Ace of Aces

My all-time favorite aerial combat game is Ace of Aces. 

Each game included two booklets, each representing a single aircraft. The Handy Rotary edition featured a Sopwith Camel vs. a Fokker Triplane. Players chose maneuvers; then there was a neat little algorithm which took you to a page in the book. The page showed you the view from your plane’s cockpit.

The Allied pilot gets a shot at the Hun

I loved this game and played it to death in high school (even during some really boring classes). Unfortunately, it doesn’t really lend itself to multiplayer games. Years ago, I decided I wanted to transfer Ace of Aces to a board game. I managed to translate the maneuvers to a hex-based movement template.

The letters on the template refer to a maneuver as labeled in the Ace of Aces Balloon Buster set. The starting position and facing is shown by the colored arrow and the other arrows display the final position and facing based on the maneuver.

With this template, I think it would be possible to play Ace of Aces as a multiplayer board game or pbem (play by e-mail) game.

Von Schmutzer Update - Mission 3

Von Schmutzer Update – Mission 3

I now have completed the third mission. Our gallant Leutnant has continued with his success; here are his mission stats:

	1	2	3	Total
Enemies Shot Down	2	0	2	4
Enemies Seriously Damaged	0	1	0	1
Enemies Lightly Damaged	0	2	2	4
Suffered Damaged	Y	Y	N	2
Forced to Crash Land	N	N	N	0
VPs	20	12	30	62

 He is averaging almost 21 VPs per mission, which equates to a decisive victory. If he keeps it up, he will have made a great contribution to the Kaiser’s war effort.

Report for mission 3:

I was once again assigned to patrol over the trenches, and once again I spotted an enemy aircraft as soon as I took off. My first pass was unsuccessful, but I turned around and drew a bead on him as he tried to flee. My shots struck true, rupturing his fuel line and setting the craft ablaze.

[Despite his advantages, von Schmutzer only managed a tie in the first round of battle so no shots were fired. In the second round, the Leutnant won 8-3 and then rolled a 3 for damage – enemy destroyed.]

The skies were quiet as I made my way to the trenches and began to patrol. Some AA fire passed harmlessly by me. Then the enemy came in force. First, I tangled with a lone bomber. I managed a few telling shots before my opponent was able to flee. Then I encountered another bomber. I took my time lining up my shot, then let loose. I did some damage, but the rear gunner returned fire, forcing me to veer away. I returned to the chase and lined up again. I thought I had a good shot, but I failed to do any damage. Concentrating, I blazed away again. This time, smoke erupted from my target, and he plunged to the earth.

[Again, von Scmutzer tied in the first round. He scored some structural damage in the second round. The bomber won in the third round but scored no damage. Von Schmutzer’s shot in the fourth round failed but on the fifth round, the Leutnant won 9-3 and rolled a 12 for damage to shoot down his enemy.]

By now, my fuel was low. On my way home, I spotted an enemy fighter. He must have been brave and experienced for he showed no fear of my Eindekker but decided to pursue me. As he dashed toward me, I sideslipped and poured shot into him. I believe I hit him because he veered off. I would have liked to have continued our duel, but my fuel reserves were dangerously low. I decided to take the opportunity afforded and dash for home. I was able to make it back without further incident.

[On turn 8, von Scmutzer encountered an enemy fighter over the trenches. The fighter was also an Ace so it could have been a great duel. Von Schmutzer won the first round 6-4 (note that I am not adding all the mods to the rolls anymore, instead, I just add the difference between the opposing plane mods to von Scmutzer’s roll. In this case, von Schmutzer’s mods were +4+1 = 5 compared to +3+1 = 4 so the net difference was +1).  The damage indicated a pilot hit. Realizing that he could not back it back home if he continued the combat, von Schmutzer reluctantly broke off the fight.]

Von Schmutzer Returns

I haven’t posted about Karl von Scmutzer since his initial mission link. I played his second mission a few weeks ago. Here is his belated report.

With my success the day before, the Hauptmann chose me to for a more dangerous mission; I was to fly patrol over the trench line. Unfortunately, I did not have quite the success as my first mission.

Once again, I spotted enemy aircraft immediately after taking off. I first encountered an enemy bomber. I got in one good shot, which I believe struck the pilot, before he was able to escape into some clouds. Next was another bomber, which I severely damaged. Then I tangled with a pair of enemy fighters. I was able to damage one while avoiding getting shot by his comrade, but then they turned tail and fled.

[In three out of four turns, von Schmutzer encountered enemy aircraft. His superior stats enabled him to get in shots, but none were decisive. I “cheated” a bit. In the early phases of the battles, I kept forgetting to roll to see if the enemy fled so the battles may have gone on longer than per the rules. Oh well.]

