Back in the Air!

My mate and occasional gaming opponent Matt recently returned back to the UK after a few years teaching English in Japan (welcome back, sorry we appear to have broken the country in your absence!).

We managed a meet up a couple of weeks back to catch up, chew the fat and generally see how the world was treating us.  We also managed to get a quick game of Aeronautica Imperialis in, on the basis that it's fast, there's not much to pack, and it's simple so we could both relearn the rules quickly as its been a while!

As we haven't played for a bit we went with a straight combat air patrol, with two side of equal points facing off.  I took my usual 4 'vanilla' Thunderbolts and two Lightning Interceptors.  Matt took what looked like a swarm of Barracudas, plus a Tigershark Drone control aircraft and two drones, for a bit of variety.  He deployed his entire force together more or less in the centre of is table edge, while I deployed my four Thunderbolts together on my far right flank and the lightnings facing his aircraft,travelling at full speed for a quick slashing attack.

Matt's squadron split as it advanced, with the barracudas taking on the Thunderbolts and the Tigershark, Drones and a covering barracuda taking on the Lightnings.  The Lightning's sped towards the tau and then past, damaging the Tigershark in the way, before looping around for another pass.  Meanwhile the Thunderbolts kept formation and blew one of the Barracudas out of sky with concentrating bolter and lascannon fire, before taking hits from the Barracudas as the two formations mixed.

"Come into the cone of death little fish!"

The Tigershark found itself caught between a tailing Lightning and oncoming Thunderbolts and bit the dust, reducing the effectiveness of the drones, whilst I lost a Thunderbolt (or two) in a dogfight with the other Tau (including one shamelessly gunned down as it tried to retire damaged and low on ammo, typical aliens!).

"He's on my six, can't shake him!"

A Thunderbolt is about to finish off the Tigershark in the background

In the end the honours were about even in terms of aircraft lost and damaged, although Matt pulled out some of his aircraft off the table out of ammo.  With the victory conditions for the scenario including points for surviving aircraft without ammo getting off the table, this made Matt the technical winner, but I like to think that as I was left in charge of the sky with fuel and ammo to spare I was the real winner ;-)

Good game, with a great opponent.

They Came from the Sky!

Time for a bit of a change from all this Historical activity...

At the weekend my friend Matt and I met up at Maelstrom Games in Mansfield for a couple of games of a personal favourite, Aeronautica Imperialis, and a general catch up between Matt's various travels (he's off to Japan to teach English in a couple of months).  Matt had come up with a scenario he wanted to test that involved escorting a ground convoy across the table, all he needed was an idiot to test it out on, and I was happy to play the role!

The scenario was that I had to get a convoy of vehicles from one short edge of the board to the other, under attack from the air.  One of the vehicles (my choice) contained a VIP that had to survive.  Opposing me would be an aerial strike force of Matt's Tau, and I would get support from my own squadrons that would arrive as reserves.  To use one of Matt's favourite quotes 'How hard could it be?'

With 150 points to choose from, I kept my choices pretty simple:

• 2 Hydra Flak Tanks and a Manticore to escort the convoy (which would consist of a further 4 Chimera APCs)
• 1 Thundebolt, Vanilla Flavour
• 2 Thunderbolts with Skystrike missiles
• 2 Lightnings with Skystrike missiles

I assigned all my flak to the convoy and split my aircraft into three groups (the two lightnings, two thunderbolts with missiles and one plain thunderbolt) to maximise my reserve rolls.  Matt deployed his force in one go, consisting of:

• 2 Tigershark AX-1-0 (with the big, nasty railguns and extra seeker missiles)
• 1 Barracuda with Seeker Missiles
• 5 Barracudas

Worried about being outnumbered? Me? Naaa...

So, without further ado, onto the story of the attempts of the 7th Hadley's Reach Yeomanry and 105th Devlan Fighter Wing to protect General Lord Farquharson Smythe from the alien raiders...

 The convoy moves out from the city edge, AA scanning the sky

The Tau strike force moves in.  Lot of 'em aint there?

I fluffed my first reserve roll, giving the Tau two turns to get into position.  The non-missile armed barracudas, which were unable to attack ground targets, maneuvered to avoid the convoy's flak envelope and headed at full speed for my baseline to intercept any arriving Imperial fighters, while their attack aircraft, led by the missile armed barracuda, swung out for a strafing run on the flank of the convoy.

My Thunderbolts arrived on turn 3, but were far too distant to do anything but watch as the Barracuda unleashed all of its Seeker Missiles, brewing up the lead Chimera.

The Lightning's arrived next, screaming straight up the road at full military power and low enough to count the kerbstones.  Up ahead the road was already storm of cannon fire, missile trails and energy beams, as the Tigersharks started their attack run.  By the time the smoke cleared, one of the Hydras was burning and a Chimera was damaged, but still mobile, but one of the Tigersharks had been wiped from the sky by a combination of autocannon fire and a lucky manticore shot.  down the road the fighters met head-on, with the Imperials coming out best from the initial exchange, damaging one Baracuda and downing another, although one the Thunderbolts was now trailing smoke.

