The game for two players was published by Nova game designs in 1980 (designed by Alfred Leonardi) and consists of two books, one for the Allies, and one for the Germans. The Allies had the Sopwith Camel while the Germans would fly the Fokker DR1.
The books were filled with illustrations that represented the pilot’s view of the skies. Every page had a different illustration, along with 25 different maneuvers that could be selected from the bottom of the page. Each player started on the same page, where they had a view of the enemy aircraft out of their cockpit, and then selected a maneuver from the bottom of the page.
Each shot at close range was 2 points of damage, at medium was 1 point, and only 1/2 point at long range. Each plane could take 6 points before being shot down. So you would continue performing maneuvers and turning pages until somebody got shot down. The game was fast, fun, and really gave you an idea of how aerial combat worked back in the Great War.
This game helped us pass many a study period, or time on the bus, or anywhere. There were quite a few follow up editions for different aircraft, even balloon busting. My son got to play his own version when the Star Wars: Starfighter Battle Books was released (X-Wing vs Tie Interceptor), and there was a lightsaber duel edition too.
The books are probably pretty hard to find now, and probably have no appeal for the new generation of kids who all have handheld electronic ways to pass the time and play a vast array of games. It’s not the same though. Those were good times.
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