303 Squadron Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game description
• Components
• Game setup
• Game play
• Phase I: Events
• Phase II: Players
  • 1. Pilot Special Abilities
  • 2. Combat card draw
  • 3. Movement
    • Areas vs Sectors
    • Special cases
      • Disengage
      • Withdraw
  • 4. Reconnaissance
  • 5. Landing
• Phase III: Combat
  • 0. Engaging in Combat
  • 1. First Combat round
    • Dealing damage
    • Toughness
  • 2. Second Combat round
    • The player attacks a different opponent
    • No opponent in the same Area
    • Pilots shot down
    • End of combat
• Phase IV: Counterattack
• Phase V: The German Phase
  • 1. Movement
  • 2. Bombing attacks
• Phase VI: Reorganization
• End of the game
• Events and Medal tokens
  • Medal tokens
• Maneuver tokens
• German modes
  • Close escort
  • Escape
  • "Hun in the Sun" (Fighters only)
  • "Hunting"
  • Offensive
  • Patrol
• Additional rules
• Specialization
• Starting Area
• The Campaign
• 2-3 players & Solo game
  • 2 and 3 players
  • Solo game
• Symbols
• FAQ & Combat cards
• Squadron & Special thanks
• Player aid

Game description

"303 Squadron" is a cooperative game for 1 to 4 players that takes place in World War II during the Battle of Britain. Each game of "303 Squadron" is based on an arranged Scenario. Each Scenario represents a different story, inspired by real-life events. The players' goal is to fulfill the tasks presented to them as realistically as possible. During each Scenario, various additional Events will occur that might affect the course of the game. Every Event has its requirements, which players can fulfill. After completing the Scenario, players check whether they have accomplished their Goal and whether they win or lose.

Components

• 1 game board — depicting the southeast of England (the Battle of Britain area), with airfields and named locations (Northolt, London, Biggin Hill, Rochester, Canterbury, Tonbridge, Dover, Newchurch, Pevensey, Poling, Portsmouth) linked by a network of lettered/numbered flight zones.
• 8 Maneuver tokens
• 6 German Elite Pilot tokens (Bomber Ace, Fighter Ace)
• 6 German Squadron tokens (2 white, 2 red, 2 black)
• 11 Target Damage tiles
• 8 Medal tokens (doublesided)
• 4 Player boards
• Damage tokens (4 green, 4 red, 4 blue, 4 yellow)
• 1 Compendium
• 51 Combat cards (65 in KS version)
• 7 Pilot cards (9 in KS version)
• 4 Event cards (21 in KS version)
• 16 Luftwaffe dice (4 white, 4 black, 8 red), 4 RAF dice (blue), and 1 Special die (yellow)
• 5 Scenario cards (16 in KS version)
• 42 Deployment cards with fighters and bombers
• 12 Specialization cards
• 3 Help cards
• Cloth bag (used to pull randomized tokens on some scenarios)
• 5 Hawker Hurricane models (6 in KS version)
• 16 Messerschmitt Bf 109 models
• 7 Heinkel 111 models
• 4 Junkers Ju 88 models (KS version)
• 4 Junkers Ju 87 models (KS version)
• 4 Dorniers Do 17 models (KS version)
• 4 Messerschmitt Bf 110 models
• 41 Bases & pegs (51 in KS version)
• 40 Route and direction tokens (in 7 different colors)
• 2 German/British target tokens
• 1 British Squadron token
• 1 Turn token (2 in KS version)

Game setup

The following game setup is shown for 4 players. Changes for other number of players are shown later in the rules.

1. Lay out the map in the center of the table.

2. Shuffle the deck of the Pilot cards. Then place this stack near the map.

3. Each player takes one Hurricane model, a Player board, 4 damage tokens, wooden markers in their color, one Pilot card and places it on their Player board. The rest of the Pilot cards act as a Reserve. Limit the number of Reserve cards to one less than the number of players in the game.

4. Place all the dice next to the main board.

5. Choose a Scenario card and place it revealed next to the map.

6. Select the corresponding Deployment card. A list of the Deployment cards needed for each Scenario is provided in the Scenario description in the Compendium.

7. Chosen Deployment cards should be shuffled and put facedown on the Areas indicated by the Scenario. Next, you should reveal them and replace them by placing German aircraft models on the board. (Note: In Scenarios using Reconnaissance, we do not reveal what the actual planes are until later. See page 7 for Hidden squadrons / Reconnaissance).

   Note that there are two Deployment cards that will be used for British planes in special Scenarios. Find them and place them aside for now as long as the Scenario does not require them.

8. Place the Help cards depicting the German aircraft used in chosen Scenario next to the map.

9. Shuffle the Event cards by color code to form the appropriate decks, e.g. red and blue together, yellow and brown together. The Scenario will tell you how many Events and what the color codes are. Then place these stacks of Events near the map.

10. Draw the appropriate number of Event cards and place them face-down next to the main board (other Event cards should be put back in the box).

11. Each player sets their ammunition indicator on their Player board at level 4 (unless the Scenario dictates differently).

12. Shuffle the deck of the Combat cards and place it face-down next to the map. Each player draws 6 Combat cards (unless the Scenario dictates differently). Note: Cards from KS (with a burning Bf 109) should be used in the game only with the Spitfire.

13. Place the rest of the components, like German squadron tokens, Medals, Routes, Maneuver tokens, miniatures and bases etc, within reach near the map.

14. Place all damage tokens near the map.

15. Place the Turn token on space 1.

16. The Compendium should be kept within easy reach. It contains a detailed description of all the Scenarios, Events, planes as well as the pilots.

*** The Specialization indicator should be set to level 0 (black area), unless the players start the Scenario with some level of Specialization, or you decide to give players some Specialization at the beginning of a Scenario. See page 18 for more details.

Game play

The gameplay of "303 Squadron" is divided into turns. You track the current turn using a Turn token that is placed on the turn track.

Each turn is divided into the following phases:

I. Events phase II. Players phase III. Combat IV. Counterattack V. The German phase VI. Reorganization

Phase I: Events

In Phase I players check on the Scenario card whether they should reveal any Event card(s) this turn. This information is displayed on the right side of the Scenario card, in the "Events" section.

Each line in the "Events" section indicates, that a single Event card should be revealed – the number displayed on the left tells you, which turn the card has to be revealed, and the colored symbols represent the groups of Event cards that should create the deck from which the card is revealed from.

Example: During the Scenario "Attack on Biggin Hill" players have to reveal 2 Event cards:

• 2nd turn: one card from the deck created from blue, and red Event cards;
• 2nd turn: one card from the deck created from green, brown, and yellow Event cards.

Once you reveal the Event card, read what is happening on the battlefield. Next, you have to find the full description of the event in the Compendium (pages 15-21). Event cards are sorted in the Compendium by their numbers (you can find the number of the Event card in the bottom right corner).

The description in the Compendium includes a historical quote related to the event, full information about the Event's background, and additional goals, conditions, and rules introduced by the event.

Note: Fulfilling the Events' goal is optional! Players do not have to fulfill this goal to win the game. However, accomplishing the Event awards players with Medal tokens, which give additional benefits, that can be useful to reach the Scenario Goal (see "Medal tokens" on page 16).

Phase II: Players

In Phase II all the players perform their activities - they draw new Combat cards, move their planes, they may land on the airfields, and perform some actions on the ground.

To make the game flow better, this phase is divided into several steps, and each step must be performed by all players before the next step may start.

Players can freely choose the order in which they perform their activities during these steps - but each player can act only after the previous player has finished their activation in the given step. Each player can be perform his actions only once during each step.

Note: Experienced Players can also perform their actions simultaneously.

1. Pilot Special Abilities

At the beginning of Phase II, each player declares whether they will use their pilot's Ability this turn or not. If the player does not want to, they mark it by turning face down their Pilot card (it may be much later in the turn before you can use his ability). If the player decides not to use the Ability, they can choose to swap one RAF die (blue) for a special die (yellow) during any Combat (in other words, a player may not use the special die during any turn they are using their pilot's Ability.)

Remember: It does not matter when, during the turn, the player wants to use their pilot's ability - they have to decide, that they will be using it (or not) at this moment of the turn.

2. Combat card draw

Each player draws 2 Combat cards and discards cards to their current hand limit. You do this even on the first turn, and also after Landing, or after bringing a new pilot in play.

The hand limit is 2 plus the number of the player's ammo. This limit can be reduced as a result of the damage received.

At the beginning of the game, the ammo level is 4 so, the hand limit is 6 (2 + 4 ammo). Exceptions are found in the Scenario description in the Compendium.

