GrogHeads Forum

Campaign Setup

Select Campaign Card
First thing to do is select a campaign. There are 8 campaigns to choose from with varying difficulties

• Iraq 1991 (Introductory)
  
• Libya 1984 (Standard)
  
• Libya 2011 (Standard)
  
• Pakistan 2013 (Standard)
  
• Iran 2014 (Standard)
  
• Israel 2001 (Advanced)
  
• North Korea 2001 (Advanced)
  
• WWIII North Atlantic 1986 (Expert)
  
  I choose the Iraq 1991 Introductory Campaign
  
  (https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2Fcampaigncard_zpse6db47e7.jpg&hash=6cc5204431bbefae75daa02b9d7299b0a2dedc7b)
  The campaign card had the following information
  1. Name, year and difficulty
  2. Evaluation chart
  3. Set Up - Total number of Battalion Victory points
  4. Terrain tiles to use
  5. Special Notes
  
  Select Situational Card
  Next is the Situational card to select. There are 6 options
  
• Show of Force (2 days)
  
• Surge (3 days)
  
• Rapid Deployment (4 days)
  
• Cut Off (5 days)
  
• Holding Action (6 days)
  
• General War (8 days)
  
  I choose SURGE.
  
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  The situation card displays the following information
  1. Name
  2. SO points assigned at the start
  3. Length of the campaign (days)
  4. Daily SO points
  5. Tactical ruleset
  6. Description
  
  Battalion Cards
  Choose the Battalion cards you will face in the campaign where the victory value of the cards meets or exceds the Total Number of Victory points specified on the Campaign card (in my selected campaign that is 26). You choose battalion cards (blindly) by separating them into their 3 categories (Command, Support and Assault) and drawing cards in the following order:
  
• Assault
  
• Assault
  
• Support
  
• Command
  And do so until you meet or exceed the SetUp value on the Campaign card.
  
  The ones I am assigned are:
  
• Scout Force (Assault - 2VPs)
  
• Mechanised (Assault - 3VPs)
  
• Bombardment (Support - 4VPs)
  
• Scout Group (Command - 3VPs)
  
• Fast Assult (Assault - 3VPs)
  
• Mixed Force (Assault - 3VPs)
  
• Engineer Unit (Support - 2VPs)
  
• Forward Base (Command - 3VPs)
  
• Air Defence Unit (Assault - 4VPs)
  giving a total of 27VPs - more than the Set Up value of 26 required - so I stop choosing battalions
  
  These are the cards
  
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  The info supplied is:
  1. Battalion Name
  2. Battalion Designation
  3. Enemy Units in battalion
  4. Victory Point Value
  5. Half and Destroyed values - the battalion is reduced to Half Strength if the value of the units remaining is reduced to the first number or less but more than the second number. The battalion is destroyed if the value of the units remaining is reduced to the second number or less.
  6. Special Notes
  
  I place the battallions on the top right section of the Tactical Display. Generallt, Assault Battalions are placed in the Front Line section, Support Battalions are placed in the Enemy Transit section and Command Battalions are placed in the Enemy Rear section.
  
  (https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2Fbattalionspositions_zps99df3a47.jpg&hash=e859510734c00886682b5830f62aa0f3ab0b4c0e)
  As you can see 6C which is a Command Battalion is placed in the Friendly Transit section...that's because it states on the 6C card in the Special Notes section that it should be placed there.
  
  Buy Aircraft
  The next phase of the Campaign Setup is to buy your aircraft. You use your SOs here to buy aircraft. They are expensive, so pickings can be slim because you have to keep SOs for weapons, repairs and Scouts. Unlike Hornet Leader, weapons DO NOT cost their weight in SOs - each weapon has an individual SO cost. Scouts cost 1 SO each.
  
  This is only a three day campaign - so I'm going to buy
  
• 1xF-16 @ 5 SOs
  
• 1xA-10A @ 8 SOs
  
• 1xAH-64A @ 4 SOs
  
• 1xAH-1 @ 2 SOs
  
  (https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2Fairframes_zpscef1453f.jpg&hash=a1e4f78fd4d3a658d487fb742466e091b6f7189b)
  The values displayed are
  1. Airframe number and Type
  2. Canon Rating
  3. Year and SO cost
  4. Hits to Crash
  5. Weapon availability
  6. Weight Points
  
  Buy Scout Counters
  Scout counters allow your aircraft to Loiter over the battlefield longer. They cost 1xSO each. I buy 2
  
  Select Pilots
  Pilots have 3 cards with a total of 6 skill values. You choose 1 Average pilot for each airframe and 1 extra pilot for each airframe type. Having 4 different aircraft types, that means I select 8 Average pilots (1 for each airframe and 1 extra for each airframe type)
  
  You can upgrade a pilot's skill by downgrading another pilot by an equal amount...I do not do so and leave all pilots as Average. You could also spend 1xSO and upgrade a pilot without downgrading another pilot. Again I choose not to.
  
