Aces and Armor: An Accessible Wargame for Everyone

(Photo credit to PKB Games)

Written by Ed Carter, Staff Writer

 

Aces and Armor

PKB games

1-4 players

Dice rolling, World War 2 combat, strategy, several modes of play

GAME INTRODUCTION

For a lot of gamers, when you mention wargames, they tend to feel too hard to play. There is a big learning curve for games like Advanced Squad Leader or Panzer Blitz, and this can feel intimidating.  Even more streamlined games like Memoir 44 or Axis and Allies can seem overwhelming.  Then along comes a wargame that is challenging and still accessible; it does not trade its simplicity for strategy; this is Aces and Armor.

Aces and Armor is a miniatures wargame set in World War 2.  Players are trying to take control of factories; The first one to secure the required number of factories wins.   It scales up or down based on the number of players, and plays in about 90 minutes or so.

PLANNING FOR VICTORY: GAME SET UP

Place the board out based on the number of players; for 1-2, use only half of the board, for 3-4, the whole board.  Give each player their unit mat for the faction they want to play (Russians, Americans, or Germans) and give them their units to play.  The unit mat shows all of the information for each unit type (their movement, attack information, the unit’s health, and cost to purchase). Each faction has infantry, mobile infantry, artillery, tanks, and aircraft.  Take the counters for the starting areas and shuffle them face down, giving each player 3.  Take the dice, bonus dice,  damage and experience markers, and attack board, and set them close for all of the players to access.  Roll a die to determine who goes first.  Each player places units by their 3 starting tokens, then starting with the first player, reveals the starting token locations and places their chosen units in the corresponding area on the board.  Once all units are placed, the first player takes their turn.

A GAME ROUND

A player’s turn consists of 4 phases: Move units, Declare Attacks, Combat, and Production. Each unit has a movement value and can move that many hexes on the map.  Terrain determines how many points it costs to move,  There are standard hexes, roads, forests, rivers, and factories.  Consult the player guide for the specifics for each terrain type.  A player can move all of their units during their turn.  Only infantry or mobile infantry can take control of a factory, and it takes their entire turn to enter it.  Once a player controls a factory, they place one of their control markers on it.

After moving, the player then declares their attacks: What unit is attacking and who it is going to attack.  Consult the unit mat for the range for the attack; most units need to be adjacent to an enemy in order to attack them, artillery is an exception as they need to be at least one hex away to attack.  Next, consult the unit mat to determine if the defender can attack back.  If the unit can attack back, the defender declares who is returning fire.

After declaring the attacks, each player rolls attack dice.  How many dice is based on the amount of damage the unit has taken.  The attack mat shows how many dice for each level of damage.  The target number is on the unit mat.  If the unit rolls under the target number, they score a hit.  Count up the number of hits, and check the unit mat to see how much damage is dealt.  Combat is simultaneous, so after the dice are rolled, the attacker and defender consult the attack mat for how many points of damage they dealt.  The target number changes based on the experience of the unit.  The attacker receives one level of experience when they damage a unit and two levels if they destroy a unit.  Experience levels affect the target number for attacking; the more experience, the easier to hit another unit.

After all of the attacks, damage, and experience are awarded, the turn moves to the production phase.  The player receives one production unit for each factory they control.  These can be spent to purchase more units or repair damaged ones. It costs 2 units to remove 3 points of damage from a unit and takes the whole turn to repair a unit.  New units can be purchased for the cost indicated on the unit mat.  New units can be placed in any factory the player controls.

The next player takes their turn, starting with movement and so on.  The first player who controls the number of required factories is the winner.

FINAL BRIEFING

Rob from Rob’s gaming world summarizes my thoughts on Aces and Armor: Once in a while, a game comes along that just does everything well, and this is one of them.  It scales based on player count, the unit mats are simple to read and understand, the objectives are clear, and the components are very well made and designed.  Experience and damage are recorded by colored pegs that slide onto the base of the unit, so it is easy to see what each unit can do and how much damage it takes to destroy it.  The movement rules for the terrain are easy to understand; the game summary page is the only aid needed to play.  It really is a wargame for any level of gamer.

While the game has simple mechanics, it is far from a simple game.  There are a lot of strategic decisions that players need to make in order to win.  Determining the right units to use in attacks in order to deliver the most damage is key.  In addition, the balance of guarding the controlled factories while advancing on controlling more is a big challenge.  Undefended factories can be easily taken over, and each player only has a set amount of units to use.

The automa for the solo version is very challenging as well.  Finally, the game can be played competitively or co-operative as well.  There are even some additional scenarios and advanced rules for more experienced players.  If you want to play a wargame but have shied away due to feeling overwhelmed, then Aces and Armor may just be your answer. There is a lot of game in this box, and for under a $100, it is one that might do well in your collection.

Until next time, keep moving those meeples and happy gaming!

Lynn Makes

Hi, I’m Lynn, and I Make.
Props, Cosplay, Scale Models, Home Projects, and just about anything else that involves me Making.

Eldwenne’s Fantasy™ and Wire Wrapture Artistically Twisted ™

Jodi invites you to explore your well-being with designs from Wire Wrapture Artistically Twisted™ and to declare your favorite fandom proudly with designs from Eldwenne’s Fantasy™.

System Reactor