Aces Up Play Through

Up next in my air combat game play throughs is Aces Up.

THE GAME

Aces Up is a World War I air combat game from Two Hour Wargames.

In the game, you are a fighter pilot dogfighting the enemy.

MY PLAY THROUGH

My Pilot

In Aces Up, each player has a personal pilot. Kind of like your own player character.

I rolled randomly to determine his aircraft. My pilot, let's call him Hank, flies a SPAD VII.

He starts with a reputation (REP) of 4. This is a crucial stat as it is the target for most rolls in the game. You need to roll equal or under REP to pass a roll.

The Mission

I start with the first mission of the campaign. Hank flies solo on a line patrol. His objective is to shoot down or drive off all enemy planes.

I randomly determine the enemies. There are 3 PEFs (potential enemy forces) on the campaign map.

The PEFs could be enemy aircraft, or they could be nothing.

Encounters

Hank first scouts sector 5. I test vs. an enemy REP of 4. I get 1 pass on 2 dice. This equates to empty skies on the encounter table.

In sector 2, Hank spots an enemy aircraft. It's a sole Albatross with REP of 4.

The Dogfight

We now go to combat.

Round 1

Each round features multiple steps, each generally requiring rolls on various tables.

Note - AU includes random event cards, which you draw prior to combat. I ignored them in this play through.

• Match Up - roll to determine which planes match up vs. each other. This does not really apply in a 1 vs 1 dogfight.
• Dogfight roll - each plane makes a test using 2 dice + any bonus dice
• 1 choose to use 2 of Hank's 4 bonus dice
• I roll to determine how many bonus dice the German uses. He uses 3
• Each side rolls vs. REP.
• Hank passes 2 and the Albatross passes 1. Hank wins!

Hank now has the drop on the German. Can he line up for a shot?

• Take Control roll - each plane makes a test like the Dogfight roll
• This means determining bonus dice then rolling the dice pools
• This time, the Albatross passes more than Hank. Hank cannot get a shot.

Rounds 2-3

These rounds are similar to round 1. One of the planes wins the dogfight roll but cannot take control.

Round 4

This time, Hank wins the dogfight and takes control. He's ready to shoot.

• Burst roll - roll randomly to determine the length of the burst. Hank gets in a Long burst.
• Fire roll - determine if the attacker hits the target
• Your target number depends on the length of your burst and your plane's Barrels. Hank has a 2, which means he needs a 1-2 to pass
• Hank gets 2 passes! This does 1 point of damage to the Albatross, which can take 5 hits.
• Continue On - this is essentially a non-player plane morale roll.
• Roll vs. REP - Damage
• The Albatross fails so it breaks off
• Heading Home - determines what happens to a plane that breaks off
• The Albatross passes, so it escapes safely

Hank was involved in one dogfight and drove off the enemy

Completing the Mission

Hank scouts sector 1 but there is nothing.

He returns home, having succeeded in his mission.

ANALYSIS

What do I think about Aces Up?

What I Like

• Small space - The game fits into a small space. As such, it is one of the inspirations for my current project. I want a game that can fit on a lap desk. AU fits that bill.
• Relative movement - This is why I'm experimenting with AU. It's hard to fit aircraft maneuvers on small board. Having aircraft move relative to one another solves the space problem.
• Bonus dice - one issue with relative movement is the lack of decision-making, given that games usually determine it with opposed dice rolls or card draws. AU mitigates the lack of decision-making by giving you bonus dice. You have to decide how to spend this resource.
• QRS - Two Hour Wargames regularly feature all the tables in the back. This makes reference much easier.

What I Don't Like

• Too many dice rolls - AU just has too many steps. Just to get a shot, you have to win a Dogfight roll and a Take Control roll. If you win both, you then roll to determine the length of your burst. Then you finally get to see if you hit. The process can be streamlined - Maneuver, Attack, Damage.
• Dice pools - Two Hour Wargames has a standard mechanic featuring dice pools. I dislike dice pools because it slows down the game for me. For example, in Hank's combats I would collect Hank's dice pool, roll, and count successes. Then I'd gather the opponent's dice pool, roll, and count successes. I find it easier to roll 1 die per plane. I can roll for multiple planes simultaneously (I use different colored dice to keep track).
• Bonus dice - while I like the use of bonus dice to add decision-making, I hate having to track them for the non-player planes. It was clunky with just one enemy. I can't imagine having 2 or 3!
• Lack of aircraft - AU only has stats for half a dozen fighters and no reconnaissance planes or bombers. 

Final Analysis

AU is a bit slower than I like. I doubt I'll play it as written.

Nevertheless, it has some good ideas that I want to steal. For example, I think I'll use bonus dice, but for the player side only. The game also has some good campaign ideas.

By the way, Kaptain Kobold has a good play through if you'd like to see the game played with multiple planes per side.