  The pilots I choose are
  
• A-10A - REBEL
  
• A-10A - VIPER
  
• AH-64 - SHADOW
  
• AH-64 - MONTANA
  
• F-16 - MOHAWK
  
• F-16 - DART
  
• AH-1 - GATOR
  
• AH-1 - SCUTTLE
  
  (https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2Fpilots_zpsc5c9c2d7.jpg&hash=ecc98096e2de9b8059a577bc164b30cc77086bb6)
  The values displayed are
  1. Callsign, Skill rating and XP to promotion
  2. Airframe to pilot
  3. Speed of pilot
  4. Canon/Strike modifier (same hex)
  5. Standoff modifier (outside current hex)
  6. Cool value
  7. Evasive modifier
  8. Shaken/Unfit Status

How many Cobras did we actually fly in Gulf I?

I don't know...but they are mentioned in Wiki

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_War_air_campaign

From what I remember, the Cobra's were used a lot by the Marines.

Great photos and AAR!

Thanks Dan.

This is definitely my last one. They take so long and I really just want to play through a campaign  :)

Start of Day

Special Condition
I pick a Special Condition card Increased Enemy Air Cover. This card instructs me that I either pay 2 SOs to ignore the card or I place 1 helicopter popup counter during the Place Enemy Units step for each mission for the day.

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This card is unclear to me - I do not know if I draw a popup counter as normal, or if I specifically select a helicopter popup card. I take it to mean I actually select a helicopter popup instead of a chance draw.

I do not pay the SO's and will draw the extra helicopter chit at the Place Enemy Units step as instructed.
NOTE - the above point - I forgot to pull the chit at the Place Enemy Units step - so I will pay the SOs at the end.

Special Condition cards stay for the entire day and apply to all missions for the day unless otherwise instructed.

Allocate Pilots and Aircraft
This step sees you select the battalions you are going to attack and select pilots and aircraft.

I opt to attack the Engineer Battalion 6S in the Enemy Transit zone and Forward Base 6C in the Friendly Transit area.

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I'll be sending my A-10 flown by VIPER to attack 6S

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2FPC220073_zps6dc6a61d.jpg&hash=b3c01be1773559d03e29bcf1575249bf58ce48e0)

6C is better defended so I will be attacking it with an F-16 flown by DART, an AH-64 flown by SHADOW and my AH-1 flown by SCUTTLE.

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2FPC220074_zps6be75901.jpg&hash=baf1bffe9e7be2c67d1604e9e0d4546465030c1e)

Allocate Scouts
I allocate both my scouts to the targets for the day. Scouts give you a chance of a longer Loiter time and could also reduce stress.

nice AAR, enjoying it so far

Quote from: bayonetbrant on December 22, 2012, 10:07:49 AM
nice AAR, enjoying it so far

+1 Another great AAR, Judge!

Mission 1 Resolution

Abort Mission
You can elect to abort the mission at this point.

Arm Aircraft
VIPER is in the A-10. It has a WP of 14 but the target is in the Enemy Transit Area and therefore there is a -2 WP.

I load the A-10 up with

• 1xECM Pod
• 2xAGM-114
• 4xMK-83
• 3xMK-82

The ECM and the AGM-114's have a Ordinance Point cost of 1 each. Because I've used 3 Ordinance Points, I have to pay 1 SO. 1 SO (as very kindly pointed out by Barthheart) allows you to spend upto 10 Ordinance Points, 2 SOs will get you 20 OPs etc

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2FPC220068_zps0ec557a7.jpg&hash=422b2e6e23c20f495f596de8942931c1e8c9fdcf)

Fueling Priority
You can buy the Fuelling Priority for 1 SO - and I do so...meaning the A-10 can carry a full load of weapons

Target Bound Mission Event
I draw a Mission Event card and obey the top portion (Target Bound)...Creative Navigation - I gain +1 Loiter turn over the battlefield

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2FPC220068_zps40976cc4.jpg&hash=ff6bed35879b80bb83443f39501bc028344518d6)

Engine Damage Checks
This step lets you check to see if any engine damage results in a crash

Place Terrain Hexes
Shuffle the hexes and then place them top left to bottom right on the Tactical Display.

