Ethan tries desperately to save Nicholson Bob while Cori looks on Volume 38, Number 2
Nicholson Bob Survives by Three Percent
Four players gathered at the home of Bob and Teresa in Thorntown, Indiana on Saturday, March 21st to play four games. Teresa spoiled us with meatballs, chicken nuggets, her legendary chips and queso, coffee and dessert. For the first time, we played in Bob's upstairs game room which was set up specifically for the day. And as described in another article in this issue, Stephen Dale gamed with us via a Zoom call and camera setup. The headline is Game 4, with our other three games summarized beneath the main story.
Game 4 – August 1918
There are close calls, and then there is what happened to Nicholson Bob.
Ethan's Unteroffizier, an original roster pilot who entered the fight at 18 missions and 3 kills, came within a whisker of dying on his home airfield. The story of how he got there is the story of Game Four.
The Germans — Ethan "The Python" Skinner in a 200hp Fokker D.VII and Stephen Dale's Offizier Stellvertreter Otto Scheinstock in a second Fokker — started reasonably enough against two Brits. Stephen Dale intentionally drew Bob's Sopwith Dolphin toward the German side of the board, buying two turns without the Allies' second plane in the fight. But the window didn't produce a decisive advantage, and once the lines were drawn, Stephen's Sopwith locked onto Nicholson Bob's tail and refused to let go.
For four straight turns, Stephen's Captain Bretton Pyle in his 130 hp Sopwith Camel poured 17 bullets into the Fokker. Almost every single hit produced a critical. A 200-foot dive penalty. Then a critical in the left wing. Then another in the right wing. Then the tail. By the time Nicholson Bob reached the clouds, his dive rating had been hammered down by 900 feet and his aircraft was barely maneuverable in any direction. Stephen calls it the most important stretch of the game, and it's hard to argue.
Nicholson Bob Survives by Three Percent
Four players gathered at the home of Bob and Teresa in Thorntown, Indiana on Saturday, March 21st to play four games. Teresa spoiled us with meatballs, chicken nuggets, her legendary chips and queso, coffee and dessert. For the first time, we played in Bob's upstairs game room which was set up specifically for the day. And as described in another article in this issue, Stephen Dale gamed with us via a Zoom call and camera setup. The headline is Game 4, with our other three games summarized beneath the main story.
Game 4 – August 1918
There are close calls, and then there is what happened to Nicholson Bob.
Ethan's Unteroffizier, an original roster pilot who entered the fight at 18 missions and 3 kills, came within a whisker of dying on his home airfield. The story of how he got there is the story of Game Four.
The Germans — Ethan "The Python" Skinner in a 200hp Fokker D.VII and Stephen Dale's Offizier Stellvertreter Otto Scheinstock in a second Fokker — started reasonably enough against two Brits. Stephen Dale intentionally drew Bob's Sopwith Dolphin toward the German side of the board, buying two turns without the Allies' second plane in the fight. But the window didn't produce a decisive advantage, and once the lines were drawn, Stephen's Sopwith locked onto Nicholson Bob's tail and refused to let go.
For four straight turns, Stephen's Captain Bretton Pyle in his 130 hp Sopwith Camel poured 17 bullets into the Fokker. Almost every single hit produced a critical. A 200-foot dive penalty. Then a critical in the left wing. Then another in the right wing. Then the tail. By the time Nicholson Bob reached the clouds, his dive rating had been hammered down by 900 feet and his aircraft was barely maneuverable in any direction. Stephen calls it the most important stretch of the game, and it's hard to argue.
Meanwhile, Bob's Second Lieutenant Paul Maverick had a slower start — early on, nobody was near him. He finally entered the fight by "showing enough leg," as he put it, to draw Stephen Dale into a shot from below. Once that was settled, Maverick turned around and chased Stephen Dale's D.VII into the clouds with enough aggression to put two critical hits in the Fokker before the German escaped.
