Rise of the Luftwaffe
- Players: 2–8 players
- Play time: 20 min
- BGG rating: 7.1
About Rise of the Luftwaffe
"Rise of the Luftwaffe" is the first in Down in Flames series of card wargames that simulate World War 2 air combat. Each player has a hand of maneuver cards which he uses to improve his position relative to an enemy plane or fire on the enemy. The opponent is allowed to counter the maneuver by playing cards of his own, to which original player can counter back, etc. The last player to play a card determines whether the original action occurs or not. Each plane is rated with horsepower (which indicates how many card you can draw), performance (how many cards to be held), burst (the values of fire cards that can be played), etc. The number of cards in your hand abstractly represents the momentum of each aircraft. A dogfight lasts a mere 6 turns and take about 15 minutes to play. There are also campaign games which represent a number of interconnected missions and various operations the players can take. A campaign can take about 2-3 hours.
- Released
- 1993
- Designers
- Gene Billingsley, Rodger B. MacGowan, Dan Verssen
- Age
- 12+
- Best with
- 2 players (BGG community)
Rules and prices
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Upload the rulebookRise of the Luftwaffe FAQ
How many players can play Rise of the Luftwaffe?
Rise of the Luftwaffe plays with 2–8 players.
What is the best player count for Rise of the Luftwaffe?
BoardGameGeek community voters say Rise of the Luftwaffe is best with 2 players (12 votes).
How long does Rise of the Luftwaffe take to play?
A game of Rise of the Luftwaffe takes 20 min.
What age is Rise of the Luftwaffe for?
The recommended minimum age for Rise of the Luftwaffe is 12+.
Rise of the Luftwaffe expansions
- Down in Flames: Air Umbrella Over Dunkirk
- Down in Flames: Arab-Israeli War 1948-'49
- Down In Flames: Kuban Bridgehead
- Down In Flames: Poland 1939
- Down in Flames: The Netherlands East Indies
- Down In Flames: Winter War 1939-40
- Eighth Air Force
- Guerra Civil Española: Expansión no oficial para The Rise of the Luftwaffe
- Khalkin-Gol: 1939
- Malta Under Siege: 1940-1942
- Operation Pedestal: Malta Convoy, August 1942
- The Flying Tigers
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