March 2025: Darmonican Aviator's Handbook

Again, tis been a while.

 

Due to the day job Frozen Skies has taken bit of a backseat, unfortunately this isn't something that is likely to change anytime soon. That said, when I do get some free time I'll certainly look at trying to get some work done. 

 

Still, here's a rare post with thoughts regarding Frozen Skies and some new aircraft. 

 

Aircraft Rules

Converting distances seems to be dependent on how big a map/playing area GMs and their players want. Dividing by 10 to convert Top Speed to Hex Speed, effectively every 10 MPH equals one Hex/Inch, requires a fairly large area. On the flip side, diving by 20 works better for a smaller and tighter playing area. Weapon ranges can be calculated the same way.

 

Considering bringing back Evasion (half of Piloting plus 2 and aircraft handling) back as an Optional Rule. 

 

Manoeuvrers is still an area that I'm not 100% on yet, chiefly whether to keep the cumulative penalty for each additional turn after the first. Do I limit the amount of turns per round?

 

Also considering increasing the number of Spaces available to each aircraft below that of a Bomber; Light 10 Spaces, Medium 12 Spaces, Heavy 14 Spaces, Light Bomber 18 Spaces, Heavy Bomber 20 Spaces. 

 

Feedback here most welcomed, but onto the promised new aircraft!

Grendel Medium Fighter

The mainstay fighter of the Artian Confederate Air Service by the end of the Great Darmonican War and into the uneasy peace that has followed. Newer models have entered service and the Artians have tested a prototype new fighter design, so a few older models can be found on the open market.

 

Compared to Commonwealth designs, it is a rugged aircraft with extra protection for it's pilot. It also boasts two wing mounted 20mm autocannons and a single nose mounted 30mm autocannon. 

Top Speed: 320 MPH; Toughness: 11 (2); Crew: 1; Handling: +1; Size: 6 (Large)
Weapons: 2x Linked 20mm Cannons (Fixed Front), 2x 30mm Cannon (Fixed Front)
Notes: Armoured Cockpit, Sturdy Construction

 

Valkyrie Bomber

A medium bomber designed with the view that it would be used to attack countries that 

bordered Artia and would also be used in a tactical role. It has better armament compared 

to it's Commonwealth counterpart the Firefly whilst following Artian design principles.

 

Top Speed: 240 MPH; Toughness: 14 (2); Crew: 5; Handling: -1; Size: 8 (Large)
Weapons: 1x Heavy MG (Fixed Front), 1x Heavy MG (Fixed Rear, Ventral), 1x Heavy MG 

(Fixed Rear, Dorsal), 1x Heavy MG (Fixed Left), 1x Heavy MG (Fixed Right), Bombs
Notes: Armoured Cockpit, Sturdy Construction

 

Vulk 'Wolf' Fighter

One of the few Sodkan designs that survived the fall of the Holy Sodkan Empire, mainly 

seeing service with the Union of Sodkan Republics and a few outfits as a cheap fighter. 

It has a cramped cockpit and an underpowered engine, though it is fitted with a 

supercharger to provide a limited boost to engine speed. It's agility and heavy armament 

do help offset it's shortcomings, though a mechanic willing to put the work in can turn the 

Vulk into a formidable aircraft.

 

Top Speed: 260 MPH; Toughness: 10 (2); Crew: 1; Handling: +2; Size: 5 (Large)
Weapons: 2x Heavy MG (Fixed Front), 4x Medium MG (Fixed Front)
Notes: Increased Handling, Turbo, Restrictive Cockpit (-2 on Notice rolls), 

Unreliable (Roll of 1 on Piloting counts as a Critical Failure) 

May 2024: Per Ardua

Progress on getting Frozen Skies plods along at a admittedly slow pace, due in part to a somewhat busy job role and other factors. Regardless, progress is being made even if I cannot give a firm release date....it'll be done when it's done. Still, heres a glimpse at some of the changes.

Savage Skies

Probably a big part of Frozen Skies is it's air combat rules, still going with the more tactical approach of using a hex grid but still need to nail down some of manoeuvres. Been playing around a bit with how best to scale speed and weapon ranges, basically how best to calculate these for a hex grid to try and give a good balance. Now decided to go with 1 hex grid equals 10 inch for both speed and weapon ranges, this brings it in line from what I've seen of the new SciFi Companion.

Theres also some changes to movement and updating some aircraft mods and weapon stats, the latter to bring them more in line with SWADE.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/13-1WcM_MoxMXGTMkLfLw9zTuD7rob9ey/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=102228824939349988305&rtpof=true&sd=true

Other Stuff

Not included in this sample is changes to the rules for the Wulftouched, looking to showcase this once I'm happy with the rules for Frozen Skies' version of Weird Science. Beyond that would be lore changes to the settings to address some things that I've since grown dissatisfied with.

October 2021: Savage Skies

 Recently had the chance to do a one shot where we ended up running an air combat for Frozen Skies, again it seemed like the air combat rules had a solid foundation and the hex grid certainly seems like the way forward. That said, it was also an opportunity to get some more feedback from my players and brainstorm ideas for possible revisions and improvements. As it turned out there were some good ideas to make movement more clearer and keeping it true to the Fast Furious Fun motto of Savage Worlds.