Place Enemy Units
You place enemy units by rolling a dice for each unit and placing it in that hex. The hexes number from 1-10 from top left to bottom right.

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Thank you both.

Thank you for the time and effort you put into these. When the budget allows, I'm going to pick one of the Leader games and it will be due to the excellent, detailed AARs you've put together. You've really stoked my interest in the series.

Well thank you very much Mirth...it's nice to know my writings are read and appreciated

You really do a great job with these, JD. And you've made me sufficiently guilty at not having played my copy. I will remedy that tonight.  ;D

Great read JD as always. Thanks for taking the time... I know they take awhile to do properly.

JD, you should re-read the section on page 9 about Ordinance Point Cost. For your A-10 above you should have only spent 1 SO for the 3 OP's you used. Each SO will buy you up to 10 OP's.

I have a question for you: Are there any weapons that can't be used against buildings? OR not used against vehciles? I don't understand the unit type rule on page 11 otherwise. I only see 2 weapons marked with VB and none marked with only a V or a B.

This game is a blast. I'm half way through Day 2 of the Iraq intro campaign. My wife has been calling me a "lonely Geek" all day for playing a game that is made for only one player!  ;D

You are absolutely right Barthheart - thanks for pointing that out. I have read, re-read and re-read the manual again - unfortunately nothing sticks in my head anymore. I'm even using the manual as I do this because alot of it (obviously) has escaped me! But as I play more and more I move to skim reading - and miss bits like this.

I'll edit the post so that it's not misleading! I could change my loadout with that revalation - but I'll stick to what I've picked.

For your question - I've always taken it to determine from a weapon point of view rather from a target point of view. In other words it's to distinguish between weapons that are limited to target type. So the fact that there aren't weapons with V or B on it doesn't mean those weapons can't attack vehicles or buildings - but rather the ones with V or B can only attack vehicles or buildings. So simply limiting the use of the AGM-114 and the AGM-65.

So if a target doesn't have a V or a B, then you can't use these two weapons on those targets.

I'm not sure if I've explained that well at all. I know Dan looks around here from time to time, so maybe he might speak up.

I mentioned it to one of the guys at work - he said "You know why they're solitaire? 'cos no-one else wants to f****ng play 'em!". Clearly that isn't true - the Leader games are great solitaire games and play well - but I did think what he said was pretty funny!

Place Friendly Aircraft
You can place your aircraft in any of the "edge" hexes and more than one aircraft can start in the same hex. You also set the initial altitude here and determine whether you start in HOVER or not.

To start in hover, your aircraft must have a minimum speed of 0. If it does, you place the aircraft in the middle of the hex...otherwise the aircraft must start at the hex edge which meets the edge of the hex you plan to move into.

My A-10 has a minimum speed of 1 and therefore will be moving. I place it on Hex 9 which is empty and in Low Altitude. As he is slow, this will ensure 2 things...

• He will be free from damage the first round as there's nothing with range to shoot
• He will be able to fire off his AGM-114s...because they have a range of 0-2...so starting in a hex with enemies would mean he couldn't employ those (in that hex at least)

Scout Success Check
I roll a dice and check the table. A roll of 8 means an extra 3 turns over the battlefield and -1 stress. I put my Scout counter back on my Airbase.

Place the Loiter Counter
I place the Loiter Counter. Normally it starts at 5, but the +3 from my scout and the +1 from the Target Bound Event card gives me 9 turns!

This is the situation before the kick off of the Battlefield Resolution. I've added the Hex numbers to help with identifying when I'm talking about attcking Hex 3 or moving into hex 5

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Quote from: JudgeDredd on December 23, 2012, 03:03:13 AM
.....
For your question - I've always taken it to determine from a weapon point of view rather from a target point of view. In other words it's to distinguish between weapons that are limited to target type. So the fact that there aren't weapons with V or B on it doesn't mean those weapons can't attack vehicles or buildings - but rather the ones with V or B can only attack vehicles or buildings. So simply limiting the use of the AGM-114 and the AGM-65.

So if a target doesn't have a V or a B, then you can't use these two weapons on those targets.

I'm not sure if I've explained that well at all.....

Ah! That makes perfect sense. Thanks for that. My sleep dimmed brain couldn't manage that last night.

Battlefield Resolution - 1

Popup Counters
As DART is at high altitude I draw a Popup counter and it's NO POPUP

Enemy Cover Roll
A roll of 7 means 1 Random Hex goes to cover. A further roll gives a 6 and the units in Hex 6 go into cover.

