Blazing Skies

Air Combat in Miniature

ATKINS WARGAMES 2004
 CONTENTS

Page 6 Introduction
Page 7 Scales
Page 8 Preparation for Play
Page 10 Setting up a game
Page 11 Airspeed Indicator and
Altimeter
Page 13 The rules of the air
Pre-flight
Rev-up
Page 15 Dogfight
Initiative
Page 16 Maneuver
Page 17 Payment
Page 18 Attitude/ Crack up
Page 19 Stalls Climbing and Diving
Page 17 (optional G Forces)
Page 19 Examples of maneuvers
Page 22 Firing
Reflector sight
Page 23 Fire Arcs
Page 25 Deflection
Page 26 Dakka Dakka
Page 27 End Turn
Page 29 Aircraft Traits
Page 31 The Campaign Game
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 Introduction
Flying Officer Stumpy Prangworthy’s handlebar moustache streamed behind him in the 280mph
wind as he craned his head round trying to locate where Von Strudels Focke Wulf 190A8 had gone
to. Deep within the cloud, the spineless Boche had shown his true colours and escaped Stumpys
righteous justice. The growling Merlin engine sang a new song as he side-slipped his trusty Spitfire
down towards the now helpless Dornier 17.

The Dornier was almost at the target and in scant moments would land at the brewery and snatch
No14 Squadrons Claret from under their noses. Well Stumpy would see about that. He loosed the
safety off of his eight .303’s and aimed at the Dornier’s port engine.

Suddenly from behind screaming out of a wingunder maneuver the FW 190 appeared in Stumpys
vanity mirror, its cannons sparkling motes of fire. A shell smashed into the Spits wing and tore the
aileron. “Blast you, Von Strudel “yelled Stumpy as he realised that he had been sold a duffer and
was gone for a burton.

Only one trick could save him. Feathering his Kites prop, he hit the airbrakes and was rewarded with
the bright green FW 190 flashing under him. Dropping the nose Stumpy let rip a corking burst which
caught the Jerry a proper treat. The FW 190’s engine seized solid and Von Strudel Hit the Silk.

Von Strudel shook his fist as Stumpy flashed past. “Verdammt Englander! Finish me now! The shame
is too great!”

“Not a chance old pip,” grinned Stumpy; “A Englishman flies by the rules of the game, and potting a
Chap on his chute is defiantly not playing the game.”
So what is playing the game? You are about to find out!

War Games in 3D with D6

Blazing Skies is a miniature air combat game at the pilot scale covering the period 1930 to 1955,
the era of monoplanes with powerful snarling engines and high speed duels at twenty thousand feet
above the war torn Skies of Europe, Russia, Africa and the Pacific.

Players take the role of the pilot (and sometimes other aircrew) of a single aircraft. It is possible with
a little application of the old grey matter to control 2 or even 3 “kites” but this would be at the
expense of a lot of enjoyment as the game becomes a matter of trigonometry and bookkeeping. No,
far better to strap on your leather helmet and feel the machine respond to the controls. Blazing
Skies is about flying by the seat of your pants, not about fine measurements or gamesmanship.

You are in the cockpit, you slam open the throttles or feather back, you sling the stick into the
corner of the cockpit or rocket skywards falling off on a wingtip. This is a game of flying first and
foremost, of learning how to even keep your crate in the air...

War gaming Aerial combat brings its own challenges; ou as a pilot are required to think in three
dimensions. Your opponent’s machine on the table top is behind you and facing away, you do not
have a great deal of energy at that moment, a wingunder would be a good maneuver but you are
flying a Polikarpov, a machine with poor structural integrity. Do you commit to that maneuver which
might open your tail to the bf 109 swinging round in front of you? Might you lose too much height
doing this maneuver thus giving you a disadvantage later on? Might you strain your machine too
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far? Your eyes are nearly greying out from the tight turn you just did, can you take another hard
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maneuver?
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 Scales
Blazing Skies is designed with 1/72 or 1/144 scale aircraft in mind. There are many manufacturers
covering mundane Hurricanes to the bizarre Pfeifel. Each player takes control of a single airplane
and its crew so at different points in the turn the player is assuming the role of Pilot, gunner Bomb
aimer etc.

Airplanes in Blazing Skies are known as Kites. Each model represents a single Kite and its crew. The
planes should be mounted on a hexagonal base 4” Across Flats in 1/72 scale and 2” Across Flats for
1/144 and below. A template for this is given on the template pages.

Professional flight stands are available by several manufacturers producing quality custom built
flight stands. Such stands often have the ability to adjust the attitude of the kite pointing the nose
up or down to indicate diving or climbing, this is not a requirement as maneuvers list the attitude of
the kite at any given time but aesthetically is more pleasing and easier to visualize firing
opportunities etc.
Alternatively, using models original flight stand glued to a Base hex made of card or foam card
works almost as well. The professional stands often have a speed and altitude dial built in.
Players might enjoy the pleasure of scratch building of such dials themselves to include recording of
speed and altitude rather than the Kite Card dials.
Or they might hate it and give up after several failed attempts in utter frustration; throwing away
bent expensive brass rods and badly cut plastic-card they bought specially for the purpose and just
use dice instead to measure the points of airspeed and height levels, vowing never again to try
scratch-building and cursing their folly whilst nursing cut fingers. Why oh why did they overestimate
their abilitys?

At the very basic level, height and speed are recorded on paper.
2” is considered one range “unit” for movement. This represents about 25 yards, gunfire at 24” being
600 yards, this is highly abstracted however. Even using 1/144 scale models this distance is way too
short. it is necessary in order to fit the game onto a standard 6X4 ft gaming table.

Each Speed (ASI) increment is considered 50 mph, with 0 being a minimum of 150MPH, so ASI 1
is 150-200mph, ASI 5 is 350-400mph and ASI 9 is 600-650mph. Again this is mightily abstracted.
A lot of interwar biplanes and floatplanes have ASIs under 150MPH, these are considered to have a
ASI of 150 MPH for the rules.

Each Turn represents about 10 seconds of flight time, not that this is particularly important! If you
start measuring speed and distances you will quickly blow holes in the scales. A turn is the length of
time a Kite needs to perform a single maneuver such as a half loop or Wingunder. Really, don’t worry
about the timescale, when fighter pilots were engaged in duels to the death, the last thing they were
doing is looking at their watches!

Each Altimeter level Or “Height” level represents 2000 foot or 600m, but surprise, surprise this is
pretty abstracted for purposes of firing. Altimeter level 0 is the deck. Terra Firma. The hard stuff you
land on and do not crash into.

A Shilling will get you a night on the town and still have change for the train
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 The New Intake: Debden Briefing Room

“You there! Yes! You men! Straighten up, by the Lord Harry! New recruit’s eh? Well
we shall soon sort you out. Salute me! Smarter man ! That’s not a Salute! I am Squadron Leader
Featherprop and I will be your flight instructor today on your first day of flight training. You only
get one lesson mind then it’s off to the front. First get your kitbags into the barracks then meet me
in 10 minutes at Dispersal”.

Preparation for Play

Gather together in your gaming area the following items
.
1X Blazing skies Rulebook and a copy of Tommi’s all the worlds fighting kites

Several Six sided dice (D6) for shooting, and at least one Twenty Sided dice
(D20) for damage rolls, A Model of a Kite for each Kite flying, mounted on a
Blazing Skies base hex.
Optional. Further D6 (Six sided dice) and D20(20 sided dice) to mark ASI and
Altimeter
A Blazing Skies Kite card for each Kite in play. These can be laminated in order to
easily wipe clean changing values during play such as Structure, Damage & Ammo.
Alternatively use a pencil and rubber
Counters such as penny’s or glass beads for the
Joystick and the Climb/Dive boxes .

A ruler measuring to at least 30”

Cut out all templates and fasten them to strong card. Photocopies are permissible. As
is buying several rulebooks at full cost.

Optional Fuel & g force (glass beads are ideal) Balls of cotton wool or white paper
templates to represent clouds, some scenery represented by brown card to denote
hills, the ground height of which is written on the top.
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 At the Dispersal

Right then Men, anyone had previous flight training? No?

Not to worry, we need a Volunteer to demonstrate. Hmmm…YOU! Yes You Sir, the geeky looking one
with that rulebook poorly held together with staples! Step forward! Right now, this is the Fairey Battle our
training Kite, and you will be flying it today.

First we will do the First Parade Inspection, to ensure that you have all your kit. Take a Kite card (that’s the
sheet of paper labelled KITE CARD) and put it front of you. YES NOW MAN! There’s a bloody war on
you know. Ok? Managed that?

All the information for each kite is listed in “Tommis fighting kites”

Now in the spaces provided write:

TYPE: “Fairey Battle”.

CHAP: write your Name and Rank. That’s Flight Sergeant at the moment until you receive the Kings
Commission. Now Check the throttle lever is operating correctly.

Write in the THROTTLE box “Alt 1-4 = 3 and Alt 5-7 =2”, now the Fairley Battle is low powered at
altitudes 1 to 4 (up to 8 thousand feet) and at altitudes 5-7 (up to 14 thousand feet) it’s a total slug, but we
won’t be going up so high today

. Check the ammo bins, yes the belt on the .30 calibres, that’s it you’re getting the hang of it. They’re empty
at the moment. According to the stat list the Fairley Battle can carry up to 6 bursts, take these ammo belts
and load them…in the AMMO boxes on the kite card write “6”.

“Ok were all loaded up. Now on to the rudder and ailerons, The Fairley Battle is a cow to fly and this is
reflected in its card. Write E in the MANOUVER box now.”

“Very Good, lets oil and strip the guns. There’s no use in throwing insults at the Boche eh? Well actually
that’s perfectly fine, but we will also throw lead, so write “1X .30” in the TYPE box, “Range 14” in
RANGE, “F.P 1” in Firepower and “Rear arc” in the ARC box.”

“Right final check, bash the wheels and wobble the wings to check the structure. The Fairey Battle is a
solidly built old Girl, a bit like Mrs Featherprop, so write 13 in the STRUCTURE box now.

Start the engine. Swing the prop around when I say “Contact!” write Max 4 Crack-up 6 in the ASI box.
8

Well done Flt Sgt Well done. Now climb in and I’ll hop in the back seat. We are going to taxi out to the
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runway for our first buzz.”