This step is the only moment a player has to discard the cards down to their hand limit (the player freely chooses the card or cards he must discard). If during the turn, i.e. as the result of the cards played, a player can draw additional cards, and ends up having more cards in hand than their current limit, then the player reduces this number only after drawing new cards during Phase II of the next turn.

After this step, players can plan and perform their actions for the current turn in whatever order they wish (changing it from turn to turn if they want).

3. Movement

During this step, each player can move their plane on the gameboard.

Each plane can perform one free move each turn - meaning it can be moved between two neighboring Areas i.e. separated by a dotted line.

During their activation each player may play a single Combat card from their hand, to move their plane additional Areas.

In the upper left corner of each Combat card, you can find a symbol that will tell you, how many additional Areas a player may move their plane (between 1 and 3).

The player does not have to use all his moves.

Once the Movement is finished, the player discards the used Combat card to the Discard pile.

Note: Since Combat cards played for Movement are discarded after use, they cannot be used for any other purpose (card ability and all other symbols are lost).

Areas vs Sectors

The gameboard is divided into Sectors, and each sector consists of several Areas.

A Sector – is a bigger territory outlined by a solid line of a single color. Each Sector is coded with a different letter (A, B, C, etc.). In the image below the part of the map marked in yellow is Sector C.

An Area – is a smaller territory outlined by a dotted white line. Each Area is coded with a different pair of a letter and a number (A4, B3, C4, etc.). In the image below two different Areas are highlightened – A7 located in Sector A (red), and Pevensey – located in Sector D (blue).

Some of the Areas have additional symbols used during different scenarios:

• Airfield
• Radar station
• City
• Port
• Factory

If, as a result of a Movement, the players' planes end up in the same Area as German forces, they will be able to Fight them (see Phase III: Combat on page 8). Players decide if they wish to Fight and which enemy aircraft they wish to engage.

Special cases

Disengage

If the player want to move their plane from an Area that contains German forces, they have to disengage. A player may move anywhere where their remaining Movement allows, including to another Area with enemy aircraft.

The additional cost of disengaging is 1 Movement or 1 Maneuver token for each pair of German aircraft (rounded down) present in the Area the plane is moving from (their type does not matter). The Movement can be either the free one or the one obtained by playing a card. German aircraft with Maneuver tokens assigned to are not taken into account for this purpose.

Example: The Yellow Player decides to Disengage. They play a card with 3 Movement points. They also have their free Movement and can use the Maneuver token saved during the previous turn to avoid spending Movement points. There are 4 German aircraft in their Area and the Yellow Player has 1 saved Maneuver token, so they use it and spend 1 Movement point to Disengage. They still have 3 Movement points left.

The Yellow Player can attack the aircraft in the "B1" Area or move i.e. to the Biggin Hill airfield.

Withdraw

If the player wants to move their plane from an Area that contains German forces but has been involved in a Combat with them during the previous turn, they have to Withdraw. This represents fleeing the Combat.

The cost of withdrawal is 1 Medal token.

After Withdrawal, the player discards the remaining Combat cards and places their plane in the starting airfield (as listed on the Scenario card). Later in the current turn, during Phase VI: Reorganization they will put away the previous card face down next to their Player's board, draw a new one from the ones that have not been used during this Scenario, flip face-down their damage tokens, mix them, and place them face down in the supply. Next, they should set their ammo to the starting level, according to the Scenario rules, and draw Combat cards according to their hand limit.

Withdrawal represents "running away" from the battle. The player who Withdraws will continue the game next turn, with another pilot taken from the reserve. The card of the pilot that Withdraws is out from the game for the rest of the Scenario but can return in a Campaign game.

Example: The fighter of the Blue Player is heavily damaged. The player lost their free Movement points and they do not have a card with enough Movement points to reach the safe Area. However, they have been awarded a Medal token during one of the previous turns.

The player decides to Withdraw. They spend the Medal token to run away from the battle. The Blue Player places their plane at the starting airfield (as indicated on te Scenario card).

Later in the turn (Phase VI), they will take a new Pilot from the Reserve, clear the damages off the Player board, reset the ammo level, and draw cards up to their limit. They are ready to come back in the game's next turn.

Disengage vs Withdraw

Disengage involves spending Movement points (and/or Maneuver tokens) to leave an Area containing German aircraft. The plane's condition is unchanged and it is following normal Movement mechanics.

Withdraw means placing the plane directly on an airfield, starting with a fresh plane and a different Pilot, and avoiding all the detriments of having a Pilot shot down. But it does use a Pilot from the Reserve. Keep in mind, that "running out of Pilots" is one of the ways players can lose the game.

If a player cannot make a move (no free Move or cards in hand), has no Maneuver tokens or Medal tokens, ammo, then they cannot Disengage or Withdraw or attack German planes. In Phase IV: Counterattack such a player's plane will most likely be attacked by German fighters.

4. Reconnaissance

(used only in some Scenarios or Events)

When a player reaches an Area adjacent to a Hidden German squadron, they can take the "Reconnaissance" action. The player plays 2 cards with the Maneuver symbol in the middle section to reveal the Hidden planes.

For each Maneuver symbol give one hit before considering dice results of Luftwaffe.

Another option to reveal a Hidden squadron is to move into the Area containing a Hidden German squadron in step 3. Movement and automatically reveal it. In such case revealed squadron is using "Hun in the Sun" mode.

The player, who revealed the Hidden squadron (it doesn't matter whether they did so by playing cards or by moving into the area) cannot attack it this turn. Only OTHER friendly planes can attack the newly revealed units.

Example: The German group is to attack Tonbridge. The route is set and the Deployment cards are placed at the beginning of the Scenario. Because the radar station in Poling is destroyed, the Deployment cards in sector "C" are not revealed at the beginning of the game. The squadron token is placed to mark the approaching Luftwaffe. When a player makes a "Reconnaissance", this token will be replaced by the aircraft from the related Deployment cards.

Hidden Squadrons

Sometimes German squadrons will be "Hidden" from the players, who will know only that there are German aircraft in an Area but not what type or how many. This will happen in certain Scenarios, or due to some special rules, or in Campaign mode.

When dealing with Hidden Squadrons, perform the following steps:

1. Determine how many of the German formations will be Hidden.

2. Take Deployment Cards representing the Hidden formations, turn them face down, and shuffle.

3. Take a pair of matching squadron tokens and put one of them on the face-down Deployment card, and the other on the Area where that squadron appears.

The token representing the Hidden squadron moves according to the same rules, as any other bomber squadron.

5. Landing

As a part of their Movement, the player can land on one of two airfields: Biggin Hill or Northolt (unless the Scenario or Events prevent it). Landing does not require an additional Movement point.

Once landed, the player cannot do anything until the end of the current turn. In the Reorganization phase, he will receive 4 action points, which he will then be able to use (see page 15). Plane can take off only in the next turn - take off does not require an additional Movement point.

Note: The plane on the airfield is ignored by German planes that are in Patrol and Offensive mode.

Phase III: Combat

In Phase III all the players whose planes are in the same Areas as German forces can attack the enemies. In this phase, each player with their plane in an Area with enemy planes decides, whether they want to Fight or not (Combat is optional). However, the player deciding to Fight must carry out two Combat rounds, unless there are no enemies on that same Area after the first round.

If a player decides to fight and shoots down his target in the first round and there is another target in the Area the player must fight a second round of Combat They cannot Withdraw from the Fight after the first one. During each Combat round, a player can target different enemy aircraft.

Players can freely choose the order in which they Fight - but each player can Fight only once during Phase III, and one player has to finish all of their Combats before another player can start theirs.

Each Combat consists of two rounds of duels of two planes. However, this can be modified by the special effects of some cards.

Important: All the Fights should be resolved in each Area where players decided to attack. Players can choose to attack Luftwaffe forces in any order they like and only those who decided to Fight have to do so. This means players can be in the same Area as German planes and choose not to Fight them, but they will be attacked by Germans during the Counterattack (Phase IV).

Whenever a player deals damage to a German aircraft and shoots it down, remove the model from the board and place it next to the Player board. This helps you to remember the basic victory score. It is also used for earning Medals and is important when using Specialization rules (see page 18).

0. Engaging in Combat

The player initiating a Combat reduces their ammo by one. Keep in mind, that this one ammo is used for all Combat rounds (players do not have to spend ammo for each round of Combat).

If you Fight only once because you shot down your only opponent during the first Combat round, you still use one ammo.

Next, the player chooses one of the Luftwaffe aircraft in the same Area – this is the target for the first Combat round.

