We gave Check Your Six! a first try this weekend, playing the introductory scenario "The Swede." A single SBD flown by Stanley "Swede" Vejtasa (rated Ace +3) is pitted against three Zeros flown by fatigued pilots (rated Green +0). We used 1/144 models on a 3" hex grid table. We put two 4'x 8' tables together making an 8' square table. As it turned out, we could easily have used just one table as the action took place in a relatively small area.
Four players participated while I ran the game. Only one of the players had ever played CY6 before, and when we diced to determine who would fly the SBD, it ended up being the experienced player. This didn't bode well for the Japanese. The SBD deployed near the center of the table, while the Japanese random entry spread the Zeros evenly along the west table edge.
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The SBD quickly turned into the center Zero and the two planes approached head on.
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On turn 2, the Zero overestimated the SBD's speed, did a split-S, and unfortunately ended up right in from of the Daunltess, where it took the first damage of the game.
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At this point the SBD was caught in the swarm of Zeros that had finally converged, but the SBD pilot's ability to always move last and adjust his move proved too much for the tired Zero pilots. The SBD's rear twin-LMGs were a constant threat to the fragile Zeros, and the Dauntless was usually able to avoid the enemy guns.
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The first Zero went down on turn 7, the second was splashed on turn 13, and the third one lasted until turn 17. On those occasions when the Japanese players managed to get in a shot, the SBD always shrugged off the hits without taking significant damage. The Japanese needed a lucky break on the gunnery dice but they never got it.
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This scenario really shows off CY6's emphasis on pilot skill in a very extreme example. I had fun running the game, and I'm sure the SBD player enjoyed it. It might not have been quite as much fun for the Zero pilots. I'm now looking forward to trying a slightly larger scenario with multiple planes per player.
