RulesRBF is an open event for all players with no eligibility standards; non-Indy players are welcome and eligible for all awards.
The game starts at about 5,000 over No Man's Land, the edges of the board lengthwise are German/Australian lines. Anyone leaving the board within first 4 turns forfeits all survival points (with tourney box exceptions). Dense troop concentration and AA/MG fire in Allied trenches (every 5th square contains AA or MG, roll 50/50, 2nd row of AA defenses 20 squares in Allied lines). They will begin shooting as soon as possible and fire regardless of proximity of friendly planes. MG fire has no effect on friendly planes; at less then 450', AA fire will inflict an additional 25% of the hits on friendly aircraft that it did on it's intended target, from a logical angle. German AA and troop concentration is rolled randomly. The flying of ace and experienced pilots in this game is both encouraged and traditional. They may fully utilize any advantages. The player flying the red tripe gets an automatic parachute and an extra tailing defense maneuver card. Parachutes for Alb pilots are as follows, based on their record prior to the game: 1-5 missions (roll 1-2 on 1D6), 6-8 missions (roll 1-3), 9-10 missions (roll 1-4), 11M/5K and up (roll 1-5). Alb pilots may fly any model of Alb they choose but must roll on standard high compression tables to determine engine. All airplanes on both sides carry 25 rounds of ammunition in each machine gun. This is not a tournament. It replicates a historical air battle, and may not be perfectly balanced in the traditional sense of tournament play. There are no tie breakers. In the event of a tie, each top scoring player is named a full co-champion. Any Albatros pilot who wins the Red Baron Fight receives an immediate and automatic promotion in rank. Any Albatros pilot who survives Red Baron Fight receives a promotion in rank on a roll of 1-3 on 1D6 (passed 8-0, May 27, 2017). He may also roll for a class A or B bravery medal under standard rules. If no such medal is available to his province or he has already won it, he may roll a 1-3 to receive a random medal from the extra awards subtable. If successful on the subtable, he continues to roll until he gets a medal not already in his possession. Points are tallied according to the Indy Squadron scoring system and all Indy House Rules are in effect.
|
About Red Baron FightThe Red Baron Fight is held on or near the 21st day of April each spring; the date of Manfred von Richtofen's last flight (see calendar). It replicates the battle in which the Red Baron lost his life. It All Started in April of 1990... ... when Indy Squadron players thought it would be fun to hold a mission commemorating the final fight of Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron. We had just gamed two weeks earlier at the Skinner's house, and decided to hold our special new event in Dory's legendary Dawn Patrol Basement in Brownsburg. In those days, getting four players was quite a chore. So we spread the word and were stunned when eight people showed up... a massive turnout at the time. It was a simple four-on-four, with big Camels against Tripes. Dory flew her famed Camel ace, 2Lt. Edward P. Stove, and survived the mission. She flew quite well and scored numerous hits on several Germans. Clark flew his future ace, Ltn. Felix Guttenberg (3 missions at the time), and escaped with ten hits in each wing. Chad flew his successful DrI pilot, Unt. Christian Fritz and was forced to land in German lines after receiving a critical head wound from then-Flight Lieutenant Christopher Foxxe (Stephen), who came into the mission with a 19/10 record. Jason's Camel was shot down by Shawn Morgan's Tripe. Shawn played the Red Baron with an all-red airplane and scored very well. Clark II was shot down out of control by Foxxe, who doubled for his 11th and 12th kills. It was a long game - 25 turns - but in those days we didn't care. The length of the game combined with a bit of luck allowed Foxxe to amass the modern equivalent of 195 points, a record which would have stood for the next fifteen years. However, at that time the Indy Squadron was still using the traditional Fits scoring sytem complete with negative points. Additionally, the first Red Baron Fight was simply a memorial event. No one thought of officially scoring the game and no awards were handed out. Hence, Foxxe's score would be remembered by Indy oldtimers as a record that never was. The Camel pilot would wait another decade and a half before claiming the RBF scoring crown again. The first Red Baron Fight was complete with a display of Red Baron memoribilia, Richthofen books and a good bit of history on the actual dogfight in April of 1918 when Richthofen lost his life. The enthusiasm and attendance for this initial game were so overwhelming that we decided to make it an annual event. Looking at the squadron today it is difficult to understand just how significant an eight-player turnout was to us in the spring of 1990. With the squadron barely a year old at the time, it was even more amazing to sit at an Indy gaming table with two aces and one ace-to-be... a fantastic armada of power by the standards of the day. If you have played in a Red Baron Fight, you are part of the RBF legacy - an event with an uninterrrupted history dating back more than twenty years. Since the creation of Dawn Patrol in the late 1960's, only a handful of events in all of Fitsdom can make such a claim. Congratulations, and thanks for playing. |