Ethan's ace, Nicholson Bob, finally lifted into the clouds to escape Stephen's onslaught. Nicholson Bob limped back to his airfield with a plane that was effectively destroyed — 5 hits in the tail, 6 in the left wing, 3 in the center, 4 in the right. The critical hits had ground his landing modifier down to a net 85%. He needed to roll under 85 to land safely. He rolled an 87, followed by a nosedive crash that apparently killed the pilot.
At that point, the ace's life hung on a rules check. After a thorough search of the charts, the group remembered that aces receive a 5% bonus to their landing roll, pushing the threshold to 90. Ethan's roll of 87 cleared it — by three percent. Instead of dying in a crash, Nicholson Bob walked away from a shaky landing.
For Stephen, the near-miss felt significant. "That's a big, big kill on my roster," he said after rolling successfully for victory credit on the Kill Confirmation Chart. Ethan says he plans to rest his oldest pilot for a while.
The final tally underscored the Allied dominance. Bretton Pyle goes to 10 missions and 3 kills, his Camel flyable and intact despite several hits. Maverick records his first mission with no crits. Stephen Dale's Scheinstock survives at 7 missions and 0 kills, the Fokker flyable with two critical hits. The Germans, by their own admission, were thoroughly routed — holding on only as long as the opening turns allowed them to dictate the pace.
A footnote worth recording: back in the debrief, The Python (officially nicknamed by game designer Mike Carr) noted that Nicholson Bob, long the crown jewel of his roster, has now been overtaken by Dolph Meinhardt — the Albatros D.III pilot from Game Three, sitting at 19 missions and 8 kills. Nicholson Bob, at 18 and 3, is one of his last remaining original pilots and the most important entry on his roster.
Ethan's ace, Nicholson Bob, finally lifted into the clouds to escape Stephen's onslaught. Nicholson Bob limped back to his airfield with a plane that was effectively destroyed — 5 hits in the tail, 6 in the left wing, 3 in the center, 4 in the right. The critical hits had ground his landing modifier down to a net 85%. He needed to roll under 85 to land safely. He rolled an 87, followed by a nosedive crash that apparently killed the pilot.
At that point, the ace's life hung on a rules check. After a thorough search of the charts, the group remembered that aces receive a 5% bonus to their landing roll, pushing the threshold to 90. Ethan's roll of 87 cleared it — by three percent. Instead of dying in a crash, Nicholson Bob walked away from a shaky landing.
For Stephen, the near-miss felt significant. "That's a big, big kill on my roster," he said after rolling successfully for victory credit on the Kill Confirmation Chart. Ethan says he plans to rest his oldest pilot for a while.
The final tally underscored the Allied dominance. Bretton Pyle goes to 10 missions and 3 kills, his Camel flyable and intact despite several hits. Maverick records his first mission with no crits. Stephen Dale's Scheinstock survives at 7 missions and 0 kills, the Fokker flyable with two critical hits. The Germans, by their own admission, were thoroughly routed — holding on only as long as the opening turns allowed them to dictate the pace.
A footnote worth recording: back in the debrief, The Python (officially nicknamed by game designer Mike Carr) noted that Nicholson Bob, long the crown jewel of his roster, has now been overtaken by Dolph Meinhardt — the Albatros D.III pilot from Game Three, sitting at 19 missions and 8 kills. Nicholson Bob, at 18 and 3, is one of his last remaining original pilots and the most important entry on his roster.
Playing From North Carolina: Stephen Dale Joins the Indy Squadron via Zoom
For the first time in Indy Squadron history, a player joined the gaming table from a distance — Stephen Dale participated in all four games of the March 21st session from North Carolina, connected via Zoom with two cameras and a laptop managed by the players on the ground at Bob and Teresa's house near Indianapolis. By any measure, it worked.
