Canvas Eagles

Special results: fuel tank hit (lose 6 fuel) or explode, engine damaged (no speed 3-4), rudder jammed (forced direction 2 turns), fabric tears / struts damaged (no restricted manoeuvres), weapon destroyed, pilot or observer killed. Once all boxes and at least one triangle of a section are gone, restricted manoeuvres risk break-up on 5-6, or engine seizure.

Critically damaged aircraft making restricted maneuvers (steep climbs and restricted maneuvers with a critically damaged engine) may break apart (these aircraft are destroyed).

35 two-sided markers name a section (fuselage, tail, wing, engine) and number of boxes; red markers are drawn first, then blue. An aircraft is destroyed when all boxes and triangles of a wing, fuselage or tail section are crossed off; total engine damage forces gliding. Same-altitude front/rear hits are redirected (e.g. tail to engine on tractors).

These markers are drawn by the target player from an opaque container.

An aircraft on fire draws one blue marker each Fire Damage phase and cannot tail, shoot (pilot) or perform restricted manoeuvres. Fire goes out on 5-6 (4-6 after a sideslip) and becomes smoke; smoke clears on 6 but becomes fire on a 1. Seized engines test 6 fire, 5 smoke.

Players whose aircraft have caught fire must draw one BLUE marker and record the damage; damage is applied immediately.

On a crew-wound marker roll 1d6: 1-3 no effect, 4-5 light wound (one box), 6 serious (two boxes); three boxes kills. Light: no restricted manoeuvres, -1 combat; serious: -3 combat, no long range, only simple turns, no reloading. A killed pilot sends the aircraft into a spin unless dual controls allow the observer to fly as a novice.

a roll of a 4 or 5 means a Light Wound has resulted (cross off one pilot/observer box); a roll of a 6 means a Serious Wound has resulted (cross off two pilot/observer boxes).

In the Balloon Busting mission, balloons sit at altitude level 1 and count as stalled. A balloon is destroyed only if two or more RED damage chits come up in a single turn from a single attacker. RED chits from several attackers, or spread over several turns, do not combine. The Le Prieur anti-balloon rockets (6.08) are the stated exception. Incendiary rounds (all aircraft after July 1917) add +1 to combat rolls against balloons.

are only destroyed if hit by two or more RED damage chits results in a single turn from a single attacker (exception, see: "6.08 Le Prieur Anti-Balloon Rockets")

Templates combine clock positions with Low/Same/High altitude bands (e.g. '6 O'clock Low'); shaded arcs allow fire but force a dive or climb after medium/long bursts. Rigid (R/RR), flexible (F/FO) and wing (W) mountings differ. Observers cannot fire into the hex directly behind at the same altitude unless their aircraft climbed.

The first hex directly behind an aircraft is called, “The Blind Spot”. Observers may not normally fire at targets in the “Blind Spot” because their aircraft’s tail assemblage interferes with their arc of fire.

Lewis, Hotchkiss and Parabellum guns cross off 1/2/3 ammo boxes for short/medium/long bursts and must reload when a drum row is empty (pilots only during simple straight manoeuvres). After a long burst roll 1d6: 5-6 jams; unjam on 4-6 in the recovery phase. Belt-fed Vickers/Spandau are unlimited (optional 20-box limit).

Players who fire long bursts must test their weapons for the possibility of jam- ming. Roll 1d6 and if a 5 or 6 is rolled, the weapon has jammed

The CRT has combat value columns up to 17 and d6 rows; results like 'B', '2R' or 'B•3R' give blue and red hits (CV 11, roll 5 = one blue and three red). A combat value of zero or less has no effect though ammunition is spent and jams may occur. Cannons and AA fire use column shifts.

Roll 1d6 and find the intersection of the die roll and the combat value on the Combat Result Table: the table gives the number of “BLUE” and the number of “Red” hits suffered by the target.

Optional rule. Whenever an aircraft flies over its own trenchline hexes the owner rolls 1d6. On 1-2 the friendly ground troops fire on the aircraft; on 3-6 they hold their fire.

When an aircraft flies over its own trenchline hexes, it must test for friendly fire. Roll 1d6: 1-2: Ground troops fire on the friendly aircraft; 3, 4, 5 or 6: Ground troops hold their fire.

Line of fire is the aircraft's own hex and three hexes out; hex range counts the target hex. Same-hex fire is allowed only if both face the same way and the attacker was slower. Seriously wounded crew cannot fire at long range; ace 'Range' ability fires as one hex closer.