Fast - Altitude, Move/Attack
I have no fast pilots

Enemy Attacks
Enemy Helicopter Movement
Helicopters moves at the start of the Enemy Attack phase. Helicopters do not use altitude and can move over ridges fine but ridges do block There are no enemy helicopters

Enemy Attacks
As DART is high he can be attacked by the AAA unit in Hex 6. He fires up his ECM and a roll of 8 means the attack is thwarted.

SCUTTLE comes under attack from the Storage unit. An ECM roll of 3 means the ECM failed. The damage chit pulled is Structure. That's bad. One more structural hit to the AH-1 and it's a crash!

Slow Pilots - Altitude, Move/Attack

Altitude
All my pilots stay as is. SHADOW and SCUTTLE stay low and DART stays high. I know I want to avoid popups, but he has some ridges to avoid, so he's staying high for the moment.

Move/Attack
SHADOW
Attack
He fires his LAU-61s at the APC and Storage unit in Hex 2. A roll of 8 sees the APC go up in smoke and the weapon chit is retained. A roll of 3 against the Storage unit means it's a miss and the weapon counter is discarded!
Movement
Movement...he is in hover mode and stays in hover mode.

SCUTTLE
Attack
He fires his LAU-68 at the Storage unit in Hex 8. A roll of 1 means the Storage unit is safe and the weapon counter is discarded!

Movement
He is in hover mode and stays in hover mode.

DART
Attack
DART fires his AGM-65 at the Building in Hex 10. A roll of 5 modified to 1 (with the -4 for rolls against a building) mean it's a hit - JUST!

Movement
He moves 3 hexes - south west into Hex 10 and then west into Hex 8

Advance Loiter Turn
I move the Loiter counter to 8

Place Bingo Fuel Counters
No need...at present.

This is the situation at the start of Loiter Turn 8
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2FPC300001_zps3b2fd993.jpg&hash=222aee5720aa27b8a1aea26a9ae357ad6bfcba7e)

Battlefield Resolution - 2

Popup Counters
Draw popup counters for each aircraft that is at High Altitude...and I have none - so no popup.

Enemy Cover Roll
A roll of 5 means any units in a hex with a destroyed unit gets to hide. That only leaves Hex 3. However there is no ridge on Hex 3 - so the unit stays out of cover.

Fast - Altitude, Move/Attack
Altitude
VIPER stays low

Move/Attack
VIPER attacks again and fires his remaining AGM-114s into Hex 5 at the APC. I roll a 1!! (modified to 0 taking into account VIPERs -1 Stand Off attribute) and the APC survives!

Movement...he stays low moves into hex 5 and heads South West.

Enemy Attacks
Enemy Helicopter Movement
There are no Enemy Helicopters

Enemy Attacks
My A-10 can now be attacked by the Infantry unit and the APC unit in Hex 5.

Rolls for his ECM pod of 7 against the APC and a 1 for the Infantry in Hex 5. The attack by the APC in Hex 5 is avoided.

I pick 1 chit from the Light Hits. It's Bullet Holes - this is lasting damage and if not repaired then the pilot who is assigned the aircraft next will suffer 1 Stress point immediately.

Slow Pilots - Altitude, Move/Attack
I have no Slow Pilots

Advance Loiter Turn
I move the Loiter counter to 7

Place Bingo Fuel Counters
No need...at present.

This is the situation at the start of Loiter Turn 7
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2FPC230068_zps152da57a.jpg&hash=a101513256355575713f766147748cf0d36d74e7)

I had to re-write those last two sections because for some stupid reason I got my pilot mixed up - seemingly thinking he was Slow AND had a +2 Stand Off modifier! He's actually Fast and has a -1 Stand Off modifier.

What's even more bizarre is I thought I must have got him mixed up with the pilot on the pack - but when I looked that pilot was slow and only had a +1 Stand Off modifier - so I have no idea where I got those phantom values!

But that's just eaten more than an hour - sore knees, using a laptop with no mouse and photobucket - it's all been a huge pita!

But I think I've fixed the posts now without cheating or having to redo the turns...just go back, retake the pictures, adjust some of the attack/movement values and done

But WHAT A PAIN!

Battlefield Resolution - 3

Popup Counters
Draw popup counters for each aircraft that is at High Altitude...and I have none - so no popup.

Enemy Cover Roll
A roll of 8 means one unit in each hex gets to hide as long as there is a ridge. I move 1 unit into cover in hexes 1,2,6 and 7. Where more than one unit is present, I get to choose.

Fast - Altitude, Move/Attack
Altitude
VIPER stays low again

Move/Attack
He then attacks the APC and Infantry in Hex 5 by dropping 2xMk-83s - one against each target. Rolls of 4 against the APC and 9 against the infantry mean they are both destroyed...Mk-83s require a roll of 4 or more. Also, the roll is not modified because he has a 0 Cannon/Strike modifier

Movement...he stays low moves into hex 8 and heads North West.