Fly the Savage Skies!

Think I'll the post air combat rules for Frozen Skies as they now stand with the recent revisions, especially for new people who have only just stumbled upon this blog and/or the Frozen Skies setting itself.

The air combat rules presented here are a more tactical alternative to the vehicle combat rules found in Savage Worlds and it's supplements. Biggest difference is that these rules require the use of a hex grid, thus giving them more of a tactical/wargame feel. There are a few changes to the rules for vehicle combat in Savage Worlds, but these are down to the use of a hex grid and can be adapted for use with other settings involving combat between fighter craft.

The Basics

Due to the use of a hex grid, scales work a little differently with these rules.

To get the speed of an aircraft, divide it's Top Speed by 60 and round up to get it's so-called 'Hex Speed' which is the number of hex squares it can move.

For weapon ranges, divide these ranges by 30 and again round up where needed.

Optional Rule: As a way to help speed things up, you can use the so-called Wingmen rule.

This divides aircraft into one of two categories, Aces who are Wild Cards and Wingmen who count as Extras under the normal Savage Worlds rules. The difference is that the Wingmen aircraft count as having two less wounds, so a base of one wound plus an additional wound for each size category above Normal/Medium. This means Wingmen have less staying power compared to their Ace counterparts, thus making them a bit easier to take-out and keep things moving reasonably quick.

Movement

All aircraft are required to move at least half their Hex Speed, moving any less requires a Piloting roll to avoid the aircraft stalling and going Out of Control.

Turning requires the aircraft to have moved one hex square before turning, once this is done the aircraft can then change it's hex facing and finish the rest of it's movement. Only one turn is allowed per aircraft per round and may require a roll with modifiers as shown in the picture below, but is considered a Free Action.

Changing the hex facing by one does not require a roll. Changing the aircraft's direction by two or more hex facings is subject to a penalty of -2 per hex facing beyond the first, so -2 for two hex facings and -4 for three hex facings (the highest penalty and is effectively a 180 degree turn).

Boost: A pilot can move his aircraft an additional 1d3 hex squares if he wishes. Though the pilot then suffers a -2 penalty to all their other actions when boosting their aircraft speed. This penalty is reduced to -1 by the Steady Hands Edge (similar to the penalty for running).

Maneuvers

The following maneuvers from the Savage Worlds Chase rules can be used for air combat in Frozen Skies with the necessary adaptions noted. For opposed Piloting rolls the aircraft with the higher Climb value (if used) gains +1, this increases to a +2 if the Climb value is doubled that of the other aircraft.

• Evade: No change.
• Flee: Change references to Chase Cards to Hex Squares.
• Force: Change reference to 'same Chase Card' to 'adjacent hex squares'. Bump is changed to the target being moved to an adjacent hex square with a random facing chosen by the foe who caused the Bump.
• Ram: No change.

Combat

Frozen Skies still uses the regular Savage Worlds for vehicle combat with respect to Recoil, Unstable Platform and modifiers due to Weapon Ranges, etc. Shooting still requires a TN of 4 to hit and is, of course, still effected by modifiers.

Fixed Weapons fire in a straight, whereas Pintle-mounted and Turret-mounted weapons fire in a cone and circle respectively.

December 2020: Flight of Mercy

We're coming to the end of an unprecedented year and entering what is a traditionally a time to share with loved ones and of gift giving in addition to spreading cheer and hope. This is going to be my last blog post of the year and the next one isn't likely to appear until mid-January, so in the spirit of gift giving I'm giving you lot an adventure for Frozen Skies. This is in part inspired by the 1925 Nome Serum Run, least to the point of a remote snowbound settlement requiring urgent supplies. Still, I hope the adventure provides a fun and interesting game for those that play it.

Trouble A-Brewing

It's winter and the so-called Shrouded Days are creeping ever southward, engulfing the northern most regions in a month or so long night. Some folk have already come south, though others remain to endure the darkness having stockpiled key supplies. Though disaster has struck the remote settlement of Windscale's Gap; a fire broke out and razed it's storehouse to the ground leaving the settlement critically short of supplies. A mercy flight was already dispatched, though a distress call was received from the aircraft before all contact was loss.

A second flight has been hastily arranged.

This is where the characters come in, contracted at short notice to attempt a second flight to Windscale's Gap to deliver urgently needed supplies before bad weather shuts down the air route. They can ask about the first flight and that contact with the aircraft was loss, along with it's rough co-ordinates, but what happened to the aircraft is unknown. If the characters decide to try and salvage some of the supplies from the first flight to help out the settlement, award them a bennie each.

For this adventure, unless they already have one, the characters are presumed to have a Beagle cargo plane with the following additions;

Medium MG (Fixed Left), Medium MG (Fixed Right), 2x Linked Medium MG (Pintle Rear)

Optional: The First Flight

If the characters decide to salvage supplies from the first flight, they can find the wreck with a raise on a Notice roll. Support rolls can be used if the players feel uncertain about their task, though feel free to give bonuses based on the amount of time they devote to the task though remind them they are against the clock. 

