Control the increasingly lower altitude, the approaching runway, the engines and flaps with dice to avoid crashing! A play review of the board game 'SkyTeam' where two people cooperate to land the plane safely at the airport
The Japanese version of the two-player cooperative board game '
SkyTeam | Sugorokuya Board Games | Sugorokuya
https://sugorokuya.jp/p/sky-team/
·table of contents
◆Contents
◆Game Preparation
◆ I played while checking the basic rules.
◆ Use advanced modules to take on difficult scenarios
◆Contents
SkyTeam's package looks like this:
The game lasts 20 minutes and is intended for ages 12 and up. The number of players is limited to 2.
When I opened the lid, there was a rule manual called 'Landing Procedures'.
The flight log (right) that came with the landing instructions contains advanced rules, so we were instructed not to look at its contents until we had played the basic rules.
The 'control panel' that serves as the main board used in games
Remove all panels with trash can icons on them. They are pre-slit so you don't need a cutter or scissors.
The control panel looks like this, and is designed to resemble an airplane instrument. You can dispose of the removed panel.
Airplane tilt disc
Partitions for the captain (blue) and co-pilot (orange).
The partition was collapsible and had an outline of the rules written inside.
Four blue dice and four orange six-sided dice.
Blue and orange aerodynamic markers, a red brake marker, 3 coffee pieces, and 12 airplane pieces.
There are 2 re-roll tiles and 10 switches.
Approach track and altitude track.
There were also cards and boards for the advanced rules in the box, but I was told to play with these after playing the basic rules, so I put them away for the time being.
◆Game Preparation
First, place the airplane tilt disk into the circular recess in the center of the control panel.
Place the approach track and altitude track on the top of the control panel as shown below. Place the airplane piece on the approach track. The square and number of the airplane piece to be placed follow the position and number of the airplane icon written on the left. Each approach track is set to a real airport, and the airport we will play this time is
Place the switch on the bottom of the control panel in the area outlined in red in the image below. Place the switch on the right side, leaving the left side free.
Place the blue aerodynamic markers, orange aerodynamic markers, and red brake markers as follows:
Place all three coffee tops at the bottom left of the control panel.
Place one re-roll tile in the top left pocket.
Assemble the Captain and Co-pilot partitions and give the Captain four blue dice and the Co-pilot four orange dice. Two players will share the roles of Captain and Co-pilot.
You're now ready to go.
◆ I played while checking the basic rules.
The gameplay is very simple: you go through a tactical discussion phase, a dice roll phase, and a round end process in that order, and the game ends after six rounds. The objective of the game is to land safely at the airport.
In the tactical discussion phase, you discuss how to move the planes, such as 'Let's remove that plane piece,' or 'Let's prioritize moving forward.' However, specific instructions about the numbers on the dice, such as 'Put it down when you get a 3' or 'Put the highest number here,' are out. You are only deciding the course of action for the round.
After consulting, you roll the dice. In other words, when you are consulting, you don't know what your dice will show.
After rolling the dice, you take turns placing the dice one by one on the control panel while leaving the results as they are. The dice have different effects depending on which number they are on and which square on the control panel they are placed on. However, when placing the dice, the captain and co-pilot must not talk at all except when pointing out a mistake in the rules.
First, to land safely, the plane's attitude must be maintained. To control the plane's tilt, the captain and co-pilot must work together. When the captain and co-pilot place one die each on the tilt squares on the left and right sides of the plane tilt disc, the numbers on both dice are compared at that point. If the numbers are the same, the plane's tilt remains the same.
However, if the numbers on the two dice are different, you need to tilt the plane by the difference. For example, if the blue die shows a 3 and the orange die shows a 4, move the plane tilt disc 4-3=1 step toward the orange die that showed the larger number.
However, if the plane tilt disc is moved to the 'X' mark on the left or right, the mission will fail because the plane's attitude can no longer be controlled. The game will be over immediately. The captain and co-pilot must place one die on the tilt square every round.
Also, to land the plane at the airport, you need to arrive at the airport and rev the engine to move the plane forward. The captain and co-pilot must place one die on the engine squares under the scale marked 1 to 12 every round. Add up the numbers on the two dice placed on the engine squares and refer to the scale above. If the total number is to the left of the blue brake marker, don't move forward. If the total number is between the blue and orange brake markers, move forward one square. If the total number is to the right of the orange brake marker, move forward two squares.
