01-21-2019, 04:22 AM
Oswald Boelcke was one of history's first fighter aces, and a pioneer in aerial warfare tactics. Boelcke learned his deadly trade during the First World War, a time of rapid evolution of the aircraft as an instrument of war. Boelcke's eight rules (dicta) were reputedly written down by Boelcke himself for Colonel Hermann von der Lieth-Thomsen according to his first biographer Professor Johannes von Werner. Today several versions exist in circulation. Boelcke's eight dicta are essentially as follows:
1) Always seek to secure an advantageous position before launching your attack. Keep the sun behind you if at all possible, and dive upon your enemy from above and behind as soon as the moment to attack presents itself.
2) Always press your attack once you have started it.
3) Always fire from close range, and only when your opponent is clearly in your sights.
4) Always keep your eye on your opponent, and do not be deceived by a ruse.
5) Always assail your enemy from behind. Therefore never turn your back on an enemy and try and run away. If you are attacked, turn into your attacker and face him with your guns.
6) Keep your eye upon your enemy and do not allow him to trick you. If your opponent appears damaged, follow him down until he crashes and see to it that he isn't faking.
7) When over enemy lines never forget your line of retreat. Foolish acts of bravery only make for dead pilots. The Jasta (squadron) must fight as a unit; there must be close teamwork between all pilots. The signals of the leader must be obeyed.
8) For the squadron, always attack in groups of four or six. If the fight breaks into single combats, be careful that several pilots do not go after one opponent.
So how do we translate this into Silent Death terms? We don't have to deal with three dimensions, nor the issues associated with flying early fighter aircraft that are little more than dangerously overpowered kites by our modern standards. But Bolcke's dicta covering teamwork and when you press the trigger most certainly do. So to this end I'll give your our own Silent Death version, the Dicta Grivas named after the legendary Q'raji ace Sheldon "Professor" Grivas:
1) Always seek to secure an advantageous position (and Never Give a
Colosian and Even Break).
In game terms this means being a shameless opportunist, and taking advantage of the changing opportunities presented by the game's initiative mechanics. So for example if you identify an opposing ship with a pilot whose Piloting skill level is lower than your own fighter, and your fighter is in a position to lock onto that opposing ship from a direction that it will be unable to respond to your cannon fire, then that is an opportunity to be exploited with one caveat. Take into consideration where the other opposing ships are situated if you make that move, and be aware of the risks of having another opposing ship latching onto your tail in an effort to help their mate.
As for diving out of the sun, obviously that isn't a factor for obvious reasons. That said, space is not entirely empty, and various sorts of "terrain" can come into play. Space Junk offers a good many such hazards and hazardous opportunities for tactical shenanigans. Asteroids for example are a wonderful piece of what is known in ground combat jargon as hard cover. They're great for blocking cannon fire and obstructing movement. Using the asteroid drift rule the potential for confounding your opponent potentially increases if you use their movement to your advantage.
Therefore it is well worth while to make use of anything that can obstruct your opponent's weapons fire, and aid you in setting up a position of advantage whether it is to close the range to get your cannons into the fight before your opponent can gun you down like a rabid dog in the street, or to enable you to maneuver your ship into a position to deliver a killing blow.
2) Always press your attack; do not dither!
This point is fairly self evident, however many is the time that we've seen a player hesitate to follow through with an initial shot at an opposing ship, only to hesitate and break off in order to engage another ship and oft times not from a position of advantage, like a Ferret with ADD after a half dozen shots of espresso.
So press your attack, and use your wingmate(s) to deal with the other opposing ships whenever possible.
3) Always fire from close range.
This is really self explanatory. The closer you are, the higher the probability of a hit. If you're using ammunition dependent weapons such as Miniguns or Plasma Shell Cannons, then it is all too evident that you want to make every shot count. Ideally when you're doing this, your opponent (and his friends) are unable to respond in kind.
4) Don't let 'em sucker you.
Over 2,000 years ago the master strategist and reputedly unbeaten battlefield commander Sun Tzu wrote, "All warfare is based upon deception." This applies to Silent Death in no uncertain terms. Obviously, you can't cheat (you only get to do that when playing Privateer, and only if you don't get caught by the other players). But you can try and mislead your opponent through misdirection and trying to present them too many options to try and choose from as to which way and at whom your ship or ships are about to move.
And remember, if you can sucker punch the enemy, your enemy can (and will) sucker punch you at the first opportunity. Bottom line: stay focused and watch yer six.
5) Always attack from a position of advantage. Always turn into your enemy when they attack you from a blind arc.
