Sky Team
Officially Sky Team (2023, Luc Rémond, Le Scorpion Masqué)
A tense cooperative dice-placement game for exactly 2 players simulating landing a commercial airliner — Pilot + Co-Pilot must communicate silently. 2024 Spiel des Jahres winner.
What is Sky Team?
Sky Team is a 2023 cooperative dice-placement game for exactly 2 players, designed by Luc Rémond and published by Le Scorpion Masqué (Canada) with distribution by Iello. Players take on the roles of Pilot and Co-Pilot working together to land a commercial airliner at one of 8+ airports (scenarios). Each round, both roll 4 dice behind their screen, and then take turns placing dice on their control panel: axis alignment, flaps, landing gear, brakes, engine, radio (air traffic), coffee, etc. Critical constraint: NO VERBAL COMMUNICATION about dice values allowed — only placement. Scenarios progressively add complications (crosswinds, iced runways, mountain approaches, mechanical failures). Won 2024 Spiel des Jahres (Germany's most prestigious game award) — heralded as one of the greatest 2-player cooperative designs. 30-minute plays with high tension. Sold 500K+ copies within first year.
Quick facts
Category
Board Games
Type
Team sport
Players
2–2
Duration
~20 min
Where played
indoor
Field / court
Shared cockpit control panel + approach track
Country of origin
🇨🇦 Canada
Estimated origin
Released Q4 2023; Spiel des Jahres win July 2024
Olympic
No
Popularity
global
How it works
Objective
Successfully land the aircraft on the runway across ~7 rounds without stalling, crashing, colliding with other planes, or overshooting.
Match structure
Each round: (1) both players roll 4 dice behind screen; (2) alternately place dice on cockpit slots (no verbal comm about values); (3) resolve effects — axis, altitude, approach, brakes, radio, coffee; (4) advance to next round. After ~7 rounds, land or crash.
Rules
Basic rules
No verbal communication about dice
You cannot say your dice values or discuss placements.
Alternate placements
Turn order: Pilot, Co-Pilot, Pilot, Co-Pilot, until all 8 dice placed.
Some slots are role-locked
Pilot-only or Co-Pilot-only slots restrict who can fill them.
Axis alignment
Sum of both Axis dice must match (equal each other).
Engines balance
Sum of both Engine dice must match to prevent yaw.
Speed + altitude constraints
Approach tokens have thresholds — fail = crash.
Multiple crash conditions
Stall, overshoot, collision, gear failure, brake failure.
Advanced rules
Coffee mechanic
Placing coffee dice lets you reroll — limited to 3 coffee per game.
Radio priority
Radio dice manage air traffic — collisions instant-fail.
Scenario difficulty
Airports rated 1-6 stars; 6-star (Innsbruck) has mountain approach.
Adverse conditions
Add wind cards / iced runway / engine-loss modules.
Legacy-lite campaign
Some scenarios unlock after landing others.
Scoring
Win = successful landing (all thresholds met, aircraft on runway). Loss = crash / stall / overshoot / collide.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Successful landing at 1-star airport | Beginner win |
| Successful landing at 6-star (Innsbruck) | Master win — 'Ace Pilot' achievement |
Win condition · Land safely.
Playing area
Called
Shared cockpit control panel + approach track
Dimensions
~30×30 cm cockpit board + 8 approach tiles
Shared cockpit board with dice-placement slots; approach track for descent management.
Equipment
Cockpit board
Central shared control panel with dice slots for axis, engines, flaps, gear, brakes, radio, coffee.
8 dice (4 white pilot + 4 orange co-pilot)
Rolled behind screens each round.
Approach tokens (radio/plane markers)
Track altitude, speed, position.
Airport modules (8+ scenarios)
YUL Montreal, LHR London, LAX Los Angeles, TFN Tenerife, etc.
Adverse-condition cards
Wind, ice, engine failure modifiers.
Player screens
Hide dice values (no verbal comm allowed about them).
Positions & roles
Pilot
×1White dice; handles axis, altitude, radio, landing gear.
Co-Pilot
×1Orange dice; handles engines, brakes, flaps, radio.
Officiating
Casual — self-officiated.
- None
Penalties & fouls
Penalties
Verbal communication of values
Players self-enforce — breaks the game spirit.
Crash conditions
Stall, overshoot, collision, brake failure, gear failure, engine imbalance all cause immediate loss.
Strategies
Establish placement conventions early
Even without words, patterns emerge: 'high dice always go to engines' etc.
Use coffee for critical rerolls
Save coffee for late-game high-stakes moments.
Track approach tokens carefully
Overshooting is easy to miss until too late.
Radio priority in airport scenarios
LAX + LHR have heavy traffic — radio dice early.
Iterate: replay same scenario
Each landing teaches optimal placement heuristics.
Terminology
- Cockpit board
- Shared central control panel.
- Axis
- Aircraft roll — must be balanced.
- Approach track
- Descent path with speed/altitude thresholds.
- Coffee
- Reroll resource, limited to 3 per game.
- Radio
- Air traffic control slot; failing causes collisions.
- Scenario
- One of 8+ airports with unique challenges.
Major competitions
Spiel des Jahres 2024 (Winner)
once · Germany · since 2024
As d'Or Jeu de l'Année 2024 nominee
once · France · since 2024
Where it is played
Governing bodies
Le Scorpion Masqué
Founded 2007 · Montréal, Canada
Official site ↗Iello (international distribution)
Founded 2009 · Nancy, France
Famous names & records
Famous athletes
- Luc Rémond (designer, first major hit)
- David Sitbon (art)
Records
Spiel des Jahres 2024
Sky Team — Winner (2024)
Sales
Le Scorpion Masqué — 500K+ copies year one (2024)
Learn this sport
beginner
- 1
Start with YUL Montreal (1-star)
Simplest airport; teaches core mechanics.
- 2
Learn axis + engine matching
Getting balance right is #1 skill.
- 3
Establish dice-placement shorthand
Silent conventions emerge across 3-5 plays.
advanced
- 1
Attempt Tenerife (fog scenario)
Visibility restrictions add tension.
- 2
Master Innsbruck (6-star)
Mountain approach forces perfect coordination.
- 3
Add Turbulence expansion
Extends complexity + new airports.
Frequently asked
Can I play Sky Team with 3+ players?+
No — the game is designed strictly for 2, and cannot scale to more.
How strict is the no-communication rule?+
You may talk generally about strategy but NEVER reveal dice values. Self-enforce for maximum tension + fun.
Best airport for first play?+
YUL Montreal or LHR London (both 1-star). Save Innsbruck (6-star) for veterans.
How does it compare to Hanabi?+
Both cooperative + limited communication, but Sky Team has more mechanical crunch + thematic immersion.
Does it have replayability?+
Yes — 8 base scenarios + adverse conditions + Turbulence expansion provide 30+ distinct landings.
Sources & provenance
- BoardGameGeek — Sky Team— BGG
- Wikipedia — Sky Team (board game)— Wikipedia
- Le Scorpion Masqué— Le Scorpion Masqué
- Spiel des Jahres 2024— Spiel des Jahres jury