Medals and Campaign thoughts

[Oberst Hajj]

After seeing and playing quite a few games, I've thinking more about the league, a campaign, and how to award medals to pilots.

Medals

Here is the list of medals that I have seeded in the forums along with what they were given for in real life...

All Nations

http://www.gamershavenco.com/forums/images/medals/ace.jpg
Ace
5 Aerial Victories

Allied

http://www.gamershavenco.com/forums/images/medals/Croix_de_Guerre.jpg
Croix de Guerre
Acts of heroism involving combat with enemy forces

http://www.gamershavenco.com/forums/images/medals/legion_of_honor.jpg
Legion d'honneur
Acts of great distinction

http://www.gamershavenco.com/forums/images/medals/distinguished_service_cross.jpg
Distinguished Service Cross
Acts of extreme gallantry at risk of life


German

http://www.gamershavenco.com/forums/images/medals/iron_cross.jpg
Iron Cross
Acts of bravery in battle

http://www.gamershavenco.com/forums/images/medals/pour_le_merite.jpg
Blue Max
Acts of extraordinary achievement in battle

http://www.gamershavenco.com/forums/images/medals/knights_cross.jpg
Knight's Cross
Acts of extreme battlefield bravery


Now, the Ace award is pretty easy to determine when it should be awarded. The rest are not however. During our first big multi player game, Ed brought up counting points based on certain conditions that happened in the game to determined which side won. While we decided to keep those games simpler, I did like the idea and thought it might work well for our medals.

I also think a points system might work out well for other/future aspects of a league or campaign system. What we need to do is decide if a point system is the way to go and if it is, come up with game conditions that earn points, how many points they earn and finally, how many points are needed for different medals.


Campaigns

I still need more time and games played to see how this would work the best. Right now I have two lines of thinking going on. The first is where each player is commander of a squadron. Each squadron has a fixed number of aircraft to use though out the campaign. These planes would could be flown by anyone for the actual games. In fact, each player could have a pilot or two in all the squadrons. This would give us a much larger "player base" then we actually have. What ever happens during the game is applied to the Squadron's results and not the actual player's flying different planes results (hope that makes sense). Planes that are shot down are assumed to be repaired and brought back in to action (maybe with some down time??). Planes that draw the explosion card are destroyed and are not available for further missions. This would make bugging out of a fight more of an option, since future missions and the survival of the Squadron would depend on not having all your planes destroyed.

This campaign style would be scenario driven with the out comes of each mission effecting the scenario tree. The plus side to this type of campaign is that since each player is not necessarily a "certain pilot" they can actually live though out the whole campaign. Another plus would be that you could fly as several different pilots (on both sides possibly) and have games even when you Squadron is not involved. The down side is, that since you are not a "certain pilot", you are not as attached and it may lose some of the romance of the genre.

The other campaign system I'm thinking about is one where you are a pilot just like are current league, but with one major difference. Each pilot would start out with a Health number. Each time you are shot down, you would lose X number of Health points. Each time you drew the explosion card, you would lose XX points. Once you reached 0, well, you would be dead! I'm thinking along these lines as I've seen (personally) how all to easy it is to draw that damn explosion card! But I still say we need to leave it in the damage deck as it adds a good and some times, very needed, aspect to the game.

Okay, so it’s now 0200 in the morning and I’ve done enough thinking/typing. It’s time for you guys to give me your thoughts.

[Wraith]

I like the ideas for the campaign. I'm leaning more toward the 'individual' campagin, because I do agree that part of the fun of the game is in trying to do well and make ace with a certain pilot. I also agree that a point system or something simialr would be the simpliest way to earn the various medals. That way, if you do soemthing really spectacular in a single mission that gets you XXX amount of points, you can get a medal. Otherwise you just do your best to keep your pilot alive and work your way to a medal.

-Josh

[Oberst Hajj]

While looking around the net last night at work, I came across these optional campaign/league rules...

When a pilot or rear gunner becomes an Ace, they get to select one of the following special abilities. If they reach double Ace, they select another one and so on.

The list of abilities is divided in three sets. The first list can be chosen only by pilots, the second and the third one by pilots and observers. On the same plane there can be an ace pilot with a non-ace observer or vice-versa. "When the ace fires" mean that the ability is applied only if that specific airman (pilot or observer) is firing. If the observer is incapacitated, his individual abilities can not be applied any more for the rest of that game. His airplane abilities are instead applied to all the weapons of the plane and are kept in use for the rest of the game even if the observer is incapacitated.



Pilots only abilities

Daredevil
Can do two steep maneuvers in a row. May only be used every two turns. Use a blank counter to remember that you used the ability and discard it after a turn.

Acrobatic pilot
Can do an Immelmann turn without having to do a straight after it. The straight before has to be done anyway. May only be used every two turns.

Good in evading
Can ignore a single damage card once per game, after drawing and seeing it. The ignored card is put back in to the damage deck and shuffled.

Good in escaping
This pilot can not be tailed, unless the tailing opponent is also an Ace.

Exceptional pilot
Can use the same maneuver twice in the same turn. Take two blank maneuver cards and write a "1" on one and a "2" on the other. Add them to your Maneuver deck. When you plan your move, you can use the "1" as the second or third maneuver, and the "2" as the third. When you show the "1" use the first maneuver of the turn again, when you show the "2", use the second maneuver again.


