Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse
Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction
Apocalypse allows you to take your battles to a whole new level. No longer will you lead a single detachment of troops into battle. Now you can have hundreds of men and squadron after squadron of tanks under your command. The greatest heroes of the age battle at the side of your warriors against the hated foe. Huge war machines tower over the battlefield, their super-heavy weapons blowing apart even the most heavily armoured tanks and cutting bloody swathes through the enemy ranks. Aircraft scream through the smoke-palled skies, making devastating bombing runs or landing to unleash a horde of bloodthirsty fighters. Orbiting spacecraft fire punishing barrages that pound the enemy into the ground and reduce even the strongest fortifications to rubble. This is war on a scale undreamt of.
This is Apocalypse.
On the pages that follow you will find everything you need to know in order to fight apocalypse battles of Warhammer 40,000. You will learn how to set up and organise the battle, about the new models you can collect and use in games of this scale, and all the rules you will need in order to use these new units. However, our aim is to inspire as well as inform, and so Warhammer 40,000 Apocalypse also includes lots of examples of apocalyptic games that we have played at the Games Workshop Design Studio, with lots of pictures of the armies, models and terrain we have used to fight these battles. Those of you that love the history of the 41st Millennium and the illustrations produced by the Studio's artists will also find plenty to look at within these pages.
The book is broadly divided into two parts. The first half is designed for you to read through and enjoy - you'll be eager to play a huge game of Warhammer 40,000 when you've finished! The second half contains the nuts-and-bolts of the rules; you'll refer to these pages again and again as you prepare for and fight out a battle.
The first half of the book contains:
Fighting Apocalyptic Battles
This section explains how to set up and fight an Apocalypse battle. It covers the basics of preparing the battlefield, deploying the armies and deciding who has won.
Organising a Battle
Fighting a mammoth game takes a bit of organisation - the next section gives some practical tips (like remembering to bring enough food!).
Armies & Battlefields
Here you'll find advice and guidance on collecting and painting your army for an Apocalypse battle, as well as preparing the table and enough terrain.
The second half consists of:
Apocalyptic Forces
This part contains dozens of new units that can be used when fighting Apocalypse battles. The rules you'll need to use everything from speeding Fighta-Bommers to huge Warlord Titans can be found here.
Strategic Assets
Strategic assets add an extra dimension to your battles, allowing you to unleash orbital bombardments, set up shield generators or even equip a character with a vortex grenade!
Appendices
Rules summaries and other handy information can be found at the back.
Interspersed throughout the book you will find illustrations, battle reports describing apocalypse battles we have fought at the Studio, additional information about how different races fight battles of this scale, and just about anything else we felt might prove useful for you! We have also set up a dedicated Warhammer 40,000 Apocalypse section on the Games Workshop website, which can be found at the following address: www.games-workshop.com
The website includes all kinds of useful gaming advice and hobby material, further details of the battles featured in this book and has new units that you can use in your games.
Our goal has been to provide you everything you need to go about fighting really large battles using the Warhammer 40,000 rules. In fact the only limit on what you can do is your own imagination. So have fun, and remember, victory may not always go to the side with the biggest guns - but they certainly do help!
Fighting Apocalyptic Battles
What is Apocalypse?
Bring out all the miniatures you own, get your friends together, and fight bigger battles than ever before.
Jervis: There comes a time in every gamer's life where their collection of Citadel miniatures grows so large that they can no longer use all of their models in a single game. Although it's always handy to have enough extra units to 'fine-tune' your army for a battle, we all know it can be frustrating too; every now and then you want to be able to fight a battle where you get to use your entire collection. It was the desire to be able to play really large games of Warhammer 40,000 that was the genesis of this book. If you're anything like me then you're rather proud of your collection, and would occasionally like the chance to plonk the whole lot down on the table and say "There, now try and beat that!"
The good news is that it is actually very easy to play huge games of Warhammer 40,000 if you want to; all that is required are two armies of 3,000 points or more, a suitably large playing area, a bit of time and some advance planning. The rules and army lists from the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook and Codexes (which I'll refer to jointly as the 'core rules' from now on), are perfectly suited to playing large games, and there is no need to change them at all. What this book concentrates on is giving you the advice and information you will need to 'scale up your games' from 1,500 or 2,000 point battles to 3,000 points plus. Note that you will need at least 3,000 points worth of models per side - anything less simply isn't apocalyptic enough!
In many ways showing that it's easy to fight large battles is probably the most important thing this book can teach you. While playing we've found that games of up to three or four thousand points can easily be completed by two players in the course of a long evening, and without the need to learn reams of new game rules in order to take part. Bigger games work best with teams of players and take longer to complete, but are still very enjoyable and straightforward to take part in.
I think it's important to stress this point right from the start, because one of the objections I've heard from players about taking part in large games is that they will take too long to play and be 'hard work'. All I can really say to this is that in my own experience the reverse is true, and that a properly organised large battle is simply a joy to take part in. That this really is the case was shown by our very first game of Apocalypse. This was a massive game between two teams of three players each. I can remember briefing the players before the game, warning them that things might not work out perfectly, and that the game could take quite a long time to finish. What actually happened was almost the exact reverse of this. The game started off at 10am in the morning with the deployment of the two armies, and had been fought to a conclusion and packed away by 6pm, including a one hour break for us to have our lunch! More importantly, it had been a breeze to organise and left everybody who took part eager for their next game.
The aim of this book, then, is to inspire you to fight large battles like the one just described, and to make sure that we teach you everything you need to know to make sure the games you play are as much fun as the battles we have fought. Which brings up another important point, which is that while Apocalypse battles don't require any changes to the core game rules, they are not the same as a core game, and you need to be prepared for this. For a start, Apocalypse battles do take longer to play - not as long as some might think, but longer nonetheless. A typical 1,500 point game will take anywhere from one to three hours to play, and can easily be completed in the course of an evening. An Apocalypse battle will require at least a whole evening, and can take a full day or even a weekend to complete (see the box on Sizes of Game for more detailed guidelines). Because of this, Apocalypse battles are not really a replacement for the normal size game that you will want to play all of the time, but should be seen as something of a special occasion.
Apocalypse battles also require quite a lot of preparation compared to a normal game, mainly because of their sheer size and the time they take to play. You shouldn't let this put you off playing an Apocalypse battle as the rewards far outweigh the time taken to set up the game, but you do need to be aware of what you're letting yourself in for so you can prepare accordingly. A lot of this book is taken up with advice on how to go about organising large games, based on our own experience of doing just that for the large games we organise at the Design Studio.
But Apocalypse offers far more than just the chance to get together with your mates and fight a battle with all of your Citadel miniatures. Most notably, it has allowed us to add dozens of new units to the game that would simply be too powerful to include in standard missions. So Apocalypse not only allows you to use your whole collection, but also to field things like the enormous super-heavy tanks of the Imperial Guard, Space Marine Thunderhawk gunships, and even the vast and destructive machines of the Titan Legions.
On top of this Apocalypse offers unrivalled opportunities for those players who enjoy converting and scratch-building models, inventing narrative scenarios, and those that like making their own elaborate wargames terrain. All of these aspects, and much more besides, are discussed in the pages that follow.
Sizes of Game
Bigger games take longer, but more players will speed things up.
- Less than 3,000 points: Standard Warhammer 40,000 game, with 1 player per side, takes 1-3 hours to play.
- 3,000-6,000 points: Standard Apocalypse game, with 1-2 players per side, takes an evening.
- 6,000-15,000 points: Large Apocalypse game, 2-4 players per side, takes up to a day to play.
- 16,000 points plus: Monster Apocalypse game, 3 or more players per side, may take a weekend.
Legendary Units & Battle Formations
Further on in this book you will find several dozen examples of legendary units. These are new units that we have designed for use in games of Apocalypse, drawn from the Warhammer 40,000 background. We felt they were simply too powerful to include in the core game, but are perfectly at home in a game of Apocalypse. Examples include the Imperial Baneblade and the Ork Stompa, as well as monstrosities like the Tyranid Hierophant. There are also battle formations that represent larger contingents of existing units, such as the 'Emperor's Fist' tank company, Ork Kults of Speed and the Eldar Wind Rider Host. We plan to keep on adding new legendary units and battle formations on the Games Workshop website, and you can stay up-to-date with all the news and information by reading White Dwarf magazine.
The Apocalypse Mission
The missions included in the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook are perfect for two-player games of under 3,000 points. For larger games we have developed a new mission to use when fighting Apocalypse battles.
Jervis: The Apocalypse mission has been designed to make it as easy as possible for two players, or two teams of players, to fight a large battle that uses all of the Citadel miniatures in their collection. In fact, just about the only really hard and fast restriction on what you can use is that each side must field an army worth 3,000 points or more. This is very different to the way that the standard missions are played, and because of this I'm going to explain how the Apocalypse mission works in some detail on the following pages. Don't worry, we've also included a summary of everything you need to know here and at the end of the book, and when you actually play it is the one page summary you'll need rather than this longer explanation of all of the ins and outs of the rules.
Although there is only one version of the Apocalypse mission, it has been designed to be very flexible, and this means that two games will rarely be the same. In addition, we have included a lot of information later on in this book that describes how you can vary the basic Apocalypse mission to give your games more of a theme.
The Apocalypse Mission - Summary
1. Pick Army
- Agree a point limit for the game.
- Choose an army from the relevant Warhammer 40,000 Codex.
- No force organisation chart restrictions apply.
- Legendary units and battle formations may be added to the army.
- Players may field a mixed force drawn from two or more army lists if they wish.
2. Select Teams
- If there are more than two players, then divide the players into two teams, each with roughly equal points totals and numbers of players. The team with the fewest points will receive extra Strategic Assets in order to even things up (see the Strategic Assets section).
3. Prepare Battlefield
- Set up the battlefield in any mutually agreeable manner.
- Decide where 'no-man's land' is located, and pick each side's deployment area.
4. Set Time Limit
- Decide a time limit for the game. The game will carry on after the time limit is reached, until both sides have completed an equal number of turns.
5. Pick Strategic Assets
- Each side receives a number of strategic assets equal to the number of players in the larger team.
- If one side has less points, then they receive one extra asset for every full 250 points difference.
- Some legendary units and battle formations allow the player who has them to take a 'bonus' asset.
- No asset may be taken more than once per side unless it is a 'bonus' asset.
6. Deploy
- Both sides secretly bid 1-30 minutes for deployment. The time chosen is the amount of time allowed to deploy the side's army.
- The side that bid lowest sets up first (and will take the first turn).
- Units that are not set up are kept in 'Strategic Reserve'. Players may commit units from Strategic Reserve to the battle at the start of each turn (see page 23).
7. Place Objectives
- Take it in turns to set up objectives. Each side sets up three - one in their own deployment area, one in no-man's land and one in the enemy's deployment area.
8. Fight the Battle
- The side that set up first takes the first turn.
9. Victory!
- When the game ends, the side that has captured the most objectives wins!
1. Pick Army
Each player taking part in an Apocalypse battle needs to bring along an army. Armies may include any number of units from any Codex army list, plus any number of the legendary units and battle formations described on the datasheets later on in this book (see pages 100-175). Note that no force organisation chart restrictions apply to the army - just bring along all of the models you can! Ignore any restrictions on things that are normally limited to 0-1, 0-2 or whatever. Limitations such as 'you may field one Conscript Platoon for each Infantry Platoon' don't apply either. Really the only rule is that unit sizes must be correct.
Players can take any upgrades that they like (at the appropriate cost), but in Apocalypse battles upgrades absolutely must be represented on the model, as otherwise keeping track of which model has which upgrade becomes very hard. Players should also take care because the more points they have in their army, the more points their opponents will be allowed to have in theirs! I'll return to points again later on, but for the moment suffice to say that points are used to divide the players into two (more or less) equal teams, so it's important to know the points values of the armies taking part. This means that each player will need to work out the points values of all of the units they are bringing along to the game, and you may want to bring along a roster for your army just as you would if you were playing a standard mission.
Apocalypse allows you to field your entire collection, which is why a lot of the restrictions that apply to picking an army for a standard mission simply don't apply. This might seem to advantage players with larger collections of models, but as you'll see, we've included a number of methods that will allow you to 'balance' a game without having to leave models on a shelf (well, unless you want to leave them on the shelf that is - you don't have to use up old broken model if you don't want to!). I'm labouring this point, because during playtesting people found it hard to believe that we were saying "Just bring all of your collection and play". But this is exactly what we mean. Using the rules and guidelines from this book you can field your entire collection and have a perfectly enjoyable game.
This said, there is no reason at all not to set a maximum points limit for the game if you wish. We've played a number of two to four player games with a points limit of between 3,000 to 6,000 points, all of which proved extremely enjoyable, and had the added benefit of taking only slightly longer than a standard mission to finish.
Allies
Remember that you can bring along units from more than one army list, so if your collection includes Imperial Guard and Tau, plus a squad of Harlequins you bought just to paint, then all these models can fight as a single force. The great thing about this system is that it allows you to vary your painting routine, collect units you like even if you have no intention of building up a full army, or start the core of a new force and field it in battle straight away.
Special Characters
Special characters can be difficult to use in a standard 1,500 point game, because they cost rather a lot of points and often use up valuable 'HQ slots' for the army. Fortunately neither of these obstacles matter in Apocalypse. In fact, we consider it very appropriate indeed that as many special characters are included as possible, as it makes the game feel suitably apocalyptic in nature - huge battles are the natural place for such individuals as Abaddon the Despoiler and Commissar Yarrick. Also, it would seem a dreadful waste to leave any of the special character models out of such a game.
For a while we even considered making it a rule that every army had to include a special character to lead it. In the end we decided against being so prescriptive, but nonetheless we highly recommend that you use the special characters that you have in your collection as the leaders of your Apocalypse army.
2. Select Teams
Apocalypse battles can be played between two players, but they are especially suited to team play. While it's possible to play 'all against all' games, or games where there are three or more sides taking part, for the basic Apocalypse battle mission we've assumed that the players will be split into two sides.
Because of this, if there are three or more players taking part in the battle they must be split into two teams at the start of the game. This is done by comparing the players' army rosters, and then splitting the players into two teams that have roughly equal points values. It is not vital that both sides have exactly the same number of points, as the side with the least points will be given extra strategic assets in order to balance the game (see Step 5: Pick Strategic Assets, on page 22). However, you should aim to create two teams whose points values are as similar as possible.
The number of players in each team doesn't have to be the same, but it helps if neither team has more than one player more than its opponents (eg, three players versus four players is better than two versus five). However, this is less important than having roughly the same points values for each side.
The players in a team each command their own army. The rules affecting one player's units don't affect the units belonging to another player on the same side. So, for example, the 'Rites Of Battle' rule that applies to Space Marine Commanders would only apply to the Space Marine units from the owning player's army.
While this system has the benefit of being fair and balanced, it can lead to some 'unusual' alliances, to say the least. You may want to consider using the Allies matrix on page 198 to decide which team each player belongs to. Speaking personally, I rather like the strange alliances this system results in, and enjoy the challenge of coming up with an explanation of how the alliance came about - but your taste may vary...
3. Prepare Battlefield
An apocalypse battle requires a suitably large playing area and enough terrain to fill it. The size of table required can vary quite a bit, depending upon the armies that are fielded. As a rule of thumb, we'd recommend the gaming area sizes shown in the chart below. Please note that things may get crowded, especially with armies like Orks and Tyranids that have lots of cheap troops.
| Forces per side | Gaming area size |
|---|---|
| 3,000 points | 4' x 8' |
| 5,000 points | 6' x 8' |
| 10,000 points | 12' x 8' |
| 20,000 points | 24' x 8' |
As a rough guide, you should have about one square foot of playing area for every 100 points worth of models on the largest team.
Astute readers will have noticed that the table sizes I've quoted (apart from the smallest) are based on sliding several 6' by 4' tables together. So the 6' by 8' table is made up of two 6' by 4' tables side by side. Eight feet is about the maximum width that can be used and still allow players to reach the middle, while twenty-four feet is about the maximum length than can be used without the table starting to look too long and thin. We've provided some guidelines later on in this book if you feel the need for an even larger playing area than that provided by a 24 foot long table (you might want to use the floor!), and you will also find information on more unusual table set-ups (see pages 66 to 71).
With the table ready, you need to fill it with terrain. The Warhammer 40,000 rulebook recommends that about 25% of the table be covered in terrain, but we find that this makes for an overly crowded Apocalypse battlefield, quite aside from any issues to do with how you get enough terrain features to fill a quarter of a 24' by 8' table! Instead you should lay your hands on as much terrain as you can, and then set it up in any mutually agreeable manner. I recommend 'clumping' the terrain to form larger features rather than spreading it evenly over the battlefield; for example, you could clump all of the buildings to create a town, all of the woods to create a forest and so on. Don't worry if there are some fairly wide-open spaces on the table - you'll soon fill them with troops!
The last thing you need to do at this stage is to divide the playing area into two deployment zones separated by a 12" wide area of 'no-man's land'. To do this, roll a scatter dice and place a marker on the point of the table edge where the direction arrow is pointing. Then place a second marker as far as it is possible to get from the first point. If there are two or more such points, use the one that most closely splits the playing area into half. Now draw a straight line directly between the two points; no-man's land stretches 6" either side of this line (see the diagrams opposite).
A randomly selected player now picks one of the two areas on either side of no-man's land as his side's deployment area - the opposing side will use the remaining area on the other side of no-man's land.
Diagrams: A) Roll a scatter dice in the middle of the table and mark the point on the table edge where the direction arrow is pointing. B) Mark a line between the first point and the furthest point away on the table. C) No-man's land stretches 6" either side of the line. Players can now pick deployment zones.
4. Set Time Limit
Standard missions are fought for a certain number of turns (usually six), but we found that this doesn't work that well for Apocalypse battles. Whenever we used turn limits we found that we either not had time to finish, or that we finished too soon. So instead of a turn limit, Apocalypse battles have a time limit, which is determined by the players before the battle starts. For example, you might say "We'll play until 7pm tonight," or "We'll start on Saturday morning at 10 sharp, and finish on Sunday at 5pm".
When the agreed time limit is reached, keep on playing long enough for both sides to complete the same number of turns, and then work out who has won. For example, at the agreed time side A is in the middle of their seventh turn and side B has had six turns. Therefore side A completes its turn (taking it up to seven game turns), and then side B gets to take a turn (so they have played seven turns also). The game is then over. Because the game will overrun the time limit, you should set the time at least an hour before the game really needs to finish.
As an aside, teams can of course agree to play on after the time limit has been reached, or to freeze the game to go back to it the next day, and so on. Sometimes you'll find that the battle is at such a crucial stage that it simply feels wrong to end the game right then, and so will decide to play an extra turn or two until there is a natural conclusion. At other times you may be enjoying the sheer carnage of the battle so much that you simply don't want to stop! In either case it is perfectly acceptable to keep on playing if both sides agree to do so.
5. Pick Strategic Assets
One of the things we wanted players of the Apocalypse mission to do was to draw on higher level planning and support. We wanted them to be able to call down a barrage from an orbiting spacecraft, for example, or to be able to plan a flank march, and so on.
The way we've incorporated these things into the game is to allow each side to pick one or more 'strategic assets' that they can use during the game. You'll find a list of the strategic assets and what effect they have on play on pages 185-189.
The number of strategic assets each side may have is equal to the number of players in the largest team; so if one side had two players and the other three, then both sides would get three strategic assets. In addition, if one side has a lower points value than the other, then the side with the lower value is allowed to take one extra strategic asset for every 250 points less than the opponent's total. So, if one side was from 250 to 499 points under its opponent's total it would get one extra strategic asset, if it were from 500 to 749 points under it would get two, and so on. No asset can be chosen more than once by a side, unless the rules specifically say otherwise.
Finally, some of the legendary units and battle formations included in this book allow players to take 'bonus' strategic assets. These can be used even if the same asset has already been picked.
It is up to the players on the team to decide which of them gets to take each asset; if you can't decide amicably then dice for it!
6. Deploy
[Book page 23 (the full text of this step) is missing from the scan. The Mission Summary above and the Rules Summary on book page 199 give: both sides secretly bid 1-30 minutes for deployment, the time chosen being the time allowed to deploy that side's army; the side that bid lowest sets up first and takes the first turn; units not set up are kept in strategic reserve. The Strategic Reserves rules from the Rules Summary are given under Appendices.]
7. Place Objectives
In early games of Apocalypse we used the Victory Point table from the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook. We quickly found that it was a rather cumbersome system to use in games of this size, and also made players overly cautious with their troops as they didn't want to give up victory points to their opponent. What was needed was a system that was both easy to use and encouraged suitably gung-ho tactics during the game. The following set of victory conditions achieves both of these admirably.
The winner of an Apocalypse battle is decided by the capture of objective markers. Once both sides have deployed, each side must set up three objective markers on the table. Roll a dice to see which side goes first. That side sets up one objective, then the opposing side sets up one objective, and so on back and forth until all objectives have been placed. Any suitable marker will do, such as a coin or even a counter themed to your army.
Each side must set up one objective in their own deployment area, one in the opponent's deployment area, and one in no-man's land. An objective may not be set up within 12" of an objective that has already been placed, or within 12" of any table edge.
8. Fight the Battle
You are now ready to start fighting! Continue playing until the time limit is reached, and then finish the player turn in progress and play an extra player turn if needed (see Step 4: Set Time Limit).
9. Victory!
Once the last turn is finished, the side that has captured the most objectives is the winner of the game.
An objective is captured if a player has a scoring unit within 6" of it and there are no enemy scoring units within 6" of it.
A scoring unit may only count towards one objective - if it is within 6" of two or more objectives, it counts towards the one that is closest.
If both sides have scoring units within 6" of an objective, then both sides total up the victory point values of the scoring units that are counting towards the objective. The side whose units are worth the most victory points captures that objective.
[Book pages 25-32 (The Battle of Cold Steel Ridge battle report) are not included in the scan.]
Organising a Battle
Games of this size need a little extra preparation to make sure you get playing as quickly as possible. The following section is filled with practical advice.
Planning in Advance
A bit of forward preparation will make your Apocalypse battles run much more smoothly and save a lot of wasted time.
If you've read this far then you already know most of the things you need to know in order to play Apocalypse - all you have to do is turn up with all of your collection and be ready to play a large game of Warhammer 40,000. There is, of course, a little bit more to it than that, as you'll already have seen so far in this book, but aside from learning a few more rules, finding out about some new units and setting up a bigger board than usual, there isn't much else you need to know. However, the devil is in the detail, and this is as true for Apocalypse as anything else in life. Which means that while it sounds easy to say "Just turn up with all of your collection and be ready to play a large game of Warhammer 40,000", actually getting everybody in the right place at the right time with all the right stuff can prove rather more... challenging.
This is especially true if you're playing large games with over 5,000 points a side. Because of this I'm going to provide you with some simple guidelines and tips about organising large games that I hope will prove useful and ensure that any games of Apocalypse you organise or take part in go without a hitch. In many ways these tips are more important than all of the game rules and new units, because if you get the organisation wrong then all of the rules and new models in the world won't make the game work. Please note that these guidelines are most important for fairly large games, and if you are playing a smaller Apocalypse battle (eg, not more than 5,000 points per side) then you can safely ignore some or all of them and be able to get on quite happily.
The first piece of advice is that each game should be organised by one person. It doesn't have to be the same person each time, but having one person that is in charge of the game will make things much easier. The organiser should see himself as something of a benign dictator, who can listen to advice and suggestions from others, but gets to make all of the decisions about how the game will be organised. If you are fighting a very large or complex battle then the organiser may need the support of other people, but I've found it works better if these people are assistants who carry out the organiser's bidding. Anything else can result in 'too many cooks spoiling the broth'.
Once you have selected the person that is in charge, there are four different things they will need to start organising. I call these four things, 'The Four P's Of Organising A Battle':
- People
- Place
- Playing Area
- Plan
1. People
The first thing you're going to need in order to fight an Apocalypse battle is at least one opponent. Although Apocalypse works very well with two players, its nature makes it especially suited to team play. Games with three or four players per side are not uncommon, and it's fairly easy to organise games with even larger teams as long as you have the space and the time available.
The only really problem with large team games is that getting a group of wargamers to commit to turning up at the same place and time is a bit like herding cats. I therefore recommend that you don't simply say "Hey, who fancies a game of Apocalypse?" because what you'll find is that everyone says "Oh yes please," leaving you with the logistical nightmare of trying to find a time that suits everyone. What I've found works much better is to say "I'm running a game of Apocalypse on this date. Who wants to play?" As long as you set the date several weeks in advance you should get plenty of volunteers to play. If there are a limited number of places then make sure you say so right at the start, as trying to tell someone there isn't room for them later on can lead to hurt feelings.
Once you have your list of players, make sure that they put the date for the game in their diary, and that they do things like telling their partners or parents what they plan to do on that day. Then remind them every week or so about the game, and make sure that they understand that you don't mind at all if they drop out as long as they let you know they can't come as early as possible. This is important because people can worry about saying they can't come, and may decide to leave saying anything until the last minute when it can be too late to do anything about it.
The only other thing you have to do with the players is to let them know what they need to bring on the day, and when they need to turn up. I'll cover this in more detail when I get to point 4 (Plan), so for the moment suffice to say that you need to give each and every player clear written instructions telling them what they need to do. Don't rely on just telling them (people always forget), and don't assume they know (as this means they probably don't!).
2. Place
Once you have a set of players, the next thing to decide upon is the location for the game. Quite often you'll have decided on this before asking people to take part, but at other times you'll want to find out how many players are interested in playing before picking a location for the game.
You'll usually find that the place where you normally play games is perfectly suitable for games of Apocalypse too, but this won't always be the case, and in the latter circumstance you'll need to find a suitably large venue for the game. When picking an alternative location, you need to consider the amount of space required in order to set up the game, but also how you're going to deal with things like preparing and eating food, toilet facilities, and access to the gaming area. If you have trouble finding a site then it's well worth asking the staff in your local Games Workshop store or stockist if they can provide any help or advice. Local leisure centres often have function rooms that can be hired for a day or two. I've even seen one large game played in an empty store in the local shopping mall! As long as you don't give up, you're sure to find a suitable venue.
One thing that you should keep in mind when organising large games is that its rare to find a venue that can be hired for free. Because of this you should warn players that they may have to chip in to cover the cost of hiring the room.
3. Playing Area
Games of Apocalypse can require a large playing area and a lot of terrain to go on top of it. Later on you will find details about table setups and terrain, but for the moment it is enough to underline the need to decide well in advance what kind of a playing area you will need.
The size of the playing area can vary, but as a rule of thumb a 8' by 4' table will work for the smallest-sized Apocalypse battles while an 8' by 6' table will be suitable for a four player game, and a 12' by 6' table can cope with about eight players. Keep in mind that these numbers are starting points and not absolutes, and can be modified to take into account the size of the armies being used, and the type of game you want to play.
Once you have an idea of how large a playing area will be needed, you must make sure that you have enough terrain for the battle. The best way to do this is to take an inventory of the terrain that is available, and set up a few sample battlefields. You don't need as much terrain in Apocalypse games per square foot of the table as you do normally, but you may still find that some more terrain is required. If this is the case you should check out examples in the Armies and Battlefields section for guidelines on producing more terrain. Players working together can achieve a lot quite quickly. One thing we've found is that the promise of a game of Apocalypse can act as a great spur for making extra terrain - and also that a desire to make specific terrain features has acted as the inspiration for a game of Apocalypse (see the battle reports later in this book for more examples of such games).
4. Plan
With the players, place and playing area all ready and waiting, all that is required is a good plan to bring the whole thing together. I'm using the word plan to encompass all of the different things the players will need to know in order to take part in the game. This information needs to be written down by the organiser and sent out to the players well in advance of the game. And be ready to provide extra copies closer to the day to those players that have lost the original copy you sent them!
The amount of detail the plan will go into will vary depending on the complexity of the game being played. However, it will usually need to cover the following things:
- Where and when to turn up in order to play the game.
- List of players taking part and their contact details (a list of mobile phone numbers is especially useful for tracking down missing players).
- What the players need to bring with them, including things like army rosters, rulebooks, dice, templates and tape measures if these will be needed.
- Make sure players bring along datasheets for any legendary units or battle formations they are fielding.
- It is important that players know the points total of their army.
- A timeline for the day saying when the game will start, if there will be any breaks, etc.
- Who needs to arrive early to help with setting up, and who will stay late to help pack away.
- What arrangements have been made for eating and drinking, or a note telling players to bring their own sandwiches with them.
- Any special or 'house' rules that will be used for the game.
- An overview of the scenario being played and how the winners will be decided.
- Anything else you can think of that may be useful or of interest to the players.
If you're organising an especially enormous game that is going to take more than a day to play, then you will also need to include information about accommodation and sleeping arrangements, even if this boils down to "Bring a sleeping bag!"
Last but not least, you must make sure that anybody who is helping you set up or take down the game knows in advance what you need them to do and at what time. Organising a large game of Apocalypse can require quite a few helpers, and you need to be sure that they will turn up and not leave you in the lurch. You will find that a little bit of advance planning and a couple of meetings with your helpers will pay huge dividends on the day.
Running the Battle
You might think that all of this preparation will mean the battle itself will unfold like clockwork. Unfortunately, in my experience this is rarely the case. People will turn up late, at least one player will have forgotten to bring something or another (dice and templates being the two most common things to get left at home), somebody else will say they have to leave early, and most of the players will not have read the rules and won't be sure how to set up or play.
There is only one way to deal with this mayhem, and that is to act like a demented tin-pot dictator, ordering your players about and making sure that they do what you want rather than the other way around. Being any more reasonable only seems to encourage the players to mill about in an aimless manner, worrying more about getting a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich than actually getting the game started. Trust me, they'll thank you for it afterwards!
Seriously, though, it is the organiser's job to make sure that things happen on time, and also that there are contingency plans for the more likely calamities such as forgotten templates or late-arriving players. Here is a short list of the type of things you may want to consider:
- Bring along as many spare rulebooks, Codexes, dice, template, tape measures and other play-aids as you can lay your hands on. You can never have too many of these things!
- Make sure you have a list of phone numbers so you can check if a late arrival is just late or will not be able to turn up at all.
- Be prepared to cope with at least one player dropping out all together. Depending on the number of players you can either re-organise the teams, or bring along some extra units to add to the side that is a player down.
- Players that arrive late should just join the game as 'reinforcements' when they arrive. Those that have to leave early can either hand over command of their troops to an ally (if one is available), or withdraw their army by packing it away when they have to leave.
- Most importantly of all, leave yourself fifteen minutes before the armies are set up to explain the rules of Apocalypse and the scenario you are playing in to all of the players that are taking part.
There is one final decision the organiser needs to make, and that's whether they will join in the battle themselves, or act as a neutral umpire while the game is in progress. This is largely a matter of preference, but I recommend joining in if you possibly can. To be honest, by the time the game actually gets started almost all of the organiser's work has already been done, and you might as well get some reward for all of the effort you've put in. On the other hand there are those who really enjoy acting as an umpire in order to make sure that everybody has as good a time as possible. Umpiring a game also leaves you free to spring unexpected surprises on the players during the game, which can be a lot of fun especially for those with a more sadistic nature. The Perry twins, miniatures designers and veteran organisers of large games, are renowned for always springing a surprise or two during a game, which makes gaming with them a fascinating if rather paranoia-inducing experience.
Special Rules & Restrictions
You will need to decide early on in the planning stage if any special rules or restrictions will apply to your game of Apocalypse. Such things can range from minor changes to the Apocalypse mission presented in the previous section, right through to running a themed game with special rules and army list restrictions, like those included in some of the battle reports elsewhere in this book. Making changes like this is completely up to you and your group of players, and is totally in keeping with the spirit of the game.
Some of the things you may wish to consider are:
- Modifying the set-up and victory conditions for the battle.
- Creating special rules for terrain features.
- Applying restrictions to what players can pick from their army lists.
- Giving each side additional assets based on the nature of the game being played (eg, extra Strategic Redeployment assets if you are playing on a huge table, etc).
- Writing new datasheets for scratch-built models or unique formations of your own devising.
- Any 'house rules' your group has agreed upon (see right).
The bottom line is that the Apocalypse mission has been designed as a starting point. You and your gaming group should feel free to modify it to suit the type of game you want to play!
Rules Questions & House Rules
In this book we introduce a whole swathe of cool new units and rules. Some of them are, by their nature, incredibly powerful, and you may find the odd rules question that takes a minute or two to answer. For instance, if a Destroyer weapon (which always causes penetrating hits) hits a super-heavy flyer (which can only ever suffer glancing hits) what happens? The answers are normally in there - just have patience, read the rules and remember the solution for next time.
However, we've also found that the sheer size of Apocalypse games combined with the number of different units being used can lead to situations that are simply not covered by the rulebook. If such a situation occurs we highly recommend making a dice roll to resolve the question so that the game doesn't become bogged down. In our experience the answer rarely has much impact on which side wins or loses, so it is better to let the dice decide and get on with it rather than stopping the game to discuss it.
On the other hand you may find some situations where the rules are perfectly clear, but the way they work in Apocalypse battles feels a bit strange. If a situation like this occurs in a game, you may want to consider instituting a 'house rule' for your next game of Apocalypse.
For example, we found that things that affected every model 'on the table', or which had an 'unlimited range', became very powerful in large Apocalypse games, so we instituted a house rule that such things were limited in range to 72". Another group of players we know of only allow one of each special character to be used in a battle.
Another similar case happens when playing Apocalypse games with Necron armies. In this case the Phase Out rule may feel too restrictive if your army is very small and mostly made of large and expensive models (Monoliths and C'tan, for example). To resolve this, you might agree that you are going to ignore the Phase Out rule altogether!
As you can see, house rules allow you to fine-tune the game rules so that battles work the way your group want them to. Just be careful about getting too carried away; a couple of carefully chosen house rules can make a game more enjoyable, but pages of amendments and changes will have exactly the opposite effect!
Armies and Battlefields
The next section is packed full of tips for creating Apocalyptic armies, with examples of complete forces as well as the awesome Legendary Units you can field. This is followed with ways to create a bigger battlefield and fill it with enough terrain for an Apocalypse battle.
Apocalypse Armies
To play an Apocalypse battle you will need at least 3,000 points of models on each side. This may seem like a lot, but you'll find it won't take long to amass your force.
The first challenge for playing Apocalypse games is getting together a large enough army. Some may aspire to collecting entire Space Marine Chapters or amassing ranks of Imperial Guard beyond counting, but even bulking an army out to the minimum Apocalypse size of 3,000 points can seem daunting. However, your army can grow very quickly if you remember the few important tips listed here.
Use Your Whole Collection!
There are no force organisation charts so bring all your models along - extra Heavy Support, Fast Attack, or Elite troops will really add up in points quickly. Keep in mind that your older squads or early paint jobs can heed the call to arms as well!
Add a Legendary Unit
The next section of the book deals with legendary units ranging from vast war engines to hideous monsters that tower above the battlefield. These potent options are often points heavy and a quick (and deadly) way to increase the size of your army.
Allied Forces
Ally with a friend's force to make a larger points total. Multi-player battles also allow immense games to be fought and finished in an evening's session. Of course if you own more than one army yourself (or just have a few units of an army that you started but never finished), you can combine them for a joint attack. See the Allies Matrix on page 198.
Add a Battle Formation
Battle formations, detailed later in the book, are larger groupings of models from your standard army list, for example an Emperor's Fist squadron of three Leman Russ tanks or a Mycetic Assault Storm of five or more Carnifexes. Fielding models that fit these battle formations gives them extra special rules - for instance, the Carnifexes get to Deep Strike!
Heroes and Villains
Special characters are often the greatest (or most infamous) leaders of their race; the commanders or champions of huge, all-conquering armies. Apocalypse, then, is their natural stomping ground.
All of the special characters shown on this page are likely to be found leading an Apocalyptic army. Aside from offering an enjoyable painting challenge, each will have a significant effect when included in your army.
Objectives and Strategic Assets
The Apocalypse mission requires each side to place three objectives on the table. These, as well as certain strategic assets, can be represented by simple markers or scenic dioramas.
However you choose to represent your objectives, you will need to ensure you can see them in amongst the hundreds of models on the table. Simple dioramas themed to match your army or the game background are fun to create, but of course, not every player will have the time or resources to create specially modelled objectives. A simple alternative is to use the type of counters shown below. These are quick to make and easy to see in the heat of a game.
- Basic markers: A very simple way to make objective markers is to take a 25mm round base, paint it, and apply an appropriate transfer to it.
- Plasticard markers: These markers feature army symbols cut from plasticard and applied to a 40mm round base.
- Titan cockpit: This ejected cockpit from a crippled Warhound Titan makes a characterful objective that really adds to the story of the battle.
[Book pages 44-45 (Space Marine Army) and 48-49 (Tau Army) are not included in the scan.]
Painting Tank Companies
An Apocalypse army might include dozens of armoured vehicles, presenting both an opportunity and a challenge when it comes to identifying them all on the table.
Any given Imperial Guard vehicle might belong to a squadron, a company, a regiment and of course an army. Many players like to paint symbols onto vehicles in their army to reflect the place of each in the chain of command. There are many ways of marking your tanks, so you might like to invent your own method entirely from scratch, or follow some of the examples given here.
The most useful markings are those that indicate membership of a battle formation. Leman Russ 'Emperor's Fist' squadrons and companies for example are both battle formations, and it is therefore a good idea to mark a tank's membership of such. As well as looking very striking, the markings have a practical use - amid the chaos of a huge battle it is easy to move individual tanks too far from their command vehicles to benefit from their special rules. A good marking system will really help you to remember.
A variety of methods are shown below. Each of the three tank squadrons displays its regimental badge, a unique vehicle number and distinctive coloured bars applied to the tanks' hulls, which denote the company they belong to.
- Vostroyan 101st Regiment, 3rd Armoured Company Tank Squadron: All of the tanks of this Emperor's Fist Squadron have distinctive coloured bars applied to their hulls, indicating they belong to the 3rd Company.
- Cadian 15th Regiment, 2nd Armoured Company Tank Squadron: This symbol marks the tank as belonging to the 15th Regiment of the Cadian Defence Forces. It can be found on the Cadian transfer sheet.
- Mordian 27th Regiment, 4th Armoured Company Tank Squadron: Each tank has a unique number, starting with 4, to indicate the company number. Vehicle 40 would be the company command tank; vehicles 41-3 make up the first squadron.
Squadron Markings
Not all regiments use the system of coloured bars to indicate their part in the company. Shown here is an alternative method, using similar icons to show the different tank squadrons that form the company. The symbols used on each of the three tanks in a particular squadron are graphically linked - for example, all the symbols in the 2nd Squadron are two crossed items of some type, while the symbols of the 3rd Squadron each have three elements in a row. The company command tank is marked out with a laurel wreath.
Squadron Naming
Instead of numbering each tank in a squadron or company, you could invent a unique name for each, painting this on the side of the turret. This can also serve to identify a vehicle's squadron, by using names beginning with the same letter for each squadron.
- 1st squadron examples: Invincible, Iron Duke, Imperial Wrath
- 2nd squadron examples: Victorious, Vengeful, Valiant
- 3rd squadron examples: Defiant, Dauntless, Dominator
Army Badges
When the armies of the Imperium go to war, it is standard practice for a symbol to be adopted as an army badge. This army badge serves to identify all the units involved in the campaign, including Imperial Guard regiments, Titan Legions, Space Marines and all manner of other allies. The army badge is generally a simple, easily recognised shape, that can be stencilled quickly onto the flanks of armoured vehicles.
If you are a member of a gaming club or group and one of several players that collect Imperial armies, then why not agree on an army badge? There are plenty of appropriate symbols on the Imperial Guard and Space Marines transfer sheets. Applying them to all of the vehicles in the combined force creates an instant, characterful theme when all your armies are fielded together in really huge games of Apocalypse.
Xenos Vehicle Markings
Each of the alien races that uses vehicles has its own markings. Here are some ideas for identification schemes for Tau, Eldar and Ork vehicles.
Tau
The Tau have a range of symbols and colours associated with each Sept World, as described in Codex: Tau Empire. Their vehicle squadrons tend to consist of four of a particular tank, with matching markings and colours. One example of how these are applied is given here. There is still considerable scope for variation however, so feel free to mix and match the many symbols and slogans on the Tau vehicle transfer sheet, or invent your own.
The nose cones display the colour, squadron marking and vehicle number for each Tau vehicle. The HQ vehicle has more prominent colouring on nose cone and intake. Examples shown: Mobilised Hunter Cadre, Pathfinder Insertion Group, Interdiction Cadre, Ranged Patrol Cadre.
Eldar
The Eldar use highly symbolic, ritualised signs and symbols, many of which carry multiple meanings and subtle connotations. These can be used in any combination you like to indicate a vehicle's membership of a formation.
The vehicles of a Wind Rider host are marked out with a specific pattern of large, distinctive bands painted across their hulls. The leader's jetbike has the same markings as the other bikes. The pennant also shows the 'cosmic serpent', the rune of the Saim-hann craftworld from which this host is drawn. The host's Vypers use the same markings as the jetbikes. A Wave Serpent supporting the Wind Rider host bears the same banding across the blades of its hull. Further hosts in the army are marked out with different patterns.
Space Orks
The Orks are the most anarchic and varied of the Warhammer 40,000 races, but they have a wide range of distinctive iconography nonetheless. Each Mek applies his own brand of icons to the vehicles he creates, marking them out as belonging to particular tribes, cults or warlords.
- Colour variants: Coloured blocks can be used to show a vehicle's membership of a battle formation, such as painting coloured panels on every walker in a Dred Mob.
- Marking variants: Even when a particular icon recurs throughout an Ork force, it will rarely be painted exactly the same. This variety makes Ork symbols ideal for painting freehand.
Modelling Command Vehicles
In addition to painted markings, you can model extra equipment onto your command vehicles to make them really stand out.
Many of the Apocalypse battle formations make use of a command vehicle, which has its own special rules and needs to be marked out on the battlefield. Even if there is no datasheet for the particular squadron you have collected, it still looks cool to model one vehicle as the commander. You can use the markings shown on the previous pages, and a set of plastic command vehicle upgrades is available. These can be added to further designate your lead vehicle.
- Tau: The Tau command vehicle upgrade represents an extensive scanner suite that can be mounted at the front of a Sky Ray, Hammerhead or Devilfish.
- Eldar: The Eldar upgrade is mounted on the hull of a Falcon or Wave Serpent. It represents an array of Eldar sensors far beyond the understanding of the Imperium's Techpriests.
- Chaos: The Chaos Space Marines upgrade is a arcane sensor unit. It can feature a leering, daemonic face, or additional weapons in the form of a combi-melta, and fits in the hatch holes on the Rhino hull, Predator turret, Land Raider hull or Defiler top hatch. This daemonic face can be mounted on the Chaos Defiler.
- Imperial Guard: The Imperial Guard upgrade fits on the turret of a Leman Russ (or any of its variants) or a Chimera. It represents a long ranged vox-caster, capable of coordinating the many vehicles of the squadron or company, and communicating with higher levels of command.
- Space Marines: The Space Marines upgrade represents an advanced communication and target acquisition device, which fits in the hole designed to take a hatch or weapons point. The upgrade fits the Rhino hull, Predator turret or Land Raider hull, as well as the underside of a Land Speeder.
- Other armies: The command vehicle upgrade kit covers the armies shown above, so players of other forces will have to improvise a bit. It is easy enough to use some spare parts from your bits box to create a unique command vehicle.
- Orks: Converting Ork vehicles is easy because it doesn't have to look especially neat - you just have to embrace the Orky philosophy of nailing on as many bits of armour, kit and extra gunz as possible. This Dred has had a kustom force field projector added, so it can lead a Dredmob into battle.
