The Solid State War is a print-and-play game line set during a war of resources beginning in the year 2035 AD. It is a light, fast-playing game of aerial dogfights between small numbers of jets. The objective of play is to defeat your opponent's air forces in close combat. The game is designed to be suitable for quick pickup games as well as long term campaigns.

As a print-and-play game, players are expected to print out and prepare the playing pieces with household craft tools (scissors, hobby knife, and ordinary glue). These playing pieces include jet fighters, movement and shooting tools, unique dice and (as an option) 3D paper models.

Game sessions begin by choosing a scenario. Each scenario establishes the starting positions and objectives of the fighter jets on each team. There are two sides in the war, the Rebels and the State. The scenarios are sometimes written to favor one side, to reflect the strengths and weaknesses of the opposing armies.

Once a scenario is selected, the players spend a certain number of "army points" to purchase their aircraft and outfit them with more experienced crews, weapons and special devices. Each jet uses its own record sheet, and during play the player controlling that jet is responsible for marking its current damage, ammo and other variables.

Gameplay proceeds by rounds, with each jet taking a turn according to its initiative score. Movement is handled using a fan-shaped "movement key" and rolling dice to determine the maximum turning angle for that instance. Attacks are handled with a "range finder" tool that is placed in front of the attacking jet and used to determine if any targets can be fired upon. Dice are rolled to determine the severity of damage.

Scenarios may be won by destroying the enemy team's jets, or by disabling or disarming the enemy team, forcing a forfeit. Some scenarios have special victory conditions, such as taking recon photos or bombing a ground target.

After a scenario, both sides are awarded some army points to further develop their air forces or replace ruined equipment. These changes may be carried over for use in the next scenario.

The base release for this game is the Air War Starter Set PDF. It contains all of the essential components, such as print-and-play dice, maneuvering and range-finding tools, speed tokens, smoke clouds, bombing targets and 2D jet fighter game pieces. This set includes two versions of the RG-6 Tigress, a fighter jet used by both sides during the war. The custom dice include a unique distribution of numbers, as well as keywords that are used in different situations.

The game is designed to be supplemented with individual vehicle packs containing new options and game pieces, as well as 3D paper model PDFs that can be assembled and used in place of the standard 2D jet fighter pieces. Expansions are planned that will introduce new jet types, heroic crew members, campaigns, ground vehicles and ships.

Solid State War

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