Down in Flames: Aces High
Down in Flames: Aces High Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Set-Up
- The Fighter Cards
- Sequence of Play
- The Action Cards
- Tactic Cards
- "+1 Hit" Cards
- Card Play
- Detailed Action Card Rules
- Positions
- Positioning
- Altitude
- Bombers
- Bomber Turrets
- Bomber Action Cards
- Loaded Fighters
- Playing a Campaign
- Options
- Select Flak Pattern
- Resolve Mission
- Select Bombing Pattern
- Resolve Flak
- Bomb Target
- Determine Mission Success
- Determine Campaign Victory
- Optional Rules:
- Free-for-All
- Pacific / European Action Cards
- Multiple Action Card Decks
- Campaign Scaling
- Balancing VPs and Fighter Values
- Starting Altitude Card Bonus
- Skilled Pilot Counters
- Credits
- Sample Dogfight Turn
Set-Up
There are two types of cards in the game, Action cards (which you hold in your hand), and Aircraft cards (which you place on the table.)
The card on the left is an "Ace Pilot" Action card. The card on the right is a "Bf-109E Emil" Aircraft card.
Preparing the Cards
Shuffle the 110 Action cards to form a draw deck and place it facedown in the middle of the table.
You and your opponent must first agree on a Victory Point (VP) total and year for your battle.
Example: A good introductory battle is between a British Spitfire I and a German Bf-109E.
You and your opponent each secretly choose 1 fighter card whose VP value and year does not exceed the agreed upon point value or year. Both of you then simultaneously reveal your fighter cards.
Example: If you agree to a 12-point dogfight, taking place in 1941, you could choose the Russian P-39D Airacobra.
Each player places his fighter card on the table in front of him, and then draws Action cards equal to his fighter's Performance rating.
Selecting Altitude
After examining your Action cards, secretly choose a starting Altitude for your fighter using the Altitude counters. Select from: Very Low, Low, and Medium. Once everyone has decided on an Altitude, reveal the Altitude counters.
Randomly determine the first fighter to act. The owning player takes a turn, then players alternate taking turns back and forth until one fighter is shot down or both players have completed 6 turns.
Once both players have completed a turn, a round of play has been completed.
More Players and Planes
Down In Flames can easily be played with more than two players and two aircraft in a dogfight. These rules are written from the point of view of only having two aircraft for simplicity. To fly a dogfight with more than two aircraft, see the Optional rules.
How to Win
Shoot down the enemy fighter to immediately win the game. If neither fighter is shot down after 6 rounds of play, the game ends, and the player who inflicted the most Hits on the enemy fighter wins.
The Fighter Cards
Your fighter card represents your aircraft in the battle.
Nation and Year – The flag notes the fighter's nation and the year shows the year it entered service. These are used to set-up historical battles.
In World War II (WWII), there were two alliances, the Axis (Germany and Japan) and the Allies (Britain, Russia, Poland, and the United States). If you want to play historically accurate battles, they should involve Axis vs. Allied aircraft.
Name – The fighter's name and type.
Speed – During the Speed Maneuvering step of your turn, compare your Speed to the Speed of the enemy fighter. See the Speed Maneuvering rules for more details.
Performance - The number of cards in your hand may not exceed your Performance rating when you draw cards during either the Pre-Turn or Post-Turn Draw Cards step.
Example: You are playing the British Spitfire I, which has a Performance of 6. If you already have 6 cards in your hand, you may not draw cards because your hand is full. If you only held 5 cards, you would be allowed to draw 1 card.
Horsepower – Your fighter has 2 Horsepower numbers. Draw cards equal to the number on the left (your Pre-Turn Horsepower) at the start of your turn, and cards equal to the number on the right (your Post-Turn Horsepower) at the end of your turn. You cannot draw a card due to Horsepower if it would put you in excess of your Performance rating.
Bursts – Your Burst rating is the number of Bursts your fighter gets each turn when Neutral. When Advantaged, you get +1 Burst. When Tailing you get +3 Bursts.
Example: The American P-47D has a Burst rating of 2. When it is Advantaged it gets 3 Bursts, and 5 Bursts when Tailing.
Firepower – Apply this value to the number of Hits inflicted by each of your aircraft's attacks.
Example: The Russian La-7 has a Firepower of +1. If it plays an In My Sights card that inflicts 1 Hit, the La-7 would inflict 2 Hits.
Airframe – The number of Hits your fighter can take before its card is flipped to its Damaged side or shot down.
Example: The Polish P.11c will get flipped to its Damaged side when it suffers 2 Hits. It will get shot down when it suffers a total of 4 or more Hits.
Special Aircraft Notes
Gunner – Your fighter gets to use Gunner Bursts during your Action step against fighters that are Advantaged or Tailing your fighter. Your fighter's Firepower does not apply to Gunner Hits.
Example: The German Bf-110C can fire 1 Burst of In My Sights or Out of the Sun cards against 1 enemy fighter that is Advantaged or Tailing it.
Gunner attacks are modified by cards that increase the Hits inflicted by an aircraft's next attack.
Example: The Bf-110C player plays a card on himself to score +1 Hit with his next attack. The next attack he initiates is a Gunner attack. The Gunner attack will inflict +1 Hit.
Turbocharger – A Turbocharger allows your fighter to select High as a starting Altitude. Fighters with Turbochargers treat High as Medium, and Very High as High, for Horsepower penalties.
Agile – Once during the Action step of each of your turns, you can play 1 Action card from your hand as if it were a Scissors card to change your position from Disadvantaged to Advantaged. The card you play is reacted to by the opposing player as if it were a Scissors card.
Example: The Polish P.11c is Agile. During your Action step, you play an In My Sights card and declare it to be a Scissors to change your position from Disadvantaged to Advantaged.
Agile does not allow you to play a card in reaction and declare it to be a Scissors.
Barrage – During the Action step of your turns, you can play In My Sights and Out of the Sun cards from your hand to gain the effect: "Tactic: Score +1 Hit with your next attack this turn."
Example: The UK Spitfire I has the Barrage notation. During your Action step, you play 2 In My Sights cards and declare that your next attack this turn will inflict 2 extra Hits.
Bombs – This value is only used in campaign missions.
Victory Points – Used for balancing missions and determining victory.
Example: The P.11c is worth 3 Points. If it is shot down during a dogfight, the opposing player scores 3 Victory Points.
Sequence of Play
When you're the acting player, perform the following steps during your turn:
- Pre-Turn Draw Cards
- Adjust Altitude
- Speed Maneuvering
- Actions
- Discard
- Post-Turn Draw Cards
Pre-Turn Draw Cards
Draw cards equal to your aircraft's Pre-Turn Horsepower. You may not draw a card if it would bring the number of cards in your hand above your aircraft's Performance rating.
Example: The P.11c has a Pre-Turn Horsepower of 1. If you already hold 4 Action cards, you may not draw a card.
Adjust Altitude
You can choose to stay at the same Altitude, climb one Altitude level, or dive one Altitude level.
For more details on Altitude, and changing Altitude, please see the Altitude rules.