[Book pages 56-61 (Baneblade Super-heavy Tank, Super-heavy Tanks, Specialist Model Kits) are not included in the scan.]
Scratch-built Models & Creating Your Own Datasheets
Apocalypse is the ideal opportunity to convert or build from scratch all manner of new models, and then come up with the rules yourself.
A fun but less common aspect of the Games Workshop hobby is converting or scratch-building models for use in games. A converted model is a Citadel miniature that has been modified in some way, by the addition of a new gun or extra armour for example, while a scratch-built model is one that is built entirely by the modeller.
It's quite easy to include conversions in your games of Warhammer 40,000 by simply 'counting the model as' something from the army list you are using. For example, a Tau army might include converted Wood Elf Dryad models which represent alien auxiliaries, but 'count as' Kroot Carnivores. However, Apocalypse offers the opportunity for far more ambitious projects. The simplest way to use heavily converted or scratch-built models is to simply say they 'count as' an existing legendary unit of roughly the same size and function. Nobody will mind this as long as you are using the 'counts as' rule to include a fantastic looking and imaginative model in the game. So long as you don't use the 'counts as' rule to gain an unreasonable game advantage or to create something that goes against the character of your army, you can't go far wrong.
The 'Counts As' Rule
The 'counts as' rule allows you to apply the rules for existing units to older or scratch built models that do not have rules of their own. The most important point of the 'counts as' rule is that you must discuss with your opponent before the game begins what rules apply to your models.
Another way to use large scratch-built or converted models is to create a 'bespoke' datasheet like those shown later in this book. This should be written by the person who is organising the game. Creating your own datasheets is not that hard, and can be a lot of fun. The main thing to beware of is making the new unit much too powerful; doing so will spoil any game where the unit is used, and can also lead to players refusing to play games in the future if they include scratch-built models. Neither of these things is desirable, so try to err on the side of caution. It's better that the new unit under-performs as you can always power it up for subsequent outings. Make it too powerful, though, and you'll probably never get to use it again.
Perhaps the best way to use scratch-built and converted models is when they are designed specifically for a themed game. The background for Warhammer 40,000 includes all kinds of exotic and unique vehicles and life forms, and often a themed game will cry out for one or more of these things to be included. For example, a game set on a Deathworld just wouldn't be the same if it didn't include some ferocious native life forms made from converted Lizardman models, and what would a planetary invasion be like without one or two scratch-built defence lasers? Exciting projects like these can add a huge amount of character and depth to any game.
Examples shown:
- Armoured Train: This armoured train was built more for display than as a gaming piece, and was a real labour of love. It could be used as terrain or an objective, but writing rules would be simple enough; counting it as a Land Raider that has to move along tracks, for instance.
- Necron Super-Monolith: This model was created as a centrepiece for a Necron army, its creator counting it as a Monolith in normal games of Warhammer 40,000. With the publication of Apocalypse however, the model has seen use as something far more appropriate to its size, 'counting' a Necron Pylon.
- Termite: This model was inspired by memories of old games of Epic Warhammer 40,000. Its rules give it the same profile as a drop pod which always counts as hull down, representing it tunnelling up through the ground.
- Imperial Guard Rapier Battery: This Imperial Guard weapon platform is made of classic Citadel miniatures. The rules were based on an Imperial Guard Heavy Weapons team, armed with a twin-linked multi-laser instead of a lascannon.
- Ork Flakka Dakka Gunz: These Ork anti-aircraft gunz were also made for The Kan Factory game (see page 177), and were constructed largely from spare components from the creator's extensive bits box. They count as twin-linked autocannons, with the AA mount special rule.
- Ork Minelayer: This typically Orky construction was built for The Kan Factory battle shown later in this book. It was entirely scratch built, using all manner of materials but largely based around a plastic bottle. In the battle it was used as a mobile objective with a few simple mine-laying rules. With so much going on in a game of Apocalypse, it often pays to keep it simple, and not overcomplicate things with fussy extra rules.
Battlefields
Vast armies will need suitably large battlefields to fight over. The next pages provide practical suggestions and ideas about expanding your gaming table for apocalyptic battles.
Before you can get too far in planning out an Apocalypse game, it is necessary to consider two essentials: the space that you have available and the surface or gaming table on which the battle will be fought.
Gaming Space
Some lucky few have dedicated wargames space at home or at least a room that can easily be cleared to set up a wargames table. Wherever you do your gaming you will be fortunate indeed if this space is large enough for even a medium sized Apocalypse battle. Even gaming shops and clubs may find they have too cramped a space for a really large battle. There are some ideas on the following pages for maximising the space you have but the best solution may be find a new locale. Community centres, rental halls, or other such venues can be found at reasonable rates, especially when costs are divided amongst a number of players. Really large Apocalypse battles really do work better with plenty of people involved.
Gaming Surface
Most gamers play on a specially built or purchased table. The size recommended for playing 1,500 points per side battles is a 6' by 4' table. For an Apocalypse battle of 3,000 points a side it is suggested that two 6' by 4' tables are pushed together to form a playing area of about 8' by 6' (although 8' by 4' is acceptable). But these sizes are just starting points, as enormous games or heavily themed battles may require much larger gaming surfaces.
Finding wargaming tables to fit the need for such larger (and often unusual) battles may require some creative thinking. Even here at the Games Workshop Studio, where we are inundated with vast choices of fantastic gaming tables, we have often had to resort to mixing, matching, and cobbling together tabletops in order to accommodate the number of players, the size of the game, or a particular theme - sometimes all three at once!
Shown on these following pages are some solutions we've come up with to answer our problems of space and gaming surface. While not comprehensive in any sense, there is enough variety so that gamers can mix the ideas to match their available materials and space. All of this, of course, is directly tied into the advice on page 34 - Planning in Advance.
Notes from the illustrated examples:
- This 12' by 6' gaming surface was constructed from ceiling tiles made of expanded polystyrene, a material that is available in DIY or hardware stores. This entire wargaming table (including carving all the hills) was done by a single person in a single afternoon. Even better, it was all done on a limited budget. Simple contoured hills were carved with a bread knife out of the same expanded polystyrene that makes up the gaming surface.
- This table is supported on paste-up tables from a DIY store. There are a wide variety of such portable tables available - such as folding or trestle tables. For very large games, you might want to inquire about rental tables from banquet or catering services.
- Sometimes the best place to play a large game is simply on the floor. Hardwood, laminate floors or thin carpet work best, as models will stand up easily. Some surfaces will look fine as they are, but others may be improved by first laying down appropriately coloured cloth (tan for desert, green for grass, and so on).
- To define the edges of the battlefield it is a good idea to put down some tape. Remember to leave space around the perimeter of the gaming area, as players will need easy access for moving their units around.
- A simple road made of masking tape can make a very convincing terrain feature - especially on a very large gaming surface.
- Shown is a standard 6' by 4' wargames table that has been turned into an Apocalypse sized battlefield by adding two more sections on either side. A few books can help level up uneven surfaces when using tables of different heights.
- Any number of materials can be used to turn a plain tabletop into a serviceable gaming surface - here we've used some drab coloured flooring tiles, but an appropriately coloured blanket would do just as well.
Even Bigger Games
Large groups of players that have access to a big gaming area may want to consider one of the following variations for a really colossal game. Please note that these suggestions work best with at least four or more players per side. As long as you have one player for every 5,000 points or so you should be able to complete any of these games over the course of a long day, and easily over a weekend.
The Apocalypse Mission presented earlier is designed to be played on a single board up to 8 feet wide by 24 feet long. With a wider table players may not be able to reach the middle and longer tables feel so narrow they may not provide as enjoyable a game. With some ingenuity it is possible to create battlefields that are considerably larger. Common solutions for larger battlefields are to use linked tables or floor wars.
Linked Tables
As you'd expect, linked tables are when two or more standard tables are linked to one another in some fashion. This link could be a physical one, such as a bridge, or it could be an imagined link, for instance where any unit moving off the bottom edge of table A would appear on the top edge of table B in its next move. The game organiser will need to decide how the tables link together and provide everyone with a clear map of any such connections. Each player should be assigned to a single table but they can choose to send units off to other sectors once the battle is underway. It is possible for a player to have units on several tables at the same time. If this happens the player can either hand over control of his models to a more conveniently located ally, or rush from table to table to move their own units.
The chasm between the tables can only be crossed by models that can reach the other side in a single move. The placement of a bridge between the two board sections ensures the armies clash in bloody close combat at this key point. Placing objectives on the bridge makes it all the more important in determining who ultimately claims victory.
Immense Floor Wars
Even enormous floor wars games are easy to organise as long as you have access to a large area of floor and have plenty of terrain. The inconveniences of playing on the floor will be more than offset by the opportunity to play an immense battle. If you are aiming to play such massive planet-threatening actions as a 50' by 50' battle, than a floor war is by far your best option. Just remember the two age-old golden rules for battle games on the floor: 1. No one is allowed on the playing area except during their own turn, and 2. Never, ever, step backwards while you're on the playing area. Another good tip is to bring a cushion!
- When setting up a floor war it is a good idea to include some sort of terrain feature that will not (often) be travelled upon by models. Lakes, pools of magma, canals, or chasms will fit the bill. The practical reason is that these areas of terrain become a safe walkway for players to move around the battlefield.
- It is unlikely that your floor will look like the surface of a 41st millennium battlefield, but that can be quickly and inexpensively rectified. The surface shown here is a vinyl floor offcut that was purchased cheaply at a local carpet superstore. A few dashes of brown spray paint add to the desolate desert look. Having a battlefield that can roll up after the game is helpful for storage as well.
- Apocalypse battles benefit from having a few largish pieces of terrain. Tall scenery pieces can offer cover (at least partially) for the most monstrous of creatures and even Titans.
- A grey granite style piece of vinyl flooring was cut into long strips to serve as a quick but visually effective road. If you can't find any suitable colours, the material can be sprayed black and drybrushed.
Multi-player Battles
Apocalypse is fine for one-on-one games but it really comes into its own for large multi-player battles such as this one. This 13' by 9' battle features four armies each of at least 3,000 points.
Apocalypse Terrain
Once you have found a large enough setting and surface to play an Apocalypse game, you will need to furnish your battlefield with terrain. Presented here are a few tips that can make all the difference when setting up large battlefields.
Lots of Terrain
Apocalypse games need the same sort of terrain you normally use for Warhammer 40,000, only more of it. You don't need to fill your larger battlefield to the same density of terrain that you would for a smaller battle, but if your table size doubles then you will need at least some more terrain. A good solution in multi-player battles is for each person to bring along a few pieces of scenery - this way you will soon have enough.
Group Your Terrain
Unlike small-scale battles where terrain is often evenly scattered across the playing surface, large battles really benefit from grouped terrain. Just place similar terrain, such as all your trees, all your buildings and so on, in packed groupings. Thus, instead of a random spread of features, you will create distinct zones separated by empty spaces. These clear zones will rapidly be filled with hordes of infantry, armour, and massive war machines or monstrous creatures. The terrain-heavy sectors will often become hotly contested combat zones as troops clash to control the objectives.
Example: on a table made up of two 6' by 4' boards the terrain is laid out in sectors - an industrial centre, the edge of an urban area, a few hills, and an area of rocky ground. A simple road helps to link the different groups of terrain.
Making Terrain
For those interested in making their own terrain, the techniques and examples presented in 'How to Make Wargames Terrain' are a great starting point.
Citadel Terrain
Citadel city ruins and obstacles make fantastic 41st Millennium battlefields.
Large Terrain Pieces
A few well thought out larger terrain pieces can really make a battlefield stand out. Additionally, a massive piece can 'fill up' a sector all by itself.
Even veteran terrain makers can sometimes be daunted by the idea of creating a very large piece. Nevertheless, it is worth the effort, as the result can become the centrepiece of your battlefield. It's also worth remembering that with a really big terrain piece, it's less important to cover the model in tiny, intricate details.
When building any piece of terrain - large or small, keep in mind how you envision models interacting with the piece. Will models be able to move into, over, or on top of the terrain? The examples on this page offer some further ideas and tips.
- Refinery: This industrial looking terrain piece can serve as a fuel or chemical refinery, a pumping station, or a power generator for an Imperial factory. It was scratch built using cardstock and tin cans. Most importantly, the terrain is large enough to offer cover to anything the size of a Warhound Titan or smaller.
- Landing Pad: Large terrain pieces don't need to be particularly complicated to be effective. This building was constructed to represent a small landing pad. The combination of polystyrene packaging to form the bulky shape and a single City Ruin kit to add detail makes for characterful terrain with only a little effort. Here we see the fully painted landing pad acting as a strongpoint for several squads of Ultramarines. It is essential to not use spray paint on polystyrene, as it will have a chemical reaction and melt!
Step-by-Step
When asked to devise some fast, effective, and inexpensive terrain, our hobby experts came up with industrial storage vats made entirely of 'free' materials (otherwise destined for the bin!).
- Materials: An empty tin can and some thick paper (thin card from a cereal box will work too) are all you need to make this storage vat.
-
- The paper is cut out to fold around the outside of the can. Don't glue it down yet!
-
- A ballpoint pen is used to 'punch out' rivet indents in the paper by pressing on the opposite side. Once this is done you can glue the paper in place.
-
- A speedy paint job of Boltgun Metal with some rust spots turns the piece from cast away rubbish to industrial scenery.
Themed Games
One of the great joys of the Warhammer 40,000 hobby is that you can modify or add to the material we offer to suit your own tastes. Apocalypse in particular is a game that almost begs for you to add your own personal touches. You can theme games, add your own units, invent scenarios - the possibilities really are endless.
A themed game is one in which the players have decided to concentrate on a particular scenario, battlefield or element of the background. This may be as simple as ensuring a 'classic match-up' such as Orks versus Armageddon Steel Legion. Or, you could go all the way and re-enact a specific event, such as the destruction of the Crimson Fists' Fortress Monastery during the Rynn's World campaign.
Creating Battles
Enforcing even a very simple theme might mean that you can't get two very evenly balanced sides, and that you need to modify the victory conditions for the game in order to even things up for the underdog. You will need to spend a bit more time planning ahead and thinking about how the game will work. Because of this it is highly recommended you play your first few games using the Apocalypse Mission, and only move onto themed games once you have a bit of experience of what apocalyptic games are like.
This caveat aside, themed games are pretty easy to set up and organise - you just need to decide on a simple storyline based on the Warhammer 40,000 background, and use this theme to decide which armies, terrain and victory conditions will be used.
Giving a game a theme may inspire you to modify the way that you set up the armies, and how you decide who has won at the end. A very good example of the former would be to theme a game around an orbital assault. One side would set up anywhere they liked on the gaming table, while the other would enter play by flying or deep striking to the surface.
With a little practice, tinkering with the victory conditions can make for really exciting and strongly themed games. One pretty safe way of modifying the victory conditions is to make certain objectives count as vital objectives. For example, you might say that the objective of the orbital assault was to capture a specific building (a defence laser or space port would seem appropriate), which meant that the side holding it would count as having captured two objectives at the end of the game.
Last but by no means least, you may want to consider creating some special rules for your themed game. Try to use them sparingly, but make sure they have a real impact. For example, you might want to set your Apocalypse battle on an ice-planet, with rules for sudden blizzards sweeping over the table, and for units falling through crevices hidden in the ice. As long as neither of these things favour one side or the other then they shouldn't unbalance the game.
Some games cry out for a special rule that favours one side at the expense of the other. Imagine a planetary assault game if the defender had defence lasers that he could use to shoot at attacking flyers and drop pods as they plummeted through the atmosphere. In this case, be sure to give the attacker a free orbital barrage or two to even things up.
Below are some suggestions for themed games, just to get you started. We have included some classic match-ups as well as famous events from the Warhammer 40,000 background.
- An all tank battle in which an Imperial Guard armoured regiment clashes with massed formations of Chaos Space Marine tanks.
- Eldar and Dark Eldar clash in bitter kin-strife amongst the utopian glades of a Maiden World, massed jet bikes duelling to the death in the jade skies.
- Fight an Apocalyptic cityfight, using the Cities of Death rules with the Apocalypse mission. The battlefield represents not a single city block, but an entire city.
- A Necron tomb force rises from the sands as an Imperial Guard mechanised column crosses the desert.
- At the Battle for Macragge, the entire 1st Company of the Ultramarines Chapter mount a bold last stand against overwhelming swarms of Tyranids in Macragge's ice-locked polar fortresses.
- Abaddon the Despoiler leads a hundred Khorne Berzerkers into the Blood Angels' Devastator company positions at the Battle of Mackan, to be counter-attacked by the loyalists' massed Assault squads.
- The First War for Armageddon climaxes when the Daemon Prince Angron of the World Eaters, with twelve Bloodthirsters as his bodyguard, fights an entire company of Grey Knight Terminators.
Tau Colony: This terrain was built for a game themed around a Chaos Space Marine assault on a Tau colony. The Chaos objectives are to capture or destroy the prefabricated colony defence structures.
Defence Laser
This Imperial defence laser was specially constructed for the battle report 'Exterminatus' (page 80). It is made from a wide array of household and garden objects, as well as the Cities of Death plastic city ruin kits. The defence laser presents an extremely strong theme for any battle, and makes an ideal objective, the capture of which will decide the game. In Exterminatus, the defence laser has rules allowing it to shoot at enemy Titans and orbiting ships. The anti aircraft weapons are made by Forge World and count as Hydra Flak Cannons. Ledges allow models to be postioned during battle.
Last Stand
In this game, the Tyranids can recycle all their wiped out units, so the Sisters of Battle will face an endless swarm that will eventually overrun and consume them. If the Sisters can destroy a certain number of broods within the time limit, then victory is theirs.
Ork Kan Factory
This sprawling Ork industrial complex has lots of decks and levels for setting up models. It features in the final battle report in this book, counting as an objective. We also came up with special rules for the factory churning out Killa Kanz, Dreadnoughts and Stompas during the game. The factory was built by gluing blocks of polystyrene packaging together. This was then covered in off-cuts of card, pipes and assorted bits. It was spray painted red and drybrushed to create a roughly built appearance.
Exterminatus!
Welcome to the biggest battle report we've ever played - no less than 40,000 points of Imperial and Chaos forces fighting to the death over the ruins of a dying world!
[Book pages 81 and 83-86 of this battle report are not included in the scan. The narrative text below is condensed to the setup, special rules and outcome.]
The combined Imperial forces upon Thesus Reach believe that Abaddon is walking into their trap, and they are prepared to unleash Exterminatus to see it succeed. The Despoiler, however, has powerful allies and diabolic plans of his own. Can Abaddon take the head of the legendary Ursarkar Creed of Cadia and escape before a barrage of cyclonic torpedoes incinerates friend and foe alike?
Setting Up a Special Game
For this Apocalypse game we wanted a really large battle and a themed scenario. The storyline evolved out of the background of the armies fighting on each side and the terrain - an impressive Imperial Defence Laser! As the narrative of the upcoming conflict grew, so too did the need for a referee. Games Developer Phil Kelly volunteered to be organiser and games master. He wrote the scenario, taking the opportunity to include some story-driven tweaks to the Apocalypse mission. For instance, the massive Defence Laser was not just an objective, but could also be used to 'duel' with the orbiting Planet Killer of Abaddon. The objectives included some of the special characters themselves, as each side in the background story was primarily interested in deposing the other's commander. Deployment for both sides - including heroic characters, Daemon-spawning warp rifts, and reserve troops were set according to the story as opposed to just competitive requirements. This method ensured a thematic conflict that will live on in the Studio's history far longer than any mere win-at-all-costs battle.
The Forces of the Imperium
The mightiest warriors in the Imperium have mustered to repel the Chaos threat.
Take Not One Step Backward
The Imperial forces have one priority above all others - destroy Abaddon once and for all. Leaderless, his armies will fragment and dissipate, for the four powers of Chaos rarely rally under the same banner for long. To achieve this the forces of the Imperium have employed the services of the Officio Assassinorum - not because they believe their operatives have a real chance, but to keep Abaddon distracted until the true magnitude of the Imperial plan is unveiled.
Whilst Abaddon is busy slaughtering his way through his hated foes, the redoubtable Cadians, the Inquisition intend to evacuate the Imperial commanders and commence the bombardment of the planet with cyclonic torpedoes. To ensure they can begin the Exterminatus they must first drive away Abaddon's personal flagship, the Planet Killer. Unbeknownst to the Despoiler, the city of Bellephon has just the tool to achieve this - the defence laser known as Duty's Fist.
Stratagems: Bunkers, Vortex Grenade, Strategic Redeployment
Special Objectives
In this game we have chosen to use some special objectives. In the story behind the battle, the special characters and defence laser are of paramount importance. Should they be killed, captured, or destroyed by the foe it will be a crushing blow to morale. With that in mind we decided to use the following house rules to represent these elements:
Character Objectives: If the enemy force manages to 'kill' one of their Character Objectives, mark where that character fell (simply leaving the model on its side does the trick). This then forms an objective that can be claimed just like any other. Killing a special character is often easier said than done, especially if the character is as tough as Abaddon or, like Creed, has dozens of battle tanks at his command!
Orbital Cannon: The Defence Laser Duty's Fist can lock onto the Planet Killer, which looms in orbit high above the Imperial city of Bellephon, poised ready to teleport Abaddon away. The Planet Killer allows the Chaos player a free Orbital Bombardment stratagem every turn. The spacecraft has a nominal armour value of 14 - a penetrating hit from the defence laser will force it to disengage, never to return. If this occurs Abaddon can no longer leave the battlefield and henceforth his body counts as a Vital Objective.
The Imperial Force (20,000 points)
- HQ: Brother-Captain Stern of the Grey Knights; 1 Grand Master of the Grey Knights; Commissar Yarrick; Ursarkar E Creed and Jarran Kell; 4 Sanctioned Psykers; 3 Commissars; Techpriest Enginseer with 2 tech-servitors; 2 Fire Support Squads; 2 Anti-tank Support Squads; 2 Mortar Support Squads; 2 Special Weapons Support Squads
- Elites: 50 Grey Knights Terminators; 20 Stormtroopers; 10 Ratlings; 8 Ogryns; 2 Vindicare Assassins; 2 Eversor Assassins; 2 Culexus Assassins; 2 Callidus Assassins; 1 Hardened Veteran Squad
- Troops: 150 Imperial Guardsmen; 20 Grey Knights; 6 Command Squads; 5 Chimeras; 3 Heroic Senior Officers; 1 Senior Officers; 2 Junior Officer; 20 Conscripts
- Fast Attack: 25 Grey Knights (Teleport Attack); 23 Sentinels; 3 Hellhounds; Arvus Lighter; Vulture Gunship
- Heavy Support: 14 Leman Russ Battle Tanks; 3 Leman Russ Demolishers; 1 Leman Russ Vanquisher; 1 Leman Russ Exterminator; 1 Leman Russ Executioner; Destroyer Tank Hunter; 6 Basilisks; 1 Grey Knights Dreadnought
- Legendary Units: Marauder Bomber; 2 Warhound Scout Titans; 2 Baneblades; Fortress of Arrogance; Hydra Flak Tank; 3 Rapier Batteries
The Forces of Chaos
The massed armies of Chaos fight not for glory, not for territory, but for revenge. They will slaughter thousands in order to kill just one.
Death to the Minions of the Corpse God
The warriors of the Black Legion are intent only upon bathing the streets of Bellephon in blood and darkness. Their leader, Abaddon, has a far grander plan. He means to hunt down and kill the heroes of the Imperium present upon Thesus Reach, and is willing walking into the jaws of the Imperial trap as a result. However, the Despoiler knows full well that the Imperials intend to evacuate their war heroes as soon as his presence is confirmed. Abaddon intends to prevent this, not only by flooding the city with a Daemonic incursion of unprecedented size, but also by blocking the Imperial comms to prevent any rescue of their leaders.
The Chaos battle plan is to advance upon the city in a massive armoured wedge, forcing the defenders to take up position upon the outskirts of the city. Then, when battle is truly joined, Abaddon will summon a horde of Daemons so numerous the defenders of the city will be driven out into the merciless guns of the Black Legion.
Stratagems: Careful Planning, Strategic Redeployment, Precision Strike
Duty's Fist, the Defence Laser
The defence laser that towers over the west gate of Bellephon is a miracle of dark age technology. It is capable of smashing a Titan into a thousand pieces, or even engaging targets in orbit above the planet. A full datafax for the defence laser can be found on the Games Workshop website.
| BS | Front | Side | Rear | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duty's Fist | 4 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Structure Points: 3
Weapons: Defence Laser, 2 twin-linked autocannon with anti-aircraft mounts, twin-linked heavy bolter.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special Rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defence Laser | unlimited | 10 | 1 | 7" Blast |
The Chaos Horde (20,000 points)
- HQ: Abaddon the Despoiler; Lucius the Eternal; Khârn the Betrayer; Typhus of the Death Guard; Ahriman of the Thousand Sons; Fabius Bile; 9 Chaos Lords; 6 Daemon Princes; 6 Bloodthirsters; 2 Keepers of Secrets; 2 Lords of Change; 1 Great Unclean One
- Elites: 26 Chaos Terminators; 23 Possessed Chaos Space Marines; 8 Chosen Chaos Space Marines; 7 Obliterators
- Troops: 136 Chaos Space Marines; 28 Khorne Berzerkers; 31 Plague Marines; 20 Noise Marines; 8 Thousand Sons; 40 Bloodletters; 35 Plaguebearers; 25 Daemonettes; 29 Horrors; 10 Flamers; 25 Nurgling Bases; 43 Mutants; 15 Traitors; 8 Chaos Rhinos; 8 Chaos Spawn
- Fast Attack: 11 Chaos Space Marine Raptors; 26 Chaos Space Marine Bikers; 26 Furies; 16 Flesh Hounds; 5 Screamers
- Heavy Support: 18 Chaos Havocs; 7 Dreadnoughts; 1 Vindicator; 4 Predators; 5 Land Raiders; 6 Defilers
- Legendary Units: 1 Plaguereaper; 1 Brass Scorpion
Light in the Darkness
The Imperial defenders, despite all the odds, managed to hang on to the city against the Daemon invaders. Not only that, but Abaddon himself fell to the sword of Captain Stern!
The Outcome
The conclusion of the game saw the Imperial forces in possession of three mission objectives - Abaddon himself, the central plaza, held by the ever-determined Imperial Guard, and the Defence Laser, guarded by a squadron of battle tanks. The Chaos forces held onto the Imperial Shrine and the Crashed Shuttle, which was ground under the tracks of the Plaguereaper. This meant that the Imperial forces had carried the day with three mission objectives to two - glory to the Emperor!
Though Abaddon managed to teleport back to his flagship, his plan to take the head of Creed failed due to the intervention of the Grey Knights. Following his humiliating defeat at the hands of Captain Stern, the wrath of the Despoiler is now greater than ever before, and his entire Black Crusade will go no further until he has had his revenge. What began as a vendetta is now set to consume the entire Thesus sector in bloody war...
Apocalyptic Forces
Apocalypse battles give you the chance to field legendary units - huge war machines and gigantic monsters. The following pages provide all the rules and datasheets for these units, and for large-scale battle formations of smaller models. As well as rules, these datasheets include in-depth background explaining how your army goes to war on this scale.
Additional Rules
Apocalypse battles introduce super-heavy vehicles, gargantuan creatures and flyers. The rules to use them are presented here.
It should be clear from the start that all of the rules presented in this book apply only if the players have agreed to play a game of Apocalypse. This book is a self-contained expansion and its rules are not designed to be used in normal games of Warhammer 40,000.
Games of Apocalypse introduce many new, and often huge, models to the universe of Warhammer 40,000. These models are called legendary units. Many legendary units (though not all) belong to one of two new unit types: gargantuan creatures or super-heavy vehicles.
In the following pages you will find the rules for these new unit types, which build on the core rules in the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook, in much the same way as other non-infantry units, such as monstrous creatures and vehicles. This means that, apart from the exceptions given in the following pages, all of the new units follow the normal rules of the Warhammer 40,000 game.
After these two new unit types, you will find additonal rules for flyers, covering any legendary unit capable of flight.
Finally, you will find a list of common special rules that apply to several legendary units.
Gargantuan Creatures
Creatures of this immense size can take on entire enemy armies, devastate cities and lay waste to continents. Normally only Tyranid beasts can grow this large, as organisms native of this galaxy struggle to cope with such impossibly heavy organs and limbs. There is, however, one known exception to this principle: the Ork Squiggoths, whose bodies, according to the Imperial bio-magi, should not ever be able to move (not that this has ever stopped them from ravaging entire worlds of the Imperium!).
Gargantuan creatures follow the rules for monstrous creatures in the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook, with the additional rules and exceptions given below.
Movement Phase
Gargantuan creatures may move up to 12" in their Movement phase. They are slowed for difficult terrain as follows - roll for the distance they can move just as you would for a monstrous creature (i.e. you can re-roll the dice), but double the result.
If their path is blocked by enemy models that are not gargantuan or super-heavy walkers, gargantuan creatures can tank shock them, as described in the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook, counting as a tank with a frontal armour value of 14. Enemies affected by this must test their Morale with an extra -1 modifier to their Leadership, and can execute Death or Glory attacks as normal (models doing this can survive only by killing the gargantuan creature, as they cannot immobilise it).
Shooting Phase
Gargantuan creatures can fire all of their weapons every turn, and they can fire them at different targets if they wish (creatures of such enormous size normally have more than one brain - or even crew - controlling different parts of the body).
Because gargantuan creatures vary greatly in size, for the purposes of establishing line of sight from gargantuan creatures, always use real line of sight, working this out from the barrel of the weapon being fired. Area terrain rules apply as normal.
By the same token, always use real line of sight when enemy units are targeting gargantuan creatures. The rules for area terrain apply as normal.
If a gargantuan creature is hit by a weapon that uses a blast marker, the normal rules for determining if the creature is hit by the marker are not used (as the marker may be smaller than the creature's base, and so it could never score a direct hit). Instead, the gargantuan creature is automatically hit if the hole in the centre of the marker is over the gargantuan creature's base (or its body, if it does not have a base). If the hole is not over the base, but the rest of the blast marker covers part of it, the creature is hit on a 4+, as normal.
Assault Phase
Gargantuan creatures can assault any unit within reach, not only one that they shot at.
Remember that, like monstrous creatures, close combat attacks from gargantuan creatures count as power weapons and roll 2D6 plus Strength for Armour Penetration. In addition, when rolling on the Vehicle Damage table, close combat attacks from gargantuan creatures count as hits from ordnance!
When attacking in close combat, a gargantuan creature can choose to either fight normally or to execute a stomp special attack. A stomp allows a gargantuan creature to make one attack against every enemy model engaged in combat with it, instead of using its normal Attack value (no bonus attack for charging applies, roll to hit once separately against each model attacked).
Gargantuan creatures count as 30 models for the purpose of determining outnumbering at the end of an Assault.
Gargantuan creatures never roll for sweeping advance - retreating enemies always manage to disengage safely.
If, at the end of an assault, enemy models that are not gargantuan or super-heavy walkers are still engaged with a gargantuan creature, they must immediately make a consolidate move, in order to get at least 1" away from the gargantuan creature. Gargantuan creatures may not consolidate. Other gargantuan creatures and super-heavy walkers remain engaged as normal.
Special Rules
All gargantuan creatures are Fearless.
Because of their massive bulk (and multiple brains!), gargantuan creatures are less susceptible to psychic powers. They are not affected by psychic powers (either friendly or enemy) with the exception of those that have a Strength value, which may affect them normally.
All gargantuan creatures are immune to the Instant Death rule. In addition, because they are so large and powerful, they are not affected by any attack that would normally kill a model automatically (like a Force Weapon, an attack that kills as a result of a failed Characteristic test, etc.). Such attacks cause D3 wounds instead.
All gargantuan creatures have the 'Terrifying' special rule. This means that enemy units wishing to assault a gargantuan creature must first pass a Morale check. If the test is failed, the unit may not assault that turn.
All sniper weapons and poisoned weapons wound gargantuan creatures only on a roll of 6.
Super-heavy Vehicles
From the lumbering Baneblade tanks of the Imperial Guard to the clunky Gargants of the Orks and the elegant Revenant Titans of the Eldar, all war engines that fall into this category are huge armour-clad constructs, carrying enough firepower to vapourize, smash or incinerate an entire army.
Super-heavy vehicles behave on the battlefield like all other vehicles, with the exceptions given below. The main difference is that they have Structure Points, which work similarly to Wounds for other models.
Movement Phase
Super-heavy vehicles are slower than normal vehicles - they can only move up to 6" in the Movement phase, unless specified.
Super-heavy vehicles are affected by difficult and dangerous terrain like other vehicles, but can always re-roll a result of 1. In addition, if their second roll is another 1, they are not immobilised, but suffer a Drive Damaged result, as described in their damage tables later.
Shooting Phase
Super-heavy vehicles may fire all of their weapons, regardless of how far they moved. Each weapon may be fired at a different target (each target must be within the weapon's fire arc).
Because super-heavy vehicles greatly vary in size, for the purposes of establishing line of sight from a super-heavy vehicle, always use real line of sight, working this out from the barrel of the weapon they are firing. The rules for area terrain apply as normal.
In the same way, always use real line of sight when enemy units are targeting super-heavy vehicles. Again, the rules for area terrain apply as normal.
Assault Phase
Super-heavy vehicles follow the same rules as normal vehicles, depending on their type (see Vehicle Types, later).
Structure Points
To represent the great amount of damage a super-heavy can withstand before being knocked out, in their datasheets they are assigned a number of Structure Points (sometimes shortened to "SP"). Glancing and penetrating hits have a chance of inflicting the loss of Structure Points, and only by reducing their Structure Points to 0 can a super-heavy vehicle model be destroyed.
Against super-heavy vehicles, enemies roll to hit and to penetrate armour exactly as with normal vehicles. If a glancing or penetrating hit is scored, the player must then roll a dice and consult the Super-heavy Damage table. If a glancing hit is scored, subtract 2 from the dice score, and when a destroyer weapon scores a hit (see page 96), add 1 to the dice score.
If a result reduces the target super-heavy vehicle to 0 Structure Points, it is destroyed - immediately roll one dice on the Catastrophic Damage table and apply the result.
It is a good idea to record the damage results suffered by each super-heavy vehicle on a sheet of paper (a photocopy of the datasheet is perfect!), as these huge war machines can accumulate a great amount of secondary damage before being finally knocked out. This is great fun, as you can imagine the crew desperately trying to contain or even repair the damage their vehicle has suffered in the heat of battle!
Super-heavy Vehicle Types
All super-heavy vehicles belong to one (or more) vehicle types, just like normal vehicles. Super-heavy vehicles can be open-topped, fast, tanks, skimmers and walkers.
These vehicles follow the rules attached to their vehicle type given in the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook, with the exceptions given below for each type.
- Super-heavy open-topped vehicles: No extra clarification needed.
- Super-heavy fast vehicles: These vehicles may move up to 12" and fire all of their weapons in the ensuing Shooting phase, or they may move up to 24" and fire no weapons.
- Super-heavy tanks: A unit that is tank shocked by a super-heavy tank takes its Morale test with an extra -1 to its Leadership.
- Super-heavy skimmers: No extra clarification needed.
- Super-heavy walkers: Instead of following the movement rules for super-heavy vehicles, super-heavy walkers move 12", exactly as if they were gargantuan creatures (see earlier), except that their maximum movement may be reduced by Drive Damaged results, as normal for super-heavy vehicles. In the Assault phase, super-heavy walkers once again follow the same rules as gargantuan creatures (including ignoring armour saves, extra armour penetration, dealing ordnance-level damage, stomp special attacks, the 'Terrifying' special rule, etc.).
Super-heavy Transports
Some super-heavy vehicles have a transport capacity, often allowing them to transport multiple friendly units and even other friendly vehicles!
These vehicles' transport capacity is expressed as a number of models (thirty, for example) and friendly infantry models normally count as one (so the vehicle in the example could carry up to thirty infantry models). Larger friendly models will take up proportionally more space (Terminators count as two, a Dreadnought counts as ten models, for example), as shown in the Super-heavy Transport chart on page 198.
Unless otherwise specified, each access point on a super-heavy transport vehicle allows a separate unit to embark/disembark in a turn. If the vehicle is open-topped all transported units may disembark at once.
Transported models are forced to disembark from a super-heavy transport only if the enemy reduces the vehicle to zero Structure Points. In this case, transported units must immediately perform an emergency disembarkation. Any units that may not disembark (not enough access points, for example), are destroyed.
Super-heavy Damage Table
| D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 or less | Gun Crew Shaken |
| 2 | Driver Stunned |
| 3 | Weapon Destroyed |
| 4 | Drive Damaged |
| 5 | Structural Damage |
| 6+ | Chain reaction! |
Modifiers
- Glancing hit: -2
- Penetrating hit: 0
- Destroyer hit (see page 96): +1
Modifiers are cumulative, so a destroyer hit that has been downgraded to a glancing hit would have a total modifier of -1 when rolling on the table.
Damage Results
Gun Crew Shaken. One weapon (chosen by the attacker) cannot fire in the next turn. If all gun crews have been shaken, treat this result as a Driver Stunned.
Driver Stunned. Until the end of its next turn, the vehicle may not move, has its Attacks reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 1) and may not use its stomp special attack. If the driver is already stunned, treat this result as a Gun Crew Shaken.
Weapon Destroyed. One weapon (chosen by the attacker) cannot shoot for the rest of the game. If all weapons have been destroyed, treat this result as Drive Damaged.
Drive Damaged. The vehicle's maximum movement is permanently halved (normally to 3", but Walkers are reduced to 6", and Fast vehicles are reduced to either move 6" and shoot or move 12" and not shoot). If a second Drive Damaged result is suffered, the vehicle is immobilised. An Immobilised Super-heavy walker has its Attacks reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 1) and may not use its stomp special attack. If already Immobilised, treat this result as Weapon Destroyed.
Structural Damage. The vehicle loses 1 Structure Point.
Chain Reaction! The vehicle loses 1 Structure Point and the enemy rolls again on this table (applying the same modifiers).
Note: If a vehicle suffers a Weapon Destroyed or Drive Damaged result, and is already immobilised and has no weapons left, it suffers a Structural Damage result instead.
Catastrophic Damage Table
| D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Wrecked |
| 2 | Wrecked |
| 3 | Wrecked |
| 4 | Explosion |
| 5 | Explosion |
| 6 | Apocalyptic Explosion! |
Catastrophic Damage Results
Wrecked. The vehicle is destroyed. The model is left in place and will count as a wreck from then on.
Explosion. All models within 2D6" suffer a wound on a 4+. Saves apply as normal. Vehicles are unaffected. The super-heavy vehicle is removed from the table and replaced by a crater or area of rubble of appropriate size, if such a terrain piece is available.
Apocalyptic Explosion! All models within 3D6" suffer a Strength 9 AP2 hit! Vehicles within range are hit on their side armour. The super-heavy vehicle is removed from the table, along with any removable terrain feature touched by the blast and replaced by a crater or area of rubble of appropriate size, if such a terrain piece is available.
Psychic Powers
Because of their sheer size, large crews and multiple back-up systems, super-heavy vehicles are less susceptible to psychic powers. Just like gargantuan creatures, they are not affected by psychic powers (either friendly or enemy) with the exception of those that are attacks with a given Strength value, which affect them normally.
Damage Control
At the beginning of any of his turns, the controlling player may announce that a super-heavy vehicle is diverting all resources to damage control. This means that the vehicle is doing absolutely nothing for the duration of the turn (no moving, shooting or assaulting). This cannot be attempted by a super-heavy walker that is engaged in combat with another super-heavy walker or a gargantuan creature.
In return, the player immediately rolls a dice for each Structure point the vehicle has left. For each result of a 5+, the player can repair one weapon that suffered a Weapon Destroyed result or repair a drive, cancelling the effect of the Drive Damaged result.
Note that this cannot be used to restore Void shields (see page 96), which are rolled for separately.
Flyers
Flyers are introduced in Apocalypse because normal games of Warhammer 40,000 represent too small an area for these incredibly fast-moving units. Rather than dealing with high-level bombers that are flying way out of range of any weapon on the battlefield (such things are better represented by strategic assets), we decided to concentrate on attack craft that are employed in close support of friendly troops on the battlefield.
A flying model follows the normal rules for its unit type given in the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook, with the following exceptions.
Movement
Flyers always begin the game in strategic reserve.
When the flyer arrives from reserve, it can be placed anywhere on the table except on top of other models. It can be placed over any piece of terrain, but never counts as being inside it. Note that this is not a Deep Strike, and the model does not scatter.
In each of its subsequent Movement phases, the flyer can be placed anywhere on the table, facing any direction, but the new position must be more than 36" away from its former position.
A flyer may disengage instead of moving, and is removed from the table. It may return in any following turn, and is placed anywhere on the table. If, at the end of the game, the flyer has disengaged and is not on the table, it is not considered destroyed.
Flyers Shooting
Flying models always count as stationary for the purposes of firing their weapons. When hitting a non-flyer vehicle, flyers always attack the target's side armour, regardless of the relative positions (representing hits against the top armour of the target). When shooting other flyers, armour aspects are used as normal.
When determining line of sight from flyers, always ignore all intervening terrain and models, as the flyer will be higher up than anything on the battlefield. The only exception is area terrain occupied by the target, which is not ignored.
Shooting at Flyers
When shooting at a flyer, all models need a 6 to score a hit, regardless of their Ballistic Skill. In addition, when measuring the range to a flyer, all weapons' maximum range is reduced by 12", to represent the elevation of the shot (this means that weapons with a maximum range of 12", like pistols, cannot hit flyers).
Weapons using any teardrop-shaped template cannot hit flyers.
Weapons that do not roll to hit using Ballistic Skill (like ordnance weapons) cannot hit flyers, unless these weapons also have the anti-aircraft mount special rule (see the Special Rules section on page 96 for more details).
When shot at, flying vehicles follow the same rules as skimmers moving over 12", so all penetrating hits against them are always downgraded to glancing hits. However, against flyers, Stunned results always count as Shaken, and if flyers are Immobilised, they are automatically destroyed.
A flyer that suffers a destroyed result or worse (explosions, etc), is always removed and does not damage models on the ground.
When determining line of sight and cover to flyers, always ignore all intervening terrain and models, as the flyer will be higher up than anything on the battlefield.
Assaults
Flyers may never assault nor be assaulted.
Victory
Flyers never count as scoring units.
Super-heavy Flying Vehicles
Flyers that are super-heavy treat Driver Stunned results as Gun Crew Shaken, and Drive Damaged results as Chain Reaction.
Super-heavy flyers cannot use the Damage Control rule.
Hover Mode
Some vehicles combine the features of a skimmer and a flyer, having the ability to land vertically, hover very close to the ground or fly at high speed and height. These extremely flexible vehicles have the Hover Mode special rule on their datasheet.
When you are about to move such a vehicle, you must decide to move it either as a skimmer or as a flyer for that turn. The model will follow all the rules for either flyers or skimmers (depending on how you chose to move it) until the beginning of your next turn. For example, if a vehicle moves as a skimmer that turn, transported troops can disembark normally, the vehicle may not execute a bombing run, and the vehicle does count as a scoring unit if it is the last turn of the game!
Vehicles with the Hover Mode special rule can start the game in strategic reserve or be set up normally as a skimmer during deployment. If kept in strategic reserve, when they become available they can choose to enter the game either moving as a flyer (i.e. appearing anywhere on the table) or as a skimmer (i.e. moving onto the table from the appropriate table edge).
Bombing Runs
In order to use a weapon with the Bomb special rule, a flyer must execute a special manoeuvre called a bombing run. The player must announce this when he moves the flyer. Flyers on a bombing run are always moved at the end of the Movement phase, so that their bombs hit the ground immediately at the beginning of the ensuing Shooting phase.