Line of fire consists of the aircraft’s own hex and the three hexes from the aircraft

1 Tailing, 2 Maneuver Selection, 3 Fuel Expenditure, 4 Movement, 5 Combat, 6 Damage, 7 Recovery (one of unjam, spin recovery or reload), 8 Problem (jams, spin tests, anoxia), 9 Fire Damage, 10 Fire/Smoke Extinguishing. All players finish a phase before the next.

1. Tailing Phase 2. Maneuver Selection Phase 3. Fuel Expenditure Phase 4. Movement Phase 5. Combat Phase 6. Damage Phase 7. Recovery Phase 8. Problem Phase 9. Fire Damage Phase 10. Fire/Smoke Extinguishing Phase

For experienced players only, a timer allows 2 minutes per turn; players who fail to plot by the end of manoeuvre selection fly a simple straight at last turn's speed (2S1 if they had stalled).

A timer is employed to allow only 2 minutes per turn. Players failing to mark their maneuvers by the end of the maneuver selection phase must move a simple straight

All players move their aircraft in the same phase; any number may pass through or share hexes (optional collision rule). Fire is resolved in any order but damage only takes effect in the damage phase, so an aircraft destroyed that turn can still fire.

All fire is simultaneous. Damage does not take effect until the end of the damage phase.

Players write a manoeuvre code from their Maneuver Schedule on the Aircraft Data Sheet and place a 'Move Written' marker; when all have one the phase ends. At the start of the combat phase any pilot firing secretly records target and short/medium/long burst, declared before rolling.

Each player selects a maneuver from their aircraft’s “Maneuver Schedule” and records this on their Air- craft Data Sheet.

Diving costs 1 less fuel, climbing 1 more. A dive of 2+ levels adds one speed next turn; a climb of 2+ loses one, and speed 0 tests for spin. A dive of 2+ levels permits a Zoom Climb at +0 fuel and the Climbing Immelmann. Over-diving beyond the safe rate draws a blue damage marker per extra level to the wings. Medium/long bursts by rigid guns at higher or lower targets force a climb or dive next turn.

An aircraft which dives 2 or more altitude levels during a movement phase may elect to “Zoom Climb” the following movement phase.

Codes like 20R3 give manoeuvre number, direction and speed (also fuel cost), with flight tolerances (C, C1, D, D1, L, X). Restricted manoeuvres (27-36) need a previous simple straight (2-4); bracketed non-repeatable ones cannot follow each other; Stability A/B aircraft must fly straight between left and right turns. Early and Late War schedules differ.

Some maneuvers (num- bered 27-36) may only be selected if the previous maneuver was a simple straight flight (maneuvers numbered 2, 3, or 4).

Roll 2d6: 2-5 spins (+1 Stability A, -1 C, -1 novice). A spinning aircraft plots 0S1, drops one altitude level per movement phase, cannot fire, and crashes at altitude 0. Recovery needs 7+ on 2d6, after which facing is randomised by d6 and the next manoeuvre must be maximum speed.

Roll 2d6 to test if an aircraft goes into a spin: The aircraft spins on a roll of 2, 3, 4 or 5.

A tails B if B is in A's front tailing arc and A is in B's rear arc, within 3 hexes and one altitude level; one enemy may be tailed at a time, smoking/burning aircraft and novices cannot tail. The tailed player passes L/S/R and Dive/Level/Climb markers to the tailer; chains pass information down the line, circular chains break by low die. Tailing also gives +1/+2 to hit.

During the maneuver selection phase, the players who are being tailed must reveal both the direction, and any altitude change of their chosen maneuver to each player tailing them.

Manoeuvres, targets and bursts are not disclosed in advance; only smoke, fire, spins and destruction are announced. Pilots may not jointly plan manoeuvres since aircraft had no radios, except formation flying with a designated leader.

Players may NOT jointly plan their maneuvers, as aircraft did not have radios. Once in the air, pilots are on their own.

Pilots in the leader's hex facing the same way may declare they fly in formation and record his manoeuvre; they break formation by plotting differently, or must if unable to perform it.

The only benefit of having squadron leaders is so that other players may fly in formation with the leader.

1d6 on the CRT, jamming, unjamming, wounds, fire and AA; 2d6 for spin tests, recovery, landing, crash, bailing and evasion tables; 1d10 for campaign missions.

The players need to provide a 1d6 die (six-sided die), an opaque contain- er, a hex playing sheet and miniature aircraft to play the game.

