Historic Wings

29/11/2025

The British, at their best...

17/11/2025

Here's something for your holidays, a low-cost, fun "Advent Book" -- you read one chapter per day from December 1 to Christmas Day!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G1RPGQ6S/

Santa Claus is more than just a guy who flies the skies and gives gifts to good girls and boys, he's a secret agent in the real-world struggle to bring "Peace on Earth". It's aviation-themed, realistic, and written in the tradition of all our books at Historic Wings. Well, the parts about Santa Claus might be a little less realistic -- or are they?

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30/10/2025

Later today, we're doing a Great War livestream. The topics at the Cardboard Commander YouTube channel are two solitaire wargames: BLACK FLIGHT and JASTA 18 -- both Great War (WW1) titles that recreate air combat on the Western Front.

Zone of Control – Episode 33: Historic Wings with Thomas Van Hare – Stories, Skies & StrategyLIVE Thursday at 6PM CST / 7PM ESTThis week on Zone of Control, ...

18/08/2025

A great video from Blue Panther showing what's in the box of my latest wargame, Black Flight:

Available Now from Historic Wings and Blue Panther:https://www.bluepantherllc.com/products/black-flight"Black Flight" is a solitaire air war game in a narrat...

04/08/2025

BLACK FLIGHT ON WARGAME VAULT
What's a low-cost way to try the new World War I era game Black Flight, my latest book published through Historic Wings?
==> WARGAME VAULT!

Take up your squadron of Sopwith Triplanes into the skies over Ypres and Messines to engage in dogfights against German Albatros, Halberstadts, Rumplers, and more!

https://www.wargamevault.com/product/531446/Black-Flight-Part-1-of-2-Rules-Booklet-Charts-and-Tables

You need both Parts 1 and 2 to play -- combined, they constitute 166 pages content without the maps and counter graphics (downloadable free on BGG).

Note: Future games in the Great War Series will use Part 1 only -- the "base rules and tables" to support gameplay.

Black Flight, Part 1 of 2: Rules Booklet Charts and Tables - Black Flight is a solitaire air wargame about the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) No. 10 (Naval) Squadron. Set in 191

23/07/2025

The Players Aid did an interview about my latest wargame design, Black Flight, now available on Amazon as a wargame book and, in a few days, available as a full-featured boxed game from Blue Panther Games -- everything included, even the rules and history, except dice (because most of us have too many dice already):

Over the past few years, the interest in solitaire book wargames has skyrocketed and there are a lot of different offerings out there. Some that have really caught my eye are from designer Thomas V…

21/07/2025

BLACK FLIGHT
HISTORIC WINGS
Command a squadron of Sopwith Triplanes in 1917 on the Western Front!

Historic Wings’ latest wargame, Black Flight is available on Amazon as a wargame book. In the coming week, a full boxed game from Blue Panther (with rules included in the box) will be available. If you buy the wargame book now, you have the option of just buying the add-on components from Blue Panther later, and the wargame book fits perfectly in the box.

Deeply researched, Black Flight is the most extensive offering yet from Historic Wings with approximately 200 pages of content. It is the first of the new Great War Series of World War I air combat games.

The game employs breakthrough, unique game mechanics, ease of play, extensive player decision-making, and extraordinary player agency, even to the level of an “open world” air combat experience. Black Flight is designed as a solitaire title, yet can be combined with other games in the coming Great War Series to enable gameplay in the following modes:

-- Solitaire: Straight out of the boo/box, you manage your squadron and its pilots to fly patrols as ordered from the Wing HQ.

-- Cooperative: Team up with one or more friends to coordinate flight operations to meet your shared objectives.

-- Competitive: Play against one or more friends in head-to-head challenges as each side struggles to win over the other.

-- Multiplayer: Engage in teams vs. teams play (on opposing sides) as your squadrons and pilots recreate a realistic day or week of the dogfights in the Great War era.

-- Megagame: Tournament and convention play with 10 to 20+ players each with their own squadron, split into opposing teams.

-- Online Campaign: Structured scenarios reenacting air combat over the entire Ypres Salient, with game mechanics to simulate command authority.

Every effort has been made in the design to ensure realism and accuracy. Black Flight provides a uniquely historic, quick-to-learn, and easy-to-play wargame that takes you where no other World War I title has ever gone before.

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