Speed Maneuvering
Select one enemy aircraft to make use of your Speed advantage. The enemy aircraft must be at the same Altitude as your aircraft.
Actions
Declare an enemy aircraft at your Altitude to play cards against. The card play cycle of action and reaction is used for each card played. Continue playing cards as many times as desired.
You can choose to give up your Advantaged or Tailing position on an enemy fighter during your turn, and return to Neutral.
You can play cards against more than one enemy aircraft during this step.
Discard Cards
You may discard any cards remaining in your hand.
Post-Turn Draw Cards
Draw cards equal to your aircraft's Post-Turn Horsepower. You may not draw a card if it would bring the number of cards in your hand above your aircraft's Performance rating.
Example: The P.11c has a Post-Turn Horsepower of 0.
Damaging Fighters
If your aircraft suffers Hits that equal or exceed its Airframe rating, it is "Damaged". Flip your fighter card to its Damaged side. The Damaged side shows your fighter trailing smoke. You will notice its stats are reduced when damaged. If you hold more cards than its new Performance rating, you do not have to discard down to your new Performance.
If your fighter suffers Hits that equal or exceed the Airframe rating on its Damaged side, it is shot down. When your fighter is shot down, remove its card from the game and discard any Action cards remaining in your hand.
Place Hit counters on your aircraft card to keep track of the number of Hits it has suffered. When your aircraft card is flipped to its Damaged side, transfer the Hit counters to the Damaged side of the aircraft card. As you suffer damage, continue adding Hit counters until the aircraft is shot down.
Example: Your P.11c suffers 1 Hit from an In My Sights attack. You place a 1 Hit damage counter on it. Later, it suffers another 1 Hit attack, so you flip the Hit counter to its 2 Hit side. It takes 2 Hits to flip your P.11c fighter to its Damaged side, so you flip the fighter card and place the 2 Hit counter on it. Later, your fighter suffers 2 more Hits, which shoots it down.
Victory Points
When you shoot down a fighter, you gain Victory Points (VPs) equal to its VP value.
If an enemy aircraft ends the game Damaged, score victory points equal to one-half its normal point value (rounding down).
Example: A 3 Victory Point P.11c ends the game with 3 Hits scored against it. It has been flipped to its Damaged side. The opposing player scores 1 VP.
The Action Cards
Each Action card can be used in multiple ways. Cards can be used to adjust your fighter's position ("Maneuvering"), perform an attack or other action, and react to a card played by your opponent. Declare how you are using an Action card at the time you play it.
Down In Flames uses a unique Action & Reaction game mechanic. There are 3 different types of Action cards: Attack, Reaction, and Both.
The Red and Blue bars in an Action card's lower-left corner indicate when the card can be played.
Attack Cards (2 Red Bars) – Attack cards allow your aircraft to initiate an action during your turn. You cannot play these cards during an opponent's turn.
Reaction Cards (2 Blue Bars) – Reaction cards allow you to respond to a card played by an enemy player against your aircraft. Each reaction card can react to specific cards (listed in its React To area) including other reaction cards. This often leads to a chain of cards being played.
Attack & Reaction Cards (1 Red & 1 Blue Bar) – These cards can both initiate an action and react to certain other cards.
Example: You Play an In My Sights card. Your enemy counters it with a Barrel Roll. You counter the Barrel Roll with a Yo-Yo. Your enemy counters with a Vertical Roll. You do not have a card that reacts to the Vertical Roll. Your In My Sights attack is cancelled.
"Maneuvering" Cards
Most Action cards can be played as a Maneuvering card during your turn. Maneuvering is used to adjust your fighter's position relative to the opposing fighter.
The maximum number of positions the Maneuvering card can adjust your fighter's position by, is noted in its top-left corner. You may choose to have the card adjust your position by less than the maximum. State how many positions you want to adjust your position by when you play the card.
Examples: An Out of the Sun card with "Maneuvering 3" can be used to adjust your fighter's position by up to 3 positions.
A Yo-Yo card with a "Maneuvering 1" can be used to adjust your fighter's position by 1 position.
When you play a card as a Maneuvering card, your opponent can react by playing a card that reacts to a Maneuvering card.
Example: You play an Ace Pilot as a Maneuvering card. The other player can play a Tight Turn in reaction because Tight Turn cards can react to Maneuvering cards.
Tactic Cards
Some Action cards have the word "Tactic" in their Attack or React To sections. A Tactic card is played on your own aircraft. The other players cannot play cards in reaction to it.
Example: During your turn, you play an Evasive card on your aircraft to make it harder for the opposing player to attack you. The opposing player cannot react to this card play.
If a card lists Tactic in its Attack section, the card is played during your Action step. If a card lists Tactic in its React To section, it will also note what the card can be played in reaction to.
"+1 Hit" Cards
Some Tactic cards can be played to inflict +1 Hit with your next attack this turn. Play these cards at the same time that you play an In My Sights or Out of the Sun card.
Example: You play an In My Sights card for 1 Hit. At the same time, you play a Tight Turn card and a Yo-Yo card. Your attack will now inflict 3 Hits.
Card Play
You initiate an action by playing a card. The opposing player can play a card in reaction if the title of your card appears in its React To area.
Examples: You play an In My Sights. He can play a Barrel Roll in reaction because "In My Sights" is listed in a Barrel Roll's React To area.
You play an In My Sights card. He could not play a Scissors card in reaction.
If the opponent plays a card in reaction, you can play a card to counter the opponent's card. This continues back and forth until a player does not play a card in reaction.
As the acting player, if you play the final card, your initial action is successful. If the defending player plays the final card, the initial action is cancelled.
Discard all the cards played once the action is resolved. You can then initiate a new action.
Examples: You play an In My Sights on an enemy fighter. The enemy player does not play a card in reaction. The enemy fighter suffers the Hits noted on the In My Sights card.
You are Disadvantaged and play a Barrel Roll against the Advantaged fighter in an attempt to become Neutral. The enemy player plays a Yo-Yo in reaction. You do not play a card in reaction to the Yo-Yo. Your Barrel Roll is cancelled.
You are Neutral to an enemy fighter and play an Ace Pilot as a Maneuvering card. The card has a Maneuvering value of 4, but you only need 2 Position adjustments to be Tailing, so you declare a Maneuvering 2. The enemy player reacts with a Tight Turn. You react to the Tight Turn with a Scissors. The enemy player reacts to your Scissors with a Scissors. You react to his Scissors with a Barrel Roll. The enemy player does not react to the Barrel Roll. Your Maneuvering 2 is successful and you rotate the aircraft cards to show your aircraft Tailing the enemy aircraft.
Detailed Action Card Rules
Ace Pilot – Can be played in reaction to any card played against your aircraft, including other Ace Pilot cards. This card will also adjust your position by up to 4 when played as a Maneuvering card.
Barrel Roll – As an action, this card will change your Disadvantaged or Tailed aircraft to being Neutral. This card can be played in reaction to Barrel Roll, Maneuvering, Scissors, and In My Sights. This card cannot be played as a Maneuvering card.
