Penguin Airlines

Penguin Airlines puts you in charge of an airline piloted by penguins. In teams of two, one player plays the control tower and the other the cabin crew: describe and execute time-trial flight instructions before time runs out.

Players: 2–8
Playing time: 15–30 min
Min. age: 9+
Year: 2023
Designer: Jesús Fuentes, Javier Martínez Gómez

Official rulebook

TypeParty

ComplexityEasy

MechanicsReal time · Limited communication · Team games

BGG6.9

Setup

Assemble the control panel with the 9 tiles, placed randomly forming a 3×3 grid with the same background color (blue or gray).
Place the tiles in the spaces indicated on each slab.
Shuffle the instruction cards to form the draw deck.
Decide whether to play with the mobile app or the physical timers and hourglass.
Form teams of 2 players and decide who will be the control tower and who will be the cabin crew on each team.
Choose which team starts the game.

GOAL

Each team forms a Penguin Airlines crew: one player plays the control tower and the other the cabin crew. You need to complete as many flight instructions as possible before the time runs out. The first team to reach 12 victory points wins.

TEAM ROLES

Control tower

He holds the deck of instruction cards and describes, without pointing or touching the panel, what the cabin crew should do

Cabin crew

He sits in front of the control panel and executes the instructions described to him by the control tower

DEVELOPMENT OF A TURN

The hourglass is spun (or the app's timer is started) and the control tower begins to reveal instruction cards one after another, describing them for the cabin crew to press the correct button or move the lever. With each correctly completed instruction, the team gains a time counter; each counter spent adds 30 more seconds to the game.

COMPLAINTS

The other teams can challenge an instruction from the active team if a communication rule has been broken or an instruction has been mishandled. In this case time is stopped, the situation is clarified in a friendly way and the turn is resumed.

END OF SHIFT

If the team completes 5 instructions, time freezes and the remaining time counters are scored as well. If time runs out early, the team scores only completed instructions. At the end of the turn, it is checked whether any team has reached 12 victory points.

ADDITIONAL MODES

Expert mode

Added 3 more control panels (12 total) and 20 new cards with instructions by coordinates and by non-spell activation, solved by color code

Cooperative mode

Depending on the number of players, a certain number of rounds are played alternating roles within each team

END OF GAME

The game ends as soon as a team reaches 12 victory points at the end of a round.

Victory conditions

Complete instructions: Each successfully completed flight instruction adds points and awards a time counter
First to 12 points: The first team to reach 12 victory points wins the game