The setup was straightforward in concept if occasionally tricky in execution: one camera on the board, a second available for closer views, and the group rotating the laptop as needed so Stephen Dale could see critical rolls, board positions, and the inevitable chaos of a full day of Dawn Patrol. He flew, he shot, he was shot at, and his pilots both survived and died just like everyone else's.
The consensus afterward was enthusiastic. "Overall, a wild success, and I had an absolute blast today," Stephen Dale said. Stephen added, "And this is the worst it will ever be. It will never be worse than it was today. Every time it will get a little bit better."
That said, the group was candid about where the friction was. The main limitation, Stephen Dale noted, was the loss of that thin margin of in-between-turn awareness that separates good tournament play from great tournament play. "There is a lot of strategy that has to happen in between turns," he explained. "Simple things, like being ready to move your plane quietly. The best players get planes moved while other people are talking." When you're on a laptop, you have to wait for a pause — and that extra ten or twenty percent of strategic edge gets absorbed by the logistics of switching cameras, directing dice rolls, and getting someone's attention.
Getting someone's attention, in fact, emerged as the most consistent friction point. As Ethan noted, "It's easy to overlook the person on the computer." Stephen Dale spent parts of the day simply waiting to be noticed. The suggested fix for next time: a second device — a phone running Zoom on a teammate's side of the board — so the laptop doesn't have to be physically rotated every time a roll needs to be verified. A third camera angle on the dice area alone would go a long way, as well as an external speaker to give the streaming player more volume.
Stephen Dale was clear that none of this diminishes the format for regular play. "This is a perfect setup for four to six players on a standard gaming day," he said, adding only that he would want to think carefully before using it in a tournament setting, where those small margins matter most.
The Indy Squadron is already talking about refinements. The technology is there. The will is clearly there. And after a full day of four games played across several hundred miles, it's hard to argue with the result.
Stephen Dale: welcome to the remote roster. We'll see you at the board — wherever that board happens to be.
For the first time in Indy Squadron history, a player joined the gaming table from a distance — Stephen Dale participated in all four games of the March 21st session from North Carolina, connected via Zoom with two cameras and a laptop managed by the players on the ground at Bob and Teresa's house near Indianapolis. By any measure, it worked.
The setup was straightforward in concept if occasionally tricky in execution: one camera on the board, a second available for closer views, and the group rotating the laptop as needed so Stephen Dale could see critical rolls, board positions, and the inevitable chaos of a full day of Dawn Patrol. He flew, he shot, he was shot at, and his pilots both survived and died just like everyone else's.
The consensus afterward was enthusiastic. "Overall, a wild success, and I had an absolute blast today," Stephen Dale said. Stephen added, "And this is the worst it will ever be. It will never be worse than it was today. Every time it will get a little bit better."
That said, the group was candid about where the friction was. The main limitation, Stephen Dale noted, was the loss of that thin margin of in-between-turn awareness that separates good tournament play from great tournament play. "There is a lot of strategy that has to happen in between turns," he explained. "Simple things, like being ready to move your plane quietly. The best players get planes moved while other people are talking." When you're on a laptop, you have to wait for a pause — and that extra ten or twenty percent of strategic edge gets absorbed by the logistics of switching cameras, directing dice rolls, and getting someone's attention.
Getting someone's attention, in fact, emerged as the most consistent friction point. As Ethan noted, "It's easy to overlook the person on the computer." Stephen Dale spent parts of the day simply waiting to be noticed. The suggested fix for next time: a second device — a phone running Zoom on a teammate's side of the board — so the laptop doesn't have to be physically rotated every time a roll needs to be verified. A third camera angle on the dice area alone would go a long way, as well as an external speaker to give the streaming player more volume.
Stephen Dale was clear that none of this diminishes the format for regular play. "This is a perfect setup for four to six players on a standard gaming day," he said, adding only that he would want to think carefully before using it in a tournament setting, where those small margins matter most.
