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Richthofen's War, subtitled "The Air War 1916–1918", is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1973 that simulates aerial combat during World War I.
Description
Richthofen's War is a two-player game in which one player controls one or more German airplanes of the First World War, and the other player controls Allied aircraft.
Although SPI claimed that Richthofen's War was virtually identical to their Flying Circus game, their own poll showed that Richthofen's War enjoyed a higher initial popularity when it was released, and continued to be more popular than SPI's game at six months and one year after publication.
In his 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming, Nicholas Palmer noted "this game has surprised many with its continuing success." He listed its good points as "an excellent product, clear rules, well balanced between playability and realism, a variety of brisk scenarios, and a good period 'feel', with a more interesting mapboard that usual in air games."
In the 1980 book The Complete Book of Wargames, game designer Jon Freeman noted that "the game system is remarkable in its portrayal of the various factors involved in aerial combat during World War I." Freeman also pointed out that the game could be played by anyone, commenting, "The game has always been among the most enjoyable in the genre and, despite its complexities, can be played by the rankest novice." He concluded by giving the game an Overall Evaluation of "Excellent", saying, "The multitude of scenarios possible will keep the game fresh long after less diversified games have become stale. It has something for everyone."
Bill Thompson, writing for the Wargame Academy, noted that Richthofen's War attracts an older demographic, saying, "its forte and foible is its simplicity and familiarity with old time gamers. [...] Game strength is its role as an introductory game and ease of player designed scenarios and campaigns. The introduction of the maneuver card variant added some realism, suspense and refinement."
In Issue 22 of Moves, Carl Hoffman called SPI's Flying Circus "a much more limited game" compared to Richthofen's War.
In The Guide to Simulations/Games for Education and Training, Martin Campion compared using this game in the classroom versus rival game Fight in the Skies published by TSR, and advised that the TSR game "is the most difficult to learn and play because it does more with smaller details of combat. On the whole, it is not very suitable for class plays. So if I wanted to use a game on this subject, I would use Richthofen's War."
Other recognition
A copy of Richthofen's War is held in the collection of the Imperial War Museum (object EPH 2946).
Other reviews and commentary
- Battleplan #2
- PanzerFaust #59
- 1980 Games 100 in Games
- The Playboy Winner's Guide to Board Games