Once they have found the wreck, landing isn't an issue though there doesn't seem to be any signs of life. After they've landed and proceeded on foot to the wreck, roll a d6 and consult the table below;

1 - A pack of wulvers, one per character, attacks the party! (see Frozen Skies)

2-3 - d3 bears are drawn towards the wreck in search of food. (see SWADE)

4-5 - Pack of snow cats, one per every two characters, stalk the party. (see Frozen Skies)

6 - Survivors! Some of the plane's crew are alive but are in need of medical attention ( roll d3 for number of survivors, presume a Wound each).

Trying to investigate the cause of what happened to the first flight can be done either by asking the survivors (if any) or getting a raise on a Repair roll whilst inspecting the wreck. The cause appears to be engine failure, something backed up by the remains of the engines and lack of any obvious 'battle' damage.

Some of the supplies are thankfully still intact and can be moved to the character's own aircraft.

Troublesome Skies

Flying the skies of Alyeska isn't without it's risks and as such draw four cards from the Action Deck to determine if any Travel Encounters occur. Consult below for suggestions on how to do each Encounter type.

Spades - Enemies: This can be d6 sky pirates flying Trodai Fighters, presume d6 Piloting and Shooting along with the Rock and Roll! and Steady Hands Edges.

Hearts - Strangers: SWADE does a good job of covering this, though NPCs could offer help by pointing out the wreck of the first flight or providing a +1 bonus to Piloting (for the rest of the session) by tipping off the characters about conditions ahead.

Diamonds - Treasure: If the characters haven't decided to find the wreck of the first flight, they could stumble upon it by pure chance. If they decide to check it out, run it as per the Optional: First Flight entry detailed above.

Clubs - Obstacle: This could be a blizzard or storm that the characters inadvertently fly into. Run this has a Challenging Dramatic Task with the characters needing to get two tokens per character over three rounds. Piloting is the obvious skill to use here, along with Notice for whoever is supporting the pilot. For other characters they can use either Athletics, Repair and Strength to help keep the plane stable and flying by stopping cargo from being thrown about. Alternatively this could be done as a Quick Encounter with the suggested skills mentioned previously and a -2 penalty for the extreme conditions.

Final Destination

After a possibly harrowing flight depending on the players' luck, Windscale's Gap finally emerges as perhaps the most welcoming sight in the world. The settlement is little more than a collection of wooden buildings, though the burnt remains of the storehouse can be clearly seen amongst the banks of snow. Whilst they have reached their destination, the characters aren't quite out of the woods.

They've still got to land.

Windscale Gap's lacks an airstrip, instead having a clear field for aircraft to land which has couple of feet of snow. The weather is also closing in, meaning a -2 penalty on the three Piloting rolls needed to safely land. Support rolls in the form of Notice to spot dangerous patches of snow and Repair, if the aircraft had taken damage, can be made to help with the landing. Failure on each of the three Piloting rolls inflicts a Wound on the aircraft, though the pilot can forego the third roll to take-off and circle round for another try which will grant a +1 bonus to Piloting on the next landing attempt.

Once safely down on the ground the characters are warmly welcomed by the townsfolk, if the supplies from the first flight were recovered and handed over as well then the townsfolk throw a small party in the characters' honour.

August 2020: Banshee's Wail

OK, something a little different this month.

This is going to be a two-parter, this post in particular features updated stats for the all-female Banshees sky pirate gang. The follow-on post will hopefully be an adventure centered round them, perhaps a one sheet style adventure or perhaps something longer. Depending on how popular this is, I may see about doing more of this sort of thing.

Banshee Sky Pirate

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d6, Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Language (Native) d8, Notice d6+2, Persuasion d6+1, Piloting d8, Shooting d8, Stealth d6, Taunt d6, Thievery d4
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
Hindrances: Greedy, Loyal, Wanted (Major)
Edges: Ace, Alertness, Attractive, Pilot's Instincts, Quick, Rock and Roll!
Gear: Knives, clubs, pistols or SMGs.

Natasha's Agility, Smarts and Piloting all increase one die. In addition she gains the Ace Gunner, Command and Danger Sense edges.

Banshee Plane

Top Speed: 310 MPH; Toughness: 12 (3); Crew: 1; Climb: 15; Handling: +1; Size: 6 (Large); Notes: Improved Gunsight
Weapons: x4 Heavy MGs (Fixed Forward, Linked)
Special - Banshees' Cry: When doing an Intimidation based test against an enemy pilot, add +2 on the roll.

June 2020 Extra: Air Combat Playtest

Couple of days before the writing of this post (and around a couple of weeks before it goes live), I did a playtest via Roll20 of Frozen Skies' air combat rules against the backdrop of the launch of SpaceX. It was nice getting back to playing Savage Worlds properly (admittedly in a virtual setting) and a chance to see how well the air combat rules worked. Cannot say whether the virtual format aided or impeded things, though things seemed to go well enough.

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The Setup

Since I only had couple of players from my regular group, went with a couple of player controlled Kestrel fighters going up against a Wild Card Ace in a Kestrel with couple of Wingmen Extras flying Trodai/Warrior fighters. Single character sheet was used for the skills/rolls and aircraft stats and the rules were there as Handouts for the players to read and reference.

