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Downtown: Air War Over Hanoi, 1965-1972
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Flight Leader
1986
Rules assistance for Flight Leader
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–8 players
- 30–180 min
- 12+
- Complexity 3.5/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Flight Leader
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Flight Leader is a board game released in 1986 for 2–8 players, 30–180 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Gary C. Morgan and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Grid Movement, and Paper-and-Pencil.
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About the game
(from the back of the box:) FLIGHT LEADER puts YOU in the cockpit or a high-performance jet fighter, commanding two to eight high performance aircraft, YOUR mission is to establish "air superiority" by clearing the enemy from the skies. FLIGHT LEADER was designed by fighter pilot Captain Gary C. Morgan for U.S.A.F. training and is a highly realistic, yet easy and fun-to-play game which depicts modern aerial combat. You can refight any air battles from the subsonic gunnery duels of the Korean War to the deadly technology of the supersonic missile engagements of the present day. As a fighter flight leader, YOU will face the same considerations and make the same decisions as your real world counterparts: energy management. fuel awareness, terrain, environment, altitude and formation, radar lockons and visual sightings. pilot quality and weapons systems. Four MiGs have Just "bounced" YOUR two Phantoms-what do YOU do now? •Endless Scenario Variations: Use any of the over two dozen scenarios covering the Korean. Middle East, India-Pakistan, Vietnam. and Falklands Wars or devise your own scenarios. •Over 200 Different Jet Fighter Aircraft Types: We're not claiming that ALL types are represented, but if an aircraft IS classed as a fighter or fighter-bomber, the odds are that it's here and YOU can fly it. •World Air Order of Battle: 100 nations that operate jet fighters plus the aircraft they use and the quality of their pilots. •Basic, Advanced and Optional Rules: Rules with "layered complexity" to help in learning the game. Choose the levels of complexity and detail that YOU enjoy. CONTENTS : 520 Die-Cut Counters 29" by 32" Mapboard 1 Basic Rules Folder 6 Aircraft Status Cards 1 Cloud Card 2 Aircrew Aid Cards 1 Decimal Die TIME SCALE: Thirty seconds per Turn MAP SCALE: One kilometer per hex UNIT SCALE: Individual aircraft PLAYERS: Two to eight (team play) PLAYING TIME: From thirty minutes to three hours, depending on scenario size and the rules used. (BGG description:) Flight Leader is a turn based, hex and counter tactical game of "modern" air combat (Korean War to 1986). Each turn is 30 seconds, each hex is 1 km, and each counter is a single aircraft. It was known as Check Six when first used by the Military for training pilots as part of Project "WARRIOR" Re-implements: Check Six!
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Hobby Japan
- The Avalon Hill Game Co
Questions and answers
Flight Leader 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 Flight Leader is 30–180 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 Flight Leader 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.
Flight Leader has a complexity rating of 3.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight 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.
Flight Leader belongs to these categories: Wargame, Modern Warfare, and Aviation / Flight. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Grid Movement, and Paper-and-Pencil. 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 Flight Leader are: Gary C. Morgan. 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 Flight Leader 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.