Evasive – As an action, play this card on your aircraft. Until the start of your aircraft's next turn, every In My Sights or Out of the Sun card played against it costs the attacking aircraft 1 extra Burst. You can also play this card on your aircraft after the opposing player has successfully played an In My Sights or Out of the Sun card against you (or you play a Redline). Play this card to suffer 2 less Hits. This card will also adjust your position by 2 when played as a Maneuvering card.
In My Sights – As an action, this card can be played to inflict Hits on an enemy aircraft. Each card requires the expenditure of 1 or more Bursts from your aircraft to play. These cards can also adjust your position by 1, 2, or 3 when played as a Maneuvering card. There are different subtitled variations of this card. Ignore the subtitle when playing cards in reaction to this card.
Example: A Barrel Roll will react to an In My Sights, In My Sights (Fuel Tank), and In My Sights (Jinking).
In My Sights (Fuel Tank) - The target does not suffer Hits as with the other cards, but will be destroyed if the defender cannot counter the attack. Evasive cards do not effect this damage.
In My Sights (Jinking) - This card can react to In My Sights and Out of the Sun cards.
Out of the Sun – This card is like the In My Sights card, except there are far fewer of them in the deck. This card will also adjust your position by up to 3 when played as a Maneuvering card.
Redline – Play this card at any time on your aircraft. Your aircraft suffers 1 Hit and then you get to draw 3 cards. This card will also adjust your position by 1 when played as a Maneuvering card.
Scissors – As an action, this card will change your Disadvantaged aircraft to being Advantaged. This card can be played in reaction to Scissors, Yo-Yo, and Tight Turn. This card will also adjust your position by 1 when played as a Maneuvering card.
Tight Turn - As an action, play this card on yourself to score 1 extra Hit with your next attack this turn. This card can be played in reaction to Tight Turn, Maneuvering, Barrel Roll, and In My Sights. This card cannot be played as a Maneuvering card.
Vertical Roll – As an action, play this card on yourself to change your aircraft's Altitude to the next higher or lower Altitude. This card can also be played in reaction to Vertical Roll, Out of the Sun, In My Sights, and Yo-Yo. This card will also adjust your position by up to 2 when played as a Maneuvering card.
Positions
Here are the 5 different Positions your fighter can have...
Neutral
All fighters start the game in a Neutral position. Your fighter's nose is pointed at an enemy fighter's nose. Your fighter has its inherent Bursts when Neutral.
Example: Your Spitfire I is Neutral to the Bf-109E and gets 2 Bursts.
Advantaged
Your fighter's nose is pointed at an enemy fighter's side. Your fighter gains 1 extra Burst when Advantaged.
Example: Your Spitfire I is Advantaged and gets 1 extra Burst against the Bf-109E.
Tailing
Your fighter's nose is pointed at an enemy fighter's tail. Your fighter gains 3 extra Bursts when Tailing (or just 2 extra Bursts, if 1 has already been gained from being Advantaged.)
Example: Your Spitfire I is Tailing the Bf-109E and gains 3 extra Bursts.
Disadvantaged
An enemy fighter's nose is pointed at your fighter's side. Your fighter cannot attack the Advantaged fighter with In My Sights or Out of the Sun cards.
Tailed
An enemy fighter's nose is pointed at your fighter's Tail. Your fighter cannot attack the Tailing fighter with In My Sights or Out of the Sun cards.
Yo-Yo - As an action, play this card on yourself to score 1 extra Hit with your next attack this turn. This card can be played in reaction to Yo-Yo, Tight Turn, Scissors, Barrel Roll, and Vertical Roll. This card will adjust your position by 1 when played as a Maneuvering card.
Positioning
Positioning refers to the relative position your fighter holds in relation to an enemy fighter. To gain or hold a Position on an enemy fighter your fighter must be at the same Altitude level as the enemy fighter.
As you adjust positions, rotate the two fighters' noses toward or away from each other to show their new relative position.
Neutral - A fighter that is not Engaged with another fighter is Neutral.
Engaged - When your fighter is Advantaged, Tailing, Disadvantaged, or Tailed, it is Engaged against the other fighter. Your fighter can only be Advantaged or Tailing one enemy fighter at a time.
A fighter can only be Advantaged by 2 enemy fighters at the same time. Also, a fighter can only be Tailed by 1 enemy fighter at a time. If a Neutral fighter attempts to Advantage/Tail an enemy fighter, the enemy fighter must have that position unoccupied.
Example: Two Bf-109Es are Advantaged against a Spitfire. A third Bf-109E wants to join the fight. It must either attack from a Neutral position or play a Maneuvering 2 or higher card to get onto the Spitfire's tail since both Advantaged positions are filled.
If your fighter is Advantaged or Tailing an enemy fighter, you must give up your positioning before you can target another fighter.
Example: A Bf-109G Gustav is Tailing a P-47D. The Gustav fires an In My Sights at the P-47D. The Gustav then chooses to give up his position. He Maneuvers on a P-51D and fires an Out of the Sun. He then plays a Vertical Roll on himself, gives up his position on the P-51D, and climbs one Altitude level.
Maneuvering with "Speed"
Speed is used during the Speed Maneuvering step. If you are Tailed, Disadvantaged, or Neutral, you may compare your Speed against any aircraft at your Altitude.
For each point that your aircraft's Speed is greater than the enemy aircraft's Speed, you get 1 free Maneuvering action. Treat each Speed Maneuvering action as if it were a "Maneuvering 1" card played from your hand.
Examples: The German Bf-109E Emil has a Speed of 2. In a dogfight with a British Gladiator II, which has a Speed of 1, the Emil will get 1 Speed "Maneuvering 1" action against the Gladiator.
If an American P-51D, with a Speed of 3 targets a Japanese Ki.27 Nate with Speed 1, the P-51D receives 2 Speed "Maneuvering 1" actions against the Nate.
If you are Tailing or Advantaged, you must compare your Speed against the Tailed or Disadvantaged enemy aircraft. However, you may give up your Advantaged or Tailing Position (and become Neutral) before selecting another enemy aircraft and comparing Speeds.
You may only use the free Maneuvering action(s) gained through Speed against the aircraft to which you compared your Speed. You may not compare your Speed against one aircraft and then use those Maneuver actions against a different aircraft.
Altitude
Down In Flames uses 5 Altitude levels: Very Low, Low, Medium, High, and Very High.
Affects on Horsepower
- Very Low: +1 Pre-Turn Horsepower & +1 Post-Turn Horsepower
- Low: +1 Post-Turn Horsepower
- Medium: No adjustments
- High: -1 Pre-Turn Horsepower
- Very High: -1 Pre-Turn Horsepower & -1 Post-Turn Horsepower
Changing Altitude
During each of your fighter's Adjust Altitude steps you will be given a choice to either stay at your current Altitude, climb to the next higher Altitude, or dive to the next lower Altitude.
Exchange the Altitude counters as needed. The numbers on the Altitude counters show the modification to Pre-Turn and Post-Turn Horsepower given to an aircraft at each Altitude level.