8
 Setting Up a Game

Find a nice blue sheet or wargames table and place their Kite card in front of them. Players
now place the Kites on the table at least 30” from any Bandit (enemy Kite) facing the same
direction as your Chums (friendly kite’s).
The Gaming area is recommended as a 6ft X 4 ft area, this is the field of play.
If a kite exits the game area then special scenario based rules may apply, otherwise planes
may be shifted retaining their facing and distance from each other to ensure that they all
remain on table. If this is not possible then the Kite or kites that are furthest away from being
able to be shifted back onto the table are considered to have left play. Alternatively the
players may agree a “hard edge” to the table and any plane crossing it is lost and the
opponent gains a “half kill” (a “possible” kill) for its demise.

The Kite Card is described in detail later. To set up however you first have to determine a
planes starting height and starting speed

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 Air Speed Indicator (ASI)
The speed of a kite is a value between 0 and 20. This value is known in the game as the Kites ASI or Air
ASI Indicator.
For the vast majority of kites in this game a method of measuring up to a value of 9 is sufficient. A value
of 0 or less is counted as 0 and is known as Stall Speed. The maximum ASI for level flight is listed in the
kite’s statistics. This is the ASI beyond which a kite cannot accelerate in level flight

The Statistic profile also lists a Crack Up speed. This is the ASI beyond which damage may occur due to
stress on the airframe by excessive ASI.
The kite’s Terminal velocity is crack up-speed +3. Any kite which is forced to accelerate beyond terminal
velocity does not accelerate and remains at terminal velocity until other mechanics bring it below.

Altimeter (ALT)
The Height or Altitude level of a kite is known in game as the Altimeter. This is a value between 0 and
30, each value being an increment of around 2000ft so an Altimeter reading of 6 equates the region of
12000ft.
Altimeter 0 is counted as 0 feet and is effectively ground level, although ground height may vary in
mountainous terrain.
A kite has a “ceiling” listed in its statistics above which its throttle is set at -3. This does not mean the
kite cannot go above this ceiling. It may have enough energy to convert into a climb but as you will find,
it will have great difficulty in climbing further or even maintaining that height

You may determine the initial position, ASI and Altimeter in any manner you wish according to a
scenario. Many players will simply wish to dump their kites on a playing area and play, but to
randomise starting positions you may use the following method.
.
1) Roll D6 on Table 1 Altimeter-actualator and consult the Kite card If the Altimeter Rolled is
greater than any or all ceilings of kites in that flight roll again. Mark the Altimeter on the kite’s
card.
2) Roll D6 on the Yawrectifier Table 2; and rotate all kites in the flight to the correct hex
side using the Hex.
3) Decide on starting ASI by rolling D6 on the Velocicombulator Table 3; for each flight. If
the starting ASI is greater than any kite’s Max ASI then re-roll it.

Table1
AltimeterActualator
D6/D6 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2 2 4 6 8 9 11
3 3 5 6 8 10 12
4 4 6 7 9 11 13
5 5 7 8 10 12 15
6 6 8 10 12 14 20
You may mark Altimeter, on the Kite card using a BLUE D20 and ASI with a RED D10 other methods
include ASI and altitude dials or simply jotting down the changing values on the kite card or on scrap paper.
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Table 2 Yaw rectifier

1
6 2

5 3

Table 3
Veloci Combulator
Max ASI 1 2 3 4 5 6+
/ D6
1or 4 2 2 3 3 4 4
2 or 5 3 4 4 4 5 5
3 or 6 3 4 5 5 6 6

Three thousand feet above Debden

Ok Flt Sgt, Now its bloody important you do as I say, or neither of us will be coming back
alive, and if I die, I’m going to have you shot!

Take a Joystick counter and put it in front of you on the manoeuvre grid.

Now take your Fairey Battle Model and place it on the table top.

Set the Altimeter to 2 and the ASI to 3. We are circling our airfield at the moment and I am
going to hand the controls over to you!
6
Pre-flight phase first, We now would clear any jammed guns but we will skip that at present,
and if we were on a long flight, we would keep an eye on the fuel gauge by deducting one
point of fuel if we were choosing maximum throttle.

Skip all this for the moment! Its hypothetical. I just want to see if you can fly in a straight
line, then we will try some gentle climbs dives and turns.
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 The Rules of The Air
PHASE ONE :PRE- FLIGHT
A) Clear Guns. If a turret gun has jammed, you may attempt to free it by rolling D6
score of 4+ (3+) for aces. Freed weapons may be fired again. Note fixed guns
such as wing mounts cannot be unjammed during a game
B) Fuel (optional) In the Advanced Game Deduct a point of fuel if you used Full
Throttle. If at 0 Fuel, players must scream “IM BINGO” and fly your kite to base or to
your base edge of the table. The normal fuel allocation for a Jape (mission) is 20.
C) Choose Maneuver. Chaps choose a maneuver for the turn, and commit to it by
placing the counter on the Maneuver Grid.
D) Check Initiative. If any tailing event is happening the tailed kites announce their
maneuver first. Tailing kites may then adjust their maneuver
E) Announce maneuvers: Reveal all unannounced manouvers

“Right ho Flt Sgt, now it’s time to REV-UP. Open the throttle to its maximum for our
altitude, which is 3.
That means add 3 to our Revs total, write it on a piece of paper or on a spare space on the Kite Card,
and don’t worry about it till we get to 10 or more.

PHASE TWO: REV-UP

A) Rev-up. You may now add up to your maximum throttle for your Kite at its current
Altimeter to its REVS total accumulated over previous turns. When the REVS
reaches a multiple of 10 (10/20/40/80 etc) Add one to the kites ASI however you are
recording it. This must not take the Kite above its MAX ASI listed on its kite card if
the kites attitude is level or climbing. Alternatively you may Feather back & deduct
one from the Kites ASI and reset throttle to 0, this represents shutting down the
throttle to idle and letting friction do its work.

B) Stall Check. Chaps now check their ASI. If it is 0, the Kite stalls immediately.

Note that this happens AFTER Rev Up so if a Kite starts the turn at 0 speed, it can still rev up and
add to its speed BEFORE the stall check. Players will learn to manage this and a few crashes due to
stalls helps sharpen the mind!
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Now I want you to do a straight manoeuvre.

Look at the manoeuvre Grid and find STRAIGHT. Found it? Good lad.

Put the Joystick counter on the straight manoeuvre and keep it hidden from the Hun, there’s no Huns
up as it’s too early in the morning, but if there was, then wait till they have committed to a manoeuvre
then everyone would reveal what they have chosen simultaneously.

Now the STRAIGHT has a difficulty “F” and our old crate has CONTROLS of “E” thus we can do this
manoeuvre and any with “E”, we cannot do “A,B,C or D” manoeuvres. The Battle is a bomber not a
ruddy fighter.

The cost to carry out a Straight at a ASI of 1 is a -1 Loss in Altimeter (height). As you can see on the
template there is no such loss for a ASI of 3. Put the STRAIGHT template in front of our kite and pick up
the kite and replace it along the Template on the ASI 3 mark. YES! That’s it, you have the controls!

Back to pre-flight, that’s a whole game turn (bar the shooting); let’s do another one straight away.

At ASI 3 it’s safe to try and get the nose up as we have enough speed to climb safely.

I want you to make a SHALLOW CLIMB. We now move as normal to the 3 Mark of the straight template
which shows no gain or losses to Altimeter or ASI.

The Climb Grid at ASI 3 SHALLOW shows we gain + 1 Altimeter, mark this on the Altimeter and we
should now be at Altimeter 3 or around 6000ft. The Climb grid also shows we lose 1 Airspeed, so our
ASI drops again to 2 so mark this on the ASI. Note also that since we shallow climbed our attitude for
this turn is climbing.

Congratulations Son! Now Steady! Gently does it, we haven’t much ASI to play with so keep throttling
forward, fly straight and level no further climbs and keep the revs up, moving 3 straight and level each
turn till you hit REVS 12. This, since we crossed a multiple of 10, adds one to our ASI thus we are at ASI
3 again.

OK, I want you to do a TURN LEFT F. Note this costs nothing in Altimeter loss or ASI loss Push the
Joystick control counter over to TURN LEFT (F) box and carry it out now. Note that our nose isn’t
climbing like it did after the CLIMB we did earlier. That makes a difference if Jerry is in front of you

and below you, you might not be able to get him in your sights. We could have combined the Turn with
a Climb, but let’s not go bananas.

OK, the Controls are yours, take it for a spin!

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 PHASE THREE: (DOGFIGHT)
The Dogfight phase is split into phases carried out in this order
A) Initiative
B) Maneuver and payment
C) G-Force
D) Dakka Dakka
E) End Turn
Initiative.
In this step Chaps choose a Bandit as their target. They then determine their initiatives
which are a measure of how advantageous their position is to that bandit. This is found
by consulting the Gyroscope below with the following results depending on which
enemy hex side your kite is facing

1
2 2

3 3
4

Table 4 Gyroscope
1 Snapshot
2 Leading
3 Trailing
4 Up the Arse

In Position 4- Up the Arse: Your nose is pointing right at the bandits tail, the
bandit must now give the direction of the maneuver they intend to perform this
turn (Break Left/ Right/ or No Break. (he tailing player may choose their
maneuver when they have received this information).
Break Left covers all Left Turns A to G, Sideslips Left
Break Right covers all Right Turns A to G and Sideslips Right
No Break covers all loops half loops wing under, Immelmann etc

No Break covers all other Manouvers, loops, hal

All Other positions: No information is given. Maneuvers are announced after both
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players have committed to their maneuver

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 Maneuver
The Maneuver class of a kite restricts or enables what it can do in the air. There are 7
maneuver classes

A) High Agility Fighters (Examples are the Zero, the P51, the Fw190)
B) Agile Fighters (Examples are the Bf109, the Spitfire)
C) Medium agility Fighters/ Agile Fighter-bombers(Examples are the Hurricane, the P40 the Westland
Whirlwind the Bf110)
D) Very low agility Fighters/ Light Bombers(The Stuka, the Mary the Hampden, the JU88 )
E) Medium Bombers(The Whitley the Do17)
F) Heavy Bombers(B25, B17)
G) Low agility Heavy Bombers (Me323, Sunderland, Emily)

Players choose a maneuver from the Kite Card within the following two restrictions.

1) The difficulty is equal or less than your kites maneuver letter and Optionally
equal or less than your Chaps Skill

2) The Kites Current ASI is => the maneuvers minimum ASI requirement as
listed after the Attitude letter on the Kite Card.
Example: The Immelmann Shows that a minimum ASI of 5 is needed to
perform the Immelmann and the kite will be attitude “D” for Diving at the end
of the maneuver. The Orange colour signifies that the Immelmann is difficulty
A.

