Aeronautica Imperialis
Encyclopedia
Aeronautica Imperialis is a tabletop miniature wargame
set within the Warhammer 40,000
universe. The game focuses on aerial combat between the different races of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Released in January 2007, it was developed and published by Forge World
, a division of the British gaming company Games Workshop
.
Aeronautica Imperialis is a companion game to Epic
, which emphasises battles between armies on a larger scale than Warhammer 40,000.
The Aeronautica Imperialis rulebook contains not only rules for the games, but also two sheets of cards which are used to make special manoeuvres. Other content in the rulebook is background material on the individual aircraft, along with full colour plates and suggestions for painting. At the end of the book, there is a 'campaign' section with scenarios for players to recreate.
, which are approximately 6mm scale, or 1:285. Forge World's Epic web pages say that "Epic models are 5 times smaller than their Warhammer 40,000 equivalent". In addition to the use of the miniatures, Forge World also sells special bases for the game to indicate such things as the altitude, speed
, and fire arcs of each aeroplane.
The currently supported races or factions are the Imperial Navy, Space Marines
, Eldar
, Tau
, Chaos
and Orks
.
book Double Eagle by Dan Abnett
. This deals with the air war occurring during the Sabbat Worlds Campaign (the setting for Abnett's Gaunt's Ghosts
novel series). It has a Battle of Britain
flavour; many of the concepts elucidated in the Aeronautica rules can be seen in Abnett's writing.
Miniature wargaming
Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming that incorporates miniature figures, miniature armor and modeled terrain as the main components of play...
set within the Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000 is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop, set in a dystopian science fantasy universe. Warhammer 40,000 was created by Rick Priestley in 1987 as the futuristic companion to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, sharing many game mechanics...
universe. The game focuses on aerial combat between the different races of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Released in January 2007, it was developed and published by Forge World
Forge World
Forge World is the name of a subsidiary company of Games Workshop run by Tony Cottrell, which designs, moulds, and sells resin models for various Games Workshop games....
, a division of the British gaming company Games Workshop
Games Workshop
Games Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...
.
Aeronautica Imperialis is a companion game to Epic
Epic (game)
Epic is a tabletop wargame set in the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe. Where Warhammer 40,000 involves small battles between forces of a few squads of troops and two or three vehicles, Epic features battles between armies consisting of dozens of tanks and hundreds of soldiers...
, which emphasises battles between armies on a larger scale than Warhammer 40,000.
The game
Gameplay-wise, the major difference between Epic and Aeronautica Imperialis is that instead of a player moving and firing tanks and troops, they are using aircraft and ground defense weapons.The Aeronautica Imperialis rulebook contains not only rules for the games, but also two sheets of cards which are used to make special manoeuvres. Other content in the rulebook is background material on the individual aircraft, along with full colour plates and suggestions for painting. At the end of the book, there is a 'campaign' section with scenarios for players to recreate.
Armies and Units
It makes use of currently available aircraft models designed for EpicEpic (game)
Epic is a tabletop wargame set in the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe. Where Warhammer 40,000 involves small battles between forces of a few squads of troops and two or three vehicles, Epic features battles between armies consisting of dozens of tanks and hundreds of soldiers...
, which are approximately 6mm scale, or 1:285. Forge World's Epic web pages say that "Epic models are 5 times smaller than their Warhammer 40,000 equivalent". In addition to the use of the miniatures, Forge World also sells special bases for the game to indicate such things as the altitude, speed
Airspeed
Airspeed is the speed of an aircraft relative to the air. Among the common conventions for qualifying airspeed are: indicated airspeed , calibrated airspeed , true airspeed , equivalent airspeed and density airspeed....
, and fire arcs of each aeroplane.
The currently supported races or factions are the Imperial Navy, Space Marines
Space Marines (Warhammer 40,000)
In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000 setting created by Games Workshop, Space Marines are genetically modified "super human" soldiers created by the Emperor to conquer the galaxy and defend mankind. According to Games Workshop, there are over a thousand recorded chapters of Space Marines,...
, Eldar
Eldar (Warhammer 40,000)
In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Eldar are a race of elf-like humanoids who look into the future via psychic powers. They are one of the most ancient and advanced races in the universe's history, though younger than the Necrons, the C'tan, and the Old Ones...
, Tau
Tau (Warhammer 40,000)
In the universe of Games Workshop's table-top wargame Warhammer 40,000, the Tau Empire is an alien race, inhabiting a small but dense region of space on the eastern edge of the Galaxy, roughly 300 light years in diameter...
, Chaos
Chaos (Warhammer)
In Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes, Chaos refers to the often stereotypically malevolent entities which live in a different timespace, known as the Warp in Warhammer 40,000 and as the Realm of Chaos in Warhammer Fantasy...
and Orks
Ork (Warhammer 40,000)
The Orks are a race from the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe. They are described as being tall, muscular humanoids, with green skin and a penchant for violence. the orks live for war and constantly fight anything in sight, including each other...
.
Storylines
Aeronautica Imperialis has a strong tie with the Black LibraryBlack Library
The Black Library is a division of Games Workshop which is devoted to publishing novels and audiobooks set in the Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes...
book Double Eagle by Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett is a British comic book writer and novelist. He is a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and is known for his work on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, since the 1990s, including 2000 AD...
. This deals with the air war occurring during the Sabbat Worlds Campaign (the setting for Abnett's Gaunt's Ghosts
Gaunt's Ghosts
Gaunt's Ghosts is a series of novels written by Dan Abnett. It is a military science fiction series set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe....
novel series). It has a Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
flavour; many of the concepts elucidated in the Aeronautica rules can be seen in Abnett's writing.