Aeronautika Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Map Details
• Preparations
• Aeronautika Cards
  • General
  • RAUF/UP
  • STEIGFLUG/POWER CLIMB
  • KONSTANT/CONSTANT
  • GEGENWIND/HEADWIND
  • RÜCKENWIND/TAILWIND
  • FULL SPEED
  • RUNTER/DOWN
  • STURZFLUG/NOSE DIVE
  • BOE
  • RESERVE
• Gulls / Crash Cards (Interaction Cards)
  • Mövensch..! BLINDFLUG/Gull Shit! BLIND FLIGHT
  • Steuerknüppel klemmt/Control Stick Wedged
  • Seitenruder verhakt/Rudder Jammed
  • Höhenruder blockiert/Flaps Stuck
  • Tank Leckt/Tank Leak
  • Propeller quietscht/Propeller squeaks
• OKAY Cards
• Start of Game
• Exchange Cards (In Game)
• Flight Around the Eiffel Tower
• Cloud
• Game End
• Transcription Notes

Contents

• 1 Play Mat (serigraph on faux leather)
• 6 planes (made of pine wood)
• 80 cards
• 6 pilot cards
• 6 figure stands (made of pine wood)
• 18 height rods (made of beech wood) in three lengths
• 6 fuel markers (made of maple wood)
• 1 Eiffel Tower (made of pine wood)
• And these rules of the game

Map Details

The map shows the English Channel, with two cities, London and Paris. There are land spaces at the start and around the Eiffel Tower. Spaces where the letters R and L are marked cause a plane to automatically rotate 60 degrees to the left or right as indicated. A biplane flies the same whether over water or land. The five half-spaces on the map edges can be used as normal game spaces, but they are a detour that takes time.

Preparations

Place the Eiffel Tower on its spot on the map. Each player should draw a Pilot card. This sets the country he will represent during the aerial race. Set this card in front of yourself. Claim your plane, and set it on the "Start/Landebahn" space. Each player is given a fuel marker with the first letter of his country. Mark that your plane has 20 liters of fuel on the fuel chart.

A number of Reserve fuel cards equal to the number of players is to be used. Discard any excess Reserve cards from the deck. Shuffle the cards and deal each player 6 cards.

The player whose country begins earliest in the alphabet will begin play. Play continues clockwise.

Aeronautika Cards

There are 80 Aeronautika cards that are crucial to the play of the game and are explained in more detail below.

For the movement cards: RAUF/UP, STEIGFLUG/CLIMB, (K)/CONSTANT, GEGENWIND/HEADWIND, RÜCKENWIND/TAILWIND, RUNTER/DOWN and STURZFLUG/SWOOP, the basic principle is that a biplane is moved a space ahead. In the case of FULL SPEED a biplane will move ahead 2 spaces.

There are three flight altitudes:

• Low Altitude uses the shortest height rod
• Normal Altitude uses the medium height rod
• High Altitude uses the longest height rod

Important: Please push/pull the height rods only straight in and out of the bases and airplanes - otherwise they may break!

General

The cards are depicted from the point of view of the pilot. In the foreground is the control stick. In the center is the propeller. Between the propeller blades is the fuel consumption (in liters). For movement cards one of the following will apply:

• in the upper corner of the card, the letter G for straight (gerade),
• in the left corner of the card the letter L for a left turn
• in the right corner of the card the letter R for a right turn

If more than one letter is shown, it is the pilot's choice to pick the flight direction. In the case of an L or R, the player has a choice of whether to make the 60 degree turn before or after he flies straight one space forward.

RAUF/UP

With this card the biplane climbs one level of altitude while moving one space forward. This card is particularly important for the start in London. After using it from London, the biplane is at low altitude. Use this card to change from low altitude to normal altitude or from normal altitude to high altitude. An UP card uses 3 liters of fuel. These cards give two options on direction.

STEIGFLUG/POWER CLIMB

With this card the biplane climbs two levels of altitude while moving just one space forward. If played at the start, the airplane will achieve normal altitude. If played at low altitude, the plane will achieve high altitude. A power climb costs 4 liters of fuel. There is no choice on direction.

KONSTANT/CONSTANT

With the "KONSTANT" card, the biplane remains at the same altitude and it progresses one space. The fuel usage is 1 liter. These cards give two options on direction.

GEGENWIND/HEADWIND

With this card the biplane remains in the same altitude and progresses one space. The fuel usage is 2 liters due to the headwinds. These cards give two options on direction.

RÜCKENWIND/TAILWIND

With this card the biplane remains in the same altitude and progresses one space. The fuel usage is 0 liters due to a helpful tailwind. These cards give two options on direction.

FULL SPEED

With this card, the biplane remains in the same altitude. The pilot cannot turn to the left or to the right, so FULL SPEED flight is only suitable for straight and level flight. The altitude of the plane will determine the fuel usage. At high altitude the cost is 3 liters, at normal altitude the cost is 4 liters, and at low altitude the cost is 5 liters.

RUNTER/DOWN

This card is particularly important for landing. With this card the biplane descends one level of altitude while moving just one space forward. So a biplane could descend from high altitude to normal altitude; or descend from normal altitude to low altitude; or even descend from low altitude to land. These cards give two options on direction. No fuel is used.

STURZFLUG/NOSE DIVE

With this card the biplane descends two levels of altitude while moving just one space forward. Thus a biplane could descend from high altitude to low altitude, or descend from normal altitude to land. There is no choice on direction. No fuel is used.

