- BGG rating
- 8.4
Crimson Skies: Behind the Crimson Veil
- 2 players
- 75 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 1999
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,449
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Crimson Skies
1998
Rules assistance for Crimson Skies
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 180 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.9/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Crimson Skies
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Crimson Skies is a board game released in 1998 for 2 players, 180 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Jordan Weisman and Michael Stackpole and its main mechanics are Simultaneous Action Selection.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 6.3
Crimson Skies: Spicy Air Tales – Volume 2
- 2 players
- 75 min
- 1999
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Crimson Skies: Wings Over Manhattan
- 2 players
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 1999
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Crimson Skies: Aircraft Manual
- 2 players
- 75 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2000
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Crimson Skies: Blake Aviation Security
- 2 players
- 75 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2000
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Crimson Skies: Pride of the Republic
- 2 players
- 75 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2000
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Crimson Skies: Spicy Air Tales – Volume 1
- 2 players
- 75 min
- 2000
- BGG rating
- 7.9
Crimson Skies: The Airman's Gazetteer
- 2 players
- 75 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2000
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,124
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Lost Worlds
- 2 players
- 10 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 1983
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,598
- BGG rating
- 7.1
BattleTech
- 2–4 players
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 1984
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,463
- BGG rating
- 6.5
HeroClix
- 2 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2002
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,575
- BGG rating
- 6.2
Mage Knight
- 2–4 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.4/5
- 2000
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,806
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Nuclear Escalation
- 2–6 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.6/5
- 1983
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,613
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Mage Knight Dungeons
- 2–4 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2002
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,933
- BGG rating
- 7.6
BattleTech: Introductory Box Set
- 2–6 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 3.5/5
- 2002
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,486
- BGG rating
- 6.9
BattleTech: CityTech
- 2–6 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 1986
- BGG rank
- BGG #206
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game
- 2 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #663
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Star Wars: X-Wing (Second Edition)
- 2 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,338
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Star Trek: Attack Wing
- 2–99 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2013
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,238
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Tsuro of the Seas
- 2–8 players
- 20–40 min
- Complexity 1.4/5
- 2012
About the game
Crimson Skies is a character-based board game of dogfighting and dive bombing in an aviation-dominated world; a simple, fast-playing game of pulp-fiction-style air combat. It is a game about the men and women who pilot flying nightmares, the metal-sheathed birds of prey that spit death from the sky. In Crimson Skies, you are at the top of the aviation food chain - a fighter pilot, one of the fearless men and women who take to the skies each day for honor or profit. Each player generates a minimum of two characters, a pilot and his or her wingman. If your characters survive from mission to mission, they gain experience that can translate into better skills, and thus even better chances for future survival and success. While this is a combat board game, not a roleplaying game, telling tales about your characters will invest the game with action, drama and humor, making the game-playing experience even more enjoyable.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Fanpro
- FASA
Questions and answers
Crimson Skies supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Crimson Skies is 180 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 Crimson Skies for ages 12 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.
Crimson Skies has a complexity rating of 2.9 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.
Crimson Skies belongs to these categories: Wargame, Miniatures, and Collectible Components. Its main mechanics are 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 Crimson Skies are: Jordan Weisman and Michael Stackpole. 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 Crimson Skies 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.