Note: This mini-campaign was designed for play using Avalon Hill's Mustangs rules with 1/300 scale airplane miniatures, a larger hex-mat and the The Bomber Will Get Through, Adding Bombers to Mustangs rules, but can be used with any air combat rules.

In 1937 the Chinese government hired Claire Chenault to organize and train its air defenses. Chenault set up an early warning system, trained Chinese pilots, and helped the Chinese get aircraft to fight against the Japanese. By the end of 1940, the U.S. government gave the Chinese loans for new aircraft and permission to recruit pilots from the U.S. Army Air Corps, Navy, And Marine Corps.

Each pilot was promised $600 a month and $500 for each enemy airplane they shot down. The Chinese ended up with one hundred P-40s and about 350 pilots and aircrew. This force was called the American Volunteer Group and later earned the nickname 'Flying Tigers.'

In this mini-campaign the players are the leaders of different groups in the Flying Tigers during the later part of 1941 and early 1942. The goal of each player is to have the most cash at the end of the scenarios by shooting down Japanese planes.

The number of scenarios played should be set at the start of the campaign to determine how long the campaign will last. The recommended number of scenarios is 6, but this number can change depending on how many players are involved in the campaign. Players should rotate the side they play between scenarios to allow all players to fly their AVG pilots.

Campaign Sequence of Play:

1 . Each player starts the game with 2 P-40Cs and $500.

2. The players recruit pilots and buy other items. Each player must recruit at least 2 pilots.

3. The first scenario is played. The set up for the players is determined by their early-warning capability.

4. After the first scenario, players receive money for downed Japanese aircraft and Japanese bomber effect totals are added for the scenario. All players repair/replace planes and/or pilots and determine the fate of wounded and shot down pilots. All purchase/recruitment costs are doubled. You cannot downgrade your Early Warning or Maintenance. If Early Warning, Maintenance, or Pilot Recovery is upgraded, it does not take effect until after the next scenario.

5. After each scenario check the Japanese bomber effect total. If the Japanese bomber effect total reaches 12, reduce the Early Warning, Maintenance, and Pilot Recovery by one level for ALL players. If the total was greater than 12, reduce it to 0 (zero) for the start of the next scenario.

6. The next scenario and any following scenarios played. The set up for the players is determined by their early-warning capability. After each scenario players receive money for downed Japanese aircraft and the Japanese bomber effect totals are added for the scenario. All players repair/replace planes and pilots and determine the fate of wounded and shot down pilots. All purchase/recruitment costs are still doubled. You cannot downgrade your Early Warning or Maintenance. If Early Warning, Maintenance, or Pilot Recovery is upgraded, it does not take effect until after the next scenario.

7. After the final scenario, players receive money for downed Japanese aircraft. Players total their remaining cash and the player with most money wins.

Recruiting Pilots:

There are two ways that players may recruit pilots; random recruitment and interviewing. Each is explained below (Note: A suggested list of pilots is included at the end of this article, but the campaign organizer should feel free to come up with other pilots and special abilities):

Random Recruitment: This can be done for any quality pilot (Green through Ace). The player chooses the pilot quality, pays the appropriate cost, and then randomly picks the name of the pilot (this is not done until after players that are interviewing pilots pick their pilots). The downside of this method is that the pilot may have exaggerated his experience, so the player may have paid for an Experienced Pilot but will only end up with an Average Pilot.

Pilot Quality - Cost
Green $50
Inexperienced $80
Average $100
Experienced $120
Ace $160

Interviewing Pilots: This can be done for Average, Experienced, and Ace quality pilots. The player selects the pilot quality, pays the appropriate cost, and then selects the pilot from the list of pilots. The cost for interviewing is more, but the player knows exactly what pilot he is getting.

Pilot Quality - Cost
Average $120
Experienced $160
Ace $190

General Pilot Information: Green and Inexperienced pilots are exactly as presented in Mustangs. A roster with suggested Average, Experienced, and Ace pilots is given on pages 5 and 6. The roster gives the 'actual' quality level for each pilot and his special abilities, if any. Pilots chosen by random recruitment should be placed in mug (or a hat) by quality level, and players can randomly draw pilots.

Purchasing Other Items: In addition to recruiting pilots the players may buy other items that will help a player during the mini-campaign.

Early-Warning: This determines where the player will set up his planes at the start of a scenario.

Poor Cost = $-50. If this is selected the player gets $50 back. The player's planes do not arrive until the start of game turn 2. The player may set up his planes on any map edge at any altitude.

Normal Cost = Free. This is the default early warning system. The player may set up his planes on any map edge at any altitude.

Good Cost = $80. If this is selected, the player may set up his planes within 3 hexes of any Japanese plane at any altitude.

Maintenance: This determines how many hits are repaired (removed) from damaged planes. If a plane was shot down it cannot be repaired.

Poor Cost = $-50. If this is selected the player gets $50 back. Between scenarios the player can repair a total of 4 Fuselage or Wing or Rudder hits. Also, the player may repair one Engine or Fuel hit.

