MECHANICAL FAILURE Options - Limburger or General Magazine

[blaird]

Here is an expanded table covering both Take Offs and Mechanical Failures: 
Limburgers Variant Tables for Take-Offs and....pdf (825.07 KB)


Or here is the original option per The General Magazine Vol 24 No 6

MECHANICAL FAILURE
While the B-17 was a reliable aircraft, the English (or Mediterranean) weather often had a frustrating effect on the engines, turbo-chargers, and other systems of the aircraft. Upon reaching Zone 2, and every turn thereafter, roll two dice; a roll of "12" means a mechanical failure has occurred in your plane. Should such a failure occur, roll two dice and consult the table below, implementing the effects given:

2=Engine Failure. Roll two dice to determine which engine:
"2", "3" or "7"-engine #1
"4", "10" or "l1"-engine #2

Then roll one die:
1-3" =engine restarts;
"4-5" =engine restarts but not at full power (may stay in formation only by jettisoning bomb load);
"6" =no restart, must jettison bomb load and abort mission. If the engine restarts, but not at full power, the pilot may choose to abort the mission.

3=Turbo-Supercharger Failure. Roll two dice to determine engine as above. Aircraft cannot fly as far or as high, and must drop out of formation. Pilot may choose to abort the mission.

4=Heating System Failure. Heat fails throughout aircraft. May drop out of formation, or must risk frostbite. Pilot may choose to abort the mission.

5 =Fuel Transfer System Failure. The crew is unable to transfer fuel from one tank to another, or to engines. Roll one die to determine remaining fuel available:
"1-2" =four turns;
"3-4" =three turns;
"5-6" =two turns.
Pilot may abort mission. Upon exhaustion of remaining fuel, the plane must either be landed (Table G-9 or G-lo), or crew bailed out.

6= Oil Tank Failure. Roll two dice to determine engine as above. Aircraft must drop out of formation, and pilot may choose to abort the mission. Roll one die:
"1-3" =fire, roll to extinguish;
"4-6" =leak, engine feathered and plane's speed reduced to two turns per zone.

7 =Intercom Failure. Bomb run automatically off-target; gunners may hit on Table M-1 only with a "6" (tail gunner with "5-6"). Pilot may choose
to abort mission.

8=Oxygen System Failure. Plane must drop out of formation and pilot must abort the mission.

9=Electrical System Failure. Crew must bail out and abandon aircraft.

10 =Top Turret Power Failure. Top turret gunner cannot traverse or elevate guns. Gunner may manually traverse and elevate guns (successful on a
die roll of ' ' 1-2"). If manual attempt successful, the gunner hits on Table M-l with a die roll of "6".

11= Ball Turret Power Failure. Ball turret gunner cannot traverse or raise lower turret. Gunner may manually traverse and raise lower turret (successful on a die roll of " 1"). If manual attempt successful, the gunner hits on Table M-1 with a die roll of "6". If unable to raise turret, a " - 1" modifier is applied to landing roll on Table G-9 or G-10; gunner is trapped inside. Pilot may choose to abort mission.

12 =Bomb Release Mechanism Failure. Bombs fail to drop during bomb run. Bombardier may manually release bombs (successful on a die roll of " 1-2"). If manual attempt successful, bomb run off-target. If unsuccessful in manual attempt, plane must leave formation and attempt to jettison (successful on die roll of "1-2"); may attempt one per zone. If bombs
onboard upon reaching England, apply a "-4" to the landing roll on G-9 and pilot must remain aboard for landing attempt (remainder of crew may abandon craft). If bombs still aboard in ditching attempt, apply a "-4" to landing roll on G-10 but entire crew may bail out.

[limburger59]

Jasta6 (Jim Pink) has an alternative table that is not as deadly. That Electrical Failure is a roll of 12 instead of a 9.