The Playtest

Started things by walking through the rules for Savage Worlds (as one of the players hadn't played the system before) and then the air combat rules (though interrupted by the SpaceX launch). Once everything had been explained and the players seemed happy with everything, I setup the combat. Placed the aircraft of the two players on one side, then put the three enemy aircraft round 15 hex squares away facing the players.

Went through three rounds of combat, which was a pretty close thing and I'd expected the NPCs to claim victory but then my notoriously bad dice rolls kicked in. Ended up having at least a good dozen or so failed Out of Control rolls, though realised now that everyone had the Ace Edge and thus could've ignored couple of points of penalties. D'oh!

In the end the players emerged victorious, even though one of their planes took couple of Wounds in the process. The enemy Ace got shot down first after his aircraft took an absolute mauling, the two Wingmen sharing his fate soon afterwards.

Thoughts

The players agreed that the rules seemed pretty solid and I am even more convinced that a hex grid is the way forwards. However, there were some points that were brought up.

*The Wingmen's aircraft I ran as being just like normal Extras in Savage Worlds, basically they only had a single Wound. I'd done this to help speed up combat based on experiences in previous playtests, though the players suggested perhaps increasing the number of Wounds to give them a little bit of staying power. So I'm thinking of having a base of a single Wound but increasing this based on Size of the aircraft, thus two Wounds for a Large aircraft and three for a Huge one.

*Weapon arcs was something that was brought up by one of the players (the planes only had forward firing weapons). Though once I'd pointed out that it was possible to have backward firing guns and even turrets, explaining how those worked, he seemed satisfied.

*Manoeuvrers was bit of an interesting one, chiefly when they can be done. Suppose this can be addressed by stating when each one can be done.

Though a second d'oh! is that I've just realised/learnt that Out of Control rolls are only on a Critical Failure or in certain situations.

April 2020: Airships Ahoy!

With the release of the new Vehicle Guide from Pinnacle I was able to go through and adjust vehicle stats in Frozen Skies where needed. More interestingly, the Vehicle Guide had stats for airships which has enabled me to update airship and skyship stats for Frozen Skies. So this month features updated stats and some more thoughts regarding air combat.

Levitations of the Sky

Not only do they have updated stats, there are also new rules for airships and skyships.

Airship: This category covers lighter-than-air craft that gain their lift via use of a lifting gas, but are typically unarmored. Non-Heavy Weapons reduce their damage die by one when attacking these type of craft.

Skyship: These more heavily armored craft are akin to flying warships, as such they have the Heavy Armor characteristic. However, skyships are vulnerable to attacks from above and thus these sort of attacks increase the weapon's damage dice by one.

And now, some stats;
 
B-class Frigate

Top Speed: 40 MPH; Toughness: 32 (8); Crew: 10; Climb: 10; Handling: -3; Size: 16 (Gargantuan)
Weapons: 1x 57mm Deck Gun (Front Pintle Mount), 1x Heavy MG (Top Pintle Mount); Notes: Skyship

Bayleaf-class Freighter

Top Speed: 30 MPH; Toughness: 28 (3); Crew: 70; Climb: 10; Handling: -4; Size: 20 (Gargantuan)
Weapons: 4x Heavy MGs (Fixed Left), 4x Heavy MGs (Fixed Right); Notes: Skyship

Rover-class Scout Airship

Top Speed: 40 MPH; Toughness: 21 (1); Crew: 10; Climb: 10; Handling: -3; Size: 15 (Gargantuan)
Weapons: 2x Linked Heavy MGs (Turret Front), 2x Linked Heavy MGs (Turret Rear); Notes: Airship

Regal-class Light Cruiser Skyship

Top Speed: 35 MPH; Toughness: 45 (14); Crew: 570; Climb: 5; Handling: -3; Size: 19 (Gargantuan)
Weapons: 4x Turrets – 2x front & 2x rear – 2x 6” guns in each turret (Range in miles 6/12/18; 6d10; LBT, AP 10, Heavy Weapon)

4x 40mm Quad-linked Cannons (2x Fixed Left, 2x Fixed Right) in open mounts

1x Linked 40mm Cannons (Pintle mount on top of No.2 Turret)

2x 20mm Cannons (1x Fixed Left, 1x Fixed Right)

Notes: Catapult launcher, Scout plane, Skyship

Scout Plane

Top Speed: 110 MPH; Toughness: 11 (2); Crew: 2; Climb: 10; Handling: 0 (-2 when loaded); Size: 5 (Large); Weapons: 1x Medium MG (Fixed Front), 1x Medium MG (Pintle Mount – Rear), Bombs

Notes: Flotation Gear, Zeppelin Hook

Zephyr-class Armed Merchant Cruiser

Top Speed: 30 MPH; Toughness: 21 (1); Crew: ~50; Climb: 10; Handling: -3; Size: 17 (Gargantuan); Weapons: 6x 6-inch cannons (Fixed Left), 6x 6-inch cannons (Fixed Right); Notes: Capacity for 3 light or medium sized aircraft (1 air deck + 2 launch ramps), Airship


More Thoughts on Aerial Combat


Follow-on from last month's post, been giving some thought to aerial combat in Frozen Skies. Still looking like a hex grid may be the best way to go, offering a more tactical style for those who want it but at the same time it still has to be balanced towards the Fast, Furious, Fun ethos of Savage Worlds.


