Ace of Aces: Flying Machines Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Example of Play
• Introduction to the 2013 Edition
  • Beginner's Guide to Flying
    • View
    • Range
    • Facing
• Maneuvers
  • Slow Maneuvers
  • Cruising Speed Maneuvers
  • Fast Maneuvers
• Basic Rules
  • Sequence of Play
  • Getting Lost or Escaping
  • Losing Sight of the Enemy
  • Combat
• Intermediate Rules
  • Stall Maneuvers
  • Easy Target
  • Fancy Maneuvers
  • Speed
  • Variable Damage
  • Ammunition
  • Ace Status
  • Multi-Player Combat

Components

Transcribed from the Nova Game Designs box (1983 edition).

Ace of Aces is an exciting, fast-paced, realistic recreation of WWI air combat using the revolutionary stop-action picturebook system. Each 4½ x 8 inch book contains 223 full page illustrations showing the view you see as the pilot of your plane. Keep pilot logs and try to get the five victories that will make you an Ace. Intermediate and advanced rules include altitude, fuel and ammo supply, aiming shots, critical hits and much more including multi-player options.

• 1 Fokker E III Dogfighting Book (German Pilot's View)
• 1 Airco DH 2 Dogfighting Book (Allied Pilot's View)
• Reference Sheet(s) with statistics for other early-war German aircraft and Allied pusher aircraft
• Pilot Logs

Collect all the books in the Ace of Aces series, including Handy Rotary (Sopwith Camel vs. Fokker Dr I triplane) and Powerhouse (Spad XII vs. Fokker D VII).

Example of Play

Transcribed from the Nova Game Designs box back (1983 edition), illustrating a German Pilot's View and Allied Pilot's View exchange.

Baron Max, patrolling over his own lines in his Fokker EIII spots an enemy DH 2 cruising over the trenches ("Artillery spotting, likely.") on p. 203. As the Englishman stalls right to p. 179 ("Spotted something, eh?"), Baron Max pushes his monoplane to the limit via p. 37, sending both craft to p. 49 . . .

Seeing the German off his right wingtip, and guessing that he will turn for a shot, the Englishman tries to outmaneuver his opponent by a right bank to p. 20. The Baron heads straight for the DH 2 via p. 8, but the Englishman's ploy works as they both end on p. 21 and . . .

the Baron is being fired on by the DH 2's swivel (Hotchkiss) gun! Now desperate, Baron Max gambles and executes an Immelman turn to p. 17. The Englishman attempts to get behind the EIII by accelerating to p. 33 sending both planes to p. 8 and . . .

the Baron's gamble pays off as his bullets shred the canvas of the DH 2! Baron Max grins to himself—today will be a good day after all.

Introduction to the 2013 Edition

From the current official Ace of Aces core rulebook (Flying Buffalo, Inc.).

Ace of Aces is one of a series of bookgames that enable you to take on the role of a WWI fighter pilot without leaving the comfort of your own armchair. This series makes use of a unique index system that allows you and your opponent to visualize yourselves in the cockpits of actual aircraft, trying to outmaneuver each other and bring your guns to bear.

Beginner's Guide to Flying

If you've ever been in an airplane you will know that there is a strong illusion that you are motionless and the rest of the world is moving. This sensation is recreated in Ace of Aces by the use of the stop-action pictures that appear in the two books.

Each game page in this book shows the position of your opponent's plane in relation to your own, and contains three major vital pieces of information: the VIEW, the RANGE and the FACING. You must use all three to understand the relative positions of the aircraft, and to maneuver wisely.

View

The View always points to the enemy plane (if visible), showing his location relative to yours. There are eight possible View angles: Left Front, Straight Ahead, Right Front, Left Abeam, Right Abeam, Left Astern, Directly Behind, Right Astern, and since the angle is relative to your own plane, the View also tells you your own direction of movement (represented by the plane silhouette).

The page number also indicates Tailing or Tailed status, if any. The score, if applicable, appears in the outer bottom corner of the View window. The Maneuver Chart at the bottom of the page shows the 25 possible maneuvers and their Mid-Turn Pages.

Range

The Range is the approximate distance to the enemy. There are three possible Range categories, each indicated by the overall size of the enemy's plane within the View:

• CLOSE · Pages 1-36 — Representing distances of 5-50 meters (~15-165 ft.)
• MEDIUM · Pages 37-108 — Representing distances of 55-115 meters (~180-375 ft.)
• LONG · Pages 109-222 — Representing distances of 120-210 meters (~390-690 ft.)

