This game is one of FASA'a latest forays into the gaming world. Crimson
Skies offers a nice mix of strategy with good old fashioned "blowing things
up" attitude.
Crimson Skies is set into an alternate 20th century where propeller planes
still rule the sky, and zeppelins are still used to haul cargo and
passengers. It is a world of the U.S. divided, and where pirates and
privateers battle each other constantly to keep the "laws" imposed. It is
the Prohibition taken to the air, and smugglers no longer tied to the
ground.
The idea behind the game is good. Your character, which is made through an
experience based system, is the main pilot of your flight group. Your pilot
has what every pilot wants: a wingman. Made on the same experience system,
they can be comparable in battle. You then pick the name of your character, the
flight group's name and name your wonderful plane. With over 20 designs to
pick from, you are guarenteed to find a ship that gits your fancy. Can't
find one after looking through them? Like all of FASA'a other games, you can
make your own and pit it against other pre-builts or a friend's design!
My first game playing took about an hour and a half. This was including
reading through the rule book for special cases, selecting a plane, making
the pilot, and playing the game. Although the movement is a bit confusing at
first, you can quickly pick it up, assuming you haven't run the plane into a
light pole or something.
Damage is done a bit different. Like Centurion, each weapon has a "template"
of damage, differing upon the type of gun, ammo or missle. You take the
template they supply in the box, place it upon the plane's "damage chart",
and mark off the boxes the template leaves open. In my first game, we did
some serious damage to each other, with me finally shearing the wing off my opponent's
plane.
I enjoyed the game, and give it three stars out of four. Although it is simplistic,
some rules clash with others, and the movement does make it tricky for
anyone not used to the type of system they use. They do make excellent use of the fact that planes can be highly maneuverable, but even these planes
can't do everything you see in the movies. But if you are a good enough
pilot, maybe they will make the movies about you...
