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Dogfight - Air Battle Game of World War I
Dogfight is a game of plane to plane combat in World War I. The players are the pilots and commanders of air squadrons from the war.
There are two squadrons for each side and each squadron has three planes. One plane from each squadron can be in the air at any one time. Planes which are flying are identified by being placed on a stand; other planes are on the ground.
When a plane takes off the pilot of that plane takes four cards from the stack for their squadron. These cards will be used for air to air combat. Once in the air the pilot cannot get more cards unless they land again. There are three types of cards; Burst, Loop and Roll. Burst cards are used to attack, Loop cards are used to avoid being attacked from behind and Roll cards are used to defend against being attacked from the side.
Planes move by rolling dice and moving the number of squares shown. Planes may move any direction except diagonally. If a plane ends its move by exact count facing an enemy plane combat ensues.
Combat begins with the attacker playing a Burst card. If the attack is from the rear the defender must play a Loop card or be shot down. If a Loop card is played the attacker and defender exchange places and now the defender can attack.
In a side attack the defender must play a Roll card or be shot down. Finally, in a head-on attack, both players play a Burst card. Whoever plays the Burst card with the highest value is the winner. Planes which are shot down are removed from play.
Players which successfully shoot down planes and safely return to base are Aces. Aces get more cards when they take off giving them a better chance in combat.
It is also possible to attack planes on the ground, but the attacker must fly over Anti-Aircraft guns in order to do so. Surviving planes can destroy planes on the ground by playing a Burst card.
Dogfight is a very simple game with some subtle options. The limited number of combat cards makes for some careful planning since pressing an attack too long can leave a plane defenseless as it tries to get back to its home airfield. While much simpler than a standard wargame it is an interesting game all the same.
This game is part of the American Heritage series which was produced in cooperation with American Heritage magazine. It includes an educational booklet on historical WWI air combat. Other games in the series included Broadsides (ship to ship combat in the age of sail) and Battle Cry (US Civil War combat).
22 comments on Dogfight:
Thank you!
Were can i get a "Dogfight" board game from? Don't want one from Ebay.
I used to play this game with my cousins when I was a young kid. Easy to understand, and it was fun.
My brothers and I played this game as kids. My brother claims an acegot 6 cards and a double ace got 8 cards.
Yes, Aces get 6 cards and double Aces get 8. You can find a copy of the rules (in PDF format) at http://www.gamepile.com/gamerules/dogfight.pdf
How many cards in each stack, and what type?
Any place to order replacement parts? My son, now 9 and I, now 43 started playing the game over the holidays. My dad, now 78, and I use to play it "back in the day". Anyway, thanks for this posting. The directions were missing but he LOVES flying the planes and shooting down his old dad, the evil GERMAN!! HAHAHAHAH!!
This game was so fun to play as a child. Before the Atari 2600 ruined children\'s imaginations, Dogfight was the top of the notch. Great memories!!
Played this game which we got for Christmas in about 1964. The planes had nomenclature and you could fly different ones. The aerodromes were "Jagdstafels" or something like that. We used to litter the battlefield with crashed planes which were shot down. rex is right that kids don't enjoy the board games as much now that they have electronic stuff.
http://brighton.gumtree.com/brighton/49/19344249.html
Where can I buy this game?
Please reply to jennifersmith@cox.net
Still have this! It's in good condition, too. Was my father's and now my brother and I play it when he's on leave. We also have Sub Search and Shenanigans somewhere. :D
Dogfight was one of my favorites when I was a child. I used to play it with my brother and friends. I also had Hit The Beach, Battlecry, and Broadsides, and I sure would like to see PC versions of any or all these classic board games! Thank you for this website.
This 1963 game was a great entry-level game I used to ease into the world of the more complex war games put out by Avalon Hill of SPI later in the 70's.
The rules were easy to understand and learn. I eventually devised some cloud-cover extensions and game rules that we used to simulate attacks from above out of the sun. These game extensions worked great!
i had this game as a kid also and was surprised to see it displayed in the smithsonian on a recent visit
have the board and rules, missing the cards does anyone know how many loops, rolls, and burts numbers the cards were in the original set?
Todd
I can remember this game in Jr High i remember playing aginst some other a was a american pilot i shot down some those germans
http://www.dogfightgame.com/index.html
other than ebay, this guy has lots of games for sale as well as pieces needed to complete the game. I love this game as a kid growing up and have some sets on ebay to re-kindle the fire. Always fun to have some old memories around to share with family. A super fun game to play with family that is if you still have all the pieces!
Allen
rcbigal@yahoo.com
The game has 2 loops, 3 barrel rolls.
There are either 3 or 4 of each burst (burst 1, burst 2, burst 3, burst 4, burst 5) Unfortunately, I do not remember off the top of my head.
Question: There seem to be a lot of ambiguities in the rules. Is a more detailed rule book available anywhere?
where is there a place in england i can buy the game
I would like to buy this game. Where might I be able to do that? please, someone let me know. thanks
dgore@pewtrusts.org
Where can I purchase this game?
Tks,