Phantom Leader 9
Last of a four game campaign. Finished and logged on April 7, 2024.
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.
- Third game went pretty well in terms of pilots, but didn’t get any VPs.
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: Airborne Support 37, Supply Depot 26.
2. Select target and move Politics Counter Choose
Airborne Support as it’s a 4 plane mission. The other is 5 planes and I
don’t have enough pilots for it.
3. Determine and place sites: Four ranged sites.
4. Assign pilots
Here’s the lineup for the mission:
- Junior
- Jagger
- Robin
- Smokes
5. Arm aircraft Done, see worksheet.
Target-bound flight
6. Draw Target-Bound Event card: B52 strike, +3 hits on target.
7. Place Aircraft and Flight Paths: Done.
8. Determine and Place Bandits: Done.
9. Intel Air Defense Destruction: N/A.
10. Draw Over Target Event card: Political Limitations.
Redraw Site Attack Angle counters for a random area. Roll 2 for the East side, which has a counter, fortunately drew the same counter! Got a break for a change.
11. Place Turn Counter in “1” box: Done.
Over Target Turn 1 (5 Times)
12. Jettison Decision: None.
13. Fast pilots attack: Robin fires on MIG-21 in center area
with AIM-7, roll 1, 2, and 10. Dang.
14. Return fire:
- SA-2 fires on Junior, roll ECM 3 fail, roll 8, 10, Junior is damaged.
15. Slow Pilots Attack
- Smokes fires 2 AGM-45 on SA-2 roll 6, 9 for a hit.
16. Aircraft move and adjust altitude: Move to North Approach, stay High.
17. Bandits move: Done.
18. Advance turn counter: Done.
Over Target Turn 2
12. Jettison Decision: None.
13. Fast pilots attack: Robin fires 2 AIM-9 on colocated bandit,
roll 4, 6 for a hit.
14. Return fire: None.
15. Slow Pilots Attack:
- Smokes fire 2 AGM-45 on target, roll 1, 7 for 1 hit.
- Jagger fires 2 AIM-9 on Center bandit, roll 4, 4 which is a miss. Bummer.
16. Aircraft move and adjust altitude: Move to Center and stay High
we’ll get the Bandit next turn.
17. Bandits move: N/A.
18. Advance turn counter: Done.
Over Target Turn 3
12. Jettison Decision: None.
13. Fast pilots attack: Robin with the guns on the MIG, roll 2 no effect.
14. Return fire: MIG-17 fires on Robin, ECM roll 2, suppression from Jagger
roll 5 + 1, success.
15. Slow Pilots Attack
- Jagger fires remaining AIM-7 on MIG-21, roll 4, 9 for a hit. Bandits all gone, hopefully no event brings more.
16. Aircraft move and adjust altitude: Back to NA.
17. Bandits move: N/A.
18. Advance turn counter: Done.
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: NEPA
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: Exit target area.
17. Bandits move: N/A.
18. Advance turn counter: done.
Home Bound
19 Draw Home-Bound Event card: All Good Things, which would
be great but this is the last mission of this campaign.
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: Damaged.
- Recon: 1.
- Intel: 0.
- SO: Spent 6.
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 pretty well with sites, bandits, Site Angle counters, events, pretty much everything seemed to click pretty well, except losing the whole load of Junior’s loadout. That put paid to destroying the target.
Overall, not too bad a campaign, would like to score more, but the game is clicking for me now. I need to put it up though, job search is underway, this one potentially being a large life event and games just have no place in my head for now. I hope I come back to them afterward.