The Avalon Hill Game Company's "Von Richthofen's War" is a comprehensive simulation of World War I air combat. Surprisingly, Zeppelins were omitted from the game. These lighter-than-air war machines made a significant contribution to aerial combat during World War I by providing both the German Army and Navy with a long range reconnaissance platform and providing a vehicle to make the world's first strategic bombing campaign possible. This article is intended to allow players to simulate the use of the Zeppelins with existing game equipment and mechanics. Most of the scenarios provided represent daylight actions from early in the war; also included is one night scenario that was typical of German airship operations in the middle and later portions of the war. Map terrain is unimportant for game purposes as all of the actions protrayed here could take place anywhere over Europe or the North Sea. ZEPPELIN CAPABILITIES: All major Zeppelin characteristics are displayed on the Zeppelin Capabilities Chart given below. These airships use a special maneuver schedule; They must expend 3 movement points for each hex they turn through. Zeppelins otherwise move in the same manner as aircraft except that they may never perform aerobatic maneuvers. All Zeppelins are considered four hexes long; this is not quite to scale but it j does serve to illustrate the size of these aircraft compared to conventional planes. Use four of the extra blank counters to mark the Zeppelin's position. The nose of the Zeppelin is always considered to be in the first hex and is always pointed in its direction of flight. When a Zeppelin turns, it will swing its tail as though it were a gate or door. This procedure is intended to simulate the Zeppelin's lack of maneuverability compared to aircraft. Should the swing of the tail pass through hexes occupied by aircraft; no collision is assumed to occur as the aircraft is agile enough to avoid it. For defensive purposes, Zeppelins had machine guns mounted in the nose and tail positions with additional guns mounted in the engine cars and control gondola. The range of all these weapons is six hexes. Always count range from the appropriate Zeppelin hex. The defensive guns may never fire directly above a Zeppelin hex or below the two middle hexes. For game purposes there is a gunner located in the nose hex and tail hexes of the Zeppelin, and a gunner on each side of the two middle hexes of the Zeppelin for a total of six guns. The side guns may fire only to their side of the airship and may not fire directly to the front or rear. The nose and tail guns are blind to the rear and front respectively and may not fire into the hex that touches the two middle hexes on either side of the Zeppelin; this is a blind spot. Zeppelin guns never jam and may fire in both combat phases. Attacking aircraft may fire into any of the four Zeppelin hexes. Zeppelin defensive fire is normally simultaneous with that of attacking aircraft. The Zeppelin guns use a different TDT table than aircraft. It is given below. Zeppelins also have their own critical hit table also given below. Frequently, during emergency situations, Zeppelin crews would want to gain altitude as quickly as possible. This was accomplished by jettisoning all armament and loose equipment. This maneuver may be simulated by having the German player announce that no more defensive fire or bombing will be conducted at the start of his turn. Upon doing so, the Zeppelin's normal climb rate is increased by 500m per turn and can be used to cancel out the "No climb allowed" and the "No climb allowed and lose 200m per turn" critical hits. In these latter cases the normal climb rate is restored or the altitude loss is canceled out. Any Zeppelin whose speed is reduced to zero by critical hits is considered destroyed. Additionally, when a critical hit occurs in any scenario occuring after 1915, roll a die, on a 4,5 or 6 the Zeppelin ignites immediately and is destroyed. The Balloon ignition rules from the game are used in a modified form to simulate the effects of ignition. In the case of Zeppelins, the zone of effect is extended three hexes out in all directions from the Zeppelin hex the blast occurs in and 300m both up and down. In the outer two hexes of the zone, there is a 50% an aircraft will be destroyed when moving through them. Deliberate ramming of a Zeppelin is not allowed. Prevailing winds have a more profound effect on the big airships. Use the prevailing wind chart below to determine the number of hexes a Zeppelin is moved by wind each turn. Zeppelin Gun Target Damage Table: Zeppelin Critical Hit Table: Die Roll Effect 1= Nose gun out of action until end of next game-turn. 2 = Max Zeppelin speed reduced by 1.0. 3 = Zeppelin may not climb (canceled by jettisoning equip.) 4 = Side gun out of action on side attacked (permanent). 5 = Zeppelin may not climb, loses 200m altitude per turn. (Altitude loss canceled by jettisoning equip.) 6 = Tail gun out of action until end of next game-turn. Zeppelin Capabilities Chart Note: side guns have same ammo as front/rear guns Zeppelin Wind Effects Table: Altitude Hexes shifted 6000+ meters = 4 hexes. 2000+ meters = 3 hexes. 850+ meters = 2 hexes. 450+ meters = 1 hex. (below 450 = no shift). Scenarios 1) Raid On London! British: One Bristol F2b, one SE.5, one HD/1- all deployed in any hex between H17 and A24 at 3000m. Additionally; deploy 7 AA guns (range to 6000m) within a six hex radius of Q4 and all adjacent hexes, which are the German Zeppelin targets. German: Two naval Zeppelins - both deployed anywhere on the map between 0037 and FF27. They may not bomb from above 6000m. Notes: The British move first. Any Zeppelin that exits the map from a side it did not enter from is destroyed. Victory: The Germans win decisively if both Zeppelins bomb any of the target hexes and escape from the same map edge they started near. A marginal win occurs if at least one Zeppelin bombs the target and escapes. The British win decisively by downing both Zeppelins and win marginally by downing one. If both sides score a marginal win, the game is a draw. 2) Long Range Recon! British: One Sopwith Camel anywhere on the south map edge at 3000m. German: One army Zeppelin anywhere on North map edge at 2500m. Notes: German moves first. The Zeppelin may only exit the game map to the North. If it exits any other edge it is destroyed. Victory: The German wins by overflying hexes FF10 and JJ12 at 2500m and leaving the map without being destroyed. Any other result is an Allied victory. Back to Table of Contents -- Air Power # 19 Back to Air Power List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1992 by J.D. Webster This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com