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Game Info
Year
2005
Collection
Your Tier
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Description
Corsair Leader is based on the Hornet Leader II core game, but with some significant changes. The game focuses on the Marine F4U Corsairs in the Pacific. The 2 campaigns cover the Solomon Islands campaign that lasted from late 1942 to early 1944.
Also, the aircraft under your command center on the Corsair, but you also get to decide if you want to include Dauntlesses, B-25s, and B-17s as part of your group. Each aircraft has its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, the B-17s carry a lot of bombs and are hard to shoot down, but they are terrible versus naval targets and only moderately accurate against all but the largest of land targets.
The game also goes more in-depth on the tactical options you have while over target. Each turn, each aircraft can become "Offensive" which gives it an attack bonus, but also makes it easier to be attacked when it gets shot at. Likewise, aircraft can be "Defensive" which penalizes their own attacks and makes them harder to hit. "Slow" pilots can "Rush" their attack at a penalty and attack during the Fast pilot step, and "Fast" pilots can Wait and get a bonus if they attack during the Slow pilot step.
Like the other games in the "Leader" series, Corsair Leader is a solitaire game.
The game is published in both PDF and Vassal versions.
Other Leader series games by Dan Verssen
Featured Videos
Rules Teach
Corsair Leader - PART 2
Playthrough
Corsair Leader - PART 4
Ask a Rules Question
All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 4
This page: 4
Sentiment:
pos 4 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–4 of 4
Video 1zQa-WDakbY
Box of Delights Rules Teach at 0:05 sentiment: positive
video_pk 90234 · mention_pk 286048
Click to watch at 0:05 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Versatile aircraft like the Corsair can adapt to different roles.
- Campaign progression adds depth and changes gameplay over time.
- Strategic decisions in arming aircraft and choosing altitude are important.
- Event cards add variability and challenges.
Cons
- Stress accumulation can negatively impact pilot performance.
- Certain munitions are restricted to low altitude, limiting strategic options.
- Scramble keywords can force immediate, difficult missions.
Thematic elements
- World War II aerial combat
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Aircraft Armament — Players arm aircraft with various weapons (bombs, rockets, torpedoes, etc.) which have different weights, effects, and altitude restrictions.
- Altitude — Aircraft can fly in high or low, which affects their targeting capabilities and vulnerability, as well as the usability of certain munitions.
- Bandit and Site Placement — Bandits and sites are drawn randomly and placed on the board areas (target, approach) to defend objectives.
- event cards — Event cards are drawn during the campaign, layering ongoing effects onto the game and changing mission parameters.
- Gung-Ho — A special token or ability that pilots can have, which may be used in missions and needs to be recovered or tracked.
- Pilot Skills — Pilots can be assigned skills, some of which are expendable, to modify their performance during a mission.
- Recon and Intel — Recon and Intel values progress, affecting the number of target cards that can be drawn and the number of sites/bandits faced.
- Stress — Pilots incur stress based on mission difficulty and location, which impairs their ability to perform.
- Target Cards — Players draw target cards to determine primary and secondary missions, with 'scramble' keywords creating immediate emergencies.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The Corsair was deadly in air-to-air with an 11-1 kill ratio.
- The Corsair is incredibly versatile.
- Bombers and escorts. Bombers and escorts.
- Pilots pick up stress pilots get involved events change things up as the campaign progresses.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video m_tngIfg88g
Box of Delights Rules Teach at 0:08 sentiment: positive
video_pk 90226 · mention_pk 286047
Click to watch at 0:08 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging dogfight mechanics
- Detailed combat resolution system
- Meaningful pilot conditions and stress management
- Tactical depth in movement and engagement choices
Cons
- Bombers can be vulnerable without escorts
- Maneuvering and attack rolls can be complex
Thematic elements
- World War II naval aviation combat
- Luzon, 1945
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Movement — Aircraft move between adjacent regions on the tactical display.
- combat resolution — Involves maneuver rolls, attack rolls, and comparing results against target numbers, with modifiers based on position and pilot condition.
- Dice Rolling — Used for attack resolution, maneuver success, and determining outcomes in combat and other phases.
- Engagement — Aircraft can engage or disengage from enemies, with specific rules for bombers and escorts.
- Pilot stress — Pilots accumulate stress, which affects their performance and can lead to them becoming 'shaken' or 'unfit.'
- Resource Management — Players manage tokens like 'gung-ho' and 'situational awareness' to gain advantages or mitigate risks.
- Targeting — Players select targets for their aircraft, considering weapon ranges and target vulnerabilities (e.g., 'soft' targets).
