Case study · Gamified training · 4 min read

Aces of Aces: a training board game,taken online for surveyors anywhere.

Taking a proven training board game online, so surveyors can train together from any office and practise on their own.

Bureau Veritas M&OProof of conceptWeb + Mobile4-release roadmap
Aces of Aces web multiplayer board
The problemThe game worked as training, but only in one room, at one time, with one kit per office.
What we didKept the game surveyors know and redesigned the experience around it, for web and mobile.
The resultA clickable proof of concept that showed the client how the game could run remotely, before a full build.
01 · The game

Six routes, four containers, one very knowledgeable winner.

Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore surveyors inspect and certify ships. Aces of Aces is the board game BV uses to keep that knowledge sharp. Players sail container ships along six world routes, answering questions to move, refuel and load cargo. The first to load four containers wins.

General knowledgeClass RulesStatutory RegulationsInternal Procedures
4,000questions in the bank
6players plus a host
~2 hrsper session
02 · The challenge

Great training, locked in a box.

The physical format limited who could play, and when.

Same room, same timeUp to 6 players plus a host, in ~2-hour sessions.
One kit per officeBulky, prone to wear and lost parts, not at every branch.
Printed contentHard to update as regulations change.
Group play onlyNo way to practise individually.
The brief: make the game work for surveyors anywhere, while keeping its rules, its competition and its peer learning.
03 · Our approach

Keep the game. Redesign the experience.

Familiar firstSame board, routes, colour-coded questions and rules. Surveyors start playing right away.
Every moment countsBetween turns, everyone follows the play and learns from each other’s questions.
Two ways to trainTogether on the web at scheduled sessions. Alone on mobile, whenever there’s time.
04 · Web multiplayer

The host stays in control. Every player stays involved.

Waiting lobbyPlayers join a named room; the host starts when everyone is in.
Live leaderboardPosition, cargo and points, always visible.
Personal dashboardQuestion, timer, fuel, tugs, tokens and cargo on one screen.
Focused viewZooms into your part of the board.
Observer viewEveryone’s questions shown live, so each becomes shared learning.
Turn timersBased on the physical game’s 30-second timer.

Prototyped flows: a full player turn, arriving at port to refuel and load cargo, and two players competing for cargo on the same cell.

05 · Mobile concept

Aces of Aces Lite: a daily habit, not a scheduled event.

Instead of shrinking a six-player board onto a phone, we proposed a companion app built for short, individual practice.

Mobile Lite screens
Focus TrackQuestion of the Day1-on-1 challengesAchievementsPerformance dashboard
06 · Roadmap

Four releases, a working game first.

Release 1Core game
Release 2Engagement
Release 3Insights
Release 4Reach

The client gets a working game first, then adds engagement, organisation-wide insights and reach over time.

07 · Outcome

A proof of concept, before any investment in a full build.

UX approachGrounded in the existing game and rules.
Clickable prototypesOf the core multiplayer experience.
Mobile conceptFor individual practice.
Phased roadmapFrom core game to insights.
Capabilities shown
UX strategyGamification designMultiplayer experience designMobile product conceptInteractive prototypingProduct roadmapping
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