Phantom Leader 8
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Finished and logging on April 4, 2024.
This four mission campaign is off to a disastrous start, with two pilots MIA, several unfit or shaken, and only one pilot in the Okay zone. The squadron picked up newbie Cajun and green Junior to make up for the loss of Monger and Kirin. Let's hope they have better luck.
Lessons from the first two games:
- Fill out pilot worksheets before the mission starts, really hard or impossible to do it afterwards.
- Spread the A2A a bit more widely. It can come in useful for surprise events.
- Get ranged attacks on sites.
- Focus on bringing everyone back undamaged, maybe go for the XP.
- Use more suppression.
- Save munitions for Home Bound event.
Speaking of the previous games, here are links:
Rolling Thunder USAF 1967 4 game campaign:
- First game did not go well, with two pilots shot down and fortunately rescued, and another damaged.
- Second game went even worse, with Kirin and Monger MIA. Did score a couple of VPs though.
- Fourth game went pretty well.
Here is the pilot lineup for the whole campaign:
- Newbie: Echo.
- Green: Monger, replaced by Newbie Cajun.
- Green: Splashdog
- Average: Robin
- Average: Smokes
- Average: Jagger
- Average: Kirin, replaced by Green Junior.
- Skilled: Papa
Preflight
1. Draw target cards: Major Bridge 28, Radar Installations 22.
2. Select target and move Politics Counter
These are both gruesomely hard targets, with 7 and 5 plane flights respectively. For this mission, will decline these two and take Landing Zone Support 40, which is still a pretty tough one.
3. Determine and place sites
Screenshot:
4. Assign pilots
Here's the lineup for the mission:
- Skilled: Papa
- Average: Smokes
- Green: Junior
- Newbie: Cajun
5. Arm aircraft
See worksheet as well as screenshot below. The tile spacers are AGM-45.
Target-bound flight
6. Draw Target-Bound Event card: Bandits!
Conduct 3 attacks. Dang. Cancel attacks with AtA munitions expended. This is where putting AtA on even a crappy pilot can be worthwhile, albeit gamey. ECM pods will help.
- Papa, ECM roll 3 for no effect, bandit roll 1 for no effect. Lucky.
- Junior, ECM roll 5 for no effect, bandit roll 6 for 1 Stress.
- Cajun, ECM pod roll 9, success.
7. Place Aircraft and Flight Paths: Restricted to SW
Pre-approach for entry.
8. Determine and Place Bandits: Already placed, I've been doing this out
of sequence.
9. Intel Air Defense Destruction: N/A.
10. Draw Over Target Event card: SAM Site!
For Over Target this is "No Adjustments." Whew!
11. Place Turn Counter in "1" box: Done.
Over Target Turn 1 (5 Times)
12. Jettison Decision: none.
13. Fast pilots attack
- Papa for 2 AGM-45 on SA-2 in South Approach, roll 3, 9 for the kill.
14. Return fire
- SA-2 in West Approach: fires on Papa, ECM roll 9, no effect.
- MIG-21 in West Approach: fires on Papa, ECM roll 10, no effct.
15. Slow Pilots Attack
- Junior fires two AIM-7 on MIG-19 in EA, roll 5, 10 for a hit.
- Cajun fire two AGM-45 on SA-2 in WA, roll 2, 10 for a hit.
16. Aircraft move and adjust altitude: Everyone to WA.
17. Bandits move: Also to WA.
18. Advance turn counter: Done.
Over Target Turn 2
12. Jettison Decision: None.
13. Fast pilots attack
- Papa fires two AGM-45 on South Approach S-60, roll 9, 9 to hit.
14. Return fire
- MIG-21 fires on Cajun, roll ECM 1 fail, evasion roll 4, 6 for 3 stress.
- MIG-21 fires on Cajun, roll ECM 7 success.
15. Slow Pilots Attack
- Junior fires 2 AIM-7 on MIG-21, roll 2, 8 for a hit.
- Smokes fires 2 AIM-7 on MIG-21, roll 5, 10 for a hit.
- Cajun fires AGM-45 on S-60 in Center, roll 9 for a hit.
16. Aircraft move and adjust altitude all move to Center.
17. Bandits move N/A.
18. Advance turn counter: Turn 3.
Over Target Turn 3
12. Jettison Decision: None.
13. Fast pilots attack: Papa fires ATG-45 on Zu-23-2 in Center, roll 9 for a hit. Awesome.
14. Return fire: None.
15. Slow Pilots Attack
- Cajun unloads two Snake Eyes rolling 1 and 5 for two misses. Bummer.
- Smokes drops an M117R rolling 10 + 3 (soft) for 3 hits, but it's too little to matter.
16. Aircraft move and adjust altitude: Move to High Altitude in North Approach.
17. Bandits move: None.
18. Advance turn counter: Turn 5.
Over Target Turn 4
12. Jettison Decision: None.
13. Fast pilots attack: N/A.
14. Return fire: N/A.
15. Slow Pilots Attack: N/A.
16. Aircraft move and adjust altitude: Stay high, move to North Pre-approach.
17. Bandits move: N/A.
18. Advance turn counter: Turn 5.
Over Target Turn 5
12. Jettison Decision: None.
13. Fast pilots attack: N/A.
14. Return fire: N/A.
15. Slow Pilots Attack: N/A.
16. Aircraft move and adjust altitude: Home bound.
17. Bandits move: N/A.
18. Advance turn counter: Done over target.
Home Bound
19 Draw Home-Bound Event card: Sierra Hotal, remove 1 Stress from every pilot
in the Squadron.
20 Roll for SAR results (if needed): N/A.
Debriefing
21 Record mission outcome, victory points, adjust recon and intel counter and special option points
- Mission outcome: 3 hits for 0 VP.
- Recon: 0.
- Intel: 0.
- SO: 4, tankers.
22 Add target card stress to pilots: Done.
23 Pilot stress recovery (all pilots): Done.
24 Move Politics Counter 1 left: Done.
25 Record Pilot Experience and Stress: Done.
AAR
This worked out really well, although it would have been nicer to have gotten at least 1 VP out of it. The next campaign I'm going to play on easy mode.