IndySquadron
Covering Dawn Patrol war gaming, Fight in the Skies Society,
Gen Con, Whosyercon, early combat aviation
and World War I historical research
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Armistice Day
  • Red Baron Fight
  • WhosYerCon Open
  • House Rules
  • Indy Squadron TV
  • Downloads

Kevin Scores 3rd Indy Title in 27th Indy Squadron Championship

11/22/2015

 
Picture
Volume 27, Number 8

Kevin Scores 3rd Indy Title

Only four players have ever notched a trio of Indy Squadron championship titles, and Kevin Richeson is among them after a dominant performance in the 27th annual Indy Squadron Armistice Day Fits Tournament.
PictureKevin Richeson, 2015 Indy Squadron Champion
The title game was held at Saltire Games on Pendleton Pike in Indianapolis on Saturday, November 21, 2015. The event featured a strong turnout of eight experienced gamers. The sides stacked up like this:

British 
Dory Oda, Sopwith Dolphin
Bob Meister, Sopwith Dolphin
Stephen Dale Skinner, Camel 130
Stephen Skinner, Sopwith Dolphin

Germans
A. J. Meister, Fokker DVII 160 h/c
Ethan Skinner, Pfalz DXII
Rick Lacy, Fokker DVII 160 h/c
Kevin Richeson, Fokker DVII 160 h/c

Dory's Dolphin would ultimately become the only outright kill in one of the most unusual title games in squadron history. Her luck started out bad and then got worse. She moved first on the first turn and was hit hard by Rick's DVII and Ethan's Pfalz. After flying more than half the game with critical damage and one of her twin Vickers guns jammed, her pilot was hit by a burst from Kevin's Fokker.

The result was a critical arm wound which would eventually cause the Dolphin pilot to pass out, over-stress the wings and die in the ensuing crash. Sole credit for the kill went to Kevin, and Dory later accurately observed, "This was the first really pivotal point in the game and it really changed everything."

The game was typified by poor coordination on both sides. At one point midway through the contest all eight competitors were scattered across three separate game boards spanning almost 80 squares. This was partially due to unusual movement sequences and a lack of intent by the pilots.

It was also due to two vital moves that changed the game. Stephen Dale, flying the only Sopwith Camel in the game, suffered a jammed elevator on his airplane that forced him into a dive. Before he could resolve the issue three turns later, he had left the tournament box, dove nearly 2,000 feet below the fight and drawn several other planes off the board in the same direction. Stephen Dale later called this "the weirdest championship game I've ever seen." 

Another pivotal moment occurred just prior to the demise of Dory's Sopwith fighter. Her wingman, Bob Meister, chose to make a last-ditch attempt to save her from two attackers (a noble effort, to be sure) and dove to her rescue rather than reuniting with the battered airplanes of his teammates, Stephen and Stephen Dale, who were re-forming their flight nearby. Bob's effort was magnificent, but he had no way of knowing that a critical wound had already sealed Dory's fate.

Late in the game, as Bob's Dolphin was battling single-handedly against the German fighters of Ethan, Rick and A. J., the two remaining British pilots faced a difficult decision.

Stephen and Stephen Dale both suffered the same odd critical hit (engine 4/6) which indicated an upper engine oil leak. The penalties were severe. Both planes were smoking badly, and both pilots were forced to add +1 to their initiative roll and their firepower effectiveness was reduced by two tables. In other words, they couldn't out-roll anyone and they couldn't do any real damage to anyone. Worse still, Stephen Dale's Camel was reduced to 70 mph of turn speed and could make no right turns or banks. 

Rather than wait for the fight to resume and allow their certain demise to award more points to the German team, Stephen and Stephen Dale chose to escape the combat and land their planes on a road behind Allied lines. Both survived the combat.

A. J. and Ethan flew well but, like their Allied counterparts, were unable to summon any real offense. Rick and Kevin were able shoot consistently against the scattered and damaged Allies, and were the only players in the game to mount a real offensive threat. It really was, as Rick later observed, "the Kevin and Rick show" when it came to scoring points. 

The final score surprised no one, with Kevin putting on a clinic in a runaway victory with Rick a distant second and Stephen, the highest scoring Brit, an even more distant third.

Everyone had a great time, and it was great fun to watch Kevin return to the gaming table for his third title. We followed the game with our traditional champion's toast, and then all the participants signed the bottle as a keepsake for the winner. The festivities wrapped up with the presentation of the Indy Squadron's most coveted honor, the Victory Medal. 
Kevin Richeson                     Fokker DVII 160 h/c                 129 
Rick Lacy                                Fokker DVII 160 h/c                 63
Stephen Skinner                   Sopwith Dolphin                      47
Ethan Skinner                        Pfalz DXII                                  39
Stephen Dale Skinner         Sopwith Camel 130                 39
Bob Meister                           Sopwith Dolphin                       33
A. J. Meister                           Fokker DVII 160 h/c                 33
Dory Oda                                Sopwith Dolphin                      10
Picture

Comments are closed.
    Picture
    Reigning Champions

    Armistice Day Fits Tournament
    Stephen Skinner
    ​​
    Red Baron Fight
    Dory Oda
    ​​​
    Whosyercon Open 
    A. J. Meister

    Picture
    2022 Calendar

    February 19
    Official gaming 

    Lewisville IN

    March 26
    Official gaming
    Indianapolis IN 

    April 16
    Red Baron Fight XXXII 
    Lewisville IN

    May 14
    Official gaming 
    Union City IN

    October 29 
    Official gaming
    Lewisville IN 

    November 19
    Armistice Day Fits Tournament 
    Lewisville IN

    December 10
    Whosyercon Open 
    Venue TBA 

    January 1, 2023
    New Year's Day gaming
    ​Venue TBA
    Picture
    ISD Staff 

    Treasurer:
    Ethan Skinner 
    ​
    Editors Emeritus: 
    Brian Halberstadt
    Terry Phillips

    Editor-in-Chief: 
    Stephen Skinner

    All content is copyright IndySquadron.com/Indy Squadron Dispatch, 1989-2020, and may only be used or reprinted by permission.

    Submit product for review

    Contact the webmaster
    Picture
    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    November 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012

    Picture
    Click here for Indy Squadron TV
    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.