One of the Tigersharks lines up for its attack run

 The Imperial Lightnings arrive on the scene

Tau Barracudas head-on

Unfortunately, whilst the convoy powered on up the road with determination, things started to go very wrong for the escorting Imperial fighters, as the next two turns saw every single fighter downed without taking out a single Tau aircraft.  That job seemed to be left to the flak tanks, as the manticore managed to damage the remaining Tigershark as it pulled away from its strafing run.

The Tau, however, had problems of their own.  With one of the Tigersharks down, the remaining one low on ammo and none of the Barracudas equipped with Seeker Missiles (in AI, only weapons with the 'Ground' characteristic can strafe ground targets), they were running out of options for attacking ground targets.  The low maneuverability of the Tigershark also meant it was likely that he'd only be able to pull round for one more pass at the convoy before it reached safety, he had to hope he'd either already hit the General's transport, or that he'd get it with his one remaining chance.

Pulling as tight a turn as possible, the Tigershark managed to line up on the lead Chimera, the Target Lock chimed 'acquired', the pilot pulled the trigger and the Chimera vanished into a cloud of dust and smoke... only to roll on through it with nothing but chipped paint (and probably a need to visit the laundry tent later).

With no more ground attack ordnance left, the Tau had to break off the attack and it was time for me to reveal which vehicle had been carrying the general.  It was the third Chimera in the convoy, the one the Tigershark had in its sights with the last of its ammo...  Technically I'd won, but with all of my aircraft down, it didn't exactly feel like it!

LESSONS LEARNED

Well I won, but more through luck than judgement.  Choosing the Hydras for the convoy worked well, they made life very difficult for the attacking Tau.  The manticore paid its way when it rolled extra damage against the Tigershark, but with the Tau only able to attack from Altitude 1 I didn't really need its range.  In reality my aircraft did little to protect the convoy and just became wreckage.  It was a schoolboy error, I know perfectly well from previous games that the Tau Barracudas are extremely effective in a close up fight; they can slow right down to stay on station, they're cheap and numerous, and the all round drone cannons allow them to mob enemy aircraft.  So what did I do?  Rather than blast straight through with slashing attacks, I slowed down and tried to dogfight, result?  I got slaughtered.

I make a big mistake and get mobbed...

As for Matt, he decided he'd have been better off sacrificing one of the Barracudas and taking more Seeker Missiles instead.  As it was he was reliant on the Tigersharks, which, with low maneuverability, were going to struggle to make more than a couple of passes (but were pretty efficient when they did).  The Tigersharks also started too high, by the time they dropped low enough to attack, they were within close range of the Hydras and on the receiving end of six dice worth of attacks, instead of getting a couple of turns of shooting in first.  But as for the Barracudas, ouch! They worked well!

ROUND TWO

To test the scenario a bit further, we ran it again, this time with my Imperials attacking.  I took a pair of Maruader Bombers, two Lightnings for top cover and three Thunderbolts carrying Hellstrike missiles.  Matt escorted the convoy with two Skyrays, placed a third dug-in in the destination city, and spent the rest of his points on Barracudas.  I chose to send one of the Thunderbolts after the dug in skyray, the remaining two at the flank of the convoy and the Marauders straight up the road.  

In a partial repeat of the first game, one of my Marauders fell to the convoy's AA before it could attack, but the other successfully bombed the head of the column (Matt had sensibly split it to reduce risk), taking out three vehicles in one go.  The Thunderbolt attacking the Skyray failed to destroy it, and took damage in return, in hindsight a waste of missiles, which should have been expended on the convoy.

The remaining Thunderbolts managed a couple of passes at the convoy, but were unable to score any hits.  They faced heavy fire from the convoy and the escorting Barracudas, managing to take out two but only losing one Thunderbolt (thanks to some lucky 'Durable' saves.  Once again, history repeated itself, as my last Hellstrike equipped Thunderbolt lined up a final shot... and missed.  Matt's VIP turned out not to be in any of the vehicles I'd hit, giving him the win.

Again, I made some errors, I should have equipped more ground attack ordnance, and going after the skyray was pointless.  The surviving bomber was extremely effective, hurrah for 'Bomb Creep'!  With Hindsight, equipping some of the Thunderbolts with bombs and hurling them straight up the road might have been more effective.  A Marauder Destroyer might have been handy too, as it could have engaged the rear half of the convoy at the same time as bombing the front.  Matt meanwhile did a bang up job of defending.  Splitting the column reduced the effectiveness of my bombing and as usual I was hounded by what seemed an endless stream of Barracudas, although this time I avoided getting into a close range knife-fight, which is why I still had some planes left at the end!

The Marauders about to swing onto the road

All in all, honours even and another great game, and a fun and challenging scenario from Matt!

Cheers!

A Higher Authority - Turn 5, Troop Insertion

The Navy transports had brought Commander Hood new hope in the form of the new fighters being prepped out on the airfield. However they also brought with them a new threat. Displeased with performance so far, Central command had dispatched a senior political officer to 'inspire' the troops. Commissar General Van Voor had a reputation as a hardliner and old school commissar, given to lengthy speeches on doctrine and harsh summary justice and, in terms of tactics, an advocate of throwing men at the enemy until they run out of ammunition.

