DVG: Phantom Leader Deluxe [2nd Edition], the Vietnam Air War Strategy Game

If you know the Leader series and you like aerial warfare, just buy this. It's made, reads, and plays well. Plain and simple. It seems a little gamey at first that you get additional SO points for allowing a random draw of the aircraft you use but after a couple of campaigns, trying to get a rating above "adequate", those additional SOs come in handy.

Very good game. Solitaire only. It takes time to set up and there are a lot of fiddly chits. I recommend setting it up in a place where you can leave it and come back to it. The reason: A game consists of several missions. You may want to take a break after one or two missions.Very fun. It takes a lot of strategy and a little luck to do well. Good luck.

This is a verry interesting game,it approches the reality as much as possible.Playing rules are at some points a little complicated.But I suternly not regred to have purchased it.

Great game. Well made. Heavy product. Another great DVG game.

Excellent

If you have read any of the reviews for the "leader" games you have an idea what this is about. Setting is the Vietnam War. Choose your campaign (8 total- 4 of each Navy or Air Force) Choose your aircraft and pilots. Some aircraft give you special op points because they are not as good as the standard F-4. These points can be used to buy things throughout the campaign. Next you select a target from a target deck based on the campaign. Some targets are worth more VPs than others but they usually have a high political value as well. Why does that matter? Because as you hit politically sensitive targets future target selections will be limited. If you are too aggressive, political considerations kick in and slow you down. Gives the sense you are fighting a war with one hand tied behind your back. Once the target is selected, choose your aircraft and weapons. Your pilots get stressed as they fly missions and if they get too stressed they become unfit to fly. So every mission you have to balance what you can do with what you want to do. Weapons are chosen based on the aircraft you selected plus what the target is. Some weapons work better against "hard" targets and some work better against "soft" targets. Napalm can even be chosen but its use negatively affects your political rating. Once everything has been chosen you fly your mission. The enemy you encounter depends on the target selected which tells you how many but not the type. When setting up the mission you randomly select the type of defenders. So the target card tells you how many sites and bandits (aircraft) you will encounter;; you wont know the exact type until later in the planning stages, and even then it may change! This leads to virtually infinite re-playability. After you mission you record the results and add stress to the pilots that flew. The process is then repeated until you have completed all of your missions for that campaign. Once done you compare your total VPs to the grade scale for the campaign. Grades run from "dismal" to "great". Getting a Great rating is indeed very challenging. And if and when you get to the point that "great" rating comes easy, there are optional rules to make the game even harder. Most likely though especially at first, you might consider the optional rules to make the game easier. The basic game is indeed very challenging. Totally immersive, very thematic, covers a lot without getting bogged down in rules. This game and Hornet Leader are very similar but different enough that its not just the same game rehashed with a different setting. Rules are easy to understand and you aren't forced to consult this table or that table for results. Most everything you need to consult is on the counters or on the cards. Combat is resolved cleanly with a roll of a 10 sided die. Like I said, no tables to consult; you know exactly what's needed before rolling the die. If the Vietnam War in the air is of interest and you like making a lot of meaningful decisions this game is a "must have." Really, its that good.

Great game platform solo dog fights and bombing campaigns