Example: a SPAD XIII plans an Immelmann, a straight and a "1". The plane executes an Immelmann in the first phase, a straight in the second and another Immelmann in the third one.

The restrictions of the "1" and "2" are the same of the card they replace. So if you use a "1" and the first maneuver of the turn was a Immelmann, you have to do a straight maneuver before it and another after it.

Pilots or observer individual abilities

Technical eye
Once per turn the player can look at the damage cards of any airplane of his choice. The plane has to be in firing distance from the ace's plane, in any direction (from the central dot to any point of the examined plane). May only be used every two turns.

Perfect aim
Once per turn, the pilot can decide to use the +1 Aim bonus even if he did not shoot to the same plane in the previous phase. Once this ability is used, it can not be re-used for the rest of the turn.

Sniper
When the ace fires to a enemy plane, he can try to make a bulls eye shot. This means that when his opponent has to draw a damage card, the firing ace draws two damage cards instead. The Ace looks at them, and picks which one his opponent will keep. The unused card is shuffled back in to the deck. If the enemy has to draw two damage cards, the ace takes three cards and chooses two of them. May only be used every two turns.

Quick Shot
Each time that firing is resolved, all the aces with this special ability fire first. Remove any eliminated planes, then any the surviving planes can fire.


Pilots or observer airplane abilities

Bullet checker
During the First World War, bullets were often produced by improvised workers aiming more for quantity than for quality. This caused machineguns to jam frequently, but some pilots - as the Italian ace Silvio Scaroni - checked every single bullet before taking off and discarded up to half of them. When any of the weapons of that airplane fires, the ace jams only when a card with the a red jammed card is drawn.

Another special rule I came across was...

Ammo

At the start of the game, each player takes 6 (would this be a good number??) damage cards and puts them face down on his own game board, without looking at them. The rest are put on the table as a "common deck". When a plane fires, the target takes a damage card from the deck on the game board of the firing plane. If two cards are to be drawn (short range), take the second card from the common deck on the table. When the 6 cards on a player's game board are used up, the plane is out of ammo and can not fire any more this game. When a plane is shot down, take his unused "ammo" damage cards and shuffle them back in to the common deck without looking at them. A pilot can always decline to fire even if he has a target in range.

[ColGreeley]

I hate to rain on this idea of a campaign but I would not be able to be a part of this until the Explosion Card is FAQ'd or removed from the game.....:D

[Lawrence]

FAQ:

Q - Can the Explosion Card be removed/ignored/discarded/disabled/used as an edged weapon against my opponent/discontinued?

A - No



There you are Troy its been FAQ'd :D

[Lawrence]

As far as the ace abilities go, they sound great!
Ive also been thinking of some things to add flavor to a campaign such as a consequence chart for being shot down/incapacitated. I'll get something down on paper and get it posted.
Where there Purple Heart Awards during WWI?

[Oberst Hajj]

If I recall correctly, the PH was not around until WWII.

[Lawrence]

Wow. Good things to know...

The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after 5 April 1917 with the U.S. military.

The original Purple Heart, designated as the Badge of Military Merit, was established by George Washington–then the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army–by order from his Newburgh, New York headquarters on 7 August 1782.

The Badge of Military Merit was only awarded to three Revolutionary War soldiers and fell into disuse following the War of Independence. Although never abolished, the award of the badge was not proposed again officially until after World War I.

Very cool, so yes it was around but it was not in use for the purpose of WWI.

I got the info from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Heart

[Oberst Hajj]

I did manage to get some of the league/campaign rules that were discussed at the Haven on Friday. I still have to tie them all together and build out the campaign missions.

[Oberst Hajj]

And the last file. (I need to change teh number of attachments to more then five :( )

[Wraith]

Thanks Keith for putting this all together in one easy to find place.

-Josh

[Wraith]

For AAR, do we need to have someone 'confirm' our kills?? What if the person you played against is not part of the normal league or not registered on the forum??

-Josh

[Oberst Hajj]

I still need to update the AAR to included the points system, but I'm waiting until I have the campaign setup flushed out so I only have to do it once. I work quite a bit on that last night and today at lunch.

As for having kills confirmed, I think games that are going to effect your stats, and thus the league and campaign, need to be played against other people playing in the league and campaign... just like any other league or campaign the store runs.

[SgtBrowncoat]

I pretty much love everything I have read so far. although I will need to go through the word documents again at some point. I actually don't have any programs that can read them, how sad is that?

[Wraith]

I guess I need to start a semi-league at the Academy to link with the GH league.

-Josh

[Oberst Hajj]

Josh, just get those guys to sign up on the forums here and become a part of our gaming community!

[Oberst Hajj]

Okay, here are the updated Knights of the Air rules. I've consolidated them all down to one Word doc with hyperlinks, the AAR is new and improved as well.

I still need to write up a little more fluff for some of the missions (they are grayed out for now) as well as the "2nd half" of the campaign missions. If anyone would like to help with that, please let me know.

The other thing that I'm going to add is hyperlinked Index page. Any thing else I should add?

[Wraith]

I'm working on that, I'll know more this weekend. If they sign up on the forum, but we play up here, their stats for the league and campaign will still count correct? By the way, how was this weeks Tuesday Night flight's and I would love to help with some of the Campaign missions. I also think there should be somewherw in the league area where it tells what Ace Skills the Aces are using and that the limit should be two skills, gained at Ace and Double Ace.

-Josh