Basically need to strike a balance between being simple but having a bit of meat to them.


Thinking with Immanuel Turn of having an aircraft move half it's Top Speed in a straight line before turning round 180 degrees. Could also factor in an aircraft's Climb value as some sort of bonus here.


Something interesting that somebody proposed was adapting the Vehicle Fatigue rules from Savage Rifts. Could work I suppose, though it will have to be something to try out with a playtest.

March 2020: Airborne Musings

New month, new post.

Stated last month that I was looking at the air combat system for Frozen Skies, part of the overall process of updating it for SWADE. This month is my thoughts I've had regarding this over the previous month. Also, stay tuned for news of the next event Utherwald is attending this year.

Expanded Air Combat Thoughts

On the whole, what I've previously written for Aerial HEXfight largely still stands. Though there are some changes and additions since I originally wrote that post.

• Dropping the Evasion stat, modifiers within SWADE combined with using a hex grid make it difficult enough for attacks on aircraft to actually hit.
• Each hex grid equals 30', keeps things nice and simple in addition to working quite nicely with how weapon ranges scale.
• Climb has been retained as a stat for aircraft in Frozen Skies and provides a +1 bonus to the aircraft with the higher value in opposed Piloting rolls, +2 bonus if the value is doubled of the other aircraft.
• To help speed up combat, aircraft flown by Extras are considered to only have one wound and thus follow the normal rules for Extras in SWADE. Aircraft flown by Wild Cards still have the full amount of wounds based upon the Size category of the aircraft.

Maneuvers still need some thought, though Immelmann I'm thinking of increasing it to 3 or 4 hexes.

Also looking at different ammo and rocket types to spice things up a little.

Plus, heres a new Setting Rule;

Hazardous Flying Weather

One of the risks of flying the northern skies is that of ice forming on the wings of aircraft, which can be dangerous enough to cause an airplane to fall out of the sky. At the GM's choice or part of an Obstacle Travel Encounter, run a challenging Dramatic Task (four successes over three rounds).

Overall Success: You make it through without issues.

Overall Failure: You make it through at the cost of your aircraft suffering 1 Wound and 1 Critical Hit (treat Crew result as Chassis instead).

Failure during Complication: Piloting roll with all penalties or the aircraft crashes and Wrecks immediately.

Weather modifiers range from -1 for clear but extremely cold weather through to -4 for a full-blown blizzard. For combat it is suggested that you only use the weather modifiers.

Events

Now able to confirm that Utherwald will be attending Diceni 2020 in Norwich on Sunday 3rd May, see you all there.

New Aircraft: Iolar Light Bomber

Another new aircraft, though this week I set myself bit of a challenge to recreate the de Havilland Mosquito or get as close as possible. Though its ended up being a slightly faster version of the Argentine I.Ae.24 Calquin Light Bomber, apparently an aircraft patterned after and is a 'look-alike' for the Mosquito.

I.Ae.24 Calquin

The Iolar 'Eagle' Light Bomber

The Iolar, or 'Eagle', Light Bomber came about as part of a Royal Aero-Fleet requirement for a fast, light bomber to conduct strike raids against enemy targets. It has a speed to match most fighters and decent armaments, though it has a pitiful payload by bomber standards. As a result the Eagle tends to be used for pinpoint strike missions in flights of at least four to six aircraft.

There is a degree of discontentment amongst the Air Ministry over the future of the aircraft; it entered service just over a decade or so before the Great Darmonican War and thus is still seen as an 'untried' aircraft despite its 20 years of service. There are those who thus consider it to be a worthless aircraft and are trying to have it scrapped without a replacement, though there are others who are championing the aircraft and are pushing for a more modern version.

Top Speed: 300 MPH; Toughness: 14 (2); Crew: 2; Climb: 15; Handling: -1; Size: 8 (Large)
Weapons: 4x Linked .50-cal Heavy MGs (Fixed Front)
1x pair of rockets, or
Bombs (8x Small or, 4x Medium or, 2x Large)

New Aircraft: The Raven Fighter

Another week where I've found myself short on time to do a longer post, so instead its another new aircraft. This is suppose to be on the other end of the scale to the Trodaí Fighter that got featured last week, a new design in the setting that hasn't even reached the production stage. Hopefully it represents a more radical design that fits firmly in the Dieselpunk theme.

Source: Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces

The Raven

With the end of the Great Darmonican War there were many who saw an opportunity to try out radical new designs over tried and tested ones, though many of these valiant attempts were shot down with the drastically reduced post-war budgets available. The Raven was destined to suffer a similar fate, at least until the appointment of a certain Cathal Mulcahy to a senior position within the Air Ministry. Clan Mucahy had a controlling interest in the company developing the Raven, namely Whytemoor Aero-Engineering, and with one of their scions in the right position they were able to thus influence the Commonwealth's aircraft development and acquisition programmes.

Now suddenly made a priority and benefiting from increased funding, the Raven has reached the prototype stage with a number of models built for flight testing by the Aero-Fleet. Though the Commonwealth hasn't publicized its latest fighter design, others have most certainly gotten wind of it and have tried to get their hands on it. There are rumours of at least one model being stolen whilst in transit.

