Aces High! Compass Games Brings Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines to the Table. Board Game Review

Western Front Ace: The Great War in the Air, 1916-1918. Publisher: Compass Games. Designer: Gregory M. Smith and Ian Cooper. Price $109.00 Passed inspection: A solid game that produces plausible encounters and engagements while conveying the experience of a Great War fighter pilot. Failed basic: Rules organization could be better. The ‘grind’ of running mission after mission starts to feel like a repetitious chore rather than a game to be enjoyed. From the logbook of Otto Hefty, – K.u.K. Luftfahrtruppen20 Sep 16 – Aircraft: Brandenburg D.1We’ve been tasked with a bomber escort mission. The outbound leg was an uneventful mission over the lines into Italian territiory. The bombers conducted their attack and turned for home.During the return flight, I encountered a SPAD VII over the front lines. We came at each other head to head. As we closed, our guns hammered away at each other. I could feel the stick shudder in my hands as my tail took some solid hits. But I was the better pilot as the...