Leave a marker in the original position of the flyer and then move the flyer as normal.
Draw an imaginary line between the marker and the flyer's final position. This is the flyer's bombing run corridor.
At the beginning of the Shooting phase, pick any one point along the bombing corridor as the target point. If the flyer just entered the table, the target point can be anywhere on the table.
Place the Apocalyptic Barrage template (see page 97) centred on the target point, and then resolve the hits as described in the appropriate model's datasheet.
Diagram - Bombing Run: the flyer moves from position A to position B at the end of the Movement phase. Immediately afterwards, at the start of the Shooting phase, the player places the Apocalyptic Barrage template at the point shown. Finally, he rolls the appropriate number of dice to determine where each bomb hits the ground (as explained above). The target point can be anywhere along the line of the bombing run, maximising the potential targets. The flyer can end its move facing in any direction, and can go on to fire any other weapons.
Inferno!
Some bombs are not designed for precision bombing, but rather to saturate an area with incendiary liquids or lethal gases. If a weapon has the Inferno! special rule, it uses the special Hellstorm template.
Execute a bombing run as described above and then place the Hellstorm template anywhere along the bombing corridor, with the large end towards the flyer (see diagram). The template is then moved 3D6" forward along the bombing corridor towards the flyer. Once the template is in place, hits are determined as described in the flyer's datasheet (no cover saves apply).
Diagram - Inferno!: the flyer moves from position A to position B at the end of the Movement phase. Immediately afterwards, at the start of the Shooting phase, the player places the Hellstorm template on the point shown. Then, he rolls 3D6 and moves the template that many inches towards its final position along the bombing corridor to determine where the template ends. Remember that the template will be moved forward from its initial position, so you will have to judge carefully in order to cause a direct hit.
Flying Transports
Models transported in a flyer may disembark only if they are jump infantry, in what is called a 'drop run'. This is worked out in the same way as a bombing run, but instead of dropping bombs, any number of transported jump infantry units may Deep Strike, choosing a target point anywhere along the bombing corridor (much in the same way as a bomb), and then rolling for scatter. Normally infantry may only embark or disembark from a flyer using the Hover Mode rule (see page 94).
Needless to say, if a flying transport is destroyed, all transported troops are also destroyed!
Special Rules
Anti-aircraft Mount
These weapons are designed to track fast-flying targets. Weapons with this special rule on their profile (often shortened to 'AA mount') can hit flyers using their normal Ballistic Skill, rather than on a 6. If a weapon that normally does not roll to hit (like an ordnance weapon) is mounted on an anti-aircraft mount, it will now roll to hit against flyers, hitting them on the roll of a 6. If it misses, do not work out any scatter - just discard the shot.
Note that all weapons that are described as pintle-mounted also automatically have the AA mount special rule.
Bomb
See Bombing Runs on page 94 for details.
Co-axial Weapon
These weapons share the same mount with a larger gun, and are designed to fire tracer rounds against the target, making the main gun's fire more accurate. Weapons that are defined as co-axial in their description must be fired at the same target as the main weapon (i.e. the weapon they are attached to), and any Damage result that affects the main weapon affects them as well. On the other hand, if the player fires the co-axial weapon before the main weapon and scores at least one hit on the target unit, he may re-roll missed rolls to hit with the main weapon (or re-roll the scatter dice in case of ordnance).
Destroyer
Also known as Titan-killers, weapons with this special rule on their profile deliver an immense amount of damage to their target. If a weapon has a D instead of a Strength value in its profile, it means it is a destroyer. If a destroyer weapon hits a vehicle (including partial hits from a destroyer weapon using a blast marker), there is no need to roll for armour penetration - it automatically scores a penetrating hit.
This hit can still be downgraded to a glancing hit by rules that have that effect (smoke launchers, fast moving skimmers etc.), with the exception of cover, as the destroyer weapon just blasts its way right through.
In addition, when rolling on the appropriate vehicle damage chart, add +1 to the result.
If a destroyer weapon hits a non-vehicle model, there is no need to roll to wound - it automatically scores a wound. If the target fails to save this wound (no cover saves are allowed, as described above, but Invulnerable saves do apply) the weapon always inflicts Instant Death, regardless of the target's Toughness. If the target is immune to Instant Death, then the destroyer will cause one Wound as normal.
Hover Mode
See the Flyers section on page 94 for details.
Inferno!
See the Flyers section on the previous page for details.
Primary Weapon
Primary weapon is a weapon characteristic of very large guns, often carried by super-heavy vehicles and gargantuan creatures. Primary weapons always count as ordnance for the purposes of rolling for armour penetration and on vehicle damage charts.
In addition, because of the extra shielding and powerful back-up systems, whenever a primary weapon is affected by a Gun Crew Shaken or Weapon Destroyed result, the controlling player must roll a dice. On a result of 1-3 the primary weapon is shaken/destroyed as normal, but on a 4-6 the hit has no effect.
Titan Close Combat Weapon
Some super-heavy walkers have the option of exchanging one of their arms' long range weaponry with a gigantic close combat weapon, often surrounded by a crackling energy field.
Titan close combat weapons confer three extra close combat Attacks to the profile of the super-heavy walker. They also confer the destroyer rule to all of the walker's close combat attacks. Note that the stomp special attack is not affected by either of these bonuses, as it is carried out with the vehicle's legs.
The enemy may apply a weapon destroyed result against a Titan close combat weapon, which counts as a primary weapon. If the roll to avoid being destroyed is failed, the Titan close combat weapon is destroyed - the walker loses the three extra Attacks and the destroyer rule in close combat.
Power Fields
Some Ork super-heavy vehicles are protected by a number of energy barriers called power fields. Each hit scored against such vehicles from a distance of 12" or more will instead hit a power field. Close combat attacks, and ranged attacks from a distance of less than 12", come from inside the field and therefore are not stopped at all. Power fields are the equivalent of Armour 12. Each glancing or penetrating hit scored against the fields causes one field to collapse. After all of the fields have collapsed, further hits are resolved against the vehicle's real Armour Value, as normal.
Void Shields
Certain super-heavy vehicles of the Imperium are surrounded by a number of protective energy fields called void shields, which use warp technology to displace incoming attacks. These work exactly like power fields, with the exception that collapsed void shields can be raised again. This process is slow and requires vast quantities of energy, supplies of which can be quite erratic in combat conditions. To represent this, at the end of any of its turns, roll a dice for each Structure Point the vehicle has left. Any result of 5+ immediately restores one collapsed shield.
Eldar Titan Holo-fields
Eldar Titans have holo-fields that are even more effective than the ones this race uses on smaller vehicles. Every time a hit is scored against an Eldar Titan that moved in the previous turn, the Eldar player rolls a dice. On a result of 4 or more, the hit is discarded. If a Titan did not move in the previous turn, it does not get this holo-field save.
New Blast Markers and Templates
Apocalypse uses some new (and much bigger!) blast markers and templates, whose names and rules are presented here.
Be aware that to save space in the legendary units' datasheets we normally do not use their full name, but instead refer to them (as well as to the normal Large Blast) with their size in inches. So, for example, the 'Massive Blast' is referred to as the '7" Blast', etc.
Hellstorm Template
Weapons with the Hellstorm template rule use the large teardrop-shaped template and use the same rules as template weapons to determine which models are hit (no cover saves are allowed).
Apocalyptic Blast Marker
Weapons with the Apocalyptic Blast rule use a 10" diameter round blast marker and use the same rules as other blast weapons to determine which models are hit.
Massive Blast Marker
Weapons with the Massive Blast rule use a 7" diameter round blast marker and use the same rules as other blast weapons to determine which models are hit.
Apocalyptic Barrage Template
Weapons with the Apocalyptic Barrage rule use the special multiple blast template. To use this blast template, place it with its centre on an enemy model anywhere in line of sight of the weapon firing and then measure the range (if applicable). If the centre is in range, the weapon has hit and the barrage is left in place, otherwise it is removed. The player may rotate it around its centre to any final position he wishes. Once this is done, roll a number of dice equal to the number in the brackets and compare the results with the numbers on the template. Each dice result indicates which one of the round areas making up the template has been covered by the explosion. Models completely or partially under the area covered by an explosion are hit at full strength (much in the same way as template weapons, except that cover saves apply as normal). Resolve the explosion on each area in turn, in any order chosen by the firer.
Example: A weapon with Apocalyptic Barrage (4) is fired. The centre of the template is placed over the target model and found to be in range, so the template is left in place and rotated by the firing player until he is happy with its final position. Now four dice are rolled, and the results are 2, 3, 3 and 6. The areas 2 and 5-6 (see diagram) are hit once and the area 3 is hit twice. The player resolves the effects of these explosions one at a time, in any order he likes.
Template sizes: Massive Blast marker 7" diameter; Apocalyptic Blast marker 10" diameter; Hellstorm template 16.5" long, 5" wide at the large end; Apocalyptic Barrage template made of four 5" circles (areas 1, 2, 3 and 4) overlapping around a central area shared by dice results 5-6.
[Book pages 98-99 are not included in the scan.]
Datasheets
In Apocalypse battles, all manner of devastating war machines, gigantic monstrosities and unique formations come into their own. On the pages that follow you will find 'datasheets' that detail some of the new troop types, creatures and vehicles you can field.
The datasheets in this section offer a variety of extra units and new formations you can use in your army when playing Apocalypse battles. These legendary units and battle formations have been designed specially for games of this scale. Some of the mightiest, like Ork Stompas and Imperial Titans, are capable of annihilating dozens of men and several vehicles in a single turn - a level of total destruction most suited to large battles! As a commander in an apocalyptic battle, what matter that you lose a few tanks or infantry squads? There's plenty more where they came from!
The Datasheets
Each datasheet provides the rules, background information and points value for either a legendary unit or a battle formation. They have been organised by army, but don't just look at the ones for your usual force - it's worth browsing through the other sections in case you fancy bringing along some allies - or at least so you know what your opponents might have in store for you. The opposite page breaks down how datasheets work in detail.
Legendary Units
The first type of datasheet covers legendary units. These are troop types that you won't find in a Codex, but are available in Apocalypse games. Most are single, large models - often super-heavy vehicles such as the Baneblade, gargantuan creatures like the Barbed Hierodule or flyers such as the Fighta-bommer. Some of them are legendary in every sense of the word - named characters and machines that have been lauded in the history of their race and whose presence marks out a battle as a momentous occasion. Many legendary units are available as resin kits from Forge World (see page 196 for details), while some are plastic models and a few will require you to do some converting.
Battle Formations
The second type of datasheet details battle formations. Each battle formation consists of a number of units out of the Codex books. They represent larger organisations than usually represented by a single army list entry - such things as entire Companies of Imperial Guard tanks, or an Ork Kult of Speed. In fact some would be the equivalent of a complete army in their own right. Battle Formations are designed to reward players for collecting several of the same kind or similar unit, in a way that closely fits the background of their race. They also introduce some of the many models and variants produced by Forge World, such as the Leman Russ Vanquisher and the Tyranid Trygon (described in full in the Imperial Armour books - see page 196). By fielding models that qualify as these formations, players gain special rules, and often access to extra strategic assets as well. Note that the units bought together to form a battle formation are deployed simultaneously when the formation is deployed, but then move and fight independently, unless specified otherwise.
Just the Start
The datasheets in this book are only examples of the legendary units and battle formations available. The Apocalypse section of our website contains even more datasheets. The datasheets on the website are just as much part of Apocalypse as those in this book and should be treated as if they were extra pages in this section. As we come up with battle formations, new models and more legendary units, the website will be expanded to include these - so when organising an Apocalypse battle, be sure to check what's new at the address below: www.games-workshop.com
How a Legendary Unit Datasheet Works
- Description: A brief overview of the unit's background and role on the battlefield.
- Picture: Weapons are labeled for identification and a foot trooper is shown for size comparison.
- Unit: Usually, but not always, a single model.
- Type: Such as 'tank' or 'super-heavy flyer'.
- Weapons and Equipment: The model's standard armament, as included in the points cost.
- Points Cost: This is the cost of the unit with its standard armament and equipment.
- Profile: Including armour values, structure points, etc.
- Weapon Reference: The profile of each weapon available to the model is listed for easy reference during battle.
- Options: In addition to the standard armament and equipment, there may be further options and upgrades for you to choose at the points cost indicated. Wargear or vehicle upgrades from one or more codexes may also be taken, as specified here - these must be paid for at the points cost listed in the codex.
- Special Rules: These affect how the model acts during a game.
How a Battle Formation Datasheet Works
- Description: An explanation of how and why the army employs this organisation.
- Picture: The diagram represents a specific named example of this formation.
- Formation: This states the number of units required, chosen from the relevant codex (or Imperial Armour book). There may be a minimum or maximum numbers for certain units. Any options normally allowed may be chosen at the usual points cost (including dedicated transports). Note that a model can only ever be part of one battle formation.
- Points Cost: In addition to the total price of the models in the formation, as listed in their codex, there is often an extra cost you must pay to use the formation.
- Special Rules: There may be special rules that apply to all the units in the battle formation. These are in addition to the 'usual' special rules, as described in the codex.
Deploying Battle Formations
Each battle formation counts as a single unit for the purposes of deployment and strategic reserves. This means that if you haven't put down your entire formation when you run out of time for deployment, all the models must be removed and put into strategic reserve. However, if you have one battle formation and one other unit in strategic reserve at the start of turn 2, you may bring on the entire formation - however large - as this still only counts as half of your units. In effect, all the models in a battle formation (apart from casualties) must be either on the table or off it.
Imperial Guard
The Imperial Guard is the largest and most diverse military organisation that the galaxy has ever seen. Numbering in the billions and equipped with innumerable tanks and super-heavy war machines, the Imperial Guard is both the hammer and the anvil of the Imperium's military might.
The Imperial Guard is not a precise, swift army like the Space Marines; instead it is used to bludgeon a foe into oblivion in bloody campaigns taking months, years or even decades. Although an Imperial Guardsman can never be the equal of a Space Marine, there are thousands of men in each regiment, and it is in their numbers that the greatest strength of the Imperial Guard lies.
Order of Battle
An Imperial Guard regiment is largely uniform in its composition. Infantry regiments, for example, contain no heavy artillery, whilst armoured regiments contain no infantry. As a result, regiments are required to work together in formations known as battle groups or task forces should their objective require a 'combined arms' style of warfare. This dates back to the days following the Horus Heresy, when it was decreed that Imperial Guard regiments should be separate, yet interdependent, in order that none should be able to again rebel with such devastating effect.
The Tactica Imperium sets down a basic template around which regiments are to be organised. Each is organised into companies, some with as few as three, others with as many as twenty. Companies are further divided into between three and six platoons, and platoons consist of between two and six ten-man squads led by a command squad. Terms and naming conventions vary too, and while the regimental commander is normally a Colonel, the military culture from which he is drawn might use an entirely different term ranging from 'Knight Commander' to 'Chief Hetman'.
This structure is maintained in other types of regiment. In a tank regiment for example, the individual Guardsmen form tank crews, each tank taking the place of a squad as the basic unit. These are formed into squadrons, led by a command tank, and organised into tank companies, a number of which make up a tank, or armoured regiment. In a super-heavy tank regiment each individual tank is the equivalent of a platoon, meaning that a super-heavy tank regiment will only number nine to twelve super-heavy tanks, in addition to its numerous supply and service vehicles.
Battle Groups
When an 'all-arms' force is required, units are drafted from the available regiments and placed under the command of a senior officer, such as a colonel or a captain. These formations can vary in size, from company level units of a hundred or so men and five or six vehicles, to a force almost as large as a single regiment. Some are a balanced mix of infantry and vehicles. Many, however, are highly specialised, designed to meet very specific tactical challenges. A battle group might consist of Chimera-mounted infantry and self-propelled artillery assigned to support a lightning-fast armoured breakthrough, or it may be an entire Sentinel company aiding a light infantry force in a jungle fight.
Army Groups
Just as regiments provide individual units for the smaller, tactical-level, battle groups, so entire regiments are often drawn together to make huge, operational-level forces called army groups. These are led by high commanders such as generals and high marshals, and consist of any number of regiments, sometimes as few as two, on occasion many hundreds.
The method by which forces accumulate at a warzone are haphazard at best, with thousands upon thousands of troops from many dozens of regiments sent upon the alarm being raised. Such are the vagaries of warp space and the dangers of inter-system travel - to say nothing of the difficulty in communication posed by a bureaucracy of the size of the Imperium's - that it is only because so many troops are despatched that sufficient arrive at the crisis point. It is quite usual for thousands of guardsmen to be lost in warp storms, ambushed by pirates or sucked into another conflict entirely. Accordingly, a high commander can rarely rely on receiving the assets he requires to achieve victory, and will instead have to improvise a battle plan based upon the troops at his disposal. That he is able to do this successfully is partly due to the versatility of Imperial combat doctrine, but more properly attributable to the sheer weight of manpower and materiel at his disposal. With enough perseverance, even the application of an unsuitable tool can reap dividends - particularly if the commander is unconcerned as to how many such tools are destroyed in the process.
Once the army has been assembled, it operates on the same principle as the battle group, but on a far larger scale. Entire echelons of tanks advance under the cover of the fire of a hundred Basilisk self-propelled guns, supported by wave after wave of infantry. While a battle group is capable of taking a single objective, an army group can be used to take and hold an entire planet or even star system, and few enemies of the Imperium are capable of mustering a force able to withstand it.
Regimental Organisation
Regiments of all types can vary enormously in size and composition. As squads, companies, and entire regiments drop below strength due to battle attrition many undersized formations are merged to create composite groups. In this way the force organisations shown here are more ideal than practical, as few such orderly formations survive the crucible of battle.
Shown here are two example regiments from the Cadian defense forces defending their home world against the thirteenth Black Crusade.
Cadian 24th Armoured Regiment, "The Emperor's Thunder"
- Command Company: 1 Leman Russ, 1 Chimera. During the Kasr Gehr battles the Cadian 24th Armoured Regiment was commanded by Colonel Polski. Depending on his needs, Colonel Polski had at his disposal both a command Leman Russ and Chimera.
- By the time of the fall of Kasr Gehr the Cadian 24th Armoured Regiment was composed of three companies of Leman Russ tanks and a single Baneblade. At the beginning of the campaign the regiment was made of nine Leman Russ companies - a testimony to both the hard fighting as well as a lack of available reinforcements.
- 1st Company, "The Fighting First": 10 Leman Russ.
- 2nd Company, "The Steel Avengers": 10 Leman Russ.
- 3rd Company, "The Bunker Busters": 10 Demolishers.
- 1st Heavy Company, "Steel Faith": Baneblade.
- The majority of tank companies are composed of the Leman Russ, which has served the Imperium for ten thousand years. Some company commanders or occasionally entire squads or companies fight in Leman Russ variants such as the Vanquisher, Executioner, or Conqueror.
- The 24th Armoured Regiment has also been assigned the following support units directly under the command of Colonel Polski:
- Recon Squadron, "Seek & Sneak": 3 Sentinels - The eyes and ears of the armoured columns.
- Anti-aircraft Squadron, "Cloud Shredders": 3 Hydras - The mobile air defence for the entire regiment.
- Workshop Squadron, "The Find n' Fixers": 3 Atlas Recovery Tanks - Vehicle recovery and repair is vital to maintain regimental strength.
- 6 Trojan Support Vehicles - Food, ammo, and medical supplies for the regiment.
Cadian 180th Infantry Regiment
The 180th Infantry Regiment was assigned under Colonel Lansted to support the 24th Armoured Regiment. The infantry's role was to ensure territory gained during armoured breakthroughs was cleared and held at all costs. At full strength the 180th consisted of 12 infantry companies with every fourth one being a heavy weapons company.
- Command Company: Colonel & Command Squad.
- 3rd Company, "Striped Death"; 2nd Company, "Tigers Rampant"; 1st Company, "The Stalking Tigers":
- Company Command Squad led by a Captain or Major.
- 1st Platoon, led by a Lieutenant. Consists of the most experienced of the company's warriors.
- 2nd Platoon, led by a Lieutenant or 2nd Lieutenant. Fights alongside 1st Platoon.
- 3rd Platoon, often led by a newly commissioned 2nd Lieutenant. Acts as tactical reserve and fire support for 1st and 2nd Platoons.
- The Cadian 180th Infantry Regiment "The Tiger's Own" is supported in the field by the following units directly under the command of Colonel Lansted:
- Commissariat: 18 Commissars under Senior Commissar Chaonian.
- Scholastica Psykana: 13-strong psyker coven.
- Ministorum: 83 Preachers, 101 menials.
- Ogryn Auxilia: 3 Ogryn squads under Commissar Raven.
Baneblade Super-heavy Tank (Points: 500)
The Baneblade is amongst the oldest Imperial tank design still in use. Created using Dark Age Standard Template Construct technology, it uses many systems that are now unique to its construction. This ancient STC data is limited to only a handful of forge worlds, and most of the original Baneblades come from Mars itself.
It is claimed that in the distant past there were whole divisions of Baneblades in the Emperor's service, but today an Imperial army is fortunate to have a company of three, and more usually only a single Baneblade will be available. This is because there is immense demand for the Baneblade, both for its highly destructive abilities and also for the morale boost seeing such a behemoth gives to the Imperial Guard troops on the ground.
Each Baneblade constructed and consecrated on those forge worlds that have the original STC is logged and registered with Mars, and is given its own identity number and name. Its whereabouts, the warzones it has fought in, the crew rosters and all its other history are reported regularly to the home forge world so that the fate of each and every Baneblade might be known - if one knows where to look...
Noted Baneblades: Arethusa - Konig Heavy Armour Corps. Emperor's Loyal Shield - 134th Independent Tank Detachment. Steel Lord - 89th Cadian. Pride of Hera - Ultramar Defence Auxilia.
Unit: 1 Baneblade
Type: Super-heavy tank
Structure Points: 3
| BS | Front | Side | Rear |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
Weapons and Equipment:
- Turret-mounted Baneblade cannon with a co-axial autocannon.
- Hull-mounted demolisher cannon and twin-linked heavy bolters.
- Two sponsons, each with one lascannon and one twin-linked heavy bolter.
- Searchlight and smoke launchers.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baneblade cannon | 72" | 9 | 2 | Ordnance 1, 10" blast, Primary weapon |
| Autocannon | 48" | 7 | 4 | Heavy 2, Co-axial |
| Demolisher cannon | 24" | 10 | 2 | Ordnance 1, 5" blast |
| Heavy bolter | 36" | 5 | 4 | Heavy 3 |
| Lascannon | 48" | 9 | 2 | Heavy 1 |
Options: A Baneblade may be given the following vehicle upgrades from the Imperial Guard codex: hunter-killer missile, pintle-mounted heavy stubber or storm bolter.
A Baneblade may replace its two side sponsons with armour plates, increasing its side armour to 14 at no extra cost. It may instead add two extra sponsons (for a total of two sponsons per side), each with one lascannon and one twin-linked heavy bolter, for +100 points.
A Baneblade may have one of the following upgrades for +25 points:
- Commissariat Crew: A Baneblade may be upgraded to carry members of the Commissariat, who use the Baneblade as a platform to urge the men on to more heroic deeds. Any Imperial Guard unit within 12" of a Baneblade with Commissariat crew count their Leadership value as 10.
- Command Tank: A high ranking officer is using the Baneblade as a mobile field HQ. All Imperial Guard units within 24" of a Baneblade command tank may re-roll failed Morale checks.
Hellhammer Super-heavy Tank (Points: 500)
The Hellhammer is built around the same STC chassis as the Baneblade. Its armament favours shorter range firepower, allowing the Hellhammer to move forward in support of infantry in urban areas and other dense terrain. The distinctive feature of the Hellhammer is its much shorter main cannon. This is equipped with heavy-gauge suppressors, allowing it to fire extremely high calibre shells without breaking itself apart with the recoil. These shells have an unstable sub-atomic charge at their core, enabling them to smash apart enemy vehicles, heavily armoured troops and fortifications. This is backed up by sponson-mounted heavy flamers to clear the debris of any survivors.
Primary power plant: 110 square kilo-cubits Adaptable Thermic Combuster (Phaeton pattern). Secondary power plant: Thermic Resonance Crystal Generation Unit (Gravis pattern).
Unit: 1 Hellhammer
Type: Super-heavy tank
Structure Points: 3
| BS | Front | Side | Rear |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
Weapons and Equipment:
- Turret-mounted Hellhammer cannon with a co-axial autocannon.
- Hull-mounted demolisher cannon and twin-linked heavy bolters.
- Two sponsons, each with one lascannon and one twin-linked heavy flamer.
- Searchlight and smoke launchers.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hellhammer cannon | 36" | 10 | 1 | Ordnance 1, 7" blast, Primary weapon, No cover saves allowed |
| Autocannon | 48" | 7 | 4 | Heavy 2, Co-axial |
| Demolisher cannon | 24" | 10 | 2 | Ordnance 1, 5" blast |
| Heavy bolter | 36" | 5 | 4 | Heavy 3 |
| Heavy flamer | Template | 5 | 4 | Assault 1 |
Options: A Hellhammer may be given the following vehicle upgrades from the Imperial Guard codex: hunter-killer missile, pintle-mounted heavy stubber or storm-bolter.
A Hellhammer may either replace its two side sponsons with armour plates, which increase its side armour to 14 at no extra cost. It may instead add two extra sponsons (for a total of two sponsons per side), each with one lascannon and one twin-linked heavy flamer, for +100 points.
The Fortress of Arrogance (Points: 846)
When Commissar Yarrick hunted down Ghazghkull Thraka after the Ork's first invasion of Armageddon, he caught up with the warlord on the alien world of Golgotha. It was here that the Hero of Hades Hive first commandeered the Baneblade 'The Fortress of Arrogance' to confront the marauding greenskin. However, the super-heavy tank was critically damaged by a Stompa, and abandoned on the field of battle as the fighting raged on. When Ghazghkull was threatening to invade Armageddon for the second time, Yarrick requested that The Fortress of Arrogance be reclaimed from the plains of Golgotha. An Adeptus Mechanicus Reclamator expedition found the remnants of the venerable Baneblade and during its voyage to Armageddon upon one of the great Mechanicus Arks it was repaired and re-fitted. Now Yarrick once more leads armoured assaults against the greenskin hordes from the cupola of The Fortress of Arrogance.
Unit: 1 Fortress of Arrogance (Commissar Yarrick, as detailed in the Imperial Guard codex, is included in the points).
Type: Super heavy tank
Structure Points: 3
| BS | Front | Side | Rear |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
Transport: Commissar Yarrick (for transport purposes only, The Fortress of Arrogance counts as open-topped). Yarrick's force field does not work while he is on board. Yarrick must start the game inside the Fortress.
Weapons and Equipment:
- Turret-mounted Baneblade cannon with a co-axial autocannon.
- Hull-mounted demolisher cannon and twin-linked heavy bolters.
- Two sponsons, each with lascannon and twin-linked heavy bolters.
- Hunter-killer missile.
- Pintle-mounted storm-bolter.
- Searchlight.
- Smoke launchers.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baneblade cannon | 72" | 9 | 2 | Ordnance 1, 10" blast, Primary weapon |
| Autocannon | 48" | 7 | 4 | Heavy 2, Co-axial |
| Demolisher cannon | 24" | 10 | 2 | Ordnance 1, 5" blast |
| Heavy bolter | 36" | 5 | 4 | Heavy 3 |
| Lascannon | 48" | 9 | 2 | Heavy 1 |
Special Rules:
- Hero of Hades: As a great figure of the Commissariat and a skilled tactician, while Yarrick is aboard any Imperial Guard unit within 24" of the Fortress of Arrogance count their Leadership as 10 and may re-roll failed Morale checks.
- Hammer of the Greenskins: All Ork units wishing to assault the Fortress of Arrogance must take a morale check. If the test is failed, the unit may not assault that turn.
Hydra Flak-tank (Points: 200)
The Hydra Flak-tank is a specialised vehicle used for mobile air defence, based on the Chimera chassis. The Flak-tank can often be seen defending Imperial Guard columns and artillery positions from aerial attacks, its long-barrelled autocannons sweeping the skies and unleashing a hail of explosive shells.
The Hydra's turret has automated tracking and targeting equipment, which means once it is locked onto an aircraft, the guns will remain aimed regardless of any evasive manoeuvres the flyer may attempt. With the Hydra's high rate of fire, the aircraft is usually doomed.
The Hydra has five crew. The driver, commander and comms-operator sit inside the vehicle's main hull and between them man the heavy bolter, whilst the gunner and loader sit in the turret to operate the quad autocannons.
When an air attack recedes, or the Hydra's position is in danger of being overrun, the flak-tank is often pressed into frontline service to engage ground targets, being especially useful against infantry assaults and lightly armoured vehicles. The Hydra has proven so effective in this role that many commanders overlook this breach of official regulations.
Famous Air Defence Regiments: Cadian 288th 'Sky Killers'. Steel Legion 551st 'Konig's Ash Waste Burners'. Talarn 644th 'Defenders of the Crimson Citadel'.
Unit: 1 Hydra Flak-tank
Type: Tank
| BS | Front | Side | Rear |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 12 | 10 | 10 |
Weapons and Equipment:
- Two turret-mounted, twin-linked long-barrelled autocannons.
- One hull-mounted heavy bolter.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long-barrelled Autocannon | 12-72" | 7 | 4 | Heavy 2, AA Mount |
| Heavy bolter | 36" | 5 | 4 | Heavy 3 |
Options: The Hydra may be given any of the following options from the Imperial Guard codex: extra armour, hunter-killer missile, pintle-mounted heavy stubber or storm-bolter, searchlight, smoke launchers.
'Emperor's Fist' Tank Company
There comes a time in every campaign when a decisive blow is required to crush the enemy beneath the steel treads of the Imperial Guard. For such battles, all the available forces are mustered at their greatest strength. A spearhead of tanks leads the charge into the enemy. The 'Emperor's Fist' formation, consisting of Leman Russ and Leman Russ Demolishers, is the ideal force for such a duty.
Emperor's Fist tank companies are led by the most experienced tank aces, able to keep the vehicles under them moving even under intense enemy fire. The squadron and company commanders' vehicles are fitted with an array of vox transceivers that allow them to coordinate the actions of their vehicles, no matter how arduous the battle.
Points: You may field a single tank squadron at a cost of 25 points plus the cost of the models, or a complete tank company at a cost of 50 points plus the cost of the models.
Example: 4th Company, Cadian 24th Armoured Regiment - Command Leman Russ ('Hammer of Victory', Captain Stelka); Leman Russ Squadron Batailica; Leman Russ Squadron Devastatum; Demolisher Squadron Annihilatum.
'Emperor's Fist' Tank Squadron
Formation: 3 Leman Russ tanks or 3 Demolisher tanks (from Codex Imperial Guard). One tank must be marked as the command tank.
Tank Squadron Special Rules:
- Squadron Command Tank: Whilst the squadron command tank is still mobile, any tank in the squadron within 6" of it (including the command tank itself) may ignore 'crew shaken' results.
- Strike Force: All tanks in the squadron must be deployed within 6" of the squadron command tank, or, if coming on from reserve, they must enter the table within 6" of the point entered by the squadron command tank.
'Emperor's Fist' Tank Company
Formation: 3 'Emperor's Fist' tank squadrons. 1 company command tank, chosen from the list below:
- Leman Russ (from Codex Imperial Guard); Vanquisher; Exterminator; Executioner (from Forge World's Imperial Armour Volume One).
Company Special Rules:
The company command tank benefits from the 'Squadron Command Tank' rule given opposite. In addition, if the company command tank is still mobile at the end of the game, all remaining tanks in the company that are within 24" of the company command tank still count as a scoring unit if immobilised.
- Strike Force: All tanks in the company must be deployed within 24" of the company command tank, or, if coming on from reserve, they must enter the table within 24" of the point entered by the company command tank.
'Emperor's Wrath' Artillery Company
When the Imperial Guard goes to war, it is preceded by the thunderous barrage of heavy artillery. The battleground is churned into a smoking, crater-strewn ruin, amidst which the enemy can only cower for shelter from the fire and shrapnel of the pounding ordnance. Such bombardments might last hours, days or even weeks, and few defences can withstand the sheer destruction unleashed. When finally the shells cease falling, the vanguard units of the Imperial Guard emerge from the rolling smoke left in the bombardment's wake, and the final assault is launched.
There are many other types of artillery, but the most common artillery piece in the Imperial Guard arsenal is the Basilisk. These self-propelled guns are formed into three-strong batteries, with three batteries forming an 'Emperor's Wrath' company and three or more companies plus support vehicles making up an artillery regiment. Thanks to the mobility and firepower of the Emperor's Wrath company, an Imperial Guard advance is capable of striking deep into enemy territory, supported all the way by a constant, rolling barrage of devastating artillery fire.
Points: You may field a single artillery battery at a cost of 25 points plus the cost of the models, or a complete artillery company at a cost of 50 points plus the cost of the models.
Example: 1st Company, 23rd Arcadian Cannonry Regiment 'The Hellbringers' - Command Chimera (Major Vornt); 'Vengeance' Battery, 'Retribution' Battery and 'Justice' Battery of three Basilisks each. Each vehicle in an artillery company (excluding the command unit) carries a supply of spotting rounds, in addition to their standard munitions.
'Emperor's Wrath' Artillery Battery
Formation: 3 Basilisks (from Codex Imperial Guard).
Battery Special Rules:
- Spotting Rounds: As long as each Basilisk in the battery is within 6" of another, the Basilisks may fire spotting rounds. Spotting rounds are resolved just like a normal shot from the earthshaker cannon, but in addition a 'spotting' marker is placed under the hole of the template (a clump of coloured cotton wool looks good). Any other Basilisk in the battery yet to shoot that turn may choose to fire upon that same spot and automatically hit it, or fire another spotting round.
- Strike Force: Each Basilisk in the battery must be deployed within 6" of another, or, if coming on from reserve, they must each enter the table within 6" of the point entered by another Basilisk in the battery.
'Emperor's Wrath' Artillery Company
Formation: 3 'Emperor's Wrath' artillery batteries and 1 company command vehicle, chosen from the list below:
- Chimera (from Codex Imperial Guard); Salamander Command Vehicle (from Forge World's Imperial Armour Volume One).
Company Special Rules:
Any Basilisks within 24" of the company command vehicle may make use of the spotting rounds of any Basilisk in the company. In addition, if the company command tank is still mobile at the end of the game, all remaining Basilisks in the company that are within 24" of the company command vehicle still count as a scoring unit if immobilised.
- Strike Force: All tanks in the company must be deployed within 24" of the company command vehicle, or, if coming on from reserve, they must enter the table within 24" of the point entered by the company command vehicle.
'Emperor's Talons' Recon Troop (Points: 50 + models)
Imperial Guard armies are in the main ponderous and unwieldy. To ensure they are not outmanoeuvred by swifter foes, many include a wide range of fast-moving reconnaissance units. These locate the enemy, report back on its strength and location, and engage while larger forces are moved forward to deliver the killing blow.
One type of reconnaissance unit is the 'Emperor's Talons' Recon troop. This consists of a number of Sentinels, and its exact configuration will depend on the nature of the foe for which it is hunting. If the enemy is known to be strong in armoured vehicles for example, the Emperor's Talons Recon troop will include a large number of Sentinels armed with lascannons and hunter-killer missiles. If the enemy has a high number of infantry, then the multi-laser will be the weapon of choice.
Furthermore, the Emperor's Talons Recon troop can be configured according to the terrain in which it is operating. In a jungle for example, its Sentinels will be equipped with heavy flamers for flushing the foe out of the dense terrain, and large chainblades for cutting through tough undergrowth. If the force is reconnoitring an urban environment, then it will include heavy flamers, but also a number of rocket-firing Support Sentinels, to bombard enemy infantry waiting in ambush amidst ruined buildings.
Example: 2nd Co 8th Venatorum Sentinel Recon Troop 'The Fighting Hawks' - Command Sentinel (Captain 'Hawk' Tatarago); three Sentinel squadrons ('Hawk's Eyes', 'Hawk's Wings', 'Hawk's Talons'); Support Sentinel squadron ('Hawk's Fury'). Sentinel squadrons carry a dubious reputation, their pilots labelled as mavericks and troublemakers. In spite of this (or perhaps because of it) Imperial Guard command echelons allow them unrestrained autonomy, enabling them to operate outside of the normal command structure. Unlike most Imperial vehicles, Sentinels use the scout-modified powerplant. This provides noise reduction and anti-smog filtering. The Support Sentinel is fitted with multi-spectral Targeter.
Formation: Three 3-strong Sentinel Squadrons and one Sentinel marked as the command Sentinel (from Codex Imperial Guard). In addition, one squadron of Support Sentinels (see Imperial Armour 3) may be taken.
Special Rules:
- Forward Recon: All models controlled by the same player that have line of sight to a model in the Recon troop count as having the Recon strategic asset.
- Command Sentinel: Once per game, any models controlled by the same player (including those in the Recon troop itself) may make a Strategic Redeployment move, as detailed in the Strategic Assets section. Both the beginning and end of each model's move must be within line of sight of the command Sentinel.
- Strike Force: All vehicles in the Emperor's Talons Recon troop must be deployed within 12" of the command Sentinel, or, if coming on from reserve, they must enter the table within 12" of the point entered by the command Sentinel.
Ogryn Auxilia (Points: 25 + models)
It is common practice for squads of Ogryns to be attached to commands on an individual basis as need (and taste) dictates. However, for sizeable battles, such troops can be formed into a temporary platoon or company often referred to as an auxilia. Though Ogryns are usually trained in basic doctrine they are sometimes used purely as expendable troops. During the Third War for Armageddon, the feral Ogryns of Monglor were unleashed upon the Ork hordes with nothing more than clubs, teeth and bullish savagery to carry the day.
When an Auxilia is formed, a junior officer is given command (often as punishment for some previous misdeed), reporting directly to the General Staff. Although the unhygienic Ogryns are considered repulsive by most military thinkers, the concentration of their unique abilities can create a formidable, if somewhat ill-disciplined, fighting force. Some officers even 'go native' and end up becoming so involved with their charges that they resign their regular commission and create a permanent formation of their strange troops.
Example: Abhuman Auxilia 22nd Orion - Lieutenant & Command Squad (Lt. Grieb); Commissar (Commissar Von Leisken); three Ogryn squads. Note: Ripper guns, fitted with ammunition inhibitors as standard.
Formation:
- 1 Command squad led by a Junior Officer
- 0-1 Commissar
- 2+ Ogryn squads
Special Rules:
- Strike Force: All models in the Auxilia must be deployed within 12" of the Officer, or, if coming on from reserve, they must enter the table within 12" of the point entered by the Officer.
- Get Stuck In: Whether or not the Auxilia's commander orders it, Ogryn squads often bully their way towards the enemy in their enthusiasm for battle. The entire Auxilia has the Scout universal special rule.
Space Marines
Space Marines attack with surgical precision, using Drop Pods and Thunderhawk gunships to strike at the heart of the enemy army. The ultimate terror-troops, the mere threat of a Space Marine assault quells rebellion and forestalls invasion.
The Adeptus Astartes
The Space Marines of the Adeptus Astartes are the Imperium's supreme warriors. Genetically enhanced to be the ultimate fighters, they are far stronger and tougher than ordinary human beings. Space Marines are organised into roughly a thousand Chapters, with each Chapter numbering approximately a thousand fighting warriors organised into ten companies of a hundred troops each. Every Space Marine Chapter is fiercely proud of its history and achievements and each one has its own distinctive uniform and heraldic markings. These were established at the Chapter's founding and are displayed with pride upon all vehicles and armour. All of the wargear of the Space Marines is painstakingly maintained, and many items are covered in lines of intricately rendered devotional script, each line detailing a battle honour won in a glorious campaign.
Each Chapter is commanded by a Chapter Master, a rank equivalent to the ruler of an entire world. The Chapters are small armies unto themselves, and although each contains only a thousand front line battle brothers, a Chapter has the fighting potential of ten times that number of ordinary troops.
Chapters have their own transport, support staff, armourers and even fleets, and are fully capable of responding to any threat anywhere in the galaxy. Because they are so mobile, Space Marines are often the first Imperial force to arrive at a scene of conflict, and they are used to mount strikes, raids and devastating surprise attacks. Their reputation for ferocity and complete lack of mercy has earned them the title Angels of Death.
Space Marines in Battle
The archetypal mission for which the Space Marines were created is the planetstrike, or planetary assault operation. Such an offensive begins with the Space Marine fleet engaging and clearing away defending ships and neutralising orbital defences, ground-based defence laser silos and missile bunkers. Ground defences are sabotaged by scout forces or captured by troops from the Battle Companies. Frequently, the bulk of a Space Marine force will deploy directly into battle, forcing a decisive engagement to take advantage of the considerable shock of their arrival.
When the Space Marines arrive in this manner they must deploy as rapidly as possible to maintain the element of surprise that plays such a major role in their effectiveness. To this end, Space Marine warships are equipped with hundreds of Drop Pods and vast hanger bays full of fast, deadly Thunderhawk gunships. The contrails of these craft are often the only harbinger of a Space Marine assault. As the Drop Pods and Thunderhawks streak through the sky, the foe knows that their doom has arrived. The Space Marines deploy right into the heart of the enemy, unleashing a fearsome hail of bolter fire. The initial shock of such an assault can often crush an army before any major fighting has taken place, swiftly halting rebellions or eliminating alien forces. These shock assaults are often spearheaded by squads of Terminators teleporting into the midst of the foe, and supported by heavier units borne to the planet's surface by Thunderhawk transporters.
The True Might of the Space Marines
Each Company in a Space Marine Chapter is able to field a mix of Tactical, Assault and Devastator squads depending on its designation. An entire company is seldom fielded as a discrete tactical force. Instead forces are tailored to the task at hand, often built around the versatile Battle Companies, and carefully chosen to achieve the objectives passed down by high command. Such a force might consist of only three or four squads, supported by squads from other companies, armoured vehicles and Dreadnoughts, and led in battle by a Captain, senior Veteran Sergeant, Chaplain or Librarian.
On occasion, a Space Marine Chapter will face a mission or a foe of such size that it will be forced to deploy a large portion of its strength. Forces consisting of two or three hundred battle brothers and their supporting vehicles are deployed where an enemy absolutely has to be stopped no matter the cost. During the Second and Third Wars for Armageddon it was determined that the Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Thraka would be held at that world, lest his hordes gain a foothold onto more populous systems and wreak havoc on an untold scale. During the Armageddon wars, such legendary Chapters as the Blood Angels, Salamanders, and Black Templars deployed several complete Battle Companies in a supreme effort to halt the Orks. Such was their heroism and skill
that Armageddon became a byword for total war in Ork kultur. Greenskin armies flock there even now to test their mettle against such worthy opponents.
Such is the nature of the Adeptus Astartes' mission to protect mankind that a Chapter's component forces may be spread across the entire Imperium, with individual detachments involved in conflicts many thousand of light years from their home world. It is highly unusual for all ten companies of a Chapter to gather in the same place at the same time, and it may be many centuries between Chapter-wide gatherings for a single battle.
The deployment of an entire Chapter will therefore indicate a threat to the fabric of the Imperium itself, dire enough that every last battle brother be recalled with haste no matter where he is serving. The deployment of such a force is requested by the High Lords of Terra themselves and is led by the Chapter Master in person. Such a gathering of might can bring a fortress world to its knees, halt an alien invasion or hurl back a Black Crusade. Legendary wars such as the system-shattering Helican Schism, the Macharian Heresies and the Tyrannic Wars have seen such drastic measures employed, and entire planets were carved into shrines to remember the fallen. Each of these terrible conflicts embroiled huge regions of the Imperium and involved countless millions of troops, but was ultimately decided by the actions and sacrifices of a relatively small number of Space Marines - heroes each and every one.
