Title Ace of Aces, WWI Air Combat Game, Handy Rotary Deluxe Edition
Product No. 014
Publisher Nova Game Designs, Inc.
Date 1985
Price $9.95
Box Box: Two 6" x 9 1/4 x 9/16" red paper sleeves printed with logo from game- books. Shrinkwrapped.
Components: Two red 6" x 4 1/2" gamebooks with white print on stiff paper cover (one German and one Allied booklet.) One 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" tri-fold pamphlet with tables and log sheet Three 5 1/2"x 8 1/2" Maneuver Cards. One 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" card with six Firing Position Cards printed on it. Two 6x9" cover sheets featuring art from front and back of slipcase edition
Variant Editions: Sometimes may be found packaged in cardboard slipcase.

The Deluxe Edition took the "old reliable" Handy Rotary series to new heights in component quality. Photographs of actual aircraft replaced the drawings used 'in the original books Card-stock game cards with aircraft silhouettes serve as play aids A sturdy thin bookcase box replaced the old slipease. But all was not rosy (despite the pink gamebook cover.) The cockpit views depicted in the Deluxe Edition gamebooks are smaller than in the original books. in addition, the word experimental" stenciled just behind the cockpit of the Fokker Triplane is clearly visible in the photos (the consequence of using a flying Dr. I from the Old Rheinbeck Aerodrome in New York.)

To add insult to injury, this blemish looks even worse on views to the left rear quarter of the Triplane: the image was simply flipped from the opposite view so "experimental" is shown backwards!

A second graphic failing is the box cover. While the cover art is rather attractive, there is not much else good that can be said about it from a historical standpoint. The allied aircraft appears to be a Nieuport 17 in British markings. However, the cowl and cockpit area have the look of a Sopwith Camel. In addition, it appears that a creative mechanic has grafted a Fokker D VII tail onto a Fokker Triplane.

But fortunately these are minor quibbles next to the fine improvements made to the rules and play-aids. The Deluxe Edition rules are better organized than any prior edition. The rules still offer varying levels of complexity: Introductory, Standard, Advanced and Campaign. The complete rules were also printed in a separate rulebook for the first time in the series rather than being squeezed into the gamebooks

Playaids make the Deluxe Edition game much more user friendly. The capabilities and maneuverability of different aircraft and the aces who flew them are reflected on data reference cards. The end effect is to make for an easier transition from the basic to advanced game levels. The potential of the game system to realistically represent aerial combat without overly burdensome game mechanics is what really shines through in this edition.

Upon opening a copy of this version of the Deluxe Edition, one might wonder why some of the components are too large for the box. It turns out that some of the components come from the British release printed by Emithill Ltd. According to Greci, the Emithill release used European standard sizes for paper and this ended up being a bit too large for the boxes printed for Nova in the U.S. The overseas ongin of these gamebooks is also evident as the last page of each is marked "Printed in England."

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