Description
Aeronef is 18 pages long (including the cover), in colour with plenty of colour photos throughout. Of the 18 pages 4 are background/rationale and 2 - without photos - are the basic rules of the game itself, 3 introduce 'Advanced' rules, such as aeroplanes, poison gas, etc.. 4 scenarios, designers' notes and bibliography make up the balance of the page count.
Aeronef defines ships as being in 5 'classes' (1 the biggest and 5 the smallest) and has hull points, gun dice, bomb dice and speed dependent upon that class. Turning and fire arcs use a hexagon shape - the rules stating that models should be based on hexagonal flying stands to enable this.
Movement is handled by writing orders and then each ship, from slowest to fastest does a half move each and then all complete the second half. A ship can fire once per turn at any point in the move using the common 'roll-a-six-to-hit' handful of dice mechanic. The rationale used by Aeronef that 'all vessels are assumed to be armed with a combination of machine guns and quick firing light artillery'. results in all vessels having the same range, same arcs-of-fire and same modification to dice through those arcs.
The advanced rules introduce airships, bombing, aeroplanes, poison gas, how to modify the standard size designs and taking-off and landing of aeronefs.
Personal Opinion
Aeronef is exactly what it claims to be - a set of simple, fast-play rules, although therein lies the problem for me. They are too simple - the lack of an altitude system, IMHO, reduces the game to a naval wargame with strange ships - and is quite poor for that given the lack of armour and gun variations. That said I like the background material and timeline in the rules.
So I guess to sum up, I will not play them again and am not sure if I'm glad I got them!
Another review can be found here (more positive than mine) on Boardgamegeek and a description of the supplement Aeronef Captain's Handbook is there as well