2012 · World War I

Bloody April, 1917: Air War Over Arras, France

An operational-level simulation of World War I air combat over the Arras sector in spring 1917. Players assume the roles of opposing air commanders and task squadrons to conduct bombing, reconnaissance, artillery cooperation, contact patrols, balloon busting, offensive and line patrols, and trench strafing across a large hex map scaled to 1 nm per hex and 2 minutes per turn. Aircraft counters represent small flights (1–5 machines) and include a wide roster of period types for each side: scouts, two-seaters, pushers and early fighters for the British side, and Albatros/Halberstadt scouts plus two-seaters for the German side. Scenarios range from single missions to multi-day campaigns, and play incorporates ground-based anti-air defenses such as multiple calibers of AA and incendiary “flaming onions.”

groupPlayers

1–2 best 2

schedulePlaying time

120 min

psychologyComplexity

4.1 / 5