Despite the Commander's protestations that the new fighters should be used in aggressive Combat Air Patrols combined with bombing raid against key installations, Van Voor insisted that a flight be assigned to escort him in an inspection of the front line between imperial troops and the Tau. Protests from Hood and his staff that this would put him into the firing line in skies largely controlled by Tau Barracudas were met with thinly veiled threats to the Commander's competence and future career. With much reluctance, Hood had little choice but to agree, managing only to retain a small skeleton force of fighters to defend the main airfield from attack.

The Imperial force came in high, the fighters keeping close to the Commissar's Valkyrie, the plan was simple, the Thunderbolts would try to keep the Barracuda's busy, while the lightnings flew close escort, trying to clear a path. If threatened the Valkyrie was to dive into the low cloud cover for safety. As Auspex picked up the signatures of 7 Tau Barracudas on a head-on intercept, confirmed by ground observers in the Imperial lines, the pilots switched of safeties and increased power.

Imperial fighters escort the commissar's transport

Tau fighters skim over the frontline imperial bunkers

Charlie was the first to engage, his Thunderbolt engaging a Tau Barracuda at long range. Although his shots were accurate, so were the alien pilot's, the exchange leaving both aircraft damaged but still flying. As the side rapidly closed, the Imperial pilots had plenty of firing opportunities but just couldn't capitalise on them (ie: my dice rolling was appalling!), whether this was a result of poor maintenance by the overstretched groundcrews, or Van Voor's threats being screeched over the comms net was a moot point. The Tau suffered from no such similar problems though, downing first the Thunderbolts of Flash Harry and Arrow, then Chuck's lightning. None of the Imperial Pilots made it out, perhaps it was better than whatever fate the Commissar was know doubt cooking up for them.

As the fighting intensified, the Valkyrie's un-named pilot corkscrewed through the centre of the dogfight, desperately trying to avoid being brought down. Despite at one point being completely surrounded by three Tau Barracudas, the transport was only damaged and, as it broke free, even managed to damage one of its attackers, which overshot into the fire arc of the Valkyrie's lascannon.

The surrounded lander miraculously escapes destruction

The situation at turn 5, the Valkyrie is about to show it has teeth!

As if the embarrassed at a mere transport getting a hit, the imperial fighter pilots started to hit their stride as Charlie took out one of the Barracudas. Although Sum Yung Gai took damage, both remaining Thunderbolts and the Lightning were able to break free and regroup. As they closed in on the Tau again, first one Barracuda fell to Cardinal, then another to Sum Yung Gai. But this recovery wasn't to be enough; Cardinal fell to a circling Barracuda, although he ejected safely. Reduced to less than half strength, the Imperial forces had little choice but to try and disengage.

Both trailing smoke, Sum Yung Gai and Charlie try and disengage

In one final twist, Commissar Van Voor finally made it to the front lines, plummeting to the ground in the burning Valkyrie which had, despite the valiant and unsung efforts of its pilot, finally succumbed to the circling barracudas.

3 points to the Tau made it, at 7 points to 2, an overall campaign victory for Matt's Tau.

EPILOGUE

With only three fighters remaining, and two of those damaged, it was clear that the game was finally up for the Imperial forces on Curwen. Facing no realistic threat, tau aircraft hammered the thin imperial defence lines. Railgun equipped Tigersharks split open bunkers like ration packs, while Barracudas strafed trenches and fire warriors and drones dropped amongst the bewildered defenders.

Of the pilots assigned to Curwen only Cardinal would survive. Picked up wounded by the last evacuation transport with a group of guardsmen, with whom he'd fought a desperate struggle to break out from the encircling Tau.

His career in tatters and future bleak, Commander Hood made the only honourable choice remaining. Taking the remaining undamaged Thunderbolt, he was last seen leading the heroic, desperate, but ultimately futile defence of the evacuation fields.

Curwen Campaign - More, more, more...

And so Matt and I found ourselves back at Warhammer World in Nottingham for more aerial combat goodness and the next stage of our campaign. After a brief wait for a table things got underway. Both of us chose to go on the offensive, one d6 later the result was in: 'Troop Insertion'. Would I get my revenge for the last game by blasting Matt's Orca out of the air? Would I 'eck! The random roll left me having to escort my single Valkyrie across hostile skies. The weather was interesting, with thick, low cloud at level 1, but clear sky above.

It's fair to say I had a sense of foreboding; I've found that this is a tricky mission for the imperials, as the slow speed and relative vulnerability of their transports (max speed 3, hits 2, compared to the orca: speed 5, hits 4, and more capacity, meaning more Victory points), mean that you have a long time to protect something easily destroyed, that can't easily get out of the way!

Oh well, nothing for it but to do my best. As a medium campaign the game should have been 200 points, however with my available roster and models I could only field 155pts. Luckily Matt independently took the decision to only field 152 points of his own forces, keeping a reserve in case of further missions.

