Black Cross / Blue Sky

About this board game

Black Cross / Blue Sky is a historical wargame for 1–6 players, with games lasting about 60 minutes, that recreates the Battle of Britain during the turbulent summer of 1940.

Players take the role of either a British or German pilot as the outnumbered RAF fights for survival against the Luftwaffe over southeast England. The game focuses on managing large numbers of aircraft without the tedium of written orders, allowing players to handle substantial engagements with a streamlined rules system.

The core rules evolved from Squadrons: The Battle of Britain, first written in 1994, and were later refined through feedback from hundreds of players. The system was nominated for the 1996 Charles S. Roberts Award for best historical miniatures rules set. Multiple sets can be combined for larger games, limited primarily by the space available to the players.

• Battle of Britain setting: Command aircraft over southeast England in 1940.
• Flexible scale: Handle a huge number of aircraft without written orders.
• Cardboard planes: The Battle of Britain edition provides cardboard aircraft.
• Series compatibility: Aircraft from the Blue Sky modules can be played against one another.

Black Cross / Blue Sky is part of the wider Blue Sky series, alongside titles covering the Pacific, Mediterranean, daylight bombing, and Russian Front. Its aircraft statistics are compatible with those modules, while aircraft from the original Squadrons game are the exception.