Blood Angels 'Force Lazarus' - Second War for Armageddon
When the forces of Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka invaded the industrial world of Armageddon the defenders were woefully ill prepared. Due to the incompetence of its planetary governor, Herman von Strab, the planet nearly fell within a few weeks. Only the inspired leadership of Commissar Yarrick and the intervention of the Blood Angels prevented Armageddon from falling into the hands of the Orks. The following diagram shows the disposition of the Blood Angels battleforce fighting under Captain Lazarus.
Diagram (formation chart): Captain Lazarus (Honour Guard, Land Raider, 2nd Company); Chaplain Arillus (2nd Company); Death Company; Techmarine Kadeon (Servitors, Rhino, Forge); two Tactical Squads (Rhino, 2nd Company); Assault Squad (2nd Company); Devastator Squad (Rhino, 2nd Company); Furioso Dreadnought (2nd Company); Land Raider Crusader; Land Speeder; Whirlwind; Baal Predator; Vindicator; Land Raider; Whirlwind; Epistolary Angelus (Honour Guard, Razorback, Librarium); Terminator Squad Sanctarin and Terminator Squad Kalastin (1st Company); Sanguinary Priest Marius (Honour Guard); Scout Squad Versos (10th Company).
- Phase 1: Force Lazarus consisted initially of four squads, and was formed during the Second War for Armageddon during the successful defence of the bridges spanning the Skeletus River.
- Phase 2: Three days after its first action, the force was ordered to take part in the relief of Tartarus Hive, and was expanded to include the entire 2nd Battle Company. It was led by the recently elevated Captain Lazarus, under the direct command of the legendary Commander Dante.
- Phase 3: For the battles leading to the final counter-offensive against the Ork horde, Force Lazarus was reinforced by a number of other units from the Chapter, including a Scout squad and two Terminator squads. These proved vital during the destruction of Ghazghkull's elite bodyguard.
- Phase 4: The force as shown in the chart above has been expanded still further, in preparation for the final attack. A Suppression Force and an Armoured Spearhead were deemed essential to the breakthrough effort against the Ork horde en route to Hive Tartarus, in turn facilitating the drop pod counter-offensive led by Commander Dante himself against the main Ork horde.
Terminus Ultra Land Raider (Points: 300)
(This datasheet is a Games Workshop website printout included in the scan, between the pages of the Space Marines section.)
The Terminus Ultra pattern Land Raider is the ultimate in Space Marine anti-armour vehicles. The Terminus Ultra forfeits its troop carrying capability in order to mount a battery of lascannons capable of punching through power fields and the thickest armour. The huge power build-up generated when a Terminus Ultra fires can cause irrevocable damage to the vehicle's systems, and so it is only used when all other options have been exhausted. Only when the largest armoured targets are encountered are these venerable machines deployed from the Armorium. Against the massive war engines of the Emperor's foes, the Terminus Ultra is the Space Marines' surest weapon. With a single salvo, a Terminus Ultra can cripple a super-heavy tank, disable a Chaos Titan or destroy an Ork Stompa.
Unit: 1 Terminus Ultra pattern Land Raider.
Type: Tank.
| BS | Front | Side | Rear |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
Weapons and Equipment:
- Two sponson-mounted twin-linked lascannons.
- Two sponson-mounted lascannons.
- One hull-mounted twin-linked lascannon.
- Smoke Launchers.
- Searchlight.
- Power of the Machine Spirit.
- May purchase any vehicle upgrade from the Space Marines armoury.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lascannon | 48" | 9 | 2 | Heavy 1 |
Special Rules:
- Power Overload: If you roll four or more 1s to hit with the Terminus Ultra (before re-rolls for its twin-linked weapons), the tank has suffered a potentially catastrophic power surge. The Terminus Ultra suffers a single penetrating hit after its shooting has been resolved.
Thunderhawk Gunship (Points: 900)
Perhaps more than any other single vehicle, the Thunderhawk gunship is the lynchpin of a Space Marine Chapter. Combining orbital drop ship, gunship and medium bomber roles, it is a Chapter's fleet of Thunderhawks that allows its forces to assault anywhere on a planet's surface from strike cruisers in orbit.
The Thunderhawk carries a fearsome array of weaponry and ordnance, including either a turbo-laser or over-sized battle cannon. For potent firepower in ground attacks it mounts twin lascannons, and, for engaging enemy interceptors or sweeping landing zones with suppressive fire, four twin-linked heavy bolters in remote turrets. The transport bays and assault ramp allow the Thunderhawk to deploy a force of Space Marines right on their objective. More accurate than a drop pod landing, a Thunderhawk attack can be used to strike where the blow is most telling, ripping the heart out of the enemy by destroying communication centres and killing enemy commanders.
Each Thunderhawk is named, often after a hero of the chapter.
Unit: 1 Thunderhawk Gunship
Type: Super heavy Flyer
Structure Points: 3
| BS | Front | Side | Rear |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 12 | 12 | 10 |
Access Points: One access hatch on each side and a forward assault ramp (units disembarking from a Thunderhawk may assault on the same turn).
Fire Points: None
Weapons and Equipment:
- Hull-mounted Thunderhawk cannon.
- Four sponson-mounted twin-linked heavy bolters.
- Two hull-mounted lascannons.
- Six bomb pylons. For each bombing run the Thunderhawk may drop two pylons, which is resolved as an Apocalyptic Barrage (6) weapon. This can be done three times per game, after which the Thunderhawk is out of bombs.
Transport: The Thunderhawk has a transport capacity of 30.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderhawk cannon | 72" | 8 | 3 | Ordnance 1, 7" blast, Primary Weapon |
| Turbo-laser Destructor | 72" | D | 2 | Heavy 1, 5" blast, Primary Weapon |
| Bomb | Bomb | 6 | 4 | Apocalyptic Barrage (6) |
| Heavy bolter | 36" | 5 | 4 | Heavy 3 |
| Lascannon | 48" | 9 | 2 | Heavy 1 |
Options: The Thunderhawk cannon may be replaced by a turbo-laser destructor for +20 points. A Thunderhawk may exchange its 6 bomb pylons for 6 hellstrike missiles for no additional points. Each hellstrike missile can only be fired once per game.
Special Rules:
- Hover Mode.
- Ceramite Shielding: In order to resist the heat of atmospheric entry a Thunderhawk has thick ceramite shielding. Weapons with the 'Melta' special rule never roll an extra dice for armour penetration against the Thunderhawk.
Armoured Spearhead (Points: 50 + models)
Armoured Spearheads are to Space Marine ground assaults what Drop Pod insertions are to a planetstrike mission: a terrifying combination of firepower and maneuverability aimed at the heart of the enemy. The keys to such an assault are overwhelming firepower and the durability to weather incoming fire and so it is to the Land Raider - the indomitable behemoth of the Space Marine armoury - that such duty falls. Three Land Raiders, guided by the veteran crew of the lead tank, adopt a spearhead formation, taking care to maximise fire corridors and provide armour overlap for the vehicles following behind. The formation then drives breakneck toward the foe, striking the enemy lines at their strongest point. Acting with coordination far beyond the best efforts of lesser humans this bow wave of destruction punches an opening for the lighter Rhinos and Razorbacks swarming in its wake, allowing those transports to penetrate deep into the enemy army.
At its inception this combat doctrine was practiced solely by the Iron Hands and Imperial Fists Chapters, but has since been adopted across the breadth and depth of the Adeptus Astartes. Each Armoured Spearhead is assembled according to battlefield requirements and the innate biases of the Chapter concerned. The Black Templars rely heavily on the Crusader variant of the Land Raider, preferring its dedicated close support role, whilst siege Chapters such as the Imperial Fists and the Doom Legion tend to utilise the Helios pattern, whose formidable firepower is often further enhanced by hunter killer missiles and additional pintle weaponry. Despite this, the standard Phobos pattern Land Raider remains the most common element in an Armoured Spearhead, an accolade guaranteed by its versatile array of weaponry and a durable design suited to field repair.
Example: Ultramarines Armoured Task Force Mercurion, Epsilon-Primus - Land Raider Crusader command vehicle 'Talassar's Fury'; Land Raiders 'Guilleman's Fist' and 'Shield of Faith'. The command tank in an Armoured Spearhead will often be the Force Commander's personal transport - Space Marine combat doctrine and personal honour both dictate that a leader's place is at the forefront of battle. Such vehicles contain an impressive array of comms and datastream hardware, allowing the Force Commander prompt and complete updates on the campaign's progress.
Formation: 3+ Land Raiders (any variant). One Land Raider must be designated as the command tank.
Special Rules:
- Strike Force: All tanks in the spearhead must be deployed within 6" of the command tank, or, if coming on from reserve, they must enter the table within 6" of the point entered by the command tank.
- Command Tank: As long as the spearhead command tank is mobile, any tank in the spearhead within 6" of it (including the command tank itself) may ignore Crew Shaken results on the damage tables.
Suppression Force (Points: 25 + models)
One of the keys to the mobility of a Space Marines army is the ability to pin down the enemy in their positions and allow the Space Marines to operate unhindered. As a rapid strike force, Space Marines do not use massed artillery such as the Basilisks and Bombards of the Imperial Guard, but instead employ Whirlwind multi-launchers. Normally used as support for more fast-moving troops, the Whirlwind is not usually capable of such long-range suppressive fire. However, when required, a Land Speeder can have additional augurs and communications equipment fitted, allowing its crew to coordinate the fire of a number of designated Whirlwinds.
Creation of the suppression doctrine is credited to Jagrvelj Skyhammer, Master of the Arsenal for the Storm Ravens Chapter and victor of the Rhopara Crusade. It was at his direction that several of the Storm Raven's Land Speeders were stripped of all unnecessary armament and fitted with sophisticated terrain-following sensor arrays. Drawing upon two hundred years of combat experience, Skyhammer retrained the Chapter's pilots, suppressing their hunting urges and awakening instincts of evasion and caution, the better to scout enemy formations and direct Whirlwind fire support. After great successes in the assault on the Rhoparra sector capital, Skyhammer's tactic was adopted not only by the rest of the Storm Raven's Chapter, but across the Adeptus Astartes as a whole.
Example: Ultramarines Suppression Force 'Divine Storm', Nathrax Decimation - Land Speeder 'Vigilance'; Whirlwinds 'Mortum Dei' (Vengeance Payload) and 'Rain of Fury' (Castellan Payload).
Formation:
- 2-5 Whirlwinds
- 1 Land Speeder (any type)
The Land Speeder must be marked as the spotting vehicle.
Special Rules:
- Long Range Spotting: When firing at a target within 36" and line of sight of the spotting Land Speeder, the Whirlwinds in the Suppression Force have an unlimited range and may re-roll the Scatter dice.
Predator Assassin Squadron (Points: 50 + models)
(This datasheet is a Games Workshop website printout included in the scan.)
The crews of Predator Battle Tanks are the unsung heroes of the Space Marine armies. It is they who neutralise the Titans and traitor war machines that would otherwise gouge huge holes in the Astartes ranks. It is they who breach the impenetrable fortresses of the foe, allowing their comrades to strike deep into the heart of the enemy force, and it is they who scythe down the elite of the enemy reinforcements when their battle brethren are outnumbered almost beyond countenance. Though it is easy to appreciate the sheer scale of destruction a whole squadron of battle tanks can achieve, few truly realise the precision with which they enact their role.
When the Space Marines mass for war they collate as much intelligence as they can about their target. Guided by the ancient tenets of the Codex Astartes, the leaders of each strike force give careful thought to how best to engage and destroy each element of their foe's forces. Predator battle tanks, bearing the optimum configuration for the destruction of a certain type of enemy, are eminently suited to particular roles in this battle plan. As a result Predators of similar or even identical configurations are often pooled into Assassin class squadrons, tasked with the destruction of a single enemy unit above all others. They are supplied with as much intelligence and tactical guidance as possible concerning their target, and fine-tune their weapons systems in a manner to best utilise this knowledge. Though they see it as no more than the enactment of their Emperor-given duty, a Predator crewman would rather die than see his allotted quarry escape his battle tank's wrath.
Example: Predator Annihilator command vehicle 'Furious Vengeance'; Predator Annihilators 'Consummate Force' and 'Boundless Hatred'.
Formation:
- 3+ Predator Annihilators OR 3+ Predator Destructors
One Predator must be designated as the command tank.
Special Rules:
- Strike Force: All tanks in the squadron must be deployed within 6" of the command tank or, if coming on from reserve, they must enter the table within 6" of the point entered by the command tank.
- Target Acquired: A Predator Assassin Squadron is tasked with the destruction of a single entity, war machine or squad, and makes its destruction a priority above all else. Declare an enemy unit before the battle begins to be the Predators' target. The Predators in the Assassin Squadron may not fire at any other target until their nominated target is destroyed. If a Predator in the Assassin Squadron is within 6" of the command tank when they are firing at their nominated target, all failed To-Hit rolls made by the squadron may be re-rolled.
Line Breaker Squadron (Points: 100 + models)
All of a Space Marine Chapter's Vindicator tanks are typically found distributed throughout the Chapter's Companies, and deployed into battle on a point-of-need basis. However, the Codex Astartes describes the manner in which a Chapter's Vindicators should, on occasion in especially large engagements, be grouped together into a formation referred to as a Line Breaker Squadron.
A Line Breaker Squadron specialises in destroying enemy fortifications, especially in built up areas, where the relatively short range of the Vindicator is no disadvantage and its formidable demolisher cannon can achieve maximum damage. A Line Breaker Squadron is capable of smashing through trench-lines, blasting apart bunkers, levelling city blocks and reducing defenders to liquefied remains with casual ease.
The role of a Line Breaker Squadron on the battlefield is to engage the enemy where it is strongest, clearing a path for Tactical and Assault squads to penetrate the enemy lines.
A veteran Techmarine, bearing the temporary title of the 'Master of Reduction' commands the lead vehicle and directs the fire of his squadron against the strongest parts of the enemy line, pulverising buildings and collapsing trench works. In turn, each Vindicator is crewed by those Space Marines in the Chapter with the greatest aptitude for siege warfare, who fearlessly crash into the enemy unleashing a thunderous bombardment. The massive dozer-blades fitted to the front of each tank sweep aside all before them, leaving shattered defences, broken bodies and blasted rubble in their wake.
Example: Ultramarines Line Breaker Squadron Achilles, Venta Secundus - Vindicator command vehicle 'Hammer of Macragge'; Vindicators 'Hera's Vengeance' and 'Righteous Fury'. The first Vindicator tanks were converted from Rhino APCs during the subjugation of Rostern I, early in the Horus Heresy. During the conquest of the fortress-city Stahlenburg, the Ultramarines Legion suffered grievous casualties battling through the cramped streets. Roboute Guilliman ordered that a number of the Ultramarines Legion's Rhino's should be fitted with 'Thunderer' cannons and used to literally demolish the fortified buildings one at a time, denying the traitors sanctuary. Vindicator tanks (later fitted with 'Demolisher' cannons) have been a mainstay of most Space Marine Chapters ever since.
Traitor Formations: Remember that thanks to the freedom of Apocalypse battles, Chaos players can use traitor versions of any of the Imperial datasheets. For example, it is entirely appropriate to field Chaos Line Breaker squadrons, Renegade Baneblades or Traitor Artillery Batteries.
Formation:
- 3+ Vindicator tanks.
One Vindicator must be designated as the command tank.
Special Rules:
-
Strike Force: All units in the Line Breaker Squadron must be deployed within 6" of the command tank, or, if coming on from reserve, they must enter the table within 6" of the point entered by the command tank.
-
Combined Fire: If three or more Vindicators in the formation fire at the same target, resolve the shots as a single Strength 10, AP 2, ordnance shot, using the 10" Apocalyptic Blast marker. If the hole in the centre of the blast marker lands over a terrain feature (building, bunker, fortification or wood, for example) it is destroyed on the roll of a 4+ (replace it with suitable debris). For each additional Vindicator after the third that combines its fire upon the target, add +1 to the roll to determine whether the terrain feature is destroyed.
Models within a destroyed terrain feature suffer 1 wound on the roll of a 4+ (Saving throws are allowed) and each unit must take a pinning test. Vehicles automatically suffer a glancing hit.
Masters of the Chapter (Points: 200 + models)
During normal operations, the highest ranking officers of a Space Marine Chapter will be dispersed across many different forces, commanding their battle brothers. However, on occasion when the might of the Chapter is drawn up in a single confrontation, the headquarters staff may fight together. Gathering such important warriors into a single place is not without risks, as several Chapters over the millennia have been left temporarily leaderless by an orbital strike or well-aimed high-explosive round. Nevertheless, the Chapter Command provides a near-unstoppable mix of tactical acumen, advanced weaponry and elite warriors.
Example: Chapter Master Marneus Calgar of the Ultramarines Chapter; Honour Guard, including Ancient bearing the Ultramarines Chapter Banner; Master of the Watch (Captain of the 2nd Company); Master of the Arsenal (Captain of the 3rd Company); Master of the Fleet (Captain of the 4th Company); Master of Recruits (Captain of the 10th Company).
- The title of a Space Marine Master varies according to duty and from Chapter to Chapter. Only the strictest of Codex Chapters use the sanctioned titles - others use ranks and honours drawn from an honoured history spanning thousands of years. The Blood Angels fleet commander, for example, is entitled 'lord of the Angelic Host' whilst the Space Wolves commander responsible for recruits is known as 'Father of the Unblooded'. Despite the variation in nomenclature, there is little divergence in responsibility - it is one of the doctrines in the Codex Astartes that has been adopted by all.
- Symbolic of his station as the custodian of the Chapter Fortress, and protector of the Chapter, the Master of the Watch bears a storm shield and a double-headed axe, shaped in the likeness of the Imperial Eagle.
- The Master of the Arsenal has unfettered access to the most ancient and sacred wargear of the Chapter, such as the rare Mk III Iron Armour shown here.
- It is common for the Master of the Fleet to bear a thunder hammer, representative of his ability to summon the firepower of the orbiting battle fleet. Note the vox-link with integrated location transponder.
- Each Master of Recruits is tasked with overseeing the training of the Chapter's neophytes, and typically bears the Role of Honour into battle, so as to record their deeds.
Formation:
- 1 Chapter Master (ie, Marneus Calgar, Helbrecht, Azrael, etc)
- 1 Master of the Watch
- 1 Master of the Arsenal
- 1 Master of the Fleet
- 1 Master of Recruits
- (each of these Masters uses the rules for a Space Marine Commander or equivalent)
- 1 Command Squad or Terminator Squad
Note: All units must be chosen from the same Space Marine Codex.
Special Rules:
- High Command: The player's army gains access to certain strategic assets as detailed below. Each individual Master provides a specific strategic asset, which can be used once per game, provided the Master is on the table and joined to the same unit as the Chapter Master. If the Master or Chapter Master is dead (or they have been left in strategic reserve), the strategic asset is not available.
| Master | Strategic Asset |
|---|---|
| Master of the Watch | Ambush |
| Master of the Arsenal | Precision Strike |
| Master of the Fleet | Orbital Bombardment |
| Master of Recruits | Surgical Raids |
Sternhammer's Wulfen Guard (Points: 50 + models)
(This datasheet is a Games Workshop website printout included in the scan.)
The legend of the 13th Company of the Space Wolves is one never told outside of the Chapter itself. Even then, it is only whispered in private, lest the young Blood Claws overhear lore not meant for their ears.
The 13th Company of the Space Wolves Legion is said to have fought at the forefront of the greatest battles of the Horus Heresy. Every brother of the legion bore the mark of the Canis Helix - the beast that lurks within every Space Wolf. In the warriors of the 13th Company however, the mark was fully manifest, turning the noble brethren into slavering beasts on the eve of battle. At the height of the terrible conflict, the entire company disappeared, pursuing, it is said, some foe they would hunt until the end of time, rather than allow it to escape.
After the heresy, the 13th Company passed into dim legend. The Canis Helix remained the source of the chapter's ferociousness, yet was never as fully manifest as it was in the 13th Company. In recent times the legend of the 13th Company has resurfaced. Tales have been told of a band of savage warriors, wearing the grey armour of the second legion, yet supplemented by fragments of armour torn from the bodies of fallen Chaos Space Marines. This band has been seen to emerge as from nowhere upon the field of battle, falling upon the servants of the Ruinous Powers with savage ferocity. They are led by a mighty warrior-priest, named the Sternhammer by the Imperium's troops, an individual reportedly able to control the beasts in combat, though barely. After each battle, the band has disappeared before stunned Imperial forces could make contact. Many have reported being glad of this fact, for the beasts appeared as ready to attack them as the enemy.
None can say whether this band truly is some vestige of the long-lost 13th Company, or even if it is the same band that has been seen in each instance. Yet, where the forces of the Imperium are hard-pressed by the Great Enemy, there too may the mournful howl of the Wulfen pierce the night, chilling the hearts of friend and foe alike.
Example: Sternhammer, Space Wolves 13th Company Wolf Priest; Wulfen Guard Squads 'Helfang' and 'Jomungclaw'.
Formation:
- 1 Wolf Priest, chosen from Codex: Space Wolves
- 2+ Wulfen Guard Packs
Special Rules:
- Hunters: The Wulfen Guard strikes suddenly and from an unexpected quarter. The models in Sternhammer's Wulfen Guard have the Flank March strategic asset. They always start the game in strategic reserve. All Wulfen Guard Packs must enter the table within 12" of the Wolf Priest.
Wulfen Guard Pack - Points cost: 240 points
| WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | Sv | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wulfen Guard | 5 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2+1 | 10 | 3+ |
Number/squad: 10
Weapons: Though some of the Wulfen Guard may still bear the remnants of their former weaponry, they use only their savage claws in close combat. These are counted as two close combat weapons (included in the profile above).
Special Rules: Rending, Fleet
Animal Rage: Should their Wolf Priest fall, the Wulfen Guard will be filled with atavistic fury at the loss. If the Wolf Priest is removed as a casualty, all subsequent movement by the Wulfen must be towards the closest enemy, and assaults must be made if possible.
Terminator Titanhammer Squads (Points: 325 + models)
(This datasheet is a Games Workshop website printout included in the scan.)
The Adeptus Astartes are often called upon to fight against insurmountable odds. Even a single Space Marine is expected to be able to overcome a foe that outnumbers him ten to one, or destroy a foe a hundred times his size without a moment's hesitation. This indomitable spirit is embodied by the fearless strike forces known as Titanhammer squads.
Pioneered by Captain Lysander of the Imperial Fists, Titanhammer squads proved extremely successful in the suppression and eventual extermination of the renegade Legio Unctator. Caught off-guard by the treachery of the Titans originally deployed in support of his men, Lysander's men were easy prey for the guns of the Legio's towering God-Machines. Thinking quickly, Lysander ordered his Terminator assault squads to split up, gathering all those armed with thunder hammers to his side before ordering his flagship to teleport him and his new entourage back to the bridge. After retrieving the ship's sole vortex grenade from its stasis field and commending their souls to the Emperor, they teleported planetside again, this time within the void shields of the renegade Titans that were stalking towards their former position.
Lysander himself flung the vortex grenade into the lead Titan's path. A swirling field of non-space ripped into existence, the resultant implosion crippling the Titan so that it could not escape. Without hesitation the newly-formed Titanhammer squads climbed onto the massive treaded feet of the God-machine, striking with their crackling thunder hammers at vulnerable ankle and knee joints. One by one, the Legio Unctator's Titans were caught and brought to earth, the dust of their impact blotting out the sun. Since that day Lysander has ordered his veterans to form Titanhammer squads whenever he expects to encounter traitor war machines, and several other Chapters have followed suit.
Example: Captain Lysander, Commander, Imperial Fists; Titanhammer Squads Justus, Maxis and Gladius, 1st Company. Renegade Titans felled by the hammers of the righteous: Glory's Fist, Fires of Hades, Iron Jackal, Hellfiend, Lucian's Might.
Formation:
- 1+ Space Marine Commander with wargear including Terminator Armour and Thunder Hammer (this can be Captain Lysander himself)
- 2+ Terminator Assault Squads (all squad members must bear Thunder Hammers and Storm Shields, though one may be upgraded to carry a heavy weapon)
Special Rules:
- Strike Force: All models in Titanhammer squads enter play via Deep Strike. They must attempt to enter play within 12" of the Space Marine Commander (though scatter may carry them further away).
- Oath of Duty: Titanhammer Squads are formed only in the direst of circumstances, and it is common practice for them to commend their souls to the Emperor before they enter the fray. Titanhammer Squads are Fearless.
- Vortex Grenade: One member of the Titanhammer Squad is equipped with a Vortex Grenade. Nominate who is carrying it at the beginning of the game.
- Desperate Measures: Titanhammer Squads may never be deployed on table and will always enter play from Strategic Reserve. The targets of Titanhammer Squads are so large that they themselves can be used as teleport coordinates. As a result, Titanhammer Squads will only scatter D6 inches when they Deep Strike.
The Legion of the Damned (Points: 100 + models)
(This datasheet is a Games Workshop website printout included in the scan.)
Of all the legends of the Imperium, one of the strangest is that of the Legion of the Damned. The Inquisitors of Terra have amassed dozens of reports describing the inexplicable manifestation of these other-worldly warriors upon battlefields where the warriors of Mankind battle without hope against impossible odds. The Legion comes unannounced and unlooked for. Their aspect is frightening and bizarre, a ghostly apparition from some bygone era or a time yet to come.
They appear in the guise of the Emperor's finest, the Space Marines, like yet unlike the proud Chapters that guard Humanity. Their armour is black as midnight and marked with symbols of death and damnation; skulls grin cheerlessly from helm and boltgun and bones twist amidst the flames of purgatory.
Wreathed in spectral fury they descend upon the foes of Mankind, battling them without warcry or battleshout until their enemy is scattered and the day is saved. Equally mysteriously they vanish again once victory is won, disappearing back to whatever hellish realm they came from. Are they the Emperor's will made manifest, or perhaps some dire creation of Chaos? None can say.
Example: Sergeant Centurius, Legion of the Damned Commander; Terminator Squad 'Erinye'; Tactical Squads 'Alectu' and 'Eumenid'. Apparitions present at the salvation of Certus-Minor.
Formation: 3+ units from the following list, chosen from Codex: Space Marines
- 1 Commander
- 1+ Tactical squad
- Dreadnought
- 0-1 Command Squad
- Terminator squad
Special Rules: Fearless, Feel No Pain.
- Terrifying: Any unit that loses an assault when in combat with a Legion of the Damned model suffers an additional -1 Ld penalty for their Morale check.
- Strike Force: The Legion of the Damned cannot be deployed at the start the game, nor can they be brought on as normal strategic reserves. Instead the whole formation will arrive on a turn decided by rolling a D6, separate to normal strategic reserves.
| Turn | 1 | 2 | 3+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| D6 roll | 4+ | 3+ | 2+ |
All units deploy using the deep strike rules, starting with the Commander. Other units must aim to arrive within 12" of the Commander (although they may scatter further away). The Commander's Rites of Battle special rule may not be used by non-Legion of the Damned units.
Battle Company (Points: 200 + models)
Every Space Marine Chapter that adheres to Roboute Guilliman's great organisational tome, the Codex Astartes, maintains a number of companies designated as 'Battle Companies'. These comprise six Tactical Squads, two Assault Squads and two Devastator Squads - a hundred Space Marines. The Battle Companies form the main battle lines, and generally bear the brunt of the fighting. A single Battle Company acts as the core of an army that may be accompanied by elements from the Veteran, Scout and Reserve Companies, as well as armoured units from the Chapter's Armoury.
Battle Companies are deployed to meet full-scale threats that the Imperial Guard cannot counter. They are transported by Strike Cruisers, which remain in orbit to support the attack. The company is led from the front by one of the most able commanders the Chapter can field, and will achieve its mission no matter the odds, holding its objective against every counter-attack. A Battle Company can defeat an enemy army ten times its size, bring a rebellious world back under the rule of the Imperium, or besiege an entire alien city. Such is the breadth of their skill that there is little in the field of war they cannot achieve.
Example: Ultramarines 2nd Company, Nathrax Decimation - Command (Captain Sicarius, Squad Sicarius with Rhino); Tactical Squads Argentus, Astopher, Calunatus, Therlaton, Menetoth and Octavius (each with Rhino); Assault Squads Solinus and Diplius; Devastator Squads Cornelius and Phadon (each with Rhino).
Formation:
- 1 Space Marine Captain
- 0-1 Chaplain
- 1 Command Squad
- 6 ten-man Tactical Squads
- 2 ten-man Assault Squads
- 2 ten-man Devastator Squads
Note: All units must be chosen from the same codex.
Special Rules:
- For the Chapter!: In addition to his normal strategic assets, the player gains the following three assets:
- Hold at All Costs
- Careful Planning
- Orbital Bombardment
The Imperium
The Imperium must fight an eternal battle against its enemies and also put down rebellions, secessions and heresies within its borders. These tasks fall to the vast armies and fleets of the Emperor, drawn from the main fighting arms of the Imperium.
Across a hundred thousand warzones, the armies of the Imperium wage unceasing war against the multitudinous enemies of Mankind. Space Marines launch devastating assaults against enemy strong points. Massed ranks of Imperial Guard advance across cratered and bloodstained battlefields ravaged by orbital bombardment. Towering above all, mighty Titans stride forth under skies darkened by strike wings of Imperial Navy bombers.
Other forces take to the field too, adding their own skills and specialisations to the never-ending war effort. Some are lauded or feared across the Imperium, while others serve silently in the shadows, their actions unrecorded. The secretive agents of the Inquisition, the zealous Sisters of Battle, deadly Assassins; all of these and more are drawn together to serve under the double-headed eagle banner of the Imperium of Man. Many and varied are these armies, consisting of warriors and war machines drawn from any number of disparate organisations. No two are ever alike, and they are shaped as much by the character of their commander-in-chief as they are by their constituent units.
The Titan Legions
The Titan Legions are maintained by the might of the Adeptus Mechanicus and are sent into battle only with the blessings of Mars itself. Titans themselves are immense fighting machines, towering monstrosities up to two hundred feet tall. Titans instil terror by their mere presence and little can equal their bristling arsenal of weaponry. Protected by banks of void shield generators, Titans can soak up damage that would smash apart tank companies and obliterate infantry regiments. These behemoths march into the thick of battle with their guns blazing, gouging great holes in the enemy with rockets, shells and plasma, paying little heed to the troops advancing in their wake.
The Imperial Navy
Just as the regiments of the Imperial Guard rely on the Imperial fleet to transport them to the war zone, so too do they depend upon the Imperial Navy fighters and bombers to provide air support. Chief amongst the tools of the Imperial Navy are the Thunderbolt fighter and Marauder fighter-bomber. Thunderbolts fly ahead of the Marauders, engaging and neutralising the enemy's air cover. With the way clear, the Marauders drop from the skies with their quad ramjet engines roaring, unleashing a salvo of bombs, missiles and cannon fire to tear apart infantry and tanks alike.
The Inquisition
The agents of the Inquisition are tasked with uncovering and eliminating the many and varied threats to the Imperium of Man. They are the scourge of the mutant, the heretic, the alien and the daemon. An Inquisitor is able and willing to order the destruction of an entire world if it will save a sector, and he can requisition any resource in the whole Imperium in pursuit of his righteous mission. As such, it is not uncommon to find Inquisitors serving as the commanders-in-chief of the mighty, combined hosts of the Imperium, their utter dedication to the cause of the Emperor driving untold millions of soldiers in wars that might last decades, and engulf entire regions of space.
Amongst the many weapons available to the Inquisition are the sanctified warriors of the Grey Knights and the Death Watch. Both are Space Marine organisations, devoted to the task of battling the daemon and the alien respectively. These forces are ordinarily deployed to spearhead attacks on the very heart of the enemy, but on occasion fight in larger formations. Such a case was seen at the height of the First War for Armageddon, where an entire company of Grey Knight Terminators deployed en masse. No other force in existence could have hoped to battle with the Daemon Primarch Angron of the World Eaters Traitor Legion, and the twelve Bloodthirsters of Khorne who attended him.
Assassins
The Officio Assassinorum is responsible only to the High Lords of Terra. Silent and ruthlessly efficient, an Assassin can defeat an entire army with a single, well-placed bullet, dagger or drop of poison. At times Assassins go to war alongside the forces of the Imperium, though in all likelihood even the army's commander will be unaware of the Assassin's presence. Under cover of the clamour of war, the Assassin strikes where least expected, eliminating the target and withdrawing whilst battle rages all around.
The Adepta Sororitas
Also known as the Sisters of Battle, the Militant Orders of the Adepta Sororitas are the fighting arm of the Ecclesiarchy, the great church that unites Mankind in the worship of the Emperor upon the Golden Throne. The Sisters of Battle are often found fighting alongside other forces of the Imperium, and their faith is such that few can look upon them, or fight beside them, and doubt that the Emperor is with them.
Strategic Command
Consisting as they do of so many different branches of the Imperium's military, each with their own doctrines, chains of command and agendas, the Imperium's armies must be led by men as well versed in the art of politics as they are steeped in the grand strategies of war. Such men must be able to command the respect of a Chapter Master of the Space Marines, a Grand Master of a Titan Legion or a Canoness Superior of the Adepta Sororitas. Commissar Yarrick is such a man, as are Commander Dante of the Blood Angels Space Marine Chapter and Lord Inquisitor Torquemada Coteaz.
Each Army of the Imperium is different, an ad hoc combination of many forces. As such, there is no single, formal organisation to which it is required to adhere. The Tactica Imperium lists many hundreds of potential organisations, from which the imaginative commander will draw the most appropriate for the forces available to him.
An army may be so huge and unwieldy that it must be divided into many smaller organisations, called anything from 'army corps' to 'hosts', 'task forces' to 'assault groups'.
The General Staff are adept at forming mixed battle groups tasked with the achievement of a specific objective, and these temporary groupings may combine many small units from the various arms. For example, Task Force Reaper, formed during the Tranquillity Campaign, consisted of around twelve squads from the Subjugators Chapter, seven companies drawn from three Imperial Guard armoured regiments, and three Warhound Titans of the Legio Ignatum. Task Force Reaper worked closely for several months, so closely in fact that the Imperial Guard tanks were repainted in the same sub-arctic mountain camouflage pattern as was worn by the Subjugators' Scout squads, and retained the colours for many years, in honour of the campaign.
Truly can it be said that the Imperium's strength comes from its diversity of military forces. Working in concert, the myriad organisations can prevail against threats that would otherwise bring the galaxy into ruin. No matter the disparate origins of an Army of the Imperium, each of its constituent units are resolute in striving towards a single, common goal - nothing less than the very survival of the Imperium of Man.
Battle Group Purgator, The Therrix Suppression - 085.M41
Shown below is Battle Group Purgator, an Imperial task force that demonstrates the various militant arms of the Imperium working in concert.
Diagram: Inquisitor Lord Scallen (Ordo Hereticus); Scallen's Household troops 'The Clavigers' (12 Inquisitorial Stormtrooper squads); Mordant 808th Imperial Guard Regiment 'The Sky Rats' (7 reinforced Drop Trooper platoons); Subjugators Space Marines Chapter (1 under strength Battle Company including 2 Thunderhawk Gunships); Mentors Space Marines Chapter (1 Suppression Force, 2 Scouts Squads); Novamarines Space Marines Chapter (1 Armoured Spearhead - 5 Land Raiders and 2 Land Raider Crusaders - includes 2 Thunderhawk Transporters); Adepta Sororitas Order of the Bloody Rose (12 Battle Sisters squads, 6 Retributor squads, 4 Dominion squads, 3 Celestian squads, 1 Repentia squad); Adeptus Ministorum Delegation (108 Preachers, 11 Penitent Engines, 28 Arco-flagellants); Adeptus Titanicus Legio Ignatum (Warhound Scout Titans 'Venator Canis' and 'Ignatus Ferrox'); Vindicare Assassin (Officio Assassinorum).
Battle Group Purgator was formed in 085.M41 by Inquisitor Lord Scallen following his discovery of the blasphemous Cult Epicurean on Therrix Prime. The force was initially based around the Inquisitor Lord's own household troops, and destroyed a number of small cultist cells before Scallen's interrogations of captured cultists revealed a far deeper threat.
Acting on this new information, Inquisitor Lord Scallen launched a series of larger-scale assaults against key cult strongholds. For these actions he called upon an Imperial Guard regiment that was in-system en route to Warzone 12. The drop troopers of the Mordant 808th proved invaluable in striking directly at the key cultist centres of power.
Having suppressed the cult leadership however, it transpired that the taint of heresy had spread further than Scallen had guessed. The lower echelons of the Cult Epicurean rose up as if enacting some long-prepared scheme. Therrix's hives were plunged into bloody anarchy, and soon the praises of the Ruinous Powers were blaring from the hive world's civic address hailers and daemons cavorted in the streets. In response, the inquisitor called upon the aid of any Space Marines in the region, and was answered by no fewer than three Chapters, who sent units to aid the inquisitor. The situation was growing desperate, for Scallen feared the cultists might draw forth a full-scale daemonic incursion.
In the final stages of the rebellion, Scallen led a major assault against the last cult stronghold in the very depths of Hive Tumulus, and was joined by a mysterious agent of the Officio Assassinorum the presence of whom neither he, nor any of his associates, had requested. The Battle Group was further bolstered when the forces of the Ecclesiarch heard of the blasphemies that were being committed across the capital city of Therrix Prime. An entire order of the Adepta Sororitas made planetfall, backed by an Adeptus Ministorum delegation. The Battle Sisters' specialised combat doctrine, alongside the Sisters' zealous desire to purge the unclean, resulted in the hive being scoured of every last heretic.
The remainder of the Cult Epicurean left the Hive in an armoured column, but Inquisitor Lord Scallen had forseen such an eventuality and called upon his old allies the Legio Ignatum for ground support. Their deployment of two Warhound class Titans intercepted and destroyed the transports, crushing the Cult Epicurean for all time.
Officio Assassinorum Execution Force (Points: 100 + models)
(This datasheet is a Games Workshop website printout included in the scan.)
The agents of the Officio Assassinorum are a deadly scalpel deployed when the sledgehammer of the Imperium's armies is too blunt and unsubtle a weapon to bring to bear. These killers are amongst the most proficient masters of the arts of death in the known galaxy. Their reach, it is said, extends from the heart of the Eye of Terror to the coldest reaches of the Halo Zone.
An individual Assassin is a fearsome weapon, used only on the very highest of authority and against the most serious of threats. Yet, there have been times when even an Assassin was deemed incapable of striking down a target. At such times, the High Lords of Terra have ordered an Execution Force, consisting of a number of assassins working in concert, to be dispatched.
It cannot be overstated just how serious a threat the Imperium must be facing for the High Lords to issue such an order. To deploy just a single Assassin is to commit a scarce and invaluable resource, for the temples recruit only a handful of Assassins each year. Yet, to send forth an Execution Force is to deploy such a weapon that their replacement, should they be lost, might take many years, and the Assassinorum would be weakened in the meantime. As a result, such a force is assembled only rarely, and only when the very future of an entire sector may hang in the balance.
The last recorded deployment of an Execution Force was against the so-called 'Chosen of Abaddon', four enemies of the Imperium so steeped in blasphemy and murder that an entire team of assassins was dispatched to slay them upon Abaddon's flagship. To date, the status of the team is not known, leading the masters of the Officio Assassinorum to fear the team lost, and the Chosen of Abaddon still at large.
Formation: 2-6 Imperial Assassins of the same temple. Details of these can be found in Codex: Daemonhunters and Codex: Witch Hunters.
Special Rules:
- Ultimate Assassins: The Execution Force (but not the rest of your army) benefits from the Flank March and Strategic Redeployment strategic assets.
- Temple: Depending on the temple from which the Execution Force is drawn, it will benefit from the following special rules.
- Vindicare Temple: Vindicare Assassins sometimes combine their fire for terrifying effect, enabling them to pin down not just single enemy units but at times, entire armies. Should all of the assassins fire upon the same target you may force one enemy unit per each assassin firing to take a Pinning test provided those units have line of sight to the target. No unit can be forced to take more than a single test per turn in this manner.
- Culexus Temple: The presence of a single Culexus Assassin causes a mighty disturbance in the ebb and flow of the Warp. When a group of them are present in the same area, their powers are merged; echoing, reverberating and resonating in a manner crippling to psykers in the vicinity. The range of the 'Psychic Abomination' special rule is increased by 6" for each assassin in the Execution Force.
- Callidus Temple: Callidus Assassins are masters of intrigue, using their disguises to sow confusion in the enemy ranks. When a number of the Assassins combine their efforts, enemy units may find themselves issued orders entirely contradictory to their superiors' intentions. When using the 'A Word In Your Ear...' special rule, you may instead choose to reposition a single enemy unit up to 6" for every assassin in the Execution Force, and may choose the facing of any enemy units repositioned.
- Eversor Temple: A team of Eversor Assassins making concerted attacks against an enemy can entirely wipe out isolated targets in a series of devastating raids and ambushes, often ensuring the targets don't even survive to fight the actual battle. You receive the Surgical Raids Strategic Asset for free. Rather than the single attack described in the asset's rules, each target suffers one attack per assassin in the Execution Force.
Warlord Battle Titan (Points: 2500)
One of the most powerful land-based war engines of the Imperium, the Warlord Battle Titan is more than just a weapons platform. To the Adepts of the Machine God who labour for decades building such behemoths, the Warlord is a towering, walking idol. Its guns are a thousand times-blessed and its fortress-like armour consecrated with the holiest unguents and alloys.
The Warlord operates using mind impulse units like other Titans, and its Machine Spirit is imprinted with a feral, instinctive consciousness that maintains most of its background systems without input from the crew. For all intents and purposes the Warlord is a walking fortress, protected by banks of void shields and armed with weapons capable of annihilating entire armies.
| WS | BS | S | Front | Side | Rear | I | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 1 | 3 |
Unit: 1 Warlord Titan
Type: Super heavy walker
Structure Points: 9
Void Shields: 6
Weapons and Equipment:
Two carapace weapons from the following list:
- Double-barrelled Turbo-laser;
- Plasma Blastgun;
- Inferno Gun;
- Vulcan Mega-bolter;
- Apocalypse Missile Launcher;
- Vortex Support Missile.
Two arm weapons from the following list:
- Laser Blaster;
- Gatling Blaster;
- Melta Cannon;
- Plasma Destructor;
- Quake Cannon;
- Volcano Cannon;
- Titan close combat weapon.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double-barrelled Turbo-laser Destructor, Plasma Blastgun, Inferno Gun, Vulcan Mega-bolter | see Warhound Scout Titan | |||
| Plasma Destructor* (rapid) | 72" | 8 | 2 | Ordnance 3, 7" blast, Primary Weapon |
| Plasma Destructor* (full) | 96" | 10 | 2 | Ordnance 2, 10" blast, Primary Weapon |
| Volcano Cannon | 240" | D | 2 | Ordnance 1, 10" blast, Destroyer, Primary Weapon |
| Quake Cannon | G 24-360" | 9 |
* The Plasma Destructor can be fired in two modes with the profiles shown. Choose which mode to use each time you fire the weapon.
** Roll 3D6+10 for armour penetration against targets under the hole in the centre of the marker, and 2D6+10 against other targets.
*** The Apocalypse Launcher fires like an Ordnance Barrage, but does not scatter and instead uses the Apocalyptic Barrage marker to determine the fall of its five shots.
**** This missile may be fired only once. After determining the final position of the marker, any models and removable terrain features touched by the blast are removed from the game (flyers are not affected). Don't even think about taking any form of save; and the Vortex is not interested in your Adamantine Mantles, Synapse and other special rules either. Just remove them! Gargantuan Creatures are not removed, but automatically lose D6 Wounds (no saves of any kind allowed!). Super-heavy Vehicles are not removed, but automatically lose D3 Structure Points.
