tabletoppingboardgames 
Set in 1917, Dogfight puts you in the cockpit of an early fighter plane, circling high above the trenches of the Western Front. It’s a small, tight game about outmanoeuvring your opponent, trying to guess their next move, and hoping you spot your shot before they spot theirs.
It’s the kind of game where you think, “If I just turn left here…” and immediately wish you hadn’t. Each duel feels like a little story of risky dives, lucky rolls and the occasional “I definitely meant to do that” moment.
👥 2-4 players, ages 10+
⏳️ Playing time: 30 minutes
📝 Designer: Sol Kong
🎨 Artwork: Stephane Arson & Julien Lepelletier
🏢 Publisher: Korea Boardgames (review copy provided)
Gameplay Overview
Dogfight: 1917 is mainly a two-player game, though there are rules for up to four if you’d like a few more planes in the sky. The goal is simple enough: shoot down your opponent before they shoot you. Getting there takes some careful flying.
Each round follows three short phases: reconnaissance, assessment and engagement. In reconnaissance, you draw a new card that represents the changing situation in the sky. Assessment is where you make your tactical decisions. You may perform tactical improvisation once: discard one card to gain a tactical token, then optionally shuffle any number of cards from your hand into your deck and draw the same number. At the end of the assessment phase, if you can’t perform a manoeuvre this turn, your plane stalls, forcing you into emergency moves like an Immelmann turn or even a blackout.
The engagement phase is where things really get going. You play manoeuvre cards to move across the hex board, trying to position yourself behind your opponent. Attacks only work if your plane’s nose faces their tail, which sounds easy until it really isn’t. Dice decide whether your bursts of machine gun fire hit, and every successful hit forces your opponent to discard cards from their deck. When their deck runs out, their plane crashes, and that’s game over.
Tactical tokens can turn the tide by letting you reroll dice, repair damage or retrieve cards. Each plane and pilot flies a bit differently. The Fokker Dr.I is quick and nimble, the Sopwith Camel goes for bold attacks, the Albatros D.III rewards steady, disciplined play, and the SPAD S.XIII loves to race across the board in long sweeps.
When one plane finally goes down, the surviving pilot earns the title of ace. There are also a few variant modes: battle royale, team play and a daring escape scenario where an experienced player tries to outrun a rookie. It’s a fun way to shake things up once you’ve had a few duels.
Artwork, Components, and Visual Design
Dogfight: 1917 looks just how you’d expect a World War I air combat game to look: clean, a bit nostalgic, and full of little details that fit the theme nicely.
The small aircraft miniatures are the highlight. Each player gets one of four fighters: the Fokker Dr.I, Sopwith Camel, Albatros D.III or SPAD S.XIII. They’re simple but nicely made, with colours that make them easy to tell apart. The clear stands lift them just above the board so it looks like they’re actually flying, which is a nice touch.
The board shows fields, rivers and clouds from above. It looks good on the table and stays clear enough that you never lose track of the action.
Each fighter board works like your cockpit dashboard, with an illustration of your plane and space to track your cards and damage. The art is detailed but has a soft, vintage look, like an old aviation chart.
The manoeuvre cards are beautifully illustrated, showing your aircraft banking, diving and twisting through the sky. They make it easy to imagine what’s happening, even when you’re just moving a little plastic plane across a hex grid. The pilot cards feature famous aces like Manfred von Richthofen and René Fonck, with simple monochrome portraits that fit the theme without overdoing it.
Even the smaller details have been handled with care. The tactical tokens are shaped like small gears, fitting the mechanical theme, and the dice are clean and easy to read. There are handy reference cards so you don’t have to keep reaching for the rulebook, and the box comes with a custom insert that actually keeps everything in place.
Our Experience
In our games of Dogfight: 1917, it didn’t take long for things to click. Setup is quick, and within minutes you’re already circling each other, trying to predict the next move. It’s one of those games where you can feel the tension from the very first turn.
Every action feels like a small gamble. Do you climb and risk a stall, or dive and expose your tail? Even when it’s not your turn, you’re fully focused on what the other player is doing. It’s a constant back-and-forth of reading and reacting. When you finally manage to line up that perfect shot after several turns of positioning, it’s incredibly satisfying. When you misjudge and end up in their sights instead, less so.
Each aircraft feels a bit different to fly. The Fokker and Camel are built for tight, looping fights, constantly twisting and circling. The Albatros and SPAD reward a slower, more patient approach, using range and speed to strike at the right time. Switching planes or pilots between games keeps things interesting, and matches usually finish in around 30 to 45 minutes. You can easily squeeze in a few duels back-to-back, or turn it into a small tournament if you’re feeling competitive.
The only small downside is that, after a few games, experienced players might start to see patterns and “safe zones” on the board. You can end up flying cautiously instead of taking risks, which takes a bit of the bite out of the combat. But that’s easy to forgive when the core gameplay feels this tight and satisfying.
Our Thoughts
What we really like about Dogfight: 1917 is how honest it feels. It doesn’t try to be a full-on simulation or a heavy wargame. It’s a quick duel that’s all about timing, bluffing and taking calculated risks.
The use of cards for both movement and health is a smart bit of design. Every time you take damage, you lose cards from your deck, so the more you fly recklessly, the fewer manoeuvres you’ll have later. It creates this nice balance between aggression and survival.
We found the game works best as a one-on-one duel. The extra modes are fun, but the two-player format is where it really shines. The pacing is sharp, the turns flow naturally, and it feels like a real contest of wits.
Production-wise, it’s solid. The components are well-made, the rulebook is clear, and the whole thing looks great on the table. It’s not a complex game, but it has just enough depth to keep you thinking without slowing things down.
If you prefer completely luck-free games, the dice and card draws might frustrate you at times. Every so often, a roll decides your fate more than your flying does. But honestly, that bit of chaos adds to the fun. After all, not every pilot in history hit their target, and sometimes you just have to laugh it off and try again.
With only four planes and four pilots in the box, you’ll eventually wish for more variety, but that’s more a sign of how enjoyable the core system is. It’s easy to imagine expansions with new aircraft or historical scenarios fitting right in.
Dogfight: 1917 mixes its historical theme with modern mechanics in a way that just works. It’s quick, engaging, and packed with small tactical choices that feel great when they actually work. It might not please those looking for deep, strategic wargames, but it’s perfect for players who want a fast, thematic duel that plays like a light puzzle with propellers.
And if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a World War I pilot, minus the whole crashing bit, this one gets close enough.
👉 If you’re going to Spiel later this month, you can find Dogfight: 1917 at the Korea Boardgames booth in Hall 5, stand 5A315.
📝 We received a copy of the game from Korea Boardgames.