Note: Range affects combat damage: A hit at Close Range is 4 points, Medium 2 points, and Long only 1.

Facing

The Facing shows the direction of the enemy plane's movement, relative to your angle of View; and just as there are eight angles of View, there are eight possible Facings. The enemy plane can be moving Toward you (directly, leftward or rightward — Toward Left, Toward, Toward Right), moving Away from you (directly, leftward or rightward — Away Left, Away, Away Right), or moving perpendicularly to Left or Right.

Always remember that the Facing is relative to your View — not to your own direction of movement, which is independent. The same Facing may mean very different things, depending on the View.

Maneuvers

The Maneuvers available to you are at the bottom of each game page: 25 arrow icons, each of which indicates a change in the forward direction of your aircraft. In the game page charts they are grouped first according to speed, and then according to direction. Here they are sorted by speed and type:

Slow Maneuvers

• Stall Left, Stall Straight, Stall Right (A, D, E) — Stall maneuvers are used to cut forward speed. Performed by inclining the plane until the wings lose lift, then nosing down until they regain it.
• Weave Left, Weave Right (C, H) — Weave maneuvers allow the plane to move sideways while continuing to aim at the same target. They combine turns and sideslips, in an 'S' pattern.
• Tight Bank Left, Tight Bank Right (B, F) — Tight bank maneuvers are very sharp turns, and are possible only at slower speeds.
• Rotary Bank (G) — Because of their high torque, rotary engines have a natural tendency to pull to the right. A pilot can allow this torque to take over momentarily, making use of it to accomplish an extreme right turn.

Cruising Speed Maneuvers

• Straight (L) — Flying straight ahead at cruising speed.
• Turn Left, Turn Right (I, P) — These maneuvers move the aircraft forward first, and then turn in the new direction.
• Bank Left, Bank Right (J, Q) — Banking maneuvers turn the aircraft first, and then move in the new direction.
• Sideslip Left, Sideslip Right (N, O) — In a sideslip, the ailerons and rudder are pushed in opposite directions. One wing tilts down, and the plane falls off in that direction while keeping its facing. Used to drop quickly for forced landings without pointing the nose at the ground. Note: Alternating left and right sideslips ('falling leaf') are useful for extinguishing engine fires.
• Wingover Left, Wingover Right (K, R) — A tight turn performed by nosing up as if going into a loop, but then allowing one wing to stall (lose lift) so the plane falls off in that direction.
• Immelmann Turn (M) — A complex maneuver that begins with a diving or climbing half-loop; then at the bottom (or top) of the half-loop, a half-roll brings the plane aright, now facing the opposite direction. Two Immelmanns in succession (up-down, or down-up) equal a full loop.

Fast Maneuvers

• Straight (U) — Flying straight ahead at full speed.
• Turn Left, Turn Right (S, X) — As with the cruising speed turns, the fast turn maneuvers move the aircraft forward first, and then turn in the new direction — only faster.
• Bank Left, Bank Right (T, Y) — Like cruising banks, but faster — turn the aircraft first, and then move in the new direction.
• Barrel Roll Left, Barrel Roll Right (V, W) — A barrel roll is performed by rolling the plane laterally to left or right while moving at high speed. A 'hot-dog' maneuver, very useful as an evasive action. Note: Because it is a very difficult maneuver, it is not possible to barrel roll and shoot at the same time.

Basic Rules

These are the basic rules of Ace of Aces, in which you will learn the concepts upon which the game is based. Intermediate and Advanced rules add levels of complexity (and some additional realism), but are not necessary to enjoy the game.

A game of Ace of Aces begins with both players opening their books to page 170. In the View window there you will see your plane's interior, and also your opponent's plane at Long Range either to your left or right (depending on which book you have). Your goal is to bring your guns to bear on your opponent, while trying not to let him do the same to you.

In overview: During each turn you will select a Maneuver from the row of arrows at the bottom of the page. As described in the previous section, these arrows represent changes in the forward direction of your aircraft. Remember that the direction in which you are looking in the View window is not usually the same as the direction in which you are flying.