Imperials: 4 Thunderbolts (call signs Charlie, Flash Harry, Cardinal (ace), Arrow); 2 Lightnings (Sum Yung Gai (ace), Chuck) and the brand new unnamed Valkyrie (informal designation 'cannon fodder')

Tau: 7 Barracudas, one a night fighter with Blacksun filters.

At this stage the campaign points stood 4-2 in Matt's favour. With a massacre (3 points) he could gain enough to win the campaign in one game...

Decision time

Been a bit slow with posts recently, but hopefully that will change shortly! Matt and I will be picking up our ongoing AI campaign tomorrow at Warhammer World at Lenton. Just to recap, I'm currently on the back foot, having taken heavy losses but (thanks to a lucky die roll) with reinforcements on the way.

With 100 points to spend on reinforcements I've decided to concentrate on rebuilding my shattered fighter forces (choices partly based on what models I have available, or I'd have been tempted to have more lightnings), and replacing at least some of my lost transport capacity:

- 3 x Thunderbolt Fighters with additional weapons loads @ 24 points (72 points)
- 1 x Lightning Fighter with additional weapons load (20 points)
- 1 x Vulture troop transport (8 points)
TOTAL 100 points.

The last transport leaves the landing field

So as the Imperial Transports thunder back to their waiting motherships on bright pillars of flame in the dark night, bonded tech-servitors and ground crew scurry around the newly arrived aircraft, testing systems and loading munitions. Around the scattered shelters the remaining aircrews smoke, play cards or try fitfully to sleep. Each one knows that the battle for Curwen is nearly over. With both sides near exhaustion, the final push to control the skies is about to start...

Ground crew load munitions

AI Tank Farm

I've decided my Imperial Fighter Squadrons need some more stuff to defend. Although it's not one of the potential targets that can be rolled up in the campaign rules, I decided that a discarded Coffee Mate tin would make a two great fuel tanks. They should make great scenery, plus it's recycling!



I'll keep posting on progress.

Secrets of Curwen - Turn 4, Troop Insertion

Although the target had been successfully destroyed, the air raid had cost more valuable aircraft than the Imperials could afford but the Tau were also suffering. Both sides started to lay plans for aggressive patrols to try and force the conflict to a head.

However, before Imperial Commander Hood could launch his offensive, an urgent communique was received from the Adeptus Mechanicus mission attached to the fleet. Orbital surveillance had revealed the ruins of a large man-made structure near the planet's northern pole. The terraforming had not taken in the area, which also showed elevated radiation levels. The Tech Priests believed that the structure may hold the answer to the fate of the human colonists and insisted on inserting teams to investigate or, if necessary, deny the site to the Xenos. Although the Commander little needed the distraction, particularly with the losses he had taken, standing orders gave him no choice but to comply. Cain and Able, the task force's two Valkyrie gunships, would insert the mechanicus teams and their Drop Trooper escort, under cover of the remaining Lightnings (Hans High and Sum Yung Gai) and four Thunderbolts (call signs Danny Boy, Cardinal, Wilf and Charlie).

As the Imperial forces drew near the target their worst fears were confirmed, the Tau had got their first and clearly understood the importance of the site, establishing a defensive position covered by Barracuda fighters and even the Tau Commander himself, in his Tiger-Shark command aircraft with it's escorting Drone Fighters.

[Cain and Able Carry the Mechanicus Teams into the battle]

[The Imperial and Tau forces close on each other]

The human and alien fighters clashed ahead of the slow moving transports. Wilf was shot down after himself taking out a Tau Barracuda, while Charlie and Danny Boy rapidly racked up three kills against the Tau fighters between them. Cardinal had to hit the silk after his Thunderbolt took massive incoming fire, although Hans was not so lucky, plunging earthwards still at the controls of his burning Lightning. Sum, flying the second lightning, got the Imperial's first kill against one of the new Tau Drone Fighters since they were first encountered on Typha 4. However despite the Escort's best efforts the Tau were already closing on the Valkyries, damaging Able.

[A sprawling dogfight develops]

Danny Boy's victory was short lived, his Thunderbolt falling to a Barracuda. The damaged Able took out the Tau ground defences with rockets just before being downed itself, Cain being destroyed shortly after, but not before droppings its passengers within the target area.

Reduced to under half strength, the Imperial forces had no choice but to withdraw. Lacking air cover, aircraft to retrieve them, or the troops to hold the ruins against any Tau counterattack, the Remaining Mechanicus task force took the only option left to them, detonating the micro-nuke that they had brought with them in case they were unable to hold. The survivors set out back to the imperial lines on foot but, in the harsh environment, with no cover, their future looked bleak.


- Adding up the points, it was another victory to Matt's Tau, bringing the Campaign points to 4-3 in Matt's favour. Even though I had achieved my objective of landing troops on the target, once again I'd lost too many aircraft to maintain the success. Worst still, I was now down to only three fighters!

Faced with no real choice, I decided to spend one of my Campaign points on reinforcements, leaving the final score at 4-2. A lucky roll of six gave me 100 points to spend on any aircraft, but what to choose...

Marauders over Curwen - Turn 3 Air Raid

Imperial aerial reconnaissance showed that the Tau had discovered and occupied one of the colonies former factory facilities. Hotspots on the sensor scans suggested that the Tau were on the verge of getting the facility active again. This was a situation that the Imperial Command simply could not allow, either strategically or politically so an immediate night-raid was ordered.