Remember: If a player participated in the first Combat round they must also participate in the second Combat round, unless there are no enemy aircraft left in the Area.

1. First Combat round

Depending on the decision taken in Step 1 of Phase II (Pilot Special Abilities), the player takes either 2 blue RAF dice or 1 blue RAF die and 1 yellow Special Die (keep in mind, that using the yellow die is optional – you can still decide to use two blue RAF dice, even if you decided not to use your Pilot's Special Ability this turn) and a set of dice for the target aircraft. The number and types of dice used by the target can be found on their Help card, and in the "dice" section or in the Compendium (see page 5).

The player rolls all the dice at the same time and checks the results.

Dice symbols:

Dice in "303 Squadron" have the following symbols:

• Blank - no effect.
• Hit – opponent's plane receives one damage.
• Reroll – the player has to reroll the die with this symbol. There is always only one reroll per die, even if the same symbol comes out. Getting this result after the reroll is a miss.
• Evade – allows to cancel 1 damage.
• Maneuver – this symbol can be used to activate a card's effect, or it can be assigned to the target. The Maneuver symbol from a die can be kept for later as a token (it has to be used until the end of the Movement Phase of your next turn). A player can have a maximum of 3 Maneuver tokens on their Player's board.

Hit, and Evade from the blue RAF dice can also be used to activate the card's ability. Maneuver can be used to activate the card's ability or to gain token.

• These symbols are used only during German Counterattack and they show the symbols required to cancel damage dealt by Luftwaffe aircraft to the players in the same Area.

Yellow Special Die:

• Failure: You receive 2 damage when considering a fight.
• Success: You can choose this symbol to be one Hit, Evasion, or Maneuver.

Note: The Special Die can never be rerolled.

After the dice roll, the player chooses one of their 2 dice to apply its result during this Combat round. Next, they can also decide to play a Combat card from their hand and use it along with the chosen die to attempt to achieve better results.

A player does not have to play Combat card if they do not want to or cannot. In this case, only the effect of the symbol on the chosen die is taken into account. However, if the player wants to get Support from another player, they have to play a Combat card from their hand.

If a player plays a card he must place the die selected for that round of Combat on it. As a result, he has two symbols in the first round of the Combat, and perhaps the card's special ability (the card effect is an addition to symbols and you may or may not use it).

The second die is not taken into consideration in the first Combat round and will be used in the second Combat round.

Example: a player has rolled a Hit symbol on the die and has a card with a Hit symbol, its effect is: two Hits give an Evade. The player now has two Hits (card plus die) and an Evade.

Important: only playing a card allows you to receive Support from another player.

Support from another player in the same Area

After rolling the dice for the Combat round, but before choosing the player die and Combat cards the fighting player can request Support from another player whose plane is in the same Area (you cannot play a Support card on yourself unless permitted by a card effect). Another player can Support them by playing a Combat card in such a way that Support symbols from it will create a Sequence with the Support symbols on the Combat card played by the fighting player. Players can freely discuss the options for Support, and that knowledge can help the fighting player to choose the best Combat card.

Important: Giving Support does not require ammunition

Through Support the fighting player can gain additional "Hit", "Evade", or "Wild" symbols to use during the given Combat round.

A Sequence is a set of three identical symbols coming from both Combat cards (the one played by the fighting player and the one played by the player supporting them). An additional Hit symbol is acquired by creating a Sequence of 3 Hit symbols, and an additional Evade symbol is acquired by creating a Sequence of 3 Evade symbols. The Wild symbol replaces any missing symbol.

Example:

Maneuver + Maneuver + Hit = Hit, OR Evade + Evade + Maneuver = Evade

Note: Whenever you play a Combat card in Support, you never activate the card's ability.

Important: Three Wild symbols do not form a Sequence. There must be at least one leading symbol (Hit or Evade).

Note: A Fighting player can receive only one Support during their entire Combat Phase.

The Support card can be added only to the card played in the same Combat round. The Support card is discarded at the end of the Combat round in which it was played.

Support section of the Combat Card

Dealing damage

The player checks the results on the chosen die and all Luftwaffe dice and applies them accordingly.

Each Hit dealt to the attacking player counts as one damage. Hits can be canceled either by dice symbols, the effect of the played Combat card, or as an effect of Support played by another player in the same Area.

Damage dealt to the player's plane is represented by randomly drawing Damage Tokens from the supply and placing them on the Player's board.

Hits dealt to the Luftwaffe plane can count as damage. Sometimes one Hit result is enough to deal damage to a Luftwaffe aircraft, but sometimes it requires multiple Hits to be dealt at the same time (see below).

The Luftwaffe plane can cancel Hits only using the symbols (Reroll) from the Luftwaffe dice.

For each damage dealt to the target, the player places one of their wooden markers on the plane's base. If the number of markers on the base (no matter their color) is equal to or higher than that plane's Toughness, it is destroyed.

After assigning the damage to themself and to the opponent, the player discards the Support card played by the ally (if any). Next the fighting player decides how to approach the second Combat round.

Remeber: If the German plane is shot down, Hits it rolled still count.

Remember: A Maneuver (from the die and the card) can be used either to activate the card's ability or to gain a token. Hit from die and card can be used to deal damage and activate the card's ability. Evade from die and card can be used to avoid damage and activate the card's ability.

The second Combat round must be executed, unless there are no more opponents in the Area.

Damage tokens

For every damage dealt to the player's plane, they must draw one random token from their supply, turn it face up and place it on an empty space on the damage track on their Player board (from left to right). Each token placed on a Player board usually provides a penalty. If the plane receives a fifth damage, it is destroyed and the Pilot is shot down.

• no free move
• discard one Combat card (your choice)
• hand size reduced by 1
• no extra damage

Toughness

Each plane and ground target has a number that corresponds to how much damage it can take before being destroyed. This is simply called "Toughness," which is specified for each plane in the Compendium. When the amount of damage taken reaches the Luftwaffe plane's Toughness, it is shot down.

Toughness is represented in the form of a sequence of various numbers of Hit symbols. They indicate the number of Hits on dice and/or cards that have to be scored in one Combat round to deal damage to the plane. To deal damage that is marked by 1 Hit symbol, 1 Hit scored in the Combat round is enough. To deal damage that is marked by 2 Hit symbols, the player has to score 2 Hits in one Combat round. It is possible to deal more than 1 point of damage during 1 Combat round, but requirements have to be met for each point of damage in the sequence you want to deal. Scored Hits which are not enough to deal another point of damage are lost.

Some of the Areas on the board can be a target of Luftwaffe bombing – they are being attacked against their Toughness.

Each target has its points of Toughness: London = 4 Each Factory = 3 Each Port = 3 Each Radar = 2 Each Airfield = 3

All German planes have their Toughness points: Bf 109 = 2 Hit symbols (1, 1) Bf 110 = 1 sequence of 2 Hit symbols He 111 = 3 Hit symbols (1, 2, 1) Ju 87* = 2 Hit symbols (1, 1) Do 17* = 3 Hit symbols (2, 2, 1) Ju 88* = 2 Hit symbols (2, 2)

* - planes from expansions.

Example: The Messerschmitt Bf 109 has 2 points of Toughness, both marked by a single Hit symbol. 2 Hits are enough to down it, either in 1 or 2 Combat Rounds.

The Heinkel He 111 has 3 points of Toughness, the first one marked by a 1 Hit symbol, the second one by 2 Hit symbols, and the third one by a 1 Hit symbol again.

To deal the first point of damage 1 scored Hit is enough. To deal the second point of damage 2 Hits have to be scored in one Combat round. If the He 111 is undamaged, and the player scores 2 Hits, it would have been enough to deal just the first point of damage - the surplus Hit would be lost. To deal 2 points of damage in one Combat Round to an undamaged He 111 the player would have to score 3 Hits. To deal the third point of damage, 1 Hit would be enough.

2. Second Combat round

During the second Combat round the player can attack the same Luftwaffe plane, but can decide to target another enemy aircraft in the same Area. No matter what the player chooses, they do not reroll any of their dice (blue and yellow). The results of the first roll are used through the whole Fight - in both Combat rounds.

The player attacks the same opponent

Both symbols from the dice and the card played in the first Combat round will also be used in the second Combat round. That is why the player keeps the first chosen die along with the Combat card played in the first Combat round (if any).

If a player played a card in the first round of Combat and plays a card in the second round of Combat then he will have at his disposal a total of 2 symbols from the card and die from the first round of Combat and 2 symbols from the die and card from the second round of Combat - a total of 4 symbols. The exception is the Maneuver symbol from the card. It can be used only once for the entire Combat phase. The Maneuver symbol coming from the die is used in both rounds of Combat. On top of that, the player will be able to activate the special ability of the card played in the second round of Combat. The ability of a card from the first round of Combat cannot be activated in the second round of Combat even if it was not activated during the first round of Combat.