Each Maneuver arrow has a letter; and in the box below it, a number. The letter is just a code to help you to find your chosen Maneuver again on the Mid-Turn page. The number below is the Mid-Turn page number that you will give to your opponent; and he will give you one that corresponds to his own Maneuver. (Important: You must each turn to the page number that your opponent gives you — not to the number from your own Maneuver.)

On the Mid-Turn page, you'll look for your chosen Maneuver's letter code. The number beneath it there is your End-Turn page (and it should be the same number for both players). Go to the End-Turn page, and resolve any Combat you see there. Then you'll choose another Maneuver and repeat the process, until the battle is decided (or otherwise ended). The following steps outline the whole sequence of play, in detail…

Sequence of Play

• Step 0 — Turn to Page 170 (For the first Turn only; afterwards, skip to Step 1)
• Step 1 — View. Look at the relative positions and headings of yourself and your opponent, and plan your Maneuver accordingly. (Tip: Consider not only where your opponent is now, but where he is likely to go — and also where he might expect you to go.) If you can't see your opponent (and you aren't on page 223), see 'Where is he?' below.
• Step 2 — Tails (If no one is being Tailed/Tailing, skip to Step 3). If one player is Tailing the other, he has an advantage. The player being Tailed must choose his Maneuver first, and then must give his opponent a (truthful) clue: 'Left' or 'Straight' or 'Right,' according to his choice's category in the chart. With that clue in mind, the Tailing player then chooses his own Maneuver.
• Step 3 — Maneuvers. Remember the letter code for your Maneuver; then call out the Mid-Turn page number beneath it to your opponent. Turn to the page number that he calls out to you.
• Step 4 — Mid-Turn. Ignore the View window on this page, and just look for your chosen Maneuver from Step 3 (using the letter Code that you remembered). The number beneath it here is your End-Turn page. Go there now.
• Step 5 — End-Turn. You and your opponent should always end up on the same End-Turn page. If you didn't, go back to the page you started on and repeat the Maneuvers. The only exception to this is if one player ends up on page 223 — in which case he should ask for the other player's End-Turn page number, and go there. If both players end up on page 223, the pilots have lost sight of each other and the game is over. (See 'Getting Lost or Escaping' below.)
• Step 6 — Combat (If no one is firing, skip this step and return to Step 1). If your opponent is firing upon you, you will see his guns blazing and bullets streaming toward you. If you are firing upon your opponent, you will see your own guns blazing and a 'score' in the outer bottom corner of the View window. (See 'Combat' below.) If neither player has been shot down, go back to Step 1 and continue the duel.

Getting Lost or Escaping

If the End-Turn for both players is page 223, then the aircraft have flown out of visual range of each other. If both players wish to continue, they may start again on page 170 with their current damage. If either player wishes instead to escape, then the game ends.

Losing Sight of the Enemy

In addition to page 223, there are six other pages in each book in which the opponent's plane will not be in your View. The Maneuver chart is still on these pages though, because the enemy plane is either directly above or directly below you. The direction of your View is the same as your opponent's Facing.

Combat

Each plane starts the game with 12 points. Each time a player gets a 'score' (i.e., successfully shoots the enemy) that number of points is subtracted from his opponent's plane. As soon as a plane reaches zero or fewer points, the plane is shot down and the game is over.

Intermediate Rules

Each of the following rules adds a certain amount of realism to Ace of Aces, at the expense of more record-keeping. You may add any or all of these rules to your game, as you see fit.

Stall Maneuvers

Aircraft cannot perform two Stall Maneuvers in a row.

Easy Target

An aircraft in the midst of a Stall Maneuver is an easier target to hit. Whenever you fire upon a target that just performed a Stall Maneuver, add 1 to the damage score.

Fancy Maneuvers

Maneuvers with a dot underneath the arrow are considered 'Fancy,' and they require a certain amount of preparation. To perform a Fancy Maneuver, a pilot must have performed a Cruising Straight or Fast Straight Maneuver on the previous turn. The only exceptions to this rule are Immelmanns and Sideslips performed in succession. While the first Immelmann or Sideslip must still be preceded by a Cruising Straight or Fast Straight, thereafter any number of the same type of Maneuver may be performed in a row.

Note: A Left Sideslip may be followed by a Right Sideslip, or vice versa, without violating this rule.

Speed

Because of the time needed to accelerate or decelerate, an aircraft may not perform a Fast Maneuver immediately after performing a Slow Maneuver. Likewise, a Slow Maneuver cannot follow a Fast Maneuver. In both cases, an intermediary Maneuver at Cruising Speed is necessary.