Special Rules:
- Reactor Meltdown: If the Warlord suffers an Apocalyptic Explosion result on the Catastrophic damage chart, its reactor goes nuclear! This is the same as an Apocalyptic Explosion, except that the range is 6D6", and models within range suffer a Destroyer hit.
- Towering Monstrosity: Because of its immense size, it is difficult for the Warlord to engage targets that are too close. It suffers from the following limitations:
- Weapons mounted on the carapace of the Warlord have a minimum range of 24".
- A Warlord's Titan close combat weapon can only be used against Gargantuan Creatures and Super-heavy vehicles.
Warhound Scout Titan (Points: 750)
Warhounds are the smallest class of Titan, sometimes referred to as a 'Scout' Titan. They are the eyes and ears of the Titan legions, and, when on campaign, range far ahead of the main battlegroups. They are faster and more agile than a Reaver or Warlord Titan, but cannot match these mighty machines for armour or firepower. Warhounds often operate in pairs so that they can outmanoeuvre and outflank other larger Titans they might encounter.
Like all Imperial Titans, each Warhound is crewed by devout members of the Adeptus Mechanicus. A Titan commander is known by the rank of Princeps, and through the Titan's mind-impulse controls he can oversee all aspects of the war machine's operations.
Warhounds of Legend: The Sword of Ventra, Canis Ultra, Emperor's Hound, Vigilance and Wrath. The Emperor's Shield - a Warhound of the Legio Invigilata achieved the highest kill-ratios of any Imperial Titan during the Laiden Offensive. This action included scoring the deathblow upon the Chaos Reaver Titan, the Butcher's Mirth.
Unit: 1 Warhound Titan
Type: Super heavy walker
Structure Points: 3
Void Shields: 2
| WS | BS | S | Front | Side | Rear | I | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 1 |
Weapons and Equipment: Two arm weapons from the following list:
- Double-barrelled Turbo-laser Destructor;
- Plasma Blastgun;
- Inferno Gun;
- Vulcan Mega-bolter
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double-barrelled Turbo-laser Destructor | 96" | D | 2 | Heavy 2, 5" blast, Destroyer, Primary Weapon |
| Plasma Blastgun* (rapid) | 72" | 8 | 2 | Ordnance 2, 7" blast, Primary Weapon |
| Plasma Blastgun* (full) | 96" | 10 | 2 | Ordnance 1, 10" blast, Primary Weapon |
| Inferno Gun** | Hellstorm | 7 | 3 | Heavy 1, Primary Weapon |
| Vulcan Mega-bolter | 60" | 6 | 3 |
* The Plasma Blastgun can be fired in two modes with the profiles shown. Choose which mode to use each time you fire the weapon.
** To fire the Inferno Gun place the Hellstorm template so that the narrow end is within 18" of the weapon and the large end is no closer to the weapon than the narrow end. The Inferno Gun is then treated like any other template weapon.
Special Rules:
- Agile: In the Shooting phase the Warhound may divert some of the energy from its primary weapons towards its legs, so it can choose to:
- Fire all available weapons, as normal.
- Or fire a single Primary Weapon and move an extra D6" (as per the Fleet of Foot rule).
- Or fire no weapons at all and move an extra 2D6" (as per the Fleet of Foot rule).
- Reactor Meltdown: If the Warhound suffers an Apocalyptic Explosion result on the Catastrophic damage chart, its reactor goes nuclear! This is the same as an Apocalyptic Explosion, except that the range is 6D6", and models within range suffer a Destroyer hit.
Thunderbolt Fighter (Points: 180)
A heavy fighter that combines devastating strike potential with graceful speed and manoeuvrability, the Thunderbolt forms the bulk of the Imperial Navy's intra-atmosphere fighter aircraft. The Thunderbolt is a true workhorse, with a rugged and reliable design both venerated by its crews and respected by its enemies.
The Thunderbolt's versatile array of armaments enable it to tackle all manner of missions. Depending on requirements, this can include Titan-hunting and ground strikes, yet the Thunderbolt's main role is that of an air-superiority fighter, engaging enemy fighters in dogfights or hunting enemy bombers. The Thunderbolt can be further augmented by hard-point-mounted bombs or hellstrike missiles, increasing its strike potential.
Thunderbolt strike teams vary in size considerably, and can range from three-plane flight missions to squadron engagements of up to thirty aircraft. In most strike wings a handful of aircraft are flown by veteran pilots. These fighter aces are truly dangerous foes, able to predict the reactions of their prey with uncanny precision. Few such men survive beyond a one or two campaigns, as they commonly draw the most dangerous duty on missions where only the most experienced airmen could hope to prevail. As such, those individuals who emerge time and again from the hell-forge of war are heroes to the rest of the Imperial Fleet, with personal legends that will last far beyond their lifetime.
One of the Imperium's most celebrated fighter aces is Flight Commander Richter Dagor-Jami, flamboyant leader of the 672nd Imperial Navy Fighter Wing's 'Dragon' squadron. Dagor-Jami is credited with 89 individual kills, all achieved while piloting his distinctive, red-liveried Thunderbolt.
Unit: 1 Thunderbolt
Type: Vehicle, Flyer
| BS | Front | Side | Rear |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Weapons and Equipment:
- Two twin-linked autocannons with anti-aircraft mounts and one twin-linked lascannon.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autocannon | 48" | 7 | 4 | Heavy 2 |
| Lascannon | 48" | 9 | 2 | Heavy 1 |
| Bomb | Bomb | 6 | 4 | Apocalypse Barrage (1)*, One-shot |
Options: The Thunderbolt may carry either four hellstrike missiles (treat as hunter-killer missiles) or four bombs for +40 points.
* You can elect to have the Thunderbolt drop as many bombs as you wish in a single bombing run - for each bomb dropped, roll once on the Apocalyptic Barrage template. But remember, each bomb can only be dropped once - when they're gone, they're gone!
Marauder Bomber (Points: 400)
Sturdily built, and boasting a colossal payload for its size, the Marauder is the archetypal heavy bomber of the Imperial Navy. Powerful engines and capacious fuel tanks give the Marauder a substantial operational reach and, furthermore, allow bomber squadrons to operate effectively in times of sporadic resupply. Like all Imperial aircraft, Marauders come under the command of the Imperial Navy, not the Imperial Guard, and are often based on orbiting spacecraft, as they can operate in the vacuum of space. In prolonged campaigns, naval airbases will be established on the ground. Due to the Marauder's long range, these can be far from the frontline, safely away from enemy attacks or, better still, on another continent!
While a Marauder is considered mission capable for all manner of strike sorties, it is most commonly employed as an interdiction aircraft. Squadrons of Marauders fly deep into enemy territory and attack targets of opportunity; supply dumps, troop convoys and so on, before exfiltrating under cover from Thunderbolt fighters. Such is the ordnance at each Marauder's disposal that a single aircraft is capable of chewing a column of infantry into sheer bloody ruin within seconds of its target registering the tell-tale drone of the Marauder's engines.
Unit: 1 Marauder
Type: Super-heavy Flyer
Structure Points: 3
| BS | Front | Side | Rear |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Weapons and Equipment:
- One twin-linked lascannon and two twin-linked heavy bolters.
- The Marauder also carries twelve bombs in its bomb bay.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Bolter | 36" | 5 | 4 | Heavy 3 |
| Lascannon | 48" | 9 | 2 | Heavy 1 |
| Bomb | Bomb | 6 | 4 | Apocalyptic Barrage (1)*, One-shot |
| Hellstorm | Hellstorm | 7 | 3 | Inferno**, One-shot |
Options: The Marauder may exchange its bomb payload for two Hellstorm bombs at no additional cost.
* You can elect to have the Marauder drop as many bombs as you wish in a single bombing run - for each bomb dropped, roll once on the Apocalyptic Barrage template. But remember, each bomb can only be dropped once - when they're gone, they're gone!
** Only one Hellstorm bomb may be dropped per bombing run.
Defence Laser (Points: 350)
(This datasheet is a Games Workshop website printout included in the scan.)
The Imperium has long relied on sophisticated laser technology to engage the truly monstrous opponents that assail it from all sides. Though the lascannon may be potent enough in the field and well suited to the destruction of enemy armour, when a planet is beleaguered by alien behemoths or hostile attack craft only one weapon in the Imperium's arsenal is truly up to the task.
The Defence Laser is a monstrous engine of destruction so large that it can usually only be mounted upon static platforms. The largest Defence Lasers use vast reservoirs of energy, blacking out power grids for miles around each time they fire. The blinding red blasts unleashed by a Defence Laser are so powerful that they can breach the atmosphere of a planet and engage targets in low orbit, making the weapon invaluable for repelling alien invasions. Even a glancing blow from a Defence Laser can be enough to drive off anything up to a cruiser-class ship once its shields are down.
Duty's Fist, the Defence Laser that towers over the west gate of Bellephon, was a miracle of dark age technology. The Fist could reroute the power of the entire metropolis into one almighty laser blast. When fired in this manner Duty's Fist had the capacity to smash a Titan into a thousand pieces, and even engage targets in orbit above the planet. During the battle for Bellephon upon Thesus Reach, Duty's Fist exchanged fire with the Planet Killer, Abaddon the Despoiler's personal flagship. Though it forced the Planet Killer into evasive manoeuvres it was eventually disabled by a mighty Greater Daemon of Tzeentch, and its defenders were torn apart by a one-man assault by Khârn the Betrayer, champion of Khorne. Defence Lasers with over 20 confirmed enemy craft kills: Hammer of the Cursed, Spear of the Emperor's Fury, Eternal Vigilance, Inescapable Wrath, Pious Retribution (called Gunhead by its crew).
Unit: 1 Defence Laser. The Defence Laser must have a pompous sounding name.
Type: Static Super-heavy.
Structure Points: 3
| BS | Front | Side | Rear |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Weapons and Equipment:
- Defence Laser
Options:
- Can be upgraded to have 2 twin-linked autocannon with anti-aircraft mounts at +50 points (use normal BS4)
- Can be upgraded to have up to 8 twin-linked heavy bolters at +10 points each.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defence Laser | 60" - Unlimited | D | 1 | Ordnance 10" Blast, Primary Weapon, Pinning |
Special Rules:
-
Immobile: The Defence Laser is Immobile - it may not move at all. The Defence Laser counts any Driver Stunned result as a Gun Crew Stunned result instead.
-
Orbital Cannon: Defence lasers are able to lock onto targets in low orbit, driving them off or, with a direct hit, reducing them to thousands of pieces of flaming debris. A Defence Laser can forgo its usual shooting in order to neutralise an opponent's off-table support.
Declare the Orbital Cannon option is being used when the enemy attempts to use one of the following strategic assets and roll to hit using the Defence Laser's usual BS.
Orbital Bombardment; Scheduled Bombardment; Precision Strike; Blind Barrage
If a hit is scored the strategic asset is neutralised for the rest of the game. If the Defence Laser misses, the strategic asset may be used as normal.
Orks
Barbaric and savage, the greenskins spread across the galaxy like a dark stain. They plague the battlefields of the 41st Millennium in vast numbers, overrunning any who stand before them in a torrent of bloodshed and mindless violence.
Gathering the Waaagh!
First and foremost amongst the Orkoid instincts is the need to wage war. Orks need war just as a human needs food and drink, and over the millennia they have become very, very good at it. Due to their aggressive nature, Orks constantly fight amongst themselves to prove who is the strongest, sharpening their innate warrior skills and weeding out the weak, while posing little threat to the galaxy at large. However, Ork populations can reach a kind of critical mass that leads to a full-scale planetary migration. This is known as a Waaagh!, a crusade of pure aggression that crashes through star systems in an orgy of violence.
The Waaagh! usually starts small - even as small as a single Ork, visited by the greenskin deities Gork and Mork with dreams of carnage. He will impart his vision to others with repeated blows to the head or, should he be of a more practical bent, by building a gigantic war machine in the image of his brutal gods. Rumours of the coming Waaagh! spread through their society, and the Orks begin to unite. New warbands join the throng with every passing day. A Grand Warlord will fight his way to the top of this ramshackle horde, adding the armies of those he conquers into his own horde. As news of his status spreads the trickle of reinforcements becomes a flood. Ork Meks start to collaborate on more and more outlandish projects, building even larger war machines and guns for the Waaagh! Smoke-belching mobile fortresses and titanic engines of battle are cobbled together out of nothing more than heaps of scrap metal and heavy-handed enthusiasm.
Whilst these masterpieces of destruction take shape yet more Orks are drawn towards them. Most of the boyz simply relish the opportunity for a good scrap, but those caught up in the dream of large-scale carnage often volunteer as crewmen and gunners on Battle Fortresses and Stompas. There is still much rivalry between the various clanz and tribes, and each strives to outdo all the others in the sheer killyness of its war machines. Those Meks without the resources to construct towering Stompas or Gargants instead create mobs of clanking Killa Kans and Dreadnoughts, banding their creations together to form whole armies of giant mechanical brutes that dwarf the warbands they march alongside.
Those greenskins that do not participate in construction further break into splinter groups as each Ork seeks out like-minded nutcases who fight in a manner that appeals to him. The Orks call these groups kults, of which the vehicle-obsessed Kult of Speed is perhaps the most widespread, but by no means the only kult an Ork might join. The Stormboyz and Flash Gitz are also kults, while Orks that are particularly susceptible to the massive surge in psychic energy created by the Waaagh! may join a Madboyz warband.
Hundreds of other Ork Warbosses add their armies to the cause as the crusade gathers momentum. The construction of war engines and gigantic walkers built in the image of the Ork Gods reaches fever pitch. Soon, the emergent Waaagh! begins to span worlds instead of continents. Entire native populations are forced into slavery merely to manufacture ammunition for the horde's guns. Crude factory-ships and war hulks are bashed into shape the better to transport the hordes into battle. When the lure of imminent battle can be resisted no more, the deadly fervour washing through the horde overflows, drowning all before it in a deluge of devastation.
As the Orks gather for battle, smoke from thousands of oily engines fills the air. The ground trembles beneath great wheels, tracks and the thunderous strides of Gargants and Stompas. Armies of greenskins stretch across the horizon, raising their banners high to proclaim their reputations and allegiances, their warcries audible for miles around. Soot-black contrails criss-cross the sky as Fighta-bommerz laden with cannons and bombs roar through the air above the horde. Batteries of big gunz, bizarre energy weapons and force field generators hum, clank and buzz amidst the green throng. Flotillas of vehicles raise thunderheads of dust so large the clouds are visible from space. Dreadmobz clank and belch, and the Stompas in their midst rock crazily from side to side as each crew competes to be the first into battle. Speed Freeks rev their engines, and the Boyz fire their shootas and sluggas into the air while a carpet of terrified Gretchin spreads out in front of the army. The battlefield is barely visible beneath the endless sea of green, each Ork warrior certain in the knowledge that soon the ground will be stained red. Here the power of the Waaagh! is palpable even to the enemy as a wave of raw aggression and Orkiness, and Gork and Mork gaze eagerly down from the warp to see how their warriors will fare.
With an almighty bellow the Orks surge forwards, and another world is plunged into unending war.
Waaagh! Garaghak
Waaagh! Garaghak, often used by the Schola Progenium as a typical example of how an Ork Waaagh! gathers pace, started with an Ork army that boasted only a few thousand warriors. As it conquered its way across the Thoria and Forsarr systems the Waaagh! gathered an almost unstoppable momentum, with dozens of other Ork Warbosses joining Garaghak's horde. The diagram below shows the manner in which an Ork Waaagh gathers pace as its conquests become known in the wider Ork civilisation.
Diagram (map of the Waaagh!'s progress), main events: Garaghak's Goff Horde (est. 3,000 Orks); Dagrod's Killaboyz attack; Warboss Garaghak defeats Dagrod, incorporating Killaboyz into army; Lured by the promise of carnage, Zurgo's Flyboyz join Garaghak; Thoria III (civilised world) enslaved; Bad Dok Fisk Skulsplitter returns from exile with Cybork warband; Blackfinga's Death Skullz; Orks Freebooters flock to Garaghak's banner; Big Mek Buzgob builds yet more space hulks for interstellar invasions; Big Mek Buzgob's Dredmob split off towards Kastorel IX; Warlord Garaghak challenged by Gogrok (Gogrok killed); Gogrok's Space Hulk enters system; Logrok's Bad Moonz add their arsenal to the growing Waaagh!; Tallarax (fortress world) overrun; Warlord Gheraghak's Battle Fortress reinforced by masonry taken from Tallarax; Buzgob captures factory continent, builds Stompas (Kastorel IX, industrial world, part occupied); Garaghak's Nobz mob dispatched to ensure Buzgob's return; Warlord Garaghak temporarily splits his armies to overcome Forsarr defence network; Overfiend Garaghak assaults and captures Forsarr system in two-pronged assault; Speedlord Vagracka's Blitzboyz; Skalk's Dredmob joins Buzgob; Big Buzgob's Dredheadz unleashed upon Magdelene IX (Shrine World, demolished); 73rd Harakoni Warhawks Imperial Guard Drop Troops launch counter-offensive (failed); Krogg's Blood Axes form armoured brigade built from captured Imperial vehicles; Great Muster at Garaghak's World; Gursk's Snakebite Braves join Waaagh! Garaghak; Squiggoths captured by Gursk; Ogrolla (feral world, ork-infested); Deliverance (Space Marine home world, Raven Guard). By the time Garaghak's Waaagh had slaughtered its way to the Deliverance system it numbered several billion Ork warriors and a corresponding number of support vehicles, Stompas, Battle Fortresses and Gargants.
Stompa (Points: 600)
When a mere Dreadnought just isn't stompy enough, a Mek feels the urge to build a Stompa. As big as a Battle Fortress, a Stompa is a walking, shooting, roaring idol of Gork. It has a crew of several Orks (quite often the three or four Meks that have collaborated on the construction) aided by dozens of Grot riggers, runners and assistants. A Stompa usually mounts two or three enormous guns as well as some form of oversized claw or whirring blade for chewing up enemy tanks and titans in close combat.
Unit: 1 Stompa
Type: Super-heavy walker
Structure Points: 4
| WS | BS | S | Front | Side | Rear | I | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 4 |
Transport: The Stompa has a transport capacity of 20.
Access Points: One rear hatch.
Fire Points: The Stompa has three fire points in its hull.
Weapons and Equipment: One Titan close combat weapon (extra attacks included in profile) and the following weapons that can be fired in its front arc:
- Deth kannon with co-axial supa-gatler
- Supa-skorcha
- Twin-linked big shoota
- Two big shootas
- Three supa-rokkits
It also has a rear-mounted big shoota that can only fire in a 180-degree fire arc to the Stompa's rear.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deth kannon | 72" | 10 | 1 | Ordnance 1, 7" blast, Primary weapon |
| Supa-Rokkit* | Unlimited | 8 | 3 | Heavy 1, One-shot |
| Supa-skorcha** | Template | 6 | 3 | Assault 1 |
| Supa-gatler*** | 48" | 7 | 3 | Heavy 2D6, Co-axial, Psycho-Dakka-Blasta! |
| Big Shoota | 36" | 5 | 5 | Assault 3 |
* A supa-rokkit is a grot-guided weapon that hits on a result of 2+. It can only be fired once per game.
** To fire the supa-skorcha place the flame template so that the narrow end is within 12" of the weapon and the large end is no closer to the weapon than the narrow end. The supa-skorcha is then treated like any other template weapon.
*** Psycho-Dakka-Blasta! Once fired, the supa-gatler continues to fire until all of its ammunition is expended - all the gunner can do is sweep it across the enemy and hope that some of its many, many shots hit home. After firing the supa-gatler you must nominate another enemy unit within 12" from the original target unit and fire again. You must then target another enemy unit within 12" (this may be the previous unit). The supa-gatler keeps firing as long as it has got ammunition left - if the number of shots rolled for the second or subsequent burst is a double, the supa-gatler has run out of ammunition and stops firing immediately and for the rest of the battle (do not resolve any shots against the final target). For purposes of the co-axial rule, the Deth kannon must be fired against the last unit that the Supa-gatler has fired at (and if the target suffered at least one hit from the Supa-gatler, the Deth Kannon may re-roll its scatter dice).
Special Rules:
- Effigy: The Stompa is a roaring, belching personification of the warrior god Gork (or possibly Mork) that hums with pure Orkiness. All Ork mobs within 12" are Fearless.
Big Mek's Stompa (Points: 650)
Some Big Meks get so influential that they start lording it over their bigger and betters. In normal Ork society the offending upstart will quickly get beaten back down to size by a Nob or Warboss. However, talented Big Meks find that building a towering monstrosity bristling with awesome gunz and crackling power fields more than levels the playing field.
A Big Mek's Stompa is his pride and joy, fitted with the most hurty gubbinz an Ork can devise. The Weirdboyz believe that a normal Stompa epitomises the brutal, no-nonsense Ork god Gork, whereas a Big Mek's Stompa is an effigy of Mork, the Ork god of low kunnin'. Truth be told the Big Meks don't care either way, just as long as it's good and killy.
Ork Meks love catching enemy tanks in the Lifta-droppa's traktor beam, lifting them high into the air only to shut it off as the tank is hanging above the foe!
Unit: 1 Stompa
Type: Super-heavy walker
Structure Points: 4
Power Fields: 2
| WS | BS | S | Front | Side | Rear | I | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 1 |
Transport: The Stompa has a transport capacity of 20.
Access Points: One rear hatch.
Fire Points: The Stompa has three fire points in its hull.
Weapons and Equipment: The following weapons can be fired in the Stompa's front arc:
- Deth kannon with co-axial gigashoota
- Lifta-droppa
- Gaze of Mork
- Two big shootas
- Three supa-rokkits
It also has a rear-mounted big shoota that can only fire in a 180-degree fire arc to the Stompa's rear.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deth kannon | 72" | 10 | 1 | Ordnance 1, 7" blast, Primary weapon |
| Gigashoota | 48" | 6 | 4 | Heavy 6D6, Co-axial |
| Supa-Rokkit* | Unlimited | 8 | 3 | Heavy 1, One-shot |
| Gaze of Mork** | 60" | 2D6 | 2 | Heavy 3 |
| Lifta-droppa*** | 48" | n/a | n/a | Lifta-Droppa, Primary Weapon |
* A supa-rokkit is a grot-guided weapon that hits on a result of 2+. It can only be fired once per game.
** Roll to determine the Gaze of Mork's Strength every time you fire it. A roll of 11 or 12 is treated as Destroyer.
*** Lifta-droppa: To fire the lifta-droppa, choose an enemy vehicle (not a flyer, or a Super-heavy vehicle) as a target. If the target is in range, it is lifted by the weapon's traktor beam. Roll a Scatter dice. If a hit is rolled, the vehicle is dropped on the spot, suffering D6 glancing hits. If an arrow is rolled, the vehicle can be dropped anywhere within 24" of its starting point along the line of the arrow, still suffering D6 glancing hits. It cannot be dropped on flyers. If it is dropped onto non-vehicle units they each take 2D6 wounds. If it is dropped onto another vehicle then both take D6 glancing hits. The models that are under the dropped vehicle are moved aside, as if they were tank shocked by the vehicle (except for Super-heavy vehicles and Gargantuan creatures, which are not moved - instead assume they have tank-shocked the dropped vehicle), and the dropped vehicle is always turned to face in the same direction of the arrow. If the model is dropped in impassable terrain it is destroyed. When resolving the fire of the Lifta-Droppa, ignore Power fields and Void shields.
Special Rules:
- Effigy: (printed as 'Eiffgy') The Stompa is a roaring, belching personification of the warrior god Gork (or possibly Mork) that hums with pure Orkiness. All Ork mobs with a model within 12" are fearless.
Fighta-bommer (Points: 210)
It takes a special kind of Ork to pilot an aircraft, and amongst greenskin kultur such individuals are widely believed to be a peculiar type of Madboy. These Flyboyz, as they are often known, are the ultimate Speed Freeks, racing through the skies at hundreds of miles per hour, seemingly only seconds away from a spectacular death by way of an exploding rokkit or dodgy squigfuel tank. Despite their high mortality rate, there seems to be a steady stream of Flyboyz willing to pilot the latest and most adventurous Mek constructions, and they love nothing more than soaring over the heads of their land-bound fellow greenskins, roaring in glee along with the thunder of the Fighta-bommer's powerful engine.
The Meks who build Fighta-bommerz are indecisive at best and will try to add as many gunz and gubbinz as they can to any aircraft they build, hence Ork aircraft rarely have a specific role and are simply known by the name of Fighta-bommerz. Equipped with rokkits, bombs and big shootas, Ork Fighta-bommerz are good for straight line, howl-inducing speed, but aren't particularly noted for their manoeuvrability. Their strafing and bombing runs are often heralded by the high-pitched shrieking of their engines and the chatter of indiscriminate gunfire as the pilot zooms towards the ground at breakneck speed. Occasionally the Flyboy might even remember to pull out of his near-vertical dive...
Orks pilots load their weapons bays with the maximum payload they can squeeze onboard. This is largely a matter of judgement, however, a quality Orks are hardly known for. Terminal crashes before the Fighta-bommer has even cleared the runway are common, and provide great entertainment for the much abused ground krews. Many Ork pilots are reluctant to leave their cockpits after a mission. This is actually good greenskin sense as jealous ground-bound krew, foot sloggers, or even the oddly inspired Grot see an empty cockpit as an invitation to 'giv it a go'. Cunning pilots either stay in their cockpits or employ Attack Squigs as guards to deter joyriding.
Unit: 1 Fighta-bommer
Type: Vehicle, Flyer
| BS | Front | Side | Rear |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Weapons and Equipment:
- Four hull-mounted big shootas with anti-aircraft mounts,
- One turret-mounted twin-linked big shoota,
- One payload of bomms,
- and either two supa-rokkits or two burna bomms
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Shoota | 36" | 5 | 5 | Assault 3 |
| Supa-Rokkit* | Unlimited | 8 | 3 | Heavy 1, One-shot |
| Bomms | Bomb | 6 | 4 | Apocalyptic Barrage (8), One-shot |
| Burna Bomm | Hellstorm | 5 | 4 | Inferno**, One-shot |
* A supa-rokkit is a grot-guided weapon that hits on a result of 2+. It can only be fired once per game.
** Only one burna bomm may be dropped per bombing run.
Skullhamma Battle Fortress (Points: 400)
For the serious Mek, a popular construction project is the Battle Fortress - a clanking, smoke-belching behemoth festooned with guns and boyz, alive with Grot riggers and whirring tracks. Typically twice as big as a battlewagon, and often even larger, a Battle Fortress is a mobile stronghold and artillery battery rolled into one. Like all Ork vehicles there is no standardisation and Battle Fortresses can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but without doubt the most popular sub-type is the Skullhamma.
The Skullhamma is a special type of Battle Fortress built by Speed Freek Mekboyz. It has a supercharged triple-overpressure turbo engine that occupies a good deal of its hull. When a Skullhamma is moving at top speed the supercharger kicks in and sends it hurtling forward, the front wheels or tracks lift off the ground and huge clouds of dust rise behind it. Orks find speed addictive, and consequently the crews of Skullhammas rarely disembark - they live, eat, and sleep on board, only getting off to crump heads.
Unit: 1 Skullhamma
Type: Super-heavy Tank, Fast
Structure Points: 3
| BS | Front | Side | Rear |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 13 | 13 | 11 |
Weapons and Equipment:
- Turret-mounted Skullhamma kannon,
- Two twin-linked big shootas,
- One kannon or lobba.
Transport: The Skullhamma has a transport capacity of 30.
Access Points/Fire Points: For the purposes of transported models only, the Skullhamma Battle Fortress counts as open topped.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skullhamma kannon | 60" | 9 | 3 | Ordnance 1, 10" blast, Primary Weapon |
| Supa-Rokkit* | Unlimited | 8 | 3 | Heavy 1, One-shot |
| Big Shoota | 36" | 5 | 5 | Assault 3 |
| Kannon (frag) | 36" | 5 | 5 | Heavy 1, blast |
| Kannon (krak) | 36" | 8 | 3 | Heavy 1 |
* A supa-rokkit is a grot-guided weapon that hits on a result of 2+. It can only be fired once per game.
Options: The Skullhamma Battle Fortress may replace each of its twin-linked Big Shootas with a twin-linked Rokkit Launcha for free.
The Skullhamma Battle Fortress can be equipped with up to three supa-rokkits at +15 points each.
Gargantuan Squiggoth (Points: 600)
Squiggoths are Orkoid monstrosities, towering hulks made of little more than muscle and bad temper. They are distantly related to the Squigs that tend to occupy the lower rungs of the Orkoid ecosystem, and have all the savagery and single-mindedness of their smaller cousins. Squiggoths can grow so large that they dwarf tanks and even buildings, and can come in many shapes and sizes, but all have large tusks, claws and fangs.
Squiggoths are much favoured by feral Orks and in particular the Snakebite clan, who have become accustomed to the acrid clouds of flatulence that often surround the rear quarters of these massive beasts. The truth of the matter is that any Warboss would be glad to have such an Orky behemoth thudding along at the heart of his army - with the exception of Speed Freeks, who find them far too slow!
Goaded by the Orks that ride on a howdah upon its back, the Squiggoth thuds into battle, the ground trembling beneath its feet. The howdah itself is bedecked with heavy weapons that blaze all round as the howdah sways, pitches and rolls. The noise of these guns drives the Squiggoth into a thunderously bad mood, usually resulting in it seeking out the nearest non-greenskin lifeforms and goring, stomping and otherwise flattening them.
Unit: 1 Gargantuan Squiggoth
Type: Gargantuan Creature
| WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | Sv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 4+ |
Transport: The Squiggoth has a transport capacity of 20, but it may only transport infantry models. It is treated as an open-topped vehicle for purposes of transport.
Weapons and Equipment:
- Huge tusks,
- Fangs and stomping feet,
- The howdah has two supa-lobbas and two twin-linked big shootas.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supa-lobba | G48" | 7 | 4 | Ordnance 1, 7" blast |
| Big Shoota | 36" | 5 | 5 | Assault 3 |
Options: The squiggoth's howdah may have up to four extra pintle-mounted big shootas for +10pts each. Each must be fired by a transported Ork.
Special Rules:
- Tusked: Thanks to its enormous tusks, when the Squiggoth charges it adds +2 to its Attacks rather than +1.
Kult of Speed (Points: 50 + models)
All Orks like loud gunz and going fast, but some Orks are even more exhilarated by high speed firepower. Often referred to as Speed Freeks, these Orks leave their tribe to join other Speed Freeks in large nomadic groups called Kults of Speed. Usually a Kult of Speed will travel from settlement to settlement, seeking out spares and repairs from any meks they find, challenging the locals to races, and generally causing as much aggravation as they can. When the Waaagh! grips the Orks, the Kults of Speed act as outriders for the main Ork forces, raiding ahead of the rest of the Boyz and leading the green-skinned horde to their target. In battle, the Speed Freeks hurtle towards the enemy at breakneck speed, their gunz blazing, their voices howling into the rushing wind.
Example: Waaagh! Razskul, Hades Hive, 2nd Armageddon War - Warboss Razskul on Warbike; Warbike Squadrons 'Da Vrum Boyz' and 'Gorzag's Ded Fast Bikerz'; Warbuggies 'Da Red Deff' and 'Wazzduff's Mean Machines'; Trukk Boyz 'Skulfang's ladz and da Flashkart'. Ork Warbosses will often hold back a Kult of Speed at the onset of a battle. Knowing when to unleash the speed-crazed maniacs to smash a flank, seize an objective, or deliver the deathblow is the sign of an experienced Warboss. Should the Kult follow orders it is even more impressive.
Formation: 1 Warboss* and 4+ of the following units:
- 2+ Warbuggies/Wartraks,
- 2+ Warbike Skwadrons,
- 0-1 Nobz Mob*,
- Big Mek*,
- Mekboyz Mob*,
- Trukk Boyz.
*Must be mounted in a Trukk, or on warbikes.
Special Rules:
- Strike Force: All models in the Kult of Speed must be deployed within 18" of the Warboss, or, if coming on from reserve, they must enter the table within 18" of the point entered by the Warboss. In addition, all infantry models must be mounted on a transport vehicle when they are deployed or enter the table.
- Speed Freeks: All the bikes and vehicles in the Kult of Speed get a free Strategic Redeployment strategic asset each turn.
Dred Mob (Points: 50 + models)
Some Meks and Doks are so obsessed with making Killa Kanz and Dreadnoughts that they can't stop themselves, occasionally even installing an Ork boy into one of their creations without permission (after the boy has had a heavy night on the fungus beer, or has innocently agreed to be operated upon by the Dok). It usually isn't long before these boyz leave their tribe, or are driven out, and become Freebooterz known as a Dred mob. When they think they have created the ultimate Dreadnought mob, the Mek and Dok stride into the nearest Ork settlement and treat the Warboss to an impressive demonstration (such as demolishing his stronghold). Quicker than you can kick a Grot, the Dred Mob's been hired to lead the next assault.
Example: Ugulskar's Dred Mob of Dredness, Piscina Campaign, Kadalus Harbour - Big Dred 'Dethklanka' (equipped with force field); Dreadnoughts 'Panzee Stampa' and 'Skum Smasha'; Killer Kanz 'Da Soopakanz' and 'Ugulskar's Krumpas'. Ugulskar's Dred Mob were famous for smashing not just their foes, but all surrounding buildings and fortifications as well. They left a trail of devastation like a scar across the face of Piscina V. Notorious Dred Mobs: Da Stompas, Feet of Gork, Klockwerk Killas, Da Steam Brigade, Ughzak's Rippaz, Da Metal Mob, Klawstompas, Boggtrot's Iron Deff.
Formation: 4+ of the following units:
- Stompa,
- Ork Dreadnought,
- Three-strong Killer Kan mob.
Special Rules:
- Keep da Dreds Movin': All of the vehicles in the Dred Mob count as having Grot Riggers.
- Da Big Dred One: A single walker in the Dred Mob must be nominated as Da Big Dred, and has an elaborate kustom force field mounted upon it. Any walker at least partially within 12" of Da Big Dred counts as being an obscured target.
[Book page 137 (a story and illustration page) is omitted; it contains only fiction.]
The Eldar
They once ruled the stars, but the Eldar are now a dying race. Marshalling their remaining warriors, the Craftworlds make swift, precise strikes to destroy their enemies.
There is but one reason why the Eldar go to war - to ensure their continued survival. It is the cruellest irony of the Eldar that the beleaguered generations of the present must sacrifice themselves in battle to ensure the protection of as yet unborn generations. The Eldar prefer to avoid protracted conflict, instead using small, mobile warhosts to shape the theatre of war to their best advantage.
Despite their prodigious skill, the Eldar cannot fight all of their battles in this manner. Should they face an entrenched enemy or one that is massing for a major attack, the Eldar must concentrate their forces on the dispersal of the enemy threat. However, even when fighting a large battle, the Eldar still focus upon redirection and speed, using the size and clumsiness of the enemy army to the advantage of the Craftworld forces.
Over the course of the battle, the elegant attacks of the Eldar will gradually pull apart the enemy army into smaller and smaller elements. The Eldar then eliminate each of these isolated pockets in turn, eventually obliterating the enemy army entirely. This strategy allows the Eldar to maximise the advantages of their speed and firepower, whilst preventing enemy numbers from bearing down upon them.
Mustering Warhosts
When a large-scale conflict looms, the Autarchs meet to form a war council, and take advice from the Farseers. If the Eldar of a Craftworld anticipate a truly epic battle, they send word to other Craftworlds and the Corsair fleets for assistance, and the call to arms rings out to the distant Rangers and even the Harlequins of the Laughing God.
The Eldar arrayed for grand battle are a glorious sight. Dozens of warhosts in their battlegear stand ready for the slaughter, the bright uniforms of the Craftworlds mixed with the ritual colours of the Aspect Warriors. Wraithbone giants stride gracefully amidst the infantry, from Wraithlords to agile Revenant Scout Titans and majestic Phantom Battle Titans. Vampire Raiders and Phoenix Bombers swoop gracefully through the skies, surrounded by swirling squadrons of Nightwing fighters. Huge anti-grav tanks glide effortlessly into position, their immense main weapons crackling with power. At the heart of the army stands the Avatar of Khaine, a smouldering incarnation of fury and death ready to unleash the might of the Eldar. Dirges and war poems fill the air as the Farseers cast their most powerful runes and the Autarchs call the warhosts into position.
As the psychic bellow of the Avatar throbs in their veins, the Eldar leap forward, ready to bring swift death to their foes.
Counsel and Command
The Eldar have had an eternity to perfect the art of war, and their strategic strength comes from two groups of individuals, the Farseers and the Autarchs - representing the spirit and mind. The roles of these two types of leader differ greatly - the first is to guide, the second is to command.
It is the task of the Farseers to provide the overall aims of the battle, drawing on the knowledge gleaned from their rune castings. The Farseers use myth and legend to relate these objectives to the Autarchs, describing the twists and turns that make up the tale of the battle. The Autarchs then interpret this to determine the precise course of action and military intervention required to ensure victory. Through this symbiosis the Autarchs weave together their warhosts into synchronised formations optimised for a devastating victory.
The Way of War
The Craftworld armies excel at combining the inherent specialities of their component parts. A common tactic employed by the Autarchs is to marshal those troops who are comparatively slow into ground-based warhosts. The enemy usually percieves these hosts as the entirety of the Eldar force, as the arrow-swift Eldar support units are capable of moving at extreme speed and hence can hide from sight until the correct moment to strike.
The enemy, who invariably outnumber the Eldar, see an apparently isolated army approaching their line and move to intercept or encircle it. As they come forward the Eldar infantry will fall back, drawing the forward elements of the foe onto their guns. This allows the Engines of Vaul to take their toll: graceful Eldar Titans and super-heavy tanks wreak havoc with long-range weaponry, separating the enemy vanguard from their comrades. Should the enemy itself prove fast-moving and draw near the Eldar lines, the wraith-constructs, led by the Avatar and his Aspect Warriors, will launch a devastating counter-attack.
When the enemy army is disrupted and confused, the forces collectively known as the Coiled Serpent will strike. Great squadrons of grav-tanks glide into view, their grace belying the speed with which they move to widen the gaps in the enemy battle line. Lethal Aspect Warrior passengers leap from their transports into the foe, ripping the heart out of the outlying elements of the enemy force before mounting up and leaving to strike elsewhere. Such is the speed of this lightning assault that the enemy will usually fall back in an attempt to reunite their tattered battle line, only to realise that their line of retreat lies blocked.
It is then that the fastest elements of the Eldar army close the jaws of the trap. Wind Rider hosts, Warp Spiders and Swooping Hawks appear as if from nowhere to seal the enemy's fate. The ground-based assault force ploughs onward through the enemy lines, their ranks flowing together with those of the Aspect Warriors as they continue their deadly work. The remnants of the enemy, confused, isolated and surrounded by an implacable foe, fall like wheat to the scythe as the slaughter begins in earnest. Such is the way the Eldar ensure their future survival, sacrificing lesser races upon the bloodied altar of a better future.
Eldar Assault
The diagrams here show a classic Eldar technique for destroying an enemy army that outnumbers them many times over.
- Phase 1 - Eldar Surround Enemy Army
- Phase 2 - Eldar Force Enemy Army to Fragment
- Phase 3 - Eldar Isolate Enemy Forces
- Phase 4 - Enemy Forces Trapped and Exterminated
Each element of the Eldar force shown above is a separate warhost with individual roles in the overall battle plan.
- Edruth Enfaolchu (The Flight of Falcons): This warhost contains several Falcon grav tanks and Fire Prisms. They outflank the opposing army, destroying any enemy armour and scything down heavily armoured foot troops. As the foes' anti-tank weapons move to counter them, the warhost continues on, speeding from danger and attacking from another direction.
- Baharain Mierlech (The Dusk Wind): This is a warhost of Wild Riders of Saim-Hann riding to war upon jetbikes and Vypers, who attack at the same time as the grav tanks of the Edruth Enfaolchu but from the opposite flank. Using hit-and-run attacks, they bait the enemy into a counter-attack and then depart before the enemy reaches them.
- Thiellan Aq Saim (The Coiled Serpent): These are perhaps the archetypal Eldar strike forces, consisting of specialist teams of Aspect Warriors mounted in grav tanks. They harry the flanks of the foe until the enemy divides itself in an attempt to intercept. Only then do the deadly warriors inside the grav-transports leap into battle, annihilating those who presume to match them on equal terms.
- Fedhiein Zarakhain (The Storm of Khaine's Wrath): This warhost is comprised of two waves; the first containing Dire Avengers and Guardians, the second Aspect Warriors led by the Avatar of Khaine. When the vanguard of the Eldar armies engage the foe, the first wave will fall back slowly, drawing the enemy towards the Fedhiein Zarakhain firebase and the waiting Avatar. Whilst the opposing army is faltering under the fusillades of the nearby Eldar firebase, the Avatar leads his charging Aspect Warriors forth with irresistible force.
- Murehketh Bein Hekhita (The Sting of Grief): The more static and durable elements of the Craftworld's army make up this warhost, amongst their number Dark Reapers, War Walkers, Support Weapon batteries and Phantom Titans. The opposing army cannot attack headlong without exposing their flank to the Aspect Warriors, and should be sufficiently weakened already by the Wind Rider hosts to be outmatched in any exchange of firepower.
- Kharuthiann (The First Rays of Dawn): Scorpion super-heavy grav tanks and Revenant titans are held in reserve close by, and will commit to the fighting if the enemy close in strength upon the firebase. Should their intervention not prove necessary they will come forward to add their might when the Aspect Warriors make their assault.
Diagram key: Eldar movement; Enemy movement.
Revenant Titan (Points: 800)
The Revenant is the smallest of the Eldar Titans, though it still towers over the Scout Titans of the Imperium. All Eldar Titans are agile and graceful constructs, but the Revenant's compact size allows it to move with a swiftness and smoothness quite simply impossible for the war machines of other races. The Revenant uses image-distorting Eldar fields, projected from its rear wing, to confuse enemy targeters. This holo-field is the Titan's principal defence, as its wraithbone construction is comparatively lightweight to aid its awesome speed and manoeuvrability.
The Revenant also mounts a number of powerful jump jets, turning its movement into a series of drifting leaps, or even gentle floating sweeps over the battlefield. Despite this almost ethereal gait, the Revenant Titan is a well-armed, powerful adversary. Its standard arsenal comprises two pulsars, capable of crippling an enemy Titan at long range, and also a rapid firing missile launcher for close defence.
A Revenant's pace, agility and ability to leap difficult terrain allows it to harry the enemy lines in quick scouting raids before disappearing with the same terrifying speed. Revenant Titan crews are small, their prodigious skills enhanced by the spirits contained within the war machine's wraithbone core, as is the case with all Eldar Titans. In many cases, two siblings each pilot a Revenant Titan. They then hunt in a pair, psychically linked to one another by their bloodties.
Unit: 1 Revenant Titan
Type: Super-heavy walker
Structure Points: 3
| WS | BS | S | Front | Side | Rear | I | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 4 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 1 |
Weapons and Equipment: Two pulsars or two sonic lances. One Revenant missile launcher.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pulsar | 60" | D | 2 | Heavy 2, 5" blast, Primary Weapon |
| Sonic Lance* | Hellstorm | X | 2 | Heavy 1, Primary Weapon, Pinning |
| Revenant Missile Launcher | 24" | 5 | 3 | Heavy 4 |
* To fire the Sonic Lance, place the Hellstorm template so that the narrow end is within 18" of the weapon and the large end is no closer to the weapon than the narrow end. The Sonic Lance is then treated like any other template weapon for determining hits. Models hit are wounded on a 3+ regardless of their Toughness. Against vehicles the Sonic Lance rolls 3D6 for armour penetration.