Enemy Attacks
Enemy Helicopter Movement
There are no Enemy Helicopters

Enemy Attacks
My A-10 can be attacked by the APC in Hex 8.

A roll of 1 against the APC means I pick 1 chit from the Light Hits and it's No Effect!

Slow Pilots - Altitude, Move/Attack
I have no Slow Pilots

Advance Loiter Turn
I move the Loiter counter to 6

Place Bingo Fuel Counters
No need...at present.

This is the situation at the start of Loiter Turn 6
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2FPC230070_zps8f0fed54.jpg&hash=0f0f02effb2be09590b3d8b02d78f71d5b9575f1)

Battlefield Resolution - 4

Popup Counters
Draw popup counters for each aircraft that is at High Altitude...and I have none - so no popup.

Enemy Cover Roll
A roll of 7 means I select one random hex to move units into cover. I roll and it's a 5...both units in Hex 5 are destroyed.

Fast - Altitude, Move/Attack
Altitude
VIPER stays low again

Move/Attack
He drops a Mk-83 on the APC in Hex 8 and a roll of 10 sees the APC go up in smoke!

Movement...he stays low moves into hex 4 and heads East.

Enemy Attacks
Enemy Helicopter Movement
There are no Enemy Helicopters

Enemy Attacks
He is immediately attacked by the Truck in Hex 4.

A roll of 4 against the Truck means I pick 1 chit from the Light Hits and it's 2xStress. He's almost at his SHAKEN status.

Slow Pilots - Altitude, Move/Attack
I have no Slow Pilots

Advance Loiter Turn
I move the Loiter counter to 5

Place Bingo Fuel Counters
No need...at present.

This is the situation at the start of Loiter Turn 5
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2FPC230069_zps8e786be0.jpg&hash=5d7f6f5feb6205090780fb8f53beb321fb3a6a2a)

Battlefield Resolution - 5

Popup Counters
Again - no high altitude aircraft so I don't pull any popups

Enemy Cover Roll
A roll of 10 means any 1 hex emerges from cover. I have no Stand Off capability anyway so it hardly affects me (units in cover can be attacked by cannon and bombs dropped in the same hex - they just can't be attacked from outside their hex. I bring the Truck in Hex 6 out of cover.

Fast - Altitude, Move/Attack
Altitude
VIPER stays low

Move/Attack
He drops a 2xMk-82s on the Truck in Hex 4 and rolls of 3 and 8 modified to 5 and 10 with the +2 from the Truck means the truck is toast!

Movement...he stays low moves 2 hexes into Hex 6 and heads North East.

Enemy Attacks
Enemy Helicopter Movement
There are no Enemy Helicopters

Enemy Attacks
VIPER is attacked by the Truck in Hex 6.

A roll of 8 for the ECM pod sees the attack evaded

He is also attacked by the Infantry unit in Hex 3 which has a range of 1. His ECM pod is useless this turn (roll of 4 and 7 is required). The Light Damage picked is HUD. A -2 modifier is subtracted from his rolls on Strikes (NOT Cannon)

Slow Pilots - Altitude, Move/Attack
I have no Slow Pilots

Advance Loiter Turn
I move the Loiter counter to 4

Place Bingo Fuel Counters
No need...at present.

This is the situation at the start of Loiter Turn 4
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2FPC290074_zpsfbf5a5e9.jpg&hash=86a42e60df05b06ed0f25e5c440d401ee6b075d9)

Battlefield Resolution - 6

Popup Counters
No high altitude aircraft so no popups

Enemy Cover Roll
A roll of 1 means no cover changes are made

Fast - Altitude, Move/Attack
Altitude
VIPER stays low

Move/Attack
He drops his remaining Mk-82s on the Truck in Hex 6 and a roll of 9 modified to 11 with the +2 from the Truck means the truck is toast!

Movement...he stays low moves 1 hex into Hex 3 and heads West.

Enemy Attacks
Enemy Helicopter Movement
There are no Enemy Helicopters

Enemy Attacks
VIPER is attacked by the Infantry unit in Hex 3.

A roll of 10 for the ECM pod sees the attack evaded

Slow Pilots - Altitude, Move/Attack
I have no Slow Pilots

Advance Loiter Turn
I move the Loiter counter to 3

Place Bingo Fuel Counters
No need...at present.