A maneuvers difficulty is colour coded and rated from A to G. “A” being the most difficult
or sharpest and “G” being the gentlest or easiest. A machine with Maneuver class C may
not carry out A or B class maneuver

The Maneuvers Left Turn/ Right Turn/ Straight may be combined with climbing or diving

Changes to the Kites altitude speed and attitude come from 3 sources
Mandatory adjustments marked on the templates
Adjustments (mandatory for diving) which are shown on the Climb/Dive Matrix
Optional adjustment: When carrying out a special action, such as feathering the prop.

Players choose their maneuver in secret by marking / placing the joystick counter on the
relevant maneuver box and if applicable marking the climb/dive indicators and revealing
your chosen maneuver when all players are done.

Changing Altitude: When a Altimeter Change is called for by the maneuver add Altimeter
or deduct it as required from the Altimeter.
The Climb/Dive matrix shows the player how much altitude and speed is lost or gained for
the climb or dive they are carrying out.. The amount of height climbed in the matrix is how
much height MAY be gaimed. The diving amount of height is the amount that MUST be
lost. Speed loss or gain in both matrixes is compulsory

Airborne Kites reaching Altitude 0 and not fulfilling all requirements for landing will
PRANG. Pranging isn’t good, see later for effects
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Changing ASI: When a ASI Change is called for by the maneuver add ASI or deduct it as
required from the Airspeed indicator. Kites at 0 ASI after rev up immediately stall
15
 Payment

Place the template at the front of the model (or on the left or right leading edges for sideslip
maneuvers) on the START line.

Move the Model to the new position around the template until it reaches the appropriate ASI
mark. Here the Mosquito has moved at Speed 3 (ASI 3)

The Maneuver template may instruct the player to either;

Add or deduct an amount to the ASI, Denoted by a Red + or – Number by the ASI mark
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Add or deduct Altimeter the amount, Denoted by a Blue + or – Number. Once the model is
moved and speed and height are adjusted then adjust attitude if necessary.
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 Attitude
The Maneuver will list the Kites new attitude as
LEVEL (L) Nose level;
CLIMBING (C) Nose level
DIVING (D) Nose down

For Kites moving at extreme ASIs, that is ASIs greater than 6, simply begin the maneuver
with a straight maneuver directly ahead not factoring in any Altimeter loss on the template
then immediately begin the actual maneuver at ASI 6. For example, a ME163 LOOPING at
ASI 9 will move 3 straight and then carry out a loop 6.

Crack Up
Crack -up ASI: This is listed to the right of a Kites maximum ASI.
If the Crack -up ASI is exceeded then after the Kite maneuvers a D6 is rolled.

Add 1 to the dice for each point the crack up ASI was exceeded by. On a result of 6 or more
the plane takes D6 damage.

Example: A PZL P11c has a ASI of 2/5. Its current ASI at end of a maneuver is 7 (Crazy
huh?) It rolls and takes D6 damage on scores of 4, 5 or 6

Maximum Speed (in level flight)

Maximum ASI: This is listed on the kite card. If a Kite exceeds its maximum ASI, it will at
the end of its movement after all modifiers for diving and climbing and manoeuvring reduce
its ASI by 1 (UNLESS it is currently diving).

Stalls
Stalls: A Kite stalling will immediately in this order:
Roll D6.: On a 6+ they regain almost immediate control: lose d2 height. Otherwise
roll immediately again needing 5+ to regain control and losing another D3 height, if
they still do not have control they recover on a 4+ and lose another D6 height. If they
fail to recover here they keep rolling for control on a 3+ until they regain control
after losing D6 height or hit the ground
Gain D6 ASI
Face D6 direction randomly
Travel straight ahead half D6 distance rounded down
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 Climbing and Diving
Chaps may combine the manoeuvres Straight/Turns with a shallow or steep climb or dive.
These are the only manoeuvres that can combine such climbs or dives. Other manoeuvres have
Altimeter changes built into the mechanics.
Simply add or deduct the relevant Altimeter and ASI to the kite as listed on the manoeuvre grid.

Shallow Climbs.
These climbs are an aircrafts normal rate of climb to sustain the best rate of climb over time. Shallow
climbs give full forward movement.
Steep Climbs.
Steep climbs pull the kite almost vertical and bleed off huge chunks of ASI. In Blazing Skies only Jet
aircraft can sustain Steep climbs for any length of time and even these run out of power quickly. Move the
kite half distance rounded down but apply the full ASI manoeuvres payment costs.

Shallow Dives.
These climbs are an aircrafts normal rate of dive to reduce altitude. Shallow Dives give full forward
movement. even a shallow diving kite must beware of its ASI when flying low. Too fast and the ground
rushes up to meet it at hundreds of feet per second.
Steep Dives.
Steep Dives hurtle the kite almost vertical and gain massive amounts of ASI quickly. It’s a desperate
manoeuvre for a chap who is close to stalling and needs energy badly, or to put vertical distance between
him and a bandit.
Move the kite half distance rounded down but apply the full ASI manoeuvres payment costs.

For Example, A Kite does a ASI 6 -Left A- STEEP DIVE, They move 3 distance around the A turn
Template, Lose 2 ASI for the turn, gain 4 ASI for the dive and Lose 8 Altimeter for the dive. A net loss of
8 Altimeter and gain of 2 ASI.

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G Force (Optional)
The pressures on planes can be great, but on the pilots more so! Blood drains
away from the brain under such forces and may even cause a chap to lose
consciousness!
The tracking of such G forces whilst adding much to the game, also really slows
the game down.
It is advised that players dispense with these rules until they are ace’s, or are
some kind of wargaming multitasker!
Consult the current maneuver. Add or deduct G’s as appropriate. If the
running total of G’s is < your Chaps G Factor then all is well, the sky is
blue and the wind is fluttering your ‘tache.
If the Total is = to your Chaps G Factor then your Chap GREYS-OUT; his shooting is at -
1.
If the total is > +2 to your Chaps G Factor then your Chap BLACKS-OUT
which means she stalls immediately.
Table 5 G Force
Straight - D class turn 1
4
A class 4 E F or G class turn 0
turn
B class 3 Sideslip left or right 1
turn
C class 2 Half 3
turn loop/Wingunder/
Loop/Immelmann

Examples of Maneuvers
Here a Spitfire Mk21 prepares to Immelmann. The
Spitfire is Maneuver Class A and Immelmann’s have
a restriction of A or higher.

The Spitfire is at ASI 5 and Altimeter 7. It can therefore carry

out an Immelmann. The front edge of the base hex is lined up
with the Immelmann template

The Spitfire is moved and rotated 180degrees. The Altimeter

and
19

ASI dial are adjusted according to the template.

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The Spitfire is now at a diving attitude at ASI 1 and Altimeter

9 19
 Here a Focke Wulf 190A8 at ASI 4 carries out a simple Turn
D
The 190 can perform A manoeuvres, but as we will see later,
the tightest turn is not always the best!

The Turn D template is placed at the front of the FW 190

Eyyoooowowwww. Round she goes. After final positioning,

check the template for ASI and Altimeter effects, record
immediately any changes.

The FW doesn’t have any changes for this maneuver. Das ist sehr
gut!

Hans Jurgen, The intrepid FW190 pilot now does a Sideslip-

Right.

Sideslips are different from other manoeuvres as the template is

placed on the correct leading edge not the front edge. Sideslips are
in effect skidding through the skies and so they burn up both ASI and
altimeter! Not a good combination! The FW is at ASI 4 and Altimeter
13

Hans has correctly side slipped. His Leading edge is now

flush with the correct line for sideslips at ASI 4.

But wait! He has made a mistake only a much less skilled

pilot would! He has forgotten to adjust his ASI and
Altimeter dials in the excitement!

Conducting Movement

All players move simultaneously. After all movement is finished check

overlapping bases for Kites sharing the same Altimeter. If they do, then the
players roll d6 ,possibly taking FOX FOUR damage.
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20
 Firing: (Dakka Dakka)

“Y’all
welcome to Gunnery School. A’hm Major Eagleburger and we are going
to cover air to air gunnery today. First we’ll cover the theory, then this afternoon, y’all going
up in your them- there Pee Forty Seven Thunderbolts. Dang things gotta’ heap o fifties on
‘em, make a whole mess of a Heiney, uh-huh”.

Table 6 Reflector Sight

Forward Arc

Forward Firing

Forward Port Forward Starboard

Rear Starboard

Rear Port
Rear Firing

Rear Arc

Table 6 the reflector sight will show youy the arcs of fire that a kite has with its guns.
21

In order to fire first line of sight must be established. this looks more complicated than it actually is!
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21
 Forward Firing (FF)
Fixed forward guns cover forward firing machineguns in larger or poor manoeuvrability
kites.
For level attitude kites this extends out from the front of a Kite across its front
edge to any target + or
– 3 levels in Altimeter difference.
For Diving kites this extends out from the front of a Kite across its front edge
To any target same level or below
For Climbing kites this extends out from the front of a Kite across its front
edge To any target same level or above
Forward Arc:(Forward turrets or Manoeuvrable aircraft).
Most fighters have a much wider firing arc. This represents that they can give a quick squirt
at targets that flash in front of them without the restrictions on hauling a weightier plane
around. It abstracts the firing arc to make games faster flowing.
For level kites this extends out from the front of a Kite 60 degrees to any
target + or – 3 levels in Altimeter difference.
For Diving kites this extends out from the front of a Kite 60 degrees To any
target same level or below
For Climbing kites this extends out from the front of a Kite 60 degrees To any
target same level or above
: Rear Arc (Rear and Ventral turrets)
Note ventral turrets in level flight cannot fire at targets above.
For level kites this extends out from the rear of a Kite 60 degrees to any target
+ or – 3 levels in Altimeter difference.
For Diving kites this extends out from the rear of a Kite 60 degrees To any
target same level or above
For Climbing kites this extends out from the rear of a Kite 60 degrees To any
target same level or below

Dorsal Turrets.
Dorsal turrets may fire as forward turrets waist guns or rear turrets but in level flight
may not fire at targets below

Ball Turrets.
Ball turrets may fire as forward turrets or rear turrets but in level flight may not fire at
targets above

Port/Starboard Waist Guns : Port Rear or Starboard Rear arcs.