B-17: Queen of the Skies; Mechanical Failure Table (Rev)

Roll 2d

2 Radio Equipment Failure (l)

3 Oil Tank Failure (m)

4 Turbo-Supercharger Failure (n)

5 Engine Malfunction (o)

6 Single Mount Gun Malfunction (k,p)

7 Flight System Failure; Roll on Table B1-2 “INSTRUMENTS” (q)

8 Heat Suit System Failure (k,r)

9 Gun Turret Power Failure. B17F: (k,s)

10 Bomb Release Mechanism Failure (k,t)

11 Fuel Transfer Pump Failure (k,u)

12 Electrical System Failure (k,v)


NOTES:

k) Engineer’s Function: An Engineer who is not Seriously Wounded or Killed may make a single attempt to correct the malfunctioning

system. Any Turn where no enemy fighter attack, or friendly fighter cover drives off all attackers, the Engineer may attempt once to

rectify the failed system. Roll 1d6: on a 1-4 system is un-repairable; on a 5-6 system is fixed. An Engineer with less than 10 missions

applies a –1 modifier to this roll.


l) Radio Malfunction: Follow the same procedure as for damage on Table P-4 d6=4, 5 (b). If Radio operators in not Seriously

Wounded or Killed he may make a single attempt to correct the malfunctioning system. Roll 1d6: on a 1-4 radio is un-repairable; on a

5-6 radio is fixed. A Radio Operator with less than 10 missions applies a –1 modifier to this roll.


m) Oil Pump Failure: Roll 2d6: 2, 3, or 7 = engine #1; 4, 10, or 11 = engine #2; 5, 6, or 12 = engine #3; 8 or 9 = engine #4.

Aircraft must drop out of formation, pilot may abort mission. Roll one die: “1-3” = fire, engine out, roll to extinguish (see Table Bl-

1); “4-6” = leak, engine feathered and plane’s speed reduced to two turns per zone, beginning immediately. (This failure may be

rolled again for any operating engine; no effect for a previously failed engine.)


n) Turbo-Supercharger Failure: Roll 2d6: 2, 3, or 7 = engine #1; 4, 10, or 11 = engine #2; 5, 6, or 12 = engine #3; 8 or 9 = engine #4.

Aircraft cannot fly as far or as high, and must drop out of formation. Pilot may abort mission. (This failure may be rolled again for

any operating engine; no additional effect if a previously failed engine is rolled for.)


o) Engine Failure: Roll 2d6: 2, 3, or 7 = engine #1; 4, 10, or 11 = engine #2; 5, 6, or 12 = engine #3; 8 or 9 = engine #4.

Then roll one die: “1-3” = engine restarts to full operation; “4-5” = engine restarts but not at full power (may stay in formation only

by jettisoning bomb load); “6” = engine won’t restart. (This failure may be rolled again for any operating engine; no additional effect

if a previously failed engine is rolled for.) If engine restarts at anything but full power, pilot may abort mission.


p) Single Mount Gun: Roll to determine gun; 1d6 of 1 = nose gun; 2 = port cheek gun; 3 = starboard Cheek gun; 4 = radio room gun; 5

= port waist gun; 6 = starboard Waist gun. The effected gun is permanently disabled for the remainder of the mission. (Engineer may

make one attempt to fix the gun, as above (k)). Note; if the aircraft has a chin turret then a roll of 1 has no effect.


q) System Failure: Roll on Table B1-2 “Instruments” (treat as 1 shell hit on rolled area). (This failure may be rolled any number of

times.) The Engineer may attempt to fix (as above (k)) for the following results: (2) Automatic Pilot; (3) Landing Gear; (4) Intercom

System; (5) Oxygen System; (12) Electrical System, as pre (v) below.


r) Heat System: Power is lost to all heated suits. May drop out of formation, or must risk frostbite for the engineer, ball turret gunner,

both waist gunners, and tail gunner. Pilot may abort mission. (No additional effect if already rolled for.)


s) Powered Turret Failure: Roll 1d6; Bomber is a B-17F: 1-3=Top, 4-6=Ball, Bomber is a B17G: 1-2=Top, 3-4=Ball, 5-6=Chin

