Customer Reviews

Crimson Skies: A Game of Aerial Combat

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This game is an alternate US history character-based board game. It has simulatanous movement and visual damage (better than Battletech.) It is made by FASA, which should show the level of quality this game has. The amount of followers Crimson Skies enjoys is respectable. Expect a steady line of sourceooks, miniatures, paperbacks, and computer games for this incredible new gaming universe! *****

I don't know exactly what it was that drew me to the Crimson Skies Universe, but I'm glad I followed it in. It's an alternate history 1937 where the United States fragments into smaller countries, which rely on air transport which is susceptible to air pirates.

The game details pulp fiction style action and adventure air combats between airplanes of quasi-futuristic (for the 1930's) design and heavily armed "carrier" zeppelins. Where dashing good guys duel with bloodthirsty air pirates. Where gorgeous women fly planes with deadly accuracy and daredevil pilots make the near impossible seem mundane.

The mechanics of realistic 3D air combat are shed so that the game is fast and fun paced so if you're one of those charts and graphs and reality loving wargamers then this game may not be for you. However if you love pulp action comics, campy adventure flicks, and/or wild and wacky aeronautical action then this is your game!

Fly for the oh-so-sophisticated Empire States, or take to the skies to defend the Republic of Texas. The air pirates of Appalachia are a plague for both the Confederacy of Dixie and the mid-West's Industrial States of America. Other nations include the Christian Communists of the People's Collective, Free Colorado, Utah, Navajo Nations, Arixo, the glamorous nation of Hollywood, Pacifica, and more.

Or forsake nationalistic fervor and take to the skies for your own profit as an air pirate or privateer. Fly with the cold and cunning Johnathan "Genghis" Khan, or the beautiful and deadly Black Swan, or even start a pirate band of your own.

If you're a fan of FASA's classic Renegade Legion: Interceptor then you'll love this game, it uses the same armor templates, but with a simpler system for internal damage. Crimson Skies has the same fast fun paced feel of Interceptor, without the complex and time consuming internal damage flowchart.

This game is lots of fun and easy to learn. The flavor of the game permeates the rulebooks which are in the format three issues of Air Action Weekly, the first detailing the rules of air combat (rules of the game), the second covers the popular planes of the skies (details on the planes you can fly and how to design your own), and the third briefly covers a history of the breakup of the USA and it's component nations as well as spotlights on some of the more famous and notorious personalities that you will see in the skies.

The boxed set contains 24 full color cardboard cutouts to use and Ral Partha is releasing a line of metal miniatures that you can paint up in your own colors and use as playing pieces for the game.

So what are you waiting for? Get this game and start flying today! Happy hunting and watch your six!

Recommended fun!

This game combines an interesting alternate history background with simple but fun air-to-air combat. The game comes with colorful 3-D cardboard counters, but Ral Partha sells miniatures also (not cheap though, $5-8 each).

There are several add-ons available, including Wings Over Manhattan (which comes with additional urban-landscape maps), Behind the Crimson Viel, and the Aircraft Manual.

CADET, an excellent PC application available free on-line ............................. is a must-have. It allows you to make up new aircraft and pilots and print out the aircraft sheets (even better than the ones that come with the game).

My biggest complaint is that the publisher (FASA) does not provide aircraft counters with any of the add on modules. Miniatures are expensive and time consuming to assemble and paint.

Like the title says: The coolest air combat game I've ever played! It is awesome. The levels are fun and challenging, but it stays close to the laws of physics! A must have for flight sim lovers!

Typical of FASA, this product has a richly detailed and imaginative background. The rule set leaves something to be desired. They have two-dimensional aerial combat! Ick! Given this major flaw, it's still much better than the never sufficiently cursed AeroTech rules they put out for their Battletech game. If you played their Renegade Legion game, you will know these rules. FASA took the Crimson Skies universe from their video game group (now owned by Microsoft), stuck on an existing rule set and got out a boxed board game set. It's delightful eye candy, but IMO, overpriced. A Crimson Skies expansion module costs as much as a full blown sourcebook in Steve Jackson's Games GURPS line. Another major flaw in Crimson Skies is the lack of a Role Playing Game add on. Mechwarrior breathed life into their Battletech line. Not having this aspect weakens the Crimson Skies line. The three stars are strictly for their development of the really cool Crimson Skies background.