Sky Team

Overview

Sky Team is a cooperative dice-placement game for exactly 2 players, designed by Luc Remond and published by Le Scorpion Masque / Hachette (2023). Winner of the 2024 Spiel des Jahres. Players work together as pilot and co-pilot to land a passenger airplane at various airports around the world. Over 7 rounds, players secretly roll dice and take turns placing them on control panel spaces to manage the aircraft’s axis, engines, radio, landing gear, flaps, brakes, and concentration. Communication about specific dice values is forbidden – players must coordinate through strategy discussion only. All landing conditions must be met simultaneously to win.

Components

• 1 Control panel board (with spaces for pilot and co-pilot dice)
• Airplane axis disc (rotatable indicator)
• 8 Dice (4 blue for pilot, 4 orange for co-pilot)
• 1 Black traffic die
• 2 Player screens
• Altitude track
• Approach track with airplane tokens (12 total)
• 2 Aerodynamic markers (blue and orange)
• 1 Brake marker
• 10 Switches (for landing gear and flaps indicators)
• 3 Coffee tokens
• 2 Reroll tokens
• Advanced module boards (kerosene, intern, wind, ice brakes)
• Multiple airport/scenario cards

Setup

Players sit side by side facing the control panel. Set the axis disc pointing straight up. Position blue aerodynamic marker between 4-5 and orange between 8-9. Set brake marker left of 2. Insert altitude track showing 6000 feet. Place airplane tokens on approach track. Distribute matching dice and screens to each player. Place coffee and reroll tokens.

Turn Structure

The game lasts 7 rounds. Each round has 3 phases:

Phase 1: Briefing

• Players may discuss strategy openly.
• Players may NOT discuss specific die values or numbers.
• Plan which spaces to prioritize this round.

Phase 2: Dice Placement

• Both players simultaneously roll their 4 dice behind their screens.
• Starting with the start player, players alternate placing one die at a time on an empty control panel space.
• Dice can only be placed on spaces matching your color (blue = pilot, orange = co-pilot).
• Some spaces have value restrictions.
• Continue until all 8 dice are placed (or players choose to discard to Concentration).

Phase 3: End of Round

• Resolve engine effects: Compare dice total on engines to aerodynamic markers.
• Move the airplane forward on approach track if applicable.
• Reduce altitude by 1000 feet.
• Check for landing conditions if airport is visible.

Actions

Control Panel Spaces

Axis (Mandatory – one die per player each round):

• Compare the two dice values. The axis turns toward the player with the higher value by the difference.
• If the axis passes the red X marks on either side, the game is immediately lost (crash).

Engines (Mandatory – one die per player each round):

• Sum both engine dice. Compare total to aerodynamic markers.
• Below blue marker: No forward movement.
• Between blue and orange markers: Advance 1 space on approach.
• Above orange marker: Advance 2 spaces on approach.
• Cannot advance if airplane tokens occupy the current approach space.

Radio (Optional):

• Place a die to remove an airplane token from the approach track matching the die value.
• Clears the approach path for safe advancement.

Landing Gear (Pilot only – optional):

• Play dice matching the numbers shown on gear spaces (sequential: specific values).
• Each placed die flips a gear switch to green and advances the blue aerodynamic marker right.

Flaps (Co-pilot only – optional):

• Play dice on spaces with value ranges (1/2, 2/3, 4/5, 5/6 – sequential).
• Each placed die flips a flap switch to green and advances the orange aerodynamic marker left.

Concentration (Either player):

• Discard a die here to collect a coffee token (max 3 total).
• Coffee tokens can be spent anytime during dice placement to modify any die by +1 or -1 (cannot go below 1 or above 6).

Brakes (Pilot only – optional):

• Play dice on spaces showing values 2, 4, 6 (must be placed sequentially).
• Each placed die advances the brake marker right.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Win Conditions (ALL must be met at the end of the final round):

1. No airplane tokens remain on the approach track.
2. All landing gear switches show green.
3. All flap switches show green.
4. The axis is pointing straight up (level).
5. Final engine speed is less than the brake marker position.

Loss Conditions (immediate):

• Axis passes red X marks (plane tilts too far).
• Airplane crashes into an airplane token on approach (cannot advance when blocked).
• Altitude reaches 0 without landing conditions met.
• Overshoot the airport (advance past runway).
• Run out of kerosene (advanced module).

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• No Number Communication: Players cannot state, hint at, or signal specific die values. Strategy discussion must remain abstract (“I can handle the axis” is okay; “I rolled a 6” is not).
• Coffee Tokens: Maximum 3 in supply. Spend any number on a single die to modify it. Any player may spend them, even on the other player’s dice.
• Reroll Tokens: Spend to reroll any number of your dice behind your screen.
• Start Player: Alternates each round. The start player places the first die.
• Advanced Modules: Kerosene (fuel management), Intern (bonus actions), Wind (turbulence effects), Ice Brakes (weather conditions) add difficulty and variety.
• Multiple Airports: Different airport cards change the difficulty, approach track layout, and special conditions.

Player Reference

Space	Player	Mandatory?	Effect
Axis	Both (1 each)	Yes	Controls plane tilt
Engines	Both (1 each)	Yes	Controls approach speed
Radio	Either	No	Removes airplane tokens
Landing Gear	Pilot	No	Activates gear switches
Flaps	Co-pilot	No	Activates flap switches
Concentration	Either	No	Gains coffee tokens
Brakes	Pilot	No	Increases braking power

Win: All 5 conditions met simultaneously at landing. Lose: Any crash condition.