Phantom Leader 6
Tags
Note: this game was started on or before Feb. 17, 2024.
I'm finally getting back into Phantom Leader. It's been since 2016, and I did not intend on letting go this long, that's almost 8 years, which seems insane. I've spent the last week or so with the game out, reading over the rules really carefully. I have a pretty good idea of how to play it, and today's excursion should go pretty smoothly.
Everything is lined up in advance of game play, such that when I sit down to play it, should go really smoothly.
Here's the lineup for the campaign, all F4:
- newbie: Echo.
- green: Monger
- green: Splashdog
- average: Robin
- average: Smokes
- average: Jagger
- average: Kirin
- skilled: Papa
I don't really have an objective for the campaign, but it would be nice to get at least one of the pilots promoted.
Linked games:
This is a short campaign, 4 missions for Rolling Thunder USAF - 1967.
- Second game did not go well, with two pilots shot down and MIA, one pilot shaken, and the last unfit.
- Third game went pretty well in terms of pilots, but did not score any VPs.
- Fourth game
Phantom Leader Turn 1
Preflight
1. Draw target cards: 2 cards at start of this campaign.
2. Select target and move Politics Counter: Covert Mission into Laos.
This is a low politics but high stress mission.
3. Determine and place sites: Got lucky on the Center with a No Bandit pulled.
4. Assign pilots:
Here's the lineup for the campaign, all F4:
- green: Splashdog
- average: Smokes
- average: Jagger
- average: Robin
5. Arm aircraft The idea here is to leverage the AtA and AtG
DRMs as well as possible.
- Splashdog: 5 rockets, probably suppression.
- Jagger: 4 rockets for suppression, AIM-7
- Smokes: +1 AtG, gets a couple of big bombs, spending those SO points, can deliver from high altitude.
- Robin: Fast AtA +1, gets all the AtA AIM-7 missiles, 5 of them.
Target-bound flight
6. Draw Target-Bound Event card Rules of Engagement, can only
attack bandits when in the same area. This is really bad, and neuters
my AtA efforts on entry. AIM-7 cannot hit in the same area.
7. Place Aircraft and Flight Paths Whole flight into Eastern
Pre-Approach area.
8. Determine and Place Bandits Single bandit in center area.
9. Intel Air Defense Destruction none.
10. Draw Over Target Event card A-1 Skyraiders. Pilots
flying this mission get 1 extra experience point and 1 extra
stress point.
11. Place Turn Counter in "1" box Done.
Over Target Turn 1 (5 Times)
12. Jettison Decision none.
13. Fast pilots attack
- Robin is the only Fast pilot and the event card precludes AtA with AIM-7.
14. Return fire
- None, there is nothing with range and altitude which can hit.
15. Slow Pilots Attack nothing in range.
16. Aircraft move and adjust altitude Whole flight moves
to eastern Approach, stays at High Altitude.
17. Bandits move MIG-17 moves to eastern Approach.
18. Advance turn counter Done, start of Turn 2.
Over Target Turn 2
12. Jettison Decision none.
13. Fast pilots attack None due to event.
- Robin with Guns on the MIG-17, roll 7, miss.
14. Return fire
- M1938 from North attacks Splashdog, who evades for +2 Stress. Die roll adds one more stress. Splashdog will be combat ineffective after this mission.
- MIG-17 ataacks Splashdog, dang, rolls a 9.
- M1939 center area, attacks Splashdog, roll 1 which is a miss!
15. Slow Pilots Attack
- Smokes drops the AGM-62 on to the target, roll 4 for 1 hit.
- Jagger for guns, roll 4 miss.
- Smokes guns, roll 3, miss.
16. Aircraft move and adjust altitude
- Flight moves to center area.
- Splashdog, Robin and Smokes stay High.
- Jagger goes Low.
17. Bandits move MIG-17 moves to center area.
18. Advance turn counter Done.
Over Target Turn 3
12. Jettison Decision None.
13. Fast pilots attack
- Robin can attack the bandit because he's in the same area. Fire 3 AIM-7: rolls 7, 4, 1 bandit is destroyed.
14. Return fire
- M1939 attacks Splashdog. Dang. Rolls a 10. Splashdog is down.
- S-60 attacks Smokes, roll 5 for 1 stress. (Mistake here, the S-60 can only fire at Low, so this would have been Jagger. No big deal, roll forward.)
15. Slow Pilots Attack
- Smokes drops the GBU-10, roll 10 for 4 hits.
- Jagger fires rockets at M1939, roll 8, 1, 10 killing site.
16. Aircraft move and adjust altitude
All move to the Northern Approach at High Altitude.
17. Bandits move
No bandits.
18. Advance turn counter
Done.
Over Target Turn 4
12. Jettison Decision None.
13. Fast pilots attack
- Nothing to do here.
14. Return fire
- S-60 can only fire Low, so nothing from that.
- M1939 fires on Jagger, roll 10, dang. Destroyed.
15. Slow Pilots Attack
Nothing to do here.
16. Aircraft move and adjust altitude
Move to Northern Pre-approach.
17. Bandits move
18. Advance turn counter
Over Target Turn 5
12. Jettison Decision none.
13. Fast pilots attack
Nothing to do.
14. Return fire
- M1939 attacks Robin, roll 8, dang! Not catching any breaks at all this game! Robin takes 2 stress and Damaged.
15. Slow Pilots Attack
Nothing to do.
16. Aircraft move and adjust altitude
Move off of target,
17. Bandits move
No bandits.
18. Advance turn counter
Done.
Home Bound
19 Draw Home-Bound Event card
Peace Rallies: No BLU-1 or CBU next mission.
20 Roll for SAR results (if needed)
DRMS for Splashdog:
- Weight point: -1.
- Target bound: +2.
- Net: +1.
- Roll: 8.
- Result: Recovered under fire, Splashdog gets 5 more stress.
Jagger: roll 7 - 1 for 6, 5 stress.
Debriefing
21 Record mission outcome, victory points, adjust recon and intel counter and special option points
- Mission outcome: Damaged target for 1 VP.
- Recon: 0
- Intel: 0
- SO: 16 - 5 = 11.
22 Add target card stress to pilots
On the worksheets. It's ugly.
23 Pilot stress recovery (all pilots)
Worksheets.
24 Move Politics Counter 1 left
Already all the way left.
25 Record Pilot Experience and Stress
Done on the worksheets.
AAR
This was friggin' brutal. Twp aircraft destroyed, one damaged, and three pilots unfit. I'm going to play it out anyway. I like the mechanics of the game, but I'm only dimly seeing the puzzle at the moment. For the next flight, I'm considering the following:
- Spread the a2a a bit more widely.
- Try to get ranged attacks on sites For the next flight, I'm considering the following:
- Focus on bringing everyone back undamaged, maybe go for the XP.
Hopefully the next flight will be better.