Richthofen's War
Encyclopedia
Richthofen's War was Avalon Hill
's board wargame
treatment of the air war over France
during World War I
. It was published in 1972.
The First World War marked the dawn of modern warfare and the first use of airplanes in combat. Richthofen's War was also one of the relatively few World War I wargames published. The game was tactical in scale and each counter represented an individual aircraft. The map represented a generic section of fields and trenches and was divided by a hexagonal grid. In a nod to Manfred von Richthofen
, the infamous Red Baron, several of the counters for German planes were printed in a deep red color. Missions in Richthofen's War included dogfight
ing, photo reconnaissance, strafing, bombing, and observation balloon busting, and a multi-mission campaign. The complexity of the game was between the beginner and intermediate level with fairly easy rules and moderate realism. An expansion set of cards and rules for performing unexpected maneuvers such as loops and rolls was added later. Also, rules were eventually developed for simultaneous movement.
Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. Its logo contained its initials "AH", and it was often referred to by this abbreviation. It also published the occasional miniature wargaming rules, role-playing game, and had a popular line of sports simulations...
's board wargame
Board wargame
A board wargame is a wargame with a set playing surface or board, as opposed to being played on a computer, or in a more free-form playing area as in miniatures games. The hobby around this type of game got its start in 1954 with the publication of Tactics, and saw its greatest popularity in the...
treatment of the air war over France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. It was published in 1972.
The First World War marked the dawn of modern warfare and the first use of airplanes in combat. Richthofen's War was also one of the relatively few World War I wargames published. The game was tactical in scale and each counter represented an individual aircraft. The map represented a generic section of fields and trenches and was divided by a hexagonal grid. In a nod to Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen , also widely known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I...
, the infamous Red Baron, several of the counters for German planes were printed in a deep red color. Missions in Richthofen's War included dogfight
Dogfight
A dogfight, or dog fight, is a form of aerial combat between fighter aircraft; in particular, combat of maneuver at short range, where each side is aware of the other's presence. Dogfighting first appeared during World War I, shortly after the invention of the airplane...
ing, photo reconnaissance, strafing, bombing, and observation balloon busting, and a multi-mission campaign. The complexity of the game was between the beginner and intermediate level with fairly easy rules and moderate realism. An expansion set of cards and rules for performing unexpected maneuvers such as loops and rolls was added later. Also, rules were eventually developed for simultaneous movement.