The Few

The Few is a tactical real-time strategy game set during the Battle of Britain of World War II. The player has to defend the Great Britain against German bombing raids with two phases. In the global strategy phase war production is managed to build factories, radar stations, AA guns and airfields on a top-down map. Income is generated by the British tax payers and the flow is determined by how well cities are defended. In factories the different planes and buildings can be produced. At an airfield pilots are recruited, they are given an airplane and they are grouped in squadrons. After scrambling they patrol the environment and regularly need to return to refuel. Tactical distribution and routes are important to quickly intercept incoming air raids.

Once combat is initiated a different phase is started. A large top-down area shows the player's and the enemy squadrons. By clicking an airplane and drawing a path, or targeting an enemy, movement is established. Planes engage automatically, the player only determines movement. It is possible to direct an entire squadron following the group leader or provide a different path for each plane. The game is played in real-time, but in both phases it is possible to pause at any moment. For longer actions a fast forward button speeds up the game.

There are eight plane types with statistics based on cost, ammo, armor, turn angle, speed and gun range. Players are encouraged to look after experienced pilots as they earn experience after battle and become more efficient as they level up. The game can be played as an air fight training with a random battle without production management, or as one of the three campaigns, where Great Britain needs to be defended for 10, 20 and 50 days respectively. The enemy approach is randomized for each session.