Welcome

If you are interested in WW1 war games, modelling or aviation history, Richthofen's Reign will expand your knowledge and perceptions. Following 20 years of research and design, here is a brutally realistic wargame from the time of the Red Baron. This is a versatile scenario suited to between one and four players. Players command forces from the main belligerents, and pit their pilots against those of the enemy. The gamer records all information for every encounter; shots fired, damage taken, kills and losses. Those airmen that survive have a chance to gain extra skill, promotions and medals. They are then sent back into the air to continue flying for as long as it takes for them to fall, or reach the armistice. Some of them will become aces. The majority will not.

There are other elements that may take the gamer by surprise. There are benefits to pilots who use teamwork. There are rivalries. You will gain some of the viewpoints of what transpired in the air. This includes the uncertainty faced in many situations. You may feel some reluctance to go forth against a hot foe, but do it anyway. You can witness the tragedy of an observer plummeting to his death because his pilot is dead at the controls and he doesn’t know how to fly the plane. You may revel in doing the same to an enemy. It may come to pass that you will scorn the system of awarding victories used by the other side. There are a host of variables that are simply not considered by someone who only reads books on the subject. This system helps you to understand the dynamics of air-to-air combat by making you live it as much as any wargame possibly can.   

There are fourteen major aircraft types featured in this scenario, representing designs from Britain, France and Germany. Most are fighter planes, but there are also reconnaissance types. Additionally, there are balloons for all nations and rules for anti-aircraft guns.

Hard data has been used uncompromisingly to objectively measure the worth of the fighting aircraft of WW1. How they acquit themselves is a reflection of both their technical capabilities and the ability of those who fly them.

Combat is resolved by taking the skill of each pilot (modified with any bonus that applies to a particular aircraft type) and adding a dice result to achieve a score. These are compared in a way that determines how much damage, if any, is done to the machines involved.

Richthofen’s Reign is a 1:100 scale reconstruction of the actual numbers that fought WW1. You will battle through more than 100 dogfights in order to complete the entire campaign. By the time you reach the end you may have mixed emotions ranging from elation or emptiness to a sense of 'what happens next?'. You may even want to line up again for a rematch.