Two fully loaded Marauders, Broadsword and Hatchet, would form the core of the strike force, escorted by the two remaining Lightnings, flown by Hans High and Sum Yung Gai. The recon photos had shown the factory protected by a pair of missile platforms, so a flight of three Thunderbolts (Danny Boy, Flash Harry and Oily) would accompany the mission with a mixed armament of Skystrike and Hellstrike missiles to take on both air and ground targets.

Facing them were 8 Barracuda fighters, one of them Blacksun equipped, and two skyray defence platforms.

The imperial forces started at high altitude, the Lightnings flanking the bombers while the flight of Thunderbolts took the right flank. The Tau fighters meanwhile deployed in three flights.

[The imperial forces deploy]

The Marauders and their escorts, with limited options to maneuver, headed straight for the target. On the right two of the Thunderbolts headed for low level to attack the ground defences, while one stayed at altitude to intercept the advancing Tau, only to find that the Tau had successfully anticipated the move.

As the speeding aircraft met and missiles and cannon shells flew, both Imperial and Tau fighters took damage. The slow moving bombers soon found themselves surrounded by the superior numbers of more maneuverable Barracudas and Broadsword took serious damage, while the bombers' gunners were unable to draw a bead on the twisting, turning alien aircraft.



Despite this pressure both Marauders reached their targets and dropped their bombloads, completely obliterating the factory. But neither aircrew would make it back to base to celebrate, as both bombers were torn to pieces by the circling Barracudas.

[The factory burns under the weight of 48D6 worth of attacks]

Although Oily added to the swirling smoke by taking out one of the AA platforms with Hellstrike missiles, the Tau had clearly taken firm control of the skies, downing Oily and Danny Boy (who successfully ejected) as the Imperial Forces disengaged.

[one of Matt's excellent Tau AA platforms, the surviving one!]

On adding up the points, even though I had completed my objective by destroying (no, lets be honest, UTTERLY FLATTENING the factory), Matt had gained the victory and another Campaign point, bringing us even again. How had this happened? Quite simply, he had shot down too many of my planes, through a combination of successfully predicting my moves and coordinating his attacks. That said, the bombers weathered the attacks long enough to reach the target, and dealt out a serious world of hurt.

For my part, it was a mistake to commit so much of my force to attacking AA that caused little trouble (I could in fact have bombed from above its maximum range), which left my bombers vulnerable to the mobbing they duly received. I also coordinated my formations poorly and became predictable in my choice of maneuvers.

What this game did show was that achieving the objective is no good if the cost is too high, and this is one of the things I like about AI's campaign system.

After a break for lunch, we rolled for the next mission. With both forces taking offensive postures, seeking to deliver a killing blow, we rolled up a Troop Insertion mission, to be carried out in clear, daylight conditions. Initially the random roll had Matt's Tau down to carry out the landings but, as Matt's Orca was not yet painted and my Valkyries were, we decided to swap.

Would this turn out to be a fortuitous decision for me? Or was it to be a poisoned chalice?

Dark nights and Ion Beams - Turn 3, CAP

"As the weather finally cleared over Curwen, the temporary truce was ended by the ear-splitting roar of aircraft once again taking to the skies. Determined to maintain the momentum they had regained, the Imperial Forces commenced aggressive, round the clock Combat Air Patrols, testing the Tau defences.

It was on the third night of patrols that the Tau finally chose to respond, waiting until only two of Curwen's five moons was in the sky to maximise the advantage of their superiority in night fighters. In the freezing moonlit sky, Imperial flight leader Hans High vectored his Lightning and 3 accompanying Thunderbolts: Bishop, Danny Boy and Flash Harry; towards the five contacts racing towards them from the Tau lines.

[Hans leads the Imperial flight into action]

[A tau Barracuda lit by two of Curwen's moons]

Emissions suggested three of them were Blacksun Filter equipped nightfighters. With only Hans' Lightning carrying Infra Red sights, and outnumbered, the Imperial flyboys were in for the fight of their lives.

Both sides drew blood almost immediately, as Bishop downed a Blacksun equipped Barracuda at close range, only to be sent flaming to earth himself moments later. But it was Hans who would prove the victor as, in a twisting, spiraling dogfight he downed the two remaining Tau nightfighters, sending the rest scurrying for home."

[Hans pulls wide before starting his epic dive into the dogfight]

Despite all expectations the mission had gone well for me. Outnumbered and poorly equipped for the dark conditions, Hans with his missile and infra red equipped Lightning had come through for me. With 3 Campaign points for a major victory I had temporarily pulled ahead in the campaign but, with so few fighters remaining (having lost another) I had little choice but to spend a Campaign point to contact the fleet for reinforcements. Rolling up 50 points of fighters, I added two Thunderbolts with additional weapons loads.

With the Campaign Points now level at 3-2 in my favour, we rolled for the next game. In a fit of optimism I again went on the offensive, while Matt chose to play defensively again. The result, an Air Raid by Imperial Forces against a Tau held factory. As the Tau licked their wounds Imperial Ground crews loaded Marauder Bombers with High Explosives, aircrew tested turret traverses and flight crews plotted their approach runs.

