Canvas Eagles Campaign

Canvas Eaglesis a miniatures game based on the board game "Blue Max" first published by Game Designers Workshop (GDW), in 1983. Canvas Eagles is multi-player World War I aerial combat game. The miniatures aircraft come in various scales, 1:100, 1:144, 1:285 and 1:72 are the most popular. We use 1:72 plastic models. Canvas Eagles is a multi-player game played on a hex mat where a player controling a single aircraft attempts to shoot down enemy places without being shot down themselves. The game has no limits on the of number players or planes except as space limitations allow. As said before the game is played on a hex mat using planes on telescoping stands. Each plane has a corresponding maneuver chart that the player plan each turn's move on. Players, when opportunity presents itself, attempt to shoot down enemy aircraft within the arc of fire at a maximum distance of three hexes. The game's rules are straight forward and easy to learn.

We in the Metro East Gaming Association have played CE (Canvas Eagles) for the past four years. In that time we have played two campaign games and are currently on our third. Each game pits players against each side and one another in high scores for best player and side.

Our campaign takes place in 1918 with the British Royal Flying Corps and the German Imperial German Air Service facing off against one another over the Western Front. One game is played for each game week. Using the optional campaign rules from CE a game is developed with mission type, objectives and special instructions. Each side receives its just before the game and must complete the mission within the allotted time we have at the game shop, about three hours. Refer to Canvas Eagles Campaign Rules for a more detailed review of the rules for the game. The 2014 Picture Gallery has pictures from the campaign games.

Below are the standings and the results for the most recent game we played for the currently active campaign.

Canvas Eagles Campaign After Action Reports for the current campaign.

Completed campaign game results can be seen here.

First Canvas Eagles Campaign
Second Canvas Eagles Campaign

Game Reports

  • Week 1 March 1918

    Both sides were ordered to fly a fighter sweep over the Western Front. It was a quiet flight for the four British and three German pilots until they sighted each other at the same time. The German Pilots in their Fokker DVII aircraft were several hundred feet above the approaching British S.E.5a fighters. The British planes climbed as the German fighters dove. The Dog Fight was intense. At one point three planes almost collided but the pilots, all experienced aviators, avoided hitting each other. One of the German pilots was lined up on one of S.E.5a's when the near collision occurred. He cursed his luck at the missed opportunity he had but he didn't want to hit his countryman. After a DVII took both engine and tail hits, the pilot saw the damage and was thank-full it wasn't all on his tail, or else he would be a goner. In another incident two planes fired on each other at the same time from close range. Leutnant von Jones was hit by several bullets from the British plane and was killed instantly, his plane crashing in No-Mans-Land. Second Lieutenant Youngs, the youngest pilot in the British squadron safely bailed out of his plane, landed in No-Mans-Land, evaded capture and returned to his lines uninjured. Both pilots were credited with "kills". 2Lt. Youngs was transferred after his return to a base back home to teach parachute classes. The dog fighting continued until another DVII left the battle after it was shot up and the pilot suffered a light wound. This would send the pilot to the hospital for three weeks. Seeing he was outnumbered 3 to 1 Oberleutnant König dove for the ground and raced away towards the German lines. He evaded the pursuing British fighters. The British pilots were heard celebrating their victor over the vaunted German Air Force.