Historic Wings: SOE - Lysander Bundle (Rulebook & Upgrade Kit)

From Historic Wings:

The Rulebook:

SOE: Lysander is a book-based wargame where you play the part of a pilot in Britain's most secret air unit, "A" Flight of RAF No. 161 Squadron (Special Duties). Your mission is to fly Special Intelligence Service (SIS) and Special Operations Executive (SOE) agents, wireless operators, saboteurs, assassins, escape line directors, diplomats, political figures, heads of the French Resistance, and others into German-occupied France during World War II.

You deliver caches of weapons, explosives, and radio electronics to assist the French Resistance, known as the “Maquis”. The mission is to “set Europe ablaze”, as Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously ordered. Flying by moonlight, you navigate in your Westland Lysander Mk. IIIA (SCW) aircraft across the English Channel and into occupied France, where you land on improvised, often muddy farm fields and meadows that are behind enemy lines. Once on the ground, you drop off the agents and cargo, then pick up others for the return flight to England. While there, you risk discovery by German patrols, the Gestapo, and even French gendarmes who collaborate with the enemy. As you fly, you are harassed by flak and small arms fire. You are hunted relentlessly by Luftwaffe nightfighters. Your aircraft may suffer from engine trouble or other malfunctions. If all goes well, you will return to England in one piece.

SOE: Lysander is a solitaire game in the narrative style. It features easy-to-learn rules and a small tabletop footprint. Gameplay involves both cards and dice. The challenges are extensive. Your career as a Lysander pilot flying special operations begins in June 1943 and continues until France is liberated in August 1944. Multiplayer Group play allows you to fly your solitaire missions in conjunction with others.

The set of rules is sold exclusively by Amazon...we also bought it there and are passing it on here in the bundle at no extra charge to make it more convenient for our customers.

The Upgrade Kit:

The mission is to "set Europe ablaze", as Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously ordered. Flying by moonlight, you will navigate your Westland Lysander Mk. IIIA (SCW) aircraft across the English Channel and over occupied France, where you will land after midnight on improvised, often muddy farm fields and meadows that are behind enemy lines. Arguably the most challenging pilot duty flown by the RAF during the war, the game recreates all aspects of their covert operations missions. You will be harassed by enemy flak and small arms fire, tracked by Luftwaffe night fighters, and, when on the ground in France, hunted by the dreaded Gestapo. You will face the whims of ever-changing weather, problems and malfunctions with your aircraft, and the possibility of getting lost while over enemy territory. Your challenge will be just to survive to fly again on the following nights.

Designed by Thomas Van Hare, this is the third of a series of book-based war games and the first of the new Special Missions Collection. It combines card-driven play with dice rolling action to bring the challenges of RAF Special Duties operations in France to life. You play the role of a single pilot whose mission is to aid the French Resistance and, if luck holds, survive to see Paris liberated.

PLAYERS: 1
COMPLEXITY: 5/10
AGE: 10+
TIME TO PLAY: 15-60 Minutes
DESIGNER: Thomas Van Hare

CONTENTS:

242 Thick Counters (5/8" inch)
54 Character Counters (1" inch)
4 x Plane Counters
Weather Charts (5)
Flight Log (1)
Flight Management Chart (1)
SOE: Lysander Deck (45 Cards)