Flying Coffins in China 1937

[Ephemeer]

I have an idea about hacking the new Flying Coffins scenario and placing it in the Sino-Japanese war. My players have a group of british Investigators in Shanghai and several of them, by pure chance, are pilots or have high Piloting skills (one of them actually play James Bigglesworth himself). My idea is to let them join a (fictional) international volonteer squadron on the Chinese side and play the scenario with a basic conversion of nationalities. Another possibility could be to convert the setting the the Spanish Civil War for a European campaign.

My questions are: What would be a good japanese names for Becker and the Lightning Hussars, and (do we have any air combat buffs?) what would the stats for the aircraft of the period be?

The Chinese seems to have used a wide variety of imported aircraft.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Develop...2%80%931945%29
Hawk II, Hawk III, Fiat CR. 32 and P-26 Peashooters seems to have been available fighters.

Japanese aircraft involved would have been the Ki-10 fighter, Ki-20 bomber and Ki-15 scout/bomber from the army air force, and A5M fighters and G3M bomber from the Navy air force.

[Taavi]

They don't need to be fictional. They're the precursor to Chennault's Flying Tigers. He was already with the Koumintang in 1937.

Poor health and disputes with superiors led Chennault to resign from the service on April 30, 1937. He then went to China and joined a small group of American civilians training Chinese airmen. When the Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) broke out in July, he served as "air adviser" to Kuomintang (KMT) Nationalist Government leader Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, working through the generalissimo's wife, Soong May-ling. Chennault participated in planning operations, observed the Chinese Air Force in combat from a Curtiss Hawk 75, and helped organize the so-called "International Squadron" of foreign mercenary aviators. However, as Soviet air units increasingly flowed into China from the beginning of 1938, Chennault was sent to Kunming to head up a new training effort. - Wikipedia

Planes available would mostly be Soviet models.

[Ephemeer]

They don't need to be fictional. They're the precursor to Chennault's Flying Tigers. He was already with the Koumintang in 1937.

Oh, that's great stuff.

On another note, the Soong family is great drama material. May-ling or especially Ai-ling would make perfect villains in a political intrigue/sorceror type ToC-scenario. But then we're out of the realm of air combat =)

I pitched the idea (Flying Coffins in China) to my players, and they were not really that into it unfortunately. The thought of a combat-heavy scenario with new rules to learn didn't sit well with some of them. I will have to find another way to spin it.

[Tigger_MK4]

Somewhat off topic,

Spoiler:

but now I have this vision in my head of Abbot and Costello doing a routine where
Jong-Il is ailing,
and Ai-ling is ill.....

[nclarke]

Very droll. My hat's off to you on that one.

[Taavi]

I pitched the idea (Flying Coffins in China) to my players, and they were not really that into it unfortunately. The thought of a combat-heavy scenario with new rules to learn didn't sit well with some of them. I will have to find another way to spin it.

You have a bunch of players who play pilots, including Biggles, and they don't want air combat? (blink blink)

Um, some other spins, off the top of my head: The investigators have to smuggle something from Shanghai to India (thank you Indiana Jones) and fly over the Himalayas, where they are attacked by Mi-Go.
The investigators fly to the remote Mongolian desert in order to unearth the tomb of Ghenghis Khan before the Japanese invasion of Manchuria gets there first, encountering the hideous flying guard-beasts bound there by the great Khan's shamans. (and/or flying Mongolian Death Worms).
A PC (make them male, just for variety) is kidnapped by Ho Fong to be sent to his secret harem, where he will be castrated. The secret harem is deep in the Interior and Ho Fong has a several days head start, only flying will get you there in time - but watch out for the Zeppelin of the Bloated Woman!