Undaunted: Battle of Britain is a blast for airplane nerds and those who love them

In video game circles, combat flight simulation is usually an exclusive first-person affair. For decades, developers have been fixated on putting ordinary people in the cockpits of historic aircraft and letting them loose, whether it’s in a World War I Sopwith Camel or a modern F/A-18. The same can be said of dog fighting board games like Wings of War, Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures gameand even the Games Workshop spin-off Aviation Imperialis.

Dauntless: Battle of Britain, the latest board game from Osprey Games, takes a different direction. It manages to simulate many of the technicalities of World War II air combat, but it might be a bit difficult to parse for those without a deeper knowledge of World War II.

In Battle of Britaindesigners David Thompson and Trevor Benjamin apply their award-winning Fearless mechanics to the climactic air war between the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe. There are two major components that make it different from other wargames. First, it is a deck-building game, meaning players must have strategic control over which cards they collect in their personal decks. Individual cards represent a single unit on the battlefield – in this case an aircraft. Each card has multiple purposes and represents both how a unit is activated And the hit points of that unit. Therefore, collecting more cards from a given unit to your deck makes those units more robust and capable on the battlefield.

Battle of Britain however, adds another wrinkle to that winning formula. That’s because airborne units need to stay close together – within one hex – to maintain their most powerful and synergistic abilities. The rulebook notes that this is to simulate the idea of ​​radio and other forms of communication used to link ground support units and pilots of the era. Stray too far from your wingman, and not only can the flow of the greater battle drift away from a particular unit; their ability to get back into battle will also decrease.

This extremely clever communications mechanic does an incredible job of simulating the historic challenges of the air war in Europe. Players on both sides of the conflict must constantly choose whether to join forces on high-value targets or break off to deal more damage. It flips the script of dogfighting gaming and emphasizes teamwork rather than individual heroics – and it does so brilliantly.

While Battle of Britain doesn’t include the extensive branching storyline or persistence that made it happen Fearless: Stalingrad such a highlight, it features 11 themed missions covering different aspects of air warfare. You’ll help evacuate the beaches of Dunkirk, fend off a brutal attack on the Royal Air Force itself, and take part in the infamous London Blitz, which saw Nazi bombers attack both military and civilian targets in and around London. Unfortunately, there is no solo or co-op mode. It is strictly a two player game, so someone will have to be the Germans.

Finally, I found the documentation a bit light on details and historical context, of all things. That leaves it to old grognards like me to explain the intricacies of the historic aircraft and the tactics used. At least the playing time of 45-60 minutes means you don’t have to listen to me too much.

Dauntless: Battle of Britain is available from online stores and from your friendly local game store.

Dauntless: Battle of Britain was reviewed using a pre-release copy from Osprey Games. Vox Media has partnerships. These do not affect editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased through affiliate links. You can find additional information on Polygon’s Ethics Policy here.