- BGG rating
- 7.5
Lost Squadrons: A Black Cross/Blue Sky Supplement
- 1–6 players
- 60 min
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #14,119
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Black Cross / Blue Sky
2010
Rules assistance for Black Cross / Blue Sky
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–6 players
- 60 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.5/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Black Cross / Blue Sky
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Black Cross / Blue Sky is a board game released in 2010 for 1–6 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by John F. Stanoch and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Hexagon Grid, and Simulation.
Expansions
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #16,205
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Bag the Hun
- 2–8 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2003
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,390
- BGG rating
- 7.7
The Burning Blue: The Battle of Britain, 1940
- 2 players
- 300 min
- Complexity 4.0/5
- 2006
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,908
- BGG rating
- 6.9
London's Burning
- 1–2 players
- 120–480 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 1995
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,033
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Nightfighter: Air Warfare in the Night Skies of World War Two
- 1–2 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 2011
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,568
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Bomber Command: The Night Raids
- 2 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,116
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Achtung: Spitfire! – WWII Air Combat Over Europe 1940-1943
- 1–10 players
- 240 min
- Complexity 4.1/5
- 1995
- BGG rank
- BGG #9,117
- BGG rating
- 9.1
Wings of the Motherland
- 2–8 players
- 60–240 min
- Complexity 4.2/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #11,799
- BGG rating
- 7.3
C.V.: A Game of the Battle of Midway
- 2–4 players
- 300–1200 min
- Complexity 3.8/5
- 1979
- BGG rank
- BGG #14,085
- BGG rating
- 6.3
111: Alarm dla Warszawy
- 2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2013
- BGG rank
- BGG #14,239
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Red Parachutes: Soviet Airborne Assault Across the Dnepr
- 2 players
- 360 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 1995
- BGG rank
- BGG #14,255
- BGG rating
- 7.6
"Scratch One Flat Top!"
- 2 players
- 20–600 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 1995
- BGG rank
- BGG #16,667
- BGG rating
- 6.4
Operation Shoestring: The Guadalcanal Campaign, 1942
- 1–4 players
- 240 min
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 1990
About the game
Take to the skies over southeast England during the turbulent Summer of 1940, as the outnumbered aircraft of the RAF fought a desperate struggle of survival against the onslaught of the near-invincible German Luftwaffe. "Black Cross/Blue Sky" is a historical wargame that allows players to assume the role of either a British or German pilot during the Battle of Britain. The core game rules use a revolutionary system based on the Squadrons game system later revamped into the Blue Sky series of rules. Nominated for the Charles S. Roberts Award for best historical miniatures rules set in 1996, the rules have been refined and expanded from hundreds of players’ feedback. The result is a game system which allows a huge number of aircraft to be easily handled without the tedium of written orders. Multiple sets can be combined to allow large games that are limited only by the space provided by the players. The game originates from "Squadrons: The Battle of Britain" written in 1994. As a result of the success of Squadrons demand for more aircraft appeared. The Blue Sky Series of games resulted in the new rules Red Sun / Blue Sky. This was done to normalize aircraft statistics across theaters of war by revamping the formulas for calculating plane statistics. The resulting rulesets / expansions have been published: Red Sun, Blue Sky - Pacific Theater (Main Ruleset) Blue Sea, Blue Sky - Mediterranean Theater (Expansion) White Star, Blue Sky - Daylight Bombing (Expansion) Red Star, Blue Sky - Russian Front (Expansion) Black Cross, Blue Sky - Battle of Britain (Re-implements the Battle of Britain and provides for cardboard planes). 2nd Edition of Rules Lost Squadrons Black Cross, Blue Sky - Expansion for Black Cross. All planes published in these modules are compatible and can be played against each other. Only the planes from the original Squadrons are incompatible. While it took 10 years to publish Black Cross the expansion rulebooks even mention the requirement to have the black cross rulebooks or red sun rulebooks to play. While the cardboard planes are not available for the theater books the plane statistics are 100% compatible.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Blue Sky Enterprises
Questions and answers
Black Cross / Blue Sky supports 1–6 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 Black Cross / Blue Sky is 60 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 Black Cross / Blue Sky for ages 10 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.
Black Cross / Blue Sky has a complexity rating of 2.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Black Cross / Blue Sky belongs to these categories: Wargame, Miniatures, and World War II. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, 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 Black Cross / Blue Sky are: John F. Stanoch. 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 Black Cross / Blue Sky as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.