When moving an airplane forward, you move the approach track down by the number of spaces you want to move forward. However, the airplane pieces on the approach track represent airplanes on your route. Therefore, if you try to pass through a space on the approach track even though you still have airplane pieces remaining, you will have a 'mid-air collision,' and the mission will fail and the game will be over. Note that the captain and co-pilot must place one die on the engine space every round.
In order to get planes on the way to move away, you need to contact them via radio. Radio spaces are located at the top of the control panel, and the captain can place one and the co-pilot can place up to two.
Place a die on the wireless space. This time, place the die that shows a 3.
By doing so, the current position on the approach track will become the first square, and one airplane piece that is located in the square the number of dice placed on the radio square will be immediately removed. In this case, the airplane piece that was in the third square from the bottom of the approach track was removed. You can't land safely at the airport unless you radio all the planes and get them to leave, so you want to be proactive about radioing.
In order to land, the landing gear must be deployed, which can only be operated by the pilot, by placing the dice with the number shown on the landing gear square on the left of the control panel.
For example, you can place a dice with a result of 1 or 2 on the top. Once placed, slide the switch below. A green indicator will appear, so you can see at a glance whether it has been deployed or not. You can place the dice on the landing gear switches in any order.
When you deploy one landing gear, move the blue aerodynamic marker one space to the right - the more landing gear you deploy, the harder it is for the plane to move forward.
The co-pilot must operate the flaps to increase the plane's lift and wind resistance. There are four flap switches, and unlike the landing gear, they must be turned on in the order from top to bottom.
Once you have placed the dice with the specified result, slide the switch.
Then move the orange aerodynamic marker one space to the right.
Furthermore, to avoid overrunning the runway when landing, it is necessary to apply the brakes firmly. It is the captain's job to apply the brakes, and he places the dice according to the instructions on the squares. However, the dice must be placed on the brake squares in order from left to right.
When placing the dice on the control panel like this, you have to place the dice that you rolled first, but sometimes you get a result that doesn't go as you want, and sometimes you get bad luck and it ends up being fatal. At such times, the captain and co-pilot are required to be calm and concentrate. So, if you place a dice with any number on the concentration square at the bottom of the control panel, you can get one coffee piece. Place the coffee piece you get on the control panel as follows.
For example, what if you really want a die with a number 4 on it, but all you get is a number 5?
By using one coffee piece, you can increase or decrease the number on the dice by 1. In this case, I used one coffee piece on a dice with a number 5, changed it to a number 4, and placed it on the landing gear. Note that multiple coffee pieces can be used at once, and unused pieces can be used in later rounds.
In addition, by using one reroll tile, you can reroll all the dice that you have not placed at that time. Both the captain and the co-pilot can use this, but if either one of them uses it, both of them will reroll the dice that they have not placed, so be careful. If the reroll tile is unused, it can be carried over to the next round.
When the captain and co-pilot have finished placing four dice alternately, the round ends. The altitude track is lowered by one and the dice are collected. The player who starts placing dice in the round is the player with the frame color of the bottom square on the altitude track at that time.
The captain and co-pilot need to consult with each other after the results of the previous round. However, they cannot discuss information about the results, so they only make vague adjustments to their intentions, such as 'The plane piece is in trouble for now' or 'If we don't deploy the flaps soon, it looks like we'll have trouble landing.' Since they consult before rolling the dice, it's not uncommon for things to go wrong, like 'The dice came out completely different to what we were talking about just before.' At such times, they have to hint at their own information and intentions by 'where to place what results.'
The game ends when the altitude track becomes a landing square in the sixth round. There are four basic rules for winning: the first is that all airplane pieces on the approach track have been removed at the end of the sixth round, and the second is that the plane's inclination is exactly horizontal.
The third is that the landing gear and flippers are all deployed.
And the fourth is that the total value of the dice placed on the engine square must be to the left of the red brake marker. If any of these conditions are not met, the landing will be a failure.
This was my first time playing the game to understand the basic rules, but I managed to meet all the requirements and clear the game. It felt like a very close call, and I had to use coffee pieces to make adjustments and use reroll tiles to get out of a pinch. I played for about an hour while checking the rules.
