Aeronautica

Aeronautica Imperialis is the name of two tabletop miniature wargames set within the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The games depict aerial warfare between different factions in the setting, either as one-off battles or as part of a larger narrative campaign. The first edition was released in January 2007 by Forge World, a division of the British gaming company Games Workshop. The second edition, a relaunch via Games Workshop, was released in August 2019 with a different ruleset and new, larger models.

Starter sets include two small squadrons of opposing forces (initially Imperium vs Orks, a later set added Imperium vs T'au), a basic rulebook, a game mat and various tokens. Additional aircraft are available, with the majority released in plastic under the Games Workshop brand and a small number of specialist aircraft available in resin from Forge World. Supplements are themed around a fictional in-universe campaign, with rules to add more aircraft to the game and a set of missions to enable recreation of key battles of the conflict.

The game is played on a mat with hex-shaped cells, removing the need for tape measures. Players alternate moving models and shooting, as opposed to taking complete turns; this simulates the simultaneous nature of a dogfight. Tactical decisions include selecting aircraft speed and altitude, hidden selection of aircraft maneuvers to keep the opponent guessing, the advantageous 'tailing' position (where an aircraft gains an extra round of shooting if it is in another's rear arc) and avoidance (or intentional use) of spins and stalls.

The refreshed model line-up is scaled to 8mm 'Heroic', matching the scale of the prior Adeptus Titanicus game. The models are approximately 1/4 the size of their Warhammer 40,000 equivalents.

Supplements for Aeronautica Imperialis are released in the form of "Campaign Books", which incorporate new or updated rules, extra aircraft and narrative missions to allow themed campaign play. They are usually released to coincide with a starter set (containing two small factions, a game mat and tokens), though additional aircraft are sometimes released with rules included in their box.