Special Rules:
- Eldar Titan Holo-fields.
- Agile: In the Shooting phase the Revenant may divert some of the energy from its Primary Weapons towards its legs, so it can choose to either:
- Fire all available weapons as normal.
- Fire a single Primary Weapon and move an extra D6" (as per the Fleet of Foot rule).
- Fire no weapons at all and move an extra 2D6" (as per the Fleet of Foot rule).
- Jump Jets: Instead of moving normally, the Revenant may engage its jump jets. This allows it to travel up to 36" in the movement phase, ignoring all terrain and models as it does so. It may not land on friendly units or difficult/dangerous/impassable terrain, but it can land on enemy units, resolving this as a Tank-shock. If it uses its jump jets the Revenant may not fire its Primary Weapons nor use the Agile rule that turn, but it may assault as normal.
Cloudstrike Squadron (Points: 100 + models)
Cloudstrike Squadrons are famous for their stealth and their lethal fusillades of heavy weapons fire. A Cloudstrike Squadron's target will often meet its doom even before it realises that it is under threat.
Eldar legends tell of Falcon, or 'Faolchu', whose talons left traces of liquid fire across the sky. Falcon was the consort of the Great Hawk and deliverer of the sword Anaris. The primary grav-tank of the Eldar armies is named after this divine messenger, for it too is synonymous with deliverance and speed. Of all Falcons it is those formed into Cloudstrike Squadrons that embody these principles the most.
Cloudstrike Squadrons do not fight as normal grav-tanks, but instead specialise in low-altitude flight. Their pilots hide their grav-tanks amongst the clouds, holofields seamlessly blending the pale undersides of their vehicles with the skies above.
Many Cloudstrike Squadron pilots supercharge their pulse lasers in readiness when they hidden in this way, the better to destroy enemy armour when they finally reveal themselves. Though this drastically reduces the lifespan of the Falcon's main armament, the devastation caused by a diving Cloudstrike Squadron speaks volumes about the tactic's efficacy.
Example: Dhu'ra Ghelemon Enfaolchu (Cloudstrike Falcons), Saim-Hann Craftworld, The Cleansing of Vaul's Blade - Falcon command tank 'Mhateoquis (Truestrike)'; Falcon grav-tanks 'Valcrylle (Harbinger of Destruction)' and 'Ethaniel (Vigour of Youth)'. During the punitive campaign the Eldar called the Cleansing of Vaul's Blade, a trio of Falcons terrorised the armoured columns of Imperial tanks that trundled between the shattered agri-domes of Lilith's Fugue, an Eldar Exodite World. The Eldar prioritised the destruction of the Banebladess at the head of the armoured column and the Emperor's Wrath Artillery Company at its rear, trapping the rest of the column between the wrecks as they traversed a narrow gorge. In the space of two days a single Cloudstrike Squadron accounted for no less than sixty Imperial tanks, whose clumsy turrets could not be brought to bear on their airborne assailants. The command tank carries an additional sensor beacon that allows the other Falcons to stay in tight formation even at extreme speeds. The underside of the Falcons in a Cloudstrike Squadron is usually pale in colour, disguising the craft whilst they approach their ideal strike point.
Formation: 3+ Falcon grav-tanks. One must be marked as a command tank. All Falcons must have the holo-fields upgrade.
Special Rules:
- Strike Force: All units in the Cloudstrike Squadron must be deployed within 6" of the command tank or, if coming on from Reserve, they must enter the table within 6" of the point entered by the command tank.
- Sky-Hunters: If, at the beginning of your turn, all models in a Cloudstrike Squadron are within 6" of the command tank, the entire Squadron can choose to become Flyers until the beginning of its next turn. However, the Falcons in the Squadron may not fire their weapons in a turn that they fly.
- Supercharged: Cloudstrike Squadron pilots often spend time super-charging their pulse lasers in readiness for one devastating strike. If a Cloudstrike Squadron does not fire in a given Shooting phase (while flying, for example), then in the next Shooting phase all the pulse lasers in the Squadron are treated as having the Lance special rule.
Nightwing Interceptor (Points: 285)
The Eldar are quite simply the masters of the sky. Their flyers exhibit a speed that would tear apart the aircraft of other races, were their engines even capable of achieving such a velocity. The agility with which Eldar aircraft jink, roll, twist and dodge would send all other flyers spiralling groundward in an uncontrollable plummet, and yet the Eldar pilots effortlessly escape from these hazardous, barrelling rolls time and time again, breaking into burst after burst of incredible straight line speed before diving into the next insane series of lurches and fails. Fastest of all, even amongst Eldar aircraft, is the Nightwing interceptor. The Nightwing uses its shocking pace to descend on an enemy virtually unseen, harrying and disorienting its target, delivering the fatal blow with its shuriken cannons and bright lances before escaping with the kind of speed and agility that make the Nightwing virtually impossible to pursue or counter-intercept.
Eldar Nightwing pilots are accustomed both to being outnumbered by their enemies and to establishing air superiority nonetheless. The Eldar sky host known as Lileath's Blade located and destroyed no less than sixty-six Chaos Hell Talon fighters during the first week of the Chagris Incursion despite the Blade only numbering four Nightwing Interceptors.
Unit: 1 Nightwing Interceptor
Type: Vehicle, Flyer
| BS | Front | Side | Rear |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Weapons and Equipment:
- Two shuriken cannons
- Two bright lances.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shuriken cannon | 24" | 6 | 5 | Heavy 3 |
| Bright lance | 36" | 8 | 2 | Heavy 1, Lance |
Special Rules:
- Impossible Manoeuvres: The Nightwing can move a minimum of 18" rather than the usual 36" required for flyers.
- Interceptor: When targeting other flyers, the Nightwing's weapons count as being anti-aircraft weapons (rolling to hit using its BS as normal instead of needing 6s).
- Chasing Shadows: The Nightwing is protected by banks of highly advanced systems designed to mask it from the enemy, which when combined with its supreme agility make it virtually impossible to track. The Nightwing counts as equipped with Eldar Titan Holo-fields (page 96).
Aspect Assault Wave (Points: 75 + models)
The elite warrior caste of the Eldar armies is that of the Aspect Warrior. Each Aspect has its own ritual wargear and specialities, excelling at a facet of battle to the exclusion of all else. Unsupported, this extreme specialisation can work against them, but that is not the Eldar way. When the Aspect Warrior squads combine their abilities, each unit compliments the next and their individual battle roles flow together into a symphony of devastation. Never is this unity of purpose better demonstrated than in the much-feared Aspect Warrior assault waves. Swooping across rubble-strewn battlefields in sleek Wave Serpent transports, Aspect Warrior assault waves are capable of collapsing an entire battle line with one well-placed charge. With the aid of a shield enhancer mounted on the leading Wave Serpent, the shimmering energy fields surrounding the hulls of these grav-tank transports bleed into one another. This forms a bow wave of force potent enough to deflect the heaviest firepower as the Eldar close in. Furthermore, whilst the command vehicle is intact this forcefield can be projected forwards in a great tidal wave of crackling force, typically a moment before the Aspect Warriors deploy. This can stun and even paralyse the foe, leaving them easy prey for the graceful and deadly aliens that fall upon them.
Example: Moirakhainath (The Bloody Hand), Saim-hann Craftworld, Battle of the Dawn Sorrow - Aspect Warriors in Wave Serpent led by Autarch Kallell ('Daharaikan (Shrieking Death)'); Aspect Warriors in Wave Serpents 'Harai Eth Fuerach (Tears of Fire)' and 'Bienna Da (The Kin Warriors)'.
Formation:
- 3+ ten-strong Aspect Warrior squads. Each squad must include an Exarch and have a Wave Serpent transport.
- 1 Autarch. The Autarch rides in one of the Wave Serpents, which must be marked as the command tank.
Special Rules:
- Strike Force: All units in the Assault Wave must be deployed within 6" of the command tank or, if coming on from Reserve, they must enter the table within 6" of the point entered by the command tank.
- Forcetide: When advancing in a tight formation, Wave Serpents can combine their energy fields into a great tide of force. They have the Energy Field special rule as detailed in their Codex entry, with the following amendment: If a Wave Serpent is within 6" of the command tank and both are still mobile, any ranged attack against the Wave Serpents from their front or side arc with a Strength of greater than 7 counts as having a Strength of 7.
- Force Tsunami: The Wave Serpents in an Assault Wave may project their energy fields. If the command vehicle is still mobile, the Wave Serpents may project their force fields instead of shooting. Roll a D6 for each Wave Serpent from the Assault Wave that is within 6" of the command tank; the total is the radius of the Force Tsunami, measured from the command vehicle. Any unit within this radius (friend or foe) must take a Pinning test.
Spirit Host (Points: 25 + models)
The Eldar are loathe to rouse the spirits of the dead from their rest within the Infinity Circuit, but when a threat arises that the Aspect Warriors and Guardians cannot defeat, the Spiritseers will assemble a Spirit Host. In battle the Spirit Host forms a cadre of resilient warriors to withstand the enemy attack, supported by longer ranged weapons.
Able to endure the fiercest enemy firepower, the Spirit Host gives the more mobile elements of the Eldar army the time they need to get into position to strike. Iyanden, having suffered heavily in its fight against the Tyranid invasion, has the largest Spirit Host of any Craftworld, invariably led into battle by the chief of their Spiritseers, Iyanna Arienal.
Example: Arbiel-Tann (Remembered Glory), Iyanden Craftworld, Tyranid Invasion - Warlocks 'Bathan Dor Karkam (The Light of Doom)'; Wraithlord 'Elthinor Dreamstalker'; Wraithguard 'Methanghainan (The Ghost Warriors)' and 'Huaratiy Mierch (The Guardians of the Silver Lake)'.
Formation: 1 Warlocks unit* and 3+ of the following units:
- Wraithguard unit,
- Wraithlord.
*All of the Warlocks must be upgraded to Spiritseers.
Special Rules:
- Strike Force: All models in the Spirit Host must be deployed within 12" of the Warlocks unit, or, if coming on from reserve, they must enter the table within 12" of the point entered by the Warlocks unit.
- Living Ancients: The gathering of a Spirit Host is of great moment to the Eldar, and warriors fighting alongside the incarnations of their great heroes will fight all the harder. Every Eldar unit within 12" of a Spirit Host unit is Fearless.
The Seer Council of Ulthwé (Points: 100 + models)
(This datasheet is a Games Workshop website printout included in the scan.)
The true strength of Ulthwé is ultimately its Seer Council. During times of major conflict, the Seer Council takes a far more active role on the battlefield, divining the most influential warzone in which to add the might of their Craftworld.
Led by the legendary Eldrad Ulthran, the Seer Council of Ulthwé has altered the course of history to better suit their needs on countless occasions. They follow the tangled skeins of fate, searching out the paths that would best benefit Ulthwé and her sister Craftworlds and guiding the present towards their chosen future. Sometimes their intervention will be as slight as an anonymous communiqué or the snuffing of a single life, but on occasion they will mobilise their warriors and intervene directly in the theatre of war.
The motions and commands of the Seer Council can often seem arbitrary or meaningless to those less versed in the arts of prophecy, but each is a considered act that binds Fate to their will. Untold catastrophes and cataclysms have been prevented by the actions of the Seer Council since its inception. With Eldrad Ulthran at their head, the Seers of Ulthwé have the power to alter reality on a galactic level.
On the field of battle, this potent alliance of pskyers is a force to be reckoned with. Each Farseer wields the power to crush an enemy's mind with a gesture or fling a battle tank into the air with a pulse of thought. Each Warlock has forged his will into a powerful weapon, bolstering his comrades or searing the souls of the enemy with blasts of raw emotion. All members of the Seer Council are armed with psychically resonant spears and blades, the crystal helix at their core enabling their wielders to strike down their foes with pulses of psychic force. But perhaps the most potent of all the weapons in the Seer Council's arsenal is the ability to predict where the enemy's next blow will land, enabling them to flow around terrible destructive energies and avoid incoming bullets with hypnotising grace.
Example: Farseers Eldrad Ulthran, Aluhrial Juriane, Korhes'lie Turca, Illisq Thruandil; Warlocks Miliadh I'khehaq, Khe Loc, Thriadc Kisc Hriu, Tasraq Laconfir, Usre Esclatei, Y'morfeneth.
Formation:
- Eldrad Ulthran
- 3+ Farseers
- 5+ Warlocks
Special Rules:
- Augment: Warlocks of the Seer Council may be given the Augment psychic power instead of one of the psychic powers listed in Codex: Eldar at a cost of +10 points. Augment is used when a Farseer in the Seer Council successfully uses a psychic power. Unlike Warlock powers, the Warlock must pass a Psychic test to use Augment. If the test is successful, the range of the Farseer's power is doubled. A Warlock can only Augment one psychic power once per turn and a power can only be successfully Augmented once, you cannot double the range and then further double it with another casting of Augment.
- Masters of Fate: An army that includes the Seer Council of Ulthwé has the following stratagems in addition to its usual allocation: Careful Planning, Strategic Redeployment, and Ambush.
The Great Court of the Young King (Points: 150 + models)
(This datasheet is a Games Workshop website printout included in the scan.)
Upon the xenophobic and hostile Craftworld of Biel-tan, savage blood rituals are still observed. The ritual which occurs on the eve of each war is the bloodiest and most terrifying of all. The Aspect Warriors offer up one of their number to become the Young King, a ceremonial position that culminates in the celebrant's death. This is no mortal end however, as the Young King is consumed utterly by the raging heat of the Craftworld's Avatar. There he becomes one with the wrath of his people, transforming into an immortal manifestation of Khaine, the Eldar god of war.
The Avatar of Biel-tan is attended by a team of Exarchs, high priests of war who have given their souls to the arts of destruction. These mysterious and violent figures march forth at the side of the Avatar, revelling in the presence of their god.
On occasions of great moment, the massed ranks of the Aspect Warriors will form an honour guard for their immortal leader. A squad from each of the Aspects of Khaine forms around their Exarch, transforming the Court of the Young King from an elite group of Exarchs to an entire strike force of dedicated and specialised warriors. Each of these units excels at a certain form of war, and when their skills are combined it is almost as if Khaine himself is with them. There is no foe that cannot be destroyed utterly by the Great Court and the towering Avatar at its heart.
Example: The Avatar of Biel-Tan; Dire Avengers (Uthriel Rhanadran, Azure Storm Shrine); Howling Banshees (Gheliae, Shrieking Silence Shrine); Dark Reapers (Li'slienn Ka Mensha, The Shrine of the Bloodied Moon); Shining Spears (Ustuqu'inhril, Pierced Heart Shrine); Fire Dragons (Yel'muon, Shrine of the Drake's Claw); Warp Spiders (Aei-Ui Khilethre, Strangling Shadow Shrine); Striking Scorpions (De'quirille, Moment of Transition Shrine); Swooping Hawks (Silhe, The Shrine of the Cry of Vengeance).
Formation:
- 1 Avatar
- 1 unit of Dire Avengers with Exarch
- 1 unit of Howling Banshees with Exarch
- 1 unit of Dark Reapers with Exarch
- 1 unit of Shining Spears with Exarch
- 1 unit of Fire Dragons with Exarch
- 1 unit of Warp Spiders with Exarch
- 1 unit of Striking Scorpions with Exarch
- 1 unit of Swooping Hawks with Exarch
Special Rules:
- Strike Force: All units in the Great Court of the Young King must be deployed with a model within 12" of the Avatar or, if coming on from Reserve, they must enter the table within 12" of the point entered by the Avatar.
- The Favour of Khaine: Each of the Aspects practices a facet of Khaine's puissant skill, bound together and focused by the presence of the Avatar. When all of the Aspects fight in unison the war-spirit of their god is evoked his chosen warriors are imbued with the power to fight on beyond death. All models in the Great Court have the Furious Charge special rule.
Wind Rider Host (Points: 100 + models)
The Eldar way of war focuses on speed and overwhelming concentration of force. Nowhere is this epitomised more than in the Wind Rider hosts. Made up of some of the fastest vehicles in the galaxy, a Wind Rider host can strike without warning before swiftly evading any counter-attack. With several sweeping passes the Wind Rider host targets enemy transports first, leaving the foe immobilised and disorganised, ready for the slower elements of the Eldar army to close in for the kill. The most famed Wind Rider hosts come from the Wild Rider clans of Saim Hann Craftworld - flights of red-sheened Jetbikes and Vypers piloted by skilled, glory-seeking warriors.
Example: Baharhaln Mieruan (Twilight Wind), Saim-Hann Craftworld, Battle of the Iron Storm - Jetbike Squadron led by Autarch 'Hethileral (Swordpoint)' led by Chieftain Fell Winter; Jetbikes 'Mitharath (The Shining Moon)' and 'Khapharon Ath Etir (Shimmering Blade of Destruction)'; Vyper Jetbikes 'Amethir (The Talon)' and 'Fallmeth (The Hawk)'.
Formation: 1 Autarch on Jetbike and 5+ units from the following list:
- Farseer on Jetbike,
- Warlocks unit on Jetbikes,
- 1+ Guardian Jetbike Squadron,
- 1+ Vyper Squadron.
Special Rules:
- Strike Force: All units in the Wind Rider Host must be deployed within 18" of the Autarch, or, if coming on from reserve, they must enter the table within 18" of the point entered by the Autarch.
- Outflank: The Wind Rider host can use its incredible speed to encircle the foe. The models in the Wind Rider host have the Flank March strategic asset.
- Strategic Redeployment: Highly mobile and independent, a Wind Rider host moves swiftly across the battlefield. The models in the Wind Rider host get a single Strategic Redeployment strategic asset.
Tyranids
The Tyranid race is an utterly alien super-predator comprised of countless billions of warrior lifeforms. When the Tyranids identify a prey planet, grotesque Hive Ships disgorge waves of biological horrors onto its surface, where they slaughter and consume every living thing they encounter.
The Tyranids
Were they to comprehend such a human notion as war, the Tyranids would count their victories not in armies destroyed but in worlds consumed. To understand the Tyranids and the threat they pose to the galaxy, it must first be understood that as deadly as each Tyranid may be, it is but a cell in a gigantic macro-organism that eats planets in much the same way as a Tarellian bloodshark might eat a man. Every spark of life in the Tyranid race is bound and interlinked into a single mind, a great entity that stretches over light years of space. Individual creatures are of no consequence. When a tendril of the Tyranid race reaches a world, such is the number of bio-constructs unleashed upon it that from orbit they appear as ink spilling across a map, each continent becoming black with alien invaders as their numbers swell to titanic proportions.
The Death of a Planet
When the Tyranids begin to prey upon a world, the invasion typically occurs in a series of distinct stages. Early signs of full-scale Tyranid assault upon a planet are the skies churning and thickening as great clouds of microscopic spores are released into its atmosphere by orbiting Hive Ships. Indigenous flora and fauna is perverted by these invasive Tyranid entities, forced into accelerated growth so that there is all the more biomass to reap during the final consumption of the planet.
The first stages of a Tyranid invasion are typified by psychological assaults as much as physical ones. Despair settles over the planet's defenders as the alien creatures advancing upon them cast a psychic shadow from beyond the void. Across the entire planet, hidden organisms that have infiltrated ahead of the main swarms reveal themselves, sowing panic, rebellion and disorder. Wheeling flocks of Gargoyles blot out the sun, herding prey species together so that the swarms might harvest their biomass more efficiently. As the invasion begins in earnest, mycetic spores hammer out of the skies like gigantic hailstones, each one with impact heralding the arrival of yet another brood of killers.
The latter stages of invasion are typified by waves of attack-beasts, each a great horde that outnumbers the enemy many times over. When observed from a height these seem to ripple across the surface of a planet like the muscular pulses of a colossal digestive system. Those who witness such a mind-shattering sight know that nowhere is safe, often throwing themselves to their deaths rather than becoming victims of the repulsive swarms flowing all around them.
The Unstoppable Swarm
When the Tyranid assault is at its height, the battlefield resembles a scene from the fevered dreams of a madman. Lightning rips across the firmament as the skies themselves rebel, illuminating miles-long tides of aliens that crash into and over the fortifications of the prey. Chitinous bodies fly apart as thousands of Gaunts are expended merely to deplete the enemy's ammunition. Sinister hive-broods comprised of dozens of synapse creatures advance unhindered by enemy missile fire, rictus grins of needle-sharp teeth betraying their malign intent as they psychically spur their charges forward. The skies turn black and the air fills with infernal screeching as winged Tyranids soar above the battlefields, falling upon isolated enemy units in ravening flocks. Hordes of scuttling Genestealers flow into sewer systems and abandoned buildings, plucking the hidden and the cowardly from their boltholes. The planet's defences are usually no more threat to the innumerable Tyranids than a single farmer trying to stop a swarm of ravening locusts.
Should the enemy prove particularly well-armed or tenacious, the incessant bombardment of mycetic spores will yield larger and larger bio-constructs. Groups of Carnifexes, living battering rams of pure muscle and chitin, smash apart rockcrete fortifications as if they were made of eggshell. Within enemy territory the ground itself trembles as if in fear, rupturing and collapsing as towering Trygons and snake-tailed Raveners claw their way from the earth and into the stunned ranks of the foe. Most monstrous of all are the gargantuan bio-constructs and bio-Titans that the Tyranids deploy when encountering extreme resistance. Heirodules, fortresses of flesh armed with the dreaded bio-cannons, wade through seas of lesser aliens as heavy weapons fire patters like rain off their carapaces. Larger still are the legendary Heirophant bio-titans, spider-limbed monstrosities the size of cathedrals, each capable of ripping open a super-heavy tank with the flick of a serrated claw.
The Imperative of the Hive Mind
By the time the enemy resistance has been broken, the land itself will have begun to transmute into a hellish quagmire of broken corpses and boiling vats of Tyranid mucous known as digestion pools. It is at this point the last waves of the Tyranid invasion will begin the nauseating task of consumption. These primarily comprise voracious feeder-organisms that devour every biological thing in their path, from the tiniest blade of grass to the corpses of those that dared stand before the swarm. Once the planet has been scoured clear of life-forms the remaining Tyranids will throw themselves into the digestion pools to be boiled down into a thick biological gruel. This is then absorbed by great capillary towers and funnelled back to the Hive Ships and used to form more Tyranids by the bloated mother ships known as Norn Queens. In this way, those that fight against the Tyranids are assimilated and used to create yet more alien warriors. When the Tyranids have finished feeding, the entire world is stripped completely bare, leaving nothing but the barren husk of a violated planet in the wake of the invasion.
Tyranid Invasion Patterns
Tyranids attack in great waves, each more terrible than the last. Though these may seem like discrete armies unto themselves they often bleed into each other in a great mass of killing machines that falls upon the foe in a stabbing, tearing frenzy.
1. Vanguard. Tyranid vanguard entities gather genetic and topographic information, communicating it to the Hive Mind through psychic or pheromonal channels. Command structures are disrupted or destroyed. Rebellion and panic is sown throughout the populace.
- Transportation: Infiltration (space hulks, freighters, etc)
- Tyranid entities: Lictors (Tyranicus Chameleo; Lictors identify population centres and transmit information about the prey back to the Hive Fleet), Broodlords (Corporaptor Primus), Harridans (Tyranicus Biennis), Genestealers (Corporaptor Hominis), Gargoyles (Gauntii Avius)
2. Primary Incursion. Mycetic Spores arrive, deploying countless minor attack organisms whose function is to deplete enemy resources, identify centres of resistance and engage the front line of defence, allowing larger synaptic organisms to approach.
- Transportation: Mycetic Spores
- Tyranid entities: Genestealers (Corporaptor Hominis), Termagants (Gauntii Virago), Spinegaunts (Gauntii Plures), Deathgaunts (Gauntii Interimo), Hormagaunts (Gauntii Gladius), Tyranid Warriors (winged) (Tyranicus Gladius Avius), Hive Tyrants (winged) (Tyranicus Praefacto Avius); other Gaunt variants also commonly deployed at this stage
3. Synapse Swarm. Should the enemy still prove capable, the Hive Fleets will alter the content of the mycetic spores to include larger bio-constructs and self-sufficient synaptic nodes to better control the Tyranid attack. Most centres of resistance are defeated at this stage. If this is the case the Hive Fleets will initiate the consumption process. If the enemy proves capable of repelling even the Synapse swarms, the Hive Fleets will deploy larger line-breaker units and gargantuan assault organisms.
- Transportation: Mycetic Spores
- Tyranid entities: Tyranid Warriors (Tyranicus Gladius), Hive Tyrants (Tyranicus Praefacto), Genestealers (Corporaptor Hominis), Tyrant Guard (Tyranicus Scutatus), Biovores (Tyranicus Patris Boletus), Zoanthropes (Tyranicus Animus Aborrens)
4. Heavy Assault Wave. Tertiary incursions are characterised by massive assault organisms ranging in size from battle tanks to Titans. This attack wave also includes rapid response forces that burrow directly into fortified areas bristling with heavy firepower, thereby bypassing their guns.
- Transportation: Mycetic Spores
- Tyranid entities: Carnifexes (Carnifex Voracio), Hierodules (Tyranicus Gigantis), Hierophants (Tyranicus Patris Boletus), Trygons (Tyranicus Ophidicus Maxima), Raveners (Tyranicus Ophidicus Subterra; also HARUSPEX, MALEFACTOR, EXOCRINE, DOMINATRIX species)
Consumption Swarms. Once the enemy has been encircled and overcome the Hive Fleets will begin the process of consumption. This is largely typified by great living carpets of voracious devourer organisms known as Rippers. There is little recorded data about the consumption process due to the fact it is only initiated when the Tyranids have slaughtered all who stand before them.
Hierophant Bio-Titan (Points: 1250)
The Hierophant bio-Titan is an immense and hideous creature. It towers over the battlefield, bristling with spines, tendrils and symbiote weapons. Hierophants are the largest Tyranid assault organisms yet encountered, comparable in size and power to the God-Machines of the Titan Legions.
Hierophants are likely to be found at the forefront of a Tyranid heavy assault wave, striding forwards on viciously barbed legs, shrugging off enemy heavy weapons fire, and reducing swathes of their prey to toxic soup with their bio-cannons before smashing into the enemy lines with devastating force. The Hierophant has several defensive adaptations that make it capable of enduring the firepower of entire enemy armies. Its iron-hard carapace is bolstered by a crackling warp shield, it has the ability to reknit damaged tissue and possesses many spiny tendril-symbiotes that protect its comparatively vulnerable underbelly - living ropes of sinew that lash out to strangle and maim anything that dares to get too close.
The Hierophant also has one last natural defence. This nightmarish bio-construct constantly exudes a cloud of highly toxic poisonous spores from vents in its armour plates. These spores form a toxic cloud around the Hierophant that chokes and burns any prey organisms foolish enough to get in its way. A rampaging Hierophant is all but unstoppable, and only the incredibly potent weapons used by the Legio Titanicus have any hope of bringing one down before it rips the enemy battleline to shreds.
Unit: 1 Hierophant
Type: Gargantuan creature
| WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | Sv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 3 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 2 |
Weapons and Equipment:
- Two Bio-cannons
- Spore cloud
- Scything talons (bonus Attacks included in profile)
- Lash whip
- Regenerate
- Toxic miasma
Psychic Powers: The Hierophant is a psyker and has the Warp Field power.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hierophant Bio-cannon | 48" | 10 | 3 | Assault 8 |
Special Rules:
- Agile: In the Shooting phase the Hierophant may choose to either:
- Fire all available weapons, as normal.
- Fire 1 Bio-cannon and move an extra D6" (as per the Fleet of Foot rule).
- Fire no weapons at all and move an extra 2D6" (as per Fleet of Foot).
- Spore Cloud: The Hierophant is surrounded by a cloud of corrosive spores. The spores will hit any model in base contact during the Assault phase, and strike with an Initiative of 1. They hit automatically and always wound on a roll of 4+ (they cannot affect vehicles).
Barbed Hierodule (Points: 700)
The Hierodule was first recorded during the invasion of Hamman's World, a small Imperial colony close to one of the tendrils of Hive Fleet Kraken. Originally a close combat creature with four scythe-like claws, soon Hierodules with deadly bio-cannons began to appear amongst the Tyranid organisms. Named the Barbed Hierodule by Imperial authorities, this latter strain of the Hierodule genus is a deadly combination of ranged power and close assault destruction. The Hierodule is protected by thick armour plates that allow it to shrug off many weapon attacks without harm; those that do penetrate the bulky chitin do little damage to a creature of such immense mass. Thus protected, the Hierodule can fire its bio-cannons at the foe, providing supporting fire while it advances to finish off its prey in close combat.
The Barbed Hierodule is thought to be a genus mutation of the Scythed Hierodule (Sica Hierodule Domitor). The Scythed Hierodules encountered upon Hamman's World were often neutralised at long range by heavy weaponry, and the Hive Fleets countered this by adapting the rear set of limbs into powerful bio-cannons.
Unit: 1 Barbed Hierodule
Type: Gargantuan creature
| WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | Sv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 3 |
Weapons and Equipment:
- One pair of scything talons (bonus Attack included in its profile).
- Two bio-cannons.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hierodule Bio-cannon | 48" | 10 | 3 | Assault 6 |
Special Rules:
- Agile: In the Shooting phase the Hierophant (sic) may choose to either:
- Fire all available weapons, as normal.
- Fire 1 bio-cannon and move an extra D6" (as per the Fleet of Foot rule).
- Fire no weapons at all and move an extra 2D6" (as per Fleet of Foot).
(The Barbed Hierodule's Agile rule is printed in the book as naming the "Hierophant"; transcribed as printed.)
Subterranean Swarm (Points: 100 + models)
A Trygon is an immense beast capable of destroying swathes of enemies and crushing battle tanks. Lurking deep beneath the surface, it awaits the right moment to rise up out of the ground, bursting forth in the heart of the enemy army. To make matters worse, when large numbers of Tyranids concentrate in a single place, the underground vibrations caused by the Trygon's tunnelling attracts broods of Raveners towards it. Using their alien senses, the Raveners close in on the Trygon's position and join it, breaking the surface around the Trygon at the same time as it heaves itself clear of the ground. Riddled with tunnels, the weakened ground shakes and heaves as the creatures emerge, opening great holes and crevices, tumbling men from their feet and dismounting gun positions. Stunned by this, the foe are ill-prepared to stand against the swarm of bloodthirsty creatures now within the midst of their lines.
First encountered on Devian Primus, the burrowing Tyranid is a major concern to Imperial Strategos. Trygons and the Raveners that accompany them time their attacks to coincide with the assault of the main swarm, trapping their prey and eliminating the option to withdraw and regroup. Worse still, the subterranean swarm renders even the mightiest fortifications obsolete.
Example: Trygon (Tyranicus Subterra Extremis); two Ravener Broods (Tyranicus Ophidus Subterra).
Formation:
- 1 Trygon,
- 2+ Ravener Broods (each unit must be at least three strong).
Rules for the Trygon can be found in Forge World's Imperial Armour Volume 4.
Special Rules:
- Deep Strike: All units in the swarm must start in strategic reserve and must deploy by Deep Strike, starting with the Trygon. Other units must be placed within 12" of the Trygon. The Raveners may assault in the turn they arrive.
- Tremor Zone: When the swarm arrives, it creates a great upheaval that sends troops sprawling to the ground. All enemy units within 6" of a model in the swarm once the final deep strike position has been determined must immediately test for pinning.
Hive Mind Brood (Points: 50 + models)
It is a natural instinct for Tyranid creatures to gather in broods of similar creatures, and within the largest swarms even the most powerful creatures have been known to band together. A Hive Mind Brood is a collection of the most potent Synapse creatures in a swarm, creating a living embodiment of the Hive Mind. The psychic potential of these creatures is enough to disrupt all psychic energy in the surrounding area. The so-called Shadow in the Warp gathers around them, driving enemies insane and stealing the minds of psykers.
Example: Hive Mind Brood encountered during Benephal Evisceration - Hive Tyrant (Tyranicus Praefecto), Tyrant Guard (Tyranicus Scutatus), Zoanthropes (Tyranicus Animus Abhorens).
Formation: A single unit consisting of: 1 Hive Tyrant, 3+ Tyrant Guard and 3-5 Zoanthropes.
Special Rules:
- The Shadow Draws Near: The Hive Tyrant must take the Shadow in the Warp psychic power as its second power, but it costs no extra points.
- The Terror: In the Shooting phase, instead of doing anything else, the Hive Brood may choose to unleash a wave of alien psychic energy that blasts the foe with nightmarish visions. The range of this wave is 12" for each Zoanthrope in the brood, plus 12" if the Hive Tyrant is still alive, measured from any one of the Zoanthropes or the Hive Tyrant. All enemy units within range must take a Pinning test.
Mycetic Assault Storm (Points: 150 + models)
For a Tyranid Hive Fleet to devour a world it must first prepare the planet for consumption by unleashing a full-scale invasion. It would be wasteful for the Hive Ships themselves to be sent to the surface, risking planetary defences and endangering the health of the fleet itself. Instead thousands of Mycetic Spores are spat into the planet's atmosphere, each couching a vicious brood of alien horrors within a tentacled, womb-like sac. These plummet through the planet's atmosphere in a great fleshy hail until they reach the planet's surface, whereupon they split apart and disgorge their lethal passengers.
Should a Tyranid invasion encounter serious confrontation, the creatures sent down within the mycetic spores will be larger and more powerful. With the centres of resistance identified by previous assault waves, the Hive Fleets begin to concentrate their mycetic spore bombardment on specific locales. These offensives usually contain the largest of the Tyranid bio-constructs. When the Mycetic Spores finally hammer onto the battlefield their walls split apart and fold open like the mucus-draped petals of a repulsive flower. Unlike previous attack waves it is not a brood of razor-limbed Gaunts or Genestealers that emerges from the ruin of the spore but a mighty Carnifex or Hierodule. Even heavily fortified citadels and Imperial bastions are no obstacle to the onslaught of such truly powerful bio-constructs, and the ground shakes as more and more building-sized spores pound into the planet's crust. The mere sight of a hail of these grotesque conveyances disgorging their towering occupants can rob a defender of his sanity and, ultimately, his life.
Example: Xenos Heavy Assault Force, Encountered Epsilon Hive - five Carnifexes.
Formation:
- 5+ Carnifexes
- 0+ Hierodules
Special Rules:
- Sporestorm: All the models in the Mycetic Assault Storm must be placed in strategic reserve. Each individual creature is carried in a Mycetic Spore that gives it the Deep Strike special rule. When the models become available, choose an entry point. All units in the Mycetic Assault Storm must attempt to Deep Strike within 12" of this entry point, though scatter may take them outside this radius.
- Fleshy Ruin: The repugnant remains of burst mycetic spores that have made planetfall can provide a measure of cover to their occupants before they collapse altogether. Models in the Assault Storm that have entered play via mycetic spore are treated as being in cover that grants a 5+ Cover Save until the beginning of their next turn. After this time the spores collapse into nothing more than sticky mucal remnants that have no more effect than causing an odious stench.
Endless Swarm (Points: 200 + models)
A full scale Tyranid invasion is a horrific sight. Hive Fleets typically attack in waves, each comprised of millions of biological horrors. Such is their number that to stand against them seems as futile as trying to hold back the sea. The first stage of invasion is horrific, consisting primarily of skulking terrors evolved to inspire panic in the native populace. However, the arrival of these creatures is akin to the first few raindrops that herald the thunderstorm. The doom of the planet only really becomes apparent when the second wave attacks and the defenders realise the sheer number of aliens being disgorged onto their world.
Billions of gaunts are unleashed upon each prey planet, the expenditure of countless Tyranid lives a mere precursor to the greater onslaught soon to be set loose. Indeed, many xenologists believe that the more common species of Gaunt is employed primarily to exhaust enemy munitions, for if they are not killed as they rush ever closer, they will overwhelm gun lines and clog trenches in a living wave of stabbing, biting aliens. The sheer level of fright engendered by seeing an endless swarm of Tyranids intent on slaughter is enough to silence a weak heart, and running out of ammunition in the face of such an onslaught will break even the strongest spirit.
Example: three Termagant Broods and three Hormagaunt Broods.
Formation:
- 3+ Gaunt Broods,
- 3+ Hormagaunt Broods.
Each brood in an Endless Swarm must have a minimum of 20 models.
Special Rules:
- Without Number: All units in an Endless Swarm have the Without Number rule, even though Hormagaunts may not usually have this option.
- Bodies over Bullets: Such is the number of gaunts in an Endless Swarm that the opponent's ammo stocks run dry in their attempts to kill them all. If an enemy unit rolls five or more sixes in its 'to hit' roll against a unit from the Endless Swarm, it has temporarily run out of ammunition - the firing of the entire unit is nullified for that turn and no rolls to wound are made.
[Book pages 154-155 are not included in the scan.]
The Tau Empire
The Third Sphere Expansion is gathering ever-greater pace, and the Tau Empire is rapidly encountering a growing number of aliens - many of whom unwisely match themselves against the military might of the Tau before joining their empire.
In these war-troubled times, the Tau must increasingly demonstrate their power, with swift and overwhelming confrontation of those that oppose them. The Tau's Fire Caste soldiers, source of their empire's safety, is one of the most efficient war machines in the galaxy. Instilled with warrior pride, free of superstitious doctrine and equipped with some of the most advanced weaponry in the Eastern Fringe, the Fire Warriors are capable of meeting any enemy force and defeating them. However, the Fire Caste owes its phenomenal success not to strength of numbers, nor to its weaponry and armour, but to the meticulous planning and execution of well-practised strategies.
Cadres and Contingents
The most common operational unit of the Fire Caste is the cadre, which consists of a single battlefield contingent. There are many different types of cadre. Although most commonly a cadre is a combined arms force of warriors and vehicles, more specialised cadres exist; fielding swift reconnaissance units, heavier weaponry or large numbers of alien auxiliaries. When several cadres fight together, they are grouped into a contingent. Often other groups such as Air Caste flights, Water Caste diplomatic assemblies and Earth Caste labour clusters accompany these contingents. Such multi-Caste forces are called coalitions. With its logistical support structure, a Tau coalition can rapidly assemble and deploy a Fire Caste contingent to all manner of different battlezones, equipped and ready to fight immediately.
The Tau devise the composition of most contingents and coalitions well in advance of any conflict, and there are many standardised formations to adopt given varying circumstances and enemy they expect to face. The coalition and groups within it have a number of different names, chosen to outline the function of the formation without unduly creating fear and anxiety in the wider Tau population. Such army titles include Emergent Crisis Expeditions, Encounter Observation Teams, Threat Dissipation Contingents, Rapid Envelopment Cadres and many others; as many of the Tau's foes have discovered, despite their innocuous labels, all of these forces exist for the single purpose of locating and destroying the enemy.
Command Philosophy
Although battlefield authority resides solely with the Fire Caste commanders, they are not free to act as and when they wish. Fiercely proud, Fire Warriors will gladly lay down their lives for the cause but heavy casualties, last stands or protracted engagements are not conducive to furthering the aims of the Tau Empire, even if they would bring about short-term victory. To maintain balance between the different Castes and species that make up the Tau empire, the actions of all forces, military and otherwise, are assessed and directed according to their benefit to the Greater Good. Thus, the ultimate arbiters of success, and those responsible for all strategic decisions, are those individuals that embody the Greater Good itself: the Ethereals.
The Ethereals provide the overall command element of any coalition. It is the members of the Ethereal Caste that deem whether a proposed course of action is for the Greater Good, or whether it clashes with the empire's overall aims. The Ethereals often point out that only they possess a genuine overview of the Tau Empire, and know the most far-reaching goals of the Greater Good. As the word of an Ethereal is sacrosanct, no Shas'el or Por'O would easily go against it. The Fire Caste may possess the warriors and guns of the Tau Empire, but it is the Ethereals who determine where and how to direct that formidable power.
Assimilation Not Extermination
The overriding aim of the Greater Good is to expand, either by political means or, when necessary, military coercion. Before, during and after any Fire Caste campaign, the Water Caste, under the direction of the Ethereals, puts great effort into pro-Tau propaganda, morale-raising and diplomatic efforts. Unusually amongst the majority of races in the galaxy, the Tau are willing to negotiate with their enemies, offering terms to vanquished foes and agreeing truces with those that, for the moment, prove too defiant to come within the embrace of the Greater Good. These negotiations are themselves used as a weapon, creating political and social instability to sow doubt in the minds of enemy commanders and win over the mass population.
Often the Air Caste and Earth Caste will also be involved in military operations, not only aiding and transporting the Fire Warriors but also installing Tau technology into conquered communities to demonstrate the benefits of being part of the Greater Good. In this manner, the Ethereals turn potential enemies into allies, latent rebels into citizens. The Tau Empire tempers the threat of the Fire Caste with the opportunity for foes to surrender without fear. With such effective strategies, it is no surprise that the Greater Good is embracing more and more worlds throughout the Eastern Fringe.
Be'etar Expeditionary Force
Assembled by the D'yanoi sept, the Be'etar Expeditionary Force is a medium-sized coalition whose task is to colonise the Be'etar star system, some 12 light years from D'yanoi. It has a sizeable Fire Caste presence as early reports have indicated there may be Ork-infested worlds in Be'etar. All formations include command teams of the appropriate Caste and rank.
(Formation codes are printed in a stylised typeface; transcribed as read.)
Be'etar Transport Taskforce (K-1DL-03/06-BTG). The Transport Taskforce's mission is threefold. It is required to deliver the entire coalition to its destination, carry contingents to target planets, as well as providing air cover to protect the ground forces as the expedition progresses.
- Interstellar Exploratory Flight (K-1DL-02/02-IEF): Lar'shi class starship; 2 Kir'qath class starships; 2 Kas'hasvre class starships; Nicassar Dhow.
- Orbital Transport Wing (K-1DL-01/04-OTW): 2 Manta missile gunships; 3 Orca troop dropships.
- Air Protection Wing (K-1DL-01/02-APW): 3 Barracuda heavy fighter squadrons; 1 Tiger Shark fighter bomber squadron.
Contingents. The coalition can assemble a variety of contingents, formed from the available cadres as required. Three such contingents are detailed below. Others created by the Be'etar Expeditionary Force include the Static Dominance Group and the Rapid Appraisal Taskforce.
- Primary Encounter Force (S-1DL-02/04-PEF): 3 Standard Hunter Cadres; Armoured Interdiction cadre; Optimised Stealth Group.
- Forward Commitment Contingent (S-1DL-02/04-PEF): 4 Rapid Insertion Forces; Optimised Stealth Group; 2 Pathfinder Insertion Groups.
- Reserve Encounter Force (S-1DL-02/04-PEF): Standard Hunter Cadre; 2 Mobilised Hunter Cadres; Dispersed Retaliation Cadre; Auxiliary Reserve Despatch; 2 Armoured Interdiction Cadre.
Cadres. The Tau Fire Caste utilises a huge range of cadre configurations, giving a great degree of flexibility. A small selection of those used in the Be'etar system are listed here:
- Mobilised Hunter Cadre: 3 Fire Warrior Teams; 2 Piranha Teams; Pathfinder Team; 4 Devilfish.
- Dispersed Retaliation Cadre: 2 Sniper Drone Teams; 2 Piranha Teams.
- Auxiliary Reserve Despatch: Kroot Carnivores; Vespid Stingwings; Hrenian Light Infantry; Morrallan Deathsworn.
- Armoured Interdiction Cadre: 2 Hammerhead Gunships; 2 Sky Ray missile gunships.
- Standard Hunter Cadre: 2 Fire Warrior Teams; 3 XV8 Crisis Teams; XV88 Broadside Team; Hammerhead Gunship; Sky Ray Missile Gunship; 2 Kroot Carnivore Squads; Piranha Team.
- Optimised Stealth Group: 4 XV15 Stealth Teams.