Every time you climb one Altitude level, you must discard one of your fighter's Action cards. This represents the loss of energy an aircraft experiences when climbing.
Example: You're holding 5 cards and you declare that your aircraft is climbing during your Adjust Altitude step. You must discard 1 card. If you were holding 0 cards, you would not be able to climb.
Every time you dive one Altitude level, your fighter draws 1 card. This represents the energy an aircraft gains when diving.
Example: Your fighter has a Performance of 6 and you're holding 6 cards. You declare that your fighter will dive during your Adjust Altitude step. You get to draw 1 card even though you will be holding 7 cards, which is in excess of your fighter's Performance rating.
Stalling
If your fighter has a 0 Horsepower and it is reduced to a –1 Horsepower due to Altitude, you must discard 1 card (if you hold 0 cards, your fighter must immediately dive one level, and draw a card).
If you perform an action that requires a discard (such as climbing), and you do not hold enough cards to pay the discard cost, you cannot perform the action.
Reacting to an Altitude Change
If your fighter is Advantaged or Tailing another fighter and the enemy chooses to change his Altitude, you can react to his Altitude change by changing your Altitude to follow him.
If you are Advantaged, you must discard one card. If you are Tailing, you do not need to discard.
In addition, if you climb, discard one card. If you dive, draw one card.
Examples: A Disadvantaged fighter decides to climb during his turn (either during his Change Altitude phase or by playing a Vertical Roll card). The fighter Advantaged on him can choose to follow. The Advantaged fighter must discard 1 card to follow. This represents the difficulty in staying with the enemy fighter's movements. Both fighters then also need to discard 1 card to represent the loss of energy experienced while climbing.
A Tailed fighter decides to dive during its turn. The fighter Tailing him can choose to follow. The Tailing fighter does not need to discard a card to follow. Both fighters draw 1 card to represent the gain in energy experienced while diving.
Engaged Chains of Aircraft
Fighters can position on each other to form a chain. Starting at the front of the chain, fighters decide in chain order from front to back if they are going to follow an Altitude change.
Example: If the Mustang decides to change Altitude, The Gustav must decide to follow him or not. If the Gustav changes Altitude to maintain its position, then the Thunderbolt decides if he is going to change Altitude to maintain its position on the Gustav. If the Gustav does not change Altitude he loses his position on the Mustang, but is still Disadvantaged to the P-47D.
Bombers
Unlike fighters, bombers only interact with other aircraft when they are attacked. Bombers do not have ratings for Performance, Horsepower, Bursts, and Firepower. Instead, they have ratings for Turret Defense and Turret Support.
Like fighters, bombers have a Speed rating, which is used when fighters attempt to gain position on them.
Bomber Altitude
Each bomber card lists the Altitude it will fly at during the mission. Bombers cannot adjust Altitude during a mission.
Bomber Formations
At the start of a mission, arrange your bombers into a formation. All bomber cards must face the same direction, and be placed adjacent to at least one other bomber, horizontally or vertically, if they are flying at the same Altitude.
Bombers cannot change their formation during the mission. If a gap opens-up in a formation due to a bomber being shot down, attacking fighters can use that position.
Bombers at different Altitudes form different formations.
Here are 3 examples of bomber formations...
Selecting a Bomber to Attack
You can declare your intention to select a specific enemy bomber at your Altitude during your Speed Maneuvering and/or Action step.
You must use 1 Speed point or discard 1 Action card with a Maneuvering value of 1 or higher to select a specific bomber. If you do not, the opposing player gets to choose which bomber you select.
If there is only one bomber in the rear-most row of the formation, you can freely select that bomber.
Example: In Formation Example #3 above, you can freely select the rear-most Do-17Z to attack. You would need to spend 1 Speed or discard the Maneuvering card to select any other specific bomber in the formation.
Fighters can attack bombers from a Neutral position, or gain Advantaged or Tailing positions on bombers as normal. The arrangement of the bombers in a formation can prevent certain positioning options for the attacking fighters. A fighter can always attack a bomber from the Neutral position.
Once your fighter has resolved its last attack card against the bomber, it gives up its position and returns to Neutral in relation to the bomber. Unlike being engaged against another fighter, fighters do not retain their position on bombers.
Speed
During the Speed Maneuvering step, you can select and maneuver on a bomber as if it were a fighter. You can choose to use 1 point of Speed advantage to select a specific bomber to attack. Each additional point of Speed advantage can be used to position on the bomber.
Examples: Your fighter has a Speed of 3. There is a formation of 2 bombers (one in front of the other) at your Altitude with Speed 1. You have 2 points of Speed advantage. You freely select the trailing bomber. You use 1 point of Speed to become Advantaged, and then 1 point to become Tailing.
4 bombers are flying in a 2 by 2 box formation (like Formation Example #2). You do not spend the Speed point to select a bomber. The opposing player decides that you will attack the front-left bomber. You use 1 point of Speed to Advantage, but cannot use the second point to Tail since there is a bomber in that position.
Maneuvering Cards
You can select bombers and position on them with Maneuvering cards using the same rules as Speed. It takes 1 point of Maneuvering to select a bomber, then each additional point is used to Maneuver on it.
Examples: Your fighter had a 1 point Speed advantage, so you used it to select a bomber. You play a Maneuvering 1 card to become Advantaged. You play another Maneuvering 1 to become Tailed.
You play a Maneuvering 3. You use 1 point to select a bomber, and then 2 points to Tail it.
Example: In this formation, fighters cannot gain a Tailing position on the front bomber until the trailing bomber has been destroyed.
Bomber Turrets
Your bombers do not hold a hand of cards like fighters. They instead draw cards into a temporary hand when they are attacked. Once all the attacks by a fighter are resolved, discard any cards remaining in your bomber's hand.
When an enemy fighter first attempts to position on, or shoot at, one of your bombers, draw cards equal to its Turret Defense rating, plus the Turret Support ratings of any bombers that are horizontally or vertically adjacent to it.
Examples: 2 B-24D Liberators are flying in a formation, one ahead of the other. A fighter targets the lead Liberator. The bomber draws 7 cards. 5 for the bomber's Turret Defense, and 2 for the trailing bomber's Turret Support.
3 Ju-87B Stukas are flying side-by-side-by-side. If an enemy fighter attacks a Stuka on an end, you would draw 3 cards. If the Stuka in the middle were attacked, you would draw 4 cards.
Bomber Action Cards
Your bomber can play cards, one at a time, as a reaction to a fighter's actions.
Bombers are only allowed to play In My Sights cards, Out of the Sun cards, cards that give +1 Hit, or cards with a Stop Fuel Tank notation.