For level kites this extends out from the port/starboard rear of a Kite 60
degrees to any target + or – 3 levels in Altimeter difference.
For Diving kites this extends out from the port/starboard rear of a Kite 60
degrees To any target same level or above
For Climbing kites this extends out from the port/starboard rear of a Kite 60
degrees To any target the same level or below
22
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22
Them Ranges are listed on the Kite Cards under “Weapons” along with arc, ammo and
firepower.

Range is measured from the firing Kite to any target point on the Bandit’s base, not the
model. The differences in height between shooter and target are added to the range, an’
that total is the range y’all use.

Line of sight is broken if:

The Bandit is behind terrain higher than the firing kite
The line passes at least partially through the base of another kite at a Altimeter in-
between or identical to the firer and the target’s Altimeters.
(EG, A firer at Height 4 shooting at a target at height 15 couldn’t shoot if another kite was at
Altimeter 6 or 8 or 13 and in the way, but they could if it was at Altimeter 16)
LOS is also broken if the Bandit is wholly within a cloud at the same Altimeter as that cloud.

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23
 To Fire
Shout “Dakka-Dakka” out loud, the louder the better and pretend to pull on a firing
handle. You don’t have to shout when firing, but it helps. It really
does.

1. Deduct one ammo from the Kite Card’s Ammo. This is One point for each
weapon system firing, so 8X.50’s firing a burst deduct 1 ammo. Two twenties
and four thirties deduct one ammo off each system.

2. Check Line of sight and range

3. Roll D6 on Table 5 Dakka-Dakka to hit for each firepower point, applying any
modifiers. Example a Hurricane IIb fires its 12X.303 with firepower of 11. It
rolls 11 dice to hit.

4. A Roll of 1 may jam the Guns. Roll a D6, on a 6+ one barrel of the weapon
system jams, this will negate a relative proportion of the fire attack and the
system remains so affected till un-jammed. For example if a 1 X 37mm of
firepower 6 jams, it has 0 firepower. If 2 X 37mm Jams then the firepower is
halved to 3. Only crew served turret weapons can be un-jammed. Fixed or wing
mounted weapons are kaput till end of game.

5. For each hit; deduct one point from the Structure points on the Bandits Kite
Card and (optional) Roll once on Table “Ach Nein!”

Deflection: Determine the direction of

fire.

Snapshot

Leading Deflection Leading Deflection

Trailing Deflection Trailing Deflection

24

Up The Arse
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24
 Table 7
Dakka –Dakka
RANGE/ Snapshot Leading Trailing Up the Arse
DEFLECTION
1-4 5+ 4+ 3+ 3+
5-9 7+ 5+ 4+ 3+
10-14 7+ 6+ 5+ 5+

Modifiers to the roll

+ X Chaps Guns skill

+ 1 large Target

+1 Firer Shouts “DADADADADADA!!! Loudly

-1 Firer doing 4G maneuver or greater

-1 Greying out

Well alright! Look ahead of you a-ways. There’s a Battle TT1 target drone 3 levels above ya.
The Total distance is 5 + 3” or 8” Range. Your Pee Forty Seven has 20” range on its guns and you’re
flying level so ya’ clear to shoot!
Being Up the arse ya needs 3+ to hit but since ya’all has just pulled a Wingunder (a 4G manoeuvre)
the final score to hit is 4+. Deduct an ammo point. The .50’s Firepower is 8 so roll 8 dice.

Whoo! Git Some! Scores of 3,3,4,2,6,6,5,1. Not bad, but those “3” results scored dun gone missed
since ya didn’t scream Dakka-dakka-dakka!! The four hits are taken off the targets structure.

5” range 3 height levels difference = Total

Range 8
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25
 End Turn
After all firing and damage is resolved, End the Turn and begin a new turn.
Players may in this phase bale out!
Congratulations Flight sergeant, you made it through your first flight. Here’s a shilling, go and
get wasted in the mess.

Hitting the Silk

Chaps may at the end of any turn leap from their kite and hit the silk to escape. They roll a D6 for
success on The “hitting the silk” table. They replace their Kites movement hex with a parachute
hex and travel straight down at -1 Altimeter per Turn. The Chap may be shot at on the chute at -2
to hit. If hit they are Killed. It’s really dashed unsporting to do this you know. Most games assume
that a chap hitting the silk lands without being strafed or a possible target. Play the game chaps,
play the game….

Landing
To Land a Kite simply reduce its ASI to 1 then perform a shallow dive following a straight.
Reduce altitude to 0 and roll 2 D6 on table 7: Bumps.
ASI may reduce to 0 from next turn using wheel brakes. The kite is classed as no longer airborne.

Taking off
From Stationary at altitude 0, accelerate to a sufficient ASI. Then perform a CLIMB to altitude 1.
Whilst on the ground you may only perform STRAIGHTS or LEFT/RIGHT TURN A-G only.
Whilst on the ground no altitude reduction from the templates is in effect.
This simply means when trundling along the ground your low speed doesn’t send you under the
ground. Geez. Do I have to spell this stuff out?

Pranging
A kite is destroyed if it reaches 0 altitude or ground level or fox-fours or its structure reaches 0 or damage sustained
causes a prang. A pranged kite flies down in a steep dive next turn at its current ASI accelerating in the dive. The pilot
if alive may only make E or F turns. Once 0 altitude is reached, the plane explodes and is removed from play.

Fox Four- Collisions

Kites with overlapping bases at the same Altimeter may collide. Each Player rolls D6 if the scores are the same then
roll that many dice in damage, yielding damage between 1 and 36 points. If the scores are one point apart then the
planes have clipped each other. Roll D6 damage to each plane. Also roll on the ach nein table if using optional rules
and apply -5 or +5 to the roll for rams from ahead/behind respectively.
Head to head fox fours result in all kites involved Pranging .
Russian planes may perform a Taren attack by ramming from behind and shouting “Za Rodina!” This limits the
Russian planes damage to 1D6. No matter what the collision D6 roll was.

Wingmen
Flights of kites are wingmen to each other. Normally no talking about maneuvers or throttle settings is allowed
26

between players, unless the Players are within 4 Range or carry radios. If this is the case players may whisper to each
other or write notes such as “Turn!, I’ll half loop and cover you” or “Damn you Von Schnorbitz! We will meet again
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one day!!.
26
 Clouds
Clouds remain stationary in the game, they are considered to cover one Altimeter level above and below their starting
Altimeter, which is decided before the game.

Hills and Ground level

Hills have their Altimeter determined before the game. Obviously a Kite which flies at a Altimeter below the
Altimeter of the hill and comes into contact with it, prangs immediately.

Strafing and Bombing:

To strafe, a Kite must be at Altimeter 1 or 2 above the target, they must be in a level or dive attitude. To strafe troops
successfully deduct a ammo and roll D6’s equal to firepower a 6+ results in a successful strafe. Players should
formulate how many hits a land target takes. For example a section of infantry might take 3 hits, a truck 2 and a
shielded Flack gun 5.
To Level Bomb, a Kite releases a Bomb token. This travels each turn the ASI of the kite that dropped it at the point
of release in ASI forwards and -1 Altimeter, doubling Altimeter loss each turn until it impacts the ground.Each turn
before dropping in height roll a D6; on 1 it drifts 2” to the left on 6 it drifts 2” to the right. Any target within 1 range
of its impact is considered hit. Impacting bombs also hit targets in the air at 1 Altimeter or less above them. A Bomb
hit destroys the target.
To Dive Bomb, A kite must be in diving attitude. The Bomb token Travels Half ASI forwards and ASI loss in height
doubling the ASI loss each turn till it impacts the ground. The bomb does not drift.

Flack
Antiaircraft fire is resolved by the following methods.
MG fire: This is resolved as per aerial Fire but -1 to hit. Ground MG’s are range 9 firepower 1
Shell fire: The AA gun may place during their turn a Shell token on the table and note what Altimeter it is at.
The following turn the shell explodes and hits all targets within 2” range and at the same Altimeter. Damage is
Firepower 3

Air rockets
These are depicted by biro pen lids. A Kite may fire them instead of guns in a fire opportunity. They accelerate
forward 2 ASI per turn so a rocket fired in turn 1 will be moving at ASI 6 by turn 3. They do not turn or
maneuver but on a roll of 5+ at the end of each move they lose -1 Altimeter. They burn for 3 turns then explode
like a shell. If they hit a Kite at the same Altimeter they deal 2D6 damage. A rocket fired at climb or dive
attitude will change its Altimeter accordingly as it moves. So a steep Diving rocket moving 6 will lose 8
Altimeter, but will not increase ASI.

Air Guitar
Players performing Air Guitar have no effect on the game. Pity eh?

Goggles
Players wearing a pair of Goggles during the game may reroll the D20 hit location when they fire but not any D20’s
for the sub damage to say engines or propeller bosses.

Starched scarf
Players wearing a scarf that extends artificially behind them during play may add 1 to their kites CONTROLS.
(IE Maneuver C = Maneuver B)

Handlebar Moustache
27

A player wearing a handlebar moustache, false or real, during play adds 1 to all firepower of their GunZs.
Page

Well, that’s about it for combat rules. You now have all you need to rip off for a Buzz and bag an enemy crate
27
before breakfast. The art of flying your kites in BSFC is trickier than it looks, and I know a few of you chaps will
prang your Kites long before they see a bandit. I thoroughly encourage you to take some out for a test spin before
duelling Harry Hun just to get a feel for how they fly. Each Kite has its pro’s and cons, some of em are just bags
of slop and you’ll find it hard to keep ‘em stable, others you may fall in love with and think the sweetest thing on
the table top. Good luck Chaps, see you at the ball later, the Wing-Co’s daughters are coming…..W00T!

Bouncing
A scenario in which all Chums have all Bandits on the table within their rear arc may make no maneuvers other
than straights with no climbs or dives, until they spot the Bandits by rolling 1 or 2 on D6 at the start of their turn
or they are fired at.

