Blue Max - Heroes In The Sky

Blue Max

In 1989 GDW released the second edition of their Blue Max World War I aerial combat game. At its heart it is a simple game. Each plane has a "Maneuver Schedule" which defines how it may move. The pilot (player) selects the maneuver to be executed. All the planes then move. Planes in front of the enemy get shot. Damage is determined by drawing chits from a bag. A plane which takes enough damage in the right places, is destroyed. Easy, simple, quick to play.

Nothing is so simple that it can't be improved (i.e., made more complicated). In the early 1990s the gamers at The Keep in Fort Wayne, Indiana were playing a locally created World War I aerial combat game. It was fun, up to a point, but had serious problems. Someone brought in Blue Max. It was a hit with everyone. As a result, in early 1992 we decided to start a campaign.

To support this the campaign, a set of rules modifications and expansions was created, and then modified as the campaign progressed. This was known as Heroes In The Sky. These rules made the game a bit (but only slightly) more realistic, and somewhat more difficult. The campaign portion of Heroes In The Sky sets its emphasis on the development of flying characters (mainly pilots, but also gunners). The campaign was extremely well received. It ran every weekend and holiday afternoon and evening (plus one double all-nighter over a New Year's weekend) for well over two years. A total of 106 people participated at one time or another.

In late 2004 the local group decided to start another campaign. Acquiring and preparing new 1/144th scale models took over a year (the first campaign had used 1/72nd scale models). When it became clear that the campaign would occur, work began on software to support the administration of the campaign. Thus the "Second Campaign" began.

		Heroes In The Sky Rules *
		Aircraft Data Sheets *
		Miscellaneous Related Information *
		Indiana Escadrille (YouPlay.It)
		Squadron Campaign 2007 Allied Mission Planning System
		Test
		* Item and link not yet implemented.