allboardgames.com
Thunderbirds box art
2015 Ranked #1,312

Thunderbirds

Cooperative rescue game where International Rescue deploys iconic machines to save victims from escalating disasters. Multiple emergencies demand rapid coordination, so a response sent to one crisis may leave another situation dangerously unattended.

Thematic Games Adventure Movies / TV / Radio theme Action Points Area Movement

Players

1-4

Play time

45-60 min

Age

10+

Complexity

2.49/5

Rating

7.55

Harder to teach Highly interactive Deep strategy

Overview

At a glance

Is this game right for my group?

ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.

Teachability 2.3/5

Harder to teach

Replay value 3.9/5

High replayability

Interaction 3.8/5

Highly interactive

Player scaling 4.0/5

Scales well

Strategic depth 4.5/5

Deep strategy

See all 5 specifications

How it plays

How does it play?

The co-operative game Thunderbirds, released in 2015 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the cult hit TV show, features the iconic Thunderbirds machines and a high-octane world full of disasters and victims for players to rescue.

Core mechanisms

Key systems that shape the decisions players make.

Read the full game description

The co-operative game Thunderbirds, released in 2015 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the cult hit TV show, features the iconic Thunderbirds machines and a high-octane world full of disasters and victims for players to rescue. Set in the year 2065, Thunderbirds follows the exploits of International Rescue, a secret organization committed to saving human life, secretly founded and funded by the millionaire Tracy family, with the motto: ‘Never give in, at any cost!’ International Rescue has a host of technologically advanced land-, sea-, air-, and space-rescue vehicles and equipment ready to launch at a moment’s notice. Racing to the rescue from a secret island base beneath the luxurious home of the Tracy family somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean, International Rescue defies government spies and criminals who want the secrets of their incredible machines for their own. To combat this threat, Lady Penelope, the Thunderbirds’ aristocratic English secret agent, and her chauffeur Parker lead a network of agents to uncover those behind the disasters caused by deliberate sabotage. A criminal mastermind known as “The Hood”, operating from a temple deep in the Malaysian jungle and in possession of strange powers, often engineers events to allow him to spy on the Thunderbird machines with the goal of selling their secrets to the highest bidder. The iconic Thunderbirds are designed by the Tracy family’s close friend “Brains” and are assigned to each of the five Tracy brothers: - Thunderbird 1, piloted by Scott Tracy – a hypersonic rocket plane used for fast response and rescue-zone reconnaissance, and as a mobile control base. - Thunderbird 2, piloted by Virgil Tracy – a supersonic VTOL carrier which transports their major rescue equipment in detachable pods. - Thunderbird 3, piloted by Alan Tracy – a single-stage, vertically launched spacecraft - Thunderbird 4, piloted by Gordon Tracy – a utility submersible for underwater rescue, launched from Thunderbird 2 - Thunderbird 5, manned by John Tracy – a space station in geo-stationary orbit that monitors calls for help from across Earth. Finally, Lady Penelope has the iconic FAB 1, driven by Parker – a pink, amphibious car. Thunderbirds is a cult 1960s British science-fiction television series, created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. It was produced using a combination of marionette puppetry and scale-model special effects, which was dubbed “Supermarionation”. Two series, totaling thirty-two 50-minute episodes, were produced, along with two films using the same techniques. Players will work together using Thunderbirds characters and vehicles to complete rescue missions and save the day.

Browse all classifications

Shopping

Where to buy

No verified retailer offers are available yet. The references below may still help you continue your search.

Unverified shopping references

Editions

Language and publisher variants currently recorded in the catalog.

Edition Year Language Publisher / Region
No editions imported yet.

Player resources

Rulebooks, player aids, FAQs, and solo resources.

No files imported yet.

Game and edition data

All specifications (5)

Play and group

Players
1–4
Best with
1–4
Play time
45–60 min
Age
10+
Complexity
2.5/5
Credits and catalog connections

Credits

Designers

1
Matt Leacock

Artists

4
Graham Bleathman Michal E. Cross Shigeru Komatsuzaki Andrew Law

Publishers

2
ASYNCRON games Modiphius Entertainment

Linked items

No published linked games yet.