Example: 2 B-24D Liberators are flying side-by-side when you attack them with your Bf-109E Emil. You have a speed of 2 compared to the Liberator's speed of 1, giving you an option to select a bomber, or position by 1. Since both bombers are the same, you let the opposing player select the bomber, and draw its 7 cards. The Bomber cannot react to a selection action. You then use your Speed point to Advantage on the bomber. The bomber reacts by playing an Out of the Sun card. You react with a Vertical Roll. Your Emil is now Advantaged against the bomber. You play a Yo-Yo card, using the card's Maneuvering value of 1 to adjust position to Tailing. The bomber reacts by playing an In My Sights 2 Bursts for 2 Hits. You don't have another defensive card, so you take 2 Hits. You are now Tailing the bomber. Finally, you play an In My Sights 3 Bursts for 3 Hits. The Bomber takes the damage, but responds with an In My Sights card of 2 Bursts for 2 Hits. You take the damage. The bomber still has an In My Sights card left, but can't play it because you don't play any more cards for that bomber to react to.
Bomber Reaction Card Limitations
When a fighter plays a card in reaction to a card played by your bomber, your bomber cannot react.
Example: An enemy fighter plays an Out of the Sun card against your bomber. You play an In My Sights card in reaction, to damage the fighter. The fighter plays a Tight Turn to avoid the damage. You cannot play a card in reaction to the Tight Turn.
Your bomber only gains the "Bomber" effects in the React To area of an Action card.
Example: Your bomber plays an In My Sights (Jinking) card that has the effect: "Bomber: -1 Hit". The Jinking card's React To area shows it will cancel In My Sights and Out of the Sun cards, but your bomber does not gain those effects.
Bomber Reduced Hits Cards
Some bomber-played Action cards will reduce the Hits inflicted on them. Some of these cards also note that they will stop a Fuel Tank card. Your fighter can play a card in reaction to taking Hits, but cannot stop the bomber from reducing the Hits it suffers or stopping a Fuel Tank attack.
Example: A fighter plays an In My Sights for 3 Hits and 2 Tight Turns for 2 more Hits against a Bomber. The Bomber plays an In My Sights 1 Hit, Bomber: -1 Hit card. The Bomber will only suffer 4 Hits, and the fighter must play a card in reaction or suffer 1 Hit.
Bomber +1 Hit Cards
Your bombers can also play cards that give an aircraft 1 extra Hit with its next attack. Such cards are played at the same time as the In My Sights or Out of the Sun card.
Example: A bomber draws two Tight Turn cards and an Out of the Sun card. A fighter attempts to maneuver on the bomber. The bomber reacts by playing all three cards on the fighter. The fighter must evade the Out of the Sun attack with its +2 Hits from the Tight Turn cards, or suffer the damage.
Loaded Fighters
A Loaded fighter is a fighter carrying bombs. When a campaign map shows a fighter heading to a target, the fighter is loaded with bombs. Treat a Loaded fighter in all ways as a bomber. Use its Pre-Turn Horsepower as Turret Defense, and its Post-Turn Horsepower as Turret Support. Place a Loaded counter on the aircraft to indicate it is being played as a Loaded Fighter.
Select the starting Altitude of Loaded fighters as normal. Loaded fighters cannot change Altitude during the mission.
If Loaded fighters are at the same Altitude as bombers, group the Loaded fighters and bombers into one formation.
The owning player can choose to jettison a Loaded fighter's bombs at the start of a mission turn. If this is done, remove it from the formation, discard the Loaded counter, and immediately draw a full hand of cards for the fighter. Treat the fighter as a normal fighter for the remainder of the mission.
Playing a Campaign
Campaigns allow you to link a series of air battles in one of the historical air offensives of WWII. You and your opponent each select one of the two sides, Axis or Allies, to play during the campaign.
Player Log
Record the Campaign name and mission information on the Player Log. Use the Player Log to keep track of your missions and as a reference for important campaign information. Photocopy this sheet as needed to play the campaigns.
Duration
Each campaign requires one or more missions to resolve. The number of missions needed to resolve a campaign, and the number of turns in each mission, is noted next to the campaign's title.
Example: This campaign has 4 missions and 6 turns per mission.
Determine Initiative
Your campaign will specify which side has the initiative for the first mission. This is noted in the Options area.
Initiative for each following mission is based on the Target's Status at the end of the previous mission. A target will have one of three statuses: Undamaged, Damaged, or Destroyed.
Attack Arrows
On the campaign maps, the red arrows show possible Axis attacks and the blue arrows show possible Allied attacks.
Each arrow's tail shows where the attack is launched from and each arrow's point shows the target of the attack.
First Mission
For your first mission, you must select an attack arrow beginning with a "Start" notation. Axis Start notations are in red, and Allied Start notations are in blue.
Example: In the Poland 1939 campaign there are 5 initial missions that the Axis player has to choose from: #1, #2, #3, #4, and #6.
As you fly missions deeper into enemy territory, they will be worth more VPs.
Aircraft Images
The aircraft images displayed on the attack arrows show you the attacking bombers that are automatically part of the mission. Include one aircraft card in the mission for each image shown. Both players then add additional aircraft to the mission with Options. The defending player also freely receives the fighter listed as his Interceptor.
The images of the aircraft used in a campaign are shown across the bottom of the campaign sheet.
Flying Multiple Aircraft
You will occasionally pilot multiple aircraft. See the Optional rules section for flying multiple aircraft.
Controlling a Target
If the target's status at the end of your attack mission is Damaged or Destroyed, you "Control" that target and can launch future missions from that target's outbound friendly arrows.
When you Damage or Destroy a target, place the appropriate counter on it. You cannot attack a target that already has one of your Destroyed counters on it.
If the Target's Status at the end of your mission is Undamaged, you do not Control the target, and cannot use it to launch future missions. If you regain the initiative in a future mission, you can try and attack the target again.
Both the Axis and Allies can attack some targets. If the target is Controlled by one side, it can still be attacked by the other side. If a Controlled target is attacked and the mission result is Damaged or Destroyed, remove the old Control counter and replace it with the new one.
Initiative
If the target's status at the end of your attack mission is Destroyed, you retain the initiative and get to select the next mission. If the outcome of your mission is Undamaged or Damaged, your opponent gains the initiative for the next mission.
Target Bomb Values and VPs
Each target notes the number of Bombs it takes to achieve a Damaged or Destroyed mission result.
The number before the slash shows the number of bombs needed to gain a Damaged outcome. The number after the slash shows the number of bombs needed to achieve a Destroyed outcome. If the number of bombs dropped on the target is less than the target's Damaged value, the target is Undamaged.
Example: An Airfield has Damaged/Destroyed numbers of 5/10. If 0 to 4 bombs are dropped on it, the target is Undamaged. If 5 to 9 bombs are dropped on it, the target is Damaged. If 10 or more bombs are dropped on it, the target is Destroyed.
Types of Targets
Each campaign features several types of targets that are the objectives of the missions.
Tanks – A formation of armored vehicles either on the move, or engaged in battle with your forces.
Infantry – A formation of ground troops either on the move, or engaging your forces in battle.
Factory – An important manufacturing facility.
Bridge – A vital bridge along a road or rail network.
Airfield – An airfield used by fighter or bomber forces.
Freighter – A sea-going cargo ship carrying vital war materials.
Aircraft Carrier – A naval task force based around an aircraft carrier.
Railroad – An important section of a rail network.
Options
Each player gets to select one, and only one, of his Options each mission. Each Option can only be selected once per campaign.