If a player does not play a card in the second round of Combat, he has at his disposal a die from the first round of Combat and a symbol from a card from the first round of Combat (he cannot use the effect of a card played in the first round) and a die allocated for the second round of Combat, that is, a total of 3 Symbols.

If a player did not play a card in the first round of Combat, but plays it in the second round, he has at his disposal the die from the first round, the die intended for the second round and the symbol from the card played in the second round, i.e. 3 symbols. On top of that, he can activate the effect of the card.

Note: Support symbols and the special ability of the card do not carry over Combat rounds.

Next, the attacking player takes the Luftwaffe dice corresponding to the type of German aircraft that they are attacking and rolls them again. Remember - do not reroll the player's other die!

Then, the player may choose to play a second Combat card, putting it on top of the previously played Combat card and overlapping it in such a way, that it covers the effect of the first card. Then, the second die (RAF or special) is placed on this new Combat card.

If possible, the effect of the card can be triggered. The player now has up to 4 symbols to use (the card and die used in the first Combat round and the card and die from the second Combat round), as well as a special ability from the card from the second Combat round, provided it is activated.

Remember: activating the card's effect is not mandatory.

At this point, the Support can be requested, unless it already happened during the first Combat round (the fighting player can only receive one Support during their entire Combat Phase).

This is followed by the assignment of the damage, as in the first round. The remainder of the second Combat Round is resolved in the same manner as the first Combat round.

Example: Players Blue and Yellow want to attack the group of Luftwaffe planes. There is a Bf 109 with He 111. Players decide that the Blue player will attack a Bf 109 first. Blue reduces their ammo by 1 and begins the Fight.

First Combat Round:

The Blue player takes 2 blue dice for themself and 2 red dice for the German fighter. They roll all the dice at the same time. The results are: Hit and Evade on reds and Hit and Maneuver on blue. Players discuss the option of supporting the attack, but they mutually agree, that it is better to save that option for later, as the player can get Support only once during the entire Combat Phase.

Blue Player decides to use the die with the Maneuver symbol and plays a card. On the other die the player rolled a Hit, but using it right now would be a waste, as it would be canceled by the Evade symbol on the red die. Therefore, Blue will use the die with a Hit in the second round of the Combat.

The Bf 109 has also rolled one Hit, but thanks to the ability of the played card, it's canceled. The symbols from the die have been used to activate the ability of Blue's card. The Maneuver can be used only once in that Combat round, but the Hit is working for both – shooting and activating the card. No one received any damage so far, but Blue is building an advantage for the next round.

Second Combat round:

At the beginning of the second round, the Blue player rerolls both red dice for the opponent (but not the remaining blue die). The new results for the Bf 109 are 2 Hits (Ouch!)

Blue takes their second die (Hit result – rolled at the beginning of the Combat) and decides to play another card. Because they continue to Fight with the same opponent, the results from the first and second Combat rounds are combined – this way the player has 4 symbols to use. The Maneuver symbol coming from the card can be used only once for the entire Combat. The Maneuver symbol coming from the die is used in both rounds of Combat. That is why the Blue player has 4 symbols at its disposal in the second round of the Combat. Remember: A Maneuver (from the die and the card) can be used either to activate the card's ability or to gain a token. Hit/Evade from die and card can be used to deal /avoid damage and activate the card's ability. They may also activate the special effect from the card just played. Now they have 2 Hits – enough to down the Bf 109 (it requires 2 damages to be destroyed).

However, Blue Player would receive 2 Hits. To avoid it, they ask for the Support of the Yellow Player (it can be done because there was no Support in the first round, and both players' planes are in the same Area).

The Yellow Player can play a card and create the set of 3 white symbols that are located in the upper middle section of the active (Blue Player's) card as well as the supporting card played by the Yellow Player.

Thanks to the set of symbols (from their own card) + (from Yellow player's card), the Blue Player receives an additional Evade symbol. He needs to avoid damage, so he uses it to cancel one Hit. The second one will be assigned to him. The Blue player draws a damage token and places it on their Player's board. The Combat of the Blue Player ends.

The player attacks a different opponent

The attacking player can choose another target for the second Combat round (the first target doesn't have to be shot down – the player is free to change targets if they want to do so). Once they chose the new target, they discard the previously played card if its special effect does not last for the entire Fight (e.g. allows the execution of an additional, third Combat round) and the first die. However, they keep the result from the second die - it will still be used.

Then the player takes the Luftwaffe dice corresponding to the type of their new target and rolls them.

Next, they can decide to play a Combat card from their hand and use it along with their second die to attempt to achieve better results.

Remember, that if the player is targeting a different aircraft than in the first Combat round, they use only the die and the card played in this second round.

At this point, the Support can be requested, unless it already happened during the first Combat round (the fighting player can only receive one Support during their entire Combat Phase, no matter whether they fight the same or different targets).

Just as in the first Combat round, the player does not have to play a Combat card if they do not want to. In this case, the player cannot receive any Support.

This is followed by the assignment of the damage, as in the first round.

No opponent in the same Area

If a player participated in the first Combat round they must also participate in the second Combat round, unless there are no enemy aircraft left in the area.

Pilots shot down

If, as a result of received damage, a plane is destroyed, its Pilot is considered to be shot down. When an Allied plane is destroyed, it grants all the German squadrons in the same Area and all the adjacent Areas an additional Move action (German morale rises). If there is a German plane with an assigned Maneuver token, instead of making a move, it removes the token.

Note: Withdrawing does not cause an additional German Movement.

Note that the bonus German move may mean they move away from RAF planes (possibly avoiding Fights) or could move into Areas with RAF planes and trigger new Fights.

Note also that the Germans can get what amounts to two moves - one per RAF Pilot shot down plus their regular move which happens in German Phase. You must plan carefully, where you move and the sequence in which you resolve your Combats.

The player who played the shoot-down Pilot moves the plane to the starting Area indicated in the scenario, in Phase VI: Reorganization draws a new Pilot card, draws Combat cards and returns to play the next turn.

Example: In the Combat Phase, the Blue Player attacked the He 111 bomber, inflicted 1 damage, and assigned 2 Maneuver tokens to it, stopping it for 2 turns, but also received 1 damage.

Three Bf 109 fighters covering the bombers Counterattack and roll 6 red dice, getting 6 Hits.

Blue Player can play a card avoiding only one Hit. The blue plane already has 1 damage, and 4 more damage from the German fighters destroys it and shoots it down.

Enthused with this victory, German pilots in this Area and adjacent Areas are granted immediately one additional Movement action. Yes, this means if a player is shot down early in a Combat, the targets might move away and other players who had not Fought yet may lose their opportunity to initiate Combat.

The damaged He 111 removes one of the Maneuver tokens, the Bf 109s, and the second He 111 from Area A7 fly to Area A5, according to their route. The He 111 from Area A5 goes to its target, Biggin Hill airfield, and starts Bombardment.

End of combat

This is how all the Fights should be resolved in each Area where players decided to attack.

Remember: Players can choose to attack Luftwaffe forces in any order they like and only those who decided to Fight have to do so. This means players can be in the same Area as German planes and choose not to Fight them, but they will be attacked by Germans during the Counterattack (Phase IV).

The Combat Phase ends once all the Fights have been resolved.

Phase IV: Counterattack

After the Combat in Phase III, the Germans will Counterattack in Phase IV. In Phase IV any German fighters (but not bombers) which were not shot down, did not participate in the Combats in Phase III will throw dice to Counterattack unless the fighter has been marked with a Manoeuvre token.

Counterattacks are resolved Area by Area, in the order chosen by the players.

In each Area, the Counterattack happens only once each German fighters squadron. For each Area, players collect all of the dice used by all counterattacking Fighters from that squadron and roll them all at once.

During the Counterattack, only the propellers symbols on the Luftwaffe dice are used. All the small symbols (propellers) found on the Luftwaffe dice are treated as Hits. Each Hit does one damage to every player's plane in the Area.

Players have the option to cancel the damage being dealt to them. To cancel a hit, a player can play a Combat card from their hand with the matching propeller symbol in the upper right corner (no other symbol or card effect is involved). If the card has two propeller symbols, a player has to choose one of them (the other one is ignored as well as all other symbols and text on the card). Players may freely discuss what propellers they are capable of blocking.

