- BGG rank
- BGG #3,329
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Flat Top
- 2 players
- 360 min
- Complexity 4.2/5
- 1977
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,807
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Blue Max
1983
Rules assistance for Blue Max
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 60 min
- 13+
- Complexity 2.3/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Blue Max
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Blue Max is a board game released in 1983 for 2–6 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Phil Hall and John Harshman and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Variable Set-up, and Simultaneous Action Selection.
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About the game
In "Blue Max", each player pilots a World War I airplane in a dogfight. This wargame can be played as a campaign, with new planes becoming available as time passes, and with surviving pilots getting better at what they do. Each plane has a maneuver sheet showing which ones it is allowed to do -- some maneuvers can only be executed by ace pilots, and other maneuvers are "restricted" in the sense that they can't be repeated from one turn to the next (the plane would stall). If you "tail" another plane, its pilot must show you whether he's going right, left or straight ahead. You get to shoot ahead of your plane, unless you have a bomber with an observer/gunner in the back (swivel-mounted guns). Damage is rolled on a table that determines severity in terms of blue and red hits; you then draw the indicated number of coloued chits from a cup. Hits are taken to the wings, tail, engine, etc. There's a chance the pilot is killed, or that the plane catches fire. Fuel eventually runs out and the pilots fly off to meet another day --if they survived. This is a lot of fun with massive numbers of players; you can put the 20-odd planes on the map at once, balancing the better airplanes with weaker pilots. The second edition introduced crude altitude rules, and in 1995 GDW put out full-blown miniatures rules. The 2014 edition of Blue Max had substantial changes, and can be found with its own game page HERE.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Stratelibri
- Game Designers' Workshop (GDW Games)
- Diseños Orbitales
- Oriflam
Questions and answers
Blue Max supports 2–6 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 Blue Max 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 Blue Max for ages 13 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.
Blue Max has a complexity rating of 2.3 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.
Blue Max belongs to these categories: Wargame, Aviation / Flight, and World War I. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Variable Set-up, and Simultaneous Action Selection. 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 Blue Max are: Phil Hall and John Harshman. 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 Blue Max 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.