- Pathfinder Insertion Group: 4 Pathfinder Teams; 4 Devilfish.
- Rapid Insertion Force: XV15 Stealth Team; 4 XV8 Crisis Teams.
Be'etar Establishment Initiative (F-1DL-03/06-CEI). Following the Fire Caste's inevitable victory for the Greater Good, the Earth Caste and the Water Caste provide their own particular expertise:
- Landing Support Workgroup (F-1DL-02/02-LSW): Site Surveyance Team; Debris Removal Team; Engineering Support Team; 2 Combat Maintenance Teams; Colony Support Team; 2 Combat Maintenance Teams; Resource Reclamation Team.
- Indigenous Inhabitants Liason (P-1DL-03/04-IIL): 4 Diplomatic Arrangement Councils; Initial Translation Executive; 2 Population Transference Conclaves.
Barracuda Air Superiority Fighter (Points: 220)
The Barracuda air superiority fighter is the Tau's most common atmospheric aircraft. Faster than the Imperial Navy's Marauder bomber, but lacking the flat-out top speed of the Imperial Thunderbolt Interceptor, it makes up for this due to its sophisticated electronic systems and pilot's natural talents. In a dogfight, Thunderbolts and Barracuda are very closely matched, with the Thunderbolt having the edge in speed, and the Barracuda having the manoeuvrability. The superior handling and armament of the Barracuda often proves decisive in such encounters.
A Barracuda is armed with a nose-mounted, pilot-aimed, ion cannon. This is the aircraft's primary weapon for use in dogfights, backed up by two drone-controlled burst cannons in the wings. For ground attacks, it is primarily armed with wing-mounted missile pods and it can be used in a superior ground attack role when carrying additional armament of four seeker missiles. These are not guided by the pilot but by a markerlight operator on the ground.
All Barracuda pilots are of the Air Caste, and their three-dimensional situational awareness is superior to human pilots, as is their tolerance of high rates of acceleration. While the combat experience of the longest serving Imperial pilots gives many a hard edge which the Air Caste struggles to match, the Tau pilots are more naturally gifted and a powerful asset to the Greater Good.
The most deadly Barracuda pilots encountered by the Imperium are those whose squadron name is believed to translate as 'the Gift of Silence'. This single Barracuda squadron has thus far accounted for 27 Imperial bombers and 18 Interceptors. It has also claimed an Imperial Guard Tetrarch Heavy Lander as it made planetfall, resulting in the loss of an entire Imperial Guard regiment.
Unit: 1 Barracuda
Type: Vehicle, Flyer
| BS | Front | Side | Rear |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Weapons and Equipment:
- One hull-mounted ion cannon with anti-aircraft mount,
- Two sponson-mounted burst cannons,
- One hull-mounted, twin-linked missile pod.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ion Cannon | 60" | 7 | 3 | Heavy 3 |
| Burst Cannon | 18" | 5 | 5 | Assault 3 |
| Missile Pod | 36" | 7 | 4 | Assault 2 |
Options: The Barracuda can be upgraded to carry up to four seeker missiles (see Codex: Tau Empire) for +10 pts each.
Tau Rapid Redeployment Force (Points: 100 + models)
(This datasheet is a Games Workshop website printout included in the scan.)
The Rapid Redeployment Force, or to give it's full Tau military title, the 'Objective Oriented Rapid Redeployment Detachment', was first used by the Tau during the Dal'yth Counter Attack. Under pressure from the ground forces of the Imperium's Damocles Gulf Crusade, the Tau, led by the celebrated Commander Puretide, were forced to pull back a large number of ground troops. As the Fire Warriors at the frontline lacked their own transports, Puretide ordered a number of other cadres to send in their Devilfish. These swept in upon the stranded Fire Warriors' positions and picked them up, before conducting a wide sweep of the battlefield that brought them within a hundred metres of the Imperium army's frontline command centre. Disembarking, the Fire Warriors laid down a withering hail of pulse rifle fire, forcing the Imperial Guard staff officers manning the post to fall back in disarray. Not only were the beleaguered Fire Warriors rescued, but their timely redeployment turned the tide at that sector of the battlefield.
After the Damocles Gulf Crusade's withdrawal, Fire Caste High Command instigated a number of changes to the Tau military, each the result of the costly lessons of the conflict. Not least among them was the formalisation of the Rapid Redeployment Force, a formation that can, as at the Dal'yth Counter Attack, snatch victory from the jaws of defeat if committed at the correct moment by a wise commander.
Example: Devilfish command vehicle 'Ennobled Sacrifice'; Devilfish 'Truth In Adversity' and 'Vigilant Law'.
Formation: 3+ Devilfish. One Devilfish must be designated as the command tank.
Special Rules:
- Rapid Redeployment: To make a rapid redeployment, proceed as follows. The entire formation makes a Strategic Redeployment as per the strategic asset of the same name, carrying any Fire Warrior and Pathfinder teams that were already embarked. The restrictions regarding not moving within 12" of an enemy and not being able to fire apply only to the Devilfish. Transported teams may disembark, bringing them within 12" of the enemy, and may fire their weapons (counting as having moved).
- Strike Force: All Devilfish in the Rapid Redeployment Force must be deployed within 12" of the command Devilfish, or, if coming on from reserve, they must enter the table within 12" of the point entered by the command Devilfish.
Great Knarloc Pack (Points: 60 per model)
The savage Kroot are a subject-race of the alien Tau Empire, and their Carnivore kindreds fight wherever the Empire has need of the Kroots' prodigious tracking and fieldcraft skills. The Kroot hail from the jungle world of Pech, a planet rife with alien life, all sharing the same genetic heritage. Thus, when the Kroot fight, alongside the Tau, all manner of distantly related warrior beasts can be found from the vicious Kroot Hounds to the lumbering Krootox.
Largest and most belligerent of all of these is the Great Knarloc. With its powerfully muscled hind legs, it is capable of overtaking even the fastest of prey, and its iron-hard beak is sharp enough to scythe through even the toughest of hide. The Kroot have come to utilise the Great Knarloc in a variety of different roles, from mighty beasts of burden, to living battering rams capable of smashing apart enemy tanks and infantry alike.
Great Knarlocs are most often encountered when the Tau and their Kroot allies are fighting in densely forested warzones, or areas thick with swamps, marshes or jungle. The Kroot are adept at finding paths through such terrain, along which the main Tau force may follow. Furthermore, they are expert at setting ambushes and launching devastating assaults from quarters the enemy believed too dense to attack through. Spearheading such attacks will be the Great Knarlocs. Against such barbarically direct assault, even the most well equipped enemy force stands precious little chance of survival.
Commonly, Great Knarlocs are herded together into great caravans of lumbering beasts. These accompany Tau and Kroot forces to war, and have even been observed hired out to other races, their unique battlefield abilities recruited by the highest bidder.
Unit: 1-10 Great Knarlocs
Type: Infantry
| WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | Sv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 6+ |
Weapons and Equipment: Sharp beak.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bolt thrower | 36" | 6 | 6 | Assault 1, Blast |
| Kroot gun | 48" | 7 | 4 | Rapid Fire |
Options: Any Great Knarloc may be equipped with a Kroot bolt thrower for +25 points, or with a twin-linked Kroot gun for +30 points. These weapons will be manned by a pair of Kroot riders, who are treated as part of the Great Knarloc model in all respects.
Special Rules:
- Fleet of Foot: The Great Knarloc has evolved a hyperactive nymune organ. It follows the rules for Fleet of Foot.
- Fieldcraft: The Great Knarloc benefits from the Kroot Fieldcraft special rule. It gains +1 to its Cover Save in woods or jungles, and does not take Difficult Terrain tests when moving in woods or jungles.
- Sharp Beak: The Great Knarloc's beak is capable of crushing both armour and bone. It benefits from the Rending special rule.
Armoured Interdiction Cadre (Points: 50 + models)
The Tau's expertise in anti-gravitic technology means that their armoured vehicles are swift yet well-protected. The Armoured Interdiction Cadre is a force composed of units chosen to deal with enemy formations that do not specialise in anti-armour weaponry. Using their speed, the Armoured Interdiction Cadre manoeuvres to concentrate its firepower on the target, trusting in its armour to protect it against return fire. The vehicles of the cadre are networked together with an interactive tactical control system, allowing the commander to supervise the cadre from within his tank, and direct fire quickly and efficiently.
Example: Armoured Interdiction Cadre, K'Sau Envelopment - Hammerhead command tank (Shas'o Vionca Tau'er Daus); Hammerhead; two Sky Rays. Crew within Command vehicles are believed to be of rank Shas'el and above. All Hammerhead/Sky Ray crew are Fire Caste personnel.
Formation: 3+ of the following units:
- Hammerhead Gunship,
- Sky Ray Missile Defence Gunship.
One Gunship must be marked as the command tank.
Special Rules:
- Strike Force: All gunships in the cadre must be deployed within 6" of the command tank, or, if coming on from reserve, they must enter the table within 6" of the point entered by the command tank.
- Tactical Support: The Shas'el or Shas'o leading the force benefits greatly from the upgraded communications and sensor suite of his command tank. Whilst the command tank is still mobile, the Tau player gains D3+1 Markerlight 'hit markers' per turn. These are placed at the start of the Tau shooting phase on any enemy unit within line of sight of the command tank and each marker counts as a Markerlight hit (see the Wargear section of Codex: Tau Empire).
Rapid Insertion Force (Points: 50 + models)
It is not the Tau way of war to fight protracted, static battles. Aggressive use of mobility and firepower are the keys to the success of the Fire Caste. A large part of this success is dependant upon the activities of a cadre's Stealth teams - their role is to find the enemy, create diversions and launch surprise attacks, while acting as rear guards should things go poorly.
The Rapid Insertion Force is a specialised formation that strikes suddenly against key enemy units or establishes a perimeter to hold ground until other Fire Caste units arrive. A single Stealth team leads the way for a more heavily armed force of Crisis teams. The entire force trains together, delivering a swift, effective attack that stuns the enemy, allowing further Tau forces to move forward unmolested.
Example: Rapid Insertion Force, K'Sau Envelopment - Stealth Team 'Covert Infiltration Team'; Crisis Teams 'Firepower Support Team 8/1', '8/2' and '8/3'. Lead elements (Stealth teams) infiltrate into optimum position. Reserve elements (Crisis teams) await deployment in sub-orbital 'Manta'.
Formation:
- 1 Stealth Team,
- 3-5 three-strong Crisis Teams.
NB. For the purposes of deployment and strategic reserves, the Stealth Team and Crisis Teams count as two separate formations, allowing the first to be on the table while the second is still waiting to deploy.
Special Rules:
- Scout: If the Stealth Team in the Rapid Insertion Force chooses not to infiltrate (or cannot because its side is deploying first) it may use the Scout special rule.
- Deep Strike: All of the Crisis Teams must be kept in Strategic Reserve and use their Deep Strike ability when they become available.
- Pinpoint Attack: If the nominated landing point for a Crisis Team is within 12" of the Stealth Team in the Rapid Insertion Force, no roll for scatter is made.
- Element of Surprise: In the turn that the Crisis Teams in the Rapid Insertion Force arrive, all their shooting has the Pinning special rule.
Necrons
Slumbering deep within their tomb worlds, the Necrons have lain dormant for sixty million years. Scattered raiding parties heralded their awakening, but now as their thirsting gods rise the Necrontyr are appearing in ever greater numbers.
Each Necron tomb world is constructed according to a sophisticated template devised by the Necrontyr at the height of their civilisation. Utilising physics and geometry never again discovered since their fall, the Necrons created immense storage facilities to house their race for the millions of years they would slumber. Using interdimensional technologies unseen outside of the Necrontyr realm, they built vast chambers that could house thousands upon thousands of Necrons in a seemingly impossible space. Deep beneath the pyramidal structures, they stored horrifically powerful weaponry, and erected great temporal stabilisers to shield these warriors and weapons from the ravages of time.
Each tomb world, once activated, proceeds to awaken its incumbents in a rigid sequence, as predictable and inevitable as the turning of the galaxy. At first, the tomb world releases swarms of Scarabs and Tomb Spyders to attend to the rudimentary functions of the stasis tombs, and soon after the first Necron Warriors are resurrected to begin their patrols. Using the intelligence gathered by the Warriors, the tomb world assesses the circumstances in which it now finds itself. According to ancient, pre-programmed criteria, the stasis tombs then bring back to life other machineries and weapons. The Necron Lords are encoded with strands of this information and data processing to form artificial personalities, so that when they awaken they embody the single purpose of the tomb world and can make independent decisions based on newly discovered data.
When a large population centre of a younger race has evolved close to a tomb world, the encoded programming reacts very aggressively to defend the interred Necrons. These tomb worlds are the ones that have activated the most rapidly during the current awakening and are now hives of activity. Delving ever deeper into their archives and storage units, the tomb worlds whose areas of influence have been invaded are gearing up for full-scale retaliatory action - a programmed behaviour pattern that a learned few of the Imperium have dubbed the Harvest.
Nodal Commands
The interaction of the various forces from a tomb world is not altogether clear and they certainly appear to have no permanent organisation or structure. For such a machine-like intelligence as the Necrons, the word organic is inappropriate to describe their changing means of warfare. Cause-and-effect is a more suitable analogy, as each battle, campaign and Harvest produces preordained responses from the tomb world's controlling programme.
This evolving structure is made possible by a system similar to that used in the most complex assemblies of the Adeptus Mechanicus, called Nodal Command. A Nodal Command organisation allocates a strict hierarchy to all of the elements within it, giving greater operational and decision-making capacity to certain 'nodes' while slaving the rest of the system to these nodes. In terms of the Necron armies, the Necron Lords form the nodes of the command structure, and each Lord has an allocated hierarchical value at any given time. Whilst much of this can only be guessed at, the Adeptus Mechanicus has determined at least four levels of hierarchy within the Necron Nodal Command, which they have designated Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum, in ascending order of priority. The Nodal Command system is also a communications structure and forms the basis of how intelligence is gathered and orders disseminated. Often the system is likened to ancient flow charts used for computation during the Dark Age of Technology.
This structure means that decisions taken by a higher-level Necron Lord, a Gold-level perhaps, give a single, quick response. All relevant data and orders automatically relay to any subservient Lords - in this example, the Silver- and Bronze-level Lords slaved to the Gold-level 'master'. In situations where speed is less important than processing all relevant information, decision-making defers across several Bronze or Silver-level Lords, and can even devolve down to individual Necron Warriors at specific points on the battlefield. This allows a great deal of coordination when required, but also independent action by distinct combat groups should the need arise.
Eternal Engines of Destruction
It is becoming obvious that as conflicts grow, a tomb world will temporarily withdraw its existing forces before releasing a new army of even more potent war machines with an extended Nodal Command. In effect, the more an enemy fights against the Necrons, the more devastating the response. In most situations, the Necron Warriors and a few attendant specialist units such as Destroyers or Wraiths are enough to combat an emerging threat. However, as resistance grows, so does the power of the forces released by the tomb world to the Nodal Command structure.
The escalation of a war with a tomb world grows exponentially, until the forces at its disposal are petrifying. Uncountable ranks upon ranks of Necron Warriors are transported to the battlefield by flotillas of Monoliths, while immortals and Destroyers in their hundreds are unleashed against enemy warriors. Scores of Flayed Ones and Wraiths terrorise innocent populations and sow dread behind enemy lines. It is speculated that the tomb worlds hide some truly disturbing weapons and war engines, even more so than its massed phalanxes of Warriors and Monoliths. All that is required for these ultra-advanced technologies to be unleashed upon an unsuspecting foe is for the fighting to escalate to an as-yet unseen level. One can only guess at the horrific machineries set free when this unseen line is crossed; though the many scoured planets found close to the tomb worlds are perhaps long-dead testaments to this power.
Necron Nodal Command Structure
Diagram page. Text labels are transcribed; the diagram itself is omitted.
- Primary Awakeners: The first elements activated by the Tomb World are the Tomb Spyders. These hulking custodians see to the initial tasks of ministrating to the stasis tombs. Imbued with the powers of resurrection, the Tomb Spyders activate the Raider forces. Meanwhile the second element of the Primary Awakeners, the Scarabs, hasten to secure the interior of the Tomb, in swarms a thousand strong. Scarabs swiftly seek out intruders and carry out any essential maintenance to the Tomb's defences.
- Raider Force: Consisting of a small number of Necron Warriors and Scarabs, the Raider force emerges into the outside environment and initially has complete autonomy (within its programming). Its purpose is to scout the surface of the Tomb World and nearby systems, seeking data on the position and status of other races. Destroying a Raider force will result in one of two outcomes: the Tomb World may despatch a second Raider force on a follow-up mission; the Tomb World may proceed to the second stage of activation.
- Reserve Command: After initial data has been retrieved, the command of all raider forces is subsumed into the Nodal Command of a Necron Lord, usually of Silver-level priority. When required, the Reserve Command will enter battle led by their Necron Lord, who also fulfils the role of being a redundant command unit who can take control of any existing forces should their Necron Lords be destroyed.
- Necron Line Formations: The bulk of Necron armies are gathered into this region of the Nodal Command, led by up to four Bronze-level Necron Lords, the Line Formations consist of a variety of different fighting formations. Ground forces are organised into phalanxes made up of a core of Necron Warriors transported by Monoliths, and supported by secondary units such as Destroyers, Immortals and so forth. These phalanxes are often accompanied by more specialist formations dubbed 'cohorts'. The Necron Lords of the Line Formations act as a battlefield command circuit, able to pass information between themselves, upload data to the Platinum-level command, or call upon the Reserve Command for physical support or additional data analysis. Each Tomb World might have dozens of such formations, which are activated by the Tomb Spyders and inserted into or removed from the Nodal Command as required.
- Nodal Command - Bronze Network: All communication between the Line Commanders is routed through both the Platinum-level Nodal Command and the Reserve Command Necron Lord. This redundancy ensures that should any one element of the network be somehow neutralised, communication and command is still possible.
Gauss Pylon (Points: 420)
The mysterious Necron defence turrets, called Pylons by those that first encountered them, were first recorded on the uncharted world of WDY-272. Rising suddenly from the desert sands the Gauss Pylons opened fire without warning and with devastating effect. Tanks and armoured carriers burned as the crescent-shaped weapons tore through the unsuspecting Imperial Guard column whilst resisting all return fire.
The Gauss Pylon draws energy from the Necron power matrix before discharging it through hardwired weapon systems, including a version of the gauss flux arc also mounted on Monoliths. More fearsome is the Pylon's gauss annihilator - a tight-beam version of the particle whip, capable of engaging targets at very long ranges. Sophisticated guidance and target-lock systems allow the gauss annihilator to engage ground troops and incoming aircraft alike.
The Gauss Annihilator weapon is capable of rapid traverse, so as to engage air targets with unparalleled ease (Re: Artaxerxes Incident). 'Living metal' presents a hull as durable as even the most scrupulously manufactured and blessed Imperial armour.
Unit: 1 Gauss Pylon
Type: Super-heavy vehicle
Structure Points: 2
| BS | Front | Side | Rear |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
Weapons and Equipment: One Gauss Annihilator, which can be either fire a Focussed Beam, or discharge a Flux Arc (choose which mode to use each time you fire).
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gauss Annihilator (Focussed Beam) | 120" | D | 2 | Primary Weapon, Heavy 3, AA Mount |
| Gauss Annihilator (Flux Arc) | 18" | 6 | 3 | Primary Weapon, Heavy D6* |
* If discharging a Flux Arc, the Gauss Annihilator fires D6 shots at every enemy unit within 18".
Special Rules:
- Living Metal: The Gauss Pylon is constructed of the same living Necron metal as the Monolith - see Codex: Necrons for details.
- Immobile: Gauss Pylons always count as having suffered an immobilised result from the beginning of the game. This, however, does not confer any Victory Points to the opponent.
- Damage Effects: Note that Driver Stunned and Drive Damaged both have no effect on the pylon, as it has neither a driver nor an engine. Each 'Weapon Destroyed' result applied to the Gauss Annihilator (and not negated by the primary weapon rule) reduces its number of shots by one.
- Special Deployment: A Necron attack can be supported by Gauss Pylons teleporting to the surface. At other times, when defending a tomb world, dormant Gauss Pylons can suddenly rise from the ground to engage any trespassers. Gauss Pylons can deploy by Deep Strike. Because of the Pylon's size it is not destroyed if there are enemy within 1" when it arrives. Instead move any models that are in the way the minimum distance necessary to make space for the Pylon. A Gauss Pylon that lands in impassable terrain is not destroyed but takes an immediate glancing hit. Move the Gauss Pylon the minimum distance possible to avoid the terrain.
- Phase Shift Generator: All Necron units with at least one model within 12" of the Gauss Pylon receive a 5+ Invulnerable Save.
Monolith Phalanx (Points: 250 + models)
Armed with technology perfected before mankind ever rose from the primordial soup, the Necrons utilise weapons and strategies incomprehensible to all other races. Though the warp is anathema to the metallic legions of the Necontyr and their undying masters, there are many other dimensions they can use, of which the other races are wholly ignorant. Using their mastery of space-time manipulation, the Necrons are able to create worlds within worlds, stable null fields and all manner of other exotic battlefield conditions. This is most evident in the use of Monoliths in a formation the Ordo Xenos has dubbed the phalanx. In this particular configuration, at certain pivotal places in the four-dimensional universe, the presence of a phalanx emits a frequency waveform that distorts space-time and creates a powerful energy field known as a nodal grid. Within the confines of the shimmering nodal grid, the Necrons are all but impossible to destroy.
Nodal Grid: Should three or more Monoliths be permitted to come within effective range of one another, a Nodal Grid is created as witnessed at the Rincairn's Flow Massacre. In addition to the effects of a 'Night Shroud', the power of the Necrontyr Warriors is bolstered and they become more resistant to damage than ever.
Formation: 2-5 Monoliths
Special Rules:
- Unheralded Arrival: The Phalanx does not deploy normally but starts in strategic reserve. It arrives at the start of the first Necron movement phase. All the Monoliths deep strike onto the table, and they cannot initially be placed more than 18" away from each other (though their deep strike scatter roll may take them further away than this).
- The Nightshroud: If two Monoliths from the Phalanx are within 24" of each other, they project the Nightshroud. The line of effect of the Nightshroud is traced from the centre of a projecting Monolith to all other projecting Monoliths within 24". Any shot that traces its line of sight across one or more Nightshrouds has its Strength reduced by one. This has no effect on shots from Gauss weapons. Psychic powers cannot be targeted through the Nightshroud.
- Nodal Grid: If there are three or more Monoliths all projecting Nightshrouds between them, they create a nodal grid. The area of the nodal grid is located inside the position of the Monoliths as shown in the diagram. While the nodal grid is in operation the following special rules apply:
- The Necron player receives +1 to all We'll Be Back! rolls for models within the Nodal Grid.
- Null Field: No psyker within the nodal grid may use psychic powers.
The Dark Eldar
The raiding parties of the Dark Eldar can only be united by the promise of power, spoils and thousands of slaves. When the kabals of Commorragh gather en masse, they darken the skies with their bladed craft, falling upon unwary populations with nightmarish speed and gleeful sadism.
Within every Dark Eldar beats a selfish heart. Personal power, comfort and gratification are the only things a Dark Eldar values. They take no pride in the achievements of others, and measure every endeavour only in terms of its value to their own wellbeing. Only the basic need of survival bonds the Dark Eldar together as a race, and so they are not overly inclined to cooperation with one another.
On occasion, however, an opportunity arises that even the greatest Archon admits cannot be achieved by lone endeavour. An Imperial hive ripe for the slaughter; a Craftworld left drifting and vulnerable; a newly discovered race unaware of the terror that lurks in the shadows. Such targets are more than a single cult or kabal could hope to overcome, but so great is the potential reward that they are willing to countenance sharing the spoils with others - better to share a prize than take no prize at all.
Avarice and Fear
Dark Eldar society is splintered in many different ways. The raiders of Commorragh owe allegiance first to themselves and then to the kabal or cult to which they belong. Each of these competing factions has its agenda and goals to fulfil, and will happily betray or slaughter allies that no longer prove useful. The most devious and ruthless survive, and any alliance or coalition that gathers does so out of two very simple drives: avarice and fear.
The raw lure of thousands of souls and immeasurable plunder draws the Dark Eldar together against a well prepared or particularly large target. Power is a palpable, negotiable currency within Dark Eldar society and a successful attack can secure wealth and authority for the leaders. By the same token, no self-respecting Archon or Archite would idly stand by while his or her enemies gather to benefit from a mutual venture. In this way, large-scale attacks tend to grow quickly as jealous lords and ladies pledge their support, whilst all the while secretly harbouring desires to double-cross their allies and take the rewards for themselves.
While avarice may form these large war fleets, it is fear that keeps them together. The Dark Eldar fear many things: death, failure, losing status, retribution. Strength in numbers allows the Dark Eldar to hunt larger and well-defended prey. Just as a Dark Eldar party that returns victorious gains great wealth and esteem, an unsuccessful raid brings with it despair, loss of standing and often enslavement. By involving one's enemies in an attack, the risk is shared by all. Finally, the shifting power and politics of Commorragh mean that when a Dark Eldar faction does decide to strike their allies in the back, they best be sure that the blow is decisive. If not, the backlash can see whole kabals and cults destroyed, thousands murdered during internecine fighting, and slavery and torture for everyone involved as their enemies seize their opportunity over the weakened kabal. This mutual fear of reprisal keeps most of the double-dealing and treachery to a minimum - at least until the participants have returned to the kabal houses in Commorragh.
The Flaying
Eldar raiding forces work not by attacking the enemy head on, but by using surprise and speed to attack swiftly and then withdraw, slowly bleeding the enemy dry. In this way, the Dark Eldar never gather in a single place for an enemy to counter-attack, and leave themselves free to attack where their foes are weakest. There is a particular 'wave attack' style favoured by Dark Eldar in large battles. The Dark Eldar organise themselves into successive waves of differing capabilities and destroy the foe with a series of separate but sequential attacks. Each wave of the attack targets a particular type of foe or seeks to achieve a specific objective, weakening the enemies' defence against the next wave. Over several assaults of this nature, the enemy army's defences are stripped away until the most vulnerable elements are left - hence this form of attack is often referred to by the Dark Eldar as The Flaying.
Dark Eldar Strike Patterns
The diagram below demonstrates the principles behind 'The Flaying'. By attacking the most dangerous enemy units with a lightning-fast assault, the Dark Eldar are able to create the opportunity for other units to move into position and attack the survivors. The fast lead forces buy time for slower units of warriors to outflank the enemy and deliver the killing blow.
- Wave 1 - Splinter Raid: 1x Archon and bodyguard on Raider; 2x Reaver Jetbike squads; 3x Raider Squads. Striking without warning, the Splinter Raid attacks the enemy army from out of the sky, destroying and pinning troops that present the greatest threat.
- Wave 2 - Strike from the Shadows: 2x Scourge Squads; 2x Mandrake Squads. Scourges drop from the sky and use their dark lances to target the vulnerable rear armour of enemy vehicles, while Mandrakes appear out of the shadows to assault enemy infantry hiding in cover.
- Wave 3 - Mounted Kabals and Cults: 1x Archon and bodyguard on Raider; 2x Raider Squad; Wych Cult on Raider; Hellions Squad; Ravager. Another wave of swift-moving troops moves in to engage survivors of the initial attacks, in particular targeting enemy command units.
- Wave 4 - Kabals and Cults on Foot: 2x Warriors Squads; 2x Wych Squads; Warp Beast pack (+ Beastmaster). The slowest moving elements of the army have now had time to join the attack and move in for the kill, catching the enemy between their advance and the Dark Eldar already fighting.
Splinter Raid Force (Points: 100 + models)
From within the webway, the Dark Eldar open up portals above their target, springing their surprise assault. The attack is unheralded. Dark bruises appear in the sky, collapsing into swirling vortices of energy. The jagged shapes of Raiders appear, plunging down through the atmosphere, the Dark Eldar warriors aboard clinging on and screaming their battlecries. Swarms of Reaver Jetbikes swiftly follow, diving down amongst the Raiders, their riders shrieking as they swoop down on their unwitting targets. The air is filled with deadly splinters and pulses of dark energy, explosions blossoming along the enemy lines, warriors cut down before they knew they were in danger. Reeling from the assault, the enemy scramble for cover, while confusion and terror reigns. The Dark Eldar soar overhead and away, safe from retaliation.
Example: Archon Amilkhat of the Kabal of the Bleeding Eye (Archon and retinue in Raider); Raider Squad 'Mazahran's Warriors of Scelestious Virtue'; Reaver Jetbike Squads 'Ekharath's Vapulators' and 'The Arrows of Yyresia'. Note the close formation as the 'Splinter Raid' descends upon its victims - a result of the rapid exit from the Eldar webway. Splinter Raids can vary in size from a mere handful of attackers to scores of Dark Eldar vehicles descending upon the enemy.
Formation: 1 Archon with retinue mounted in a Raider, 3+ units from the following list:
- Raider Squad,
- Reaver Jetbikes squad.
Special Rules:
- Death from the Skies: The units in the Splinter Raid are not deployed or kept in Strategic reserve. Instead, in the Movement phase of the player's first turn, the Archon's Raider is placed anywhere on the table, then all of the other units in the Splinter Raid are placed within 12" of the Archon's Raider. All units in the Splinter Raid count as flyers until the beginning of their second turn, when they revert to their normal rules.
Ravager Titan-Hunters (Points: 100 + models)
The Dark Eldar do not use the super-heavy war machines favoured by other races, instead relying on their superior speed and manouevrability to achieve victory. To this end, the pirates of Commorragh field elite Ravager crews to locate and neutralise enemy Titans and battle tanks ahead of the main assault. These Titan-hunter packs employ a technique called 'Shadow Dancing' to preserve themselves from the worst of incoming fire. Using their immaculate reflexes the Ravager pilots fly perilously close to the ground, skimming treetops - sometimes even skirting between trees - and using the silhouettes of enemy vehicles to mask their approach.
Once the pack has closed to weapons range with the target Titan, the lead Ravager triggers its shadow beam. The resulting etheric lance probes the prey's defence shields with warp rift energy, creating the smallest of breaches in the defences. This weakness is so minute that the Titan's crew remain unaware of its existence and only the uncanny reflexes of the Dark Eldar could hope to exploit it. Customising their targetting systems and Dark Lance modulations, the Ravagers accelerate towards the doomed Titan, unleashing pulses of lance energy to cut the beleaguered behemoth apart, leaving its allies ripe for enslavement.
Example: The Fangs of Kerebauah, Kabal of the Black Heart - lead Ravager and two subsidiary Ravagers. 'Shadow Dancing' occurs within close proximity of the lead vehicle. Believed by eye-witnesses to be an advanced method of piloting, Adeptus Mechanicus savants maintain the reactions required to enable such a feat are statistically impossible to attain, even for a xenos. Subsidiary Ravagers benefit from enhanced destructive power, in addition to utilising the 'Shadow Dance'.
Formation: 3-5 Ravagers. One Ravager must be marked as the lead Ravager.
Special Rules:
- Shadow Dancing: Whilst the lead Ravager is still mobile, any Ravager in the pack within 6" of it (including the lead Ravager itself) may ignore 'Crew Shaken' results on the damage tables. They may also ignore each 'Immobilised' result on a roll of 4+.
- Strike Force: All Ravagers in the squadron must be deployed within 6" of the lead Ravager, or, if coming on from reserve, they must enter the table within 6" of the point entered by the lead Ravager.
- Shadow Beam: The lead Ravager has a shadow beam in addition to its other armaments. The shadow beam is a weapon with the following profile:
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Beam | 36" | 1 | - | Heavy 1 |
If the beam hits a target, any subsequent hits inflicted on the same target by any Ravager in the pack within 6" of the lead Ravager (including the lead Ravager's other weapons) ignore the effects of all Void Shields, Power Shields and Eldar Titan Holo-fields for the remainder of the turn.
The Forces of Chaos
Marauding warbands of Chaos Space Marines and sudden daemonic intrusions constantly beset the Imperium. When the hate-ridden Traitor Legions and their daemonic allies gather in strength, they wield enough power to topple worlds and overrun entire planetary systems.
Men seek the power of Chaos for a simple reason: it offers a fast answer to an individual's needs and ambitions. One might turn to the Dark Gods for power, wealth, domination over others or conquest. A man seeking revenge, escape from authority or the devotion of a loved one might barter his life and soul with the Ruinous Powers. In this way, the Gods of Chaos recruit many followers from across the galaxy.
Though at first a follower of the Chaos Gods may believe he is achieving his own ends, such is the nature of the bargain he has made that over time his goals and dreams will become the same as the goals and dreams of his immaterial master - the follower becomes a slave to his own passions. Where once a man might only wish revenge on an old sergeant or shift overseer, his infernal pact leads him on a path to hatred of all authority and the Imperium itself. The Imperial magister who desires to rule his settlement will crave more and more power, until not even the rulership of a whole sector will sate his thirst for superiority.
Through these means, the forces of Chaos have become very diverse and powerful. From within the Eye of Terror and other hiding places Traitor Legions and Renegade Space Marines sally forth to wage war upon the servants of the Emperor. Hidden deep in hive worlds, in warrior lodges on feral planets, masquerading as guilds and federations on agri-worlds, and even within the Adeptus Terra itself, Chaos worshippers secretly plot rebellion and subversion even as they suckle at the bosom of the Imperium. In the warp, the Realm of Chaos, daemonic creatures stir into life, forming fleeting consciousnesses that gaze at the galaxy of mortals with covetous eyes.
When such malignant forces combine, the galaxy trembles.
Chaos Incursions
When the forces of Chaos attack in great numbers, the Adepts of the Imperium call it an incursion - a war far more brutal and terrifying than any number of raids. The largest Chaos incursions are those that take place during the Black Crusades of the Traitor Legions. Warbands from across the galaxy are drawn back to their Legion to serve the gods under one banner, while sorcerers call forth the daemonic servants of their masters, sacrificing untold hundreds to buy power from the Dark Gods.
Such attacks attract attention from many quarters, and warbands from several Legions may join the incursion to further their own aims. Led by their own Champions they will join the Black Crusade as it gathers strength. Death Guard Plague Marines will muster their pestilent hosts to seize the opportunity to sow decay and misery. Aloof Sorcerers of the Thousand Sons will lead their unliving contingents to further the obscure and twisted schemes of Tzeentch. Khorne Berzerkers gather like hounds at a chase, eager to conquer or simply to enjoy the spilling of so much blood. Warbands of Renegades from the Adeptus Astartes, such as the Red Corsairs and Brotherhood of Ghrast, may seize the opportunity to strike back at the Imperium they have forsaken.
As the incursion grows in power, hidden sympathisers and cultists will throw off their disguises, and declare themselves for their true gods, and uprisings topple planetary governments. Deranged mutant mobs, keen to escape the lashes of their masters, rampage through blood slicked streets. Such allies are not altogether trustworthy - each of these factions has its own agenda to fulfil, and joins not out of fellowship but from selfish ambition. Still, in conjunction with the traitorous and renegade Space Marines, they are all but unstoppable.
Warmaster Davroth and the Scourging of Makenna VII
The servants of the Ruinous Powers rarely cooperate in the Long War, yet Warmaster Davroth of the Word Bearers Legion is a rare example of a leader capable of uniting the disparate factions in common purpose. Davroth is possessed of a prophetic vision of himself coming to rival the mighty Abaddon the Despoiler. To bring about his vision, Davroth has mustered the followers of the four Chaos Gods. He follows a plan revealed to him in the scryings of a thousand frothing warpseers - the eight-pointed star of chaos.
Warmaster Davroth. Warmaster Davroth is a commander of great standing within the Word Bearers. He has invaded Makenna VII, a mining world close to the Arx Gap, to enslave the populace and send tribute back to Abaddon the Despoiler. With the resources of Makenna VII at his disposal, Davroth hopes that Abaddon will repay the tribute with a pair of the deadly Chaos Titans under his command. These war engines will allow Davroth to launch an unexpected attack on his former ally, Khulia of the Bleed, and thus become one of Abaddon's most powerful lieutenants.
Bazarak the Frothing (The World Eaters). Davroth enticed Bazarak and his World Eaters Berzekers to his cause with a simple promise - they would lead the first assault on the Makenna VII capital Heastus Citadel. Tempted by the lure of such slaughter, Bazarak has already killed two other Champions of Khorne and taken their warbands, and he now feels ready to impress Khorne with the carnage they will unleash.
- Bazarak - Champion of Khorne
- N'ghellock - Bloodthirstor of Khorne
- The Bloodbeasts - Chosen of Bazarak
- The Chalice - 3 squads of Khorne Berzerkers
- 1 Pack of summoned Bloodletters
- Killclaw - Defiler
- Bloodscion - Defiler
- Ghurakh the Violent - Chaos Dreadnought
Warsmith Baldarun (Abrial's Claw). An outcast from the Iron Warriors since his defeat at the Fortress of Venterer, Baldarun has been seeking the means to rebuild his standing. When the forces of Chaos overrun Makenna VI (sic), he will use his share of the spoils to build up the strength of his Grand Battery. With so many war machines under his command, he will return to Medregard to crush those that mock him. Abrial Shard, an infamous Chaos Renegade across a dozen sectors, swore an oath of brotherhood with Warsmith Baldarun long ago on a daemon world at the heart of the Eye of Terror. Baldarun has called upon his old ally to bolster his forces upon Makenna VII, and Abrial has sent a detachment of his own personal elite, known as Abrial's Claw, on the condition that Baldarun relinquishes the secrets of his beloved technovirus to Shard's men. Whether they survive to return the secret to their master is another matter.
Oneius Prayd (Renegades). Once a Captain of the Red Scorpions, Oneius Prayd threw aside his vows of fealty after his peers refused to choose him as Chapter Master. He has led the greater part of his Company on a rampage across various alien worlds near the Veldin Sector, attracting all manner of outcasts and renegades, until the Dark Gods appeared to him in a vision and commanded him to fight on Makenna VI (sic) as a true test of his new loyalty.
- Oneius Prayd of the Red Corsairs
- 2 Red Corsairs squads
- 1 Red Corsairs Havocs Squad
- 1 Disciples of Ruin squad in Rhino
- 1 Wolf Brothers squad
- 1 pack of summoned Horrors
Festardius (Death Guard). Festardius made an alliance with Davroth during the Horus Heresy. Although during the Long War they have often fought seperately, Festardius seeks to rekindle their ancient comradeship. He learned of Davroth's ultimate goal and offered his support, in return for rulership of Makenna VII once Davroth moves on to his next conquest. His warband of Death Guard veterans has seen much fighting and he hopes they will prove invaluable to Davroth's plans.
- Festardius - Champion of Nurgle
- The Scythe's Blade - Death Guard Terminators Squads
- Squads Cholerian and Stubos - Plague Marines Squads in Rhinos
- Squads Sletch and Caul - 2 Havocs Squads
- The Protean - Obliterators Squad
- Yurgh'kurkgl - Defiler
- 1 pack of summoned Plaguebearers
High Magister Mordeghai (The Scions of Mordeghai). High Magister Mordeghai, a gifted Chaos sorceror, was Tribune Senioris to Magnus the Red himself during the Seige of the Emperor's Palace. He has foreseen that if his arch rival Festardius gains control of Makenna VII, the Plaguelord will use his new influence to turn Mortarion's legions against Mordeghai's cabal. The best way to prevent this happening is to wrest control from Festardius once Davroth has left. Mordeghai believes he has more than enough Thousand Sons to accomplish this.
- Mordeghai - Champion of Tzeentch
- The Hands of Fate - 6 Thousand Sons Squads in Rhinos
- The Death of Light - 2 Terminator Squads
- The Ghastling - 2 Havocs Squads
- 1 pack of summoned Horrors
Roek Ghulclaw (The Guns of Freedom). Roek Ghulclaw of the Alpha Legion ultimately answers only to his Legion's high command, but nontheless he has infiltrated Warmaster Davroth's chosen council so subtly that none suspect his true allegiance. General Andol of the Guns of Freedom is but one of Roek's pawns and informants seeded throughout the sector. For many years, there has been a hidden clique of officers within the Makenna VII army, who have muttered amongst themselves about the inequalities heeped upon them by their Imperial Commander. With the arrival of Davroth's fleet, they led those loyal to the cause in rebellion. Though they believe they are overthrowing an unjust dictator, in reality they are merely pawns, for their commander General Andol is one of the Alpha Legion's many agents upon this world.
Eleaxus the Flawless (The Flawless Host). Eleaxus cares for nothing more than his own glorification and the furtherance of his desire to sit at the right hand of Slaanesh damning himself further by partaking in blasphemous feasts after his victories. Warmaster Davroth knows that he need only promise Eleaxus all the luxuries of Makenna VII as his reward and he can count on a powerful and vicious ally - until the fighting is over, at least.
- Eleaxus - Champion of Slaanesh
- The Scream of Hatred - 3 Emperor's Children Terminators Squads
- The Choir of the Damned - 3 Emperor's Children Squads in Rhinos
- Brother Jhasius the Dark - Chaos Dreadnought
- The Spite - Chaos Predator
- Glory's Flesh - Chaos Warhound Titan
- 3 packs of summoned Daemonettes
Zhan'naoshdaerg'gan (Daemonic Legion). Known to mortals as Zhanash of the Corrupting Whip, this Daemon Prince of Slaanesh was drawn to Makenna VII by the terror of its inhabitants. Situated close to the Eye of Terror, Makenna VII was already vulnerable to isolated daemonic attacks and possession. As Davroth's armies descended from orbit, the naked dread amongst the world's inhabitants ruptured the barriers between the material plane and the Warp, and Zhanesh and his daemonic legion surged through the rifts.
- Zhan'naoshdaerg'gan - Keeper of Secrets
- Askharan the Black - Daemon Prince of Tzeentch
- Khaus'ashghk - 2 Blood Heralds
- Hshlurghshug - 1 Plague Herald
- Scrasgh'slesk - 3 Packs of Bloodletters
- Hkulkash - 2 Packs of Bloodcrushers
- Gryxagh - 2 Packs of Flesh Hounds
- Pusg'forph - 2 Packs of Plaguebearers
- Slorabgh'kel - 3 Beasts of Nurgle
- Ixithrit'ugkhel - 2 Packs of Furies
Chaos Annihilation Force (Points: 200 + models)
(This datasheet is a Games Workshop website printout included in the scan.)
When a Chaos warlord makes up his mind to capture a particular enemy strongpoint, there are no half measures. He unleashes a maelstrom of destruction with such intensity that it leaves the opposing commanders reeling. Orbiting spacecraft rain barrage after barrage on the area. Every Chaos trooper in the vicinity is ordered to target the defenders. Finally, a large contingent of murderous Chaos Terminators teleports right into the midst of the firestorm to eliminate any of the foe that by some miracle have survived thus far. If, on occasion, a squad of Terminators is mistakenly hit by one of the Chaos lance strikes, this is a small price to pay for proving the absolute supremacy of the warlord and claiming the devastated ruins in the name of the Dark Gods.
It is not uncommon for Annihilation Forces to be used for tactically useless purposes, that instead fulfill a Chaos Lord's personnal whim or desire for vengeance. During his attack on the world of Palltech IX, Lord Harkresh the Soulless became obsessed with destroying a small shrine, many miles from the invasion route. The priests of the shrine had been broadcasting messages of defiance against the Renegades to the populace, and although the advance was proceeding well, Harkresh insisted that they be silenced. He diverted a large portion of his force to assault the shrine, initiated a ferocious bombardment and himself led thirty Terminators in a teleport attack into the central compound. The shrine had housed only ten poorly armed priests and their attendants.
Example: Chaos Terminator Lord 'Lord Vrexis'; Chaos Terminator Squads 'The Soulfeasters', 'The Gorehounds' and 'The Slaughtermen'.
