← all games

Down in Flames: Aces High

#36325BGG ↗

2008 · 2-6 players · 45min · weight 2.13 · 320 ratings

v2 v3 v4 wide v4 deep

BGG raw

ID
36325
Name
Down in Flames: Aces High
Year
2008
Rank
7010
Min players
2
Max players
6
Playing time
45
Min playtime
45
Max playtime
45
Avg weight
2.125
Num weights
48
Bayes avg
5.66754
Average
7.01708
Users rated
320
Num owned
743
Wanting
28
Wishing
134
Num comments
132
Fetched at
Wed Apr 29 2026 05:34:55 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Mechanisms (2)
Campaign / Battle Card DrivenHand Management
Categories (4)
Aviation / FlightCard GameWargameWorld War II
Description (2200 chars)

Down In Flames is our tactical air combat card game. It was first released back in the mid 1990’s and was again released as a computer game through Battlefront in 2004. Brian Marrs did all the programming for the computer game. Down In Flames places each player in the cockpit of a Leader and Wingman as they enter combat against other aircraft. By playing cards, you gain advantageous positions on your targets, fire your guns, and send them down in flames! The game is based on a unique action-reaction card mechanic. Each card can be countered by specific other cards. At the bottom of every card is the list of cards it is allowed to cancel. This makes for exciting card play back and forth between players… Player #1: “I Play an In My Sights for 3 Hits. If you don’t stop it, you’re going down.” Player #2: “I counter with a Barrel Roll.” Player #1: “I react with a Yo-Yo.” Player #2: “You got me.” Each aircraft is accurately simulated with a several ratings including: Performance (the maximum cards you can hold), Horsepower (the maximum cards you can draw each turn), Bursts (how many times you can fire), Damage (how much damage your attacks inflict), and Airframe (how much damage your aircraft can sustain). The air combat is simulated using a Positioning system that allows aircraft to be Advantaged, Tailing, Disadvantaged, or Tailed in relation to other aircraft. An aircraft’s position determine if it can aircraft, and how many bonus Bursts it receives if it is Advantaged or Tailing. The game uses a simple Altitude system to add this vital aspect of air combat. Aircraft get to draw cards when diving, and must discard cards when climbing. The game also includes Light, Medium, and Heavy Bombers that are used in the historical campaign games. Down In Flames has won several awards through the years and continues to be a favorite for both serious and casual gamers. Components: 110 Full color Action Cards 110 Full Color Aircraft Cards Full Color Rulebook Full Color Counter Sheet (88 - 5/8” counters) 6 Full Color Campaign Sheets (from the Publisher's Website)

LLM v2 (wide)

Not yet enriched at v2 (wide pass).

LLM v3 (deep)

Not yet enriched at v3 (deep pass).

LLM v4 wide (controlled-vocab primitives)

Not yet enriched at v4 (wide pass).

LLM v4 deep (archetype fit)

Not in the v4 deep-pass top-20% slice.