
- BGG rating
- 8.3
Fulcrum Leader: Expansion #1 – Naval Aviation
- 1 player
- 2025

2025
Rules assistance for Fulcrum Leader
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 1 player

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Fulcrum Leader is a board game released in 2025 for 1–2 players, 45–120 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Benjamin Chee and Doug Glover and its main mechanics are Simulation, Solo / Solitaire Game, and Campaign / Battle Card Driven.
Fulcrum Leader is a solitaire tactical game which depicts the conventional Soviet air campaign against NATO in Europe during the Cold War era. The game covers the crucial decades from 1970s to 1990s as opposing forces faced each other down in a game of nuclear brinkmanship, with featured aircraft including the MiG-29 Fulcrum, MiG-23/27 Flogger, MiG-21 Fishbed, MiG-25 Foxbat, Su-27 Flanker, Su-24 Fencer and Su-17 Fitter. In Fulcrum Leader, you will need to select the right combination of aircraft in your regiment in order to successfully carry out the different missions which your pilots will execute. You will be faced with the same type of decision-making and risk-taking experienced by Soviet air regimental commanders. This game adds new aspects of Soviet air operations such as enhanced radio-electric combat, ground controlled intercepts (GCI), and the ever-present political officer watching over your shoulders, the Zampolit. You will need to manage the capability of your pilots, weigh the advantages and disadvantages of your aircraft, use your zampolit to manage your superiors, and avoid the ignoble fate of being sent off to a re-education facility in Kamchatka. The core game contains 336 cards and 704 counters, including: 207 x Aircraft cards MiG-21bis Fishbed-N MiG-23ML Flogger-G MiG-27 Flogger-J MiG-29 Fulcrum-A (USSR / Bulgaria / Czechoslovakia / DDR / Poland / Romania) MiG-29 Fulcrum-C Su-17M Fitter Su-24 Fencer Su-27 Flanker 5 x Squadron Asset cards MiG-25RB/RBV Foxbat-B MiG-25RBSh Foxbat-D MiG-25BM Foxbat-F Su-25 Frogfoot 18 x Support Aircraft cards Yak-28PP Brewer-E Tu-126 Moss A-50 Mainstay 9 x Ground Control Intercept cards 45 x Target cards 36 x Event cards 16 x Zampolit cards In addition, the core box includes: 11 x Campaign sheets 3 x Skills / Traits / Player Help sheets 1 x Sequence of Play Flowchart 1 x Airbase Squadron Control sheet 1 x Player Log sheet 1 x Tactical Display board 1 x Rulebook —description from the publisher
Fulcrum Leader supports 1–2 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 Fulcrum Leader is 45–120 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 Fulcrum 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.
Fulcrum Leader belongs to these categories: Card Game, Wargame, and Modern Warfare. Its main mechanics are Simulation, Solo / Solitaire Game, and Campaign / Battle Card Driven. 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 Fulcrum Leader are: Benjamin Chee and Doug Glover. 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 Fulcrum 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.