Review: First in Flight (Artana) – English

The Wright brothers are known in history as pioneers of aviation. These brothers are often cited as the first to successfully make a flight in an airplane. They were not the incidentally not the only aviation pioneers and it was a true race to be the first to successfully make a flight. Even Leonardo da Vinci tried to build a machine to take to the skies. In First in Flight, players try to be the first to reach new heights like a true pioneer.

At the beginning of the game, players lay out the board and all place piles of cards next to the game board. These cards players are going to add to the deck representing their plane design and in this way players are going to try to make flights and fly as far as possible. Each player chooses a character with a unique trait and they are ready to fly.

Players move forward along an action track on the board and with the different actions players can receive money to be allowed to perform certain actions, collect specific cards or try to make a flight. The player at the back of the track is allowed to perform an action. In any case, this action costs time and then this player moves further along the track. Are you still at the back? Then it’s your turn again! When you make a flight, you draw cards that indicate the distance of your flight, however, there are also cards in your deck that represent problems of your design and may put a halt to your flight.

The game First in Flight published, is a race in which players try to be the first to make enough meters with their little plane to talk about a successful flight. The game hereby combines elements of push-your-luck and deck-building similar to games such as Quacks of Quedlinburg, in which players must collect cards by moving along an action track, with the player at the back of the track taking his turn (similar to a combination between Tokaido and Patchwork). These combinations to various familiar mechanics are accompanied by a nice and comfortable design. Players must make interesting choices to get the right cards in their deck, while also trying to fix the flaws on and flaws of their planes to make and successful flight. The racing element puts plenty of healthy (air) pressure on the players.