When I actually played SkyTeam, I was surprised at the accuracy with which the board game reproduced the cooperative mission of 'the captain and co-pilot piloting the plane while preparing for landing'. I also got the feeling that I was actually operating the instruments of the plane, such as the control panel, the plane tilt disk, and the switches. In addition, the sense of accomplishment when you successfully land after communicating with the other person while looking at various data is quite impressive. The rules themselves are very simple and easy to understand, but you need the ability to read the atmosphere by 'consulting before rolling the dice, and letting the other person understand your results and what you want to do depending on the placement of the dice', and the ability to judge the priority by looking at the situation. Since the game progresses according to the number on the dice, luck is important, but more than that, it was a game that required strategy and communication.
◆ Use advanced modules to take on difficult scenarios
Now that you understand the basic rules, let's try to challenge more difficult scenarios using the advanced module. There are 21 different scenarios in total, with a large number of entry tracks. The difficulty level is classified by the color at the top of the entry track.
Since I was able to clear the basic rule on the first try, I thought I could do this, so I chose the most difficult entry track, the black one.
The airport is
The anemometer icon is the wind module. The plane's orientation relative to the wind changes according to the scale indicated by the plane tilt disc. In the initial state, the plane is accelerating because it is receiving a tailwind from behind, and 'the total engine mass value is increased by 3.' In other words, you are required to tilt the plane to avoid the effects of the wind.
The ice icon is an ice brake. It is a brake that is different from the usual one and is placed on top of the brake square. In the same round, you must place the specified dice on the squares above and below at the same time. You must apply the brakes in order from left to right, and if you cannot move the red brake marker to the far right by the end of the game, you will fail the mission and the game will be over.
I was worried that this would be too harsh, but in high difficulty scenarios, the captain and co-pilot can choose special abilities. Since Keflavik Airport this time had a '2-star' icon, you can choose two special abilities. You need to consider various abilities and combinations and choose the one that suits the situation.
In addition, the difficult approach track has squares marked with 'turn' marks. If you move forward on the approach track and the plane's inclination is not within the angle indicated by the ▼ and ▽ marks, the game will be over immediately.
And the black dice icon means to roll the 'congestion dice'. If there is a black dice icon on the position display screen at the start of the round, roll the congestion dice by that number and add one airplane piece to the square corresponding to the dice. In other words, if you take it easy, the number of airplanes on your route will increase.
The sinister black glowing congestion dice
The control panel at the start of the game looks like this.
In the game, the problem was that the tailwind caused the plane to move forward at a rapid pace.
There are a lot of planes on your route. You can ask other planes to move away by radio, but if you get a bad roll you can't select a square with an airplane piece on it, so there are rounds where you can't remove the airplane piece no matter what you do.
Even more troubling is the existence of ice breaks. You have to place dice with the specified results for the same round on top and bottom, and you have to play it a total of four times. Since the game is six rounds, having to allocate dice to ice breaks for four rounds is a pretty big restriction when you want to use the dice as carefully as possible.
Special abilities come in handy in these situations. For example, 'Adapt' allows each player to turn a die they have not yet placed upside down once per game, changing its value. Even if the ice breaker specifies a number 2, but you don't have a number 2 on hand, you can use 'Adapt' to change the number to 2 if you have a 5. However, since this ability can only be used once per game, it is very important to know when to use it.
We made progress in a challenging situation, using coffee mass and reroll tiles, but eventually we ran out of options and the plane tilted hard to the right, resulting in a mission failure.
This time I played at the highest difficulty level, but the added advanced rules have four difficulty levels, and by adding modules and special abilities, each scenario has its own unique character, so I felt that the replayability was quite high. The game unfolds differently depending on the roll of the dice, so even the same scenario feels fresh every time you play it. As a two-player cooperative board game, it is highly complete, and even people who are not used to playing board games can easily grasp the rules, and the difficulty level can be adjusted according to the player's experience level, so SkyTeam is a game that is recommended for beginners as well.
SkyTeam is available for purchase on Amazon.co.jp for 5,120 yen including tax.
Amazon | SkyTeam Board Game Sugorokuya | Board Games | Toys
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