Aircraft Traits
Kites are distinguished between each other in many ways, in their speed and structure,
their armament and maneuver class, but also by their traits.
Traits are listed under Special in their Stat listing. The various traits are applied in game as and
when they become relevant. Example Heavy Armour Plate is only relevant when a kite is Hit.
Power Climb is relevant when a Kite is making a steep climb.
Table 8

Trait Abrev Effect

Open Cockpit OC + 1 to Hitting the silk
Teardrop TDC Bounce rules, spot bandits on roll of 1-4.
Canopy
Ejector seat ES +2 to hitting the silk
Heavy Armour HAP Ach Nein hits: Struts spars and important stuff also Cable snaps ;
Plate all deal no damage to non-cannon fire. Cockpit hits : No damage
or effect on a D6 roll of 4+
ALL ABOVE COUNT AS NO DAMAGE INFLICTED
Weathercocking W In Tightest Left and Right Turns the kite is capable of roll D6
after
moving. On score of 6 Kite snaps to a random direction and loses
½ D6 height
Power Climb PC Add +1 altimeter in steep climbs
Unstable Uns In all maneuvers except Straights, Left and Right Turns the kite is
capable of roll D6 after moving. On score of 6 Kite snaps to a
random direction and loses ½ D6 height
No Radio’s Rad Chums may not talk to each other in-game about the game!
No Variable VPP Kites do not double throttle on take-off
pitch
propeller
Sloppy Controls Slop After each maneuver roll D6
1 rudder tap left
2-5 no effect
6 rudder tap right
Spats or Tough Sp +2 on Bumps rolls
undercarriage
Flick-roll FK Kite may barrel roll as per pilot skill
Rudder Tap RT Kite may adjust position by the angle indicated on the sideslip
Templates for a rudder tap in either left or right direction.
Rudder Stamp RS Kite may adjust position by twice the angle indicated on the
sideslip template for a rudder tap in either left or right direction.
28

Gravity C Wing under’s stall kite on a D6 roll of 6 prior to movement

Page

carburettor

28
Trait Abrev Effect
Powerful engine Pe + 1 to altitude when carrying out shallow climbs
Nitrous Injector NITRO +5 to Throttle in revup. Three uses per game.

Ultra light or low Ultralight does not lose height due to templates height at speed 1
speed plane
Large L Kite is Large (+ 1 to hit rolls against it)
Carrier Carrier Kite can stop dead on landing.
Float plane Float Kite can land on water
Fire vulnerable Fi If Fuel Tank Holed
D6: CANNON deduct 1
1-3= BANG! Kite prangs, a flamer
4-6= Holed, lose 3 fuel per turn.$
Unreliable Feed Feed On doing tightest turns left or right. Firing Guns jam on D6 =1
Stall Recovery Add +1 to each roll to recover from a stall
Dive Bomber DB Pilot may employ dive brakes which halve the altitude lost in
dives
No Self sealing SST Fuel tanks hit and holed = no effect. (may still BANG!)
Tanks
Unreliable U At maximum throttle roll d20 during revup; on 19-20 engine
Engine seizes (destroyed)

Glossary

Chap: Pilot- the Player Buzz: Mission

Kite: Airplane
Bandit: Enemy Airplane
Prang: Crash, You may destroy the kite, remove it from the game.
A more thematic destruction is by diving it in a steep dive only turning
around F turn radius until it hits the deck. Chap may attempt to hit the silk.
Flamer: A pranged kite with no chance to hit the silk from.
Chum: Friendly airplane/ Wingman
The Hun: The Enemy
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29
 THE CAMPAIGN GAME
This Section of the rules is for those whose hearts beat high to tread
the paths of Glory.

Your Chap may become a legend in his own lunchtime, and Gongs and Rank
await!
Each player sets up a squadron as follows

Choose a Name and Number: For example “Von Schnitzels Flying Circus”

Generate up to 6 Chaps by rolling for their skills on the table below, you will need. 1 Squadron
Leader,1 Flight Lt, and 4 Flight Sgts.
Fill in their Chap ratings on the Squadron Card
Choose 5 Kites, from your nation or whatever you have agreed with your opponents.
Add 50 ammo 5 rockets 10 bombs and 100 fuel to the squadron ammo and fuel dumps.
Allocate Kites to hangers # 1-5 and Chaps to Barracks

CHAPS
Table 8a
To Generate a Chap Roll D6 on the following table for each characteristic.
D6 Gunz G’ Limit Skill
1 -1 3 F
2 0 4 D
3 0 4 C
4 0 5 B
5 +1 6 A
6 +1 8 A
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30
 The Campaign Turn
Start the day.
Morning Briefing: Decide which Chaps will be flying today and each chooses their missions.

Air-Defence
Escort
Attack
Fighter sweep

Allocate Chaps to kites

Deduct fuel & ammo from Squadron Dumps & add to the Kites as you wish. Fuel costs 5 per kite for
Air defence 8 for escort or attack and 10 for a fighter sweep.
Roll for random events

Take-off.
Put the kites on the table, or conduct take-offs if you have agreed this prior to the game

Mission. Carry out the following in strict order.

Any Fighter sweeping Kites fight a dogfight with any Fighter sweeping bandits Any Fighter sweeping
Kites fight a dogfight with any Escort & attack bandits Any Fighter sweeping Kites fight a dogfight with
any Air defence bandits Any Escort Kites fight a dogfight with any Air- Defence bandits

Any Attack Kites fight a dogfight with any Air- Defence bandits Any Attack Kites attack the enemy base.

EG: So a Player allocates a Focke Wulf 190 A8 to air defence & one to escort a Dornier 17 to attack and a
ME262 to fighter sweep. The Opponent Chooses to have three Beaufighters on Air defence and one on
Fighter sweep.

Firstly the 190 and sweeping Beaufighter fight a battle which the 190 loses. The Next dogfight is between
the Battered Beau on sweep and the escort FW 190 &Dornier. The FW 190 loses, The Dornier manages to
bring down the Brit but has one engine destroyed. The Dornier now presses home its attack on the airfield
and meets the 3 Beaufighters on air defence. Unsurprisingly it gets shafted. The Air Defence FW 190
circles its base and never makes contact with anything.

Back to Base!
1. Kites land
2. Unload ammo /fuel and return to the Dump
3. Kites allocated back to Hangers or Maintenance shed
4. Chaps allocated to the Barracks
5. Award XP, Gong points, Rank points , Retribution points & pay
6. Add Sorties & Kills
7. Roll for Replacement Kites & Chaps. Buy new Kit
8. Roll for re-supply

Aborting: A kite may abort its mission by announcing an abort prior to any step in the mission, or during
a mission step by flying off the table. It returns to base and lands. If it received $ damage during its
mission then It is a legal abort, and this carries no consequences. If not $ damage then the Chap will gain
retribution.
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31
Table 8b
Experience (XP): A Chap may gain experience as follows. At campaign step 5 total up the following:

Taking part in a Mission 1

Scoring a Kill 2
Scoring a possible 1
Being wounded 1
Hitting the silk 2
Landing a damaged Kite safely 1
ACES: An Ace with 5 kills may add 1 to the controls of any Kite they fly. (B becomes A)
Experience Points may be spent on personal skills. These are written down on the Chaps card and remain his skills
permanently.

Table 8c PERSONAL SKILLS

Name XP cost Effect
Barrel Roll 5 When being fired at the Chap may execute a barrel roll, throwing the bandits
aim off, deduct one ASI immediately and apply a -1 to the bandits dice rolls
to hit the barrel rolling kite
Flare 10 A chap may make a straight maneuver at half their current ASI rounded up, they will be
attitude climbing and lose 3 Altimeter and half their ASI rounded up
Drop the Slats 9 During rev up chap may lose an additional ASI
Throttle 7 Add one to the throttle of any kite the chap pilots.
Jockey levels 1-3 This may be taken up to three times
Rapid Recovery 7 If the Chaps kite stalls, he will only lose one level and may reroll for facing if
He is not happy with the original roll
Lockheed Stomp 8 Execute Immelmans losing one less ASI than normal
Feather touch 5 Chap adds +1 to Bumps rolls
Air Gunner 5 Turret guns from Chaps Kite are +1 to hit
Grizzled Chin 15 Bandits within 8” and Trailing reveal direction of break
Crazy Ivan 8 When being tailed, do not reveal direction of break
Rudder Tap 10 Following a maneuver, chap may rotate the kite left or right using Rudder tap template
Rudder Stamp 12 Requires rudder tap. Chap may after a maneuver rotate kite using Rudder stamp template.
Chap may not rudder tap in addition to a Stamp in any turn.
Master Pilot 10 Increase Skill by one
Walking the shot 10 Adjust hit location by 1 in either direction of all your hits on Bandits
Power-dive 6 When steep diving add an additional ASI
Power climbing 10 When steep climbing add an additional Altimeter.

Table 8d

Gongs: A Chap is awarded Gong points for their exploits. Total the following.

Escaping a enemy Prison 2

Shooting down 2 bandits 2
in one mission
Safely Landing a Kite 1
back at base with <2
structure remaining
Per 3 missions 1
Being wounded 1
Being wounded and 3
shooting down a bandit in
same mission
Shooting down a bandit 3
32

who has shot a chum on

Page

his chute

32
 Gong Cost Description

Purple Lung (PL) 1 (only for wounded

gong points)
Jam Lid of Honour (JLOH) 1 Nobody respects the
JLOH. My Grans got
several.)

Infamous Flying Cross 2 (For lacklustre

(IFC) halfassedness in the
face of the foe)

Distinguished Flying Star 3 ( For A jolly good

(DFS) chap doing a jolly
good show)
Ordre La CroiX du 5 (For indubitable
Fromage (OCF) Pluck)
Shiny Gong of Ownage 8 (For conduct beyond
(SGO) the call of nature)

Gong points are saved from mission to mission. Chaps may spend them on Gongs as below.

So If Squadron-leader Ramsbottom was wounded & shot down a Bandit whilst wounded and then next
mission shot down 2 bandits, he would have 6 Gong points which he cashes in for an OCF and a PL,
becoming Squadron-leader Ramsbottom OCF & PL.
Gongs have no effect on the game, but they look damn great!

Bases: Cut out several 3”x2” card squares labelled Barracks, Maintenance, AA guns (either MG or shells;
players choice, Hangers 1 through 5, Runway, Prison, Fuel dump & Ammo dump.
Set them up on the table within a 24” area. Any Attack missions will be fought against the base, defended
by any air-defence missions. An Attack mission Kite can attempt to bomb or strafe or rocket the
installations with the following effect.
Runway: If hit, all Kites landing on the base for next 2 games count as landing on grass
Barracks/infirmary: If hit roll D6 for each chap not currently flying. A 5 will wound them,
a 6 will kill them. Maintenance: If hit roll D6 /per kite in maintenance. They are pranged on
a D6 roll of 3+
AA guns: AA guns if hit are destroyed. They are replaced after
D6 missions Hanger: If Hanger has a Kite allocated to it. It is
pranged
Prison: If any prisoners are in prison, they are killed on a D6roll of 6, otherwise escape. Any enemy Chap
who bales out over your field or D6 4+ during a fighter sweep are captured and put in the prison.
Fuel dump: Destroy D20 fuel for each hit
Ammo Dump: destroy D 20 ammo D6 Rockets D6 bombs D6 air mines for each hit

Wounded: Chaps who are wounded go to the infirmary on landing. They may fly missions but until
33

recovery they are -1 skill and -1 gunz.

