INTRODUCTION

Background
Tally-Ho! is an air war game book that puts you into the role of a Sector Controller during the Battle of
Britain in the Summer of 1940. You direct Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter squadrons as you struggle to
protect England from attack by incoming raids by the Luftwaffe – and in one mission, by the Italians.
There are too many raiders, however, and too few RAF aircraft, yet you have one major advantage –
England’s “Chain Home” radar network.

Fifteen individual missions are included in this game book. Each mission relates to one of the key
aerial engagements of the Battle of Britain. Most missions can be completed in less than thirty
minutes. This is not a simulation of air-to-air combat between individual fighter planes, nor is it
intended to be a realistic depiction of the air war, but rather an entertaining educational tool that allows
you to experience the story of the conflict through strategic decision-making set against a backdrop of
the real history of the Battle of Britain – as if you were there.

Tally-Ho! is designed for experienced and novice war gamers alike. It is quick and easy to play yet
deeply challenging. Though dice do play a role, the outcome of each mission rests on your shoulders.
Where you deploy your fighters, what orders you give, and what tactics you employ are the critical
factors that determine the outcome of each mission. You decide which enemy squadrons to engage
and how to prioritize each as you struggle with radio communications and the fog of war.

Most of the time, you cannot stop the Luftwaffe. Bombs will fall. Airfields will be strafed. Convoys at
sea will suffer. Your performance in each mission will affect the setup of subsequent missions by
reducing or increasing the number of aircraft available to fly on each side. If you direct your squadrons
skillfully, you might prevail and save England.
When you have completed all fifteen missions, the results are tallied to create a formal Fighter
Command War Report, which you can read yourself. Based on your results, the War Cabinet will
meet and deliberate on whether to recommend a surrender or not.

Each of the eight members of the War Cabinet are accurately represented with important biographical
details that factor into their individual decision. Some will be steadfast. Others, like Lord Halifax, will be
more likely to recommend seeking terms with Berlin as an end to the carnage of war. A simplified
process enables you to determine the outcomes in an historically accurate and compelling way.

Then, based on the recommendations of the War Cabinet, the Parliament will take up the matter and
vote on whether to fight on or surrender. Like the War Cabinet, the Parliament is accurately
represented by political party affiliation and by voting bloc. Therefore, the final vote tally will be based
on party membership and the attitudes of the day – and ultimately will lead to a decision based on
your performance in the fifteen missions that comprise Tally-Ho!

If you failed in your duty to adequately defend England from the devastating rain of Luftwaffe bombs,
what choice will the Parliament have but to negotiate terms with Berlin to spare the nation from
invasion?

Meanwhile, in the coastal ports of France, the German Wehrmacht is preparing for Operation Seelöwe
– the invasion of England. Intelligence reports indicate that Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess may be
planning a personal flight in a Messerschmitt Bf 110. He will make a “journey of peace” to meet with
the Duke of Hamilton at his home at Dungavel House, in Glasgow, Scotland. The ultimate question is
whether his flight will be made to accept England’s formal surrender or whether it will go down in
history as the folly of a madman.

With Tally-Ho!, the future of England rests on your shoulders!

The Tally-Ho! Sector Map for Mission 11: Sunday 15 September 1940, “Battle of Britain Day”