Aeronautica Imperialis: Wings of Vengeance

Wings of Vengeance offers a clean first look at Aeronautica Imperialis, even if the contents of the core box do not make for especially even forces. The tiny aircraft have the right, slightly over-serious presence for a war in the sky; naturally, I put mine on the table before the painting was finished. As an introduction to the system, though, the box does its job very well.

At heart, this is tactical air combat with manoeuvre as its central concern. You do not win merely by exchanging fire: you hunt for an angle, wait for the moment, and try to get onto an opponent's tail once they have committed to the wrong line. The interesting decision is how much risk you will take to claim that position, whether through excessive speed and breakup rolls or by stalling, because an aircraft left exposed is not easily forgiven.

Fly directly at the enemy and ask the dice to settle matters, however, and the game soon becomes volumetric six fishing: buckets of dice, a search for sixes, and a fair chance of disappointment. Imperial firepower at mid-range, particularly the quad autocannons, makes the lesson rather plain. Once that first cold shower is treated as an approach problem rather than a reason to add more dakka, a notably intricate game of positioning and punishing mistakes comes into view.

My first impression was strongly positive: there is depth, tension, and enough room here for a campaign. This is not a system that tolerates careless lists in a competitive setting, but with sensible balance in the choices it becomes an exceptionally crisp air-combat game.

Updated session

Later engagements using Taros Air War confirmed the first impression rather than overturning it. Scenarios and faction-specific character added still more depth, and the game with more balanced lists was pure adrenaline. The weakness also became clearer: some aircraft perform conspicuously better than their points justify, so a genuinely competitive game risks narrowing into a small catalogue of obvious choices. The design needs attention before take-off; give it that, and it is quietly excellent.