The following is a list of Options available during a campaign. Each campaign sheet lists the Options available for that campaign.
Some Options contradict game rules. In such situations, the Option takes priority.
Altitude: Declare at the start of a mission if you are going to have all Bombers start 1 Altitude Level lower, or higher, than normal.
Bombs: Subtract from the Bomb value of each enemy bomber, or add to the Bomb value of each friendly bomber.
Defense: Subtract from the Turret Defense value of each enemy bomber, or add to the Turret Defense value of each friendly bomber.
Fighter/Bomber: You gain the indicated number of fighters or bombers for the mission. Fighters gained in this way are not carrying bombs.
Example: "1xSpitfire I" means you receive 1 Spitfire I fighter.
Flak: Subtract from the enemy Flak value, or add to your Flak value.
Fuel: Remove enemy fighters before starting the last round of the mission.
Gunner: Subtract from the Gunner value of each enemy fighter, and add to the Gunner value of each friendly fighter.
Late: Enemy fighters select Altitudes and are dealt initial cards as normal. During the first round of combat, they cannot do anything, or be targeted by any actions, cards, or effects.
Pilot Names: Add the named pilot counter to your noted aircraft. If his aircraft is shot down, the opposing player also scores VPs equal to his value.
Press: By selecting this option, you lose the noted number of VPs.
Rest: By selecting this option, you gain the noted number of VPs.
Shortage: Inflict Hits on each enemy aircraft at the start of the mission.
Sun At Your Back: Each of your fighters start with extra cards.
Support: Subtract from the Turret Support value of each enemy bomber, or add to the Turret Support value of each friendly bomber.
Vital Mission: You score 2 times the Victory Points that you would normally score for the mission.
Winds: Declare at the start of a mission if you are going to add or subtract turns from the mission.
Select Flak Pattern
At the start of a mission, after both players have revealed their Options, the defender secretly chooses a Flak Pattern for the mission. At the end of the mission, the attacker chooses a Bombing Pattern for each of his remaining bombers. Flak inflicts Hits before the bombers drop their bombs.
There are 3 types of Flak Patterns to choose from: Dispersed, Normal, and Tight.
Dispersed – A Dispersed Flak Pattern scores Hits on each of the bombers equal to one-half the target's Flak value.
Normal – A Normal Flak Pattern scores Hits on bombers equal to the target's Flak value. Normal Flak will only inflict Hits on a bomber if the bomber chose a Normal or Tight Bombing Pattern.
Tight – A Tight Flak Pattern scores Hits on bombers equal to two times the target's Flak value. Tight Flak will only inflict Hits on a bomber if the bomber chose a Tight Bombing Pattern.
Examples: The target has a Flak rating of 2, and the player has chosen a Dispersed Flak Pattern. Every bomber will suffer 1 Hit.
The target has 2 Flak and the player has chosen a Normal Flak Pattern. Dispersed bombers will not suffer Hits, but Normal and Tight bombers will suffer 2 Hits.
The target has 2 Flak and the player has chosen a Tight Flak Pattern. Dispersed and Normal Bombers will not suffer Hits, but bombers using a Tight Bombing Pattern will suffer 4 Hits.
To select a Flak Pattern, place the appropriate Flak Pattern counter face down on the campaign sheet. Do not let the attacker see your choice until after he has declared his Bombing Patterns at the end of the mission.
Apply all Option modifiers to Flak and Bomb values before reducing them by one-half (Dispersed) or doubling them (Tight).
Example: An Option gives +2 Flak for a mission. The target has a Flak value of 2. The target will inflict 2 Hits if using a Dispersed Pattern, 4 Hits using a Normal Pattern, or 8 Hits using a Tight Pattern.
Resolve Mission
With the exception of the Bomber and Loaded Fighter rules previously detailed, resolve a campaign mission like a normal dogfight. The side with Campaign Initiative takes the first aircraft turn during Campaign missions.
If all the attacking aircraft are shot down, the mission ends. When all the defending aircraft are shot down, or all mission turns are completed, proceed to the Bombing Pattern step.
Select Bombing Pattern
The attacking player gets to declare a Bombing Pattern for each of his bombers that reached the target. All the bombs are dropped at the same time, and all the bombs hit the target. A Damaged bomber drops fewer bombs, as noted on the Damaged side of its aircraft card.
A Normal Bombing Pattern will score Hits against the target equal to the Bomb value on the bomber card.
Example: A B5N2 Kate holds 14 bombs when it is undamaged. With a Normal Bombing Pattern, it will hit the target with 14 bombs. If the Kate is damaged, its Normal Bombing Pattern will hit the target with 8 bombs.
A Tight Bombing Pattern will score Hits against the target equal to twice the Bomb value on the bomber card.
Example: A B5N2 Kate holds 14 bombs when it is undamaged. With a Tight Bombing Pattern, it will hit the target with 28 bombs. If the Kate is damaged, its Tight Bombing Pattern will hit the target with 16 bombs.
A Dispersed Bombing Pattern will score Hits against the target equal to one-half the Bomb value on the bomber card.
Example: A B5N2 Kate holds 14 bombs when it is undamaged. With a Dispersed Bombing Pattern, it will hit the target with 7 bombs. If the Kate is Damaged, its Dispersed Bombing Pattern will hit the target with 4 bombs.
Resolve Flak
Once the attacking player has declared his Bombing Patterns, the defending player reveals his Flak Pattern counter.
Each bomber suffers the appropriate amount of Hits based on the Flak and Bombing Patterns selected. Flak Hits cannot be evaded or stopped.
Example: On a target with 2 Flak, the B5N2 Kate approaches, undamaged, with 14 bombs. The Kate's player chooses a Normal Bombing Pattern. The target's defending player reveals that he had chosen the Dispersed Flak Pattern. The Kate suffers 1 Hit from Flak, and then drops its 14 bombs.
Bomb Target
After the bombers have suffered Flak Hits, inflict the appropriate number of Bomb Hits on the target based on their Pattern. Once a target is bombed, the mission ends.
Determine Mission Success
If the target is Undamaged, the attacker scores 0 VPs and the defender scores VPs equal to the target's Destroyed bomb value.
If the target is Damaged, the attacker scores VPs equal to the target's Damaged value and the defender scores 0 VPs.
If the target is Destroyed, the attacker gets VPs equal to the target's Destroyed value and the defender scores 0 VPs.
A player also scores VPs equal to the VP of the enemy aircraft he shoots down and Damages.
Example: An Allied fighter shoots down a Bf-110C during the mission. At the end of the mission, the Allied player will gain 10 VPs for destroying that fighter.
The Allies achieve a Destroyed result. The victory points awarded for that target, found on the Campaign map are added to the victory points of the enemy aircraft shot down and Damaged to determine the final VP count.
Victory Point Chart
The campaign's victory point chart shows the number of VPs that must be earned for the different outcomes.
To determine the overall VPs earned each mission, subtract the Axis VPs from the Allied VPs.