The Raven is a pusher-prop design with a pair of nose mounted 30mm autocannons. It packs a higher punch than the Hornet and is faster than the Kestrel, something that Whytemoor Aero-Engineering hopes will see the Raven being adopted as the Commonwealth's main fighter.

Top Speed: 300 MPH; Toughness: 11 (2); Crew: 1; Climb: 20; Handling: +2; Size: 6 (Large)
Weapons: 2x Linked 30mm Autocannons (Fixed Front)

New Aircraft: The Trodaí Fighter

Bit of a short post and a minor treat this week, though little bit of a challenge for myself. So this week's post features a new aircraft, one that sits between the Hornet and Kestral in terms of capability. This is deliberately intended to be an 'inferior' aircraft, a design long since chucked onto the scrap heap and thus more likely to be found in the hands of sky pirates than the Commonwealth's frontline fighters.

Source: World of Warplanes - Bristol Type 133

The Trodaí 'Warrior' Fighter

The Trodaí, or Warrior, Fighter is a Commonwealth design that pre-dates the Great Darmonican War and has long since been withdrawn from service as newer and better designs were introduced. Many ended up in scrapyards where they were sold to, or stolen by, private groups such as merc outfits or sky pirates. The Warrior appeals to many a small outfit as it is a simpler design compared to modern fighters and it was built in large numbers, thus spare parts are still easy to come by.

Top Speed: 320 MPH; Toughness: 11 (2); Crew: 1; Climb: 15; Handling: +1; Size: 6 (Large)
Weapons: 4x Linked Medium MGs (Fixed Front)
Notes: Improved Gunsight

More Aircraft For SWADE

Getting a blog post done this week has proven to be a struggle, though still wanted to produce something. Ended up opting to update some other aircraft to SWADE, the aircraft in question were extra cargo planes written over a couple of years ago. Hoping next week to have something more substantial.

Crown Aircraft Co. 'Beagle'

The Beagle is a twin-engined, all-metal cargo plane that saw service in large numbers in the latter years of the Great Darmonican War. A few remain in military service a decade after the conflict, many more can be seen flying in civilian hands.

Top Speed: 260 MPH; Toughness: 12 (2); Crew: 2-4; Climb: 10;  Handling: -1; Size: 8 (Huge)
Notes: Cargo Space x7, Extra Fuel Tanks, Increased Torque

Crown Aircraft Co. 'Wolfhound'

A larger counterpart of the Beagle is the four-engined Wolfhound, which has tricycle landing gear that also helps to set it apart from the tail-dragging Beagle.

Top Speed: 200 MPH; Toughness: 14 (2); Crew: 4; Climb: 10;  Handling: -1; Size: 10 (Huge)
Notes: Cargo Space x12, Increased Torque, Wind Adjustments

Aerial HEXfight!

Organising a Play-By-Post game of Frozen Skies has prompted thought over how to handle aerial combat in this medium. Theatre of the mind's eye I feel wouldn't work as well as I feel things would get too confusing with positioning. So some sort of map seems the best option, but again that has it limitations. Fortunately I think I found a decent compromise for what I'm looking for.

The Basics

The Aerial HEXfight rules for Frozen Skies uses a hex grid for movement and combat.

Divide all speeds and ranges from Frozen Skies by 50, though round down. This means an aircraft with a Top Speed of 320 has a Hex Speed of 6, one with a Top Speed of 180 has a Hex Speed of 3. The Hex Speed (shortened to HS) represents how many Hexes an aircraft can travel, though the Hexes must be joined by a flat edge. An aircraft can move either in a Straight line or turn Left or Right. Harder turns are available, though these require a Piloting roll and are demonstrated in the picture below.

Combat

As mentioned above, divide ranges by 50 in order to get the number of Hexes. Normal combat rules of Ranges, RoF, Unstable Platform still apply as does the Evasion stat for aircraft from Frozen Skies.

However, aircraft can only make attacks along a straight row of Hexes like below with Fixed weapons.

Weapons with Arcs of fire, such as turrets, have a field of fire extending out from the aircraft.

Manoeuvrers

Manoeuvrers from Frozen Skies can work for the Aerial HEXfight rules, though some require some changes.

Immelmann (-2): Move Hex forward, but turn the aircraft around 180 degrees. Failure still means aircraft goes Out of Control.

Tail: Move into a valid tailing position (see below), at Medium range for weapons and attempt an opposed Piloting roll. If initiating pilot gets a raise they count as tailing the other aircraft and gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls. Tailing aircraft must remain in a valid tailing position behind the target aircraft within Medium range in order to maintain the tail.

Shake a Tail: Opposed Piloting roll, if successful the pilot attempting to shake a tail can make a Hard Left or Hard Right manoeuvrer. A raise means the pilot can reverse positions and tail the other aircraft.

Death's Chase: SWADE Edition

Part of the process of updating Frozen Skies to SWADE includes going over various rules. This includes the rules for the Death's Chase air race, basically adapting it for the new Chase rules. Recently got the chance to playtest it, so this week's post is the setup and how things worked out.

Additionally; Happy Holidays folk, will be taking a break until the New Year.

The Setup

*All agreed upon a row of 15 cards with everyone starting on Card 1.

