The setting is New Mexico, 1965 (ish). Strange objects have been seen in the sky. American citizens are calling the papers with weird and terrible stories of alien abduction and experimentation (no scars of course, as the aliens have amazing healing powers). Convinced there is some substance to the stories the US Air Force doubles its patrols over the desert (the Generals are worried the Russkies are up to something, damn pinko commie subversives). Then one night ... Contact!

Forces:

USAF: Two F-104 Starfighters, each armed with two Sidewinder AIM-9E missiles

Aliens: One ‘Flying Saucer’.

The ‘Flying Saucer’ has the following characteristics

Minimum Speed	0
Maximum Speed	60
Maximum Altitude	100
Turn Number	nil
Defence Rating	1d6 (keeps the suspense going)
ECM	6
Radar	Totally Effective
Gun	Special
Size	Lit up like a Christmas Tree

The ‘Saucer has no fuel restrictions. It can change its speed by up to 10 movement points (MPs). MPs are not lost as a result of height changes etc. If the ‘saucer has 50 MPs and uses them all to change altitude it also has 50 MPs at the end of movement. In addition the ‘saucer has no turning restrictions, i.e. it can turn in any direction as desired. Damned good, these inertialless drives!

In the best Hollywood tradition the ‘saucer is lit up like a Christmas Tree, and is visible from any distance. being equipped with the best alien technology its radar automatically detects all aircraft at any distance.

The saucer may be equipped with a number of weapons.

1) ‘Death Ray’ - This is a beam weapon with a range of 30cm, reduced by 1 per height level difference. It is treated as a Gun Attack, hitting on a roll of 7 or less regardless of the position of the target relative to the firer, modified as in the Gun Attack Table. If it hits it is a Damage 7 weapon.

2) ‘Tractor Beam’ - Using this weapon the aliens can either capture and pull an aircraft into their saucer to abduct the pilot, or they can hold it immobile and make it easier to hit with their beam weapon. The tractor beam has a range of 30cm and hits as if it were a Death Ray. If it hits the aircraft loses 10 movement points immediately, and is drawn 10cm, 10 altitude levels or a combination of the two, towards the ‘saucer. The aircraft continues to lose 10 MP per turn whilst the beam is in use. The aircraft may still fly whilst it stays above its minimum speed, so may make it out of the range of the beam, but if its movement points falls below its minimum speed the aircraft is completely in the beam’s control and may no longer move under its own power. If, for some reason the beam is switched off the aircraft counts as having stalled. Whilst affected by a tractor beam all Death Ray attacks hit on a score of 9 or less. Tractor Beams can also snatch pilots who eject - if a pilot ejects within 30cm the beam (if not already in use) can grab the pilot and bring them on board the saucer on a roll of 6 or less.

3) Motion Disruptor - This weapon makes the aircraft uncontrollable. It has a range of 30cm and hits on a roll of 6 or less. A successful attack causes the aircraft to stall. See section 5 of the rules.

Vulnerabilities

The effectiveness of human weapons against the ‘saucer may vary. Players are free to pick and chose from the list below:

1) Killer Radar - the fire control radar used by the F-104 unwittingly causes interference in the ‘saucer’s flight control and power systems. Each turn that an F-104 is locked on to the ‘saucer it loses 10 MP and rolls against height loss as if it were stalled. In addition, roll a d10 for each weapon on board - the system is disrupted and fails to function for the rest of the game.

2) Effective Gunfire - the alien’s shields are designed to defeat missiles and laser beams. As a result the primitive shells of the F-104’s cannon penetrates with ease. Halve the Defence value of the ‘saucer against gun attacks.

3) Super Shields - The saucer’s shielding technology is able to defeat all gunfire attacks. In this case guns do no damage. Probably the best bet is for the USAF player to call up some reinforcements, preferably armed with Genie!

4) Anti Missile Laser - the ‘saucer carries a point defence laser. Any missiles fired at the saucer are shot down on a roll of 6 or less.

5) Strong Hull - unlike normal damage to aircraft the ‘saucer never moves one column to the right for previous hits. It always rolls on the same column for damage.

Damage

The ‘saucer is shot down when the number of hits taken exceeds its Defence Rating, or if its maximum speed is reduced below zero. Damaging hits have the following effects:

* No damage
E,F Engine hit, maximum speed reduced by 10 MP
W Weapon hit - chose randomly from those carried
M Flight Control - ‘saucer is now vulnerable to ‘Killer Radar’ if it was not previously
C Anti Missile Laser or Super Shields down (if carried)
K A serious hit - lose 1 weapon and 10 MP from maximum speed

If the saucer has a Damage Rating of 6, it will be impervious to all but the heaviest weapons. In this case, ‘Killer Radar’ should be in effect.

Sweet Victory

The USAF wins if it shoots down the saucer or forces the alien craft to withdraw off table. The aliens win if the saucer survives and shoots down both F-104s, or if it brings one of the F-104s aboard. If the aliens bring a pilot onboard, the result is variable - roll a d10; on a score of 1-5 the aliens win and the pilot is either never seen again, or wakes up alongside a road in the desert with a splitting headache and a terrifying tale to tell; on a score of 6-10 the pilot, an obvious hero-type, defeats the evil aliens in and to hand combat, having found them to be weedy types with massive foreheads but not much else, destroys the craft by overloading the reactor and parachutes to safety (home in time for tea and buns - obviously an RAF pilot on an exchange!).

I hope you enjoy this piece of fun. Once the poor old USAF of the 1960’s has had a battering, why not try it out with the Russians, with more modern USAF types (Martians versus the Stealth Fighter), or for the more traditional types, Japanese Self Defence Force F-86 Sabres.