Dauntless

About this expansion

Dauntless is a tactical-level World War II air-combat game for 1–2 players, with games lasting about 60 minutes. Set in the Pacific, it brings fighters, bombers, naval targets, and dangerous missions to the tabletop.

Players can put famous aircraft through their paces, including the P-38, Zero, Black Widow, B-29, P-40, Corsair, Val, Kate, Frank, B-25, and SBD Dauntless. The rules cover machine guns and cannons, dive bombing, torpedo bombing, level bombing, glide bombing, depth-charge bombing, strafing, and massed bomber formations.

Air defenses and battlefield conditions also matter. Dauntless includes light and heavy flak, radar, clouds, industrial and vehicular targets, and naval targets. Its Pacific setting supports a broad range of missions, from daytime engagements to reconnaissance and bomber interceptions.

• Day fights, night duels, and bomber interception scenarios
• Attacks on land and sea targets, including carrier operations
• One-way kamikaze dives and a “roll your own” scenario section
• Rockets and anti-ship weapons in the Avalon Hill edition

The game includes a six-piece geomorphic “endless” map board, 375 extra-thick die-cut counters, airplane data cards, game tables, and a simultaneous movement pad. The rulebook combines basic and optional rules with a historical summary, while an introductory game provides a path into the system.

Originally published by Battleline in 1977, Dauntless was later republished by Avalon Hill as a gamette expansion for Air Force, adding rules for ships, anti-ship weapons, carrier operations, and rockets.