Cancelling a hit requires an exact matching of the propeller blade symbols. You cannot cancel a "2-blade" attack with a "3-blade" or "4-blade" symbol. On the other hand, the "Wild" symbol can be used to cancel any of the counterattack symbols.

Defence section of the Combat Card

All players in the Area may play a card to defend against a Counterattack, regardless of whether Support was given and even if the planes chose not to Fight that turn. Players can freely discuss what defensive cards they have available.

Each player in the Area can play only one Combat Card to cancel one damage (from one die), but the damage is cancelled for all the friendly planes in the Area.

For each Hit that has not been cancelled, all the players in the Area receive damage.

If a Pilot is shot down as a result of a Counterattack, the rules concerning Pilots shot down must be applied (see the page 13).

Example: Blue attacked the brown squadron in which there are 1 Bf 109 and 2 He 111 located in Area A7 and they were shot down by the Bf 109. The Brown Squadron as a result of shooting down a RAF plane gets an additional move and moves to Area A5.

The Red player's plane is present in this Area and it hasn't fought yet. It can now attack the newly arrived brown German squadron. If Red had fought earlier in the turn, he would not have been able to attack. Since the brown Bf 109 fought the Blue player's plane earlier, it will not be able to counterattack.

Red fought against a black squadron in which there are 4 Bf 109s and 2 He 111s. During his two rounds of fighting, he tied up two of the four Bf 109s in combat but did not shoot down any german plane, receiving 4 damage itself. The Combat Phase is over.

Now, all the German planes, that did not fight during the Combat Phase, will counterattack. As a result of the counterattack, Red is shot down and so, the black German squadron receives an additional movement action.

It uses it and flies into the field where the Green and Yellow players are. They will not be attacked by the players, because the Combat Phase already occured during this turn. They will also not Counterattack because they have already Counterattacked.

Example: The Blue Player used both Combat rounds to attack a Bf 109 and shot it down. In the first Combat round, the Yellow Player attacked the He 111, and during the second one he attacked the Bf 109. One Bf 109 did not fight, so it counterattacks in Phase IV. One Bf 109 rolls 2 red dice. 2 Hits are rolled (with a double and a triple propeller).

The Yellow Player plays a card with a triple propeller, which cancels that hit for all friendly planes in the Area.

Unfortunately, the Blue player does not have a card with a double propeller, so both Yellow and Blue take one damage. Each of them draws one damage token and places it on their Player's board.

Phase V: The German Phase

In Phase V, the Luftwaffe aircraft can move and perform bombing attacks.

1. Movement

All the German aircraft (both Bombers and Fighters) that have not been stopped (do not have a Maneuver token) move according to the path described in the Scenario guidelines (they follow the path marked by the Route and Direction Tokens). The same goes for the planes that appeared as a result of additional Events (if the additional Event does not specify any other behavior).

Squadrons always move first, followed by individual planes.

Squadrons with bombers always move first, followed by Squadrons with only fighters. German fighters are always (in the Basic Game) in Close Escort or Patrol mode, but circumstances can make them shift from one to the other and back. See German Modes on page 16.

2. Bombing attacks

If the goal of a German squadron is to bomb a target, then after reaching the target, they begin bombing. Each target has a certain number of Toughness points (see Toughness on page 10). Each bomber begins bombardment as soon as it reaches the Area with the target (as long as the Scenario, an Event, or a help card does not modify it). Each bomber drops bombs according to their abilities (see the Compendium).

Extra damage points beyond the target's Toughness are wasted. Unless Scenario rules state otherwise, German bombers attack only one target and then return to their base.

Phase VI: Reorganization

If a player landed on an Airfield in the Phase II, they use the acquired Action Points to repair and/or to refill the plane ammunition and/or get Combat cards (see page 8, Landing). Upon landing, being at the airfield every turn a player receives 4 action points, which they can use freely to: draw Combat Cards / repair damage / replenish ammunition. 1 action point = 1 card / 1 damage repair / 2 ammo.

Example: Yellow Player has landed at the airfield in the Movement Phase. During the Reorganization Phase, they could do the following: use 4 action points to remove 2 damage tokens from their plane, get 2 ammo points and draw one card. Next turn the Yellow Player can come back to the Fight or wait at the airfield to get another 4 action points.

• If in the previous phase, a pilot was shot down or Withdrew from the Fight, the player draws a new Pilot card, places it on their Player board, putting away the previous card face down next to their Player's board. Then the player sets the ammo indicator to 4, draws Combat cards to the full limit of six cards, and removes all the damage from their plane (unless the Scenario sets different levels).

• If a player has a face-down Pilot card, he turns it over.

• If you are playing using the Specialization rules, move the indicator on the Player board one space towards the green field.

• If the turn marker is not on the space indicating the end of the Scenario, move it to the next space.

• If the turn marker is on the space indicating the end of the Scenario, the game ends.

• If the Luftwaffe has completed the goal of an ongoing Event, remove all planes from the finished Event and put them back into the box.

• If players have completed the goal of an ongoing Event, each player who had a part in the completion of the goal of the Event receives a Medal.

End of the game

The game ends:

• at the end of the last turn indicated in the Scenario, or
• immediately at the end of a turn, when all the Pilots have been shot down or Withdrawn and there is no one in the Reserve to replace them, or
• immediately at the end of a turn if the Luftwaffe or Players have achieved their Scenario Goal.

Players win when:

• they have met the goal of the Scenario.

Players lose when:

• the Germans have met the goal of the Scenario, or
• a new Pilot must be brought into the game and the Reserve is empty.

Events and Medal tokens

Events are additional situations that can occur during the Scenario. There are 4 different Events (in three types in the base game) in the game: "My God, They Are Doing It!", "Air Supremacy", "Seek and destroy", and "On patrol". They are inspired by actual events, that pilots had to face during the Battle of Britain.

When players do something that contributes to a successful Event (such as shooting down an enemy plane), put one of their colored markers on the Event card, to mark that they will earn a Medal if the Event is successfully dealt with. It is not necessary to put more than one marker per Event card.

Medal tokens

For achievements on the battlefield, players obtain Medals, which can be used to gain additional benefits.

Medals are awarded for:

• participating in a successful Scenario Event (such a medal is awarded in Phase VI: Reorganization);
• shooting down 5 enemy aircraft (such a medal is awarded after shooting down the 5th aircraft);
• at the end of the game for winning the Scenario (such a medal is awarded only to the pilots that are in play, not to the ones in reserve, nor the ones shot down, nor the ones who Withdrew).

Medals are assigned to the Pilots who got them. If the Pilot is shot down or Withdraws from the Fight, his Medals are lost and have to be returned to the reserve. There is no limit to the number of Medals a single Pilot can receive.

A player can spend their Medals to get benefits, but each Medal can be used only once per game. Once spent, the Medal token is returned to the reserve.

Using medals If a player wants to use a medal, they simply return the token to the reserve. In return, they can perform one of the following:

• Use another player's Pilot ability - any player can use the Ability of any Pilot who is currently in the game. They can do it at the moment they wish to use the Ability. A player has to wait until the part of the turn when the special ability can be used, and it is only then, when they can use it (i.e. you cannot take a free move during the Reorganization Phase). A player cannot spend a Medal to use the Ability of their own Pilot.
• Withdraw from the Fight (see Withdraw on page 6).
• Prevent an additional Movement of one selected German squadron, which would happen because of another pilot being shot down - any player whose Pilot is located in the Area or adjacent to where another Pilot was shot down can use a Medal to prevent the additional movement (see Pilots shot down on page 13). One Medal can be used to prevent an additional Movement of one selected German squadron.

There is no limit to the number of Medals that can be used by different Pilots in that same Area but one Pilot can use only one Medal per turn.

Maneuver tokens

As a result of playing a Combat card, or rolling the die a player may gain a Maneuver token. This token has several uses. After acquiring the token, the player decides whether to place it on their Player board, or to assign it to a German aircraft with which they fought. Each player can store up to 3 Maneuver tokens on their Player board.

The Maneuver token can be used immediately.

• Player assigns the token to a German aircraft (places the token next to the plane) – an aircraft with an assigned Maneuver token cannot perform any actions, and cannot move during its next Movement Phase. It uses its Phase to discard one of its Maneuver tokens.

There is no limit of Maneuver tokens that can be assigned to a single aircraft, so it can be immobilized for several turns. Maneuver tokens are assigned to aircraft, not to entire squadrons.

• An Aircraft with a Maneuver token does not grant and not received a Combat die to/from other planes (e.g. a He 111 with a Maneuver token does not give a black die to another He 111).