- Weapon Types — Distinguishes between air-to-air, air-to-ground, guns, rockets, and napalm, each with different ranges and attack capabilities.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- A slow pilot can spend an SA token to perform an extra attack in the fast pilot attack phase
- The flight director says now all other sites will attack with a minus one adjustment
- Bandits don't have high or low, so they can engage anyone at any altitude
- If you've got an unengaged escort, you could engage this zero
- If a bandit had tried to attack one of the B-25s and gauged it and attacked it while engaged before they do the attack roll... we can do an defensive gunner attack
- Top has got the jump on this guy
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video A_Ytlci24n8
Box of Delights Rules Teach at 0:08 sentiment: positive
video_pk 90245 · mention_pk 286049
Click to watch at 0:08 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Ability to scale up planes/upgrade pilots.
- Flexibility in campaign length.
- Random squadron selection provides a bonus.
- Pilot skills and promotions offer customization.
Cons
- Rulebook was difficult to understand initially.
- Content can be overwhelming for new players.
- Base game may be missing some tokens requiring an upgrade pack or proxy.
Thematic elements
- Commanding a US Marine squadron launching bombers and escorts to liberate the Philippines.
- Pacific Theater, late 1944 and early 1945
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Campaign play — The game is structured around campaigns with a series of missions, allowing for short, medium, or long durations.
- card drafting/management — Target cards and event cards form decks that influence missions and gameplay.
- pilot progression — Pilots gain experience points to level up through different skill tiers (newbie, green, average, skilled, veteran, legendary).
- Resource Management — Special Ops (so) points are used as a currency for purchasing aircraft, skills, and promotions.
- Skill Assignment — Pilots can be assigned unique skills, with a limit of two different skills per pilot.
- Squadron Selection — Players choose a squadron of planes, with options for random selection or hand-picking.
- Token Draw — Various tokens (planes, bandits) are drawn randomly from a bag or cup during setup.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- hi everyone welcome back to box delights
- i struggled a little bit with the rule book and just figuring out what it was i was supposed to do so i want to give you some tips on how to get into this thing quickly
- there's a ton of content and it's a little bit overwhelming
- this copy danvers and games sent me this to to show you
- this is a dauntless isn't it beautiful
- we're commanders of a u.s marine squadron in the pacific
- this mission will take place in 1945 and our aim is to push the japanese out of this island chain
- one of the great things about this game is the ability to scale up your planes or kind of upgrade your planes
- first recommendation is start on this campaign start with three days
- you'll find that the some of them may have uk planes as well as u.s planes and some other nations as well
- once you're familiar with the game you're going to want to pick hand pick your aircraft but there's a stack to choose from and this is kind of what slowed me down i was overwhelmed i didn't know where to start so i just did this i just did a random selection
- so points are like a currency in this game
- gung-ho is pretty key because gung-ho kind of gives you a second chance it's stuff
- giving pilot skills and giving them promotions is a one-time thing you do at the start of your campaign
- here's your sequence of play we've got a pre-flight target bound over resolution home bound and a deep briefing
- so we have an event deck and a target deck
- the game says a cup i've used a bag it doesn't come with a bag or a cup you'll have to find your own
- but these ones you you want the ones with the damage on the back but if you if you don't have them you can actually find these tokens and just draw some flames and a little bit of damage on the reverse
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video R9zJR767Lak
Box of Delights Playthrough at 0:08 sentiment: positive
video_pk 90188 · mention_pk 286045
Click to watch at 0:08 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Tons of variability in the game
- Super super game
- Lots of content in the box
- Wonderful history provided
- New rules to add in
- Different ways to play the game
Cons
- Rules are a struggle
- Still looking things up
- Struggling with little corner cases
- Timing issues are a little bit squiffy
Thematic elements
- World War II aerial combat
Comparison games
- Zero Leader
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Campaign play — The game is presented as a series of missions over multiple days, with pilot progression and victory points accumulated across the campaign.
- Deck Building — Implied through the use of cards like 'gung-ho' and 'attack run' which are expended and potentially recovered.
- Dice Rolling — Used for attack rolls, maneuver success, evasion, and recovery checks, often modified by various game factors.
- Dogfighting — Involves maneuvering, air-to-air combat rolls, and dealing with aircraft stress and damage.
- Keyword Abilities — Abilities like 'gung-ho' that have specific triggers and effects, such as recovering expended abilities.
- Resource Management — Managing 'stress' on pilots, 'SO' points, and the use/recovery of 'gung-ho' abilities.
- Set Collection — Collecting victory points and recon/intel as campaign progression metrics.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- we could have potentially outmaneuvered as well but i'm just gonna get the i'm just gonna gung-ho get the hits
- the rules are quite clear you do the debriefing on the primary mission before you begin the secondary mission
- it's all about managing your aircraft it's all about skilling them up choosing the right weapons the right squadron spending your so points
- the rules are a struggle i'm still looking things up i'm still struggling with little corner cases here and there and you can see things some of the timing issues are a little bit squiffy on on the rules but tighten things up with a little bit of house ruling
- it's the same rules it's very much the same rules as corsair leader you're playing the japanese turning the tables new planes new pilots new missions
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–4 of 4