Top or Chin turret gunner cannot traverse or elevate his guns. Gunner may manually traverse and elevate on a die roll of “1-2” (one

attempt only). If manual attempt successful, gunner hits on Table M-1 with a die roll of “6.” Ball turret gunner cannot traverse or

raise/lower turret. Gunner may manually traverse and raise/lower turret on a die roll of “1” (one attempt only). If manual attempt is

successful, the gunner hits on Table M-1 with a die roll of “6”. If unable to raise turret, a “-1” modifier is applied to landing roll on

Table G-9 or Table G-10; gunner is trapped inside turret. Pilot may abort mission. (No additional effect if already rolled for.)


t) Bomb Release Failure: Bombs fail to drop during bomb run. Bombardier may manually release bombs on a die roll of “1-3” but the

bomb run is automatically off-target. Pilot may NOT abort mission. If unsuccessful in manual attempt, plane must leave formation

and attempt to jettison bombs (successful on die roll of “1-3”); may attempt once per zone entered. If bombs are still on-board upon

reaching home base, apply a “-4” modifier to the landing roll on Table G-9 and pilot must remain aboard for landing attempt

(remainder of crew may bail out). If bombs are still aboard in a ditching attempt, apply a “-4” modifier to the landing roll on Table

G-10 but entire crew may bail out instead. (No additional effect if already rolled for or bomb run was prior to this event.)


u) Fuel Transfer System Failure: The crew is unable to transfer fuel from one tank to another, or to engines. Roll one die to determine

remaining fuel available: “1-2” = four turns; “3-4” = three turns; “5-6” = two turns. Pilot may abort mission. Upon exhaustion of

remaining fuel, the plane must either land (Table G-9 or Table G-10), or crew bailed out.


v) Electrical System Failure: If both pilot and co-pilot are able to control the plane, i.e. not seriously wounded (SW) or dead (KIA),

then they may hold the plane steady for next segment of the turn (i.e. successive attack one or two or next zones initial wave) after this

event. Yes, you have to roll for fighters in that turn and resolve combat prior to the repair roll! Effectively giving the engineer his

one and only opportunity to fix the issue, as (k) above. If either the pilot, copilot, or engineer is incapacitated or the engineer is

unsuccessful in fixing the malfunction, then the plane falls out of control from the skies straight away. Roll for crew on Table G-7.

Alternately, you may forgo the Engineer repair attempt and have the crew bailout on the Table G-6 immediately after all fighter

attacks are resolved. No matter what, the pilot will always bail out on Table G-7 or copilot if pilot is incapacitated. (Note: the

Engineer must leave his gun position immediately after the event happens to rectify this system failure.) All power turrets fire as

above, (s) in the segment the engineer is fixing the electronics. All other guns hit on a 6 in this turn as well. No mayday call as the

radio will be out. If over England the pilot may attempt an emergence landing to save Seriously Wounded crewmembers with a -11

modifier (other crew may bailout first.) If a conscious Copilot and Engineer elect to stay onboard to help the pilot land, the modifier

will instead be a -9. This modifier is cumulative with all other applicable modifiers due to damage and crew experience.

boardgamegeek.com/filepage/67308/modified-random-event-chart

[jeffreymgeorge]

I have a couple of questions on Limburger's variant:

1) It seems odd that zone 1 is an 11 or 12 for a problem, but zone 2 is only an 11. Is that intended?

2) Do the special rolls for zones 1 & 2 also apply to the inbound flight, i.e. is zone 2 IB a problem on a roll of 11 and you roll for a problem before landing, resulting in a mechanical issue on an 11 or 12?

[limburger59]

Oct 14, 2024 12:36:00 GMT -8 jeffreymgeorge said:

I have a couple of questions on Limburger's variant:

1) It seems odd that zone 1 is an 11 or 12 for a problem, but zone 2 is only an 11. Is that intended?