The Indy Squadron is already talking about refinements. The technology is there. The will is clearly there. And after a full day of four games played across several hundred miles, it's hard to argue with the result.
Stephen Dale: welcome to the remote roster. We'll see you at the board — wherever that board happens to be.
SPADs and Fokkers Tangle Over the Lines
Game 1 – July 1918
Four pilots recently took to the skies in a spirited two-on-two engagement that proved to be a study in contrasting fortunes. The Allied side (Ethan and Stephen) fielded a pair of French SPAD 13s, while the Germans answered with two Fokker D.VIIs — a 185hp and a 160hp — flown by Stephen Dale and Bob.
The decisive moment came on Turn 3, when Stephen's Corporal Vladimirez Kaskaskia (Russian father, Mexican mother) put eight hits into Stephen Dale's Fokker D.VII from the tail. The damage was enough to force Stephen Dale's pilot, Leutnant Lauren Newman, to cut his engine and nurse the aircraft toward a landing. Newman's Fokker limped home flyable but battered — two critical hits, one in each wing, leaving the aircraft only mildly maneuverable for the remainder of the game.
Ethan's Corporal Jean Fabio, also in a SPAD 13, had a quieter afternoon. A gun jam early in the fight led him to decline a marginal shot, preferring to bank on a better opportunity later. That opportunity never quite materialized, and Ethan ultimately chose a fighting withdrawal rather than force a low-percentage attack. His aircraft came through without a scratch. With a record now standing at 10 missions and 5 kills, Fabio remains one of the more experienced pilots in the squadron.
On the German side, Bob's Lieutenant Peter Wagner flew an immaculate mission in his 185hp Fokker D.VII. Wagner drew no damage and fired not a single bullet — though he was targeted enough to earn mission credit. This marks Wagner's eighth mission, and the veteran pilot can claim a storied past: a second-place finish at the Whosyercon Open in 2017, a first kill against Rick, and a memorable winning card cut with Bruce Yoder.
Despite taking the worst of the exchange, Stephen Dale's pilot, Lauren Newman managed to stay in the fight long enough to deny the Allies a clean victory. As Dale himself put it, he pulled something close to a draw from the jaws of defeat — and lived to fly another day.
Game 1 – July 1918
Four pilots recently took to the skies in a spirited two-on-two engagement that proved to be a study in contrasting fortunes. The Allied side (Ethan and Stephen) fielded a pair of French SPAD 13s, while the Germans answered with two Fokker D.VIIs — a 185hp and a 160hp — flown by Stephen Dale and Bob.
The decisive moment came on Turn 3, when Stephen's Corporal Vladimirez Kaskaskia (Russian father, Mexican mother) put eight hits into Stephen Dale's Fokker D.VII from the tail. The damage was enough to force Stephen Dale's pilot, Leutnant Lauren Newman, to cut his engine and nurse the aircraft toward a landing. Newman's Fokker limped home flyable but battered — two critical hits, one in each wing, leaving the aircraft only mildly maneuverable for the remainder of the game.
Ethan's Corporal Jean Fabio, also in a SPAD 13, had a quieter afternoon. A gun jam early in the fight led him to decline a marginal shot, preferring to bank on a better opportunity later. That opportunity never quite materialized, and Ethan ultimately chose a fighting withdrawal rather than force a low-percentage attack. His aircraft came through without a scratch. With a record now standing at 10 missions and 5 kills, Fabio remains one of the more experienced pilots in the squadron.
On the German side, Bob's Lieutenant Peter Wagner flew an immaculate mission in his 185hp Fokker D.VII. Wagner drew no damage and fired not a single bullet — though he was targeted enough to earn mission credit. This marks Wagner's eighth mission, and the veteran pilot can claim a storied past: a second-place finish at the Whosyercon Open in 2017, a first kill against Rick, and a memorable winning card cut with Bruce Yoder.
