexes from any of its trench hexes (to the north of the trenches for a German balloon, to the south for an Allied one). The anti-aircraft markers described in the Balloon Busting scenario (1.a.2.) are then distributed by the balloon player (who may look at them before placing them face-down, one per hex, in any hex two hexes from the balloon). Finally, the balloon's initial altitude is determined: 1=1,360', 2=1,454', 3=1,549', 4=1,643', 5=1,738', 6=1,832' The balloon busting plane(s) are then placed in the appropriate section of the map, with any altitude desired between 322' and 2,988'. Finally, aircraft defending the balloon are placed in the appropriate section of the map, with any altitude desired between 322' and 2,988'. All other rules are as in the Balloon Busting scenario, except for victory conditions. Use the normal Victory Resolution procedures, with the balloon's destruction worth 10 points. The balloon may be attacked after it lands, but is then worth only 5 points if destroyed (the camera and film have been retrieved). Trench Strafing The strafing side determines which hexes to strafe and writes these down on a piece of paper so that it can be proven after the mission that those hexes were the intended target. Any five continuous hexes in a straight line may be chosen, as long as they each contain a continuous stretch of the same enemy trench line. Examples of possible targets for German aircraft include 1222-0824 and 2521-2919. These hexes may be strafed in either direction, but only one set of hexes may be chosen for all strafing aircraft. The strafing plane(s) are then placed in the appropriate section of the map, with any altitude desired between 322' and 1,000'. The defending aircraft are then placed in the appropriate section of the map, with any altitude desired between 322' and 1,000'. Victory conditions are based on the Supported Trench Attack scenario (which bases its victory conditions on the Trench Strafing scenario). Reconnaissance The mission side chooses one target to be photographed and records it on a piece of paper for verification after the mission. Possible targets for Allied recon: 2704, 1106, 0607. Possible targets for German recon: 0936, 2034, 2834. The mission side places the recon plane and any escorts in its starting section of the map at an altitude of 10,000'. The defending side places its plane(s) in its section, also at 10,000'. Victory conditions are based on those in the Reconnaissance Mission scenario. Bombing The mission side chooses one target to be bombed and records it on a piece of paper for verification after the mission. Possible targets for Allied bomber: 2704, 1106, 0607. Possible targets for German bomber: 0936, 2034, 2634. The mission side places the bombing plane and any escorts in its starting section of the map at an altitude of 4,000', unless the bomber is a Gotha, in which case all begin at 10,000'. The defending side places its plane(s) in its section, also at 4,000' (or 10,000' for defending against a Gotha). Victory conditions are based on those in the Bombing Mission (or Gotha Bombing Mission) scenario, including reductions for excessive speed. 10. Crewman and aircraft used by both sides in the first Allied mission may be used in the second Allied mission. 11. Each month, one plane on each side may be exchanged for a different plane type that was available before that month, and vice versa (the pilot is retained). This procedure is immediate (without the five-day delay that getting a replacement for a destroyed plane requires). A multi-seater may be swapped for a single-seater, and vice versa (but in this case, the pilot/crew is not retained, and the new plane comes with a novice pilot/crew). This procedure may not be used to obtain a new plane type during the first month it becomes available (except by aces as described below). During the first month in which a given aircraft type is listed as available, one ace in each roster may replace his plane with one of that type (which uses up the option described in the paragraph above). Replacements for planes destroyed during that month may not be of the new type. In the next month, that plane type becomes available as a replacement for destroyed aircraft and any single pilot may swap his current plane for it as described above. 12. If a plane is destroyed, it will take five days for a replacement aircraft to arrive (the replacement for a plane destroyed on a given Monday will be available for missions on Saturday). The replacement plane's type is freely selectable, but it must have been available in the month prior to the one in which the plane it is replacing was destroyed, and it must be of the same general type (single- or multi-seater). This replacement arrives with a novice pilot/crew, which may immediately be replaced by any non-novices available in the pool (as described in rule 8).