2) Do the special rolls for zones 1 & 2 also apply to the inbound flight, i.e. is zone 2 IB a problem on a roll of 11 and you roll for a problem before landing, resulting in a mechanical issue on an 11 or 12?

I suggested higher odds in Zone 1 outbound, then Zone 2, and then once every even numbered zone thereafter, as my reading seems to imply that aborts usually happened early in a mission. Some clearly stated, and others implied that it happened early in the mission such as reaching altitude.

here is some information I gathered years ago on reported aborts. ====================

For the sake of realism the threat of mechanical failures should be in the background but I wouldn't mind fewer mishaps so we can enjoy playing a full mission.

I looked at 5 random 303rd BG Mission Reports. Here are the results:
    >110 bombers assigned to those missions
    >3 bombers failed to take off plus 17 aborts - so 18% of the bombers failed to rerach the target for reasons other than weather or enemy action
        -- 4 aborts were for Medical reasons and 13 were for mechanical reasons

Earlier mission recaps didn't always give details. Just for kicks, I looked at later ones where facts were recorded. Here are some copy & pasted:
#41-24609, Holy Mackerel, 359BS(H) (1Lt. Eyster). The upper turret guns failed to feed. Did not take off.
#42-2967, Shak Hak, 360BS(H) (1Lt. Bilek). The aircraft ran off the runway into mud as it was taxiing for take-off.
Capt. Calhoun aborted the mission in #41-24635, 359BS(H), The '8' Ball MK II, when T/Sgt D. Fanning, the engineer, became sick at altitude.
1Lt. McDonald aborted in #41-24539, Jersey Bounce, when waist gunners, S/Sgt. M. Murray and Sgt. R. Tibbles became sick with vomiting and clogged ear drums.
#43-38451 (No Name), 360BS (Lt. Twomey) - Sgt. Martin Johnson, ball turret gunner, developed acute appendicitis
#41-24558, Hunga Dunga, 358BS(H) (Lt. Austin). The bombardier, Lt. Coltrane, became sick at altitude.
#41-24609, Holy Mackerel, 359BS(H) (Lt. Johnson). Three guns were out of commission and the gas line to the No. 4 engine broke and all the gas drained out.
#42-2973, Iza Vailable, 360BS(H) (Lt. Bilek). The ball turret electrical heating system malfunctioned.
#42-5723, (No Name), 360BS(H) (Lt. Griffin). The radio operator, T/Sgt V.E. Schwartz, fainted at altitude when the canvas bag came off his mask.
#41-24587, Bad Check, 427BS(H) (Lt. Stockton. The No. 1 engine was rough after 14 minutes of flight.
#42-5341, Vicious Virgin, 427BS(H) (Lt. Broussard). The propeller governor of the No. 3 engine ran away after 17 minutes of flight.
#41-24612, The Devil Himself, 427BS(H) (Lt. Hayes). The electrical cord to the waist gunner's flying suit cut off by fouling in the ball turret mechanism.
#41-24609, Holy Mackerel, 359BS(H) (Lt. Eyster). The tail gunner, S/Sgt. F.E. Bauer, experienced frost-bitten hands.
#42-5341, Vicious Virgin, 427BS(H) (Lt. Broussard). The oil cooler and supercharger regulator on the No. 3 engine were out.
#42-5257, Miss Bea Haven, 359BS (Lt. McClung). The tail gunner's hand was frozen.
#42-5177, Fast Worker MK II, 359BS (Lt. Smith). The right waist gun ran away and left side oxygen leaked.
#42-5430, Pappy/Good Snuf, 359BS (Lt. Johnson). The ball turret oxygen system was out and one ball turret gun and tail gun were out.
#42-5393, Thumper Again, 360BS (Lt. Farrar). Both waist guns and the top turret gun went out.
#42-2973, Iza Vailable, 360BS (Lt. Fredericks). The rheostat on the radio operator's and tail gunner's electric suits went out.