Replacements:
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A Squadron receives replacement Flight Sergeants if the squadron is below 4 Chaps

33
on a roll of 3+. A Squadron receives replacement kites of the Type lost on a roll of
3+ per Kite. Any Kite damaged is repaired fully after one game in maintenance
Re-supply: A Squadron receives replacement ammo at the rate of 10 ammo, 2
rockets, 3 bombs and 2 air mines each game.
Shot Down: A Chap who hits the silk whilst on a non-air defence mission must roll for escape.
On a 4+ he is captured and taken to the enemy base, wined, dined and thrown in prison.
On a 1-3 he returns to base safely.

Retribution: A Chap who aborts a mission with $ damage, who buzzes the
airfield, who shoots a Enemy Chap on a chute, who hit’s the silk without scoring
a kill gets a retribution point.

When a chap has 3 points roll a D6

1-4= Demoted one rank,
5=jailed for d6 Japes
6= Shot Dead by Firing squad

Random Events
There’s a lot can happen on an airbase to scupper the plans of the most fastidious Wing-Co. Roll D6 in
this phase. On a score of 5+ a random event occurs! If so
Roll D10 on the table below.
Table 8e
1) Grouse shooting. The Air Commodore is passing nearby with his staff, and they are busy potting Pheasants.
During the Take Off phase a random Kite in your squadron gets struck by a panicking game bird avoiding the
pot. Deal no damage to structure, but roll d20 on the ach nein table and apply it to the Kite.
2) Beer Goggles. It was a heavy night last night at the Piston Broke inn. One random enterprising chap has
swapped a barrel of petrol for a barrel of beer as a prank. The beer is surprisingly high octane and all Kites will
still fly this game, but have their ceilings halved due to the poor quality of the fuel. On the brighter side, no fuel
tanks can explode, but are holed instead. Holed tanks spray neat booze around the cockpit and the chap gets
merrily pissed. D6 at each revup phase, on a 1 the kite stalls this turn as the chap reels about, shouting over the
radio that everyone is his Besh mate-Hic!
3) National Jingoism day. Today is your nations Jingoism day. The flag is waved and xenophobic hatred songs are
sung. Everyone’s head threatens to explode with misplaced pride. Double all experience points gained today for
your pilots, but if any pilot is shot down, then the sheer shock that a foreigner could win deflates the squadron’s
morale massively. The chap who let the side down receives triple retribution points.
4) Today is not a good day to fly. It’s a really really crappy weather day. The rain means all gunfire is restricted
to 8” range, the wind is so strong that it will blow each kite in D6 random direction D3 inches, retaining their
34

facing, immediately after the movement phase ends.. Place at least 6 clouds in the game area, and each turn
roll a D20 on 19+ a random kite, friend or foe , gets zapped by d10 damage worth of lightning
5) Schnapps in the mess. The enemy’s prison guards have fallen asleep. Using a jam jar and dispersing soil
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around the camp in their trousers, any pilots you have prisoner escape and return for tea and medals!
34
 6) Lady Rotunda, the CO’s wife, is visiting the Squadron on short notice. This means that The CO’s mistress needs
to get off the field pronto. Best way to do that is stick her in a Fairey Battle/ Dornier controlled by an umpire.
The Fairey Battle is deployed as an extra kite on this Buzz, but will remain at Altimeter 3 and travel in a
straight line till it leaves the opposite table edge. It has no guns. If the Mistress gets shot down, the pilot who
does it gains d6 gong points and everyone on your team gets 2 retribution!
7) Going Commando! A Crack enemy Commando squad screeches in through your bases gates machine guns
blazing. They Prang one random kite and knock out the AA guns before screaming off in a cloud of dust. Place
two Jeep markers on the table top this mission, heading towards the enemies base. You may bomb and strafe
them during the mission, gaining 2XP for each one destroyed.
8) Schweine Flu. This particularly nasty outbreak hospitalises a random Chap for the whole mission
9) Experimental Parachutes. The Squadron is asked to test some experimental parachutes, made out of bricks.
Although it seems a bit dubious to the Chaps, the Brass are eager to test them out. All Hitting the Silk this
mission will be at -2 on the roll.
10) The Jitters. A random Chap gets the jitters. He will abort the mission on a D6 roll of 5+ the moment he is
exposed to any loud noise. This includes firing his guns, bomb explosions, Planes exploding, being hit by
gunfire. The Chap doesn’t know he is going to get the jitters and must still fly the mission anyway!

Flight pay:
A Chap earns £1 a buzz with an extra £2 per kill. Each retribution point deducts £1 from his/ her
pay.
After a Buzz a pilot may spend his pay as follows.

Table 8f
Cost Name Effect
£6 Intimidating paint Job Such is the fear instilled by the paint job, bandits
firing at this kite are -1 to hit it
£1 Iron undercarriage +1 to Bumps rolls on fitted kite
£2 Bribe the C.O The C.O writes a glowing report on you. +1 gong point
£1 Pints in the mess Everyone thinks you’re a good chap,
choose your kite for the next mission out of the squadrons inventory
£1 Disposable Escape kit Chap automatically escapes from enemy prison
£4 Noise seeking rocket Fires like a normal rocket but may make one turn
during its flight.
£2 Lucky Rabbits foot Dispose of the foot to reroll one dice
£7 Turbocharger +1 Throttle on fitted kite
£3 Pipe of Port Recover instantly from wounds
£2 Ejector seat +1 to hitting the silk rolls
£4 Moustache wax Everything you do is mightily impressive, Double
all XP next buzz
£1 Armour plate Damage Results 12-13 count as no damage at all.

Schnell Reference Sheet

Table Ach Nine
Dakka –Dakka
RANGE/ Snapshot Leading Trailing Up the Arse
DEFLECTION
1-4 5+ 4+ 3+ 2+
5-9 7+ 6+ 5+ 4+
10-30 8+ 7+ 6+ 5+
Chaps Guns skill + “X” Greying out -1

Large Target +1 Firer doing +4 G maneuver or greater -1

this turn
Firer shouts “Dakka-Dakka”Loudly
35

+1
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35
Table Ach 9 “ACH NEIN” Single & Twin Engine Fighters & Fighter-bombers damage results. Roll D20
1) Propeller Boss: (If gun mounted here it is destroyed). Roll D20;
1-2 No effect
Inline Engines- 3-8 Coolant tank punctured. Engine overheats. from next turn Throttle is -1 and each turn roll D on 5+
engine seized Kite Prangs.$
Radial Engines 3-10 Cylinders smashed. Throttle halved (rounded down)
All engines 15 -20 prop shot off/Drives smashed , Engine Dead single engine kite prangs or throttle =1 Kite Prangs

2 & 3) Engine: Randomize if multiengine

Roll D20
1-6 Throttle -1 & streaming smoke
6-10 Engine damaged throttle 1 if single engine .Throttle halved for twin engines
11-14-$ Engine wrecked. Throttle 0. (Twin engine Throttle halved)
15-20 Flamer! Fuel lines ablaze, engine wreathed in fire . All machines kite down in flames

4 ) Weapon mount $ : D20 1-10: weapon jams 11-20: Weapon Destroyed If several mounts are fitted, randomize
which is affected.

5) Canopy: D6
1= gun sight smashed -1 to hit,
2= windshield smashed max ASI now 4
3=Throttle jammed, no REVUP phase
4=Chap wounded for 1 game* $
5&6= Chap Killed 6, 7) Struts spars and important stuff: Deal 1 extra damage to the kite

6). Rear Gunner: (Else Struts).D6 D6 1= gun sight smashed -1 to hit, 2,3=Weapon destroyed 4=Chap wounded for 1
game* $ 5&6= Chap Killed

7) Radio destroyed

8 & 9 Starboard / Port Engine) (see 2-3) if not twin engine then structural damage

10-14) Structural damage: No additional effects

15 & 16) Wings:D6

1&2=Structural- no additional effects,
3Flaps -1 on Bumps rolls,
4/ 5= ailerons Reduce Kites Controls by 1
6 Wing root , shears off- Kite Prangs.

17) Undercarriage:D6
1= Plane fireballs on landing Chap killed & kite Pranged,
2= Plane screeches to a halt in a welter of twisted metal, Chap wounded 2 games and Kite out of action for 1 game
3-6 =Under cart groans and holds.

18) Fuel tanks:D6:

Modifier CANNON /+ 2
1-5= Holed, lose 3 fuel per turn.$
6= BANG! Kite prangs down in flames
36

19 Oxygen tanks. Grey out next turn if above 12 Altimeter Cable snaps: Plane gains Unstable and slop traits
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20)Rudder blown off Turns at -2 maneuver class other maneuvers unaffected.

36
37
Table 10 Hitting the Silk:
Occasionally a chap might not wish to plunge at 400mph in a blazing coffin. At any point of any turn a
chap may attempt a bail out. Once decided on this course the kite is a pranger. Example, Squiffy is in a
Spitfire with no enemy in sight. He is in the firing phase.. He decides after checking initiative and
seeing no enemy around to bail out. Nobody not even he, claimed he was sane.

He rolls immediately and gets a 1 on a D6 and his canopy is stuck. The kite from its next turn is
pranging in the movement phase and thus will move in a steep dive at the current speed. Next turn he
cannot simply try to get control of the old crate. He is banging helplessly at the Perspex and rolling
again.
Maybe he will get out of his doom dive before hitting terra firma?

Nikita Gorshkovskislov takes 30 damage to his crate this turn. It falls apart around him. He bales out.
Rolling a 3 he would land with a broken ankle or similar. However he was flying a I16 with a open
cockpit so adds +1 which means he gets out of the wreck easily and lands like a cat trained in ballet!

