Air Strike! Is the Blood Red Skies book a good entry point?

By Troy A. Hill

As I write this, the world, including the gaming world, has screeched to a halt. Covid-19 has crippled activities the world over. Gamers, like all others not in essential industries, are being told the shelter in place, and avoid social contact to stop the pandemic.

For gamers, from this tragic time, arises a golden opportunity. The pile of lead, resin and plastic shame in our hobby dens can finally be addressed. I’ve begun a small dent in my own pile of shame, finishing up some DAK and Italy campaign Germans for Bolt Action. I’ve also got most of my Demo-Kit for (BRS) in various shades of paint awaiting decals and final matte spray.

Fortunately, my copy of Air Strike! appeared in my post box before the order for social distancing came into effect. Now that I’ve had a chance to flip through it and give it a good read, I want to take the opportunity to address the idea of whether the book is a good entry point into the game for a new player.

The answer to that is an emphatic YES.

The initial entry point into BRS has been the Battle of Britain (BoB) boxed set, which provides everything one needs to get stuck in right off. However, the Air Strike! rule book does what the original rules pamphlets in that set does, even better.

My FW 190s are on the paint table

True, Air Strike! is just a book, not a starter set. A new player will still need to pick up planes, find some d6 dice, a tape measure or ruler in inches. Perhaps some white felt, or fluffy cotton hunks to make clouds with. But, the rules as presented in Air Strike! are better organized, in my opinion, than the three pamphlets that come in the Battle of Britain box.

In the new Air Strike! book, the rules are laid out in logical fashion, with the errata applied. Huge win there for Warlord, as they took advantage of a new printing and format to update the rules with errata. I love it when game companies do just that.

Fur ball at the new gaming group in Indiana

In addition to the Basic and Expanded Rules booklets from the BoB set, Air Strike! incorporates and updates the original scenarios from the BoB set. In addition, the rules for MiG Alley, for the Korean War era jets are included.

The biggest addition to the rules comes in the Expansion set for Air Strike rules. additional scenarios have been added to the core set ones, to simulate air to ground or air to sea attacks. Bombers, in the new rules expansions, become an integral part of the game, instead of being relegated to a flying objective status.

Game Play for Beginners

If you haven’t picked up BRS yet, nor haven’t played one of the multitudes of Warlord Demo Team players (I am one here in North America), don’t panic. The game is incredibly easy to pick up.

Instead of a three-dimensional air space like many other aerial combat systems, BRS uses a system of Aircraft Advantage status by way of the tilting base the planes rest on. This status – Advantaged, Neutral, Disadvantaged – and a plane’s status in relation to other planes more than makes up for condensing the three dimensions down to only two.

The dice rolls in the game are all tied to sixes. Roll a six, and you succeed. Instead of changing the value to hit, or to make a test of various types, the number needed is always a six. The variation comes with determining how many dice you get to roll to make that six. If you’re firing at an enemy aircraft, add together your pilot skill (2-Rookie up to 5-Ace), and add your plane’s firepower (usually ranging from one to three for fighters). To dodge if you take a hit, add your pilot skill to the agility value of the aircraft (or speed if it’s a deflection/side shot). A successful shooting attack (at least one six) means the opposing squadron takes a BOOM chit.

Get a six in your dodge, and your plane is not reduced one advantage status (Advantaged becomes Neutral). If your plane is in a disadvantaged state when hit and you don’t evade, the plane is shot down, AND you take another boom chit.

Once a squadron has more BOOM chits than active planes, the squadron bugs out. A player with no planes has lost the game.

More than simple

When I relocated to Indiana from California recently, I convinced a few local seasoned gamers to give the game a go. The first game was only the basic rules, with none of the expanded rules. It was almost too simple for some of the players.

Warlord’s Jon Russell teaches MiG Alley to HMGS-PSW President Emeritus Dana Hohn

When we added the trait, theatre and doctrine cards, the game’s horizons really opened to the players and buy-in from them was almost immediate. We got a few more games in, and most of our group ordered the Air Strike! book right before the current Corona Virus pandemic hit.

Our group is now sitting at home, posting photos to social media of our planes now removed from the pile of non-painted shame. Once we get back into face to face gaming, we’re looking to add the expanded rules for Air Strikes against naval and ground targets. Our local 3-D printer is churning out Flak bunkers and other terrain markers for us to use in the upcoming games.

Recommendations for entry into BRS

If I were talking with new players, as I did at my local game store, I’d now recommend the Air Strike!
book as a first purchase. The ability to find the updated rules in one volume, with the new expansion should be an attractive beginning to almost any gamer.

Then, I’d ask which air force they want to begin with. If the answer is British or German, I’d recommend the BoB boxed set. Even though the Spitfires and ME 109s are in the more bendy plastic, the value of that kit for getting planes on the table is superb. In addition, the BoB set comes with cloud and barrage balloon templates, movement and range rules, and all the boom chits you’ll need.

Do check the movement ruler if you get the BoB set. The initial one was off by half an inch (test by setting flight stand in the curve, and anther flight stand against any of the round arcs. Measure stem to stem on the flight stands.

The number of inches should match where you’ve got your plane). I keep two small tape measures in my demo kit for BRS. Small tapes work better than the large cardboard ruler for threading through fur balls once the action gets heated.

If the new player is interested in specific planes that aren’t Spits or 109’s, or want to go with one of the other air forces, then recommending a squadron box makes more sense. Each squadron box comes with a 6-inch range stick, the chits, the pilot skill roundels, and the stands for the planes. Cards for the planes, and the associated traits, theatre and doctrine are included.

Adding an expansion pack gives a player additional aircraft cards for variations not yet in production, and additional trait and doctrine, etc cards. Add in an ACE box, with one of the real aces from WWII combat, and a player can dive right in.

Other resources a potential player should check out include:, a player run compendium of all things BRS and . NDNG’s own Mitch Reed often flies in to add his two-pence worth of advice about the game. Their . Their