Undaunted: Battle of Britain is the latest edition of the Undaunted series from the dynamic game design duo of David Thompson and Trevor Benjamin. Like previous hits Undaunted: Normandy (2019), Undaunted: North Africa (2020), and Undaunted: Stalingrad (2022), this lite, two-player family war game features deck-building and hand-management on a tiled game board to bring history to the gaming table. Unlike the three previous titles, however, Undaunted Battle of Britain takes to the sky for dogfights vice tactical skirmishes on the ground. In doing so, Undaunted: Battle of Britain reimplements proven game mechanisms combined with several new design twists that retains a very enjoyable core game engine while adjusting the experience giving players a taste of combat in the skies above England in those dark days of 1940.
It’s a war game
While the voting players on BoardGameGeek (BGG) classify Undaunted: Battle of Britain as a “Wargame,” the Historical Note on the back cover of the Rulebook goes out of the way to emphasize the title is not a “simulationist game”:
Undaunted: Battle of Britain follows the dynamic struggle between the formidable Luftwaffe and the RAF for control of the skies of Britain and the English Channel. At stake is nothing less than the fate of Europe. The game recreates the conflict in some detail and features aircraft and scenarios that have a historical basis. However, this is not a simulationist game. The core mechanic of deck-building is an obvious abstraction of the individual agency of the pilots who were involved. The technical capabilities of aircraft in the game have been tweaked in favor of gameplay. Throughout development, historical accuracy has been one value among several, and the core aim has always been to create a game that might emulate the experience of command, rather than its exact reality. Should you commit your aircraft to the fight quickly, or attempt to outmanouevre your opponent and engage on your terms? Should you maintain close formation for ease of communications, or break off to pursue tempting targets? These are the decision forced upon you in Undaunted: Battle of Britain.
Historical Note, Rulebook back cover
If one remembers that Undaunted: Battle of Britain is a game first and a history lesson second they will undoubtedly enjoy the game that much more. Undaunted: Battle of Britain is certainly not a competitor to aerial combat wargames like J.D. Webster’s Achtung: Spitfire (Clash of Arms, 1995) or Lee Brimmicombe-Wood’s Wing Leader: Victories 1940-1942 (GMT Games, 2015). As already noted, it’s not supposed to be.
One step back, two steps ahead
Component-wise, Undaunted: Battle of Britain is a welcome (at least to me) return to the box size of Undaunted: Normandy and Undaunted: North Africa. It is much smaller (and far more affordable) than the behemoth Undaunted: Stalingrad. That said, there is still a complete and rich game inside.
The most noticeable change in Undaunted: Battle of Britain as compared to previous editions is the use of hexes for the game board tiles. For experienced Undaunted players, a handy “If You’ve Played Undaunted Before” guide on page 3 of the Rulebook points out several differences from previous games. Of note, the guide also says, “If you have played Undaunted before, you should still read this rulebook.” I look forward to the amusing discussion and commentary in BGG forums from “experienced” players who ask questions that are otherwise easily answered if one simply READ THE DA*N RULES!
Pilot hand off
The core game mechanism in Undaunted: Battle of Britain is deck-building. As the Cards section of the rulebook explains:
Cards in your deck represent pilots and aircraft in the air, support staff on the ground, other assets at your disposal, or the chaos and confusion of battle. You will begin the game with some cards in your deck and others in your personal supply, as specified in the scenario. Playing combat cards from your deck will let you seize the initiative, fly your aircraft, destroy ground targets, and fire upon the enemy. Communications cards, such as Section Comms, will let you bolster your forces by adding cards from your supply to your deck – but with every hit you take from enemy fire, you must permanently remove a card from your deck.
Cards, Rulebook p.5
The combat cards in Undaunted: Battle of Britain contain all the information needed to “fly” and “fight” your aircraft. As a very welcome bonus, the cards are beautifully illustrated by Roland Macdonald with images of actual pilots who fought in the battle.
Much to my amusement, I have seen some “commentary” on BGG regarding the choice of the card back color scheme for the RAF cards. Apparently, some feel it is too Target Corporation-like. Personally, the color scheme makes no difference to me as the cards are usually displayed face-up and only placed face down when they are in your Draw Pile.
Tally ho!
Gameplay in Undaunted: Battle of Britain is quick and breezy. I found the rules very tightly written, as one would expect given this is the fourth game in the series. The terminology and rules changes to hexes from square tiles and to air combat from ground were well explained. Even the new communications rules (replacing command in previous games) were easy to understand—especially if you read the rulebook! I was also amused by the choice of some words in Undaunted: Battle of Britain. In this family-friendly game aircraft are not “shot down” but instead “neutralized.”
Experience the battle
At the end of the day, Undaunted: Battle of Britain delivers what it promises. This is not a wargame for Maverick wannabe’s that are looking to barrel roll or yo-yo or Immelmann turn against your opponent, nor one to explore the climbing advantages of the Spitfire against a BF-109. Undaunted: Battle of Britain instead offers you a chance to literally make the best out of the hand you are dealt. The player who can best curate their deck of combat and communications cards while controlling “discord” will likely be the winner.
Undaunted: Battle of Britain comes with 11 scenarios ranging from the relatively straight-forward “First Contact” with only fighters to more complex scenarios featuring bombers or ships or clouds or balloons or anti-aircraft guns. Even the most involved scenarios should be playable in about an hour making this game a highly suitable candidate for a family game night when only two are present.
Award worthy
Given the proven success of David Thompson and Trevor Benjamin and the previous accolades rained down on the Undaunted series, it is a near certainty that Undaunted: Battle of Britain will be on the list of nominees for major hobby gaming awards come next year. This latest edition of the Undaunted series is certainly worthy of recognition as it takes gameplay to the skies without losing the core gaming elements that make previous editions so popular. The lite, family-approach to history and emphasis on gameplay over historical elements will undoubtedly endear the game to the more numerous non-Grognard segment of hobby gaming. That said, Grognards should equally find the game enjoyable, as long as they sit down to play a game and not to deeply study history.
Cinema to game table
For those players who want to more fully immerse themselves in the history of Undaunted: Battle of Britain, you certainly can’t go wrong if you pair the game with a viewing of the 1969 movie The Battle of Britain. Both movie and game are rather equally weighted on hyperbole and authenticity as both allow one to “experience” the battle vice study it closely.
Feature image courtesy RMN (and an early model from RMN Jr.)
The opinions and views expressed in this blog are those of the author alone and are presented in a personal capacity. They do not necessarily represent the views of U.S. Navy or any other U.S government Department, Agency, Office, or employer.
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