Just so we're clear, Virginia's not carry a standard bombload.

She has...JDAMs...

OKAY! So I am working on a character sheet right now, I have a pilot character I have used in other role-Plays but not as a main, but I think he would work with this pretty well. I am just trying to get an idea of which fighter I would prefer to use. I am debating between a few of them, but one of the big things I wanted to know would be when the combat does start will it be mostly Air to Air, or Air to ground? Just trying to get an idea because of some jets known as Jump jets, where they are not as fast as most jets but have the ability to do some hovering or take offs that are required to be more vertical then most jets.

I just want to know what kind of things I should be considering before I decide on a jet.

VTOL is overrated, my friend. You use so much fuel on take off alone. Trust me, you're better off avoiding that.

@Massasauga

Thanks for the advice, I am going to a concert after work tomorrow but I should be able to get a sheet up on Saturday morning if things work out well.

one of the big things I wanted to know would be when the combat does start will it be mostly Air to Air, or Air to ground? Just trying to get an idea because of some jets known as Jump jets, where they are not as fast as most jets but have the ability to do some hovering or take offs that are required to be more vertical then most jets.

I just want to know what kind of things I should be considering before I decide on a jet.

There will be a mix of all kinds of combat. The first mission is mostly air-to-air, but there will be others that are more air-to-ground oriented. Not all of our craft will be great at everything, but that makes it easier for have different characters shine at different times in the game, and also makes our characters - and their planes - a lot more varied as well, rather than just having too much 'sameness' as well.
And most aircraft have at least some minimal capability in most roles as well. The most important thing really is to pick something that you'll enjoy playing more than anything else; the statistical, technical and realistic side isn't really as important as you enjoying playing your character at the end of the day, and as a GM I'm running the game that way myself.
Reality won't go too far out the window, but the plot, dramatic licence, and having fun will be the main priority over anything else.
Regarding VTOL, if you were thinking of having a Harrier, I'd be 100% behind that.

The Harrier generally excels at STOVL operations, with SRVL-landings allowing much of the raw-VTOL criticisms to be ignored.

SRVL = Short Rolling vertical landing. Nozzles down, wings out, cut thrust and brake on bounce. Hyper-STOL in VTOL config. Kinda fun if I could find a video of a fully-loaded MV-22 doing this. (which they've been doing for a bit over a year now)

SRVL is also how the Soviet Union managed to keep their Yak-38s competitive into the 90's. Even testing them out on ersatz-carriers from hasty cargo-ships by 1983. MTOW/V 11+ metric tons vs 9 for the Harrier II. Yak-41, meanwhile...

Lets say with the fall of Soviet Union, Lockeed benefited from what was learned making the Yak-41 first supersonic VTOL with big 20+ ton MTOW.

allowing much of the raw-VTOL criticisms to be ignored.

Fite me

<Snipped quote by Foster>
Fite me

I already flashbanged you in another RP.

Note: If there is anything I can fix, just let me know and I can get on it. This is a new style of role-play for me so I am game fro trying it out.

Due to complications in life, I'll be dropping out. As life has prevented me from making any progress on a post, and have given me very little time to do much else on the site or anything else of leisure.

I wish you all luck, and hope you all have fun.

I'll need some time. Gotta get things in order but I'm still here.

Snipped quote

Tony looks good, feel free to add him to the characters tab. I'll work you into the plot ASAP so you can begin posting. Good choice on the Harrier too!

Due to complications in life, I'll be dropping out. As life has prevented me from making any progress on a post, and have given me very little time to do much else on the site or anything else of leisure.

I wish you all luck, and hope you all have fun.

That's a shame, as I was looking forward to playing with you again :( Hope everything is okay otherwise though, and you're always welcome back if things clear up for you. Best of luck.

@Silverwind Blade

Thank you very much! I will read up on more of the IC section tonight and tomorrow if time doesn't allow for more reading tonight.

Right, I'm assuming the aliens be chasing the slower of the two attacking planes, since they don't have their performance-capbalities memorized yet.

So they're likely falling back on "Faster plane = better thrust-ratio = more manuverable" like the BS-propoganda that happened when Americans first encountered rocket/jet fighters.

So obviously, mah MiG-23 is a brick to them... fun surprise-time for them.

I'm also assuming our intel from AWACS only told us of what they could see. Tight formations or passive groups could easily increase the amount of opposition we're facing.

Oh, and as usual, chances are the aliens got some sort of ECM, not sure how effective it'll be, but I'm figuring some missiles ain't gonna hit.
-But I'm hoping they're experiance brown-trouser levels of pucker-factor

I was pretty much under the impression this was kind of a simple, intro-type mission and we were basically calling our own shots. If you want to throw in some more bandits that's fine. So far I count Lonnie and Clem engaged with about nine Yerrill fighters but that's assuming that the Mig-23 didn't hit anything with any of his shots. This also assumes that ALL the fighters went after the two MiGs which would work out well for the ground forces.

Something I want to point out as well is that from a writing standpoint we don't really have a whole lot of info regarding the types of Yerrill craft and we're kind of winging it (pun intended) as far as writing about their capabilities. Some of the characters have been fighting them for some time and are familiar with all the different types. From what I've read so far in the plot details and in the IC posts there are fighters, interceptors, larger attack craft, troop carriers, bombers as well as large command craft and they all generally have a similar appearance. Their weapons are largely energy based, but some do launch missile-like projectiles and use a form of radar.

Lastly, it's the Expeditionary forces that are technically on the offensive in our story. Humanity apparently was good enough to push the Yerrill back through the portal in less than five years which would seem to indicate that we're better at fighting than they are (imagine that) while they seem to have mastered some form of dimensional travel that didn't necessarily translate into combat prowess. Maybe humanity is the first race they ever squared-off against that had the ability to fight back?

