Interview with Philipp K. Berger Designer of Aces & Armor – Spitfire: Battle of Britain & North Africa from PKB Games Currently on Kickstarter

A few years back, we backed a very interesting looking miniatures based board game set in World War II called Aces & Armor from PKB Games. We played it last year and very much enjoyed the combat system as well as the way units gain experience and become more effective. That game did very well on Kickstarter and PKB Games is back with a new addition to the series called Aces & Armor – Spitfire: Battle of Britain & North Africa We reached out to the designer Philipp K. Berger to see if he could give us a look at the game and answer our questions and he was more than willing to accommodate our request.

If you are interested in Aces & Armor – Spitfire: Battle of Britain & North Africa, you can back the project on the Kickstarter campaign page at the following link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/trench-club/aces-and-armor-spitfire

Grant: Philipp, welcome back to our blog. What is your upcoming game Aces & Armor – Spitfire: Battle of Britain & North Africa about?

Philipp: Thanks for having me back!

Aces & Armor: Spitfire is a tactical World War II strategy game where players command infantry, tanks, artillery, and aircraft in exciting battles.

This time we’re taking the action to two very different theaters: the Battle of Britain, including the evacuation of Dunkirk, and the North African campaign.

The game combines accessible rules with quite a bit of strategic depth. You need to maneuver your troops, coordinate different unit types, capture strategic positions, and make the most of your resources. Your individual units also gain experience throughout the battle, so a rookie Spitfire pilot might eventually become a highly effective war hero!

Spitfire works as a standalone game for 1–2 players, but you can also combine it with the original Aces & Armor for battles with up to five players.

Grant: Why did you want to take your Aces & Armor System to the skies of Britain and the deserts of North Africa?

Philipp: One of the things I love about the history of World War II is how different the various theaters of war were. The original Aces & Armor focuses on land warfare in continental Europe, while the Battle of Britain and North Africa presented completely different strategic challenges.

The Battle of Britain is particularly fascinating because air superiority was absolutely crucial. Suddenly, protecting airfields, intercepting bombers, and coordinating your fighters become central elements of the game.

North Africa, on the other hand, is all about mobility and logistics. You might have the strongest tanks on the battlefield, but they’re not much use if you’ve run out of fuel and ammunition!

I also wanted to introduce the British as a playable faction. Their iconic units, especially the Spitfire, were simply too good to leave out of the series.

Grant: What is your design goal with the game?

Philipp: My main goal has always been to create games that offer meaningful strategic decisions without requiring players to spend hours studying the rules.

I love complex strategy games, but I don’t particularly enjoy unnecessary complexity. Ideally, players should understand the basic rules within 10–15 minutes while still discovering new strategies after many games.

Another important goal is making every unit feel valuable. I don’t want players to simply throw endless disposable troops at each other. Individual units can gain experience, become more effective, and develop into veterans you really want to protect.

And, of course, the game needs to be fun! Historical accuracy is important to me, but whenever historical detail and enjoyable gameplay conflict, I try to find a sensible compromise.

Grant: How have you modified the Aces & Armor System to tell the story of WWII in the Battle of Britain and North Africa?

Philipp: We kept the core mechanics that players already know from Aces & Armor, particularly the combat system, combined-arms tactics, and individual unit experience.

However, we introduced new gameplay elements to capture the distinctive challenges of each theater.

On the Battle of Britain map, aircraft play a much more prominent role. Players fight for control of the skies, defend airfields against bombing raids, and can play scenarios inspired by the evacuation of Dunkirk.

North Africa introduces an entirely new supply mechanic. Your units need access to supplies to operate effectively. This makes supply depots and supply lines strategically important, opening up possibilities such as cutting off enemy forces instead of attacking them head-on.

The result is that the two maps feel quite different, despite using the same underlying game system.

Grant: What elements do you feel are most important to model from the period?

Philipp: I believe it’s more important to capture the strategic realities of a historical conflict than to simulate every technical detail.

For the Battle of Britain, that means air superiority, fighter interception, and the importance of protecting infrastructure such as airfields.

For North Africa, it’s the enormous importance of logistics, mobility, and controlling vital supply routes across a vast desert.

Another major element is combined-arms warfare. Tanks, infantry, artillery, and aircraft become significantly more effective when working together.

I also wanted the different types of equipment to feel distinct. A heavily armored Churchill tank should play differently from a fast Daimler armored car, just as a Spitfire should serve a different purpose from a Junkers Ju 88 bomber.

Grant: What major design challenges did you encounter and how did you overcome them?

Philipp: One of the biggest challenges was introducing two very different theaters without making the rules significantly more complicated.

For example, supply logistics are fascinating from a strategic perspective, but I certainly didn’t want players to spend half their turns calculating fuel consumption and managing spreadsheets!

The challenge was to reduce these historical realities to mechanics that create interesting decisions while remaining easy to understand and manage.

