Blog Posts - IndySquadron

Ethan Wins 2nd Indy Crown at 35th Armistice Day ~ Restored Original Footage of 11/11/18 ~ Venue Set for New Year's Day, Nov 18 Gaming Wrap Up

11/19/2023

Volume 35, Number 9

Ethan Wins 2nd Indy Crown at 35th Armistice Day

The Indy Squadron celebrated the 35th Anniversary of its marquee event, the Armistice Day Fits Tournament, in grand style during gaming on November 18, 2023 at Nelson Skinner's home in Lewisville, Indiana. Bratwurst, chips and dip, hot dogs and a host of snacks were served all day as a relatively small group of five gathered to determine the Indy Squadron champion.

This event was unique because the contestants unanimously decided to fly single gun fighters exclusively. The purpose was to slow the game down and help the outnumbered team balance the scenario while at the same time preventing newcomers from paying too high a price for a single mistake in combat.

2023-34 Victory Medals Unveiled ~ Your Chance to Win Just Got Better ~ DH4 Bomber Original Footage

11/16/2023

Volume 35, Number 8

2023-24 Victory Medals Unveiled

Continuing our recent trend of using original, antique medals for the Armistice Day Fits Tournament, the 2023-24 Victory Medals will be 1950-1970 versions of the Navy and Marines Good Conduct Medals. The engraving has been done by laser for the first time ever, which makes a much nicer presentation. See the photo log below to study each of the new Victory Medals, the first of which will be given away this weekend to the new Indy Squadron champion.

Shepherd Boys Smoke Balloons ~ Authentic Film of Balloon Busting ~ Frank Luke Film Update

10/29/2023

Dory ponders gun jams while the train rattles on.

Volume 35, Number 7

Shepherd Boys Smoke Balloons
Game Update for October 28, 2023

Jonathon, Dory, Benjamin and Stephen were on hand for the first of three games in Lewisville, Indiana last Saturday. The first game matched Dory and Jonathon's Albatros DIII's against the Sopwith Pups of Benjamin and Stephen. The bomb-laden Pups were tasked with stopping a German supply train from reaching the front. Rather than attack the train directly, the Brits chose to stop it by bombing a bridge in its path.

The Albatri had an early opportunity to knock Stephen's Pup out of the game but failed to capitalize when both of Dory's machine guns jammed in a single turn and Jonathon's Albatros missed completely. Things got even worse for the Germans when Ben's Pup scored a critical engine hit in Jonathon's Alb, forcing a compression loss and crippling him for the remainder of the game.

With the Albatri unable to mount an effective defense, the Pups were able to knock out the bridge, stop the German train from reaching the front and win the scenario.

Rick Wins RBF XXXIV ~ April 22 Gaming Report ~ Rick Wins Society Open ~ Movie Producers Express Interest in THE STAND ~ A Pair of Aces and a Trey

5/13/2023

Volume 35, Number 5-6
Double Issue

Rick Wins RBF XXXIV, Charles Joins Squadron

The Indy Squadron celebrated 34 uninterrupted years of Red Baron Fight history on April 22nd by re-enacting Manfred von Richthofen's last dogfight yet again. For the first time since 2014, this year's event matched up Camels against Triplanes with no Albatri in the field.

Fokker DrI Triplanes - Ethan Skinner, Dory Oda, Bob Meister
Sopwith Camel 150's - Charles Teague, Stephen Skinner, Rick Lacy

News & Notes for Red Baron Fight XXXIV ~ Flying the Fokker DrI at Dawn Patrol Rendezvous 2022

4/20/2023

Volume 35, Number 4

News & Notes for Red Baron Fight XXXIV

As the winner of the Whosyercon Open earlier this month, Ethan Skinner is now the only person capable of earning the Indy Squadron Triple Crown (winning the Whosyercon Open, Red Baron Fight and Armistice Day Fits Tournament in the same year).
Dory Oda is the defending Red Baron Fight champion and she will be gunning for her third career RBF title this weekend.
2021 RBF co-champ Stephen Dale is working in Kentucky this weekend and will be unable to pursue his fourth Silver Goblet.

