Description

This is a game about around-the-world flight using a map showing the North Pole in the middle. Nominally there's an actual race, although this isn't really consistent with the leisurely sightseeing described in many events and use of contemporary passenger airliners. With its flavour texts and other enclosed information, the game is clearly meant to promote geographical knowledge as well as interest in commercial aviation.

Starting from Stockholm, each player colour has its own path connecting to the main circuit around the world. The spaces on the individual and common paths all have flavour texts, game instructions and/or point gains or losses associated with them. This information is found in player folders and the rules booklet, respectively.

Although most of the time players have no say in what happens, some spaces allow choices such as whether to gain a few points or move a step forward, and in a few spots, players are given small tasks such as drawing a llama, using an enclosed nomogram to calculate travel time, or explaining the significance of the International Date Line, which may gain or lose points as arbitrarily judged by an impartial scorekeeper (termed Traffic Controller) and/or the other players.

In addition to points gained from passing by or stopping in various locations, players also gain points based on the order in which they return to Stockholm. The player with the most total points is the winner. A variant to play the game purely as a race with no scorekeeping is also suggested.

Although only six players can fly planes, the rules include the role of scorekeeper in the player count.

ABA stands for AB Aerotransport, a Swedish airline which was folded into SAS just a few years after the publication of the game. Copies exist with just an ABA sticker on the cover or with ABA and SAS stickers; the contents otherwise seem identical.

—description from the publisher game submitter