Normal Cost = Free. This is the default maintenance. All Fuselage, Wing, and Rudder hits are repaired. Also, the player may repair a total of two Engine or Fuel hits.

Good Cost = $80. If this is selected, all hits to a players planes are repaired between scenarios.

Extra Planes: Cost = $200. If selected the player has a reserve P-40C available for use if a plane is lost during a scenario.

Extra Pilots: Cost = see Recruiting Pilots.

Pilot Recovery: Cost = $80. If selected, the player has put extra resources into hospital facilities and pilot search and rescue. When rolling for Pilot Recovery, add 3 to the die roll.

Pilot Recovery: After a scenario, players will check the status of any pilots that were shot down or wounded during the scenario (pilots that fail their bail out roll are KIA). Roll a die (D10) for each pilot in this situation and refer to the tables below:

Wounded

Die Roll Result
1,2 Pilot dies from wounds
3,4,5,6Pilot not ready, roll after next scenario. Add 3 to die roll
7,8,9, 10 Pilot ready for next scenario

Shot Down

Die Roll Result
1,2 Pilot disappears
3,4,5,6Pilot returns to field late, roll after next scenario. Add 3 to die roll
7, 8, 9, 10 Pilot ready for next scenario

Gaining Experience:

Pilots will gain experience during scenarios and can advance in quality during the minicampaign. Some pilots will have special rules associated with them for gaining experience; those rules supersede the following experience rules. Use the following rules to determine if a pilot advances in quality.

Green to Inexperienced: Green pilots become Inexperienced after the second mission they fly as a Green pilot. Green pilots automatically become Average if they shoot down a Japanese plane.

Inexperienced to Average: Inexperienced pilots become Average after the second mission they fly as an Inexperienced pilot or if they shoot down a Japanese plane.

Average to Experienced: Average pilots become Experienced after they shoot down their third Japanese plane. This is the total number of planes the pilot has shot down, not the number of planes shot down since becoming Average.

Experienced to Ace: Experienced pilots become Ace after they shoot down their fifth Japanese plane. This is the total number of planes the pilot has shot down, not the number of planes shot down since becoming Experienced.

Earning Money: Players earn money based on the type of Japanese aircraft shot down by the player. If one or more) players are involved in shooting down a plane, the player that actually does the final damage to shoot down the plane gets the money and credit. The money earned is given below:

Japanese Fighter = $200
Japanese Bomber = $300

Scenarios and Set Up:

The scenarios will primarily be bomber interception type scenarios, but there can be some fighter vs. fighter scenarios. Each scenario will last a maximum of 8 Turns. Players may break-off as per the standard Mustangs rules. Each Scenario should be set up on a 12 x 18 hex map. The AVG players set up based on the scenario and the Early Warning capability that a player purchased, the Japanese set up is described below. Before the start of the scenario one AVG player rolls 1d10:

Die Roll Mission Type
1-6 bomber interception
7-9 fighter vs. fighter
0 AVG bomb run

For bomber interception scenarios: determine the number of bombers by rolling 1D10.

On a 1 - 4 there are 3 Japanese bombers
on a 5 - 0 there are 6 Japanese bombers.

Next determine the number of escorting fighters by rolling 1D10.

On a 1 there are no fighters
on a 2 - 5 there are 2 fighters
on a 6 - 0 there are 4 escorting fighters.

Use the table below to determine the type of bombers and fighters faced. The bombers set up approximately 1/3 of the way across the map at any altitude and the fighters are set up within 2 hexes of the bombers at any altitude. Japanese set up first.

Finally, roll 1D10, on a

7-0: 2 Ki-43 'Oscars' show up on any board edge at the start of turn 2.

For fighter vs. fighter scenarios, determine the number of fighters by rolling 1D10.

On a 1 there are 2 fighters
on a 2 - 4 there are 4 fighters
on a 5 - 8 there are 6 fighters, and
on a 9 - 0 there are 8 fighters.

Use the table below to determine the type of fighters faced. They will be set up in the center of the map. Japanese set up first.

Finally, roll 1D10, on a

7-0: 2 Ki-43 'Oscars' show up on any board edge at the start of turn 2.

For AVG bomb run scenarios, there will be 1 target (airfield or ground troops, AVG players choose). All AVG planes are armed with bombs (reduce maneuverability by one level), to complete the mission at least half (rounded up) of the AVG planes must fly over the target at altitude 1 or 2. For ground troops targets, set up 2 Japanese fighters in the center of the map. For airfield target, set up 4 fighters over the airfield at altitude 0. Use the table below to determine the type of fighters faced. AVG planes enter from any board edge.

Japanese Aircraft Information:

Use the following table to determine the type of bombers and fighters used by the Japanese. Roll 1D10 to determine the bombers and fighters.

Note: None of the Japanese aircraft have self-sealing fuel tanks. When a Japanese plane takes a Fuel hit, the plane will catch fire on a roll of 1 - 5.