Another challenge was balancing air and ground combat. Aircraft need to be powerful enough to reflect their historical importance, but not so powerful that ground forces become irrelevant.

I approached both challenges by keeping the successful core mechanics intact and adding specific rules only where they meaningfully change the gameplay. And of course gameplay testing and testing and testing!

Grant: What new units are included in this version of the game?

Philipp: Spitfire includes two factions with six different unit types each, represented by 24 detailed miniatures.

The new British faction includes infantry, the Daimler Armoured Car, the Churchill tank, the Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft gun, the Hawker Hurricane, and, of course, the legendary Supermarine Spitfire.

The German faction features infantry, the Sd.Kfz. 251 half-track, the Panther tank, the famous 8.8 cm Flak, the Messerschmitt Bf 109, and the Junkers Ju 88 bomber.

I particularly like the selection of aircraft because it creates some interesting asymmetry between the factions. The British have two different fighter aircraft, while the Germans combine a fighter with a dedicated bomber.

Grant: How have you differentiated the capabilities of the units from those in your great game set in Europe?

Philipp: Every unit has its own characteristics, including movement speed, combat effectiveness, armor, and cost.

The original Aces & Armor includes some powerful late-war equipment, such as the German Tiger tank and Me 262 jet fighter, the American B-17 Flying Fortress, and the Soviet Katyusha rocket artillery.

Spitfire introduces a different selection of units and therefore different tactical possibilities.

The British Churchill, for example, emphasizes protection, while the Daimler Armoured Car provides mobility. The Spitfire is an excellent air-superiority fighter, whereas the German Ju 88 is particularly useful for attacking ground targets.

The German 8.8 cm Flak is another very interesting unit because it can threaten both aircraft and armored vehicles.

I wanted each faction to have its own strengths, rather than simply giving every nation the same units with different miniatures.

Grant: How can this game be incorporated into the original Aces & Armor?

Philipp: The two games are fully compatible!

You can play Spitfire completely independently, but you can also combine its factions, miniatures, and gameplay content with the original Aces & Armor.

The original game includes American, Soviet, and two German factions. Spitfire adds the British, bringing the total to five playable factions.

This creates opportunities for much larger battles, additional combinations of units, and entirely new scenarios.

I particularly enjoy the flexibility of the system. Players can recreate historically inspired confrontations or experiment with their own hypothetical battles.

Grant: How does the combat system work?

Phlipp: The combat system is probably my favorite mechanic in the game.

Each unit has an individual combat profile that determines how many dice it rolls, its chances of hitting, and how well it withstands incoming fire.

When two units fight, both players can roll their dice simultaneously, provided the defender is able to return fire.

The number of dice depends on how much damage a unit has already suffered. As units take damage, their combat effectiveness decreases. However, as they gain experience, their probability of hitting improves.

Another important element is combined-arms warfare. If your tanks attack an enemy position while supported by infantry, artillery, or aircraft, they can receive additional combat dice.

Finally, terrain and armor determine how much actual damage the hits cause.

So combat involves much more than simply comparing attack and defense values. Positioning, experience, damage, terrain, and supporting units can all significantly influence the outcome.

Grant: What drove your decision to use 12-sided dice for combat? What advantages does this give your system?

Philipp: I wanted a combat system that offers a lot of differentiation between units without requiring complicated calculations.

Using 12-sided dice gives us twelve possible outcomes, allowing much finer distinctions in hit probabilities than conventional six-sided dice. This is particularly useful because combat effectiveness changes as units gain experience. Different units can have different hit probabilities, and improving from rookie to veteran or war hero can make a noticeable difference.

Also, a higher number of dice (you roll up to 15 in one attack) and a higher number of sides per die (12) creates roll results closer to the statistical expected value which rewards players estimating the odds well and limits pure dice luck.

At the same time, resolving combat remains straightforward: roll your dice, check which results count as hits, and determine the damage.

I also think rolling a handful of D12’s simply feels great!

Grant: How is experience gained and tracked for individual units?

Philipp: Every unit begins the game as a rookie and gains combat experience by fighting.

When a unit damages an enemy, it gains one experience point. If it destroys an enemy unit, it receives two experience points instead.

After gaining enough experience, a unit advances from rookie to veteran and eventually to war hero, improving its combat effectiveness.

What makes this system special is how we track the experience. Each miniature has a small transparent holder attached to its base, where players insert colored markers for experience and damage.

This means you can immediately see the condition and experience level of every unit directly on the battlefield, without having to consult separate unit sheets.

It also creates some wonderfully memorable moments when an experienced unit survives against overwhelming odds!

Grant: What type of economy does the game use? How is money produced? What can players spend their money on?

Philipp: The game uses a relatively straightforward economy built around controlling strategic production facilities.

Players earn money from factories they have captured. These resources can then be used to recruit new units or repair damaged ones.

