Epic (game system)
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Epic redirects here. For the vessel of the Imperial Navy, see Epic (Ship). |
Epic is the collective term for a series of tabletop wargames produced by Games Workshop, set in the Warhammer 40,000 and Horus Heresy universes. Gameplay is centred around large-scale battles involving hundreds of soldiers and dozens of tanks, and as such, employs comparatively small 6mm scale miniatures (often referred to as Epic-scale).[1] Since its initial release in 1988 as Adeptus Titanicus, the series has gone through a number of incarnations with varying names.
General Information
Epic battles consist of hundreds of soldiers and dozens of tanks arrayed across a long battlefield[1]. To make this possible the scale of Epic miniatures is around 6mm, compared to the 28mm for Warhammer 40,000.
As the game is based on 6mm scale, the physical size of armies is much smaller. This reduces the cost of purchasing forces dramatically compared to other games. It also allows much larger vehicles and creatures to be fielded, including Titans and Bio-Titans, as well as using many aircraft at once. Aeronautica Imperialis concentrates heavily on aircraft at the same 6mm as Epic, allowing physical interchanging of models between the game systems.
While the scale of Epic makes it excellent for fielding large ground forces, it is still too large to field Battlefleet Gothic forces. As the 4th Edition rulebook states: "Even a small Lunar class Cruiser would be over 5 meters long if we made an Epic scale model of it"[2].
Models for the various incarnations of Epic have been produced by both Citadel Miniatures and Forge World.
History
1988-2006: Epic
Adeptus Titanicus (1988)
- Adeptus Titanicus (game) was the first Epic-scale game released by Games Workshop. The game expanded the narrative of the Horus Heresy and centred on combat between Imperial Titans and Chaos Titans. The box set came with six plastic Warlord Titans, which were soon joined by the smaller Reaver and Warhound Titans in metal, as well as upgrade options.[3]
Space Marine (1st Edition) (1989)
- Epic rules for Space Marine infantry and vehicles followed in White Dwarf 109, followed by Space Marine (1st Edition), a boxed game containing a balanced force of 320 Space Marines, 16 Land Raiders, and 32 Rhinos, cards, counters, and banners – and some card buildings with plastic roofs. Xenos miniatures soon began to appear in the pages of White Dwarf, with plastic boxed sets containing Eldar Guardians and Grav-tanks, and Ork Boyz and Battlewagons – plus metal models in support, including the first appearance of the Phantom Titan, as well as Wraithlords, War Walkers, Jetbikes.[3]
Space Marine (2nd Edition) (1991)
- Space Marine (2nd Edition) moved away from the Horus Heresy, with a box that contained Orks, Eldar, Space Marines, and a Titan for good measure. These rules lasted a long time, growing to encompass a wide variety of troops and vehicles for Eldar, Orks, Space Marines, Squats, Chaos, Imperial Guard, and Tyranids over a series of boxed expansions. Every faction received plastic troops, which were supplemented by metal reinforcements – including Titan-sized behemoths.[3]
Titan Legions (1994)
- Titan Legions was an expandalone big box which introduced Titans of even more ridiculous size into the Warhammer canon. This is the debut of the towering Imperator Titan and the two Ork Mega-Gargants.[3]
Epic 40,000 (1997)
- Epic 40,000 brought many changes for epic-scale. The miniatures stayed the same size, but the entire scope of the game changed around them. Armies were no longer confined to set companies or detachments, making force selection more flexible, but the trade-off meant that the complexities of different weapon types were much reduced to make the game faster. These were joined by other innovations, including the notorious blast markers which denoted suppression and morale. It made the controversial move from square infantry bases to oblongs. It was accompanied by a substantial range refresh – the old plastic troops were replaced with more intricate and detailed miniatures. The old Land Raider design (later called the Land Raider Proteus) was replaced with the Mk2B Land Raider.[3]
Epic Armageddon (2003)
- Epic Armageddon was a product of the Specialist Games Studio. For the most part, it was a set of trial rules worked on in collaboration with the gaming community with a little additional support from the sculptors at Forge World, who released new miniatures – including for the T’au Empire and Imperial Navy – every so often.[3]
Aeronautica Imperialis (2006)
The 2006 Aeronautica Imperialis game represent aerial combat between two opposing forces in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. It was not formally part of the Epic Game system, but use a similar small-scale size.
- Main article : Aeronautica Imperialis (2006)
2018 onward : Revival
Adeptus Titanicus: The Horus Heresy (2018)
The 2018 relaunch of Adeptus Titanicus focus on the Horus Heresy setting, in an updated 8mm scale.
Aeronautica Imperialis (2019)
Aeronautica Imperialis was relaunched in a 8mm scale, in 2019.
Legions Imperialis (2023)
- In 2023 was released Legions Imperialis, a new game using the Epic scale (a quarter of the height of the 28mm range)[4], set during the Horus Heresy, pitting armies of Space Marines and Imperial Forces against each other. Models from the relaunched Adeptus Titanicus (2018) and Aeronautica Imperialis (2019) range are usable, with adapted rules, within this new game system. Compared to the miniatures of the 1990', the scale of the models has been updated to be more consistent relative to each other, with more details and slightly increased size.[5]
Video Games
- Final Liberation (game) — a turn-based strategy game for the PC in 1997 based on Epic
Sources
- 1: Specialist Games Retrieved 2009-03-10
- 2: Epic Armageddon Rulebook
- 3: Warhammer Community : Legions Imperialis – The Epic History of Small-Scale Warhammer (18/07/23) (saved archive, last accessed 18/07/23)
- 4: Warhammer Community : Warhammer Preview – Battle on an Epic Scale in the Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Legions Imperialis (01/07/23) (saved archive, last accessed 19/07/23)
- 5: Warhammer Community : Legions Imperialis – Your Burning Questions Answered (07/07/23) (saved archive, last accessed 19/07/23)
