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Flying Circus

v1.3.2
Barnstorming aerial adventure with mercenary pilots in a post-war fantasy world
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Best For

Groups who want a deeply detailed aerial combat game wrapped in a rich, character-driven story about mercenary pilots in a post-war fantasy world.

Core Mechanic

Roll 2d10 + stat: 10 or less is a miss, 11–15 is a partial hit, 16+ is a full hit. Moves are triggered by fiction. Air combat uses energy management, altitude, and speed on instrument panels. Stress accumulated in missions is relieved between flights through vices and relationships.

Dice2d10
System FamilyPbtA
PublisherNewstand Press
Year2020
ComplexityHow much there is to learn
High

Narrative play uses a 2d10-plus-stat move roll for miss, partial, or hit. The heart of it is the air combat, a detailed model of energy, altitude, and maneuvers tied to your aircraft's instrument panel. Around the dogfights sit stress and vice, interpersonal moves, and a company-finance routine between flights. The flight model alone rewards study before play.

AvailabilityHow you get the rules
  • Free to tryNothing freeNo free rules or starter
  • Get it nowSold newIn print or as a legal PDF
RunnabilityWhat the book gives you to run it
  • –IndexNo back-of-book index or page-keyed reference tables
  • ✓GM guidanceA chapter on how to run the game
  • ✓Examples of playRules shown in action at the table
  • ✓Quick referenceCheat sheet or summary tables
  • ✓Cross-referencesRules point to each other by page

4 of 5 book tools found in the core book

Highlights

Highly detailed air combat, setting blends WWI aviation with Miyazaki-esque fantasy, character-driven downtime system, free aircraft builder tool, 10 diverse playbook backgrounds

Considerations

Dense and intimidating to learn, very niche aerial-combat focus, requires printing instrument panels and component cards, limited to its specific setting

Rules license Proprietary (PbtA)

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