Chaps in a Non flamer kite that is Pranging or who voluntary bale out roll D6
1/2 Canopy stuck, In a bit of a spin. Try again next turn, if there IS a
next turn!
3 OWCH! That was a terrible landing. Wounded for 1 game.
4-6 Land like a cat trained in ballet. Happy days
Kites at < 2 Altimeter -1 to roll
OC/open cockpit +1 to roll

Table 11 Bumps
Score Result
2 Kite Prangs and fireballs Chap killed
3 Kite Prangs Chap wounded 2 games. Kite Unserviceable 3 games
4 Kite Prangs Chap wounded,1 games. Kite Unserviceable 2 games
5 Undercart collapses, slews to a halt. Kite unserviceable next game.
6-12 Safe landing
Modifiers
-2 Undercart damaged
+1 Landing on undamaged runway
+X Chap skill
-1 Chap wounded
-1 Ailerons/ Flaps damaged

38
 Scenarios
SCENARIO 1 Out of the Sun!

Date August 1940

Margate, England Players –2
GERMAN PLAYER BF109E
BRITISH PLAYER SPITFIRE 1B
At the Height, (height…geddit? height?? ) of the Battle of Britain a Lone Spitfire MK1B, almost out of fuel is
bounced by a BF109E who has just visited Margate to strafe the pier and buy some ice creams.
The Spitfire starts at Altimeter 9 and ASI 3 with the 109 up its arse at Altimeter 13 and ASI 5 and 20” away.
The Spit can only make straight Manoeuvres or F Left/Right turns until it spots the 109 at the
Beginning of any turn by rolling a 3+. Behind the 109 place a yellow ball. This is the sun. No really it’s the
sun-….honest. Any kite climbing and with the sun in its forward arc gets a -1 to hit with all weapons
The Spit has limited fuel, If the dogfight lasts longer than 9 turns, it is going to have to land in a field. The 109
has limited ammo since it spent all but two of its 20mm shells blowing up a big dipper near the beach.
All pilots are bog standard with no skills.
The German gets a major victory if they shoot down the Spit. The Brits get a major victory if vice
versa The German gains a minor victory if the Spitfire is forced off the table before 9 turns
All other results are a draw

SCENARIO2 Shooting Gallery

Date 29th May 1940

Over Dunkirk, France
Players 5
GERMAN PLAYER 1X BF110c, 2X JU87 B1 with 2 x 250lbs bombs
BRITISH PLAYER 2X Defiants
On this day No. 264 Sqn claimed 65 kills, mostly Junkers Ju 87 Stukas and Messerschmitt Bf 110c twin-engine
heavy fighters. This battle represents a portion of that day’s action.
The battle begins with the JU87’s at ASI 4 and Altimeter 9 flying towards a Little-Ship 60” away to their front
arc the ship can be cut out of card, and should be about 8”long. The ship is the target of the Stukas bombing
and will sink if hit.
The Defiants Begin at ASI 4 and Altimeter 13 over the little ship and with the JU’s in their forward arc. After
10 turns, the BF 110 arrives from the German table edge, Altimeter 14 and ASI 5 with the little ship (or its
remains!) in its forward arc. The Battle ends when the Stukas exit off their table edge.

The Germans gain 10 victory points for sinking the ship and 5 for each defiant killed.
The British gain 2 victory points if the ship remains afloat and 5 for each German plane shot down.

39
 SCENARIO 3 Struggling to Fly

Date 11 Sept 1938

Dung Chow Ping, China
Players 3
CHINESE PLAYER 1X Breda BA27
JAPANESE PLAYER 2X Kawasaki Ki-32 MARYS w 2X250lbs Bombs
This is a hypothetical fight in the second Sino Japanese war as a single Breda struggles to intercept the
mighty KI 32’s with their 850HP engines and two, count ‘em two machineguns!
The Japanese start at ASI 3 Altimeter 10, the Chinese player starts at ASI 3 Altimeter 12 and facing the
Japanese rear arcs at 20” range. The Marys are 120 inches from an airbase protected by 2 Flack guns.
The Marys may be powerful, but they still are Bombers and the Breda is a fighter. Starting the game by
diving might keep you ahead for a while, but you don’t want to be so low that your bombs destroy you.
The Breda shouldn’t really be up so high and it will need some fancy flying to allow it to catch the Marys
after it burns off the initial Altimeter advantage. Ammunition is also a real concern.
Chinese Heroic victory: Kill both Marys
Chinese Victory: Kill a Mary
Japanese Victory: Kill the Breda
Japanese Heroic victory: Kill the Breda and Bomb the hanger at the base.

SCENARIO 4 Ducks in a gallery

Date 11 Feb1942
Malaya
Players 3
DUTCH PLAYER 2X B339 Brewster Buffalos
JAPANESE PLAYER 1X A6M1 Zero-Sen
In the early days of the Pacific war, Japan outclassed and outnumbered the British Dutch and
Commonwealth forces. Here a Japanese Zero finds itself outnumbered, but this shouldn’t be a problem.
The Bandits are two B339’s, lumbering underpowered machines. It’s a head on pass with the Jap coming out
of a large cloud
The Japanese start at ASI 4 Altimeter 10, the Dutch player starts at ASI 3 Altimeter 12 and facing the
Japanese Front arc at Range 15”. The Zero has a 12”long oval shaped cloud directly behind it.
The Japanese pilot is a veteran of the Chinese war. He has the Skills Barrel roll /Rapid recovery and Walking
the shot
Dutch Heroic victory: Kill The Zero
Japanese Victory: Kill Both Buffalos
Otherwise Draw.
For a Closer game, replace the Buffalos with Dutch P36 Hawk 75N’s and the US score a Victory on
killing the Zero and the Zero a Victory on Killing a P36 and at least damaging the other.
For a game slightly tipped against the Japanese player, replace the Buffalos with P40D’s in a standard first
kill to win mission.
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40
 SCENARIO 6 Stand Still Damn it!

December 1951
Mig Alley: Korea
Players 2
NORTH KOREAN PLAYER: 1X Po2
AUSTRALIA: F86 Sabre

It’s the Korean war and Dung Chow Ping is awaiting a delivery of capitalist babies heads, arriving by P02.

The Po2 starts at Altimeter 4 ASI 1 and 15” away from Pings Dispersal hut. 30” behind it in its RA is a F86
Sabre. ASI 11 Altimeter 7
It’s almost as if the worst possible plane was about to meet the best possible plane in a duel to the death(of
the Polikarpov).

The North Korean gets a Heroic Victory if they manage to land within 6” of the dispersal hut.
The Australian player sort of, doesn’t lose. if they blow the crap out of the PO2. Nope this game isn’t
fair.

SCENARIO 5 Escape to Egypt

17 April 1941
Over the Adriatic
Players 3
YUGOSLAVIAN PLAYER 1X IK 2, 1X IK 3
GERMAN PLAYER1X BF109E
The Yugoslav government has bowed to the inevitable, Germany is to annex Yugoslavia, a puppet state
beckons. After days of heroic fighting the last of the Royal Yugoslavian Air Force stands down. All of them but
a handful of pilots who, filling up their tanks to the maximum and throwing out all unnecessary weight, take
one last time into the skies to escape to Egypt.
Perhaps the RAF will accept them? This scenario has a couple of JAF fighters intercepted on their flight to
freedom by a ME109.
The IK3 could probably handle the 109 alone, let alone with its little IK2 mate. But they are handicapped by
several factors.
1) It’s a closing pass fight
2) They have only enough fuel for 7 turns of combat before they must head towards the opposite table
edge to escape
3) The IK3 has just one burst for its 20mm cannon, the pilot saved weight by only loading a few rounds
4) Neither JAF kite has Radios since they threw them out to save weight.
All kites start facing front arcs at range 42” Altimeter 8 and ASI 3

Its a fight to the death unless the Yugoslav player runs out of fuel win which case a Yugo minor
Victory is gained by escaping
41
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41
42

Page 42
 SQUADRON NUMBER_____________

SQUADRON NAME___________________
SQUADRON
Nation____________________ Squadron card BADGE &
MOTTO
PLAYER(S)_____________________________
Barracks ______

Flack
Runway
Guns

Fuel Dump Ammo Dump

1

2
HANGERS
3
Maintenance Prison
4

6
Infirmary

CHAPS
Rank Name Skill G’s Guns Gongs XP Kills Retribution Sorties
Sq Ldr
F.O
Flt Sgt

43
Flt Sgt
Flt Sgt

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43
 Turn
Sequence
1 Clear Turret Guns that have jammed D6 4+ (3+if ace)
2 If at full throttle last turn deduct a point of fuel optional
3 If 0 Fuel left announce “IM BINGO” optional
4 Each pilot Chooses a Maneuver and marks it on their
kite card
5 Initiative is checked
6 Tailed kites announce breaks Tailing kite may change
maneuver choice
7 Announce maneuvers
8 Rev up: add to your Rev total up to your max throttle
for the height of your kite unless this would be > your
max ASI. If this total crosses a boundary of a multiple
of 10 add 1 speed for each boundary. Alternatively
Feather Prop and deduct 1 speed: reset Rev total to
zero
9 Stall check: If a kite is ASI 0 it stalls; carry out all stalls
10 Carry out all maneuvers moving kites around their
templates; remember any special maneuvers such as
Rudder tap or flick roll and apply effects
11 Add or deduct height and speed for the given
maneuver
12 Add or deduct height and speed for any climb or dive
carried out as part of a Straight or a Turn maneuver
13 Mark attitude of kite as climbing/diving (nose
up/down)
14 Check overlapping bases and roll for Fox Fours D6 : 1 either way
15 Check ASI against Crack up speed. Roll for any crack dD6 + excess speed
up damage over Crackup speed. 6
= take damage
16 Check ASI against level flight speed. If > level flight
ASI and climbing or level this turn reduce ASI by 1
17 Tally up G Force points. Carry out any stalls due to Optional
blackouts
18 Check arcs of fire
19 Measure Range to target
20 Deduct a point of ammo for each system firing
21 Determine scores to hit and roll for hits
22 If any hits are scored roll D20 for hit location
23 Deduct damage points from targets structure and note
special damage on targets kite card
24 If Target Kite is at 0 structure it is a pranger!
25 Hit the silk rolls
44

26 End Turn
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44
The Wing Under; (Split S)

This is a reversal of the half loop.

The kite this time will travel
forwards slightly before reversing
the facing 180 degrees. The
manoeuvre causes significant
losses to Altimeter and a relative
gain in ASI. The Kite needs a
minimum ASI of 3 to carry out the
manoeuvre. Kites attempting it at
lesser ASIs may do so and
automatically enter a stall.

