Dueling Eagles: Aerial Combat over Malta

The Game:  "Dueling Eagles" is an exciting pocket game from High Flying Dice, LLC, that covers the first couple of air raids by the Italians over Malta. With it being part of the "Eagles" series of aerial combat, it does share a lot of commonality with all the other Eagles' games.

"Dueling Eagles" is designed by Paul Rohrbaugh, with graphics design by Nils Johansson. It took me about three mins to find a map of Malta and I was able to find the area that Nils used for the game map - the "Grand Harbor" but more specific "French Creek". Right down to the forked ship dry docks. (that's a plume of black smoke, btw.)

It is an introductory level game, with one page of rules and an equal small amount of counters with three aircraft each for the Italians and the British, three AAA markers, a game turn marker, altitude markers, and a target marker, for a total of 18 double-sided counters. It is played on a very beautiful 8x8 grid game map of Malta's Grand Harbor area. Of course one needs to supply a deck of cards (or order the card set made just for this) and a 1D6.

One can order this card set for $*, but I would strongly urge you to buy the card set when you buy another game or buy four games and can get this game card set for free.

I seem to be always pushing these card sets and here is the reason why - besides having the action points correct where one does not have to do the math, they do have nice art on them, and things like (for example) Italian can attack any AAA. Basically, they replace the math and having to remember red or black face card rules, etc. The cards make life a little easier. Reminds me of a jingle that a certain fast food restaurant who shall remain nameless stole from me, so many years ago (bun wishes!). If I remember the words right when I wrote it so long ago - "Take life a little easier with High Flying Dice Game card sets".

Now, I hope you are wanting to get this game, but how? It's a pocket game and the majority of them are free and given away when one buys a game from either LPS, Inc or HFDG. Aye, there's the rub.... 

Game Setup: Setup is a breeze, as is all pocket games. With only 18 counters to worry about, it takes a mere 90 seconds to set up, as compared to the hours to figure out what to play, lol.

1. Grab your coffee or high octane soft drink, a deck of cards (or the Dueling Eagles Card set), a 1D6, and the game. Pizza or chips is optional. Don't forget to sleeve the cards!
   
2. Shuffle the card deck with one joker. 
3. British player picks the three sides that are friendly. 
4. British player places two AAA in corners of these sides and places one AAA in one of the center four squares.
5. British player places the "target marker" in one of the center four squares, but not the same square as the AAA marker.
6. Italian player places his three aircraft on his side board edge in any square, at any level.
7. Lastly, the British player places one non-ace Gloster Gladiator and the Fulmar aircraft in any square on the British side board edge, at low, medium, or high level, opposite of the Italian Players aircraft.
8. The Ace Gladiator enters at any friendly map edge at the start of turn 3.
9. Italian player gets the first card draw (CD). If a joker is drawn, dis-card and ignore it.

Actions:  Since a deck of cards is used for both movement and combat, one deals (sorry for the pun) with Red face cards, Black face cards, Red suits, Black suits, action points, math, and other stuff.  All cards are used except do remove 1 Joker out of the deck. Of course, the purchase of the genuine HFDG card set for this game (oh brother, here he goes again!) takes care of having to remember all this.  Also, don't forget to download the Action Point player's aid available for download, as some of this information is on there, too, just not as pretty. But in the mean time, here we go for:

Movement:  The Italian player uses the black suit and the British player uses the red suit of cards.

1. No player's aircraft can spend more AP's than it's attack factor.
2. The Italian player has first card draw (CD):
3. Any aircraft that exits the map are out of the game.

Air Combat:  Combat is voluntary.

1. If attacking, an aircraft must:
1. Move at least 1 square or change level before attacking.
2. Aircraft can only expend 1 AP per CD to make 1 attack.
3. Aircraft have a weapons range of 2 squares. 
4. No combat is allowed if the aircraft being attack is in the same square.
5. Attacker must designate the defending aircraft and the attacking aircraft.
2. To resolve combat, see the rules.
3. For AAA, consult the AA rules in the game under "AAA".
4. Same for Bombing. I don't want to print all the rules here.  :)
   

Game Length:  The game lasts for four turns

1. 4 turns (or card deck shuffles) OR
2. ends early when no opposing aircraft are on the map OR
3. for the British player all AAA is suppressed.
4. The game turn ends immediately when a joker is drawn for movement or combat 
5. or all cards have been drawn.

 Winning:  After four turns have been played the game ends.

1. the Italian player wins.
1.  If the Br.20m bomber successfully bombs the target or
2. the Italian player has destroyed any of the British aircraft without losing any Italian aircraft.
2. British Player wins  if the target marker is still on the map or if the British player destroys more than 1 Italian aircraft.
3. Otherwise the game is a tie.

Addendum:  Amazingly, this game is free of any type of errata.

