Ace of Aces: Multiplayer aerial combat gamebook review

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[saltheart]

Just backed a New Kickstarter for this game! I played back in the 70s/80s --- can't remember exactly when... a friend owned it.... I remember it being Amazing! Thanks for the Explaination!

[perkinsdearborn]

I really love Ace of Aces. I have several versions. One of my brown books has been lost, so I want another copy. I forced my sister to play with me. I believe it first appeared in 1980.

[stormthrush]

So this is basically like a Choose Your Own Adventure for dogfighting. That's pretty cool.

[jameshenderson]

I had two of these - the rotary one you showed, but also the DVII version. Gosh they were super fun. The best "analog" flight combat games made. Now I have various pc simulators, but these books were magic. IIRC there was a cowboy gunfighter set as well, which wasn't quite as successful as the plane one, but still fun. Thank you for the refresh of my memories!!!

[bdeink]

I love Ace of Aces! A friend and I have played for hours while on the train. I've only got this first book in the series (Ace of Aces: Handy Rotary Series), but there are at least three more (of which I would very much like to try Ace of Aces: Powerhouse Series and Ace of Aces: Flying Machines), which you can mix and match when playing. They also did a Star Wars version (X-Wing vs Tie Fighter) and a version with dragons, but these were sadly dumbed down quite a bit from the original rules.

I've never touched the advanced rules, but the game really opens up when you play it as a campaign consisting of several battles (trying to escape a battle becomes a strategically viable option when you're close to getting shot down, since your opponent is only awarded 1/2 a VP). I'm still amazed at how these books work so elegantly (by the power of painstakingly crafted paper algorithms), especially considering the fact that you can mix and match planes from different series with different moves and capabilities (see also the Lost World series of game books by the same designer). Pure magic!

[AndrewCelentano]

I have the pleasure of knowing the designer of this game who lives near me in Windham CT. This game is truly an amazing accomplishment!

[ghostlightplays]

OMG! My Dad has that! He got it while he was at military college. I grew up playing that with him!

[jimmd]

Wow! I haven't seen those in years! One of the cooler '80s ideas.

[ericjome]

Will we soon be seeing Skeleton With Scimitar and Shield versus Man in Chainmail with Sword and Shield?

[crcurran]

I haven't seen this game in ~35 years. I totally forgot about it and never did get to play back in the day.

[stevenfoster]

I bought this when it first came out and loved it. I would take them to work and we would play during breaks. It was quick and easy. So we could play several games in a short time period.

[softboardgames]

Ace of Aces is like first person shooter and the newer Wings of Glory (2012) is like a third person shooter. In Wings of Glory maneuver arrow options at the bottom of Ace of Aces page is transferred to small deck of cards. The advantage of Wings of Glory is that you get the similar feel of Ace of Aces but you get to control a squadron and not just one plane. Furthermore playing with miniature airplane is cool.

[softboardgames]

You are like a loot crate -- always showing us hidden gems. Please keep delving and showing us more treasures.

[rafaelalandrade]

My copy is almost 40 years old by now. I do have the same Handy Rotary books you showcased here, but Ace of Aces had other pairs of books, featuring different airplanes with their own maneuver suite.

It's an awesome game for fans of aviation with some knowledge of ACM (Air Combat Maneuvers).

[Ethrianor]

Originally 1980 I believe, played it at school many, many, years ago.

[agilemonk]

I had these when the first came out. And the next series they brought out too. My friends and I loved it.

[shanewinter]

I love the powerhouse books. They were awesome for road trips.

[HernandezTony]

I never heard of these but i used to play the Star Wars version ALL the time

[blnematode]

I remember picking up a copy of this game at an early 80s Gen Con East, but sadly it was lost during a move out from an ex-wife or girlfriend. I don’t recall which. I sure do miss that game. Interestingly to me at least, it was at that Gen Con that I met Gary Gygax

[jalbor]

Such a rad idea and looks so neat in paper.