Defensively the Wing Under can

throw a close pursuit or provide a
rapid advantage gain on a tailing
bandit. The problem of course is
that Altimeter only lasts for so
long! Wing Under’s result in a
diving attitude
The Half loop is a reversal of the
Wingunder. It requires a better run
up and thus more initial speed.
Half loops drain away energy and if
not timed correctly can leave a
machine wallowing and
vulnerable. This said, it can quickly
reverse a low deflection victim into
a high deflection attacker! 45
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45
 The C turn is an excellent manoeuvrable turn
able to line a target up and if travelling at
higher ASI will cause no problems with stability
in the vertical axis. The C turn represents the
limits of turn for heavier single engine fighters
46Page

46
The G Turn is the gentlest of touches on
the rudder. This manoeuver is used to
line up a bomb run or a landing
approach. It has little combat use
47
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47
The E and F turns are useful for lining up on a
target. Large un-manoeuvrable aircraft are
limited to such turns. At lower ASIs these
gentler turns provide less of a drop in
Altimeter and so are suitable for landing
approaches or for fine tuning a bomb run.
48
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48
 The “A” turn is the tightest turn in the game. It
provides rapid direction change but at higher ASIs can
reduce ASI considerably. At the lowest ASIs the kite
drops like a brick. Usually this manoeuvre at such low
ASI is best avoided! This represents highly
manoeuvrable aircraft such as the Japanese Zero.

Sideslips are a result of dropping one wing, hitting hard

opposite rudder and letting the kite slide diagonally
down through the air. This is harsh on airframe and
pilot, it’s also an energy sink.

Sideslips are usually a defensive manoeuvre to drop

away from a bandit’s arc of fire. Due to the heavy loss
in both ASI and altitude, this manoeuvre is often a last
resort.
49
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49
The D Turn is a good manoeuvrable
turn able to line a target up and if
travelling at a reasonable ASI will
cause no problems with stability in
the vertical axis.

This is the limit of the manoeuvre

envelope for Light Bombers and a
few very sluggish or heavy fighters
50
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50
 Combat Loop
The loop is a option for machines
at ASI 5 or above. The Kite is
placed with the forward hex side
aligned with the START and
simply moves backwards along
the template till it reaches its final
position for the speed.
Defensively the Loop can, ideally
reverse the tables on a bandit
closely tailing behind, but more
often such a fancy trick simply
burns off energy and altitude for
little gain. Use with Caution!

Straight flight is directly ahead. At lower ASIs

the machine will not be given enough lift and
loses Altimeter accordingly. Straight flight is
useful in a dogfight when in a trailing or tailing
position at low angles of attack and at a
distance from the bandit. It maintains the
positional advantage best when you are unsure
of your opponent’s next move.

Of course it is the manoeuvre for taking off

51
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landing and bomb runs too!

51
The B turn is an excellent manoeuvrable
turn. It is quite able to line a target up at
high angles of attack and if travelling at
higher speed will cause no problems
with stability in the vertical axis. The B
turn represents the limits of turn for
single engine fighters with low wing
loading and reputations for
manoeuvrability

52
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52
 The Immelmann turn is named after Max Immelmann a
WW1 pilot who devised it as a method of attack. The
manoeuvre requires a minimum ASI of 5 to carry out. Kites
attempting it at lesser ASIs may do so and automatically
enter a stall. The kite is moved forwards to its turn point
then rotated 180 degrees. The end attitude is a dive.

An Immelmann will often end in a kite losing so much ASI at

the top of the manoeuvre that it is vulnerable to an
opponent with high energy. Pilots may stall off the top of
the climb. Stalling in a dogfight is not usually good!

In close in Dogfights for this reason the Immelmann is

obsolete as an air Combat Manoeuvre.

It remains highly effective in attacks on much lower

performance aircraft such as heavy bombers where it can
rapidly line the fighter up for another attack run

RUDDER TAP RUDDER STAMP

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53
 Designers Notes

I started with the basic concept of wanting a fast play, easy to pick up WW2 fighter game that allowed real
world tactics to work.

Then I decided that I wanted real world physics to fit into the mix, then I wanted to include bombers, because,
well you need bombers. Then I needed to include every single type of kite that fought in WW2. This of course
means that as well as dealing with the Auster and Tiger Moth, I needed to fit ME163’s into the same game
space. The more I did the more I needed to do. So what has this monster become?

Well at heart Blazing Skies is a WW2 piston engine single seat Fighter game still. That’s what it does well.
Players may find that in order to fight their Arado 76’s they might have to do some unrealistic things, like fight
almost entirely in the vertical axis. This is what happens when you have such a mixed bag of aircraft with such
widely differing capabilities.

I wanted a plane to feel like a plane, when its nose dropped it picked up speed, when it was raised it lost speed,
for its engine to steadily overcome or fail to overcome gravity. I wanted for the dipping of a wing to drop the
machines height and for a plane to be able to land and take off realistically just by lining it up on the runway,
flying straight and lifting the nose and working the undercarriage. I also wanted each plane to feel like the
plane it represented. For A Spitfire MK 1 to have its engine stall if it flew inverted, for the BF109E to snatch at
its controls in tight turns, the P40 to struggle in thin air and for the Zero to explode in flames. I wanted gunnery
to be fast and smooth and for snap head on shots to rarely hit whilst long no-deflection bursts to tear these
fragile machines apart.

Blazing Skies can’t bring about the smell of the cockpit and the tremor of the controls, nor the gut-sucking g-
forces of a tight turn.but it can leave you shouting at your engine for more power or confused and helpless to
shake the bandit in your rear view mirror

This is a game not a simulation, and some people may say, “Ahh, but the Zero could actually out climb the P38
in a steep climb” or something similar. To that end, I will say, yes, but what happens if the P38 has more initial
energy? This is the kind of subtlety in the rules. Players will no doubt begin playing by pulling off half-loops and
sideslips and immellmans like they are going out of fashion. Then they may wonder where all their speed just
went. A Pilot who carefully manages their speed is the one who will win a fight. In WW2 speed was the biggest
factor in performance rather than sheer manoeuvrability. Speed and power are abstracted. Yes a merlin engine
didn’t deliver a big wedge of power every so often and it may seem a little strange waiting for power to kick in
so you can lift your nose. The hard edge of the power delivery simulates a much smoother power curve, but
makes bookkeeping much simpler.

Make a miscalculation and you will be hanging in the air. A Pilot in play testing side slipped his Hurricane all
the way from 22000 feet into the sea because he didn’t consider that height was eventually going to run out!
Likewise if you power climb for two turns in a row and zoom up from 0 to 12000 feet don’t be surprised when
you stall the turn after unless you level out.

Some players express surprise when their steep dives slam them into the ground. Bear in mind that a steep dive
at ASI 6 means that you have plummeted at 450 MPH almost vertically and lost 12000 feet. If you do the same
next turn you are at over 600 MPH. Simple answer is Watch What You Are Doing!

There is scope in the game for making your kites do things you never expect. In the spirit of the game players
should laugh about the time they did a split S wing under whilst at 2000 feet and smacked into the ground.
54

Unlike the real hero’s of that age, it’s simply a case of starting again with a fresh Kite Card.
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54
Players might again balk at losing their machine in the first turn of a closing pass. What kind of a game is that? Such
situations will be pretty rare unless you are facing a terror like a ME262’s battery of 30mm cannons, and in this instance
I would say, yeah, that machine was fearsome in a head on pass. Simply get behind it and it can’t outmanoeuvre you (it
then just speeds off and does it again!)

The tightest turn is not automatically the best turn. You have to as a pilot consider the opponents position, what they are
likely to do, where they are likely to be. If you are tailing you will have a snap advantage as you see them break, but as
you commit to the manoeuvre who can tell if you are going to make the right choice? Many after action reports talk of a
sense of “where did he go?” felt by pilots.

When flying with a wingman use your radios, talk to each other and fight with a plan. In play testing more than one
collision occurred from lack of this.

Some players will note that they technically don’t have enough firepower to bring down their opponent even if they hit
with every shot. This is balanced by the flipside that even a single .30 calibre can explode a fuel tank or kill the pilot of
the toughest machine with a single burst. The common occurrence in reality of a fighter coming back “Winchester” for
ammo and not having even damaged their target would be frustrating for a gamer, so Ammo is kept at realistic levels
whilst fire arcs are very generous. Most fighter’s guns are “Forward Arc”. This is to give a fast and furious aspect to play.
In reality the bore sighted “forward only” arc is more realistic, but where is the fun in a game that you are struggling to
get a burst off? The other reason being that the manoeuvres put your plane in the general area of where you want to go,
the fine tuning of firing is carried out by the pilot. They would tap the rudder if the foes was slightly off centre and walk
the fire into the enemy. This is the reasons why some heavy fighters have FF guns, not just because of the bore sighting of
the guns , but because of the sluggishness of the machine.

The Campaign game has a slightly cartoonish feel to it. This Jars a little with the emphasis on realism I have tried to
achieve elsewhere, its optional of course and you can design your own missions. The game is a game of course and
players are intended to be a little light hearted and have fun. Anyone not having fun will be shot

Blazing Skies is a stand alone game. You will not need to buy supplements or army lists. I will be adding new planes and
updates to my website http://atkinswargames.wix.com/atkinswargames#! as and when I can. Ideas for scenarios
can be sent to peteblockley@tiscali.co.uk which is coincidentally the address to send any pay pal donations to.

Donations are occasionally well received and help keep the enthusiasm for churning out new rules and planes and ideas.

A suitable amount I would hazard is £3.10. Why this figure? Well it’s the price of a fine lager at my local. I’ll drink your
health and wish you fair skies.

Blazing Canvas and Blazing Jets will be separate future games dealing with WW1 and the Fast Jet era. Don’t hold your
breath.
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What Ho Chaps? Wingco here! Bloody super show to see you all!
We in the RAF are looking for some sterling chaps full of Pluck
and Spunk (and this is in an age where “spunk” doesn’t have any
other Connotations).
The main thing we need though is some Chaps who are up for a
Jape, and can bag a few Boche right in the custard.
Jerrys been baiting our crates at the sharp end, so its going to
take a bunch of goats who are able to handle the saucepans.
We haven’t any room for Bally flap-slatters or Bunters, Oh no!

So Grab your ten to two’s, fuel up your Gladiator and lets chalk
up some Huns before the Pub opens.
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Not a Scooby of what I’m on about? Don’t speak Banter?

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Not to worry! Buy Blazing Skies. You’ll soon find out.

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