This connects to number 1; always attack from a position of advantage, ideally where your intended prey cannot retaliate at all (or at least has a very low probability of actually doing you any real harm). But further on this point, Bolcke was dead on target about what to do when attacked: turn around and face your assailant with your guns. This is especially true for SPACs, or any ship for that matter that lacks any effective defense to any particular arc. As Sun Tzu would have counseled, you deny your enemy the opportunity to apply their strength to your weakness.
6) Always confirm your enemy is dead.
Quite simply, a wounded enemy can still potentially kill you. Even a schmo flying a Saucer Shuttle can get lucky with that Pulse Laser. So if your opponent still has a working gun and Drive, then kill them off, or at least do so as soon as possible if only to prevent them from surviving to come back and fight another day.
This last point is especially relevant in a campaign game. The more of your opponent's experienced pilots and gunners you can send to their maker, the sooner your opponent's overall combat effectiveness will erode. Of course, rest assured that your opponent will be trying to return the favor (if not beat you to the punch every time).
7) Teamwork and discipline make for live pilots. Every fool for themselves makes for dead ones.
Teamwork will always triumph over rank individualism. This is why one of the first lessons learned at great cost during the First World War was that fighter pilots were more effective when they operated in pairs or larger groups. The lone wolves usually ended up like lone wolves always do in nature: dead.
So if you're all flying one ship, pair up and work as wingmates. If you're running multiple ships, pair them up and work them as wing pairs, and in turn for greater effectiveness, work pairs as part of larger four-ship tactical fire and maneuver elements as long as possible. When things break down into a furball, do your utmost to have individual ships help each other out as opportunity permits. This can even take the form of suckering an opposing fighter into the firing arc of a damaged ship that still has working guns. You'd be surprised how many players will in the excitement of the moment forget that a TPAC with its Drive down to 2 and a single working cannon system might still be something best avoided.
8) Don't waste your efforts. If two will do the job, don't pile on eight.
The point here is to develop some tactical judgement skills when it comes to applying force upon a particular target. If you know that a wing pair of 100 ton SPACs will be sufficient to chase off and kill a 300 ton SPAC that is trying to get a shot at your slow moving gunboat, then don't send all eight of your 100 ton SPACs that were escorting your gunboat in pursuit. Use the remaining ships to deal with the others that are trying to make a run on your gunboat.
This takes some judgement, and in the heat of a game with the optional 30 Second Movement Rule in effect, this can be a rather more exciting process to go through (and a fun one).
This concludes this first briefing in the Wardroom. Comments and constructive criticism are of course always welcome.
1) Always seek to secure an advantageous position before launching your attack. Keep the sun behind you if at all possible, and dive upon your enemy from above and behind as soon as the moment to attack presents itself.
2) Always press your attack once you have started it.
3) Always fire from close range, and only when your opponent is clearly in your sights.
4) Always keep your eye on your opponent, and do not be deceived by a ruse.
5) Always assail your enemy from behind. Therefore never turn your back on an enemy and try and run away. If you are attacked, turn into your attacker and face him with your guns.
6) Keep your eye upon your enemy and do not allow him to trick you. If your opponent appears damaged, follow him down until he crashes and see to it that he isn't faking.
7) When over enemy lines never forget your line of retreat. Foolish acts of bravery only make for dead pilots. The Jasta (squadron) must fight as a unit; there must be close teamwork between all pilots. The signals of the leader must be obeyed.
8) For the squadron, always attack in groups of four or six. If the fight breaks into single combats, be careful that several pilots do not go after one opponent.
So how do we translate this into Silent Death terms? We don't have to deal with three dimensions, nor the issues associated with flying early fighter aircraft that are little more than dangerously overpowered kites by our modern standards. But Bolcke's dicta covering teamwork and when you press the trigger most certainly do. So to this end I'll give your our own Silent Death version, the Dicta Grivas named after the legendary Q'raji ace Sheldon "Professor" Grivas:
1) Always seek to secure an advantageous position (and Never Give a
Colosian and Even Break).
In game terms this means being a shameless opportunist, and taking advantage of the changing opportunities presented by the game's initiative mechanics. So for example if you identify an opposing ship with a pilot whose Piloting skill level is lower than your own fighter, and your fighter is in a position to lock onto that opposing ship from a direction that it will be unable to respond to your cannon fire, then that is an opportunity to be exploited with one caveat. Take into consideration where the other opposing ships are situated if you make that move, and be aware of the risks of having another opposing ship latching onto your tail in an effort to help their mate.