I finally made it over the trench lines, when I spotted a pair of enemy reconnaissance planes. I dove to the attack. I tried to line up on the rear plane but could not get a clear shot. The tail gunner of his comrade got a clean view of me. Bullets rattled overhead. With a little maneuvering, I finally got a shot. I could see pieces of fuselage breaking up. His comrade once again managed a clear shot. This time, bullets bit into my craft, ripping open holes in the fuselage’s covering. We maneuvered some more. All the time, I tried to position myself so they could not fire back. I kept safe but only managed a few ineffectual bursts. Finally, they made a break for their home base. My orders forbade me from chasing them into Allied territory, so they were able to escape.

[The second turn of the battle was the only one where any damage occurred. Leutnant von Schmutzer rolled a 6 + 4 (the Eindekker’s bonus) + 1 (Ace status) = 11 vs. 1 + 2 (aircraft bonus) = 3. The damage roll only resulted in one structural hit. Against the other aircraft, von Scmutzer rolled a 1 + 4 +1 = 6 vs. 6 +2 = 8. The enemy’s damage roll indicated structural damage against the German.]

After this encounter, I patrolled a short while longer. Enemy AA guns sent up a volley, but they were wildly inaccurate. Finally, with my fuel reserves running low, I headed home. Alas, no victories today.

Review of Down in Flames

Down in Flames (by Dan Versenn Games) is a series of card games that re-create aerial combat during World War II (although there are versions for other eras). I owned the original version of the game, which came out in the 90s, but I got rid of it after I bought a PlayStation and started playing aviation video games. Now that I am eschewing electronic games in favor of some old school fun, I recently purchased Down in Flames – Aces High, the first game in the new edition.

 Players “pilot” one or more planes, which are represented by aircraft cards. Movement is handled abstractly; instead of plotting on a hex map or board, the relative positions of the aircraft are represented. For example, if I make a successful maneuver and find myself tailing my enemy, my aircraft card is placed behind the enemy’s, with my nose facing its tail. There are 5 positions: neutral (facing each other), advantaged, disadvantaged (the advantaged plane faces the side of the disadvantaged one, tailing, or tailed (tailing is behind the tailed).

For each plane, players draw a hand of action cards, which they play to maneuver or to shoot at the enemy. Cards can also be used to react to an opponent’s card, negating their attempted maneuver. A player needs the right card to be able to shoot, so you may be tailing your opponent but still may not be able to line them up in your sights.

The games is quick (a 1 vs. 1 dogfight only takes a few minutes to play) and fairly simple. Yet it still manages to create the feel of a chaotic dogfight. You may make a maneuver (play a card), but then your enemy responds with a maneuver of his own, however he fails to counter your next maneuver! You have him in your sights – fire away! The give and take is quick and exciting. One possible drawback of the game is that, like all card games, you may find yourself without a card you need. Hand management is a big part of the strategy of the game. Knowing when to use your cards and how to bide your time until you get the card you want is key. In a sense, it seems realistic. Fighter pilots are trained to manage their aircraft’s energy to make effective attacks or defenses. In this game, cards represent energy. Note that, like real life, you will gain energy (cards) when diving and lose it while climbing.

The game includes bomber cards, but they serve best during the included campaign scenarios. Each scenario (such as the Battle of Britain or Midway) involves a series of missions. Players choose the specific target and the resources (e.g. aircraft, anti-aircraft artillery, etc.) committed to each mission. The mission is played out using the dogfight rules. Unlike the older edition, flak and bombing are not random but are based on chosen bombing and artillery patterns. This is designed to remove lucky draws from impacting the campaign results. I haven’t tried a campaign with this edition yet, but it also seems that the new rules will speed up the game (I remember getting bogged down drawing cards to resolve AA and bombing when I played the older version).

One other improvement is that the new version includes aircraft and campaigns from all theaters of the war. The original edition only covered the Battle of Britain. Later expansions added the late war Allied bombing campaigns and the Pacific War. If you wanted to jump around, you needed the expansions. Now, you only need one set (although they do have expansions that add more planes; but it seems that all the most popular planes are in Aces High).

After getting it, I have played 2 games with my wife Elizabeth. Both were 1 vs. 1 dogfights. In the first, her Messerschmitt flamed my Spitfire but I retaliated in the second when my Messerschmitt shot down her Russian fighter (I wish I could remember which one it was). I remember playing the original version solo, and that is my plan. I also began one of the campaigns. Overall, this is a clever game that replicates the feel of a dogfight. I highly recommend it.

Rating: 4.5/5

Von Scmutzer Arrives!

Previously, I posted a review of Minden Game’s Eindekker so now I shall describe a game.

