Overview

Ace of Aces: Wingleader is a two-player aerial combat game published by Nova Game Designs in 1988 that adapts the Ace of Aces picture book game system to World War II fighter combat. Like its WWI predecessor, it uses a pair of books (Allied and Axis) showing cockpit-view illustrations. Players simultaneously select maneuvers, cross-reference page numbers, and navigate to a new shared page representing the combat result. The game models 24 different WWII fighters, including the Me-262 jet.

Components

• 2 flip books (Allied book and Axis book), each containing cockpit-view illustrations with maneuver options and page numbers
• 24 double-sided aircraft cards (representing different WWII fighters with their stats)
• Quick start rules sheet
• Rules booklet (basic, intermediate, and advanced rules)

Setup

1. Each player takes one book (Allied or Axis).
2. Each player selects an aircraft card representing the fighter they will fly.
3. Both players agree on the rules level: Basic, Intermediate, or Advanced.
4. Both players open their books to the agreed starting page number.
5. Play begins.

Turn Structure

Each turn represents a moment of aerial combat and proceeds simultaneously:

1. Select maneuver: Each player views their current page showing the enemy aircraft from their cockpit. Available maneuvers are listed at the bottom of the page with corresponding page numbers.
2. Announce page number: Each player selects a maneuver and announces the page number listed under it.
3. Navigate: Each player turns to the page number announced by their opponent. On this new page, they find the maneuver they chose and note the page number under it.
4. Resolve position: Both players turn to the final page number (identical for both). The illustration shows the new relative positions of both aircraft.
5. Check for firing: If the enemy aircraft is in a valid firing position, the shooting player scores damage based on their aircraft’s weaponry.

Actions

Maneuvers

Available maneuvers vary by page (reflecting current aircraft positions) and include:

• Straight flight
• Left/right turns (tight and wide)
• Climb / Dive
• Barrel roll
• Immelman turn
• Split-S
• Other WWII-era combat maneuvers

Aircraft Cards

Each of the 24 aircraft cards shows:

• Aircraft name and type
• Maneuverability rating
• Firepower
• Speed characteristics
• Special abilities (if any)

Firing

When a page shows the enemy in firing position, damage is scored based on the firing aircraft’s stats and the rules level being played.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• Score damage on the opponent’s aircraft through successful firing positions.
• The first player to inflict enough damage to destroy the enemy aircraft wins.
• Damage thresholds vary by aircraft type and rules level.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Basic rules: Core maneuvers and firing only. All guns work perfectly with unlimited ammunition. No altitude or wind considerations.
• Intermediate rules: Adds ammunition tracking and altitude difference effects.
• Advanced rules: Adds wind speed/direction, gun jamming, detailed damage tracking, and aircraft-specific performance differences.
• Aircraft variety: The 24 modeled fighters include planes from multiple nations, each with unique performance characteristics that affect gameplay. The Me-262 jet fighter has notably different performance from propeller-driven aircraft.
• Hex-grid system: Unlike the original Handy Rotary series, Wingleader uses a hex-grid based system where every position within three hexes of each other is mapped to a page.
• Compatibility: Wingleader uses the same core system as the original Ace of Aces but is not directly compatible with WWI-era books due to different aircraft performance profiles.

Player Reference

Rules Level	Features Added
Basic	Core maneuvers and firing only
Intermediate	Ammunition tracking, altitude
Advanced	Wind, gun jams, detailed damage, aircraft-specific performance

Turn flow: Select maneuver → Announce page → Navigate → Resolve → Check firing → Score damage

Key difference from Handy Rotary: Hex-grid system, 24 WWII aircraft types, aircraft-specific performance cards