Tactica Aeronautica - Extended Damage

With the release of the Aeronautica Imperialis: Companion, Extended Damage rules were added to the game. First off, it is worth stating these rules are optional. 

What are the Extended Damage rules? 

Valkyrie with Fire damage

In a standard game of Aeronautica, when an aircraft scores a damaging hit on an opponent, the opposing aircraft loses a structure point. However, with the Extended Damage rules, a damaging hit requires a roll on the Aircraft Damage table. On a result of 4 or higher, the aircraft loses a structure point and suffers an additional effect, such as Spinning, Smoke, or Flame. On a roll of 3 or lower, the aircraft suffers an additional effect but does not lose a structure point.

As a result, the Aircraft Damage table effectively reduces the chance of a structure point being lost to roughly 50% per damaging hit. When using the Extended Damage rules, all aircraft become more resilient, which significantly increases the length of the game.

How do the extra effects from the Aircraft Damage table affect the game? 

Ork Fighta-Bommer trailing smoke

The Extended Damage rules introduce new effects such as Smoke and Flame into the game. If an aircraft is affected by Smoke, its to hit rolls are reduced by 1, and it is prevented from using tailing fire. Overall, the Smoke effect reduces the effectiveness of an attacker’s firepower.

The Flame effect is even more severe. An aircraft affected by Flame cannot attack during the Firing phase, its manoeuvrability is reduced by 1, and it also cannot use tailing fire. Additionally, Flame may cause further damage during the End phase. Like Smoke, Flame significantly reduces an attacker’s combat effectiveness.

Both the Smoke and Flame effects contribute to lengthening the game, not just by reducing damage output, but by making many attacks ineffective or even impossible. If too many aircraft are affected by these conditions, the game risks becoming slow and dull, as combat effectiveness drops across the board.

The three main effects that can result from the Aircraft Damage table are Smoke, Flame, and Spin. Removing any of these effects requires a Handling check, which varies between factions and aircraft types. For example, Aeldari aircraft typically have Handling values of 2+, allowing them to shed these negative effects more reliably. In contrast, Ork and Necron aircraft often have Handling values of 4+, making it much harder for them to recover.

This has strategic implications. If I were playing the Imperial Navy with Extended Damage rules in effect, I would prefer to field Avenger Strike Fighters over Thunderbolts due to their superior Handling.

Unfortunately, the Extended Damage rules have the potential to disrupt what is otherwise a well-balanced game system. Aircraft with high Handling values (such as 2+) are less penalized by the added effects and may even benefit from the general reduction in overall damage output. Meanwhile, aircraft with Handling values of 4+ or worse are doubly penalized: they struggle to remove negative effects and see fewer opportunities to deal damage, making their role in the game significantly harder.

When would I use the Extended Damage rule? 

Imperial and Necron forces clash

The Extended Damage rules do offer a rich narrative experience. It’s very thematic to see aircraft spiraling out of the skies, trailing smoke and flame, it really adds cinematic drama to the battlefield. I would definitely choose to use these rules when playing a campaign. Why? Firstly, because campaigns are all about storytelling, and as mentioned earlier, these rules enhance the narrative. Secondly, campaigns focus on the development of your force and individual pilots. Since the Extended Damage rules make it more likely for aircraft to survive a battle, they also create more opportunities for pilots to gain experience and grow over time.

That said, while you can use these rules in a one-off game, they do tend to increase the game’s length and reduce the overall level of action. For that reason, I wouldn’t recommend them for larger games (120+ points), where the extra bookkeeping becomes especially tedious and can slow the game down considerably.

Conclusion 

The Extended Damage rules add a compelling narrative layer to Aeronautica Imperialis, bringing dramatic moments to the table, planes spiraling down, trailing smoke and flame. However, they also result in fewer aircraft being destroyed during a game, extend the length of play, and can make one-off matches feel less dynamic.

There’s also a concern around balance. Some factions are more negatively affected by the added conditions from the Aircraft Damage table than others, due to differences in Handling values. This can unintentionally tip the scales in favor of certain forces, particularly those with superior manoeuvrability.

That said, these rules can encourage players to experiment with different aircraft, choosing Avengers over Thunderbolts or Barracudas over Tiger Sharks, for instance, based on Handling stats rather than just raw firepower.

Overall, the Extended Damage rules are an interesting and flavorful addition to the game, but I’m glad they remain optional. They’re great for narrative campaigns but may not suit every game or playgroup.

If you would like to read any of my other Aeronautica articles click on the links Here

If you have any questions you would like to ask, please drop them in the comments below and remember ‘Always watch you six.’