Fallen Angels

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WW1 Aerial Combat

Introduction
Fallen Angels is a tabletop war game that is designed to 'simulate' World War 1 air combat. I say 'simulate' because the game's number one priority is to remain fun, it will roughly replicate the fighting style and tactics of the time but when realism and fun clash, fun will always prevail.

Winning The Game

In order to win a game of 'Fallen Angels' you must complete one of two tasks: 1. Eliminate all opponent planes 2. Complete objectives set by the scenario There are a number of other ways that you can win a game of 'Fallen Angels' but these are scenario specific and will be explained in detail with the specified scenario.

Beginning The Game

At the start of the game you need to determine your fuel and ammunition levels, most of the time a scenario type will dictate the fuel and ammunition levels for each aircraft. Don't worry, fuel and ammunition are not complicated to keep track of, and as you'll only be flying with one or two planes per player, it keeps things simple. Roll 1D6 for each aircraft participating in the battle (including reserves) Fuel Level:
1 2: Low Fuel: Start with 20 fuel 3 4: Medium Fuel: Start with 40 Fuel 5 6: High Fuel: Start with 60 Fuel Ammunition Level: 1 2: Low Ammo: Start with 10 Ammo 3 4: Medium Ammo: Start with 15 Ammo 5 6: High Ammo: Start with 20 Ammo

If you reach 0 fuel/ammo you lose the use of it, this means if you run out of ammo you may no longer fire, and if you run out of fuel you stall and crash. All of this information can be written down on the pilot sheets at the back of the rules.

Movement
Lets talk about movement. In order to traverse your aircraft around on the battlefield you'll need to understand the basics of movement. These are simple and easy to learn rules so you should be up in the air in no time. All movement is always measured in inches and the movement rate can vary depending on the aircraft. These different stats can be found with the aircraft data at the back of the rules set. You also 'spend' fuel in moving, you will use more or less fuel depending on if you are damaged, your rate of climb, and your speed. I have written these rules to be somewhat realistic, therefore all movement speeds for the real life counterparts of your models have been considered when writing the stats for the aircraft. The aircraft stats sheets will tell you the maximum speed the may travel at. However modifiers such as diving may increase the speed past the maximum normal movement rate. Speed For obvious reasons you cannot spend a turn in a stationary position, you MUST move at least 4 per turn, regardless of speed or rate of climb. The 'Normal Speed' and 'High Speed' rates will vary with different aircraft. Example: 'Hannover CL.111a' Slow Speed move 4 lose no fuel Normal Speed move 7 lose 1 fuel High Speed move 10 lose 2 fuel

Turning In order to turn, you must use the hexagonal turning template that is provided at the back of the rules. In order to turn 'one face' on the template you must move at LEAST 4, this will simulate the banking rate of a plane and prevent any unrealistic manoeuvres taking place.

Climbing/Diving There are 3 simple rules to climbing/diving Shallow Climb 'Climb' 1 level of altitude per 7 of movement, lose no speed next turn, lose 0 fuel. Normal Climb 'Climb' 2 levels of altitude per 7 of movement, lose 4 of speed next turn lose 1 fuel Steep Climb 'Climb' 3 levels of altitude per 7 lose 6 of movement, next turn lose 2 fuel Shallow Dive 'Dive' 1 level of altitude per 7 of movement, gain 2 of speed next turn, lose 0 fuel. Normal Dive 'Dive' 2 levels of altitude per 7 of movement, gain 4 of speed next turn, lose 0 fuel. Steep Dive 'Dive' 3 levels of altitude per 7 of movement, gain 7 of speed next turn, lose 0 fuel. If you have less than 4 of movement at the BEGINNING of a turn you stall (lose 4 levels of altitude every turn you continue to stall) Roll a 4+ to recover (lose 4 altitude for 1 turn then continue to play as normal) if you fail the roll you continue to stall, taking the stall test at the start of every turn. If you reach 0 altitude... the game is over. The maximum height your aircraft can reach is 40.

Aerobatics
In order to maintain a bit of realism I have kept all unrealistic aerobatics out of the game. The planes of the time were underpowered and fragile, they had a tendency to come apart if subjected to intense manoeuvring. These rules try to reflect this by making it hard for you to maintain altitude for your aircraft and making evasive manoeuvres tricky. In order to evade the enemy and attack him effectively it is a good idea to maintain a higher altitude than them and try to keep them off your tail so they cannot 'target' you. More about targeting will be explained later on. It is always a good idea to try and stay behind the enemy so that YOU can target THEM, this enables you to be more accurate with your fire and thus do more damage.