Return to Curwen

This last Saturday Matt and I picked up our ongoing Aeronautica Imperialis Campaign (http://anotherslipperyslope.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Curwen%20Incident) during a day of frantic gaming at Warhammer World in Nottingham.

Just to recap, after two games Matt was ahead by one campaign point, having won the first game, an ambush, pretty convincingly (even tough I was the one doing the ambushing), although I'd pulled back some honour with a victory when he tried to intercept a bombing raid (although I'd then had to spend one of my campaign points buying two new Thunderbolt fighters).

As the new campaign turn started, my roster looked like this:



Although worried by my fighter losses I decided to take an offensive stance this turn, while Matt went defensive. The mission rolled was a Combat Air Patrol, to be carried out at night. Matt would be able to field more, and better nightfighting equipped aircraft than me, and it was a mission his Tau Barracudas have done well with in the past. This was going to be tense...

Heavy Flak Ahead

My mate Matt and I are about to pick up our Aeronautica Imperialis campaign, and I've got the bug to make some more scenery. Having made tank scrapes for my Hydra Flak Tanks (http://anotherslipperyslope.blogspot.com/2008/11/ai-ground-defences.html) I thought I'd do something similar for my heavy Forge World AA guns (basically Flak 88s). My original plan was for prepared, concrete bunker type defences but, after watching the D Day episode of Band of Brothers, decided to go for something a bit more of a halfway house.

I started by making a hexagonal template, slightly larger than the baseplate of the guns i'd be using. I used this to cut a suitable hole into slices of Pink Insulation foam (about 6-7mm thick, although it varied as I was using offcuts from another project), which were glued to artist's mounting card with PVA glue. The outside was shaped into a slope and the inside faced with thin balsa that had lines scored into it with a pin.




Th next step was to coat all areas except the balsa with PVA and cover it in sand. In all this stage took a couple of hours (including getting distracted by the telly). It was then left overnight to dry. Once set I started with a basecoat of burnt umber acrylic, the drybrushed up with various lighter browns and khakis (I used slightly different shades on the wood to help differentiate it) and finally glued on some static grass.




Overall I'm pretty pleased with how they've come out for very little work, so I've decided I'm going to do some connecting trench sections. As well as using these for AI and Epic, they'll also come in handy for my Great 6mm Game-in-a-Box experiment, more of which in another post sometime...

Interval (let's all go to the lobby)

Well, another exciting game! The advantage in a Bomber Intercept mission is that it's easier to predict where the enemy is heading for, which allowed my escorting Thunderbolts to get in position for an effective first salvo.

However Matt once again showed that he's an experienced gamer by refusing to be rattled, executing a bit of flawless formation flying as his aircraft pulled half -loops to come in behind my bombers... which were no longer there, having played the Power Dive card and dropped several altitudes (a move that Matt admitted he hadn't seen coming)! The bomber taking down a fighter was just the icing on the cake.

However Matt's persistence meant that, although I got the victory in the end, he kept me down to only a single campaign point. Enough to keep me in the campaign, but there's much more to do, and I'm running out of planes quicker than he is...

The Curwen Incident 2 - Intercept

Game 2 – Bomber Intercept

Tau- 5x Barracudas
Imperial – 4x Thunderbolts (sqn ldr 'Cardinal') and 2x Marauder Bombers (call-signs 'Hatchet' and 'Broadsword')

Conditions: Daytime, thick cloud below altitude 6.

The disastrous ambush had been a massive blow to the Imperial force. Irreplaceable aircraft had been lost but, perhaps more importantly; the Tau had gained a massive propaganda boost. The Imperial command needed to find a way to take back the initiative and show that the Tau could be beaten before morale plummeted and the Commissars took matters into their own hands.

Knowing that the Tau fighters, with their Blacksun filters, could outclass the imperial fighters in the cloudy conditions that looked likely to prevail, the commander knew that something was needed to draw the aliens out into the open where they could be engaged to the Navy’s advantage, a classic Rue de Guerre…

In a misty dawn two Navy Marauder Bombers and four thunderbolts took to the air, their ramjets shattering the silence. Reaching maximum altitude, two of the Thunderbolts matched the bombers movements while the other two flew racetrack escort patterns. To the Tau scanners it would look like four bombers and a pair of escorts, an easy target.

[The imperial flight waits to draw out the Tau - Photo by Matt Otter]

“Red flight, this is Cardinal, doghouse has five bogies inbound on our position, 12 o’clock low, signature suggest Barracuda fighters. Escorts stand by to engage, Hatchet and Broadsword, execute plan alpha on my order.”

Would the Tau take the bait once they realised they faced four escorts? The two genuine bombers had been sent up to sweeten the deal, and as the Tau fighters pulled into a V formation in the cloud layer, it was clear that they thought it worth the gamble.

