Skies Above Britain (beta) - GMT games

An introduction and playthrough of a single patrol for GMT's upcoming war game "Skies Above Britain". This playthrough uses the latest beta (late 2021) so gameplay may change slightly by the time of release.

[@paulbrown7369]

The quality of your videos are absolutely superb! Great story telling as usual. Well done.

[@pdex2165]

Thanks, Paul!

[@jimrose1300]

Love Skies and Storm and didn’t think this would interest me. But man it’s tempting and that’s YOUR fault! Well done!

[@pdex2165]

Thank you, Jim! And sorry about your wallet getting lighter because of me. xD

[@eugeniomariopazielli8478]

The system is totally modified compared to the other two, I like it. You just have to try if it runs well. In the wish list

[@juvigoat2168]

Loved the video presentation, game’s available soon… I was wondering if this leans more on the narrative creation side rather than making hard choices. Am I missing something or are there a good amount of decisions to be made during the game to affect the outcome?

[@pdex2165]

Thank you for the, Juvi! Yes, there is still a very strong narrative in this game. And compared to something like Gregory Smith designs, there are some hard decisions that have to be made. Do I split my squadron up to go after some escorts or do I send them all after the bombers and risk getting jumped later? Should I send my lost fighters home or should I risk them being attacked again and possibly killed spending time trying to reform them for another attack? Should I engage The bombers one more round or should I call it a day and save my pilots at the expense of a low victory point score? There are times when the choice is fairly obvious, but the game has a way of throwing a curveball at you and your best laid plans go awry very quickly. I found it great fun and quite unpredictable at times even though you learn better tactics the longer you play the game.

[@juvigoat2168]

@@pdex2165 Thank you very much for the additional info!

[@jturie]

New to board wargaming....just P500 "purchased" this game because of your excellent video. May need to re-watch several times to lower my confusion level!!!

[@ianmacgregor9561]

This is a game that I was thinking might be on my wish list for 2022. Might have to put it on the "must have" list thanks to your excellent video. Why do you make these so watchable? My wallet always feels the pain, but still, no pain no gain!

[@pdex2165]

Hey, I'm always willing to throw money at what I believe are good games. As a beta tester, I was happy to have a small part in it's development. Being a sucker for Battle of Britain themed games probably helped, too. Thanks for the compliments, Ian!

[@carsons5750]

They couldn’t have picked a better person to showcase this game. Buying it now!

[@colinmacmillan2944]

This looks like it was played on Tabletop Simulator (I'm guessing the game will still come with the 'apply stickers' as seen in previous GMT titles).

[@pdex2165]

That's right, Colin, it was TTS. I converted the Vassal module from the beta test to a TTS format so all the images are from that module (the latest one). The game manual does indicate that there will be stickered blocks, just as in Skies/Storm Above the Reich.

[@tonyoliver1652]

Excellent presentation in your video, I wanted this game when i first saw it appear on the GMT website. - But now it s a definite MUST have after watching this - many thanks, & congratulations on a great job on the playthrough.

[@pdex2165]

Thank you Tony. It was a pleasure to make a video for this great game.

[@gordonyork6638]

Looks like I'll have to start saving up.

[@pdex2165]

Great idea. I think it'll be a fantastic investment.

[@jacklitt]

Hi watched this several times now and I have bought via the GMT p500 website. I did mention your stream gave me the confidence to purchase. As I mentioned your streams are a delight to watch. I look forwards to more and more on skies above Britain. Have you ever played the Panzer series from GMT?

[@chrisw8417]

Great video. Already pre ordered this.

[@nygrentony]

Do you have a playthrough of skies above the reich ? Love your mechanic playtroughs

[@pdex2165]

Unfortunately no. I didn't purchase that game in time as it is now unavailable from GMT. But I do have storm above the Reich and skies above Britain is on its way to me as we speak. I'll probably be doing skies above Britain before anything else.

[@Buster01Actual]

Ooooooooh BOY!

[@pdex2165]

I know, right?!

[@browe]

Thank you--this was very helpful! I'd originally ordered on P500 a year ago, then later removed it. After watching your playthrough I now have a much better sense of how it feels, how it differs from the other Skies/Storm series, and how it's clearly more to my taste (and ordered it again!) Coincidentally, this was what I wanted to get as a 'modern' replacement for London's Burning--which I owned and enjoyed long ago. I was delighted when I checked other videos on your channel and saw it on your table! 😄

[@pdex2165]

Thanks, Brian! I agree with you statement about this being a "modernization" of sorts for London's Burning. I felt the same way while playing.