Despite taking the worst of the exchange, Stephen Dale's pilot, Lauren Newman managed to stay in the fight long enough to deny the Allies a clean victory. As Dale himself put it, he pulled something close to a draw from the jaws of defeat — and lived to fly another day.
Rookie American Draws First Blood Over German Lines
Game 2 – April 1918
The second game of the evening took the action deep into German-held territory — low altitude, April 1918, right over the enemy's own home airfield. Two American Nieuport 28s squared off against a pair of German fighters, an Albatros D.Va and a Pfalz D.IIIa, in a recreation of the first ever kills scored by the United States Air Service. However, to assist the Germans, the dogfight was moved to German territory (the actual fight took place over an American airfield).
Lieutenant Marlo Sandifer, flown by Stephen, drew first blood on Turn 5. A five-hit burst into Stephen Dale's Pfalz D.IIIa included a critical pilot wound, forcing pilot Edrich Hoffen to break off and attempt a landing on his own airfield. Hoffen made it down — but died of his wound on the ground. Seven missions and zero kills, gone in an instant. Sandifer's aircraft came through remarkably clean, with just a single engine hit and two more in the left wing. His record now stands at 13 missions and 5 kills.
The other German pilot, Ethan's Vizefeldwebel Frederick Knorr in the Albatros D.Va, took an extraordinary amount of punishment before the day was out — hits in the right wing, left wing, engine, tail, and center section — yet somehow kept the aircraft airborne long enough to land safely. He survives at 7 missions and 1 kill, though the aircraft will need serious attention before the next sortie.
Bob's unnamed American rookie, fresh to the front and not yet ranked, had a rocky start. An early head-on pass with Ethan's Albatros was, in Bob's own words, "a bit of a mistake," resulting in five hits and two of them in the engine. But once Stephen Dale's Pfalz went down, Bob locked onto Ethan's tail and refused to let go, eventually compelling the Albatros to land. A solo kill on the very first mission — an auspicious debut for the new pilot.
The Germans, for their part, spent the entire game on the defensive and never managed to dictate the terms of the fight. Sometimes the airfield beneath your wheels is small comfort.
Game 2 – April 1918
The second game of the evening took the action deep into German-held territory — low altitude, April 1918, right over the enemy's own home airfield. Two American Nieuport 28s squared off against a pair of German fighters, an Albatros D.Va and a Pfalz D.IIIa, in a recreation of the first ever kills scored by the United States Air Service. However, to assist the Germans, the dogfight was moved to German territory (the actual fight took place over an American airfield).
Lieutenant Marlo Sandifer, flown by Stephen, drew first blood on Turn 5. A five-hit burst into Stephen Dale's Pfalz D.IIIa included a critical pilot wound, forcing pilot Edrich Hoffen to break off and attempt a landing on his own airfield. Hoffen made it down — but died of his wound on the ground. Seven missions and zero kills, gone in an instant. Sandifer's aircraft came through remarkably clean, with just a single engine hit and two more in the left wing. His record now stands at 13 missions and 5 kills.
The other German pilot, Ethan's Vizefeldwebel Frederick Knorr in the Albatros D.Va, took an extraordinary amount of punishment before the day was out — hits in the right wing, left wing, engine, tail, and center section — yet somehow kept the aircraft airborne long enough to land safely. He survives at 7 missions and 1 kill, though the aircraft will need serious attention before the next sortie.
Bob's unnamed American rookie, fresh to the front and not yet ranked, had a rocky start. An early head-on pass with Ethan's Albatros was, in Bob's own words, "a bit of a mistake," resulting in five hits and two of them in the engine. But once Stephen Dale's Pfalz went down, Bob locked onto Ethan's tail and refused to let go, eventually compelling the Albatros to land. A solo kill on the very first mission — an auspicious debut for the new pilot.
The Germans, for their part, spent the entire game on the defensive and never managed to dictate the terms of the fight. Sometimes the airfield beneath your wheels is small comfort.
