Tag Aeronautica Imperialis

Aeronautica Imperialis returns with Wrath of Angels, the third boxset for the current edition and first to feature Aeldari and Adeptus Astartes.

The previous edition of Aeronautica Imperialis was released about this time last year and unlike other Games Workshop IPs it appears we will only be seeing a single full box release each year. Wrath of Angels focuses on a fight between Aeldari (commonly referred to as Eldar) and Adeptus Astartes (commonly referred to as Space Marines). Like each of the other full starter releases we get two ship types for each faction, this time with the NIghtwing, Phoenix Bomber, Xiphon Interceptor and the Storm Eagle Assault Craft. The folks at Games Workshop sent us an advanced copy for the purpose of this review and as always this guarantees we will share our opinion but not a specific opinion.

For the most part gameplay is the same as before (this rulebook features the latest FAQ items in it over previous releases) but adds a few new abilities that are exclusive to the new factions. One ability is Jink, it allows a ship to defy the laws of physics and move one space in any direction before the targeting phase. In most games you cannot negate a natural max roll on the dice but with the Holo Field you can! With the Techmarine you can heal a ship once per game.

The only complaint I really have about this box is that it is the third (out of three) full release featuring a faction from the Imperium of Man. There seems to already be an oversaturation of these factions. That being said I understand the reasoning, Imperium models sell quite well and as a business I would put the primary focus on the groups that would see the most sales.

Overall this is same amazing ship warfare game we have seen with some minor twists and new ships to build and paint. For fans of the either faction and of AI this box is a must have!

Aeronautica Imperialis returns with it’s second starter box Skies of Fire with two new factions- Adeptus Militarum and Tau!

At this point Skies of Fire is more or less old hat having been released about a year ago now but we just love all things with Aeronautica Imperialis so here we are! We’ve talked about AI in the past, when we were with PopNerdTV, and gameplay-wise the game hasn’t really changed since then. Where similar games play on a two dimensional board and those two dimensions are the only ones you need to worry about it was a shock to consider my movements on third dimension. Height is a big factor in the game, too low and you’ll crash, too high and you’ll stall your craft.

The models have a lot of detail, far surpassing those of games like X-Wing and with comparable costs. With X-Wing I can purchase a single ship for about $10-20 where in AI I can purchase four craft for $40-60 and have more detail. The only downside to this comparison is that X-Wing models are preassembled and prepainted.

Verdict:

This game is a must play for fans of the dog fighting/space ship variety, especially if you are looking to improve on the basic mechanics of X-Wing. Whenever I played X-Wing I always wanted something more and variety wasn’t what I was craving, with Aeronautica we got it in spades. The complexity and realism of the fight makes this game a much more impressive contender in the genre and I hope we continue to see it in shops for years to come, some of us are still waiting on the Chaos releases.