Variable Damage

In reality, firing machine guns from the open cockpit of a biplane in motion took nearly as much luck as skill. The machine guns had a tendency to jam, and of course the occasional lucky bullet might cause a critical hit. In the Intermediate game, pilots may decide how long to hold down the trigger: the longer the burst, the more damage will be done — but the likelihood of a jam also increases. To simulate the random nature of combat, use the following table (which also appears on the Reference Sheet insert included with your copy of Ace of Aces). Roll one d6, apply any modifiers shown below, and cross-index with the Ammo Used to find the resulting damage score.

Die Roll Modifiers:

• Target at Medium Range: –2
• Target at Long Range: –4
• Target just performed a Stall Maneuver of any kind: +1
• Attacker just performed a Cruising Straight or Fast Straight: +1
• Attacker has single non-synchronized gun: –1
• Attacker has twin synchronized guns: +1
• Attacker is an Ace: +1

Note: Both the Fokker Dr.1 and the Sopwith Camel featured in these books have twin synchronized guns.

Ammo table — Modified Die Roll (d6) result by Ammo Used:

Ammo Used	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
1 Pip	0	0	1	2	2	3	4	4
2 Snap	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	6
3 Squeeze	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
4 Burst	2	3J	4	5	6	7	8	9
5 Blast *	4J	5	6	7J	8	8J	9	10
6 Blaze **	4	5J	7	8	9J	10	11J	12

Special Notes:

• * To fire a Blast (5 Ammo), the player must have just performed a Cruising or Fast Straight.
• ** To fire a Blaze (6 Ammo), the player must have just performed a Cruising or Fast Straight, and must perform one of the two again in the next Turn.
• J — A 'J' result means the guns have jammed. To clear the jam, the player must perform a number of Straight Maneuvers equal to the Ammo expended on that shot (and he may not fire his guns again until he has done so).

Ammunition

If you are using the Variable Damage rule, then each aircraft begins the game with 20 Ammo units. If not using Variable Damage, then allow each aircraft to fire only 6 times per game. Once an aircraft has run out of Ammo, it can cause no further damage to its opponent. To compensate, a pilot may choose not to fire even though he has a score, saving the Ammo for a better shot.

Ace Status

During World War I, especially on the German side, great emphasis was placed on how many victories (enemy planes shot down) a pilot had. Typically, pilots with 5 victories were called 'Aces.' They were considered expert pilots, and were usually excellent marksmen as well. A pilot who becomes an Ace gains the following benefits:

• All shots do 1 additional point of damage. (If using the Variable Damage rules, add +1 to the die roll instead.)
• An Ace who is shot down does not automatically die. Roll a d6 — on a 5 or 6, the Ace has survived the crash due to superior aircraft handling skill.
• If being Tailed, an Ace does not have to give his opponent a clue.

Multi-Player Combat

If a player owns more than one set of books, there is no reason why more than one pilot per side cannot fly together. In fact, this is more realistic since most pilots did not fly alone.

For multi-player battles, all planes on both sides begin on the same page and one picture does for all. Soon though, individuals will want to do different Maneuvers from their companions; this will cause 'splitting off' into several different pages of the book. Note that you will be unaware of the positions of your companions, and that each enemy plane will be visible on a different page. This requires the use of bookmarks and multiple Mid-Turn number entries on the Pilot's Log.

The procedure is simple. One pilot takes his Turn (after all maneuvers have been recorded) by trading his one maneuver's Mid-Turn page number with each of the enemy pilots whose planes he can see — each on its own bookmarked page — and then he finds his End-Turn pages for each of them. Then the next pilot on that side performs the same routine with all the enemies he can see, and so on. When all the players on one side have gone, everyone should have moved and had all his visible opponents move.

Then in turn, pilots take their shots. If a pilot has more than one shot, he must shoot at the closest enemy. If more than one enemy plane is equally distant, the attacker may choose one as his target.

When multi-plane battles occurred in real life, more often than not the planes would split off into many smaller battles. If two planes are lost to each other on an End-Turn page, those two planes will never find each other again. Keep playing with those people you can see. If you are totally alone, you have lost contact with the whole battle and must fly home.

Note: Players may not communicate with their companions to perform Maneuvers together, or to gang up on another plane. Once the battle starts, all pilots are on their own.