Sanity prevailed and I played The Thin Blue Line scenario, rather than the entire campaign. At my rate of play, which is one day per session, it would have been too lengthy a proposition.

The Thin Blue Line begins on August 27 and ends on September 11th. This represents the longest period of sustained German raids.

I was able to attrit the Luftwaffe, but not enough to gain a victory. However, the RAF was in good shape at game’s end with a fairly deep pool of experienced replacement pilots and plenty of replacement aircraft. At the rate things were going, an operational victory was probably two days (of game turns) away.

The hour and day card draws tended to favor the British player. What the British player cannot stand is successive German raids over the period of one game hour, or during the course of a day. The quicker the clock and calendar moves, the better for the RAF.

One thing I started doing a little too late was making sure there were enough British fighters scrambled to attack the bombers, and not just the Me-109 hunter groups. This involved massing planes and taking some risks about subsequent coverage if there were followup raids, or another series of attacks. My warning levels were consistently high which helped, and, once again, the card draw kept the clock moving.  It was so similar to historical “Big Wing” theory.

Once bombers are disrupted, aborted or placed in the damage box by a fighter attack, the effectiveness of a raid is greatly diminished. Again, fate did not favor the Germans, with many raids reduced to a low factor attacks, and resulting low levels of damage and victory points.

A great game, and worthy of all the praise it has gathered over the past twenty years. My only complaint is that a couple of charts are buried in the rules, especially the Airfield Operations summary. I will copy this onto a separate sheet the next time I play.

Finished up “The Hardest Days” scenario. Lots of fun.

Like many solitaire games, RAF is process oriented. The turn sequence mechanics are the crux of the game, with player decisions taking far less time than in a typical multi-player game.

The obvious reasons are the low counter density, and the player’s active involvement with counter movement is limited to the RAF. Another reason is that many of the mechanics are card driven, without the usual wristage.

The lessons learned during this play through were to take full advantage of the ability of adjacent sectors to patrol in those sectors most threatened, that at least once a day you just have to take a beating, and use everything you can on the last raid of the day.

Squadrons in adjacent sectors can augment patrols. This is a far better use of these assets than waiting for a favorable warning situation which allows the employment of adjacent squadrons in the target sector,.

With followup raids and limited time advances, the RAF will have at least one turn when most of its assets are either landing or rearming. Sending up a single squadron to contest a raid is suicide, so it is best to just sit back, get bombed, and wait until your grounded aircraft become operational.

By the 1800 turn (last of the day), the Luftwaffe has few assets remaining. This can be especially true for fighters. That last raid may comprise only a couple of escorts. If the RAF commander places all of his available assets on patrol, the chances are that he can achieve air superiority for that interception and really do some damage to the bombers. This tactic is so effective that there is actually a rule limiting the number of patrolling squadrons for the 1800 turn.

My game ended in a draw. I might just try the campaign scenario which adds several layers of chrome. Why not?

Finally comfortable enough with the rules to start the “Hardest Days” scenario.  This is a highly regarded solitaire game with great reviews.  I started out with “Lion”, playing the British.

For a solitaire game, it has a relatively low level of wristage.  The game process and progress is, to a large degree,  driven by cards; for targets, raid size, raid strength, approach events, target events and passage of time during a raid “day”.  Dice rolling is limited to combat results, bombing results, British ability to respond to attacks and weather.

Unlike many other games, the end of a raid does not mean the time clock advances.  There can be raid somewhere else over England, or a followup raid on the target just attacked.  Have a couple of “0” time advance results, and it makes for a damn long turn, and day.

As a result, the RAF is stretched thin and beat up from the get-go.  Their warning system is not good, and this restricts the ability of the RAF to respond in any strength – from adjacent sectors – to a raid.  Even a minor raid can leave the RAF out-manned, especially when a sector has been attacked several times during the day.   In most instances, the RAF cannot even get to the bombers, having all their assets engaged by German “Hunter” gruppen.

The instructions advertise that the 5-Day, “Hardest” scenario can be played in three hours.  Don’t think so.  One day takes about an hour, and that’s now that I can play without my nose buried in the rules.

Gonna keeping hacking at it, and see if the game play speeds up.  Keep hoping for those “2 Hour” time advance cards.  Both the Brits and I need them!