Armageddon is a world that has beentorn apart by war. It is located10,000 light years to the galactic

north-east of Terra, at the centre of theArmageddon sector. For millennia it hasbeen one of the Imperium’s industrialpowerhouses, its vast weapon factoriesproviding arms and material to theImperial Guard for use in campaigns allover the galaxy. Its strategic importanceand massive stockpiles of weapons havemade it the target for several majorinvasions, the most recent of which – led by Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Thraka – is still ongoing.

The 1st Armageddon WarThe latest Ork invasion of Armageddon isnot the first time that the planet has beenattacked. More than five hundred yearsbefore Ghazghkull was born, Armageddonfaced no less deadly a threat from anenemy of a very different nature – theforces of Chaos.

Following a rash of strange,inexplicable events, armed rebellionerupted in the huge hive cities that stud thesurface of Armageddon. The revolts werequickly put down in ArmageddonSecundus, but amongst the more scatteredhives of Armageddon Prime they provedmore difficult to eradicate. Busy containingthe rebellion, the Planetary Defence Forcewas caught by surprise when the SpaceHulk Devourer of Souls appeared in theArmageddon system. On board was anenormous Chaos army, led by the DaemonPrimarch Angron. Chaos Space Marinesfrom the World Eaters Legion swept acrossthe land, while at the same time Warp riftsflickered into existence and unleashedhordes of Daemons upon the beleagueredImperial defenders.

Armageddon Prime fell swiftly to theChaos army, and the survivors fell backand prepared to make a last ditch standalong the rivers Styx and Chaeron.Unknown to Angron, several GreatCompanies of Space Wolves led by LoganGrimnar himself had arrived to bolster thedefence. