INSTANT START
More Playing Time, More Limited Intelligence, Less Setup
by Stephen Skinner
Try this simplified game-starting routine to speed up your Dawn Patrol experience and protect limited intelligence by keeping secret the number of ace/experienced pilots on your team in almost every game.
After establishing combat location and level of combat, each flight leader rolls their team's altitude (1D6 and 1D10).
If the teams' altitudes are separated by less than 1000 feet, the game begins immediately.
If the teams' altitudes are separated by 1000 feet or more, the higher flight begins the game with an altitude advantage of 1D6x100' over the lower flight and the game begins immediately.
Many games start just like that. It is literally a five-second process. Dogfights never start more than 1000 feet apart and usually less than 600. And better still, you don't have to risk violating limited intelligence by revealing the ace/experience pilots in your flight.
A surprise attack is possible if the flights are separated by more than 2,000 feet (per 7th edition rules). The higher flight privately rolls the appropriate surprise chance with no modifiers being revealed by either team. That information is exchanged only if the roll is successful. If the roll is unsuccessful, the higher flight starts with an altitude advantage of 1D6x100' over their opponents as already described.
Here is an example:
Instant Start usually results in fewer pre-game rolls than the old “Quickstart,” it usually has teams starting less than 600 feet apart (compared to a painfully slow maximum of 1,200 feet in the outdated “Quickstart” system), it requires no charts at all and protects ace/experience pilot information in all but the most rare circumstances.
Get some extra playing time this weekend and protect limited intelligence in one stroke. Give this system a try at your group's next gaming night.
More Playing Time, More Limited Intelligence, Less Setup
by Stephen Skinner
Try this simplified game-starting routine to speed up your Dawn Patrol experience and protect limited intelligence by keeping secret the number of ace/experienced pilots on your team in almost every game.
After establishing combat location and level of combat, each flight leader rolls their team's altitude (1D6 and 1D10).
If the teams' altitudes are separated by less than 1000 feet, the game begins immediately.
If the teams' altitudes are separated by 1000 feet or more, the higher flight begins the game with an altitude advantage of 1D6x100' over the lower flight and the game begins immediately.
Many games start just like that. It is literally a five-second process. Dogfights never start more than 1000 feet apart and usually less than 600. And better still, you don't have to risk violating limited intelligence by revealing the ace/experience pilots in your flight.
A surprise attack is possible if the flights are separated by more than 2,000 feet (per 7th edition rules). The higher flight privately rolls the appropriate surprise chance with no modifiers being revealed by either team. That information is exchanged only if the roll is successful. If the roll is unsuccessful, the higher flight starts with an altitude advantage of 1D6x100' over their opponents as already described.
Here is an example:
- The opening altitude difference is more than 2,000 feet. The higher team has no modifiers, resulting in a 20% chance of surprise. They roll 17%, making a surprise attack possible.
- The higher team announces that the lower team may be surprised and asks if they have any modifiers.
- The lower team responds that yes, they have one modifier, which lowers the surprise chance to 15%.
- The higher team's roll of 17% does not result in a surprise attack. The higher team starts 1D6x100' above the lower team and game play begins.
Instant Start usually results in fewer pre-game rolls than the old “Quickstart,” it usually has teams starting less than 600 feet apart (compared to a painfully slow maximum of 1,200 feet in the outdated “Quickstart” system), it requires no charts at all and protects ace/experience pilot information in all but the most rare circumstances.
Get some extra playing time this weekend and protect limited intelligence in one stroke. Give this system a try at your group's next gaming night.