The 1d6 Combat Result Table is read by column. Ground fire uses the 2 column. Light anti-aircraft fire uses the 4 column shifted by -1, -2 or -3 for target altitude 1, 2 or 3, and a further -1 if the target flies at speed 3 or 4. Heavy anti-aircraft fire also uses the 4 column, with shifts of -1, -2 or -3 by altitude band and -1 for speed 3 or 4. A confirmed cannon hit shifts the damage table up 8 columns, for example from column 8 to column 16.

Light Anti-Aircraft Fire: Roll on the 4 column Column shift modifiers: -1 Target is at altitude 1 -2 Target is at altitude 2 -3 Target is at altitude 3

Modifiers vary by range column: burst length (+1 to +4), attacker speed 3-4 (-3 to 0), deflection (-3 to -1), firing at a spinning aircraft, restricted manoeuvre, tailed target last turn (+1/+2), fired at it last turn, target lower/higher, minor/serious wounds, target stalled, flexible vs rigid and single vs dual weapons, aircraft stability.

The cumulative total of the base value and all the applicable modifiers is the combat value.

Experience points come from turns flown (1), kills (24), missions and red hits; novices (<50 XP) cannot tail enemy aircraft or perform restricted manoeuvres and take -1 on spin tests and recovery.

A novice may not tail enemy aircraft, but may tail friendly aircraft. Novices may not perform restricted maneuvers.

Data sheets list maximum altitude (with '+' if regainable), climb and dive ratings, stability A-C, weapon mountings and fire-arc templates, ammunition drums, section damage boxes/triangles, fuel boxes and a 30-turn plot record. Allied and Central statistics are in appendices.

Each aircraft has its own Aircraft Data Sheet which contains a section, the "Maneuver Schedule", showing every maneuver that an aircraft can perform.

Abilities at 100, 250, 500, 750, 1000 XP etc.: pilot (Cannot Be Tailed, Maneuver, Spin Skill, Spin Recovery, Tailing at 4 hexes, Stability), gunnery (+1 die, Unjamming 3+, ignore Deflection), observer (Observing, Bombardier); ace abilities (Concentrated Fire on a hit-location table, Fire Value column shift, Range).

One ability is received whenever the pilot or observer reaches 100, 250, 500, 750, 1000, 1250, 1500 points, etc.

There is no limit on players. In the fluid game, entry hexes 1-6 behind each trenchline are rolled; shot-down or departed players return after 2-3 turns (1d6), and the most XP wins at the end of the session.

The advantage of the fluid game is that new players may join the game at anytime without having to wait for a new game to begin.

Campaigns run June 1915-November 1918, each session a week; players have two pilots and an observer, replacements start as novices. Survival after crashes uses Crash Result, Bailing Out and Evade tables, modified by a rolled ground offensive. The pilot with most XP wins; side totals double two-seater mission XP.

As the campaign progresses, pilots will gain expertise, be wounded or killed, and new types of air- craft will become available.

Each side places balloons, an HQ and an airfield behind its trenchline, then rolls 1d10: 1-3 observation (altitude 4 or less over target), 4-5 bombing (three bomb attacks, hit 2+ at altitude 1-2), 6 directing artillery, 7 trench strafing, and fighter sweeps/scrambles. Games end by escape off the friendly edge, landing, capture or destruction.

One player from each side rolls 1d10 on the “Mission Table”, and then assigns aircraft and pilots to the mission.

Each model must face one of its hex's six sides. The schedule shows start arrow and end silhouette for each manoeuvre; some (e.g. 1, 27, 28) end in the same hex with changed or unchanged facing.

During a game, each aircraft model must always be located in a particular hexagon with it’s front pointing towards one of the hexagon’s six sides.

A manoeuvre's speed number may differ by at most one from the previous turn's. Engine damage and fabric tears can forbid speed 3-4 manoeuvres; after spin recovery the aircraft must fly its maximum speed.

Players may only increase or decrease their aircraft’s speed by one speed number per turn.

Fuel boxes on the data sheet are spent each turn equal to speed (-1 diving, +1 climbing); a manoeuvre needing more fuel than remains cannot be chosen. Out of fuel or with a destroyed engine the aircraft must glide using manoeuvres 2, 3 or 8, losing altitude. Fuel tank hits remove 6 boxes or explode.

Each player must cross off fuel boxes equal to the speed number of the maneuver performed.

A captured airman gets one chance of being exchanged as a PoW or escaping: roll 2d6, and a 2 means he has escaped. On an escape, roll 1d100 for the number of weeks the person is out of the war. On a failure, the war is over for that pilot.

If captured there is one chance of either being exchanged as a PoW or escaping: roll a "2" on a roll 2d6, and the person has escaped.