The Maneuver token can be saved for later and used:

• during your second Combat round;
• in the next turn's Movement Phase, to Disengage (break away from the opponents). Maneuver tokens stored in one turn can only be kept until the end of the next turn's Movement phase, after which they must be discarded from the Player board;
• to help activate certain cards' special effects.

Note that the Maneuver symbol can be used only once in one Combat round to activate a card OR to gain a token.

Remember:

• The Maneuver symbol coming from the die is used in both rounds of Combat if you are fighting the same opponent.

• The Maneuver symbol coming from the card can be used only once for the entire Combat.

German modes

Depending on the circumstances German aircraft may be in different modes which describe how they act and react to different situations.

In the game we have the following modes for the German aircraft:

• Close escort
• Escape
• "Hun in the Sun"
• "Hunting"
• Offensive
• Patrol

Close escort

Fighters in Close escort move along with German bombers, if both types of the Luftwaffe aircraft share the same Area. As long as one German bomber moves towards the target, the fighters move with it. If all bombers in the squadron are stopped (by assigning Maneuver tokens), the fghters do not move, and stay with them. If at least one bomber leaves the Area towards the target, the fighters (that can move) will move along with them (yes, they will leave stopped bombers behind).

During Combat, Close escort fighters will fight according to the normal rules. If Close escort fighters "lose" their bombers (due to them being shot down), they will try to join another squadron that includes bombers.

If, at the beginning of Phase V: Germans, a squadron with fighters in Close escort mode does not include any bombers and there is another squadron with bombers, they will move towards it the shortest possible route. Fighters will move 2 Areas per turn towards the squadron with bombers unless there are RAF planes that can be reached along the same path.

In this case, the fighters will switch to Patrol mode (see below) and attack the RAF planes. Once fighters without bombers enter an Area with bombers, they resume Close Escort status. If there are no squadrons with bombers, they will switch to Patrol mode.

Escape

German squadrons or aircraft in Escape mode do not attack, nor Counterattack if they are themselves attacked. If they are attacked they fight according to the standard rules. After the Fight, from the next phase of the Germans move 2 Areas per turn. If they have not been attacked they move one Area per turn.

"Hun in the Sun" (Fighters only)

(German first strike, used in specific Scenarios or Events) A favorite tactic of Luftwaffe Fighter units was to catch RAF fighters in the process of attacking a German formation and to intercept them from behind or above, flying out of the sun, if possible, to limit their view. To capture this in the game, there are designated moments when the Germans get to roll dice (either 1 or 2, as described in the Scenario) before Combat begins, using standard Counterattack procedure. The results of this roll can be countered with the usual RAF card responses, but any Hits are applied before the RAF begins their Combat, at the beginning of Phase III.

"Hunting"

There is one Event that involves the Luftwaffe aircraft seeking to shoot down one particular pilot. Event-specific rules are included in the scenario, but players may wish to incorporate this mode in other Scenarios or Events, to make them even more interesting.

Offensive

German fighters in this mode Move two Areas and Counterattack. They use the "Hun in the Sun" ability.

Patrol

Fighters in "Patrol" mode have as many actions as Combat dice, one action they use for Movement, and the other action allows for Counterattack or additional Movement, or is lost. Fighters in "Patrol" mode move according to the specified route, one Area per turn.

If they finish Movement in the Phase V: The Germans Phase in an Area with RAF planes then they attack them using the second action and using the Counterattack rules (they roll one less die because they have one action less). If they finish their the Phase V: The Germans Phase on an Area adjacent to the RAF planes, then they take an additional Movement action to the Area with RAF planes. They do not Counterattack because they have used both actions.

If they share an Area with RAF fighters and were attacked during the Phase III: Combat, they fight according to normal rules and do not Counterattack because they were engaged in combat (see page 14). They do not move during the Phase V: The Germans Phase. If they share an Area with RAF fighters and have not been attacked during the Phase III: Combat, they will attack them using Counterattack using two dice for each fighter because they have not consumed an action to move. They do not move during the Phase V: The Germans Phase.

Additional rules

For players already familiar with the game, who are looking for an even deeper experience, we have prepared the advanced rules.

German Elite Pilots ("Aces"): If you want to increase the difficulty level of the game, you may add "Aces" to Luftwaffe forces. German Elite Pilot tokens are used to designate certain German squadrons as being of an elite training level and with particularly effective leadership. Some Scenarios will include "Aces" or you can add them to your own Scenarios to increase the challenge.

You need to decide how many "aces" you want to use. There should be no more than one Ace per squadron.

The game includes both Bomber Aces (black tokens) as well as Fighter Aces (red tokens). For each squadron the token should be selected randomly within the type of corresponding Ace.

In case of a "mixed" squadron (that includes both Bombers and Fighters) players may choose which type of Ace they want for that squadron (but again, just pick ONE per squadron).

The Ace token is kept face down until an RAF plane enters the Area with the squadron. Once it happens, players reveal the token and check what the ability of the Ace is. After revealing the token, it has to be assigned to ONE plane of the appropriate type (Bomber or Fighter) in the squadron.

While the entire squadron will use the Ace benefits, if the plane designated as the "Ace" is shot down, the special ability is lost at the end of the turn.

Fighter Aces (red tokens)

• During Counterattack, all fighters in the squadron have a additional Hit.
• During Combat rolls, all Fighters in the squadron reroll any "blank" die (one time).
• During Combat, all Fighters in the squadron have a "free" Evade result.
• During Combat, all Fighters in the squadron roll an additional die.

Bomber Aces (black tokens)

• All aircraft in the squadron move one additional Area in the next German Phase after they have been attacked.
• All Bombers in the squadron require an additional Maneuver token to be assigned to be prevented from moving. I.e. A He 111 with one Maneuver token can still move.

Specialization

(Mostly used during Campaign but can be used in a single Scenario).

While playing each of the Scenarios included in the Campaign, Pilots may acquire new skills. This way they gain additional abilities when fighting with specific types of aircraft. To mark the level of Specialization, use the left side of the player board.

* Note the Specialization "clock" in the bottom left part of the Player Board. This is used to keep track of whether the player can use Specialization (when the indicator is in the green field) or if they are on a 'cooldown' recovering their ability.

Specialization has 3 levels. Each level is obtained after shooting down the required number of planes. Having a level III specialization, you can use level III, level II and level I specializations. Having a level II specialization, you can use level II and level I specializations. Having a level I specialization, you can use only the level I specialization.

The Specialization Bonus is limited to aircraft of a particular type - Fighters, Heavy Fighters, or Bombers. A player gains a bonus ONLY against that type of plane. The chosen Specialization is indicated with Specialization tokens with "bullet" signs:

• (1 bullet) = Fighters (Bf 109)
• (2 bullets) = Heavy Fighters (Bf 110 and Ju 88*)
• (3 bullets) = Bombers (He 111, Ju 87*, and Do 17*)
• * = available in expansions.

Each Player can possess only one Specialization.

To gain a specific level of Specialization you need to shoot down:

type/level	I level	II level	III level
Fighters	2	4	6
Heavy fighters	1	2	4
Bombers	1	3	4

Example: When the pilot shoots down 3 Bf 109s, you place the token on the specialization track at level I. When he shoots down the 7th Bf 109, you put the token on the track at Level II. The player can still choose to use Level I ability.

The specialization ability can only be used once per Combat. When you use it, move the indicator to the red field with the value corresponding to the level of the specialization, thus showing that you have used the specified ability.

Note that the Specialization bonus and increases in Level can both be added the instant the required number of planes is shot down, but when to select the actual plane type is up to the player.

For example, a player has already shot down 1 fighter and has just shot down his first bomber. He can NOW choose a Level I Bomber Specialization and keep it until the end of the game OR wait until he shoots down another fighter and choose a Level I Specialization that works against fighters. This is the player's choice and once made, he cannot change his decision.

At the end of the Reorganization phase, move the indicator one space towards the green field.

Example: Player 1 uses the 2nd level of his Specialization to move the indicator to the second red field (between numbers 3 and 4). Player 2 uses the 1st level of his Specialization, moving the indicator to the first red field (between numbers 2 and 3).

After the next turn, both players will move their Specialization indicator back one field, meaning Player 2's specialization is now "green" and available for use while Player 1 must wait another turn.

This lapse of time is why a player who has a Level II or III of their ability might want to choose to use his Level I ability during a game.

Specialization abilities:

I level: reroll of one blue RAF die; II level: add any Support symbol to the 1 Combat or Support card you played; III level: change the result on one of your blue RAF die to any possible result.

Specializations are related to the Pilot (not the player). If the Pilot with the Specialization is Withdrawn (or shot down), the Pilot taken from the reserve might have a different specialization or none at all. Specialization stays with the pilot through the Scenarios of the Campaign game.