This is the situation at the start of Loiter Turn 3
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2FPC290001_zps87349635.jpg&hash=85a5ccd51c72a8c895a42cc917793482c071c468)

I still need to press the attack as there are still 4 unit VPs on the battlefield and I have not destroyed the target unless there are 2 or less.

Battlefield Resolution - 7

Popup Counters
No high altitude aircraft so I no popups

Enemy Cover Roll
A roll of 4 means any units sharing a hex with a destroyed unit can go to cover. The only unit in a hex with a destroyed unit is the infantry unit in Hex 3 and there are no ridges for that unit to take cover

Fast - Altitude, Move/Attack
Altitude
VIPER stays low

Move/Attack
He drops his remaining Mk-83 on the Infantry unit in Hex 3 and a roll of 10 modified to 8 with the -2 from the HUD damage means the Infantry unit is destroyed!

Movement...he stays low moves 1 hex into Hex 2 and continues to head West.

Enemy Attacks
Enemy Helicopter Movement
There are no Enemy Helicopters

Enemy Attacks
VIPER is attacked by the APC unit in Hex 2. A roll of 6 for the ECM pod is a fail and the attack is pressed by the unit. A Light Damage chit is pulled and it's 1xStress...but the Aircraft designated on the chit is A-10 - so there is not effect

Slow Pilots - Altitude, Move/Attack
I have no Slow Pilots

Advance Loiter Turn
I move the Loiter counter to 2

Place Bingo Fuel Counters
No need...at present.

This is the situation at the start of Loiter Turn 2
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2FPC290001_zps97b25bf7.jpg&hash=36ae65f4b0ec9573cd976d7e69abbd2459b15f9b)

Battlefield Resolution - 8

Popup Counters
No high altitude aircraft so I no popups

Enemy Cover Roll
A roll of 7 sees 1 random hex take cover and a roll of 1 is useless as the unit in Hex 1 is already in cover.

Fast - Altitude, Move/Attack
Altitude
VIPER stays low

Move/Attack
He attacks the APC in Hex 2 with his cannon. A roll of 8 and the APC explodes!

Movement...he stays low moves 2 hexes into Hex 1 and then off the battlefield

The battle is over and VIPER managed to destroy the Engineer Support Unit (there are only 2 VPs of units left).

This was a very difficult mission. He had a lot of units to take out and he was the only aircraft. I think it's obvious that had I not had the +1 Loiter from the Mission Event card and the +3 for the Scout - then he would not have managed it.

Number of aircraft is important and it's rare to have a single aircraft destroy a Battalion.

He also came away relatively unscathed. Only some stress, HUD damage and Bullet Holes. Both of these have to be repaired by SOs and if they are not repaired then the adverse effects of those are passed to the next pilot.

Home Bound

Adjust Battalion Strength Counter
The Battalion is destroyed and moved off the battlefield

Home Bound Mission Event
AAA Fire - Inflict 1 Light Hit on each aircraft that does not expend a weapon counter.

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2FPC290001_zpscc222f5a.jpg&hash=215ccb0cb806c3d82e2582f9fcac28d84cf46dc7)

VIPER has none left so has to take the hit...UNLESS his ECM works - and with a roll of 5, it doesn't. The hit is 1xStress. So he has now accumulated 4 stress from the mission (and more to come)

Bingo Fuel Checks
VIPER was off the battlefield within his fuel limit (loiter turns) so there's no need for a Bingo Fuel Check.

Crashed Pilot SAR Check
VIPER survived and so no need for SAR check

Record Pilot Stress
I record VIPERS stress. He accumulated 4 during the mission. The target was also in the Enemy Transit Area which means +2 stress. However, the Scout Roll I performed at the beginning not only gave me more Loiter turns, but also reduced the stress of the mission by 1...so his total stress is 5. He has no COOL value, and therefore has a status of SHAKEN

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2FPC290002_zps4952e8d1.jpg&hash=07b27204f55980266c098d857e874741d8efabbf)

Record Pilot Experience and XPs
VIPER flew the mission so gains 1XP. He gets an additional XP for successfully destroying the target . He didn't destroy all units, so does not get that bonus XP. So he's gained 2XPs

Damaged Aircraft
I then record the airframe number of the A-10A and the lasting damage of HUD and BULLET HOLES. I will have the chance to fix this damage at the end of the day

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2FPC290003_zpse79a60d5.jpg&hash=d145a5749247162a0ef11b655243b33365f3e88d)

Promoting Pilots
VIPER has not accumulated enough XPs to be promoted (he needs 7 to be promoted) and obviously neither have any other pilots.

Record Mission Victory Points
I record the 2 VPs for destroying the battalion.