Die Roll	Bombers	Fighters
1-2	Ki-51 'Sonia'	Ki-27'Nate'
3-5	Ki-48 'Lily'	Ki-27'Nate'
6-7	Ki-21 'Sally'	Ki-27'Nate'
8-9	G3M'Nell'	A5M2'Claude'
10(0)	D3A1 'Val'	A5M2'Claude'

Japanese Bomber Effects:

Japanese bombers that survive a scenario have an effect on the AVG players. This effect represents the successful bombing of bases, transportation, and supplies. At the end of a scenario the Bomber Effect points for each surviving bomber are added to the total from the previous scenario. See the table below for the number of points.

If the Bomber Effect total is equal to or greater than 12, reduce the Early Warning, Maintenance, and Pilot Recovery by one level for ALL players.

Also, reduce the total to 0 (zero) for the start of the next scenario.

Bomber	Points if Crippled	Points if not Crippled
Ki-51 'Sonia'	0	1
Ki-48 'Lily'	1/2	1
Ki-21 'Sally'	1	2
G3M'Nell'	1	2
D3A1 'Val'	0	1

Suggested AVG Pilots

Average Pilots

Frank Thompson: Avg. pilot (1 kill)
Harry Michael: Avg. pilot (1 kill)
Paul Stillwell: Avg. pilot (0 kills)
William Case: Avg. pilot (0 kills)
John Hanks: Avg. pilot (1 kill) with lots of flight time, will become Experienced after flying 1 mission.
Rueben Patrick: Average pilot (0 kills) and natural flyer. Can reduce the distance for a maneuver by one hex (to a minimum of 1 hex) one time during a scenario.
Frank Gamble: Average pilot (0 kills) with strong constitution. May take one extra crew hit (total of 3) before being killed and is only considered wounded after 2 hits.
Don Sampson: Flight School washout, treat as Inexperienced pilot (0 kills). Will become an Average pilot after flying 1 mission.
Russell Harris: Average pilot (0 kills) but a poor flyer. Must always mark his move before any enemy fighters. If he becomes Experienced, this restriction is dropped.
Wally Johnson: Average pilot (0 kills) with poor marksmanship. Uses 2 Ammo any time he fires his guns. If he becomes an Experienced pilot, this restriction is dropped.

Experienced Pilots
Dan Black: Exp. pilot (3 kills).
Jim Gobbler: Exp. pilot (3 kills).
Gene Boone: Exp. pilot (3 kills).
Alan March: Exp. pilot (3 kills).
John Hanson: Very experienced pilot (4 kills), becomes an Ace after shooting down 1 Japanese plane.
James Ford: Experienced pilot (3 kills) and excellent mechanic/pilot. Treat his plane as if it has a highpowered engine. If he switches planes between scenarios he does not get the high- powered engine benefit until the following scenario.
Curtis Wright: Experienced pilot (3 kills) and natural flyer. Can reduce the distance for a maneuver by one hex (to a minimum of 1 hex) one time during a scenario.
Edgar Peters: Experienced pilot (3 kills) and marksman. During combat he may expend 1 extra ammo point for a +1 attack bonus.
Chris Winters: Experienced pilot (3 kills) and good at flying damaged planes. Once per scenario he may attempt to ignore a hit. The player announces the attempt and rolls 1D10; on a 1-5 the selected hit is ignored.
Randy Jones: A good talker, treat as an Average pilot (2 kills). Will become an Experienced pilot after shooting down 1 Japanese plane.
Wesley Hyatt: Experienced pilot (3 kills) with a drinking problem. Before mission roll ID10: 1-5 = normal mission, 6- 8 = has a hangover, treat as Average pilot, 9-0 = still drunk, can't fly.
William Moon: Experienced pilot (3 kills) doesn't watch maintenance of the plane he's flying. When making fire checks against his plane, subtract 2 from the die roll.

Ace pilots
Brian Smith: Ace pilot.
Phillip Petit: Ace pilot.
Harold Ellis: Ace pilot.
Dan Groover: Ace pilot.
Ken Jackson: Ace pilot, excellent marksman. This pilot only uses half an ammo point when shooting.
Robbie Roberts: Ace pilot and good at evasive action. Add +1 to all defense rolls; reduce bombers to next die level for shots.
Peter Drury: Ace pilot and good leader. If his wingman is fired on and he has the firing plane in his forward view (any hex in the forward half of the plane), the wingman gets +1 to defense roll.
Henry Cox: Brown-noser. His records look good, but treat him as an Average pilot (2 kills). Will become Experienced after shooting down 1 Japanese plane.
Andy Hardy: Ace pilot with weak constitution. May only take one crew hit before being killed.
Bobby Sanderson: Ace pilot with failing eyesight. Does not receive Ace bonus when firing at enemy plane 2 hexes away.
George Ross: Ace pilot, but likes to party. After a mission where he shoots down a plane, roll I D10 and multiply the number by 10. This is the percentage of the money for shooting down planes that is spent on booze and women.

(Make a copy the roster below for each player, to track their progress)

AVG Player Roster

Early-Warning Poor Normal Good

Maintenance Poor Normal Good

Pilot Recovery Yes No

Money:

Pilots: Name: -- Quality -- Kills -- Special