#41-24587, Bad Check, 427BS (Lt. Hayes). The induction system failed in the No.3 engine.
#42-29540, Shooting Star, 427BS (Lt. Stockton). The heating system in the tail went out.
#41-24587, Bad Check, 427BS (Southworth). The cylinder head cracked on the No. 3 engine. The engine lost all of its oil and was smoking and vibrating.
#42-4260, Yardbird II, 360BS (Farrar). The entire interphone system went out.
#42-5432, The Hunting Club, 358BS (McDonald). The No. 1 engine was out and No. 3 engine was running away.
#41-24561, The Duchess, 359BS (Nolan). A rough No. 4 engine had to be feathered.
#42-29481, (No Name), 427BS (Lemmon). The oxygen system went out.
#42-5341, Vicious Virgin, 427BS (Broussard), failed to take-off when problems developed on the Nos. 2 and 3 engines while taxiing to take off.
#42-29640 Old Ironsides, 359BS (Pentz); The heating equipment failed.
#42-5788 A.O.G. Not in Stock, 358BS (Thompson); The ship experienced a runaway prop No. 3 engine.
#42-5341 Vicious Virgin, 427BS (Burch); The waist gunner's heating rheostats malfunctioned.
#42-5257 Miss Bea Haven, 427BS (Cote); The tail gunner was ill with appendicitis.
#42-5434 Lady Luck, 358BS (Lemmon); The ship experienced low oil pressure.
#44-8439 (No Name), 360BS (LtCol. Shayler) – internal failure of the supercharger 
#42-38050 Thunderbird, 359BS (Lt. Harding) – mid-air collision;
#42-31060 (No Name), 427BS (Lt. Turnisky) – waist gunner anoxia 
#43-38258 Forget Me Not Olly, 358BS, (Lt. Bixby, 359BS) – runaway prop
#42-3002 The Old Squaw, piloted by Lt. Clark would not start. The external power plant solenoid shorted out, running down the batteries. 
Maj. Lyle aborted the mission immediately after take-off when his No. 2 engine ran away.
Lt. Cogswell, in #42-2973 Iza Vailable turned back five miles north of Walsham when the oil return line to his No. 3 engine broke.
#42-29944, Winning Run, left the low Composite Squadron when his tail gunner, S/Sgt. Misiak, became sick due to oxygen failure.
Lt. Campbell, flying 359BS #42-5257 Miss Bea Haven, left 30 miles from the Dutch coast when his gunner's heated clothing failed.
Lt. Kruse in #42-5360 Old Faithful, had the No. 1 engine run away after 36 minutes.
 ... five aircraft failed to find the formation and all returned to Base.
Lt. Reeder in #41-24561 The Duchess and Lt. Pentz in #41-24416 Black Diamond Express left after reaching altitude when gunners in both planes became sick from vaccinations.
Lt. Nix, in #41-24587 Bad Check, departed 15 miles off the English coast when his No. 1 engine ran away.
#42-5482, Cat-O-Nine Tails, 359BS (McClung). The ball turret gunner, S/Sgt. Carl Phillips, became sick.
#42-5243, FDR's Potato Peeler Kids, 359BS (Bales). The Radio Operator, T/Sgt. Raymond Kilgore's mask froze and he passed out from a lack of oxygen.
#42-5081, Luscious Lady, 427BS (Burch). The navigator, Lt. John D. Noblin, fainted from oxygen loss.
#43-38563 Jackie, 360BS (Lt. Juns) - The co-pilot became sick with the bends
#44-8006 (No Name) 358BS (Lt. Grisham) - broken oil line
#42-38050 Thunderbird, 359BS (Lt. Underdown) - oxygen system failed

Hmmm... so I am struck by the number of medical aborts, by the number of runaway engines that were survived, by certain bomber names mentioned more than once (a reflection on that ground crew or a cursed bomber?), and the fact that none of the limited reports I read mentioned bombers crashing during takeoff. I'm tempted to create a variant Abort table after reading just some of these reports.