Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Low interaction
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
B-17: Queen of the Skies is a strategy game which re-creates the early bombing missions and aerial combat of the B-17 (F Model) bombers of the US Eighth Air Force over Europe between November 1942 and May 1943. Movement to targets is through zones.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Area Movement
Move pieces between connected regions rather than along individual spaces.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Paper-and-Pencil
Record choices and results directly on a personal sheet.
Events
Triggered events alter the shared state, rules, or available choices.
Combat Results Table
Compare opposing strength as a ratio, then consult a table to resolve combat.
Read the full game description
B-17: Queen of the Skies is a strategy game which re-creates the early bombing missions and aerial combat of the B-17 (F Model) bombers of the US Eighth Air Force over Europe between November 1942 and May 1943. Movement to targets is through zones. Die rolls and game tables determine appearance, type, and position of enemy fighters. Charts are used to determine if hits are made, where the damage is located, and how serious the damage is. Game tables and die rolls also determine everything from the bomber's target and formation position to weather, flak, and German fighter opposition as the B-17 makes its way over land and sea to its target. The game has a low complexity and typically, the playing time is generally less than one hour after your first few games. B-17 is designed to be primarily a solitaire game. The player controls a B-17F Flying Fortress bomber, trying to survive German fighter attacks and drop its load of bombs on the selected target, then return home safely. Optionally, a second player can control the German fighters (to some degree; their appearance is determined randomly, but successive attacks are under the control of the German player). If each player has their own copy of B-17, then they can fly their bomber while playing the same mission as part of the formation.