"Bombers over Germany! rules" Topic

Hi everyone,

my club ARSM has just published on its blog the rules Bombers over Germany! It allows you to easily simulate a large bombing raid, and it is an heavily modified and much more detailed version of WW II Aerial Combat by McGoldrick and Molyneaux. Check them out here:

link

and some photos of our games here:

link

Have fun!

Looks great!

Thank you for sharing your rules with us.

I've always wanted to play a game like this, but have only been partially successful, e.g. running some practice games pitting fighters vs. bombers, but not a complete raid, and sadly, never getting around to the bombing part of the game.

Need to work on that.

Love the paintjobs on the aircraft, and the pipecleaner markers. They look superb!

Thanks! that's Vittorio's stuff. He's our Caravaggio

Oh, I forgot in case it wasn't clear: the rules are in English

Outstanding! Thanks for posting. Downloaded and will read over the weekend.

What size are the hexes on the mat-?

I was wondering about that too.

Lots of them to fly over on the run up to the target.

Frankly I have no idea… I think they might be 2 inches? It doesn t make much diffefence in game ferms anyway

Looks like a nice set of rules .

Thanks for posting and your games look great.

Valerio: understood, thanks.

I went and read the rules last night but when I went to print them out today I couldn't access them. ?????

Skeets: I printed the rules directly off the website with no problem: try that.

When I went back to check them, I didn't see the highlighted link to access them either, later.

Skeets, everyone, for some reason which I don't undestand the link just disappeared! My friend serpe fixed it. Now it should work

Hi Valerio,

Very nice of you to fix that for us.

I created an Excel QRS (Quick Reference Sheet) for the rules, which I can e-mail you, if you, or others would like it. It's a single page, in fairly small print, but still readable, if you use only 1/4" or 6mm margins all around, and no headers or footers.

Print in landscape format.

Alternately, you can still make it a one page sheet (recommend two pages, printed back to back), if you put it/them in a clear, plastic, sheet protector. It's formatted for 8.5" x 11", but I suspect you can print it out on any paper available.

Print left and right halves of the page in portrait format, and place back to back in a clear sheet protector.

I also added my take on the Me-410's 50mm cannon (range of 6), and using 1D6 to hit, but doing 2D6 of damage. 6's cause engine damage checks as normal. Also, for EACH 50mm hit on a bomber, you use the Collision Damage Critical Hit line as well, rolling 2D6 on it. So, on average, a bomber will suffer 7 – 10 damage points from one hit from this weapon.

The 50mm cannon jams on the 1D6 To-Hit Roll, if a 1 results. Jams can be cleared in subsequent turns by the pilot flying straight and level for the entire turn, and then rolling 4 – 6 on 1D6. If the jam is cleared in a subsequent turn, it can then be used in the turn following clearance of the jam (not in the same turn in which the jam was cleared).

If you send me your e-mail address, I can forward it to you.

I don't have a way of publicly hosting it, currently.

Regards,

Rob

Rob,

PM sent re QRS.

Regards,

Joe

Rethinking the damage from the 50mm cannon, since one book mentioned that a 50mm hit on a heavy bomber would be catastrophic, and that it would cripple, or destroy it.

3D6 for damage might be more appropriate in that case, instead of 2D6, since that'll do 10.5 points of damage on average, plus another 2 – 3 points if the bomber crew is unlucky.

Apparently, 3 x 30mm hits from the front would down a heavy bomber as well.

Thoughts?

Mako, I'm no aviation expert at all, so can't answer to your last question… I'll see what the authors think tought!

I really appreciate your QRS, thanks a lot! You can send it at arsm.mail AT gmail.com. Could I publish it on the blog alongside the rules? I'm sure it would be much appreciated by everyone. Thanks again!

Rob,

Got the QRS, thanks!

Regards,

Joe

Think I'm going to go with 3D6 for the 50mm cannon's damage, and limit ammo to 7 attacks, which corresponds to 21 rounds.

Still keeping the jam on a 1 rule as well, on the 1D6 To-Hit die roll.

link

I forgot they had kill stats for this unit, but do recall they were pretty deadly. Appears that for each sortie, there's about a 67% chance of a kill, assuming about 2/3 of the aircraft were serviceable (53 aircraft in the unit – 60% serviceable might be more realistic, but that's close enough for government work), and got into contact with the bombers during their missions. Lethality obviously increases if fewer of the Me-410s got in contact with the bombers.

Appears they flew about 180 – 210 sorties to gain 133 kills.

Quite a sting for that Hornisse!

Of course, they were very vulnerable to roving Allied fighters.

Yes, Valerio, please feel free to do so.

Note – I changed the Rocket attack line too, slightly, since I've read in a few cases they directly hit the bombers and caused them to explode, or vaporize, hence the H and S2 dual outcome, if you roll an 11 on 2D6 for that attack – on second thought, given there can be more than one salvo, might want to change that to that resulting on a 12 only, instead of the 11, to make it more rare, since multiple salvoes will be fired at the bombers.

Yep, definitely change to that result only on a die roll of 12 for the Rocket Attacks Critical Hit line.

Let me know if you want me to change the QRS.

You can do the same, if you prefer, and delete/modify other info, since I haven't protected the data cells.

Looks like 2" hexes, based upon eyeballing the length of the B-17s in relation to the hex sizes.

Just came across this topic. The rules certainly look most useful: are the rules on the blog the most up to date version?

Has anyone played without a hex mat?

Alan

Can anyone send me a copy of the QRS? if so, please send me a PM.