BOE

With a BOE card, the biplane is swept by a gust of wind either to the left or the right. The plane cannot be moved normally, nor turned. Instead the plane is displaced obliquely forward (L or R). The biplane is therefore just a bit further along. However, no fuel is consumed.

RESERVE

Play of the RESERVE card can only be made along with a flight movement card. One liter of fuel is saved from the cost of the flight movement card. The fuel gauge can never go back up, though.

Gulls / Crash Cards (Interaction Cards)

A flock of seagulls are having fun hindering the pilots. A player may not play, nor have Seagull cards played upon him until he has gone aloft. To use a seagull card, play it on a player before they begin their turn. However, only one seagull card at a time can be on a pilot card. The player who played the card immediately draws back to 6 cards.

IMPORTANT: The player who receives a seagull card can skip a turn to discard it.

Mövensch..! BLINDFLUG/Gull Shit! BLIND FLIGHT

This pilot is blinded by gull shit! This pilot may not choose which card to play. Instead a fellow player will randomly pick a card, and it must be followed if possible. At the end of this turn the player gets a new card.

Steuerknüppel klemmt/Control Stick Wedged

With this card the control stick is wedged and only constant flight is possible.

Seitenruder verhakt/Rudder Jammed

The player who has received this card is no longer capable of turning his plane to the left or right. It is possible to maintain a constant flight and also to go up or down.

Höhenruder blockiert/Flaps Stuck

With the flaps stuck, a plane cannot gain or lose altitude. It is still possible to turn left or right.

Tank Leckt/Tank Leak

With this card, the biplane immediately loses 1 L of fuel. Mark it off the fuel scale. It is possible to continue flying, but you then lose 1 liter each turn until the tank is "repaired" through a break.

Propeller quietscht/Propeller squeaks

This card may only be played on pilots who are in normal or high altitude. The pilot affected immediately drops one level of altitude. The card can only be played also if there is not a plane immediately below the affected pilot.

OKAY Cards

All Gull cards have a corresponding "OKAY" card that solves the problem. At the start of the defending player's turn he simply shows the corresponding defense card and takes a normal turn. The affected player immediately draws a sixth card. Exception: The "Propeller OKAY" card must be played immediately when the "Propeller quietscht" is played to prevent dropping 1 altitude level.

Start of Game

The starting player checks his hand of cards for either a RAUF/UP or STEIGFLUG/CLIMB card. If he plays either card, he sets his biplane on the appropriate height rod and moves the plane. Movement might be one space straight, or 1 space straight followed by a 60 degree turn to the left or right, or start with a 60 degree rotation to the left or right followed by one move straight. The fuel counter is reduced by the number of liters indicated on the flight card. The player then draws a card to return his hand back to six cards.

Optionally, instead of getting going immediately, the player can delay. If he delays, he may discard and replace 2 - 5 cards. In addition, 1 extra liter is added to his fuel tank, up to 21 liters. This can voluntarily be done a second turn, gaining an additional liter of fuel for 22 liters.

IMPORTANT: Do not forget to update fuel consumption on the scale. Also, do not forget to automatically rotate planes that end their turn on a space marked with an R or L.

Exchange Cards (In Game)

If a player wishes, he may spend 1 turn, and 1 liter of fuel to discard 2-5 cards and draw replacements.

Three airplanes can occupy one space, at three different altitudes. Pilots who are adjacent in the same space can trade 1 card with each other, if they both agree.

Flight Around the Eiffel Tower

The tower can be flown around by either side. The pilot must ensure that he plays the right cards to ensure he can turn as needed. Neither full-speed cards nor Boe cards can be used to travel around the Eiffel Tower. In a 6-player game a 4th flight level can be permitted. This extreme altitude must be immediately surrendered once an open space at high altitude is open below him.

If the Aeronautika deck of cards is exhausted, shuffle the discard pile and reuse the cards.

Cloud

The cloud is only included in the luxury edition of Aeronautika. The large cloud bank covers three spaces, and is placed during set up in the middle of the playing field at normal altitude. No biplane can enter the cloud, it must be flown around.

Whenever a player exchanges cards, he may change the position of the cloud. Either rotate the cloud 60 degrees to the left or right, or change the altitude of the cloud up or down by 1 level. The cloud cannot enter a space that an airplane occupies.

Game End

The Aeronaut who lands first in London wins the game. The other pilots can also try for a clean landing in London. The pilot who first lands in London can measure the time it takes for the other pilots to arrive. Count 10 minutes per turn.

Hopefully the fuel lasts long enough to go around the Eiffel Tower and all the way back to London. But in case of emergency, there are two emergency landing fields shortly before London. If a pilot lands at one of these fields his flight is over. However, if a player reaches an emergency landing field, and no other player reaches London, the first player to land on an emergency landing field wins the game.

Transcription Notes

• Spelling and typographic slips in the community translation were corrected in-file for readability: "RüCKENWIND" to "RÜCKENWIND", "Gull Shi!" to "Gull Shit!", "trun" to "turn", "leve;" to "level", "pnly" to "only", "itoff" to "off", "foreward" to "forward", "Altitudeuses" split into "High Altitude uses", and "Gulls/Crash Cards" heading reworded to "Gulls / Crash Cards". The wording is otherwise as printed.
• The card-by-card BOE and card list in the companion German card guide (AERONAUTIKA_CARD_GUIDEv2) is not part of this English source and is not transcribed here.
• The "Rules Translation" file is the only English rules document located; no official publisher PDF was found.