Modder Fokkers - WWI Air

It was Mark's turn to organise the game tonight & he selected a return to Modder Fokkers WWI air.  This was our flavour of the month of a while around the turn of the century, but we haven't played it for a while.  We gave the rules an edit, but not much has changed other than using magnetic boards for manoeuvre & damage records.  The game is played in simultaneous turns with each player recording his proposed manoeuvres on his game board before simultaneous movement & firing.

The game is best played with a plane per player and between 4 & 6 players.  Unfortunately Mike & Steve both reported sick so there were only 3 players, Mark, Chris & Jim.   We made it a 3 player game by having 2 German fighters while the Brits had 1 fighter & a 2 seater spotter plane. The 2 seater was on a mission & had to fly straight across the table taking recon pics.  The tail gunner could fire, but the plane had to fly straight until it had significant damage justifying aborting the mission & running for home.

We had time for 3 games with each player taking a turn at being the Brit.

Game 1:
Chris had a Spad XIII escorting the 2 seater.
Jim & Mark had Fokker DVII's.

Mark's camo'd Fokker is on the 2 seater's tail while Jim's yellow Fokker draws the Spad off.

The Yellow Fokker has turned inside the Spad and the 2 Brits share the first kill of the night.

The Spad is running for it's life with 2 Fokkers on it's tail but accumulating damage slowed it down and the Brits shared a second kill.

Game 2:
Jim's Spad escorting v. Mark's Albatros & Chris's Pfalz.

Chris's pfalz has taken on the Spad while Mark headed for the spotter plane.  Then Mark turned on the Spad deciding to take Jim out then go back for the spotter.  Good plan - except the tail gunner got in a lucky shot and killed Mark's pilot.  Already damaged by the Spad, the Pfalz ran for & escaped.

Game 3:
Mark's Spad + spotter v. Jim's Pfalz & Chris' Albatros.

The Germans begin stalking their prey.

The Pfalz takes on the spotter while the Albatros takes on the Spad.

The planes pass each other and the Germans turn back onto the spotter's tail.  The Spad also turned back, but overshot & can't protect the spotter from there.

The spotter is going down under the combined fire of both German planes while the Spad runs for home.

Modder Fokkers has always been a good, not to serious game & still is.  It was apparent that the mission was biased the German's way, but by rotating the players everyone got a go at being on the favoured side.  Even so, the Brits won 1 of 3 (though there may have been a bit of luck involved).  A good time was had by all.  We finished the 3 games early enough to set up Cedar Mountain for Chris & I to fight on Thursday afternoon.