Todenhofer Gains 1st Kill; Meinhart Logs 19th Sortie
Game 3 – May 1917
The third game of the evening took place in May 1918, with two French Nieuport 17s (Bob and Stephen) — both armed with only a single overhead Lewis gun — up against a German Albatros D.III and a Fokker (Ethan and Stephen Dale), in what turned into one of the more dramatic endings of the night.
It started badly for the Allies and they never really recovered. On the very first turn, Bob's Sergeant Kyle Porter absorbed seven hits from Stephen Dale, including a critical leg wound. Rather than break off, Porter dove and somehow stayed conscious for thirteen turns — a testament to either extraordinary toughness or sheer stubbornness. With an 80% chance of landing successfully, Porter rolled a 91. The plane demolished on impact, leaving only a 15% survival chance. The pilot died on the runway. Aircraft: complete wreck. Porter's brief career ends at one mission, zero kills.
Stephen's Lieutenant Alexandre Charron had better luck, though the mission still slipped away from him. For three strong turns in the middle of the fight, Charron had Ethan's Albatros legend, Hauptmann Dolf Meinhart in his sights, stitching six bullets into the Albatros. Then Meinhart reversed the turn and put Charron on the defensive. With Porter gone and the numbers now against him, Charron wisely chose to disengage and fly home unscathed — two missions, one kill, not a scratch on the Nieuport 17.
For the Germans, Meinhart had a thoroughly uneventful afternoon. He went first nearly every turn and found himself unable to press any advantage, finishing the game with his aircraft in fine condition at 19 missions and 8 kills — quietly working toward the double-digit milestone.
Stephen Dale's Vizefeldwebel Francis Todenhofer, flying alongside Ethan, made the most of turns two and three, gaining a numbers advantage almost immediately and converting it into Porter's kill. The Germans never relinquished the upper hand after that. Todenhofer closes at three missions and one kill, and seemed happy enough to hold what he had after a rough earlier session.
The Last Nieuport 28
Game 3 – May 1917
The third game of the evening took place in May 1918, with two French Nieuport 17s (Bob and Stephen) — both armed with only a single overhead Lewis gun — up against a German Albatros D.III and a Fokker (Ethan and Stephen Dale), in what turned into one of the more dramatic endings of the night.
It started badly for the Allies and they never really recovered. On the very first turn, Bob's Sergeant Kyle Porter absorbed seven hits from Stephen Dale, including a critical leg wound. Rather than break off, Porter dove and somehow stayed conscious for thirteen turns — a testament to either extraordinary toughness or sheer stubbornness. With an 80% chance of landing successfully, Porter rolled a 91. The plane demolished on impact, leaving only a 15% survival chance. The pilot died on the runway. Aircraft: complete wreck. Porter's brief career ends at one mission, zero kills.
Stephen's Lieutenant Alexandre Charron had better luck, though the mission still slipped away from him. For three strong turns in the middle of the fight, Charron had Ethan's Albatros legend, Hauptmann Dolf Meinhart in his sights, stitching six bullets into the Albatros. Then Meinhart reversed the turn and put Charron on the defensive. With Porter gone and the numbers now against him, Charron wisely chose to disengage and fly home unscathed — two missions, one kill, not a scratch on the Nieuport 17.
For the Germans, Meinhart had a thoroughly uneventful afternoon. He went first nearly every turn and found himself unable to press any advantage, finishing the game with his aircraft in fine condition at 19 missions and 8 kills — quietly working toward the double-digit milestone.
Stephen Dale's Vizefeldwebel Francis Todenhofer, flying alongside Ethan, made the most of turns two and three, gaining a numbers advantage almost immediately and converting it into Porter's kill. The Germans never relinquished the upper hand after that. Todenhofer closes at three missions and one kill, and seemed happy enough to hold what he had after a rough earlier session.
The Last Nieuport 28
RSS Feed
