Volume 29, Number 4

Red Baron Fight XXVIII Set for May 27 
Rick, Michael Early Favorites

The 28th edition of Indy Squadron's annual Red Baron Fight will be held on Saturday, May 27, 2017 at the home of Dory Oda in Franklin, Indiana. Gaming starts at 1 pm. We expect one short warm-up game followed immediately by Red Baron Fight. 

Defending champion Rick Lacy will be seeking his 4th RBF title in 18 appearances, but the competition will be stiff. Two-time winner Michael Morgan has confirmed his attendance; he has won four Indy Squadron tournaments in the last eight years and is certain to put up a good fight. Between them, Michael and Rick have won half of the RBF events over the last decade, proving that momentum has a place in this game. 

After a 13-year drought, Stephen Dale finally got the monkey off his back when he won the 25th anniversary Red Baron Fight in 2014. Other previous winners expected to be in attendance include Ethan and Stephen Skinner. No word yet from RBF XVI winner Kevin Richeson but we hope to hear from him soon. 

Volume 29, Number 3 
​
Ethan Wins Society Open,
Hoosiers Dominate Fits Spring Convention

Ethan Skinner has become the first Indy Squadron player to win the Fight In The Skies Society Open after claiming last weekend's championship with the final shot of the game. The 20th edition of the Open was contested by 20 top players from across the American Midwest. 

Ethan flew a Pfalz DVIII and was strongly supported by the wingmen of his German flight: Scott Kolar, Vakis Potamianos, Stephen Skinner and Stephen Dale Skinner. The Allied opposition included Ken Mrozak and Wyatt Kapustanczek, who began the mission with great apprehension and became more discouraged with every passing turn. In their defense, the Allies really were saddled with inferior airplanes which lent credibility to their complaints. 

The Sopwith Camel of Janie Fritz was shot down on the second turn of the game by Ethan and Stephen, leaving the Allies outnumbered virtually from the outset. Stephen Dale skillfully maneuvered his Fokker so as to string out the Allied formation, leaving them unable to attack effectively and too separated to defend themselves. 

Volume 29, Number 2

WhoyserCon 2017 Report
by Rick Lacy

We had a successful Con in my opinion. We had enough players to get in all 4 regularly scheduled games along with 3 pickup games on Friday and another 3 pickup games on Saturday, and we had a couple of newcomers stop by to learn.

Friday’s pickups included an Italian Front mission and two Western Front 1918 missions (one British Camel 150s vs Alb DIIIs, the second being French SPAD VII 180s vs a mixed bag). Saturday’s pickups included Alb D-Va’s making a balloon attack, another Camel vs Alb game, and an A-H attack on an Italian balloon that resulted in both defending Nieuports going down (one kill to Bruce Yoder and one to Rick Lacy) and the balloon also being shot down (kill to Rick Lacy for a double).

Volume 29, Number 1 

January Gaming Report, VZ Alex Godfrey (13/2) Killed In Action

Welcome to the 29th year of uninterrupted publication for the Indy Squadron Dispatch dating to the founding of the squadron itself. The 2017 calendar has been updated and includes the newly-released dates for this year's Fits Society Spring Mini-Con in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

The Indy Squadron once again revived its old tradition of New Year's Day gaming for 2017, moving the date to January 2nd to take advantage of members' work schedules. The Meisters received us with great fanfare and the usual banquet of delicacies and we churned out four Dawn Patrol missions during the day.

Volume 28, Number 9 

2016 Armistice Day Scenario Announced 

The 2016 Indy Squadron championship gaming day will be held at Hometown Comics & Games in Greenfield, Indiana at 11 am on Saturday, November 9th. 

For only the second time in the 28-year history of the Armistice Day Fits Tournament, the mission scenario will be set on the Italian Front with fresh, different airplanes for both sides. The mission date will be November 3, 1918 - the last day of the war on the Italian Front - to reflect the earlier signing of the Armistice in that region. 

Please review the mission scenario below. Every plane has advantages and disadvantages. Ultimately the key to airplane choice is altitude. Some planes will have the edge up high, others a slight advantage down low. Mission altitude will be determined randomly immediately before the game begins, so everyone has an equal chance at guessing right or wrong. Even if you guess the starting altitude wrong, your plane will still be competitive. 

We will make every effort to stay on schedule this weekend, so please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the plane choices so that we can start the Armistice Tourney in a timely manner on Saturday. CLICK "READ MORE" BELOW TO VIEW THIS YEAR'S GAME SCENARIO. 

Volume 28, Number  8

28th Armistice Day Tournament Preview 

The Indy Squadron's championship event will name its new winner this weekend when the Victory Medal is awarded for the 28th time. The event will be held at a new location on the east side of Indianapolis. 

• LOCATION: Hometown Comics & Games
  1506 N State Street (State Road 9) Greenfield IN 
• TIME: 11 am - 8 pm 
  Warm up gaming 11 am
  Tourney begins around 1 pm 

The venue is open from 11-8 pm, so it is necessary to start the tournament in a timely manner. One warm-up game is certain; a second is possible but unlikely. 

Food is not served inside the venue, but plenty of restaurant choices are available within walking distance, including McDonald's, Taco Bell, Jack's Pizza and a Dollar General Store for snacks. State Road 9 offers nearly every chain restaurant in the industry within a mile or two of our venue. 

Directions for those arriving via I-70: exit on St. Rd. 9 and go south. Hometown Comics is in a strip mall on the west side of the road just before the McDonald's. 

For those driving on US 40: turn north onto St. Rd. 9 (State Street). Continue approximately 2-3 miles, go past 21st Street and look for McDonald's on the left. Enter the strip mall just past McDonald's. 

Volume 28, Number 6

The upcoming Dawn Patrol Rendezvous World War I historical air show is the biggest event of its kind in North America and will attract Dawn Patrol players from across the country. 

The event will be held on Saturday and Sunday, October 1-2, and is immediately preceded by the League of WWI Aviation Historians seminar at the Air Force Museum on Thursday and Friday. Dawn Patrol games will be held every evening. See details for the event below, or check the official event page on the Air Force Museum's site. 

Volume 28, Number 4-5

Rick Lacy Scores 3rd RBF Title
Bob Meister Carries Banner for Germans
Stephen Dale's Albatros Pilot Awarded Medal

The 27th Red Baron Fight was held on April 2, 2016 at the Wyndham West Indianapolis as part of Dawn Patrol activities at the Whosyercon gaming convention.

Rick Lacy scored his third win in the spring classic, out-dueling German opponent Bob Meister and British wingman George Henion in a bloody and controversial victory.