*A single 'lap' was along the entire row, then looping back round to Card 1 for the next lap.

*The modifiers for Complications were in effect when it came to Shooting rolls, reasoning that the target aircraft is constantly moving about to dodge pillars of rock, etc. (Later realize that we'd forgotten about Unstable Platform and Recoil).

*Everyone got to automatically move one card before doing any Actions, basically to try and keep things mobile.

 

Everyone also got d8 for both Piloting, Repair and Shooting in addition to the Edges Ace and Ace Gunner (from Frozen Skies). Otherwise, we followed the Chase rules in SWADE, trying to keep things simple.

 

How It Worked & Feedback

 

For the most part it seemed to work, though it was clear some further tweaks were needed and the group came up with some ideas after the game.

*Having the Complications modifiers being active for Shooting seemed to be a good idea, though the players suggested extending them to manoeuvrers.This would certainly help encourage more of a "seat of your pants flying" feel. (Though the modifiers for Shooting will be dropped)

*Something that did crop up was that for 2 or 3 turns a couple of players effectively 'looped' back and forth between two cards. The players suggested making dropping back along the cards just a normal Action (so no Free Action) and requiring a roll to do so. (Though discussion with others the only change is probably going to be requiring a roll for dropping back)

*Attacking targets on the same card, suggestion here was to probably only allow it if the aircraft as a turret or side mounted pintle weapons.

*Another thing discussed was make it more of a difference between aircraft when it comes to speed, though as a group we didn't really come up with any solutions. I have thought about the possibility of having it so that aircraft move a card for each 100 MPH of their speed before doing stuff like Change Position, the latter bit could be a boost to move an extra card or two. There was also a suggestion to expand upon the modifiers above to include bonuses on Heart and Diamond Chase Cards, basically to represent the aircraft going flat out on a relatively clear stretch of the course.

What Is...Aerothium?

With a new edition of Savage Worlds on the horizon, I've been going through and updating Frozen Skies to reflect the new rules. Alot of this has been mostly changes to stats, Edges and Hindrances. It is also a golden opportunity to go through the fluff of the setting, edit and improve the parts I'm not 100% happy with. The objective of this is to try and make the fluff more clear by tracking down and rewriting the contradictions about the setting, basically to make things a little less disjointed. The first of this so-called "What Is...?" series is a look at the lifting gas of the air vessels found within the setting; AEROTHIUM.

Whole Lotta Lift-ing

More commonly known as 'Lift Gas', Aerothium is the lifting gas used to give the airships of Darmonica erm...lift. Though in its natural state it is actually a mineral mined from the ground, then refined using an alchemical process to turn it into a gas. It is believed that the Ancient Terrans were the first to discover the process and then used Aerothium to enable their skyships through the skies. After the Fall of the Ancients the knowledge was lost, though it was rediscovered through a mixture of experimentation and the finding of fragments of information. It is widely acknowledged that modern processes of refining Aerothium are nowhere near as efficient as those used by the Ancients.

Aerothium gas, as mentioned, is used as the lifting gas for aero-vessels in the world of Darmonica. Though whilst not actually able to produce much lift on its own, it has an advantage over other gases in that it can be manipulated into producing more lift. It was discovered that if an electrical current was run through some Aerothium, the gas became lighter and thus had more lift. The greater the current, the greater the lift produced. It meant that aero-vessels could be larger and have greater carrying capacity. Though over time, Aerothium degrades with use and requires ever greater amount of current in order to continue producing lift. Typically, most aero-vessels will have their Aerothium replaced on a regular basis.

Currently, nobody is sure what the finite limit is for usable lift from Aerothium. There have been reports of wrecked skyships, dubbed 'air hulks', with Aerothium still in their gas cells riding lightning storms. It is believed that lightning strikes on these wrecks energize the gas in much the same way as an electrical current in normal operations. Though the fate of most air hulks, save for those salvaged, it unknown and thus it has been difficult for any serious studies to be conducted.

Thanks to the Skywright's Guild monopoly on Aerothium there exists a black market, unfortunately this tends to be for used gas siphoned from wrecked airships. Only the criminal or desperate would buy the stuff due to the increased risk for disaster with the reduced amount of usable lift available.

Using Aerothium In-game

Aerothium could be used as the plot device for an adventure, typically with the characters need to get their hands on some for their airship or to sell to a crime lord. The latter option could work for a campaign as the crime lord finds he's been sold used Aerothium and comes after the characters in order to get some revenge.

More game mechanic wise, Aerothium could have a big impact on the characters' airship as it degrades. Every time the character actually piloting the airship critical fails their Piloting roll a -1 penalty is incurred to the airship's Handling, to a maximum of -4. This penalty is removed when the Aerothium is replaced.

Additionally, different grades of Aerothium can be used with penalties or bonuses to an airship's Handling depending on the grade.

The Skywrights Guild

Since it featured in the most recent session of the Frozen Skies campaign has has already been mentioned a few times on the blog, figured its time to detail the Skywrights Guild. It is a powerful organisation, able to build and maintain a fleet of airships, and wields a fair amount of influence. Whilst it dominates the airship market, it isn't without rivals.