Ethan Nets First Open Title at Whosyercon ~ April 7-8 Gaming Report ~ House Rule Update ~ Original Mercedes DIIIa Engine in Fokker DVII

4/9/2023

The Top 3: Rick, Ethan, Nate

Volume 35, Number 3

Ethan Nets First Open Title at Whosyercon

With a squadron championship and two Red Baron Fight Silver Goblets already in the bank, Ethan Skinner has won all of Indy's three major events after scoring his first Whosyercon Open title last weekend. The game featured a mixed bag of Italian Front fighters in a five-player scenario:

Italians:
Rick Lacy, Ansaldo Balilla
Stephen Skinner, Ansaldo Balilla

Austro-Hungarians:
George Henion, Oeffag Albatros DIII 153
Ethan Skinner, Phonix DII
Nate Pantinas, Berg 185

SE 5's Destroy Balloon Train ~ Feb 18 Gaming Report ~ 100 Year Old SE 5a Flies Again ~ Book: Military Aviation of the First World War

2/19/2023

Volume 35, Number 2

SE 5's Destroy Balloon Train

Jonathon Shepherd designed a fun and unique mission for the Indy Squadron featuring a German train carrying supplies for balloon units at the front. Jonathon, Benjamin and Ethan flew SE 5's (not SE 5a's) carrying four bombs each, opposed by Rick, Bob and Stephen in Albatros fighters.

The German flight struck first, with Rick and Stephen's Albatri attacking Benjamin's SE 5 from top and bottom. Benjamin's airplane took 18 total hits, his pilot was wounded and his engine caught fire. Things only got worse when his pilot passed out and crashed to his death and Bob's Albatros pilot scored a 9-hit burst in Ethan's SE.

5th Whosyercon Title for Stephen ~ Whosyercon Open Suspended ~ Tournament Escape Rule Challenged ~ Evolution of the WWI Fighter ~ Gaming Report, Dec 31, 2022

1/8/2023

Same winners, different order. This photo from Whosyercon 2021 shows the same top 3, with Stephen (R) taking top honors in '22 and AJ (center) finishing 2nd.

Volume 35, Number 1

5th Whosyercon Title for Stephen in Final Event

Stephen's inexplicable good luck in the Indy Squadron's Whosyercon Open continued this year with the 5-time champ scoring the game's only air-to-air kill and cruising to victory in a lopsided battle set in October 1918. Rick Lacy designed a great scenario with some unique airplanes:

Allies:
Bob Meister, SPAD XIII (US)
Rick Lacy, Sopwith Dolphin (2 deck mounted Vickers)

Germans:
AJ Meister, Fokker DVI
Stephen Skinner, Junkers DI
George Henion, Pfalz DXII

Rick Wins Closest Armistice Tournament in History ~ Nov 19 Game Report ~ Laser Dogfight Between RE8 and DRI ~ Archeology of the Royal Flying Corps

11/20/2022

Volume 34, Number 7

Rick Wins Closest Armistice Tournament in History on Explosive Final Turn

The Indy Squadron's Armistice Day Fits Tournament has produced some incredible games in its 34-year history, but perhaps none more exciting than the game that decided the 2022 Indy Squadron championship and the latest player to earn Indy's Victory Medal.

Fall Game Dates Set ~ Benjamin Scores Pair of Kills, Jonathon Learns to Fly ~ Video, Massive WWI Air Battle ~ Gen Con Removed From Indy Calendar ~ Book Review, Winged Sabres

10/30/2022

Volume 34, Number 6

Fall Game Dates Set

Indy Squadron gaming dates have been set through early 2023 and posted on the home page of IndySquadron.com. The fall season began in Lewisville, Indiana on October 29th with five players gathering for 4 games (see article in this issue).

The 34th annual Indy Squadron Armistice Day Fits Tournament will be held on Saturday, November 19th in Lewisville. We are expecting a large field of competitors this year, possibly as many as ten. This year's winner will receive the third of four medals from the historic Charles Becker collection from the 1950's.

The 9th Whosyercon Open is set for December 10th with the squadron's annual New Year's Day gaming tradition slated for January 1, 2023. The venues for these two game dates have not yet been established.

NEXT GAMING DAY:
May 23, 2026
Lewisville IN

Reigning Champions

Armistice Day Fits Tournament
Dory Oda

Red Baron Fight
Rick Lacy

Whosyercon Open
Stephen Skinner

2026 Calendar

February 28
Official gaming
Lynn IN

March 21
Official gaming
TBA

April 16-19
Society Mini Con
Milwaukee WI

May 23
Red Baron Fight XXXVII
Lewisville IN

June 20
Official gaming

September 5
Official gaming
WhosyerCon

October 3
Official gaming

November 14
Armistice Day Fits Tournament
Lewisville IN

December 5
Official gaming

January 1, 2027
New Year's Day gaming

ISD Staff

Treasurer:
Ethan Skinner

Editors Emeritus:
Brian Halberstadt
Terry Phillips

Editor-in-Chief:
Stephen Skinner

All content is copyright IndySquadron.com and Indy Squadron Dispatch, 1989-2026, and may only be used or reprinted by permission.

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