Eagle Day: The Battle of Britain is a board wargame published by Histo Games in 1973 that simulates the Battle of Britain. Reviewers noted its marked similarity to previously published wargames The Battle of Britain (Gamescience, 1968), and Luftwaffe (Avalon Hill, 1971), but found Eagle Day to be inferior to both.
Eagle Day is a relatively simple two-player wargame in which one player controls German bombers, and the other player controls British fighters. The hex grid map shows the southeast area of England and the coast of France. Various airplanes are represented by 142 die-cut counters. In order to simplify the game, record keeping is completely eliminated; rather than tracking the "health" and fuel supply of individual airplanes, all airplanes of a given type share the same "health" and the same amount of fuel; thus when one airplane of a given type is destroyed or runs out of fuel, all the others of the same type simultaneously suffer the same fate. [1]
The game lasts three weeks, during which players are given ten missions. During the missions, each turn represents ten minutes of game time. The German player wins by accumulating Victory Points for bombing British airfields. The British player wins by preventing this. [2]
An optional rule allows the game to be extended by two weeks. [2]
In the late 1960s, Lou Zocchi designed two aerial combat games, The Battle of Britain (Gamescience, 1969), and Twelve O'Clock High (Poultron Press, 1969, later published by Avalon Hill as Luftwaffe). In 1973, Laurence Rusiecki designed an aerial combat game with similar albeit simplified rules titled Eagle Day [1] that was published as a ziplock bag game by Histo Games.
Eagle Day was not well-received by players or critics. In a 1976 poll conducted by Simulations Publications Inc. to determine the most popular board wargames in North America, Eagle Day placed a very poor 144th out of 202 games. [3]
In his 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming , Nick Palmer recommended that players skip Eagle Day and instead try either Lou Zocchi's The Battle of Britain or Their Finest Hour by Game Designers' Workshop. [3]
In Issue 8 of Simulacrum, Joe Scoleri explored the relationship between Eagle Day and Lou Zocchi's previously published The Battle of Britain by comparing their rulebooks and Combat Results Tables; he found "some telling similarities." But he felt that Eagle Day's complete elimination of Zocchi's record-keeping was an "ill-conceived" oversimplification that rendered the game unplayable. Scoleri concluded "Eagle Day gets my vote for the worst wargame based on the [Battle of Britain] campaign. Steer clear of this game unless you absolutely must have every Battle of Britain game produced." [1]
Louis Zocchi is a gaming hobbyist, former game distributor and publisher, and maker and seller of polyhedral game dice. In 1986, he was elected to the Charles Roberts Awards Hall of Fame.
Richthofen's War, subtitled "The Air War 1916–1918", is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1973 that simulates aerial combat during World War I.
Hitler's War is a strategic level World War II board wargame first published by Metagaming Concepts in 1981, and then by Avalon Hill in 1984 that simulates the war from Operation Barbarossa to the Fall of Berlin. Critical reception was general favorable, using phrases like "very good", "An incredible bang for the buck", "single most satisfying game of its type" and "well thought out."
Alexander the Great is a board wargame first published by Guidon Games in 1971 that simulates the Battle of Arbela in 331 BCE, also known as the Battle of Gaugamela. A revised edition was published by Avalon Hill in 1974. Both editions of the game were notable for having what one critic described as "one of the ugliest maps ever to curse a war game."
Gettysburg is a board wargame produced by Avalon Hill in 1958 that re-enacts the American Civil War battle of Gettysburg. The game rules were groundbreaking in several respects, and the game, revised several times, was a bestseller for Avalon Hill for several decades.
Civil War is an early strategic board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1961 that simulates the American Civil War. Unlike other games produced by Avalon Hill during this period such as Gettysburg, Civil War did not sell well and was dropped from production two years later.
Bismarck is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1962 that simulates the hunt for the Bismarck.
Gamescience is an American game company that produces role-playing games and game supplements.
Alien Space is a science fiction board wargame published by Gamescience in 1973 that simulates space combat as seen in the Star Trek television show.
Arcola, The Battle for Italy 1796 is a board wargame published by Operational Studies Group (OSG) in 1979 and republished by Avalon Hill in 1983 that is a simulation of the Battle of Arcola between French and Austrian forces in 1796. The game was designed to tempt players to purchase OSG's previously published and larger wargame Napoleon in Italy.
The Battle of Britain is a board wargame published by Gamescience in 1968 that is a simulation of the Battle of Britain during World War II.
The Game of France, 1940: German Blitzkrieg in the West, originally titled "The Battle for France, 1940", is a board wargame originally published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1971 that was subsequently re-issued by Avalon Hill in 1972. Both editions simulate the World War II Battle of France in 1940, when the German blitzkrieg offensive overwhelmed French and British defenses in northern France.
KampfPanzer: Armored Combat, 1937–40 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1973 that simulates the first battles involving battle tanks.
Kriegspiel is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1970 that simulates a hypothetical war between two nations. Although the simple game sold well to new players, it received negative reviews by more experienced gamers.
Luftwaffe, subtitled "The Game of Aerial Combat Over Germany 1943-45", is a board wargame originally published by Poultron Press in 1969 under a different title, then subsequently sold to Avalon Hill, who republished it in 1971. The game is an operational simulation of the American bombing campaign against Germany during World War II.
Flying Tigers is a board wargame published by Gamescience in 1969 that simulates aerial combat over China by the Flying Tigers during World War II.
Flying Circus, subtitled "Tactical Aerial Combat, 1915–1918", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1972 that simulates aerial combat during World War I.
Missile Boat, subtitled "Tactical Combat On, Over and Beneath the Sea 1964-1984", is a board game published by Rand Game Associates (RGA) in 1974 that simulates naval combat using ships and weaponry from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s.
Dauntless, subtitled "Plane to Plane Combat in the Pacific — 1942–1945", is a board wargame published by Battleline Publications in 1977 that simulates aerial combat in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II.
Eighth Air Force, subtitled "Air War Over Europe, 1942–45", is a card-based wargame published by GMT Games in 1995 that simulates the air combat between Allied and German aircraft during the final three years of World War II. This was the second game in the series Down in Flames, and required the previous game in the series, Rise of the Luftwaffe, in order to play.