These could all just be fun plot items that are yet to be revealed, but its food for thought.

We could also be re-engaging each other's targets, though.

Well, I'm imagining them as the timeless "Macross flying-bricks", beamspammery, and macross missile massacres.
-At least those are things I've learned to expect. Since RL-airfoils pretty much peaked about 20 years ago and things of/from space tend to be blunt for a number of practical reasons.

That isn't to say the dogfights in Macross are bad.
-In fact, if I start acting a bit too cocky, I fully expect to run face-first into this sort of predicament

Meanwhiles

Okay, now that I'm actually finally done with work for the week, I can get a post up soon.

Something I want to point out as well is that from a writing standpoint we don't really have a whole lot of info regarding the types of Yerrill craft and we're kind of winging it (pun intended) as far as writing about their capabilities. Some of the characters have been fighting them for some time and are familiar with all the different types. From what I've read so far in the plot details and in the IC posts there are fighters, interceptors, larger attack craft, troop carriers, bombers as well as large command craft and they all generally have a similar appearance. Their weapons are largely energy based, but some do launch missile-like projectiles and use a form of radar.

Lastly, it's the Expeditionary forces that are technically on the offensive in our story. Humanity apparently was good enough to push the Yerrill back through the portal in less than five years which would seem to indicate that we're better at fighting than they are (imagine that) while they seem to have mastered some form of dimensional travel that didn't necessarily translate into combat prowess. Maybe humanity is the first race they ever squared-off against that had the ability to fight back?

These could all just be fun plot items that are yet to be revealed, but its food for thought.

Well, I'm imagining them as the timeless "Macross flying-bricks", beamspammery, and macross missile massacres.
-At least those are things I've learned to expect. Since RL-airfoils pretty much peaked about 20 years ago and things of/from space tend to be blunt for a number of practical reasons.

That isn't to say the dogfights in Macross are bad.
-In fact, if I start acting a bit too cocky, I fully expect to run face-first into this sort of predicament

Meanwhiles

Macross is actually pretty much my favourite anime franchise, it combines two of my favourite things: jet fighters, and mecha. It also has decent music, and gigantic battle scenes.
Macross Plus is probably my favourite entry in the franchise so far, with Frontier a close follower. The movie, Do You Remember Love is still pretty beautiful for it's animation, which is more than 30 years old now, but still look sumptuous and artistic, even now.

Macross dogfights are pretty much what I had in mind for the pace, chaos, and - though we aren't playing in a visual medium - 'visual effect' of the dogfights against the Yerrill, and it's kind of a benchmark for the feel I was trying to go for with the game overall. Light military, light realism (but still some of it), with a big sci-fi twist for interest.

In terms of what the Yerrill's craft actually look like, though I dislike the series itself (loli's in underpants is really not my thing) the Neuroi from Strike Witches have a really cool aesthetic.
I couldn't really find any 'fighter' neuroi, but I did always like the look of the R-series of futuristic fighters from some of the Ace Combat games, which kind of match the idea in my head for what the shape of the Yerrill craft should be, and match the idea I had of them being fast, maneuvrable and pretty deadly.

In terms of tactics and weapons, they obviously actually have some of both, considering that the established canon for the game is that they did a shitload of damage before earth's forces pushed them back, and that there was a high cost in doing so. I.e. they aren't a complete pushover, and it's only through learning about them that 'we' managed to counter them at all. Narratively as well, five years seemed like a good length of time for the battle to be damaging, costly, large and desperate, while at the same time being short enough that our characters could have lived through it as adults, and that we'd still have a recognisably 'modern' timeline and technology base to play with, rather than having to make up oodles of stuff. Again, might not be realistic, but fuck realism, I wrote the game I wanted to write and enjoy and the setting I wanted to run and play in xP

The Avalonians have fought the Yerrill too, however, they were more-or-less beaten by them to the point of being a resistance movement in a mostly dominated society. There's more to that particular story, but it has to do with the idea that their society and cultural heritage are different to Earth's, and they didn't fight in the same way, or react in the same way, or as quickly. We'll find out more about them as the game progresses.

The Yerrill craft/facilities/etc do indeed have highly effective jamming (in fact, I think that's mentioned?) and they do use some beam weapons, as well as missiles, or missile-equivalents that have guidance of some kind. They do use equivalents to radar and other senses as correctly surmised, and can be affected by countermeasures in the same way, and detected etc. in the same way (for ease of writing on our part, so our characters can do things to evoke dramatic tension, and we as writers can have something to relate to rather than just trying to make it up on the fly).
Their tactics probably consist of high-speed, unexpected and somewhat erratic-looking jinks, direction changes and maneuvers like any fighter. Teaming up on hostiles to overpower them and out-maneuver them into dangerous situations and using their own speed, maneuvrability and agility - and seeming ability to ignore a lot more G than one would expect - to engage targets. They're also not above or unknown to ram targets or engage in kamikaze attacks, often at moments when such tactics seem unnecessary to an outside observer, but given how many of the buggers there are, they can probably afford to. They can be outwitted and out-thought sometimes though, and while they are wily opponents with a dogged, tenacious and vicious approach, they aren't always the most intelligent. They do love ambush tactics, however.

Hopefully that expands on them a bit at least? I realized there probably wasn't as much to go on about them as there could have been; I apologize for that and hopefully adding this adds a bit more flavour to the setting, as well as helping with writing our combat scenes.

@Massasauga You splash at my MiG, my MiG gonna splash right back.

@Massasauga You splash at my MiG, my MiG gonna splash right back.

1v1 me over DC, m8.