I now proceed to the next mission - and I'm debating whether I have the stamina to carry on the AAR. Honestly they take so much time, using a laptop with a touch pad mouse, sitting awkwardly and then photobucket keeps playing up!

I'm not looking for requests here - I know you'd like to see what happens on the second mission with the F-16, AH-64 and AH-1

I might do...

Mission 2 Resolution

Abort Mission
You can elect to abort the mission at this point. I'm not going to.

Arm Aircraft
SHADOW is in the AH-64 with 8 weapon points, DART is in the F-16 with 10 WPs and SCUTTLE is in the AH-1 with 6 WPs. There is no WP penalty for this mission as it's in the Friendly Transit Area.

All my pilots are SLOW, so I'm going to give them an extra chance to survive by assigning them an ECM pod each.

AH-64

• 1xECM Pod
• 2xLAU-61
• 1xLAU-68
• 1xAIM-92

F-16

• 1xECM Pod
• 2xAGM-65
• 2xMK-20
• 2xMK-82
• 1xAIM-9

AH-1

• 1xECM Pod
• 2xLAU-68
• 2xAIM-92

It's really not a great deal of ordinance for the number of targets I have to take out!

The ECM pods, the AGM-65s, the LAU-61s, the MK-20s and the AIM-9 all cost 1 Weapon Point - totalling 10 meaning I've spent 1 SO on weapon points

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2FPC290003_zpsef63c280.jpg&hash=13465fd1af553b397f134a6e0378e0a553bb105f)

Fueling Priority
I do not need to purchase a fuelling priority because I there is noi Weight Penalty in the target area

Target Bound Mission Event
I draw a Mission Event card and obey the top portion (Target Bound)...High Approach - Select 1 aircraft to start at High altitude. Don't like that at all! I select the F-16 - DART.

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2FPC290001_zpsffe34759.jpg&hash=d2ff3472f8e4cd30dbc0938a1a760c5182056c52)

Engine Damage Checks
This step lets you check to see if any engine damage results in a crash - none of the flying aircraft have any damage.

Place Terrain Hexes
Shuffle the hexes and then place them top left to bottom right on the Tactical Display.

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2FPC290004_zpse199d667.jpg&hash=5b3cf43074205f7991bb1783faf24c8fc07cf2b2)

Place Enemy Units
You place enemy units by rolling a dice for each unit and placing it in that hex. The hexes number from 1-10 from top left to bottom right.

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2FPC290005_zpseb74c2d9.jpg&hash=1d644e039f0aa7cb6d57d7d7591dbc45881966a1)

Place Friendly Aircraft
I place my aircraft where I think they can do most damage. The plan is for the F-16 to run riot...taking out the buildings with hig AGM-65s and dropping his Mk-20s in hexes 5 and 6. He will have to go high at some point to avoid ridges (or take a Ridge Evasion roll) because his minimum speed is 2!

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1160.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq499%2Fwmar1967%2FThunderbolt%2520Apache%2520Leader%2FPC290007_zpsa02204d9.jpg&hash=5816741023afa4e141e2fdfb6aa7113ce0566c04)

Scout Success
I have a Scout and the roll is a 9 - fantastic! It's an extra 4 turns on the battlefield and 1 less stress. I place the Scout back in my Airbase

Place Loiter Counter
Normal Loiter turns are 5. With my roll of 9 for the Scout means I have 9 loiter turns on the battlefield.

Good stuff Judge.

Thx Bison

I have to stop this AAR.

I've completely balls'ed it up. For a start, I started writing the first Battlefield resolution - spent more than an hour on it. For some reason that disappeared. I don't know whether I closed down the IE tab I was writing it on or whether I did it accidentally...but I lost it.

I then copied and pasted the Battlefield Resolution from the first Mission (for the "template") - and spent more than an hour trying to recall what had gone on in the battle....and I've just discovered I EDITED the first missions Battlefield Resolution.

So the whole post is screwed. I'm so fed up I have to stop. I can't remedy the post I've edited and so the whole thing doesn't make sense anymore....so I'm sorry.

I'm afraid this has pissed me off so much I'm not doing another AAR. I need to just go away and play the game and enjoy it

Really sorry 'cos this has soured the whole experience and I am just so pissed off at the minute with myself!

When I do an AAR I don't write in the forums.   I use ms word to write the descriptions and something like [insert image X here] where I want the image in the narrative.  Saves time fighting with the forum software, let's me edit and review, save to work on at my own pace, and it never gets posted until I've looked at it a few times.  That does not mean I don't make grammer errors or give confusing discriptions but it helps to not get to the point you are at now.  Pissed off at lost work and effort.