As for diving out of the sun, obviously that isn't a factor for obvious reasons. That said, space is not entirely empty, and various sorts of "terrain" can come into play. Space Junk offers a good many such hazards and hazardous opportunities for tactical shenanigans. Asteroids for example are a wonderful piece of what is known in ground combat jargon as hard cover. They're great for blocking cannon fire and obstructing movement. Using the asteroid drift rule the potential for confounding your opponent potentially increases if you use their movement to your advantage.
Therefore it is well worth while to make use of anything that can obstruct your opponent's weapons fire, and aid you in setting up a position of advantage whether it is to close the range to get your cannons into the fight before your opponent can gun you down like a rabid dog in the street, or to enable you to maneuver your ship into a position to deliver a killing blow.
2) Always press your attack; do not dither!
This point is fairly self evident, however many is the time that we've seen a player hesitate to follow through with an initial shot at an opposing ship, only to hesitate and break off in order to engage another ship and oft times not from a position of advantage, like a Ferret with ADD after a half dozen shots of espresso.
So press your attack, and use your wingmate(s) to deal with the other opposing ships whenever possible.
3) Always fire from close range.
This is really self explanatory. The closer you are, the higher the probability of a hit. If you're using ammunition dependent weapons such as Miniguns or Plasma Shell Cannons, then it is all too evident that you want to make every shot count. Ideally when you're doing this, your opponent (and his friends) are unable to respond in kind.
4) Don't let 'em sucker you.
Over 2,000 years ago the master strategist and reputedly unbeaten battlefield commander Sun Tzu wrote, "All warfare is based upon deception." This applies to Silent Death in no uncertain terms. Obviously, you can't cheat (you only get to do that when playing Privateer, and only if you don't get caught by the other players). But you can try and mislead your opponent through misdirection and trying to present them too many options to try and choose from as to which way and at whom your ship or ships are about to move.
And remember, if you can sucker punch the enemy, your enemy can (and will) sucker punch you at the first opportunity. Bottom line: stay focused and watch yer six.
5) Always attack from a position of advantage. Always turn into your enemy when they attack you from a blind arc.
This connects to number 1; always attack from a position of advantage, ideally where your intended prey cannot retaliate at all (or at least has a very low probability of actually doing you any real harm). But further on this point, Bolcke was dead on target about what to do when attacked: turn around and face your assailant with your guns. This is especially true for SPACs, or any ship for that matter that lacks any effective defense to any particular arc. As Sun Tzu would have counseled, you deny your enemy the opportunity to apply their strength to your weakness.
6) Always confirm your enemy is dead.
Quite simply, a wounded enemy can still potentially kill you. Even a schmo flying a Saucer Shuttle can get lucky with that Pulse Laser. So if your opponent still has a working gun and Drive, then kill them off, or at least do so as soon as possible if only to prevent them from surviving to come back and fight another day.
This last point is especially relevant in a campaign game. The more of your opponent's experienced pilots and gunners you can send to their maker, the sooner your opponent's overall combat effectiveness will erode. Of course, rest assured that your opponent will be trying to return the favor (if not beat you to the punch every time).
7) Teamwork and discipline make for live pilots. Every fool for themselves makes for dead ones.
Teamwork will always triumph over rank individualism. This is why one of the first lessons learned at great cost during the First World War was that fighter pilots were more effective when they operated in pairs or larger groups. The lone wolves usually ended up like lone wolves always do in nature: dead.
So if you're all flying one ship, pair up and work as wingmates. If you're running multiple ships, pair them up and work them as wing pairs, and in turn for greater effectiveness, work pairs as part of larger four-ship tactical fire and maneuver elements as long as possible. When things break down into a furball, do your utmost to have individual ships help each other out as opportunity permits. This can even take the form of suckering an opposing fighter into the firing arc of a damaged ship that still has working guns. You'd be surprised how many players will in the excitement of the moment forget that a TPAC with its Drive down to 2 and a single working cannon system might still be something best avoided.
8) Don't waste your efforts. If two will do the job, don't pile on eight.
The point here is to develop some tactical judgement skills when it comes to applying force upon a particular target. If you know that a wing pair of 100 ton SPACs will be sufficient to chase off and kill a 300 ton SPAC that is trying to get a shot at your slow moving gunboat, then don't send all eight of your 100 ton SPACs that were escorting your gunboat in pursuit. Use the remaining ships to deal with the others that are trying to make a run on your gunboat.
This takes some judgement, and in the heat of a game with the optional 30 Second Movement Rule in effect, this can be a rather more exciting process to go through (and a fun one).
This concludes this first briefing in the Wardroom. Comments and constructive criticism are of course always welcome.
"Pathetic earthlings. Hurling your bodies out into the void, without the slightest inkling of who or what is out here..."
- Ming the Merciless
- Ming the Merciless