This creates an interesting strategic dilemma. Do you spend your resources replacing casualties, invest in additional troops, or repair your experienced veteran units?

Capturing factories is therefore important not just for victory, but also for strengthening your economy and maintaining your army.

I particularly like how the economic and military aspects interact. Sometimes capturing a strategically important factory can achieve more than destroying several enemy units.

Grant: What is the layout of the maps? How does terrain affect the game?

Philipp: Spitfire includes a large double-sided, hex-based game board featuring two very different environments.

One side depicts southern Britain, northern France, and the English Channel. This allows for combined land and air battles, including the Battle of Britain and Dunkirk scenarios.

The other side represents North Africa, with its expansive deserts, roads, mountains, and strategically important supply positions.

Terrain influences movement and combat. Roads allow ground units to move faster, forests provide defensive advantages, and natural obstacles can restrict movement.

Aircraft, of course, aren’t slowed down by ground terrain.

The North African map adds another strategic consideration: supply. With fewer natural obstacles and long distances between important positions, maintaining your logistics becomes crucial.

Grant: What do you feel the design models well from history?

Philipp: I think the game does a particularly good job of modeling the importance of combined-arms tactics.

Historically, even the strongest tanks were vulnerable when operating without adequate infantry, artillery, and air support. The game encourages players to coordinate different unit types rather than relying on one particularly powerful unit.

I also like how the North African scenario illustrates the importance of supply lines. An army can have superior equipment and still lose because it cannot maintain its operations.

And finally, I think the experience system captures something that’s often missing from tactical board games: troops aren’t interchangeable. A battle-hardened veteran unit can be much more valuable than a newly recruited replacement.

Of course, Aces & Armor is a strategy board game rather than a detailed historical simulation, but I hope it captures the important tactical and strategic decisions commanders faced.

Grant: What type of experience does the game create for players?

Philipp: I’d describe it as an accessible strategy game with a surprising amount of tactical depth.

There are plenty of exciting combat moments, but the game isn’t just about rolling dice. You need to plan your movements, coordinate your troops, control strategic locations, and decide when to attack or retreat.

The experience system also creates an emotional connection to your units. Losing a rookie infantry unit is unfortunate, but losing your heavily experienced Spitfire that has survived several battles really hurts!

I also love the way the battlefield evolves. Units move, take damage, gain experience, and new reinforcements enter the fight. The situation can change dramatically within just a few turns.

A typical game takes around 60–90 minutes, so it offers a fairly substantial strategic experience without requiring an entire afternoon.

Grant: What are some general strategies for each of the sides?

Philipp: That depends somewhat on the scenario.

In the Battle of Britain, the British player should pay particular attention to controlling the skies and protecting important airfields. Their Spitfires and Hurricanes provide considerable flexibility, but they need to be positioned carefully to respond to German threats.

The German player can take advantage of the Ju 88’s bombing capabilities while using the Bf 109 to contest British air superiority. Coordinating air attacks with ground operations can be very effective.

In North Africa, both sides need to think carefully about supply. A powerful offensive can quickly become vulnerable if the enemy manages to interrupt your supply lines.

In general, my most important advice is to use combined-arms tactics and not spread your forces too thinly. A well-coordinated group of different unit types is often much more effective than several isolated powerful units.

Grant: What has been the feedback of your playtesters?

Philipp: Playtesting has been particularly important for getting the balance between historical flavor, strategic depth, and accessible gameplay right.

One of the main things I’ve focused on is making sure the two theaters offer genuinely different experiences without forcing players to learn an entirely new game.

The air battles need to feel exciting, and the supply mechanics in North Africa need to create meaningful tactical decisions rather than unnecessary bookkeeping.

We’ve also been refining the balance between individual units and factions.

What I always look for during playtesting is whether players are making interesting decisions, developing strategies, and enjoying the tension of the battle. That’s ultimately much more important to me than adding another layer of rules.

Grant: What other designs are you currently working on?

Philipp: There are always several ideas floating around in my head!

One project I’m currently exploring is bringing the Aces & Armor game mechanics to a SciFi scenario.

I’m also thinking about where to take Aces & Armor next. World War II offers so many interesting factions, units, and theaters that there’s certainly plenty of room for future additions. And I am getting a lot of great ideas from backers of the current Kickstarter campaign. I just love this creative community and couldn’t be more grateful!

For now, though, most of my attention is on making Aces & Armor – Spitfire as good as possible and delivering another successful Kickstarter campaign.

Thank you for your time in answering our questions Phillip and also congratulations with the game funding already. I really like the look of this one and I am sure that it will be a fun gaming experience.

If you are interested in Aces & Armor – Spitfire: Battle of Britain & North Africa, you can back the project on the Kickstarter campaign page at the following link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/trench-club/aces-and-armor-spitfire

-Grant