The Foolish Club 1961 in the AFL

Titans of New York vs. The Boston Patriots.

2:00 kick off .

Card counted plays with penalties and die rolled skill tests for kick, pass, point after etc.

I plan on playing every game from this year of early football.

I was born in 1961 so this is a dwelling on an origin story.

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Electric Football Play Count Rules

The Lion's Den was all a buzz last PM with the sound of electric football.  Many first were accomplished in this evening of play.

I have a new rules set that I have never played before.  They have been in existence since the begining of the hobby but I have never actually played an opponent in a game using counted plays as the game clock for the game.  We started our playtest at 32 plays is the game limit and each coach had two time outs that could extend a quarter, half, or game.

The image above shows the Titans of New York '61 versus the Los Angeles Chargers.  The Chargers team has seen field time at an Arrowhead stadium tailgate but the Titans were making a debut.  

Here the "firsts" are numerous.  First time players for electric football.  First time visit from Caroline, Timmy's fiance. First time the two teams have been played.

The Denver Uglies (Broncos) 1961, versus the Oakland Rainders 1961.  Both of these teams saw their debut game in a learning experiment end in a 0-0 tie.

Another first over in the AFL Eastern division was the field being used for the first time was a thrift store find on 23rd street.  Think I just coined a name for the field.  "23rd Street Stadium."

The play count idea for a game clock is as old as electric football itself.  The twist I put on the count was using playing cards.  The face cards were used to call a penalty on the team who's suit was drawn. Red was visitors and black cards denote home team.  Jack was a 5 yarder, Queen was for 10. and the King card was a 15 yard penalty.  This system produces a pretty equitable spread of chance for each team and when we are only using 32 cards from the deck you could have a penalty sparse game.

The time required to play by play count was higher than I expected and we ended this game at the end of the third quarter with a 14 - 14 tie.

Jon Mark, the veteran general had kind remarks for the play style.  There was time to analyze plays and comment on the play between snaps.  There was not the hustle and shuffle of pieces to get to the next play.  The rules need some clarification and I am working on that today.

Looking for the end zone...

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January 1917 A Pilot's Journal

The commemerative year of WWI air games took off from a desolate field in Western France.  German planes flown by Ken vs. agile Allied aircraft commanded by Timmy and Terry.

A modest sortie early on in the journal.

The juggler get's his butt kicked.

That Triplane was a devil wind and always knew where the German planes would come across his target circle.

This is part of my 6x6 challenge series of games.

1 Sortie of Blue Max.

Fire Above and Below - Rogue Stars

The battle rages on the tortured planet of Khorigate IV. Every sector of the planet is alive with conflict.  The space orks have a crucial sector of the planet cleared of feral orks.  As the front shifts north an old battlefield lies quiet in the ruins of the former city.

Long ago the United America's Guardsmen fought and died amid these ruins.  The shattered hulks of ancient dead tanks sit amid the jungle regrowth.  LRRP team one was tasked with revisiting this old site to retrieve an item of great value.  The greenskins enslave the feral ork tribes in an unusual off-world trade deal with the Slann.  No matter.  If they knew the item they are trying to beat out of the ferals was lying on a forgotten field of conflict the resolution of their cause would be that much nearer.

Long Range Reconnaissance is a guardsmen specialty.  This ought to be a quick "steal the bacon" run. In-out and no one gets hurt.  The coordinates for the old battlefield were linked in to the commander's com device.  His team was hand picked and the operation routine.

Team one is being watched.  The ferals know this nest and they cherish it's contents.  Pushed off this old religious holy ground, the feral chieftain worries for his tribe's cultural core.  

They must not possess the holy relic.

Hunting ferals and for that matter greenskins as well.

"the bacon is secure, I repeat, the bacon is secure..."

Meanwhile 3 parsecs away from the nadir point below Khorigate a shimmering ghost ruminates...

The Star Force are selfish fools.  They have grown lazy and content, relying on their technology to save them.  They did not know when we infiltrated their vaunted star base.  They did not know we lurked in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike.  They did not know that the rays of the Great Sun would soon show themselves and steal their precious ‘knowledge’.

So it was, when UASS Glenville  transmitted its IFF signature to the star base, we were able to breach their security and begin gaining the knowledge the Great Sun prophesied was ours to own.

We flowed out of the shadows of the hangar bay, ever vigilant of Star Force security squads.  Indeed, one such group was seen heading toward us.  Brother Otaw was stationed to distract them.  He did so perfectly, wedging himself behind machinery and keeping them at bay long enough for Brother Amun to download what we needed.  After receiving fire, Otaw teleported safely, the Great Sun be praised, back to us.  

The Trickster Star Force squad had a surprise or two of their own.  A couple of them had Quantum Harnesses and closed with us during our retreat.  Brother Ralu was able to get away without melee.  Lead Brother Berchar was not so fortunate.  He was struck down before he could escape.  Otaw shot the S.T.A.R. soldier but was unable to recover Berchar before leaving the area.  

In the end, it was a glorious victory for the Great Sun.  In His benevolence, we gained the knowledge we sought from our mission and will come back stronger and ready to unite our psychic powers.

Down below on the planet the fight turned brutal in an instant.

Borag bellowed a war cry as he let loose with his bolter rifle.  The near translation was, "they have defiled the most sacred relic!!"  But it just sounded like grunts and squeals punctuated by the staccato thud of the heavy weapon.

Team leader one has his search and destroy mission fulfilled.  He was spotted by this Feral Ork in the valley tree line and then went on the attack.  Leaping from his concealed position he raised his vibroblade into the attack posture.

Snicker snack!

One dispatched ork.

Fatal OOA head shot.

But further down the valley the opposite side of the coin was playing out. Slagsnotz Bonecleaver was plying his foce glaive to deadly effect on a poor staggered guardsmen.

The chase for the case is touch and go but the quickness and professionalism of the LRRP team won out.  Getting past the terrain and into the clear the team succeeded in recovering an important technical item that was left so long ago on the battlefield.

This game was played on two tables using Rogue Stars Skirmish rules from Osprey.  Wow! We had a really good time designing the squads and testing them in battle.  Both scenarios were based on #10 in the book.  I am using my collection of 90mm or 3.75 scale action figures from Lanard, Chap Mei and other sources of toys.

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Rogue Stars Eye Candy

Two battlefields set up for tonight's Rogue Stars games.   Learning character design and testing several squad traits and styles of play.

Tune in now for news from Khorigate IV.