Examples: The Axis player destroys one fighter for 3 VPs and gets a Destroyed result for 10 more VPs. The Allied player destroys 2 fighters for 20 VPs. The Allied player would end the mission ahead by a total of 7 VPs.
The Axis player scores 30 VPs during a mission and the Allied player scores 20 VPs. The mission has a -10 VP outcome.
Determine Campaign Victory
Once the last mission is flown, add up the VPs scored each mission and compare the overall result to the campaign sheet's Victory Point chart.
Example: After playing the Daylight Bombing 1944 campaign, the campaign VPs come out to be Allied 180 and Axis -60, for a net total of 120. Looking at the Victory table, the players can see that this results in an Allied (Minor) Victory.
Optional Rules:
Wingmen
You can choose to pair two friendly fighters into a Leader/Wingman element. Designate one fighter as the Leader, and one as the Wingman. If the Wingman starts his turn at a different Altitude than the Leader, he must adjust Altitude to get closer to the Leader. If the Leader is engaged (Tailing, Advantaged, Disadvantaged, or Tailed) with one or more enemy aircraft, the Wingman may only play cards against the engaged aircraft. The Leader gains +1 Pre-Turn Horsepower and the Wingman gains +1 Post-Turn Horsepower.
Team Games
More than 2 players can play the game. Play as two teams that are broken up equally by Victory Points. Teams alternate taking turns in Player Order. The team with initiative will always go first each round and the player order will alternate between teams after that. Players are free to choose which player on a team acts during each of their player order steps.
Example: A dogfight involves 2 Axis players and 3 Allied players. The Axis team wins the initiative and goes first each turn. The Axis team selects one Axis player to take his turn. The Allied team then selects one Allied player to take his turn. The remaining Axis player then takes his turn. The Allied team then selects one of the two remaining Allied players to take his turn. The last Allied player then takes his turn.
Players do not have to keep the same player order each round.
Example: During the next round, the Axis still gets to take the first turn, but the order in which the players take their turns for each team can be changed.
Flying Multiple Aircraft
Each player may pilot multiple fighters. Treat each aircraft as being piloted by a different player with its own slot in the player order and its own hand of cards.
There are counters that show your Axis or Allied affiliation and a number. To keep track of your different aircraft, place one counter on your aircraft and a matching counter in front of you. There are two copies of each numbered counter.
These counters have a solid side and an outlined side. As each aircraft takes its turn, flip the counter to the opposite side to note which aircraft have gone this turn.
You can also use the Acted and Not Acted counters to track which aircraft have acted during the turn.
Playing an Action Card
When there are multiple enemy aircraft engaged with yours, you must declare which one enemy aircraft is being targeted by each of your Action cards.
Example: There are 2 enemy fighters Advantaged on yours when you play a Scissors card. You must declare which of the 2 fighters you're playing the card against. Your Scissors will not affect the positioning of the other fighter.
Playing Bursts Against Different Aircraft
You can use each of your aircraft's inherent Bursts once per turn. You can only gain 1 Burst for being Advantaged, and 2 more Bursts for Tailing, each turn, regardless of how many aircraft you Advantage or Tail. Bursts are used in order of: Inherent, gained from being Advantaged, and then gained from being Tailing. During your turn, you can never use more than your inherent Bursts, plus 3.
Example: Your fighter has 0 inherent Bursts. You Advantage on a target to gain +1 Burst. You fire a 1 Burst In My Sights card. You give up the position and target another aircraft. Your fighter now has 0 Bursts remaining. If you Advantage the new target, you will not gain a Burst, since you have already gained and used 1 Burst for being Advantaged this turn. You must Tail a target to gain 2 more Bursts. Once your fighter has Tailed a target, gained, and used 2 more Bursts, it cannot gain any additional Bursts during your turn.
Free-for-All
These games are like Multi-Player games, except they put all players against each other.
Randomly determine the player order at the start of each round of play.
Pacific / European Action Cards
The 110 Action cards are evenly split between 55 cards showing Pacific theater aircraft and 55 cards showing European theater aircraft. If you have 2 copies of the cards, you can split the cards into a Pacific and European deck so they match the aircraft being used in a battle historically.
Multiple Action Card Decks
If you have more than one set of action cards, you can combine them into one large deck.
Campaign Scaling
If you want to play larger campaigns, everything involving a campaign can be scaled upwards. At the start of a campaign, decide if you want to make it 2 times, 3 times, etc. its normal size. Apply this multiplier to the number of aircraft received for each mission, Interceptors, the aircraft received through Options, and Target Damaged/Destroyed values. Once all VPs are determine for a mission, divided it by the campaign multiplier (rounding down).
Examples: You are playing the Poland 1939 campaign and decide to make it 3 times larger than normal. For the first mission, the Axis player decides to attack Target #3, the Airfield. The Axis player selects option #1 and the Allied player selects option #2.
For a normal x1 Campaign, the Axis would receive 1 Stuka and 1 Bf-110C, the Allied player would receive 2 P.11c's (1 for the Option and 1 for the Interceptor) and the Axis fighters would not be present on Turn #1. The target would need 4 Bombs to be Damaged, and 8 Bombs to be Destroyed.
For a x3 Campaign, the Axis would receive 3 Stukas and 3 Bf-110C's, the Allied player would receive 6 P.11c's and the Axis fighters would not be present on Turn #1. The target would need 12 Bombs to be Damaged, and 24 Bombs to be Destroyed.
In both cases, the target gets a Flak value of 2. At the end of the mission, the Axis scored 30 VPs and the Allies scored 13 VPs. Both totals are divided by 3, which results in 10 VPs and 4 VPs, for a net total of -6 VPs.
Balancing VPs and Fighter Values
In a regular dogfight (not a campaign), if one side begins the battle with fewer VP of aircraft than the other side, it scores the VP difference at the start of the battle.
Example: At the start of a dogfight, the Axis has 10 VPs and the Allies have 12 VPs. The Axis start the dogfight having scored 2 VPs.
Starting Altitude Card Bonus
If a fighter starts at Very Low Altitude, it starts with 2 extra cards. If a fighter starts at Low Altitude, it starts with 1 extra card. These adjustments also apply to the initial cards drawn by Loaded fighters who jettison their bombs.
Skilled Pilot Counters
As part of a player's initial aircraft selection, he can select either generic pilots or pilots of the same nation as his aircraft. Some pilot counters have a gray flag for their nation. These are generic pilots and can be placed on any nation's aircraft. The VP value of each pilot is printed on its counter just under the flag. This is used to balance battles and score VPs. Pilot counters modify their aircraft's ratings as follows:
A+1 (or +2) – Increase the aircraft's Airframe rating by 1 (or 2) on both sides of the card.
Example: A Spitfire I takes 3 Hits to Damage and 6 Hits to Destroy. With the "A+1" skill, the aircraft becomes Damaged with 4 Hits and Destroyed with 7 Hits.
Ag – A non-Agile aircraft has the Agile ability while not flipped to its Damaged side.
AP1 (or 2) – Start the dogfight with 1 (or 2) Ace Pilot counters on the fighter. Each can be played once as an Ace Pilot card.
