
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,618
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Phantom Leader
- 1 player
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 2010

Rules assistance for Hornet Leader: Cthulhu Conflict
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Hornet Leader: Cthulhu Conflict is an expansion for Hornet Leader: Carrier Air Operations released in 2013 for 1 player, 60 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Dan Verssen and its main mechanics are Simulation and Open Drafting.
The year is 2015… from the chill waters of the South Pacific, the long-fabled Island of R’lyeh home to The Great Cthulhu rises from the depths. At long last, The Stars are Right, and the time of reckoning is upon the world. Your carrier task force is in position to engage the hordes and overlords of the invasion as they spread across the globe. Hornet Leader - The Cthulhu Expansion is an expansion to Hornet Leader. Players choose their mission aircraft and prep them to best suit their needs. The right pilots and the right armaments are key to a succesful mission. When the mission starts the player places his aircraft on the tactical map and does his best to bypass or destroy the enemy defenses before striking the mission objective. You must own Hornet Leader to use this expansion.
Hornet Leader: Cthulhu Conflict supports 1 player 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 Hornet Leader: Cthulhu Conflict 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 Hornet Leader: Cthulhu Conflict 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.
Hornet Leader: Cthulhu Conflict has a complexity rating of 2.6 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.
Hornet Leader: Cthulhu Conflict belongs to these categories: Wargame, Science Fiction, and Modern Warfare. Its main mechanics are Simulation and Open Drafting. 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 Hornet Leader: Cthulhu Conflict are: Dan Verssen. 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 Hornet Leader: Cthulhu Conflict as an expansion for Hornet Leader: Carrier Air Operations. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Hornet Leader: Carrier Air Operations to use it. Check that your edition of Hornet Leader: Carrier Air Operations is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.