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- BGG #9,776
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Attack Vector: Tactical
- 2–8 players
- 240 min
- Complexity 4.1/5
- 2004
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- 8.5
Rules assistance for Birds of Prey: Missile With A Man In It
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–8 players
- 120–480 min
- 14+
Rules assistant for Birds of Prey: Missile With A Man In It
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Birds of Prey: Missile With A Man In It is an expansion for Birds of Prey: Air Combat in the Jet Age released in 2019 for 2–8 players, 120–480 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Tony Valle, Philip A. Markgraf, and Kenneth Ellis and its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid and Simulation.
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About the game
Few aircraft embodied “the future” like the F-104 Starfighter. The shining needle-like gleaming metal fuselage and pressure-suit clad crew evoke spaceships more than aircraft. Lockheed’s legendary designer Kelly Johnson interviewed fighter crews during the Korean War and created a simple fighter that maximized performance. His team conceived of the smallest aircraft they could wrap around a powerful engine. The Starfighter served with many air forces around the globe, in roles from interceptor to nuclear bomber. But reality was harsher than space age dreams. The F-104 gained its Missile With A Man In It nickname in an era when many spacecraft exploded in the first moments of flight. The Starfighter’s cutting-edge design and all-for-performance approach led to a career marred by far too many losses of aircraft and life. Missile With A Man In It contains every F-104 Starfighter combat variant, plus the proposed CL-1200 Lancer. The included opponents promise a wealth of Zipper-centric mayhem. Scenarios includes every known historic F-104 encounter, struggling over Hainan Island during the Vietnam War, battling between the two Chinas across the Formosa Strait, or soaring against the backdrop of the Himalayas in the Indo-Pakistani Wars. Learn to fight the Starfighter from Killjoy, teaching players to employ the aircraft’s unique “double-attack” fighting style. Explore the Starfighter’s achievements in the USAF’s Operation Feather Duster evaluations, and about the Starfighter’s infamous safety record, digging into the history, causes and myths.
Mechanics
Publishers
- Ad Astra Games
Questions and answers
Birds of Prey: Missile With A Man In It supports 2–8 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Birds of Prey: Missile With A Man In It is 120–480 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Birds of Prey: Missile With A Man In It for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Birds of Prey: Missile With A Man In It belongs to these categories: Wargame, Miniatures, and Modern Warfare. Its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid and Simulation. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Birds of Prey: Missile With A Man In It are: Tony Valle, Philip A. Markgraf, and Kenneth Ellis. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Birds of Prey: Missile With A Man In It as an expansion for Birds of Prey: Air Combat in the Jet Age. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Birds of Prey: Air Combat in the Jet Age to use it. Check that your edition of Birds of Prey: Air Combat in the Jet Age is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.