Air, Land, & Sea – First Impressions
Jon Perry and Arcane Wonders have done some magic. I guess that’s to be expected from a publisher boasting a mythical dragon and a mystical name, but props to Jon Perry.
There are more than 18 cards in a promo pack for a big-box game. But that’s all that Air, Land, & Sea includes for the entire player experience. Yes, there are reference cards and ones that designate the theater of war. But the cards that players use each round? 18 total.
I challenge you to make a good game with only 18 cards. I’m not going to challenge myself because I don’t have that much faith. All I know is that the 2018 two-player card game is back in stock and it’s worth a look.
As with many of the games that I write about for first impression articles, I’ve only played it once, but that was enough to see the magic. There is elegance here. There is tactical precision. And there is military nuance rarely seen in a game set in World War II. (Hint: you can voluntarily withdraw. More on that later, though.)
There is room for Air, Land & Sea on everybody’s shelf. It doesn’t matter if you have Kallax shelves or under-the-bed hiding spots. This can fit. But if you’re still unsure, let’s look at the card game and what’s going on at the table.
What It Does
In most wargames, players are asked to manage one theater of war at a time. Each theater is too expansive and involved to allow for an effective representation of each on the table. Fight the land battle in a game of Warhammer 40k. Wage an epic space skirmish in Armada. Storm the beaches of Normandy in Undaunted. Do one of these things. But not all of them.
For those that want to have a broader reach, though, then you can enjoy Air, Land, & Sea. I recognize it’s maybe not what you’d expect from a recommendation for a wargame. It’s very small. And significantly abstracted from most other titles in the genre. And it plays very fast. All of that seems to be heading in the wrong direction.
But it works…
In Air, Land, & Sea, opponents face off on all three theaters of war—air, land, and sea. If that title didn’t give it away the first time, now it should make sense! These battles will involve a pitched conflict of card placement and power resolution until one player withdraws or both players empty their hand and score.
You can’t overcommit to one theater, though. Players must be judicious in determining where to place which cards. Face-up cards must be placed in their respective theaters, but facedown cards can be played anywhere. That’s where the war ends and the strategy begins.
Strength wins the game, but tactical abilities will likely decide which way the power and control swings. Players will lay traps for their opponents, only to be outmaneuvered. It’s clever. It’s exhilarating. And it’s a lean, fast-paced game.
How It Does It
Players get six cards each. The remaining six stay in the central deck and may be drawn using a card ability or may stay there undisturbed for the whole round. So you can’t card count. You never really know what your opponent will be able to chain together.
Alternating turns, players will place a card down, face-up in the designated theater of that card (unless an exception is allowed from a previous card ability) or facedown in any theater.
And cards have two important elements to remember—that’s it, which is kind of amazing. A big number that displays the strength value of the card and a potential ability that is either persistent or instantaneous. Instant abilities happen as soon as the card is played (or revealed) face-up. And then persistent abilities remain in play as long as the card is face-up on the battlefield. Other than that, the strength value is what players will focus on.
If play continues until all cards have been used, then the three theaters of war are scored and whoever wins at least 2 of the 3 theaters is the winner and is awarded 6 points for the round. First to 12 wins, so that’s big.
This begs the question: well, if you get 6 points for winning, then you’re only ever going to have two or three rounds of play.
Nope. Wrong.
Because you can withdraw! In Air, Land, & Sea, there is a mechanic that allows players to accept defeat early. You may have had a bad draw of cards. Or an opponent neutralized your strategy midway through the round. Something happened. You know it’s not going to pan out. A player can then withdraw. The earlier you do it, the fewer points the opponent wins. As few as 2 points.
What’s brilliant about that design is in the agency it affords players.
You’re not just playing to win. You’re playing to mitigate your losses. Win strong, lose small.
That’s all you really need to know about Air, Land, & Sea. Play cards across the different theaters and always being evaluating the conditions of the game. Can you pull off a win? Is it best to concede now? Does the player have the capacity to overwhelm your lead in strength?
When you figure out the answers to these questions, you’ll be well on your way to becoming an effective strategist in this two-player gem.
Why You Might Like It
Air, Land, & Sea does a lot with a little. There are only 18 cards in the game. And only twelve of those (excepting specific card abilities) are used in a single round. So, it’s a tight, lean game with a rather remarkable amount of options.
Each card is designed to fit in one of the three theaters of war—air, land, or sea. But the way it’s used in conjunction with the other cards opens up another realm of possibility. You start to think in a linear fashion but then progress to some creative combinations, especially when considering the method of face-up or facedown card placement.
Why You Might Not
This is a game with few mechanics. You place cards until one opponent withdraws or until all cards are placed and total strength is tallied. If you’re looking for a grander military card game, this is not that.
With 18 cards, eventually players may figure out all of the best combinations and strategies for how the cards (and their abilities) interact. If the potential for maximum optimization threatens your sense of fun in a game, then Air, Land, & Sea might disappoint after some time.
Final Thoughts
There is a sizable following for games that accomplish a big feeling with few components and rules. The Tiny Epic series is one example of distilling big tabletop experiences into small packages.
So, Air, Land, & Sea will already have its fans. But I think it deserves a wider audience. I think it could merit a greater saturation in the small-box market and the hobbyist gamer space. It’s a rock-solid two-player experience. Figuring out the cards is important. There are so many ways to combine the powers when you think about face-up and immediate resolution versus facedown and (possibly) surprise effect. But that doesn’t even include the ability to withdraw, which is such a unique mechanic. You can accept that you’re going to lose. And the sooner you do that, the fewer points the other player gains. That can make or break the final score in determining the victor.
It doesn’t need more than 18 cards. It doesn’t need miniatures. It doesn’t need four sheets of chitboard with all of the tokens for a grand wargame on the table. Air, Land, & Sea creates a tactical two-player experience with barebones production and it doesn’t suffer for it.
If you haven’t played it, the game is available on Tabletopia and I definitely think you should check it out. Also, Arcane Wonders now has the game back in stock. It’s only $15. You really shouldn’t pass it up at that price.
Have you played Air, Land, & Sea? What small two-player games do you enjoy?
Let us know in the comments and give a recommendation for other games of which to share our first impressions.