Starting Area

Choosing starting Area (used in specific Scenarios or Events):

The starting Area of the players is always presented in the Scenario but sometimes Scenarios allow players to change their starting Area (at the beginning of the Scenario), by paying a certain price. If the player wants to change his starting Area, he must discard (after the Combat draw and before Movement) respectively:

• From Northolt to London - 1 card.
• From Northolt to Biggin Hill - 2 cards.
• From Northolt to Tonbridge - 3 cards.

If the player changes his starting Area in this way, it is treated as if they were in the air and they can normally move without taking off (for free according to the rules, by playing a card to move or by using their pilot's ability). Each player decides for himself.

The Campaign

All the available Scenarios can be combined into one game, thus creating a Campaign. For the first Campaign we suggest the following order of Scenarios:

Attack on Biggin Hill - Blitz - Home, Sweet Home or Coming Home.

Additional Scenarios from expansion packs can be worked into Campaign games.

To win the Campaign, the players must win at least two Scenarios and one of them must be the last Scenario.

The course of the Campaign:

Players choose the first Scenario and play it according to the standard rules but the Campaign starts without German aces.

In the Campaign, Pilots who are shot down are considered to have successfully escaped their planes and landed on the ground. They will be available in the next Scenario. Record any victories and Medals they scored, and they will start the next Scenario with these in place.

Pilots who Withdraw are out of the game for the remainder of the Scenario. In the Campaign game, record any victories and Medals they have scored before they Withdrew. When they enter the game again, they will still have these victories and Medals.

In both cases, these Pilots will start the next Scenario in Reserve. Players should start a Scenario using the same Pilot, that they were using while ending the previous scenario.

Note: We realize some players will want to play their "favorite" Pilot whenever possible, or use a Pilot with a higly developed Specialization. We encourage you to use all the different Pilots to try all their special abilities.

If two or more Pilots have been shot down in a Scenario, one of them will be considered "injured" and will skip the next Scenario. Randomly select one of the shot-down Pilot cards and put it aside. You will play the next Scenario with a smaller Reserve.

Any Medals not used in the Scenario which just ended are carried over to the next Scenario. In a Campaign game, after you finish a Scenario and before starting a new one Scenario, players record their victories and return the models to the box to be used in the next Scenario. In the next Scenarios, they introduce the following changes, depending on whether they have won the previous Scenario or they have lost it:

a) If players lose the Scenario:

• no one receives a Medal
• do not add German aces

b) If players win the Scenario:

• each player receives a Medal
• in the next scenario add one random German ace to each German squadron.

Events have a big impact on success or failure in Campaigns: a) If players win the Event(s):

• each player receives a Medal for each Event that they managed to accomplish.

b) If players lose the Event(s):

• any "failed" Event causes the infrastructure on the ground to be damaged. Therefore, one player draws a Target Damage tile for each Event that has not been completed and puts this token on an appropriate Area.

Here are the penalties for failed Events:

• Factory: players start with 3 Combat cards. They gain cards as normal. Their max hand size is still 2+ammo.

• London: players lose one random Pilot from the Reserve.

• Port: Receive one less Action Point when landing.

• Radar: For each Radar knocked out, one German squadron will be Hidden in the next Scenario. Use the rules for Hidden units and Reconnaissance on page 7.

Use following for radar damage results (Germans appear hidden):

• Damaged Poling - German squadrons deployed in Sector C are hidden.
• Damaged Canterbury - German squadrons deployed in Sector B are hidden.
• Damaged Newchurch - German squadrons deployed in Sector D and E are hidden.
• Damaged Pevensey - German squadrons deployed in Sector D and E are hidden.

2-3 players & Solo game

2 and 3 players

The game for 2 and 3 players is almost the same as the 4-player game.

When preparing the game for 2 players remove 3 random cards from the Pilots deck and remove them from the game.

When preparing the game for 3 players remove 2 random cards from the Pilots deck and set them aside (remove them from the game).

Note that Scenarios show different Deployment cards and (sometimes) different or fewer starting Areas in games with fewer players.

All other rules are the same as in 4-player games.

Solo game

Setup When preparing the solo game remove 3 random cards from the pilots deck and remove them from the game.

Gameplay

1. The player leads two pilots. They choose one of them to be the "Leader" and the other to be the "Wingman".

2. If the Leader lands or is shot down, the other pilot (if in the air) becomes the new Leader.

3. During the game the player can only use the Special Ability of the Pilot who is the Leader, but both Pilots can use the special die.

4. During the game the player uses two sets of Combat cards. One is in their hand - this is the Leader hand. The second set is put on the table below the Wingman player board - these are the Wingman cards.

5. The hand limit for the Leader is 3 + its current ammo level. The hand limit for the Wingman is always 4.

6. When the player draws cards at the beginning of the turn (Phase II: 2. Combat Card draw), first draw 1 card for the Wingman (if the Wingman already has 4 cards on the table, one of them should be replaced by a new one), then draw 3 cards for the Leader.

• If Zumbach is the Leader, then the player draws 4 cards for the Leader.

• If Łokuciewski is the Leader, then the player draws 5 cards and chooses 3 of them. In this case, the player can split the cards as they like between the Leader and the Wigman (remembering that the hand size limits of the Leader and of the Wingman are diffrent).

7. During their turn, the player can move their pilots one Area for free, provided that pilots Movement was not reduced as a result of sustained damage. Additionally, by playing a Combat card, the Movement can be extended by an additional 1 to 3 Areas. In this case, the player plays one card from the Leader's hand for both pilots.

If Feric is the Leader, both pilots have increased Movement range, but only if they fly together. If not, the Wingman moves according to the Leader card played.

8. During combat the Leader Fights first, followed by the Wingman.

• During a Leader's Fight, the player plays cards from his hand and the Wingman's cards can be a Support, provided that both pilots are in the same Area.

• During the Wingman's Fight, the player can play cards from their hand and/or from the table, and Leader cards can be a Support, provided both pilots are in the same Area.

9. Damage:

(hand size reduced) - the player lowers Leader's/Wingman's card limit by one (depending on which one received Damage).

(discard combat card) - if the damage is applied to the Leader, then the payer has to discard a card from his hand. If the damage is applied to the Wingman the player has to discard a card from the table.

Note: if the Wingman has no cards, the card must be discarded by the Leader.

10. During a Counterattack, the player can play one card from both the Leader and the Wingman.

11. Airfield: During a refill, the Leader always draws cards to his hand, the Wingman draws cards to the table.

All other rules are the same as in a 4-player game.

Symbols

The cards show what symbols or combinations are required to activate the card action. Here is a key to those symbols. (Note the difference between "only" and "or" ).

• Maneuver token or symbol from die or card;
• must use a Maneuver token to activate;
• only dice symbols can be counted (Maneuver);
• symbol from die or card (Evade);
• only dice symbols can be counted (Evade);
• symbol from die or card (Hit);
• only dice symbols can be counted (Hit);

FAQ & Combat cards

1. Combat cards: whenever you gain something, it means you add it to your total result. For example: "For each set XX gain X" means that you add X to your total result.

2. Combat card: "For the first set XX after the attack you may move your plane up to 2 Areas. For the next one you can move 1 Area" means that after the 1st Combat round you can move up to 2 Areas, after the 2nd, you can move up to 3 Areas. It's an exception to the rule which says that you must carry out both Combat rounds and this move is made before Damage is assigned.

3. "Hits before Luftwaffe" means you roll your dice and the Luftwaffe dice at the same time, as usual, but that your damage takes place before resolving any German results. The German dice results are cancelled if you shot the enemy down.

4. You can use the symbol from the Card (except the Maneuver symbol, if you use it in first Combat round) and die from the 1st Combat round during the 2nd Combat round if you Fight with the same opponent. Each symbol can be used only to create one set.

5. "First Strike" for players is a short way of describing "Hits before Luftwaffe" (described above). This First Strike is a part of Combat and it can be activated only from a combination of cards and dice.

6. The word "RAF" is used to describe player controlled pilots. Word "British" is used to describe allied pilots, which appear in some Scenarios and Events.

7. If a player has no ammo, he cannot initiate Combat but he can still use cards to Support other pilots or to Defend during a Counterattack.