B+1 – Increase the aircraft's Burst rating by 1.
Cl – The aircraft discards 1 card less than normal when climbing.
Di – The aircraft draws 1 extra card when diving.
F+1 – Increase the aircraft's Firepower rating by 1.
H+1/+1 – Increase the aircraft's Pre-Turn Horsepower and Post-Turn Horsepower by 1.
H+0/+1 – Increase the aircraft's Post-Turn Horsepower by 1.
M0(1) – The aircraft treats Maneuvering 0 cards as being Maneuvering 1.
P+1 (or +2) – Increase the aircraft's Performance rating by 1 (or 2).
Re – The aircraft does not suffer a Hit when playing a Redline card.
S+1 – Increase the aircraft's Speed rating by 1.
Credits
Game Design.............................................Dan Verssen Game Development...............................Holly Verssen Card Control Panel Art ...........................Martin Scott Aircraft Art ...............................................Dan Verssen Research ...................................................Roger Horky Rulebook Art ..........Kevin Verssen and Kira Verssen Rulebook Suggestions ...................................Tony Van
Special Thanks to Chris Richardson who has helped us and our company throughout the years. He has always been a great friend, and his help is much appreciated.
Sample Dogfight Turn
This sample dogfight is between a US Marine F4U Corsair and an Imperial Japanese A6M5 Zeke in the skies over the Pacific Ocean in 1943.
Our aircraft begin the game in a Neutral position relative to each other. We are each dealt a number of Action cards equal to our aircraft's Performance rating. In this case, we are dealt 7 cards. We both secretly select our starting Altitudes. Any Altitude from Very Low up to Medium can be selected. We reveal our Altitude counters. Both aircraft start at Medium Altitude. This gives both aircraft flexibility to climb and dive as the dogfight unfolds.
We randomly determine who goes first – this time the Corsair does.
1st Turn – Corsair
Here's a reminder of the Sequence of Play:
- Draw Cards
- Adjust Altitude
- Speed Maneuvering
- Actions
- Discard Cards
- Draw Cards
I can't draw cards because I am already holding cards equal to my performance.
I can now choose to adjust my Altitude. I can stay at Medium, dive one level to Low, or climb one level to High. Since a plane can only play cards against aircraft at its same Altitude, I'll stay at Medium.
I compare my Corsair's Speed to the Zeke's Speed. I have a 3, and he has a 2. This gives me a 1 point advantage which means I get a free Maneuvering 1 attempt to play against him. This is not a card from my hand.
I say, "I have a 1 point Speed Advantage, so I'm attempting to Maneuver on you by 1."
He replies, "Tight Turn," and plays a Tight Turn card.
This is a valid card play because Tight Turn lists "Maneuvering" as one of the cards it will cancel in its React To section.
I then search my cards for a card that lists Tight Turn in the React To section.
I declare, "Yo-Yo", and play a Yo-Yo card.
He decides not to play a card, and says, "Go ahead and maneuver on me."
All the cards played are discarded, and he rotates his aircraft so its side is facing my nose.
I am now "Advantaged" on him, and he is now "Disadvantaged" to me. This means I get 1 extra Burst to fire at him, and he cannot fire at me.
I now enter the Action step of my turn.
I play my Scissors card and use its Maneuvering 1 ability, and declare, "Maneuvering for 1 to get on your tail."
The fact that the card is a Scissors card is unimportant. Since I am using its Maneuvering ability, it is declared, and treated, as a Maneuvering card.
He plays a Tight Turn to cancel my Maneuvering card, and declares "Tight Turn."
I declare, "Tight Turn" in response and play my Tight Turn.
He responds by playing a Scissors.
I could respond with a couple different cards, but choose not to. I need to start damaging him, and I don't want to use up all my cards.
We discard all the cards played, and both aircraft remain positioned as they were.
I have 2 Bursts, 1 for my Corsair's inherent Burst rating, and 1 for being Advantaged. I have an In My Sights 1 Burst for 1 Hit and an In My Sights 2 Bursts for 3 Hits. Right now, I don't have enough Bursts to fire both, so I'll play the In My Sights 2 Bursts for 3 Hits.
It only takes 3 hits to flip his plane to its Damaged side, so this is a serious attack against him.
He plays an Ace Pilot. Ace Pilot cards are rare in the deck and very hard to cancel. Only another Ace Pilot will cancel an Ace Pilot.
I do not react and I discard my In My Sights card.
At this point, I could attempt to maneuver on him again with my In My Sights card, but I'm going to save it for later.
This ends the Action step of my turn.
I can now choose to discard any of my cards. Since I only hold 3 and my Post-turn Horsepower will allow me to draw 3, I will still not be in excess of my 7 Performance, so there is no reason to discard.
I then get to draw 3 cards for my Horsepower.
This ends my first turn. At this point, things are looking good. I have a handful of cards and I'm Advantaged on him.
1st Turn – Zeke
Since he is only holding 3 cards, he gets to draw 2 (his Pre-turn Horsepower number). He now holds 5 cards.
He then attempts to throw me off my Advantaged position by climbing during his Adjust Altitude step. He declares he is climbing to High Altitude, swaps his Medium counter for a High counter, and discards 1 card. Any time you climb a level you must discard 1 card. This represents the loss of speed an aircraft experiences when climbing.
Note the "-1/-0" on the High Altitude counter. This means aircraft at High Altitude draw 1 less card during their Pre-turn draw step, but do not suffer a penalty during their Post-turn draw step.
I now have a tough choice. I can stay at Medium and lose my position, or I can follow him. If I follow him, I'll have to discard 1 card for climbing, and 1 more for only being Advantaged. If I were Tailing him (my nose to his tail), I wouldn't have to discard the extra card.
I choose to follow him to High and maintain my position. I swap my Medium counter for a High, and discard a Vertical Roll and Barrel Roll.
He then compares Speeds. Since my plane is the same Speed or faster, he does not get any free Maneuvering attempts.
He then starts playing cards by playing an In My Sights card and declares "Scissors." If a plane is Agile and Disadvantaged, it can play 1 card during its turn as if it were a Scissors to attempt to change its position from Disadvantaged to Advantaged.
I react by playing a Scissors.
He reacts with a Yo-Yo.
I don't have any cards that will react to a Yo-Yo. The cards are discarded and we shift the planes so he is now Advantaged on me. Not good!
He now has 1 Burst (0 for his aircraft, and 1 for being Advantaged). He plays a Tight Turn on himself and declares that it will give him +1 Hit with his next attack this turn. Since he is playing it on himself, I cannot react to it.
He then plays his last card, an In My Sights 1 Burst for 1 Hit. However, the card is more dangerous than it seems. It will do 1 Hit, plus 1 Hit for his Zeke's Firepower bonus, plus 1 more for the bonus gained from the Tight Turn. He will actually inflict 3 Hits with his 1 Burst.
I react by playing a Barrel Roll.
He has no cards left and cannot react.
He does not discard.
He draws 2 cards.
This ends his first turn. I need to get something going soon, or he's going to cut through my cards and start inflicting damage.