[The Tau formation closes head-on - photo by Matt Otter]

Closing with each other at phenomenal speed, the Imperial Thunderbolts met the Tau fighters as they climbed out of the cloud layer. Skystrike missiles and cannon shells blew one of the Tau aircraft from the sky and damaged two others. Racing past each other, the remaining barracudas executed a near perfect formation half loop to come in behind the Marauders…

“Marauder flight, execute!”

At the order from Cardinal, both marauders poured power into their four ramjets and dropped their aircraft into power dives. The rapid drop in altitude left most of the barracudas well above and out of range as they came out of their loops, and facing two Thunderbolts that had pulled wing over’s to protect the bomber’s rear.

In the event, one of the Barracudas did manage to get in position to take a shot, but proved unable to hit the rapidly diving bomber. Unfortunately in trying to line up his shot, the Tau pilot flew straight and level a moment too long and found himself barely having time to eject as the imperial bomber’s rear and dorsal turrets shredded his aircraft end to end. A second barracuda fell to the escorting Thunderbolts.

With three aircraft down, the Tau flight leader gave the order to disengage. However they did not leave without exacting some measure of revenge, downing two of the escorting Thunderbolts, including the flight leader Cardinal, in a final exchange.

As the two forces turned and headed for their respective bases, the Tau nursing damaged aircraft, it was clear that this fight was going to be fierce. The Imperial trap had worked, the Tau could be outmaneuvered and beaten, but the cost had been higher than hoped; with two more Thunderbolts lost the Imperials had already lost half their fighter force. However although Tau losses had been less so far in the campaign, crucially they were running short of their Blacksun equipped aircraft.

As the weather closed in further, blocking all flight operations, flight engineers and Earth Caste technicians stripped down and repaired aircraft; and the respective commanders, human and alien, retired to their bunkers to plan their next moves.

Seconds out, round two!

Well, that went well then… Interestingly this was almost a mirror of the last time Matt and I played the Ambush scenario, when his tau ambushed my imperials, who turned the tables and won a clear victory. Looks like having the initiative and numbers is no guarantee!

At the end of the first game things hadn’t started well for my imperial forces, I’d lost an alarming number of my costly fighters for little gain and Matt had his first 2 Campaign Points towards the 7 he would need to win. Deciding it was time for a change of tactics I decided to take a defensive stance for the next turn. With the upper hand, Matt chose offensive tactics and we duly rolled up a Bomber Intercept mission. I was quietly confident, as I’d done well in this mission before.

We rolled for weather, and had thick cloud up to altitude six. This gave Matt’s Blacksun Filter equipped Barracudas an edge, so I’d need to try and draw him out, luckily I knew he’d have to go after my bombers. And so the idea for the story started to come together…

The Curwen Incident - Game 1: Ambush

Scenario: Ambush (Imperial Attacker)

Tau- 5x Barracudas
Imperial – 4x Thunderbolts and 2x lightning’s

Conditions: Daytime, low cloud below altitude 4.

In the event, it was the imperial forces that made it planetside first, by a bare week. Lacking the resources to prevent the Tau from landing, the meagre navy escort had to limit itself to harassing their Tau counterparts. Crucially this meant that neither side was able to conduct orbital bombardments of the planet before they had to withdraw to deep space.

The Imperial ground commander used his slight advantage to set up listening and radar posts to forewarn of the inevitable Tau attack . Sure enough, within mere days of the Tau landings, raid warnings came in of 5 Barracuda fighters probing the Imperial defences. 4 Thunderbolts and 2 lightnings scrambled to ambush the unsuspecting Tau in a pincer movement.

With the Tau approaching in the cloud layer, the inexperienced imperial flight leader order the two flights to converge too early, putting them right into the fire arc of the Tau fighters climbing from the cloud. The Tau were quick to capitalise on the mistake, rapidly downing both Lightnings and 3 of the Thunderbolts. Although the remaining Thunderbolt scored some payback by downing two barracudas, it had been a disastrous first engagement for the Imperial Navy (tempered only by the pilots following their bail-out drills perfectly).





Images by Matthew Otter

The Curwen Incident - The Forces

THE TAU

1x Tiger Shark AX 2-2 (commandship), Pilot Matt (Ace), 2x Remora Drone Fighters, Total 39pts

2x Tiger Shark AX 1-0, Advanced Stabilisation System, Target Lock, Additional weapons load, Total 29pts

2x Tiger Shark AX 1-0, Target Lock, Blacksun Filter, Additional weapons, Total 27pts

1x Orca Transport 16pts

6x Barracudas with Black Sun Filters 126pts (21pts each)

3x Barracudas with escape pods 60pts (20pts each)

4x Barracudas with additional weapons load 96pts (24pts each)

7x Barracudas 126pts (18pts each)

2 Sky Ray AA batteries 24pts (12pts each)

Total 599 points

Matt has taken a strong force of 20 fighters, backed up by some pretty fierce ground attack aircraft. In a twist, he has not equipped with many escape pods, having found that he ended up with more pilots than aircraft in the last campaign! Sounds harsh, but it was for the Greater Good. Blacksun filters feature strongly though, as we'll be using the bad weather and night fighting rules.


