MiG Killers: An Accurate Simulation of Jet Combat Thru the 1980's
Gamescience (1977, $8)
Designed by Michael Scott Kurtick and Rockland Russo

Players 1 or more
Playing Time 30 minutes to 2 hours
Period World War II - Modern
Scale Tactical
Turn 5 seconds
Map 245 meters
Unit individual aircraft

Components
Box: ziploc
1 34x22" unmounted mapsheet
1 17-page rulebook (sticker with corrected game description on back)
240 poorly die-cut counters
64 aircraft data cards on a tabloid-sized sheet (7 blanks)
4 folded sheets with identical control logs and tables
1 errata sheet (not dated, but supersedes earlier errata insert)
1 special supplement sheet (with 3 new scenarios, 3 new data cards, and a couple of new rules)
1 double-sided page with two J.D. Webster articles on MiG Killer from Adventure Gaming Magazine

Counter Manifest
16 bombers (2 each of Backfire; B1; Yak 28; Tu 16; Vulcan; MYA 4; Tu 22; and B-52)
1 E3A
180 other aircraft (4 each of the remaining 45 aircraft types)
10 SAMs
6 cruise missiles
20 percentile die replacement counters (marked 0-9)
6 numbered counters (1-6)

Gamescience says

“Includes 40 historical scenarios. 4 solitaire scenarios with variants. Includes spotting, E.C.M., radar and infrared seeking missiles, fuel, ace status, plus optional and advanced rules. Spans jet combat from 1945 through the 1980’s with more than 50 different battle-proven jet fighters accuratelyportrayed.”

The reviewers say

“The selection of different planes available is remarkable . . . from the Me262 to the Swedish AJ 35 Draken [and] such favorites as the F-104, MiG 23 Flogger and Panavia MRCA Tornado ... but the fighters of the Vietnam and Korean Wars are not ignored ... [T]he concept of turn-mode has been discarded in favor of the more realistic notion of pilot and airframe limitations on g-forces incurred by turning ...

The different capabilities of different aircraft come from the amount of speed lost in making a turn at different g-forces and the stall speed of the aircraft in a turn. Both of these are tabulated on each aircraft data card ... On the minus side, this is not a game for beginners ... the rules are not as well written as they might be and they will require some thought to be learned. A lesser drawback is that the counters provided are all one color (light yellow, with black top-view silhouettes) and they can be confused easily in play.” D Minch in The Dragon 27.

“MiG Killers may be the best tactical jet-combat game going ... The turn rules are a major advance in realism and eliminate the ‘cheap shots’ that the turn mode allows pursuing pilots ... Some gamers will object to the bookkeeping required, and realism nuts will balk at some of the abstractions in the combat rules, though they make the game far more playable than a monster like Air War.” Jon Freeman in The Complete Book of Wargames (1980). “This game appeared shortly after SPI’s Air War and has probably suffered unjustly because of that ... I made the discovery that MiG Killers was FUN! Hard to believe, considering my initial impression of this third world, poorly printed product ...

[T]he designers of MiG Killers tackled a tough game subject and truly came up with a good game ... The average game only lasts about an hour and there is time to play several scenarios in a single evening ... It is a good game though it abstracts several important facets of modern aerial combat ... radar lock-ons automatically succeed and missiles have an unlimited range ... it seems that the missile combat system was simplified and glossed over to a large extent. This abstraction will ruffle the feathers of air warfare purists like myself but it keeps the game simple ...

Of course, if you limit the players to scenarios that involve only guns or the older tail-chasing IR missiles, then MiG Killers begins to shine. It’s fast, fun and you get to see a lot of maneuvering.” JD Webster in Adventure Gaming, Volume 1, Number 4.

Comments

A promising game system that could have done quite well with some additional rules polishing and an improved presentation. The Dragon review notes that there was a proposed ground attack sequel to be called Air Strike!

As with other air combat board games of the seventies, MiG Killers is mostly a collectors item. However, the game does offer a somewhat unique perspective on jet air combat, and dedicated air gamers may enjoy the “beer and pretzels” change of pace it offers. Just make sure to use counters out of another game, they are sure to be better than what originally came with MiG Killers!

Collector’s Notes

Boone 4th lists low/high/average auction prices of 11/28/17. In Boone 3rd, auction prices were 6/18/11 and sale listings were 10/45/27. Don’t pay a premium if the game is bundled with the Expansion Kit (see the next capsule profile for the reasons).

Other games by Kurtick

Space Patrol (Gamescience);
Strike Team Alpha (Gamescience);
Star Fighters (self-published)

Other games by Russo

Deluxe Fighter Pilot (Gamescience);
Mustangs and Messerschmitts (Falcon Games).

Expansion Kit

Gamescience (1977, $2.00)

Components
Box ziplock
240 poorly die-cut counters
1 blue sheet of paper with murky reproduction of the MiG Killers counter sheet
32 double-sided aircraft data cards on a tabloid-sized sheet
1 coversheet

Counter Manifest

Same as MiG Killers

Gamescience says

“Enclosed you will find 240 die-cut counters that have been mistakenly cut off-register and/or improperly bonded to the cardboard. Cut out the blue aircraft counters in units of 20 and use glue stick to bond them to the cardboard, centering them carefully, over the old markers. Be sure to remove any improperly bonded paper before glueing down the new markers. Then carefully use a razor-knife or Exacto-blade to cut the markers apart so that they may be removed without tearing.”

The reviewer says

“You don’t want this. You really don’t. Production quality that would embarrass a shoddy DTP game.” Joe Scoleri in Simulacrum 17.

Comments

Another Simulacrum “caveat” highlighting an obscure item of dubious value. Although the cover boldly proclaims “Two NEW Special Scenarios; 240 Extra Aircraft Counters; Over 50 Extra Data Cards”, the contents aren’t quite as exciting. Probably the best thing here are the two “special” scenarios: one features the Japanese flying monster Rodan, and the other is based on the novel Firefox.

The larger data cards are nice, but they feature the exact same aircraft included in the original game and probably should have been done this way in the first place. Outside of these minor pluses, you get a poorly printed reproduction of the original counter sheet on blue paper and a messed up counter sheet. And that’s it.

Collector’s Notes

The Expansion Kit is not listed in Boone. It may be of interest if you are a die-hard air combat boardgame collecting fanatic. Since it looks so decrepit, you might convince a seller to give it to you for the price of shipping. It is barely worth that.

Other air combat games from Gamescience

Advanced Fighter Combat; Basic Fighter Combat; Battle of Britain; Deluxe Fighter Pilot; Fighter Pilot; Flying Tigers.

Capsule Profiles:

Mad Monks and Relics
Merc
MiG Killers and Expansion Kit
Missile Boat
Mission Aloft
Mythology