Squadron & Special thanks

Game Design: Michał Kohmann

Cover: Piotr Forkasiewicz

Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz, Rafał Chałupnik, Mateusz Michalski, Magdalena Fajfer and Olga Leśniak

Graphic Designer & Logo design: Magdalena Fajfer

DTP: Hobbity.eu & Magdalena Fajfer

CEO & Development: Marek Przepiórka

English rules editing: Kevin Duke, Michel "Leviathan" Sorbet, Game Bakery

Polish rules editing: Jakub Pabisz, Wioletta Przepiórka

French version: Bożena Bibrzycka, Michel "Leviathan" Sorbet, Laurent Laveau

German version: Thorsten Hofmann, Martin Jelonek, Robert Rydlo, Marcin "Pomimo" Szrama

Player aid made by: Will Belford

Special thanks to: Christoph Cianci, Roberto Di Meglio, Kevin Duke, Łukasz Kaczaniuk, Weronika Kohmann, Daniel "Genus Solo" Korbely, Kamil Liber, Jakub Pabisz, Maciej Pietkiewicz, Wioletta Przepiórka, Michel "Leviathan" Sorbet, Marc Streed, Michał "Windziarz" Szewczyk, Mateusz Wójtowicz, Michał Zwierzyński, and thanks to all other playtesters for their great support and valuable suggestions.

Publisher: Hobbity.eu, ul. Jagiellońska 50 a, 33-300 Nowy Sącz — www.hobbity.eu — email: [email protected]

Distributor: Ares Games Srl, Via dei Metalmeccanici 16, 55041, Capezzano Pianore — www.aresgames.eu — email: [email protected]

Question, comments, and suggestions can be addressed to: [email protected]

Player aid

Phase 1 – Draw and reveal Event cards (if the scenario calls for it)

Phase 2 – Player phase

1. Use pilot Abilities Decide whether or not use your pilot's Ability:

• YES = turn pilot card over to remind you to use it
• NO = you can swap one RAF die for a yellow die on any Combat attempt.

If you have one of these pilots you can use their Ability now:

• Witold Łokuciewski – take 5 cards and keep 2, or take 2 from the discard pile
• Mirosław Feric – option to take an extra Manoeuvre token
• Jan Zumbach – draw one more card than normal, hand size +1.

Using other pilots' abilities: You can discard a Medal to use the Ability of any other pilot in the game at any time when that Ability applies.

2. Draw combat cards Draw 2 Combat cards and discard to current hand limit (2 + current ammo).

3. Move You can move 1 Area for free, unless your movement is reduced by damage, and play one Combat card (only) to move up to 3 extra Areas.

Discard all unused Manoeuvre tokens when you've finished moving.

M. Feric can move +1 Area if he didn't take a Manoeuvre token earlier.

• Disengaging: If you're in an Area with Germans you can Disengage by moving to another Area. This costs 1 Movement or 1 Manoeuvre token for every 2 German planes in the Area (rounded down). Ignore German planes with Manoeuvre tokens.

• Withdrawing: If you were in Combat in the previous turn you can discard a Medal to Withdraw and put your plane at an airfield. That pilot is out of the Scenario and you start with a new pilot.

4. Reconnaissance If your pilot is in an Area adjacent to a Hidden German squadron he can make a Reconnaissance action to reveal it. Either enter the Area or stay where you are and play two cards with the Manoeuvre symbol.

That pilot can't attack any unit this turn, not only revealed squadron but others can. Reconnaissance is done in spite of fighting. If no-one attacks, the German bombers don't fight, but fighters on Close Escort (or Patrol if not attacked first) will Counterattack with two dice each during the German turn.

5. Land

• If you're in an Area with an Airfield you can land for a cost of 1 Movement.

Phase 3 – Combat

If you decide to attack you must fight two Combat rounds. You can't withdraw after the first.

1st. Combat round

1. Reduce your ammo by one (one ammo covers both Combat rounds)

2. Take 2 RAF blue dice (or 1 blue and 1 yellow if you didn't flip your Ability card earlier) and the dice for the German plane you're attacking.

3. Roll all the dice and choose one of yours to use this round. Keep the other die result the next round. If you're playing:

• Josef Frantisek, roll 3 RAF dice and choose 2, change Evades to Hits.
• Witold Urbanowicz, roll 3 RAF dice and keep the 3rd for another pilot to use.

4. Play a Combat card if you want to.

5. If can ask for Support from another pilot in the same Area, he can play a Combat card with symbols matching those on your Combat card. You can only get Support once in the whole Combat phase. If Ludwik Paszkiewicz is in the Area every pilot here can receive the Support twice per whole Combat.

6. Resolve the dice results and check whether you can change or cancel any of the German rolls with your dice results, Combat card or Support card.

7. Draw Damage Tokens randomly and place them left to right on your plane card.

8. Record damage points to the German plane.

2nd. combat round

1. Decide whether to keep attacking the same plane or choose a new target:

• if a new target, discard your 1st Combat card unless it has an effect that lasts for the whole fight.
• if the same target, use the symbols from the dice and card played in the first round (but not Support or Abilities).

2. Roll dice for the German plane you're attacking.

3. Decide whether or not you want to play a new Combat card. If you do, place it covering the text at the bottom of the first card. If you're attacking a new opponent you can't get Support unless you play a Combat card now.

4. Assign the remaining die roll from the first round to your Combat card.

5. If you didn't get Support from another pilot in the first round, you can ask them to play a Combat card with symbols matching those on your Combat card.

If you've played a 2nd card for the 2nd round the Support card can only match the symbols on that card. If Ludwik Paszkiewicz is in the Area every pilot here can receive the Support twice per whole Combat.

6. Resolve all symbols (potentially 4: card and die from first round, card and die from second round) and any Ability you've activated in the second round.

If you used the yellow die and got a negative result, apply the damage now.

7. If you shot down a German, place the model next to the board.

Phase 4 – Counterattack

1. Identify all German fighters that weren't involved in fights and don't have a Manoeuvre token on them.

2. Roll the dice for each fighter.

3. Play a Combat card (each pilot) and choose one propeller symbol in the top-right corner. Each symbol evades one German hit with the same symbol.

4. Each propeller symbol not evaded does 1 damage to every RAF plane in the Area.

Every pilot in the Area can play a card to evade Hits, whether or not they were involved in the fight or have already given support that turn.

Shot down: If a player's plane is destroyed, all German squadrons in that and all adjacent Areas can either make an extra move or remove one Manoeuvre token. If they move into an Area containing player's plane this can start a new fight.

Any pilots in the same or an adjacent Area to where the pilot was shot down can each play a Medal to prevent one of these moves.

Phase 5 – Germans

1. Move: All German planes without Manoeuvre token move according to the scenario guidelines (unless otherwise specified).

Planes with a Manoeuvre token can't do anything except remove the token.

Squadrons with bombers move first, then squadrons with fighters, then individual planes. In the Basic Game, German fighters are always in either Close Escort or Patrol mode.

2. Bomb: If the Germans reach a target, each bomber drops bombs according to its ability. Each target has a Toughness score and hits above that are lost. Unless otherwise specified, the bombers then return to base.

Fighter modes

Close escort: Close escorts always move with the bombers, even if only one leaves an Area towards a target. They fight normally and if not engaged will counter-attack.

If all their bombers are shot down they switch to Patrol mode unless there's a bomber squadron. If so, they move 2 Areas per turn towards it and resume Close Escort. If they encounter RAF planes on that path they switch to Patrol mode and attack.

Patrol: Fighters not assigned to bombers move one Area per turn on their course until they're in an Area adjacent to RAF planes. If attacked = fight and counter-attack.

During the German phase: RAF in their Area = stay and attack OR RAF in adjacent Area = move and attack

If they weren't already attacked this turn, they counter-attack the RAF planes (minus one red die if they moved).

Offensive: The German squadron moves according to its movement points, other rules follow the Patrol mode rules.

Escape: German squadrons or aircraft in Escape mode move 1 Area per turn. They won't attack and will only have Combat or Counterattack if attacked.

Phase 6 – Reorganise - Move the turn marker forward.

Landed: If you landed at an airfield, spend your 4 Action points to: 1 action point = 1 card / 1 damage repair / 2 ammo

Shot down or withdrew: If a pilot was shot down or withdrew, draw a new pilot card, remove all damage, reset ammo to default value (Hurricane =4, Spitfires= 5) and draw 6 new Combat cards.

Specialisations: If you're playing with Specialisations, move the indicator on the board one space towards the green field.

Game end

The game ends:

• at the end of the last turn in the scenario;
• if all pilots are shot down or withdraw and there are no reserves to replace them;
• if the Germans achieve their goal.

Winning and losing

The players win if they achieve the goal of the scenario. They lose if the Germans meet their goal or there are no new pilots to replace those shot down or withdrawn.

2 and 3 player games: Randomly remove 3 cards from the Pilot deck for two players, and 2 for three players.