THE IMPERIAL NAVY

1x Lightning, ace pilot, ejector seat, infra-red targeting, additional weapons load 31pts

3x Lightnings, infra-red targeting, additional weapons load 72pts (24pts each)

1x Thunderbolt, ace pilot, chaff & flares, infra-red targeting, additional weapons load 37pts

9x Thunderbolts, additional weapons load 216pts (24pts each)

4x Marauders, chaff & flares, additional bomb load 120pts (30pts)

1x Marauder Destroyer, infra-red targeting, chaff & flares, additional weapons load 36 pts

2x Valkyries, jump troops, chaff & flares, additional weapons load 38pts (19pts each)

2x Hydra AA flak tanks 24pts (12pts each)

2x Heavy AA flak guns 24pts (12pts each)
Total 598 points

Fighters also feature strongly in my force, with 14 aircraft (not as many as the Tau, but costlier), but I have a slightly bigger bomber force. I've learnt from the last campaign to keep most of my fighters below 25pts, so I can get more in a game (as they're usually multiples of 25pts). This has meant some compromises as I now only have my lightnings equipped for night fighting (and a Marauder Destroyer for ground attack), and have dispensed with the Chaff & Flares (and their 6+ save against the Tau missiles) which is a risk. I've also gone or more AA than Matt, we'll have to see how that turns out!

The Curwen Incident - Background

Well, the AI campaign my mate Matt and I have been doing has come to an end. In an aerial dogfight of epic proportions, my Thunderbolts finally came good in the last turn but one, gaining me the points to win the campaign just before shortage of fuel would have forced them to retire.

Having been bitten by the bug, we immediately started another campaign. Switching to the winter themed terrain boards at Warhammer World (darn, and I'd just finished my Valkyries and terrain with a desert theme!), we decided on a medium sized campaign, and would try out the rules for weather and nightfighting.

With Matt having done a blog for the last campaign, we decided it was my turn to chronicle the exploits of our magnificent men (and beings) in their flying machines.

So, here we go...



“Administratum records show that Curwin was first settled by the Imperium during the Great Crusade. Of little strategic importance at the time, the colonists faced a harsh task with little support. Terrafroming was done the hard way, burning clear the poisonous local vegetation and planting with terran derived seed acre by acre. Their only contact was the census ships that would pass every few years.

Even these visits ceased during the chaos of the Horus Heresy. When the ships finally returned, they found the planet isolated by warp storms. Whether these resulted from the cataclysm of the heresy, no one knows, but regardless the colonists had to be abandoned.

Curwin was forgotten for many years, but the universe continued around it nonetheless. The storm locked planet saw the Tau empire expand closer and closer. It was the Imperial Cruiser Gladius, on a wide sweep of the imperial/Tau frontier, which first discovered that the warp storms had abated. A sensor sweep revealed that the planet’s terraforming had been completed and no obvious signs of chaos corruption, but of the colonists there was no sign.

Although of little obvious strategic importance, with no manufactoriums or organised food production, sector command quickly recognised the potential role of the planet for either side as a staging point for raids into the other’s territory. A small force was rapidly assembled to establish a presence on the planet and provide early warning of any Tau movement. With so much ground to cover, the force was to be well provided with Imperial Navy aircraft, alongside a regiment of guard to provide defence for the airfields and vital installations that would be established.

Unknown to the Imperium, their activity had not gone unnoticed by the Tau Ethereals. Their own scout ships soon confirmed the end of the warp storms and the Imperium’s intentions were accurately predicted. With the efficiency and co-operation so characteristic of the Tau, a similar force was prepared a despatched.

With major fleet and ground assets tied up elsewhere, the fate of Curwin looked likely to be settled by the actions of the pilots of the Aeronautica Imperialis and the Tau Cadres.”

Ride of the Valkyries Part I

Here's the first of my Valkyries painted up, next to the unpainted one for comparison. The inspiration for the camo scheme came from pictures of Soviet Mi24 Hinds and fits with the desert theme of the campaign I've been playing. It doesn't strictly fit with the colouring of most of my other planes, which are more WWII Army Air Corp, but I figure:

(a) I've already wandered from that theme with my Lightnings;
(b) These are likely seconded from a separate squadron, so wouldn't necessarily be in the same colours;
(c) As these guys have to spend their time flying 'low and slow' in hostile environments, they're going to be quite keen on blending in and probably repaint for every new environment.



The challenge now is to try and do the other one by the weekend, so that's two nights then...

Bunkers, bunkers, everywhere

Well, I was so impressed with the Snapdragon bunkers that I couldn't resist painting them this weekend (there goes the painting schedule again). I stuck with the desert theme I'm following with all my Epic/AI scenery at the moment, although a repaint may look in the future. The castings were a real joy to paint, taking the paint well, and nicely textured for dry-brushing.



Here's a bit more detail on my favourite piece, the mountain top bunker.






I've also completed the Forge World Control Tower and bunker, but I've not managed to get any decent photos of them yet.

Next Job will be the Valkyrie dropships.

AI phase IIb

Well,

Another part of my AI project arrived today. A selection of bunkers from Snapdragon Studios. Beautifully clean, crisp castings, they'll provide the perfect targets for Matt's Tau bombers (not that I intend letting him get close enough).