Sky Team Board Game Review
Sky Team, designed by Luc Rémond and published by Scorpion Masqué in 2023, puts two players in the cockpit of a commercial aircraft attempting to land safely. This cooperative dice game won the 2024 Spiel des Jahres award along with Golden Geek awards for best cooperative and two-player game.
Overview
Players take on the roles of pilot and co-pilot working together to land at various airports worldwide. Once dice are rolled, all communication stops. You must silently coordinate dice placement to manage the aircraft’s axis, control speed, deploy landing gear, and avoid collisions.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Designer | Luc Rémond |
| Publisher | Scorpion Masqué |
| Year Released | 2023 |
| Players | 2 (Exclusively) |
| Age Range | 10+ |
| Playing Time | 20 Minutes |
| Game Type | Cooperative, Dice Rolling |
| Complexity Rating | 2.04 / 5 |
What’s in the Box
Component quality matches Spiel des Jahres standards. The central control panel features slots for switches, gauges, and dice placement areas.
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Control Panel | Central game board with dice placement areas |
| Dice | 4 blue (Pilot) and 4 orange (Co-Pilot) |
| Switches | 10 toggle switches for landing gear and flaps |
| Airplane Axis Disc | Rotating indicator for balance tracking |
| Approach Tracks | Multiple airport scenarios included |
| Tokens | Coffee, reroll, airplane, and marker tokens |
Pros and Cons
- Tense gameplay rewarding silent coordination
- Quick sessions allow multiple plays per evening
- Multiple airport scenarios provide replay value
- Both roles feel equally important
- Strictly limited to two players
- Initial assembly requires time
- Communication restriction may frustrate some
How to Play
Sky Team plays over seven rounds, each representing 1,000 feet of descent. Before rolling, players discuss strategy openly but cannot hint at specific numbers. Once dice roll, silence begins until round’s end.
Players alternate placing dice onto the control panel. Both must place dice on axis and engines each round. The axis controls horizontal roll—matching values keep the plane level while different values rotate toward the higher number. Reaching the red zone causes a spin and defeat.
Engine dice determine movement speed based on aerodynamics markers. Colliding with traffic or overshooting the runway ends the game. Coffee tokens allow die modification, preventing unlucky rolls from completely dooming your flight.
Game Mechanics
Communication limits set Sky Team apart from other cooperative games for two players. During briefing, you build shared priorities. Once dice roll, partner placements become your only communication channel.
The aerodynamics system ties mechanisms together elegantly. Deploying landing gear shifts the blue marker while flaps move orange. These changes affect speed calculations throughout the game, requiring constant coordination.
Who Should Play
Sky Team works best for gaming pairs who enjoy tense decisions without competition. Players seeking top cooperative board games will find Sky Team delivers unique experiences through its aviation theme.
Twenty-minute sessions suit players wanting meaningful decisions in short timeframes. Skip this game if communication restrictions feel frustrating or you need more than two players.
FAQ
Is Sky Team good for beginners?
Sky Team works well for beginners thanks to straightforward rules and the included Montreal starting scenario. The game teaches core concepts gradually before introducing advanced modules.
How long does Sky Team take to play?
Most games finish within 20 minutes. The seven-round structure keeps sessions consistent. Failed landings often end faster while successful approaches use full round counts.
What’s the best player count for Sky Team?
Sky Team plays exclusively with two players. No solo rules or larger group variants exist. The design requires exactly one pilot and one co-pilot.
Is Sky Team worth buying?
For two-player households seeking cooperative experiences, Sky Team offers excellent value through multiple scenarios and the Turbulence expansion. Spiel des Jahres recognition reflects genuine quality.
What games are similar to Sky Team?
The Crew shares communication restriction mechanics. For cooperative dice games, Roll for Adventure provides similar tension with different mechanisms.