Shooting
In order to shoot down enemy planes, there is a simple list of things you must do, you first need to be within 4 levels of altitude either above or below, you must then determine whether your pilot can 'target' the enemy plane. After this you must roll a series of tests in order to try and inflict damage upon your foe. 'Targeting' Targeting is a simple way of re-creating the accuracy achieved by staying on the tail of an enemy for an extended period of time, the pilot has more thinking time, and is able to fire more accurately. If your aircraft is within range, and the enemy aircraft is within the arc of fire for 2 or more turns, you may declare that your pilot has 'targeted' the enemy plane. This will have an effect on the damage tables later on. Range You must be in range in order to fire, the range of your guns is on the stats sheets. Facing Facing can be easilly determined by looking at the direction your aircraft is going in relarion to the enemy. Below is a simple diagram to show what the 4 facings are.
Right Side

Front

Behind

Left Side

Roll 'Jam Test' This is a simple test that simulates how unreliable the weapons of the time were. Pilots often found their guns jamming at the critical moment before they engaged the enemy! Before you roll to hit, determine whether your weapon has jammed: Roll 1 D6, on a roll of 1, the weapon has jammed and you may not fire this turn, the weapons is un-jammed next turn, but you must still make a 'Jam Test' Freeze Test Another factor you must consider at this time is the altitude. At altitudes higher than 30, there is a chance that your weapons could freeze. The first time you fire in a game, roll 1 D6, on a roll of 1 or 2, the weapons are frozen over. You may not fire this turn, the only way to enable your guns to fire is to go below 30 altitude. After you have fired once successfully, you no longer need to take 'Freeze Tests' your weapons have warmed up enough and can operate at any altitude. Roll to Hit The next step is to determine whether you can actually hit your target, in your stats sheet there is a 'Pilot Skill', this added to speed and ROF modifiers will determine the roll you need to hit. Speed Modifiers Target moved 'Max Speed' or higher last turn, -1 on 'To Hit' roll. Target moved 'Slow Speed' last turn, +1 on 'To Hit' roll. Once these modifiers have been determined, add them to your pilot skill. E.g. 'Pilot Skill' = 4 (player must roll a 4+ in order to hit) Target moved at 'Low Speed' last turn +1 to roll This means that the player must now roll a 3+ in order hit.

ROF Modifiers This is a very simple set of modifiers that control how much you fire during the shooting phase. The table below shows the various 'Rates of Fire' and their effects: Rate of Fire 1 2 3 Effect Lose 1 ammunition point +1 to 'Hit' lose 2 ammunitions points +2 to hit lose 3 ammunition points

If you hit your target, the next thing to do is roll on the damage table below: Calculating Damage (Roll a D6)
Normal Fire Result 1 2 3 4 5 6 Front No effect No effect No effect Fuselage Engine/Prop Fuel tank Behind No effect No effect No effect Fuselage Rudder/Elevator Gunner Lest Side No effect No effect Left Wing Fuselage Fuselage Engine/Prop Right Side No effect No effect Right Wing Fuselage Fuselage Engine/Prop

Targeted Fire Result 1 2 3 4 5 6

Front No effect Fuselage Fuselage Engine/Prop Engine/Prop Pilot

Behind No effect Fuselage Fuselage Rudder/Elevator Rudder/Elevator Gunner

Lest Side No effect Left Wing Left Wing Fuselage Engine Fuel tank

Right Side No effect Right Wing Right Wing Fuselage Engine Fuel Tank

All Damage effects are cumulative and must be plotted on the aircraft damage stats sheet. Once the 'CRITICAL DAMAGE' tally has reached 10 your game is over, the aircraft has sustained too much damage and either explodes in mid air or goes crashing to the ground.

Below is a list of the different damage effects: 1. Engine/Prop Movement is slowed by 2 per turn for the remainder of the game. Add 2 points to 'Critical Damage' on the stats sheet 2. Left Wing Move 1 'face' to the left on the movement template each turn AFTER other movement 3. Right Wing Move 1 'face' to the right on the movement template each turn AFTER other movement 4. Fuselage Add 1 point to 'Critical Damage' 5. Gunner Can no longer fire rear guns. If there is no rear gunner, treat this result as 'Fuselage' 6. Pilot Plane crashes next turn GAME OVER! 7. Ruder/Elevator Can only turn a maximum of 2 'faces' on the turning template, and the maximum rate of climb is 'Normal' for the remainder of the game. 8. Fuel Tank Lose 1 extra point of fuel per turn for the rest of the game. Add 1 point to 'Critical Damage'

Below is an example of the damage table you will find in the aircraft stats sheets: Hannover CL.111a

Area Affected Engine/Prop Left Wing Right Wing Fuselage Gunner Pilot Rudder/Elevator Fuel tank

Damage points (Tally)

CRITICAL DAMAGE (Max - 10) All the damage is cumulative, keep a tally of how many times you have been damaged in certain areas to determine the overall effects of damage. NOTE If the gunner has already been killed, treat as 'Fuselage' damage

Shooting Phase Summary: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Determine whether you have 'targeted' the enemy Determine Range Determine Facing Roll 'Jam Test' Roll to Hit ('Training Level' + 'Targeted' and 'Speed' modifiers) Roll on Damage Table

Arc of Fire Rear Guns

Turning Template
Arc of Fire Forward Guns

Hannover CL.111a

Movement

Slow 4 Normal 7 Max 10 Pilot Gunner 5 Area Affected Engine/Prop Left Wing Right Wing Fuselage Gunner Pilot Rudder/Elevator Fuel tank Damage points (Tally)

Crew Pilot Skill

CRITICAL DAMAGE (Max - 10) Fuel level Ammo level

Bristol F.2 Fighter

Movement

Slow 4 Normal 8 Max 12 Pilot Gunner 5 Area Affected Engine/Prop Left Wing Right Wing Fuselage Gunner Pilot Rudder/Elevator Fuel tank Damage points (Tally)

Crew Pilot Skill

CRITICAL DAMAGE (Max - 10) Fuel level Ammo level