There is an optional rule to roll up your own pilot rather than use one of the famous aces. I decided to go this route and rolled up Leutnant Karl von Schmutzer. I got a lucky roll so I ended up having three skills – Initiative (gives a bonus roll in the first turn of combat), Gunner (bonus to damage inflicted) and Ace (bonus to the “maneuvering” die roll). I decided to randomly roll the mission and ended up on Combat Patrol over friendly territory.

Schmutzer’s description of the mission is in italics. My commentary on gameplay is in brackets.

As I took off, I was immediately bounced by two enemy fighters. I was still climbing and the enemies were at a higher altitude. The lead pilot dove upon me, unleashing a burst of gunfire. Hot lead ripped into the nose of my Eindekker, and its engine started sputtering. I slammed my stick back and jammed on the rudder, pulling into an Immelman that put me on the tail of my adversary. I pulled the trigger, knowing that I had no margin for error as the enemy’s comrade was screeching down upon him. But my training and the capabilities of my fine aircraft paid off, and my burst set the enemy craft ablaze. The other fighter, seeing the fate of his partner, decided to flee the battle.

[The random event roll for the first turn indicated two enemies. In the first turn of combat, only the lead plane could attack. The enemy won the dice roll, primarily because of their height advantage, and the damage roll indicated an engine hit. In the second turn, Schmutzer won the maneuvering roll against the lead fighter. The damage roll, aided by Schmutzer’s Gunner skill, indicated a destroyed aircraft. The other enemy lost its maneuvering roll against Schmutzer, so it could not fire. Because of the destruction of its partner, the remaining enemy had to roll morale. It failed so it fled.]

With damage to my engine, I had to make a choice: turn back to the safety of base or press on with the mission. Even with a victory under my belt, I could not bear the thought of running home without even reaching the mission zone, so I decided to continue. I safely reached the area behind the German trenches and began the patrol. At first, all I saw were flashes of antiaircraft artillery in the distance.

[Random event rolls indicated AA, but only if over the trench line or enemy territory. Schmutzer was over friendly territory, so there was no effect.]

Finally, I spotted a British reconnaissance plane making its way back home. I went on the attack, guns blazing, and made short work of the Brit. Convinced that I now had honorably fulfilled my mission, I decided to nurse my damaged craft back home. I made it without incident and am pleased to report the destruction of two enemy aircraft.

[With all of Schmutzer’s skills, the recon plane was at a decided disadvantage. Schmutzer easily won the maneuvering roll and the damage roll indicated a destroyed aircraft. Even though I could have patrolled for a couple more turns, I decided that Schmutzer would head back to base. All in all, it was an auspicious start to Schmutzer’s career, as he racked up 2 kills and 20 VPs.]

Review of Eindekker

In order to get away from my computer, at least for a little bit, I ordered some games that I can play solo. I had an opportunity to try one of these games, Eindekker, last week.

Eindekker, by Minden Games, is a solo game of aerial combat over the trenches of France during World War I. The player takes on the role of a famous German ace patrolling in a Fokker E.III Eindecker during 1915.

The game represents a period of 7 days. Each day, your pilot flies a mission, choosing one of three options. You can choose the safer patrol over friendly territory, extend your patrol over the trench lines, or fly low over the trenches to support your army. More dangerous missions earn more victory points. Note that there are no missions over enemy territory. During 1915, the German command prohibited its pilots to fly the Eindekkers over enemy territory because they did not want their fancy new gun synchronizers to fall into enemy hands. Thus, the game design emulates this historical nuance while serving to simplify the game.

Your mission will last a maximum of 10 turns. If you have not made it back to base by turn 10, you run out of gas and must crash land. Each turn you roll a random event, which could be an encounter with enemy aircraft, anti-aircraft fire, or some other miscellaneous happenstances. If you encounter an enemy, combat will be resolved via a series of dice rolls.

If you make it back to base, you record your victory points for the day. You get points for damaging or destroying aircraft as well as for each turn spent engaged in your mission (not including time to and from the mission zone). You lose points for damage to your aircraft. The goal is to see how many VPs you can wrack up during the 7 days. Obviously, if your pilot is KIA then you lose the game!

I have run one mission so far and enjoyed the game. It is simple and quick, yet replicates the excitement of going on patrol. The main drawback is that actual combat is abstracted into a few dice rolls. Therefore, the player really has no decisions to make during a dogfight. The main decisions occur when selecting a mission and determining when to turn home. For example, in my first game I took some damage in the first turn before I even reached the mission zone. Should I risk combat with a damaged plane and press on or play it safe and head home? (I risked it, and it paid off). Nevertheless, the lack of decisions may make this game tedious in the long run. For now, however, I like it and plan to play some more.

Rating: 4/5