Stats:
No. of players: 2-8
Amount of time to play: 90-120 min
Age requirements: 10+
Set-up time: 5 min

Down in Flames: Aces High is a tactical card game representing a dogfight. You must outmaneuver and shoot down your opponent’s planes.

Down in Flames Rules Description:

To begin Down in Flames you choose the plane (or planes) you are flying. There are a bunch of planes included and each has unique stats. Some are fighters and others are bombers. The type you use will depend on the type of game you wish to play.

Fighters have stats for airframe, performance, horsepower, speed, bursts, firepower and VPs. Airframe represents the amount of hits a plane can take until it is flipped over where is has diminished stats and may be destroyed. You have a separate hand of cards for each plane in your squadron. Performance is the hand size for that specific plane. Horsepower is made up of two numbers. The first tells you how many cards you may draw at the beginning of your turn. The second is the number of cards you draw at the end of your turn. Speed is compared to the plane you are attacking and helps you out maneuver them. Bursts are spent when you fire at enemy planes. Firepower is added to your damage when you hit. VPs is what the plane is worth to your opponent if it is shot down.

Each turn if you are not at a plane’s hand limit you draw cards for it. Then you can change altitude. Your options are low, medium or high and you may only attack fighters on the same altitude as you. If you have a higher speed rating than your opponent you may attempt a speed maneuver against an enemy fighter. You can maneuver to gain advantage or even tail an opponent’s plane. Being in an advantaged position gets you an additional burst and tailing an enemy gets you three bursts.

Next you play cards for actions. Cards are used for attacks, to react to attacks and some are used for both. For each attack card you play on your turn your opponent may counter it with a reaction card. Each reaction card lists the attack cards it can react to. You and your opponent may keep reacting to each other’s cards until someone is unable to. If the attacker plays the last reaction card the attack succeeds. If the defender plays the last card the attack misses.

After playing as many action cards as you like, you may discard any cards and draw cards equal to your second horsepower number. You may not draw if it would cause you to exceed that plane’s hand limit.

In campaign mode you use bombers. Bombers cannot change their altitude and start the game in a specific formation. Unlike fighters they do no have a hand. Instead when attacked they draw a temporary hand based on their Turret Defense and surrounding support. After playing cards they discard all their cards remaining in their hand.

The dogfight game ends after your enemy is eliminated or after 6 turns. The player with the most VPs wins. You get half a planes VPs if it is flipped but not destroyed. In campaign mode you keep flying missions until you do not destroy your target.

Quick Review of Down in Flames:

Down in Flames: Aces High is a fast-playing, tactical card game. Gaining position on your opponent can really help you hit them. But your cards determine that. Can you get into position and score a hit? Well it depends if your opponent has the right reaction card. So a lot of the outcome of this game is in the cards. Or at least the ones you get (or don’t).

The components for this game are well made. The cards are thick and the chits are too. The art is hit and miss. The plane stats cards look kind of static but the action cards look pretty good. The rules are well organized and easy to read and follow.

I really like the number of different planes that come on this box. There is a ton of replay value just trying the different planes.

The campaign mode is also a nice addition. It is like getting an extra game. There are six scenarios to play and you can try both axis and allied squadrons.

You must make interesting decisions about the cards you play and how you manage your hand. Do you press the attack only to have no cards when it is your turn to defend? Do you launch a weaker attack and hope to draw out an opponent’s reaction cards?

As I mentioned above the game does rely on the cards you get. This may frustrate some players. But if you are ok with the randomness of the deck, you should enjoy this game.

If you’re looking for a light card game that simulates an aerial dogfight, try Down in Flames.

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 3 out of 6
Luck 5 out of 6
Player Interaction 6 out of 6
Replay Value 5 out of 6
Complexity 4 out of 6
Fun 4 out of 6
Overall 4 out of 6