An excellent Cooperative Board Game for Two
I love a game, especially that gets my heart racing and demands teamwork to succeed. That’s exactly what Sky Team delivers—a tense, cooperative experience where you and a partner attempt to land a commercial airliner together. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be in a cockpit with just a co-pilot and a whole lot of pressure, this game captures that feeling brilliantly.
Quick Facts About Sky Team
- Players: 2
- Playtime: 20–30 minutes
- Designer: Luc Rémond
- Publisher: Scorpion Masqué
- Type of Game: Cooperative, Dice Allocation, Thematic
- Recommended Age: 12+
What’s Sky Team All About?
At its core, Sky Team is a two-player cooperative dice placement game where you and your co-pilot must successfully land an aircraft. One player takes the role of the pilot, the other the co-pilot, and together, you must manage speed, altitude, flaps, and even coffee consumption (yes, staying alert is a real mechanic in the game!).
Communication is limited, making every decision crucial—one wrong move, and you could be heading for disaster. It’s all about coordination, quick thinking, and adapting to unexpected challenges.
How to Play Sky Team
The game is played over a series of rounds, each representing a phase of descent towards the runway. Here’s how a typical round unfolds:
- Roll Your Dice – Both players roll their personal dice in secret.
- Silent Planning – No talking! You must figure out how best to use your dice without discussing strategy.
- Dice Placement – Players take turns placing dice on different cockpit controls to adjust speed, altitude, and wings.
- External Challenges – Deal with air traffic, turbulence, and unexpected malfunctions.
- Landing Progress – If all conditions are met, you continue descending. If not, you might spiral out of control!
- Final Approach – When you reach the last few rounds, precision is everything. Make a mistake here, and you’re crashing into the runway rather than landing on it.
It sounds simple, but trust me, it’s anything but. The tension builds as you descend, and that final landing roll? Edge-of-your-seat stuff.
Components: What’s Inside the Box?
The production quality of Sky Team is solid, with well-designed components that enhance the experience. Here’s what you’ll find:
- Game Board – Represents the cockpit with spaces for dice placement.
- Dice (12) – Six for each player, colour-coded.
- Control Panels – Track speed, altitude, and wing adjustments.
- Event Cards – Throw unexpected challenges into the mix.
- Airport Maps – Different landing scenarios to test your skills.
- Tokens & Markers – Represent fuel, coffee, and other cockpit necessities.
Everything feels premium, and the cockpit layout makes you feel like you’re actually in a plane. It’s immersive without being overcomplicated.
Playing at Different Player Counts
Sky Team is strictly a two-player game, which is both a strength and a limitation. If you love cooperative games but struggle to find the right partner, this could be a drawback. But when you do have the right teammate? It’s fantastic.
Unlike many co-op games that can be played solo with multiple roles, Sky Team really shines when both players are fully engaged. You need that push-and-pull dynamic of making decisions without direct communication, and that only works with a human co-pilot.
Expansions & Variants
So far, Sky Team has been well-received, and while no official expansions have been released yet, the game includes multiple airports and challenge modes to keep things fresh. Each airport has unique conditions—some with heavier air traffic, others with trickier weather patterns—so replayability is high even without expansions.
If an expansion does drop, I’d love to see more challenging scenarios or perhaps a way to introduce a third player in a support role. But even as it stands, the game has plenty to offer.
Can You Play Sky Team Digitally?
Good news! Sky Team is available on Board Game Arena (BGA), making it easy to play online with a friend. The digital implementation is smooth, handling all the dice rolling and rules enforcement automatically. If you’re new to the game and want to try it out before buying, BGA is a great way to get a feel for it.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a fan of cooperative games and want something that truly captures the intensity of teamwork under pressure, Sky Team is a must-try. It’s quick to learn but challenging to master, and every playthrough feels fresh thanks to different landing conditions and the unpredictability of the dice.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Just make sure your co-pilot is up to the challenge—because if you crash, you’ll both feel the weight of that failure!