I have found though that when the rules in the pocket games don't state something, it is pretty much safe not to worry about it and just play the game. 

There might be some ambiguity (pretty sure 99.99% of not having any ambiguity at all) in one or two rules, but they are usually answered somewhere in the rules. And of course, any disagreements can be worked out with both players either just agreeing, or drawing cards (highest wins of course) or a friendly roll of the die, before play begins or a friendly duel with either swords, pistols or fisticuffs... hmm, best to stick to the rolling of the die.

I need to add, that Mr Colin Parker graciously allow the use of his painting "Faith, Hope and Charity" on my review. It is one of the few paintings that draw me in so close, it is like I am on an Italian bomber seeing these Gladiator aircraft flying at me. It is awe inspiring.

 

A bit of history, mate...  Malta is 17 miles long by 9 miles wide comprising of several islands. At the time of June 1940 Malta had a population of around 250,000 with all, but 3% to 4% of the population being native Maltese. Of these, most of the inhabitants lived within 4 miles of the Grand Harbor, where the population density was more than six times that of the island average. Among the most congested spots was Valletta, the capital, and also the political, military and commercial center, with about 23,000 people that lived in an area of around 1/4th of a square mile. Across the Grand Harbor, in the Three Cities, where the dockyards and the Admiralty headquarters were located, another 28,000 people were packed into 1/2 square mile. It was these small areas that suffered the heaviest, most sustained, and concentrated aerial bombing in history.

 

Malta’s strategic location made it a key stronghold in the Mediterranean theater from which the Allies could wage their North African campaign and from which they could launch their eventual attack on Italy. On June 10th, 1940 (the day after Mussolini declared war on Great Britain) Italian bombers attacked Valletta and its harbors. The Regia Aeronautica began the aerial bombardment of the island from airbases in Sicily. On the first day, 55 Italian bombers and 21 fighters flew over Malta and dropped 142 bombs on the three airfields at Luqa, Hal Far and Ta Qali. Later, 10 Italian Savoia-Marchetti SM.79s and 20 Macchi C.200s flew over the island, with no air opposition.

A total of eight raids were flown on that first day. The bombing did not cause much damage and most of the casualties suffered were civilian. No interception of the raiders was made because there was no RAF force ready to meet them. There were several airfields, the problem was lack of aircraft. RAF Hal Far, RAF Luga and RAF Ta'Qali were operational, with only RAF Luga having Tarmac runways. The others were grass or sod/hard packed dirt and affected by the weather.  Besides having airfields, there were several seaplane bases, of no use to the defense of Malta.

Even without adequate aircraft, at least one RAF Gladiator flew against a raid of 55 Savoia-Marchetti SM. 79s and their 20 escorting fighters on 11 June. It surprised the Italians, but the defenses (AAA), almost non-existent on the ground and in the air, failed to impede the Italian force. On 12 June an Italian aircraft on a reconnaissance flight over Malta was shot down.

At the time of these first air raids, the defending fighters on Malta consisted of obsolete Gloster Sea Gladiators, in the Hal Far Fighter Flight. Ten Gladiators in crates for transit were assembled and no more than three aircraft flew at one time. These were called 'Faith', 'Hope' and 'Charity'. The pilots for these aircraft came from flying-boats and other aircraft with no experience of fighter operations. One Gladiator was shot down but the rest managed to shoot down several Italian aircraft.

Most of the things I am not touching on is how the island almost fell, or how the people were starving and the brilliant timing of a naval convoy that was torn to pieces by wolf packs made it with enough food and supplies for the population.

Here are a few books you might find interesting:
Fortress Malta: An Island Under Siege, 1940 - 43* (Hardcover) by James Holland
ISBN-10: 1401351867 ISBN-13: 978-1401351861

Siege: Malta, 1940-1943 (Hardcover) by Ernle Dusgate Selby Bradford
ISBN-10: 0688047815 ISBN-13: 978-0688047818

Malta During World War II - The strategic role of the island during the conflict.  by Charles Debono (paperback and this is the curator of the Malta Museum. If anyone knows the history, it is this man) ISBN: 978-99957-67-39-6

*note - book in my library

Time for the ratings:
Complexity of the game =  LOW with med moderate overtones.
Solitaire = HIGH (very little work is needed)
Fun Level = VERY HIGH (the only thing missing is Prosciutto San Daniele!)
Nail biting = 8 fingers worth, starting on the 9th but it was saved.
Length of typical full game = 1/2 hour (30 minutes) to 1+ hours.

Out of the 5 games I have played 1 Italiano win, 2 Brit wins, and 2 draws. Both sides won and lost, It is pretty even, just the luck of the draw, as it always is, in game and real life.

Adapting the Game to miniatures:
With the game map having squares, it would be very easy to adapt this game to miniatures. 

Thanks for reading!

-ab out