Luc Rémond’s Spiel des Jahres-winning board game Sky Team will give you a new appreciation for just how tricky it is to land a plane, or maybe exacerbate your fear of flying. There are so many ways for the two people taking on the role of pilot and co-pilot to fail, whether crashing into other planes in the air, overshooting the airport, or failing to properly deploy their landing gear — and that’s when they’re flying in good weather! Luckily, Sky Team eases you into the challenges by using one rulebook to teach all the basics and then a second to parse out additional rules so you can add on complexity. You might get cocky after a few good landings, but having to track kerosene or land on an icy runway will humble you quickly.
The good thing is scenarios only take about 20 minutes, so if you fail you can easily try again. Sky Team is the rare game designed specifically as a board game for 2 players , and its emphasis on trust and cooperation make it an ideal game for couples. It packs a lot of strategy and fun into a small box, meaning you can even carry one of the best board games with you on a trip.
Sky Team packs a lot into a small footprint, making it easy to add to your shelf or even your suitcase. First time setup is made easier by clearly demarking with little trash bin symbols which pieces just need to be punched out and discarded to make room for the various tracking pieces you’ll actually be using. There are separate sets of dice for the pilot and co-pil.