[@samuelegendotti9117]

Incredible video! Glad I pre-ordered the game!

[@pdex2165]

Thank you! I pre-ordered as well. 😁

[@eddydelrio1303]

An excellent tactical complement to the operational RAF: TBoB 1940 that I also enjoy!

[@joeperez3520]

Many thanks. I have the game but the sequence of steps on the Sequence of Play Card, after the Raid Vector Sequence, had me wondering if I was doing everything correctly.

[@jacklitt]

Excellent playthrough. Really looking forward to this game. Your videos are top notch , many thanks and when the game is released will be great to see you do a full campaign

[@brundebrauc5198]

Superb video! Love the d12 🙂

[@willys136]

On 36:40 you add the number of markers for Distress, but is it correct to add the "low ammo" markers as well? The rules do not say to add the "low ammo" markers for Distress or Disruption.

[@pdex2165]

Yes, that was an overlook on my part. Another subscriber mentioned it as well. It's corrected going forward. I made the same mistake in one of my other videos before I caught it.

[@willys136]

Thank you! 😉

[@paulsaunders6536]

Just added to my must buy list. I have both of the skies games and thought this would be more of the same, albeit hugely enjoyable. But there are enough differences to make it a must buy for me. Excellent video BTW. Adds the dogfight granularity that is absent from The Burning Blue due to scaling differences. The Burning Blue is also excellent.

[@chadvader974]

Thanks for making this video. correct me if I'm wrong but after watching your video which was excellent btw.. it seems that there are very little meaningful decisions to be made during this game. the game is very deterministic

[@normstewart546]

Looks very cool. And, very nicely done video.

[@Hammer1126]

I usually don’t do P500’s and GMT has a recent track record of being extremely slow getting games out so Unril this video I had waved this off, but this looks to be a must have for me Nice video.

[@pdex2165]

Thanks, Hammer! I think this one is worth the wait, especially if you like the subject matter.

[@BayonetRecon]

Fantastic playthrough of this game! Thank you for taking the time to put this together.

[@Kili121416]

Engaging game and first class presentation. I think this will be the best game in the series.

[@pdex2165]

Agreed. If your a fan of Skies or Storm, I think you'll really enjoy this one. Similar to both but different enough to make it interesting.

[@JKWARGAMES]

Can’t wait for this, great video!!!!

[@davet010]

Really enjoyed the video - a clear presentation of what looked initially like quite a confusing list of sequences. I'd love to see a series on this, along the lines of your B-17 leader, which taught me how to play that much more effectively than the rule book. And like many of the other commentors, I've now ordered it - how could I turn down the chance to defend my own skies ?

[@pdex2165]

Thank you, davet010! To be honest, if you think the sequences are a little confusing now, you should have seen the early beta! It was quite a slog but I managed to get through it. They definitely streamlined key aspects in this latest beta and it flows much more smoothly. I admit, at first it took me about three or four patrols to get the gist of the sequences but it started to click after that. Plus, the player aids that come with it are quite good and the manual is well written and easy to understand (they explain things very well).

[@eugeniomariopazielli8478]

another excellent choice was NOT to give pre-set names to the pilots

[@colinmacmillan2944]

I backed this on day one of its announcement - as a BoB enthusiast, it oozes theme. Also like your videos, nicely explained ... loving the little bits from the film by the way. :- )

[@pdex2165]

Thanks Colin! I was excited when I heard about it too. And the movie Battle of Britain has all the best footage. 😁

[@colinmacmillan2944]

@@pdex2165 As a Kiwi, I had to back this game - I mean what would (Sir) Keith Park say if I didn't! :-D

[@timothysmith6549]

Terrific video, thank you!

[@eugeniomariopazielli8478]

do you think they will make it by the end of the year? would it be possible sooner? what do you think about it

[@pdex2165]

At this point, I believe that "Skies" is completed and has been sent to GMT for final proofing (this was a few weeks ago). If nothing of consequence is found, i would suspect it would go to print very soon. With the supply shortages, though, I would expect a longer wait time for final delivery. My guess is at least six months from now, maybe longer. But I do believe it will be out sometime this year for sure.