Formation:
- 0-1 Chaos Lord equipped with Terminator armour
- 3+ Chaos Terminator squads
Special Rules:
- Target Objective: In addition to your normal Strategic Assets, your army gains the Scheduled Bombardment and Precision Strike assets. All three bombardments must be centred on a single objective in the enemy's deployment zone. The Precision Strike must be used on an enemy unit within 6" of that same objective.
- Strike Force: The Annihilation Force cannot be deployed at the start of the game. They must be left in strategic reserve and deployed by Deep Strike, aiming to arrive within 12" of the target objective designated above (although they may scatter further away).
Plague of Zombies (Points: 30 + models)
(This datasheet is a Games Workshop website printout included in the scan.)
A new Chaos scourge has beset the galaxy in recent decades - the Zombie Plague! Once an isolated scourge of distant underhives and isolated space stations, the Zombie Plague has rapidly swept through dozens of worlds surrounding the Eye of Terror. The plague fleets of Nurgle are thought to spread the Zombie Plague, most notably the warships of the warlord Typhus, and it can be carried unwittingly from world to world by warships and merchantmen. Those felled by this virulent pox do not stay dead but are resurrected by the warping power of Chaos, returning to attack their families, co-workers and comrades-in-arms. Once the Zombie Plague grips a world, it is almost impossible to eradicate the infection.
Example: Typhus, Host of the Destroyer Hive; three Plague Zombie squads. "We only just made it to the bunker. Dozens of dead hands scrabbled and clawed at the view ports the whole night long. Then Olex began to cough..." - Private Cur, currently quarantined.
Formation:
- Typhus, or Plaguemaster (A Chaos Lord with the Mark of Nurgle chosen from Codex: Chaos Space Marines)
- 3+ Plague Zombie units.
Special Rules:
All units in the battle formation must be deployed within 12" Typhus or the Plaguemaster, or if entering from reserve they must move on to the table within 12" of the point at which Typhus or the Plaguemaster enters play.
Plague Zombies - Points cost: 5 points per model
| WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | Sv | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zombie | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | - |
Unit Size: 10-30 Plague Zombies
Weapons: Grasping hands and slavering jaws. These count as two close combat weapons.
Special Rules:
- Feel No Pain, Fearless, Poisoned Weapons (wound on 4+),
- Lord of the Zombies: Plague Zombies units are Slow and Purposeful, unless they have a model within 12" of a Plaguemaster, or within 18" of Typhus.
- Join Us!: At the end of every Assault phase during which the Plague Zombies have fought in close combat, before 'pile in' moves, roll a D6 for every casuality caused in the combat (friendly and enemy). On a roll of a 6, they are resurrected as a Plague Zombie - add a model to the Plague Zombie unit. If the Plague Zombie unit was wiped out that turn this rule has no effect. If multiple Plague Zombie units are involved in the same combat, evenly divide the new models between the units (Chaos player's choice for any odd models).
Maelstrom of Gore (Points: 100 + models)
(This datasheet is a Games Workshop website printout included in the scan.)
When the corrupted and murderous Chaos Space Marines of the World Eaters Legion go to war, they do so not only for the joy of slaughter, but also to further the glory of Khorne.
In times of great moment, when the bulk of the World Eaters Legion is mustered for war, the high priests of Khorne ensure their patron's favour before the climax of the battle is reached. Eight hundred and eighty-eight human sacrifices are offered unto the Blood God, enemy warriors slain where they stand in a savage ritual that lasts but one hellish night. The victims' corpses are drained of blood, their exsanguinated husks left in the dirt. The skulls are sliced free and piled high in a gore-slicked pyramid that shimmers and crackles with dark energy. The blood is boiled in vast bronze vats, a hideous vapour rising into the skies that Khorne may drink deep of those offered up to him.
Should Khorne be pleased by these offerings, the skies will become thick with crimson-hued thunderheads. The blooded clouds roil and coalesce in a great spiral above the battlefield as the chanting of the World Eaters reaches fever pitch. With a deafening crack of thunder like the warcry of Khorne himself, the skies open and blood rains down in great squalls. A storm of gore spatters and soaks all those who would stand in the path of the World Eaters' rampage.
When they can hold back no more, the berzerker warriors of Khorne run screaming into the ranks of their prey. The ensorcelled lifeblood hammering down from the skies invigorates the psychotic children of the Blood God and drives them on to ever more extravagant acts of butchery. Chainaxes rise and fall in bloody arcs as the defenders arrayed against the World Eaters are hewn and cut apart. The red-stained stormclouds rumble with peals of thunder, sounding for all the world like the laughter of mad gods, and the enemy quakes in fear. Truly the berzerkers of Khorne are amongst the most terrible of all foes, for their god is strong indeed.
Example: Khârn the Betrayer; Khorne Berzerker squads 'Ghathrax', 'Lorgas' and 'Khiliax'.
Formation:
- 1+ Chaos Lord with the Mark of Khorne OR Khârn the Betrayer
- 3+ Squads of Khorne Berzerkers
Special Rules:
- Strike Force: All units in a Maelstrom of Gore must be deployed within 12" of the Chaos Lord leading them or enter play within 12" of the Chaos Lord if they are held in strategic reserve.
- Rain of Blood: The grotesque fluids raining down during the Maelstrom of Gore are anathema to the sane and balm to the berzerker, horrifying Khorne's enemies and driving his favoured sons into a desperate frenzy. All units in the formation gain the Fleet of Foot rule as long as they remain within 12" of the Chaos Lord leading them. Enemy units anywhere on the table may only make use of the Fleet of Foot rule on the roll of a 4+ whilst the Chaos Lord is still alive.
Plaguereaper of Nurgle (Points: 450)
The Plaguereaper super-heavy tank is a half-corroded bastion amongst the forces of Nurgle - a gurgling, miasma-clouded fortress of pestilence. Huge vats of virulent slime distilled from rotting, plague-ridden corpses are mounted on the back of the vehicle, feeding through bulging pipes into the main turret. The Plaguereaper's pus cannon squirts out this horrendous concoction, dousing swathes of enemy troops who are ensured a most hideous death as their skin instantly erupts in weeping boils and their flesh is eaten away from within. Anyone foolish enough to assault this stinking behemoth is assailed by the hordes of Nurglings that infest its internal spaces and cling to its hull. Truly this is one of the most unpleasant engines of war an enemy can face.
Plaguereapers of the Death Guard, Abaddon's 9th Black Crusade: Bastion of Filth; Nurgle's Pustulent Son; Poxichordia; Mellifluous Volvulus.
Unit: 1 Plaguereaper
Type: Super-heavy tank
Structure Points: 3
| BS | Front | Side | Rear |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
Weapons and Equipment:
- Turret-mounted pus cannon,
- Hull-mounted demolisher cannon and twin-linked heavy bolters,
- Two sponsons, each with lascannon and twin-linked heavy bolters,
- Searchlight and smoke launchers.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pus cannon** | Hellstorm | 7 | 3 | Heavy 1, Primary Weapon |
| Demolisher cannon | 24" | 10 | 2 | Ordnance 1, 5" blast |
| Heavy bolter | 36" | 5 | 4 | Heavy 3 |
| Lascannon | 48" | 9 | 2 | Heavy 1 |
** To fire the pus cannon place the Hellstorm template so that the narrow end is within 18" of the weapon and the large end is no closer to the weapon than the narrow end. The pus cannon is then treated like any other template weapon.
Options: A Plaguereaper may be given the following vehicle upgrades from the Chaos Space Marines Codex: pintle-mounted twin-linked bolter or combi-flamer, havoc launcher.
Special Rules:
- Nurgling Infestation: Any unit assaulting the Plaguereaper will be attacked by Nurglings. The enemy unit suffers 3D6 Strength 3 hits at initiative 3 (even if the Plaguereaper is destroyed during the assault).
- Explosion of Filth: When the Plaguereaper is destroyed, the tanks of slime will rupture and spray their contents over anyone close by. If the Plaguereaper suffers a Wrecked result on the Catastrophic damage table, then models within 2D6" are hit, in exactly the same way as an Explosion result. All Nurgle-aligned models (those with the Mark of Nurgle, Nurgle Daemons, etc) are immune to the effects of the Explosion of Filth (in fact, they rather enjoy it).
Brass Scorpion of Khorne (Points: 400)
Brass Scorpions are daemon engines of Khorne. Possessed of a vicious cunning and infallible hunting instinct, they crawl effortlessly over all manner of terrain, unleashing a formidable array of weaponry to scour enemies from defended positions. A Brass Scorpion is nigh unstoppable, with its innate daemonic resilience transmuting an iron and brass body into an unholy substance capable of shrugging off the heaviest ordnance. Nor can a Brass Scorpion easily be halted by psychic attacks, for Khorne loathes perfidious sorcery, and powerful runes of warding protect each of his daemon engines. A Brass Scorpion excels in a short range firefight - a lethal 'sting' cannon rears up from its back and a devastating demolisher cannon juts forward from its daemonic maw. Fearsome as the Scorpion is at range, it is even more deadly in close assaults, where it incinerates foes with gouts of molten brass before tearing apart any survivors with its brazen claws. The danger is not over even if a fortunate strike cripples the Brass Scorpion. In its death-throes the daemonic essence guiding the war engine seeks to spill as much blood as it can. Accordingly, the Brass Scorpion will always attempt to trigger a reactor meltdown, scouring the battlefield with daemonic flame in its dying moments - a final offering for the Lord of Skulls.
Brass Scorpions are often used by Chaos Commanders to spearhead a frontal attack. This is in part tactical as the innate toughness and ferocious combat capabilities make Brass Scorpions ideal for the assault role. It is also, in part, inevitable, as their lust for bloodshed invariably leads Brass Scorpions towards the front.
Unit: 1 Brass Scorpion
Type: Super-heavy walker
Structure Points: 2
| WS | BS | S | Front | Side | Rear | I | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 3 |
Weapons and Equipment:
- One scorpion cannon,
- Two hellmaw cannons,
- One demolisher cannon.
| Weapon | Range | Str | AP | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scorpion cannon | 36" | 6 | 3 | Heavy 10, Primary Weapon |
| Hellmaw cannon | Template | 6 | 3 | Assault 1 |
| Demolisher cannon | 24" | 10 | 2 | Ordnance 1, 5" blast |
Special Rules:
- Frenzied Charge: The Brass Scorpion can cover all manner of terrain at great speed - it assaults 12" as if it were a beast.
- Daemonic Possession: The Brass Scorpion ignores all 'Driver Stunned' and 'Gun Crew Shaken' results.
- Runes of the Blood God: Any psyker that targets the Brass Scorpion with a psychic power automatically suffers a perils of the warp attack, regardless of whether or not they pass their psychic test.
- Doomsday Reactor: The Brass Scorpion receives a +2 modifier when rolling on the catastrophic damage table.
Tide of Spawn (Points: 150)
Note that the normal points cost of the Spawn models as stated in Codex: Chaos is not paid.
The larger the battle, the more closely is the gaze of the Chaos Gods drawn, drinking in the spectacle of slaughter and mayhem. It is an opportunity for Champions of Chaos to catch the eye of their patron, perhaps to be rewarded for their vile actions. However, such rewards are not without risk. Whether their patron god is genuinely pleased or actually intends to punish, the results can be devastating. The Champion, and sometimes their entire warband, may be granted more and more 'gifts' of mutation - claws, horns, tentacles, scales, vestigial wings, extra limbs, eyes, mouths and even heads - all in the space of minutes. Soon all that remains is a tide of mindless spawn, a mass of writhing flesh rushing at the foe with no thought remaining but the bitter desire to destroy.
Example - The Faestus VI Incident: Squad Belelaar Chaos Renegades (ten Chaos Space Marines) transformed into ten Spawn. During the siege of Haupstemmler Keep, last bastion of Ratling defiance during Abaddon's invasion of Orm's World, a great many Sorcerors gathered to breach the sturdily-built walls. They combined their magical powers to create a penetrative vortex with which to smash the adamantium-clad gates. However, several of the sorcerers mispronounced certain key words of the spell and it spiralled out of control. The influx of warp power detonated catastrophically, engulfing the besieging Chaos army and turning three thousand warriors into gibbering spawn. The magical explosion also levelled part of the north wall, much to the dismay of the Imperial Guard and Ratling defenders. The sea of mutating flesh that assailed the breach soon overran the defenders and the keep fell to Abaddon. Even now, hundreds of years after Abaddon left that world, rogue spawn from the siege have to be trapped and killed in summer beast hunts.
Formation: Up to 10 Spawn (see below)
Special Rules:
-
Blessing of the Gods: The Tide of Spawn is not deployed at the start of the game. Instead, a squad of Chaos Space Marines will be transformed into the Tide. As soon as the Tide becomes available as strategic reserves, it will replace a single unit that includes an Aspiring Champion (chosen by the controlling player). Each Spawn in the Tide replaces a Chaos Space Marine, who is removed as a casualty. If there are fewer Chaos Space Marines in the squad than there are Spawn, then the extra Spawn count as casualties and cannot enter the battle.
If there are more Chaos Space Marines than Spawn, then the whole squad is removed regardless - the excess individuals are considered to have been combined and absorbed into the mass of gibbering skin and bone. If all Aspiring Champions in the army have been destroyed by the time the Tide become available, the Tide cannot enter the battle and is destroyed. Once deployed, the Tide cannot move anymore in that turn's Movement phase, but from the Shooting phase they are free to act as normal. If the Chaos Space Marines are inside a transport when they are transformed, the Tide must immediately disembark.
-
Living Tide: The Spawn form a single unit. Roll once for any random movement and move the whole unit the same distance. However, when determining how many attacks the unit makes, roll a dice for each model.
Warp Rift (Points: 100 + models)
A warp rift is a tear in reality that allows the nightmare world of the Immaterium to spill through into the physical world. It is heralded by dire portents of calamity, as normal people suffer terrible dreams, babies are born with horrific mutations and any psykers in the area scream in agony, claw out their eyes or lose all control of their powers. When the rift opens all hell literally breaks lose. Dozens, or even hundreds of daemons burst through into the real world, invigorated by the terror and despair of the mortals they are about to slaughter.
Example - The Protos Enclipsement: Great Unclean One N'Garg 'Theg 'Garga' Teph 'Pukerot Thundergut'; Plaguebearers 'The Slime Wardens', 'The Brothers of Bubo' and 'Nurgle's Grinagogs'. Some warp rifts grew so large that they engulf entire cities, continents and worlds. The five largest warp rifts, using a measurement of approximate warp power required for the rift to be maintained (excluding catalogued warp storms) recorded by the Imperium are: Mosaik Sector: Commenced 897.M34, not yet ceased. Bethsannel Sector: Commenced 342.M38, ceased 879.M40. Ghostmare sub-sector (Syranius Sector): Commenced 564.M39, not yet ceased. Goridion Prime (Hive world): Commenced 149.M32, ceased 287.M36. Hive Calatalcus (Orphian Secundus): Commenced 293.M37, ceased 843.M40.
Formation:
- 1+ Summoned Greater Daemon,
- 3+ packs of Summoned Lesser Daemons.
Special Rules:
-
Placing the Warp Rift: You will need a counter of some kind to indicate the location of the warp rift. Place it immediately after all objectives have been placed. It may be put anywhere on the table, and remains there for the duration of the battle.
-
Psychic Trauma: Any non-Daemon psyker attempting to use a power while they are within 24" of the warp rift counter will automatically suffer a Perils of the Warp attack, regardless of the result of their psychic test. However, if the power causes hits with a given Strength value, then the Strength is increased by D6 (to a maximum of 10).
-
Daemonic Incursion: The Daemons in the formation must start the game in Strategic Reserve. At the start of the Chaos player's second turn (never before) the Daemons within may start to emerge. When the Daemons become available as strategic reserves, they appear using the rules for summoning units of Lesser Daemons, counting the Warp Rift counter as an icon. The Greater Daemons in the formation need not, and indeed cannot, possess anyone - instead they come out of the rift in the same way as the Lesser Daemons.
Note that the Daemons in the formation must come out of the Warp Rift - they cannot be summoned normally. Conversely, Daemons that are not in the formation cannot enter from the Rift.
[Book pages 176-185 (including the Kan Factory battle report and the start of the Strategic Assets chapter) are not included in the scan.]
Strategic Assets
As the commander of an apocalyptic army, you have access to strategic assets - a range of tactics including bombardments, flank attacks and commando raids. Picked at the start of a battle, they could make the difference between victory and defeat - so choose carefully.
Using Strategic Assets
Picked to gain a vital advantage or to add to the excitement, strategic assets will add an extra dimension to your battles.
Strategic assets represent things that the high command are able to draw on that may make a vital difference during the battle; for example, you might want to call down a barrage on the enemy, or set an ambush, or lay a minefield. If you are fighting a battle using the Apocalypse mission, each side is allowed to pick one or more strategic assets. Alternatively, players devising their own themed missions may want to include pre-set strategic assets.
Strategic assets are chosen after the players have been split into teams and the battlefield has been set up, but before the armies deploy. It's important to pick the assets before anyone has set up, as some of the assets that can be chosen affect the way units are set up on the battlefield.
The number of assets a player can use and how or when they are selected will be determined by the mission being played. If you are playing the Apocalypse mission, for example, then each side may pick one strategic asset per player in the larger team, and may receive extra assets if their side has less points than their opponents (see page 22).
The assets that are available are listed below and detailed over the following pages. Each asset says when it can be used and what effect it has on play. Each asset may only be taken once per side; one side could not take more than one Orbital Barrage, for example.
Some assets only apply to the forces 'under a player's command' (or simply 'his forces'). This means the asset will affect only the units commanded by the player who picked the asset, and not the entire team's armies.
You will also find that some datasheets give you access to extra strategic assets in addition to those you have chosen normally. These can be used even if the same asset has already been picked. Pay careful attention to whether the effects of the asset apply to your whole army or just the models in the formation - the individual datasheets make it clear which is the case.
Strategic Assets - List
Strategic assets fall into four categories, which dictate how they are played:
Tactical Assets
- Ambush
- Careful Planning
- Camouflage
- Flank March
- Hold at all Costs
- Recon
- Strategic Redeployment
- Vital Objective
- Vortex grenade!
Front Line Assets
- Disruptor Beacon
- Null Field Generator
- Supreme Headquarters
- Shield Generator
Support Assets
- Anti-Plant Barrage (sic)
- Blind Barrage
- Jammers
- Long Range Ack-Ack
- Orbital Bombardment
- Precision Strike
- Scheduled Bombardment
- Surgical Raids
Battlefield Assets
- Bunkers
- Minefields
- Obstacles
- Tunnels
Tactical Assets
Tactical Assets represent cleverly executed plans and risky tactical gambles that can be costly to individual troopers, but pay off handsomely for their commanders.
Ambush
Your scouts catch the enemy's reinforcements in a lethal crossfire.
When Revealed: At the end of an enemy Movement phase.
Effect: Choose one enemy unit that has come onto the table from strategic reserve that turn. Each model in the affected unit is hit by the following sniper weapon (vehicles are hit on the Rear armour).
| S | AP | Type |
|---|---|---|
| n/a | 3 | Sniper, Pinning |
As well as the chosen unit, all of the enemy units that have used the Flank March asset in that turn's movement phase are also hit by the Ambush.
Careful Planning
The high commanders of your army are famed for the meticulous preparation of their battle plans.
When Revealed: When used.
Effect: The player that chose this asset may bring on up to half of his units in strategic reserve in the first turn. In the second turn he must then bring on the rest of the units he has left in strategic reserve.
Camouflage
Low cunning and a handful of mud can sometimes be the difference between life and death.
When Revealed: When deploying.
Effect: All units under the command of the player that picked this asset receive a 5+ Cover Save during the enemy's first Shooting phase (vehicles count as obscured).
Flank March
Circumventing the enemy's forces, your reserve forces attack from an unexpected direction.
When Revealed: When first used.
Effect: The strategic reserves under the command of the player that chose this asset may enter play from any and all table edges.
Hold at All Costs
Your troops count their victories in land gained rather than casualties sustained.
When Revealed: Before beginning the first turn.
Effect: Non-vehicle units under the command of the player that chose this asset count as scoring units even if they are below 50% strength (in which case they are worth victory points equal to half the unit's points value towards capturing the objective).
Recon
Your forces know every foxhole and obstacle in this crucible of battle, and manoeuvre across the terrain with ease.
When Revealed: The first time it is used.
Effect: All models on the side that chose this Asset may re-roll the dice when taking difficult and dangerous terrain tests for the entire game.
Strategic Redeployment
Whether by teleportation, airlift or superhuman effort, your forces can redeploy at lightning pace.
When Revealed: At the beginning of one of your Movement phases.
Effect: Once during the game, all units belonging to the player that chose this asset may strategically redeploy. This allows any of the player's units that are currently able to move, to move an unlimited distance in the Movement phase, as long as no part of the move takes place within 12" of an enemy model.
Units that strategically redeploy may not shoot or assault in the same turn.
Vital Objective
If you can claim a section of the battlefield critical to your plans then victory is as good as won.
When Revealed: Before beginning the first turn.
Effect: When the Asset is revealed, the player chooses one of the objectives as "Vital" and writes down which one it is, so that the opposing side does not know which one has been selected.
This choice is then revealed at the end of the game, and if your side controls your vital objective this counts as controlling two objectives.
Vortex Grenade!
Your force has the courage to employ the most potent man-portable weapon in the galaxy - the dreaded Vortex grenade.
When Revealed: Before deployment is commenced.
Effect: When revealed, the player secretly notes down which of the Independent Characters in his army is given the grenade. This model can throw the Vortex Grenade in one of its Shooting phases instead of firing a weapon. The Vortex Grenade is thrown in the same way as firing an Ordnance weapon, with a range of 6" that uses the 3" blast marker. Once the final position of the marker has been determined, any models and removable terrain features touched by the template are removed from the game (flyers are not affected). Don't even think about taking any form of save; and the Vortex is not interested in your Adamantine Mantles, Synapse and other special rules either. Just remove it!
Gargantuan Creatures are not removed, but automatically lose D6 Wounds instead (no saves of any kind allowed!).
Super-heavy Vehicles are not removed, but automatically lose D3 Structure Points instead.
At the beginning of every following player turn (of both sides!), the Vortex tears through the fabric of reality, disappearing and reappearing 2D6" away in a direction shown by the roll of a scatter dice (use the little arrow if you roll a hit).
If a double is rolled for the distance moved, the Vortex is removed instead.
Battlefield Assets
Some commanders take steps to prepare defences upon the battlefield, shaping it to their own advantage and the detriment of the foe.
Tunnels
Your troops know the secrets of the sewers, underground bunkers or caverns that lie beneath the battlefield.
When Revealed: After deployment, but before the first turn takes place.
Effect: The player that chose this asset may place D6+3 tunnel markers anywhere on the table at ground level. Infantry units that are in strategic reserve and that don't have a dedicated transport vehicle, and which belong to the player that chose this asset may choose to either enter play normally, or can move onto the table via any tunnel marker. Units that enter via the tunnels move onto the table as if the tunnel marker was the table edge, but may not assault in the turn they arrive. Tunnel markers within 1" of an enemy may not be used, and only one unit may exit from each marker per turn.
If both sides choose this asset, then each side places D3+3 markers, and each side can use any of the markers placed to enter play!
Bunkers
Your forces have raised heavy duty fortifications that protect them against enemy assault.
When Revealed: When the side that chose this asset is deploying.
Effect: The player may set-up up to six Bunkers in his side's deployment area. However, each bunker must be manned by a unit belonging to the player that chose this option. See the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook for a description of how to make and use Bunkers.
Minefields
Every square foot of ground the enemy takes must be paid for in blood.
When Revealed: After both sides have deployed, but before the first turn.
Effect: You may mark out one minefield in No-Man's Land or your own deployment zone. The minefield is 6" wide and 36" long. Show the minefield by placing markers at the four corners. If you wish you may split it into two 18" long minefields, or three 12" long minefields. The minefield counts as difficult, dangerous terrain, and any units that suffer any casualties from it must test for pinning.
Obstacles
The battlefield is dotted with obstacles designed to hinder and maim any who approach your position.
When Revealed: Before deployment takes place.
Effect: The player that chose this asset is allowed to place up to twelve of the following obstacles anywhere in their deployment area or in no-man's land. All obstacles should be about 6" long. You may choose to place a variety of different obstacles if you wish, as long as the total number does not exceed twelve.
- Barricades: Barricades provide a 4+ cover save. The are difficult ground for infantry and non-skimmer vehicles. They are removed if passed through by a non-skimmer vehicle.
- Razor-wire: Razor-wire is difficult, dangerous terrain for all non-vehicle models. Vehicles can drive over razor-wire with no effect.
- Tank Traps: Tank traps are impassable to all vehicles except skimmers and flyers. They do not affect non-vehicle movement, but provide a 5+ Cover Save for non-vehicle models sheltering behind them.
IMPORTANT: In order to use this asset you will need at least one (and preferably more) Obstacle terrain pieces.
Front Line Assets
You value the lives of your soldiers highly, and have had a facility or protective device installed to bolster their chances of victory.
Front line assets must be represented by a marker in the owning player's deployment area. The marker can be up to 4" across so it can be modelled on a suitable diorama base. The asset itself can be destroyed by shooting and in close combat. The device representing it is treated like an immobilised vehicle with an armour value of 13 on all sides, and is destroyed by any glancing or penetrating hit inflicted upon it.
Disruptor Beacon
Comms gear and auspex arrays are confounded by this scrambler device.
When Revealed: During deployment.
Effect: Whenever enemy Reserves arrive within 48" of the marker, roll a D6. On a roll of 4+, the player owning the beacon may choose a new entry point. The new point may not be in impassable terrain.
Null Field Generator
This arcane device surpresses the energies of the Warp.
When Revealed: During deployment.
Effect: Roll a dice every time a Psychic test is taken by a model within 36" of the device, that power is nullified on a roll of a 2+ (perils of the warp apply as normal). Daemons may not enter play within 12" of the device.
Supreme Headquarters
Your high command leads from the front, providing inspirational leadership to your troops on the ground.
When Revealed: During deployment.
Effect: All units from the player that chose this asset within 12" of the marker benefit from the following special rules: Counter-Attack, Fearless, Night Vision/Acute Senses, Tank Hunters.
Shield Generator
A technological marvel guards the core of your force with a potent force field.
When Revealed: During deployment.
Effect: Non-vehicle models within 12" of the marker receive a 4+ invulnerable save against any attack originating from more than 12" away from the generator (vehicles count as Obscured instead).
Support Assets
These assets represent forces at your command who are either behind the battlelines or even in low orbit, awaiting your command to punish the foe for their resistance.
Anti-Plant Barrage
Vegetation upon the battlefield is reduced to an acidic sludge, opening fire lanes and denying cover.
When Revealed: In the Shooting phase of one of your player turns.
Effect: Roll a D6 for every removable terrain feature representing a wood, jungle or any other type of plant on the table. On a roll of 2+ the piece is removed. If you have suitable terrain, replace the woods with a feature representing the mushy residue left behind, counting this as Difficult terrain only (no Cover save).
Blind Barrage
A thick barricade of smoke is stitched across the battlefield, protecting your troops' advance.
When Revealed: At start of any Game Turn, including the first.
Effect: Pick a point anywhere on the table and place a marker of some kind upon it (a small coin will do just fine!). Then roll for scatter as you would do if firing a barrage weapon with no line of sight to the target, and move the marker to the position indicated by the scatter roll. Then place a second marker anywhere you like not more than 36" from the first marker, and roll for scatter for this marker also. Draw an imaginary line between the two markers. For the remainder of the Game Turn the line of sight of any unit is blocked if it crosses this line.
Jammers
The comms channels of the enemy are blocked with static, forcing them to deploy blind.
When Revealed: After the bid for deployment, just before the opposing team is given the five minutes to talk about their deployment.
Effect: The opposing team lose their five minutes to discuss deployment and must begin deploying straight away. In addition, they may not communicate with each other during deployment, until the dice to go first is rolled (no speaking, writing, body language or telepathy!).
Long Range Ack-Ack
Your anti-aircraft guns have range enough to command the entire battlefield, protecting your ground-based troops and vehicles from aerial attack. Flyers beware!
When Revealed: At the beginning of one enemy Movement phase.
Effect: Pick one enemy flyer. The model must immediately Disengage (or may not enter the table this turn if it is still in strategic reserve).
The affected flyer may choose to force its way through the anti-aircraft fire and ignore the effect described above, but it will suffer three Strength 8, AP3 hits (on Side armour, if applicable) as it flies through the flak.
Orbital Bombardment
The ships of your fleet are poised in low orbit around the planet, awaiting your signal to drop their lethal payload upon the foe.
When Revealed: In the Shooting phase of one (and only one!) of your player turns.
Effect: Roll a D3. If the dice roll is equal to or less than the turn number, then you may use the Bombardment. If the D3 roll is greater than the turn number then the attack is delayed and may not be used - roll again next turn.
When the attack is available, place the Apocalyptic Barrage template anywhere on the table. The bombardment has the following profile: Apocalyptic Barrage (4), S8, AP3, Pinning. The bombardment always hits the side armour of vehicles and counts as ordnance.
Precision Strike
An orbiting ship picks up the position of an enemy unit and feeds firing data to your troops on the ground.
When Revealed: In the shooting phase of one of your player turns.
Effect: Pick one enemy unit (not a flyer). All friendly models that fire at the chosen enemy unit and are found to be in range hit on a 2+ in that turn's Shooting phase.
Scheduled Bombardment
The clock is ticking for the enemy as your allies in low orbit add their firepower to your own.
When Revealed: Before deployment.
Effect: Before either side starts to deploy their troops, the player that chose this Asset must secretly record three points anywhere on the battlefield that will be hit by an Orbital Bombardment (see the appropriate strategic asset). The player must also record the turn in which each Orbital Bombardment will strike, but is allowed only one per turn.
Surgical Raids
Prior to the battle, trained assassins and commandos have been dispatched to cripple isolated enemy forces.
When Revealed: After deployment but before the first turn takes place.
Effect: Each enemy unit on the table that consists of a single model suffers a Strength 5, AP2 hit (vehicles are hit on side armour).
Strategic Asset Cards
Book pages 190-192 are printed, cut-out cards (Tactical, Support, Battlefield and Front Line assets) reproducing the text above. Differences from the main text, as printed on the cards: the Tunnels card reads "D6+3 tunnel markers" for one side and "D3+3" if both sides choose the asset; the Obstacles asset is split across two cards ("Obstacles" and "Obstacles Part 2"); the Vortex Grenade card's effect reads "When used". The cards are not otherwise transcribed.
Appendices
The final pages of the book give advice on finding a venue for your Apocalypse battles, as well as information on how to get hold of specific models and where to find the rules for them. Finally there is a summary of the Apocalypse Mission for reference during the heat of battle.
[Book page 193 (appendices title page) text is the paragraph above.]
Finding Venues for Battles
Apocalypse games are big. So big, in fact that you may find yourself pressed for space in which to play them. Don't despair though, for there are a wide range of places and venues in which to stage an Apocalyptic battle. Read on for a few suggestions...
At Home. Hosting a game at home will take some planning, as you may be commandeering a room that other members of the household need to use. Your game might take place over the course of a weekend, and involve your gaming buddies staying over or playing late into the night, so be prepared to make up for the disruption afterwards. If at all possible, clear out a large area with plenty of space, such as a garage and play your game in there. Furthermore, in the summer you may find you can play outside - just have a back up plan in case of rain!
Gaming Clubs. Apocalypse is ideal for players who are part of a wider gaming group or club. This may be a formal club with regular meetings and dues, but could also be a group of friends whom you regularly game with. The members of these gaming clubs often chip in to rent a venue, such as a community hall, so space becomes less of a problem. The best thing about clubs organising games is that the battles can be tailored to suit the armies available, creating highly themed and memorable games, which you will talk about for years to come.
Hobby Centres. Gaming stores have been running mega-battles for as long as there has been gaming stores. Apocalypse is ideally suited to this environment. Games can be organised by the staff and advertised on posters everyone will see. Many gaming stores will host open games, where anyone is welcome to turn up with their army and plunge right in, while others may invite a select group of regulars. Keep an eye out for posters in your local Games Workshop Hobby Centre or independent gaming store - they might well be hosting an apocalyptic battle soon.
Schools and Colleges. Some clubs are based in schools, colleges or universities, and are often lucky enough to have the use of a hall free of charge. Even if there isn't a club based in your school or college, it may be worth asking them about the use of a hall. And if your school, college or university has no gaming club, what are you waiting for?
Community Events. The next step up from the gaming store is Games Workshop's gaming rooms and Battle Bunkers, as well as the Warhammer World gaming hall in Nottingham. These are large gaming centres with the facilities to accommodate dozens, even hundreds of gamers, and as such are ideal venues for games of Apocalypse. Keep an eye on Games Workshop's monthly magazine, White Dwarf for details of upcoming events. You'll also find details of such events on the website - you can even advertise your own events.
Lastly, there is Games Workshop's premier gaming event, Games Day. Here, thousands of gamers come together to partake in the gaming hobby in all its splendour. Some of the largest games ever fought have been played at Games Days, often featuring dozens of gamers battling over gaming tables so large only an arena could hope to accommodate them. Taking part in these games is as simple as turning up on the day. Many of these 50,000+ point games come with models provided for you to use. Others are put on by gaming clubs, often as a showcase of their skills and commitment. Who knows, maybe one day it'll be your club organising a Games Day mega-battle - get in touch with the Games Workshop events team to find out how!
Further Information
White Dwarf Magazine. Each month White Dwarf magazine is jam-packed with the latest new releases from Games Workshop. Each issue brings a host of articles on gaming, painting, collecting and much more. You'll also find regular battle reports, showing just how the various armies perform in the game of Apocalypse, with army building and tactical advice from the players involved.
The Web. The Internet is a treasure trove of gaming information and inspiration, and where best to start than the Games Workshop website? This vast resource presents invaluable getting started information, galleries of splendidly painted miniatures, in-depth tactical advice and a host of new and exciting datasheets. You can also find additional articles, assembly guides, scenarios, previews of upcoming releases and a library of fantastic hobby projects you can build yourself. The Games Workshop website also has a store locator so that players can find the Games Workshop hobby centre or independent retailer that is nearest to their home or travel destination. If no shops are nearby you can find the full range of products available on our secure online store.
New Datasheets. Over time we plan to produce further datasheets as we come up with new legendary units and different battle formations. Some of these will appear in White Dwarf and they will be archived on our website - so it's well worth check what's new when you are planning to organise a battle.
Imperial Armour
The legendary units provided in this book are just the beginning of what is made possible by Apocalypse. For those players looking for more, an excellent source of new models is Forge World, and the rules to field their exciting range are to be found in their series of 'Imperial Armour' books.
Forge World's models are often highly specialised or unusual vehicles, designed to appeal very much to the veteran gamer looking to explore their army's background in even more depth. The Imperial Armour books make it possible to field such models in your games, providing detailed and characterful unit entries and special rules in addition to a wealth of background information and painting inspiration. Forge World also produces a range of variants on existing vehicles, such as the 'Armageddon pattern' Basilisk - these need no new rules, but provide collectors looking to field something different with a new take on some familiar vehicles.
This page lists the models available at the time of going to print, grouped under the book that includes their rules. Of course, new models are produced every month, so it's well worth checking out Forge World's website!
Which Takes Precedence?
Some of the models covered in the Imperial Armour books are also detailed in Apocalypse, leading players to ask which of the two books takes precedence. The rules provided in the Imperial Armour books were written so that the models could be used in conventional games of Warhammer 40,000. The specialised nature of some of the vehicles can result in more detailed rules. The datasheets provided in Apocalypse were written with really large games in mind, and are therefore streamlined to speed up play and reduce complexity. Imperial Armour profiles are perfectly usable in games of Apocalypse. Players are encouraged to talk things over before the game and agree which rules are in play.
Imperial Armour One contains rules for the following models:
- Imperial Guard: Leman Russ Battle Tank; Leman Russ Vanquisher; Leman Russ Exterminator; Leman Russ Conqueror; Leman Russ Executioner; Destroyer Tank Hunter; Thunderer Siege Tank; Baneblade Super Heavy Tank; Shadowsword Super Heavy Tank; Stormblade Super Heavy Tank; Stormsword Super Heavy Tank; Chimera Armoured Transport; Salamander Scout Vehicle; Salamander Command Vehicle; Trojan Support Vehicle; Atlas Recovery Tank; Cyclops Remote Controlled Demolition Vehicle; Sentinel Powerlifter; Basilisk; Medusa Siege Gun; Manticore Missile Tank; Hydra Flak Tank; Tarantula Sentry Guns; Turret Emplacements; Captain Maximillian Weisemann; Captain Obadiah Schfeer; Colonel 'Snake' Stransk; General Grizmund.
- Imperial Navy: Lightning Fighter; Thunderbolt Fighter; Marauder Bomber; Marauder Destroyer; Valkyrie Airborne Assault Carrier; Vulture Gunship.
Imperial Armour Two contains rules for the following models:
- Space Marines: Rhino; Predator Destructor; Predator Annihilator; Baal Predator; Razorback; Whirlwind; Vindicator; Damocles; Land Raider; Land Raider Crusader; Land Raider Helios; Land Raider Prometheus; Land Speeder; Land Speeder Tempest; Dreadnoughts; Drop Pods; Thunderhawk Gunship; Weapon Platforms.
- Forces of the Inquisition: Inquisitorial Land Raider; Inquisitorial Land Raider Prometheus; Inquisitorial Rhino; Inquisitorial Chimera; Inquisitorial Valkyrie; Grey Knights Land Raider; Grey Knights Thunderhawk; Grey Knights Dreadnoughts.
- Sisters of Battle: Sisters of Battle Rhino; Sisters of Battle Immolator; Sisters of Battle Exorcist; Sisters of Battle Repressor.
Imperial Armour Three - The Taros Campaign contains rules for the following models:
- Tau: Hammerhead; Devilfish; Sky Ray; Crisis Battlesuit; Broadside Battlesuit; Tetra; Piranha; Heavy Gun Drone; Drone Sentry Turret; Remote Sensor Tower; Barracuda; Tiger Shark; Orca; Manta; Great Knarloc; Knarloc Riders.
- Imperial Guard: Basilisk; Bombard; Griffon; Drop Sentinel; Support Sentinel.
- Imperium: Aquila Lander.
- Space Marines: Thunderhawk Transporter.
- Titans: Warhound Titan.
- Also includes campaign background and the rules for the Elysian Drop Troop army list.
Imperial Armour Four - The Anphelion Project contains rules for the following models:
- Tyranids: Hive Tyrant; Winged Hive Tyrant; Hierophant; Scythed Hierodule; Barbed Hierodule; Harridan; Trygon; Malanthrope; Ripper Swarms; Mieotic Spores; Capillary Towers and Spore Chimney; Brood Nest.
- Imperium: Arvus Lighter.
- Imperial Guard: Hellhound flame tank; Perimeter Defences and Sabre Gun Platforms.
- Also includes the Elysian Veterans army list.
Updates and Downloads. In addition to the Imperial Armour books, Forge World publishes an annual Imperial Armour Update book. Furthermore, the Forge World website provides downloads of new models and rules still in the 'work in progress' stage.
Super-heavy Transport Chart
Super-heavy vehicles may transport other unit types as well as infantry, but each model in these units will count as a multiple number of models, as shown in the chart below.
| Model's type | Counts as |
|---|---|
| Infantry (25 mm diameter round base) | 1 |
| Infantry (larger than 25 mm round base) | 2 |
| Jump Infantry | 2 |
| Cavalry/Beast | 3 |
| Bike/Jetbike | 3 |
| Artillery (crew) | 1 |
| Artillery (gun) | 5 |
| Monstrous Creature | 10 |
| Walker | 10 |
| Other Vehicles | n/a |
Note that some Super-heavy transports may make exception to these rules (some are so large that they may carry entire Tank companies in their vast cargo holds, while others may transport just infantry, due to some technical limitation). If a transport can carry other vehicles, or cannot carry some of the models in this chart, this will be specified in the Transport entry of their Datasheets.
Also note that in Apocalypse transport vehicles can carry not only models from their own army, but also models from allied armies (see the Allies Matrix shown below).
This may lead to bizarre (but very cool!) situations, such as a squadron of Imperial Guard Rough Riders charging out of an allied Space Marine Thunderhawk Gunship, or three Tyranid Carnifexes being released from their cages in a Ork Skullhamma Battle Fortress and unleashed upon an unsuspecting enemy!
Allies Matrix
- Trusted (white skull): The two armies are trusted allies - there is no problem with them fighting on the same side.
- Distrust (grey skull): The two armies distrust one another, would only fight together against a common and hated foe, or they are simply both attacking at the same place and same time. You should think of a reason why they are allied.
- Hated (black skull): The two armies are hated enemies - you will need a really good story to explain the alliance.
(T = trusted, D = distrust, H = hated; transcribed from the skull icons in the printed chart. Columns in the same order as rows.)
| Chaos | Dark Eldar | Eldar | Imperial Guard | Inquisitorial forces* | Space Marines | Necrons | Orks | Tau | Tyranids | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chaos | T | D | H | H | H | H | D | D | H | D |
| Dark Eldar | D | D | D | H | H | H | D | D | H |
*Inquisitorial forces covers the units found in Codex: Daemonhunters and Codex: Witch Hunters, or in fact any force led by an inquisitor.
Rules Summary
Mission Summary
- Pick Army: Agree a point limit for the game. Choose an army from the relevant Warhammer 40,000 Codex. No force organisation chart restrictions apply. Legendary units and battle formations may be added to the army. Players may field a mixed force drawn from two or more army lists if they wish.
- Select Teams: If there are more than two players, then divide the players into two teams with roughly equal points totals and numbers of players. The team with less points will receive extra strategic assets in order to even things up (see the Strategic Assets section).
- Prepare Battlefield: Set up the battlefield in any mutually agreeable manner. Decide where 'no-mans land' is located, and pick each side's deployment area.
- Set Time-limit: Decide a time limit for the game. The game will carry on after the time limit is reached, until both sides have completed an equal number of turns.
- Pick Strategic Assets: Each side receives a number of strategic assets equal to the number of players in the larger team. If one side has less points, then they receive one extra asset for every full 250 points difference. Some legendary units and battle formations allow the player who has them to take a 'bonus' asset. No asset may be taken more than once per side unless it is a 'bonus' asset.
- Deploy: Both sides secretly bid 1-30 minutes for deployment. The time chosen is the amount of time allowed to deploy the side's army. The side that bid lowest sets up first (and will take the first turn). Units that are not set up are kept in 'strategic reserve'. Players may commit units from Strategic Reserve to the battle at the start of each turn (see page 23).
- Place Objectives: Take it in turn to set up objectives. Each side sets up three - one in their own deployment area, one in no-man's land and one in the enemy's deployment area.
- The side that set up first takes the first turn.
Strategic Reserves
- Turn One: No units may be committed.
- Turn Two: Up to half (rounding fractions up) of the units the player has in strategic reserve may be committed to the battle.
- Turn Three Onwards: Any remaining units the player has in strategic reserve must be committed to the battle.
Units that are committed to the battle must enter play anywhere along the table edge of the side's deployment zone. Units that can Deep Strike may enter play using the Deep Strike rules on the turn that they are committed to battle, rather than entering via a table edge.
Super-heavy Damage Table and Catastrophic Damage Table
(The Rules Summary page reprints both tables exactly as given earlier under Super-heavy Vehicles.)
[Book page 200 is the Index and credits page; the credits and legal text are not transcribed. The back cover blurb describes the book's contents as: Fighting Apocalyptic Battles; Armies and Battlefields; Apocalyptic Forces; Strategic Assets; and three battle reports.]