Totally right.

I did used to use notepad to do it - but there was all the editing afterwards (making things bold and italic).

This is the second AAR I've used forums straight away and it's been an absolute hell. Not the forum software's fault I have to say - all my own dumb ass work.

I was really looking forward to giving a 2 mission AAR for TAL.

I honestly can't see me doing another one. Where I sit, how I have to sit there to do it, the awkwardness of the positioning - screw ups like errors in wiring, spelling, rules...through in a REALLY annoying interface on photobucket with more bugs than can be found in I'm a Celebrity Get me Out of Here and then my own stupid errors...it's just been a total hell!

I reverted to the old photobucket format because I hate the way the new design looks and works.  It's been a few months since I wrote my last AAR, but I've got a few games I will do one or two for eventually.  You do excellent AARs so I'd encourage you to keep doing them.  Just take a break, go ride your bike, build a model, and come back to writing an AAR in a few weeks or months.

Sorry it's become such a PITA, JD. You've always done great AARs and it's clear you put a huge amount of effort into them. You should definitely take a break and just enjoy the games. Have some fun, man!

Thanks guys. I'm just so frustrated with myself. Thunderbolt Apache Leader is an awesome game engine with brilliant solitaire mechanics. It's such a shame I balls'ed it up.

I like doing the AARs as a kind of learning tool. And if I've already played the game, then it's a "re-learning" opportunity and it helps keep the rules in my head...but although I enjoy them - as well you know - they are extremely laborious. And it's just made into a chore by the screw ups.

I expect I'll do one for my new purchase which should be here in a few days...World at War:Blood and Bridges.

I promise I will return with a good AAR - one worthy of Thunderbolt Apache Leader. I have to rethink how I write them though...using the laptop on my lap, putting it down, taking pictures, turns etc, etc just begs for a screw up.

On the plus side, I've just completed Day 2 and both missions within the hour of my campaign with an Adequate result (13 points)!!

JD, you've done an awesome job with these. Seriously. Nothing to worry about at all.

Hell, I've tried occasionally doing one of these just with a PC game and eventually found it so maddening that I destroyed myself in game just so that I could start over and just play the damn thing. I can't imagine doing this with something spread all over a table. So thanks for having the patience.

This AAR has me seriously looking at picking up a copy of this game (or one of Dan's other similarly themed games) in the near future. 

GJK - well don't let my screw ups confuse you. The game plays simple but detailed and great fun. I just screwed up the writing.

Arctic Blast...thanks for that. I just got way too frustrated there. I seriously wasted about 3-4 hours of my afternoon through my own stupid fault.

I'll be back...once I decide on a decent and more comfortable way to do them

yeah, that's a bummer that it died on you.  I was enjoying reading it.

one thought: put the italic/bold BBCode into your text doc as you write it elsewhere before posting it in.  I've done that a few times.  I had to do it with some of the longer responses w/ multiple quotes I had to pound on Wodin with...

Sorry bout that. I had already lost my first creation of my 1st Battlefield Resolution phase of the second mission and had recreated it. Had that post succeeded, I'd have continued. As it was, I overwrote the 1st Battlefield Resolution for the first mission...and nothing made sense! I just lost it! There was no going back after that.

I have to be honest though...it was nice to finish the campaign (which I actually got a Good result for with 13 points). Aircraft were in a bit of a state. Structural damage, Hud damage, Control damage, Bullet Holes, Engine damage. Control damage gives you adverse rolls on ridge avoidance. Hud damage affected Strike rolls (-2 modifier I think). Pilots were all shaken up too!

Yeah - I actually thought that would be the thing to do. I've got the italics, bold, size and list down - which is basically all I need. The Image links already come from Photobucket (when it wants to play!)

One thing I don't really get in the game - and I had to think about it for ages. Ridge Evasion. For some bizarre reason, Dan decided to make 0 low! So the rolls for ridge Evasion were
0 - 4 stress
1-2 - 3 Stress
3-6 - 2 Stress
7+ - 1 Stress

Now, my pilot had +1 Evasive...so when I rolled a 9, I would normally add that one and it would be 10 (or 0 on the 10 sided dice)...and that would've meant because he had +1 Evasive, he'd have been punished...so I deduced that 0 was low - but when 0 is 10 for all other purposes, this seemed a very weird choice. I gave the Ridge Evasion and rolls a very detailed read - and they took some reading for me to get right in my head - but they make perfect sense now.

If my new game doesn't turn up this weekend, I'll do a new AAR for Thunderbolt Apache Leader - 'cos I feel guilty doing such a bad job this time round (bad job as in screwing it up)