Epic (game)

Epic

Cover of Current Epic rulebook
Designer(s)	Jervis Johnson
Publisher(s)	Games Workshop
Players	2+
Age range	12+
Setup time	5 - 30 minutes
Playing time	30 minutes - 3 hours
Random chance	Dice rolling
Website	Net Epic:Armageddon Website

Epic is a tabletop wargame set in the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe. Whereas Warhammer 40,000 involves small battles between forces of a few squads of troops and two or three vehicles, Epic features battles between armies consisting of dozens of tanks and hundreds of soldiers. Due to the comparatively larger size of the battles, Epic miniatures are smaller than those in Warhammer 40,000, with a typical human being represented with a 6mm high figure, as opposed to the 28mm minis used in Warhammer 40,000.

In the Warhammer Fantasy universe, Warmaster fills much the same "large-scale battle" role as Epic does in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, though the two systems do not share rules.

A standard game of Epic: Armageddon will normally take around two to three hours to play.

The major difference between Epic and other Games Workshop games is that instead of a player moving and firing all of his forces at once, players take turns moving one or two formations at a time using a variety of different 'orders', giving the feeling of a battlefield developing in real-time, and also resulting in a game that is more tactically complex than Warhammer 40,000.

The comparatively smaller size of the miniatures also allows players to use many of the larger vehicles and creatures of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, such as Titans and Super-Heavy Tanks, even in small games, whilst also allowing longer ranged weapons such as artillery to be more realistically portrayed.

Also of note is the introduction of blast markers: a simple system representing each formations degree of morale and suppression under fire which, again, adds another dimension of realism over some wargames.

Epic's rule system incorporates Aircraft as well as ground units, and allows players to utilize many aircraft at once. Epic-scale aircraft are also used in the game Aeronautica Imperialis.

The monetary commitment needed to play Epic can be relatively small when compared with other Games Workshop products. Epic is comparable to W40K: Apocalypse in the sense that they both center around larger battlefields with a larger number of troops and vehicles in command, but the monetary investment is much smaller with Epic. Although GW and FW no longer offer a suitable line of troops and vehicles several companies and a thriving eBay trade have taken their place instead.