An Aerial Monopoly

The Skywrights Guild is recognized as the largest builder of air- and skyships in Darmonica, having control of aero-shipyards in various countries either directly or through front companies. Outside of national militarizes and trade consortiums, the Guild is also Darmonica's biggest user of skyships and has a network of facilities and support infrastructure to maintain them.

The Guild has its origins not long after the first appearance of airships in Darmonica, a group of inventors and merchants banded together to promote the airship as the future of shipping and trade. Over time they worked up their business and brought out competitors, though they received a huge boost in the fortunes when the skyship first came about. They mainly focused on civilian models, though they took on a large number of military contracts during the Great Darmonican War as the various combatants sought to rapidly build up their aero-fleets.

In the present day the Guild's focus is on skyships, though it still has a hand in the airship market as it licences designs to small companies to build. The Guild does have a second monopoly on Lift Gas, a vitally important component of making airships soar through the skies. The Guild has made sure its virtually the sole supplier of Lift Gas, typically by buying out the mines and refineries needed for its production. The Guild's monopoly on Lift Gas has resulted in a black market for it, though usually of Lift Gas that has been siphoned from someplace and typically of questionable quality.

There are currently attempts by the powers of Darmonica to try and break the Guild's monopolies, none of them are happy with the idea of a transnational entity holding the strings on their precious aero-fleets. The Commonwealth's own Royal Aero-Works is a prime example; a state corporation that builds and maintains the Commonwealth's military airships and skyships has recently started producing civilian models. These civilian air-vessels are primarily being built for the state-owned airline Commonwealth Airways, though there are plans to start offering airships to smaller operators. The biggest problem, however, is going to be breaking the Guild's stranglehold on Lift Gas.

Rogue's Gallery: The Banshees

There are many sky pirate outfits that operate across the face of Darmonica, Alyeska is no exception given that it is home to the notorious pirate haven of Broken Spires. One outfit known as the Tundra Wolves has already been mentioned, though this week I want to take a look at an another outfit; The all-female outfit known as the Banshees.

Warrior Women of the Skies

The Sky Band - The Phantom (1996 film)

The Banshees owe their existence to a woman called Natasha 'Tash' Rogan, who learnt to fly from a young age. Natasha's father was a courier pilot before the Great Darmonican War in what is now the Wulflands, back then the area was known as Western Alyeska and home to numerous settlements. Her father taught her everything he knew about flying and when he was eventually called up for war service, Natasha was able to take his courier job. A double tragedy befell the young Natasha; her father was killed in action whilst Wulvers overran the territory and Natasha was forced to flee. She developed a grudge against the Commonwealth (for the death of her father and the loss of her home), but as a young woman on her own she still needed to survive.

The answer came in an unlikely form.

Natasha had ended up at a remote trading post, one where a sky pirate outfit (the Dragonspine Marauders) was laying up after a recent job and blowing off steam with the aid of women and alcohol. She managed to fend off a number of approaches by the drunken members of the outfit, but she decided to stay and watch the sky pirates. Her decision proved to be a mixed blessing as before dawn the following morning a rival sky pirate outfit attacked the trading post.Given that most of the Marauders were nursing hangovers, Natasha took matters into her own hands and jumped into one of the Marauders' planes.

Natasha's quick thinking saved the Marauders' hide as she managed to stall the rival outfit long enough for more of the Marauders' own planes to take-off and join the fray. Two of the rival sky pirates were shot down before the rest fled, though Natasha realized that she'd better face the music as she was unsure how the Marauders would react to somebody taking one of their planes. Much to her surprise the Marauders' leader hired her on the spot, she had made a good enough impression and they were down a pilot or two. She was only with the Marauders for a short time, the attitude of her other pilots and unwanted attention force her to leave but not before she learnt the finer points of aerial combat.

Natasha wandered for a while and managed to track down a few female pilots like herself, all who wanted to prove that they weren't just 'pretty things' and were just as capable of being sky pirates as their male counterparts. Soon they were in the news after robbing a train carrying gold south of Tay River, but their capture of a zeppelin (the first time it had been attempted) earned them worldwide fame...and a bounty on their heads. It was a newspaper reported who coined the name 'Banshees' after the sirens the gang had fitted on their planes at Natasha's orders, a scare tactic to reduce casualties by sapping the enemy's will to fight that quickly became known as the Banshees' Cry.

Banshee Sky Pirate

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Driving d4, Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Piloting d8, Shooting d6, Streetwise d6, Taunt d6
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
Hindrances: Greedy, Loyal, Wanted (Major)
Edges: Ace, Alertness, Attractive
Gear: Knives, clubs, pistols or SMGs.

Natasha's Agility, Smarts and Piloting all increase one die. In addition she gains the Command and Quick edges.

Banshee Plane

Acc/TS: 20/10; Toughness: 12 (3); Crew: 1; Climb: 1; Handling: +1; Notes: Medium Chassis, Armor x1, Increased Handling x1, Improved Gunsight, Extra Ammo x1
Weapons: x2 50-cal MG (50/100/200, 2d10, RoF 4, Bursts 28, AP 3)
Special - Banshees' Cry: When diving down on an enemy aircraft, the enemy pilot must make a Spirit roll at -2 or become Shaken.
Cost: £2,500+