Title Ace of Aces. WWI Aerial Combat Game
Publisher Nova Game Designs
Date 1980
Price $13.95
Box, shrink-wrapped only (on cardboard backing)
Components: Two brown 6" x 4 1/2" gamebooks with gold print on cover (one German booklet and one Allied booklet ... Figure 1.) One 6" x 8 1/2" booklet bound with a single staple.
Other features: nothing printed on gamebook spine. No publisher listed on gamebook title page Booklet cover states "Nova Game Designs" in red across bottom with all three words in same type size. Below Nova is "Formerly Gameshop Inc." Booklet is printed in red and blue.

Although the illustrations used in the Handy Rotary books were attractive, the simple packaging of the initial releases did not present an attractive display on a game store shelf. This was not a problem with the release of the slipcase editions.

The slipcase edition Ace of Aces games came packaged in a carboard slipcase with appropriate artwork on the cover. The back of the slipcase gave a play example including sample pages from the game books. The slipcase also provided an attractive and protective place to store the game books and rules.

The cover of the Handy Rotary slipcase, while colorful, is somewhat disappointing compared to the detailed and generally accurate Jerry Redding artwork in the game books themselves. One historical note of interest: the roundel and tail markings of the Sopwith Camel depicted on the Handy Rotary slipcase are American markings, not British (Fig. 5). The most distinguishing feature of the early style slipcase is that it opens on the right side of the slipcase. All subsequent slipcase editions of Ace of Aces were open on the left side.

Note that these early style slip-cases were used to create makeshift salable games when Nova was selling off old inventory. Therefore, to verify that a particular game is of the early slipcase style, a careful examination of the features of the components is necessary.

More Ace of Aces Reference Guide

Introduction
1. Gameshop Edition
2. Initial Nova Edition
3. Early Handy Rotary Slipcase Edition
4. Later Handy Rotary Slipcase Edition
5. Powerhouse Slipcase Edition
6. Flying Machines Slipcase Edition
7. Balloon Buster Edition
8. Flying Machines Paper Cover Edition
9. Balloon Buster Paper Cover Edition
10. Handy Rotary Deluxe Edition, Matte Box
11. Handy Rotary Deluxe Edition, Glossy Box
12. WingLeader (WWII)
13. WingLeader with expansion set
14. Jet Eagles (Post WWII)
15. Jet Eagles, Desert Storm Limited Edition
16. Handy Rotary Richthofen edition
17. Handy Rotary Special Basic Edition
18-21. Overseas Editions
Other Titles and Unreleased Titles
Aircraft Listings
Ace Listings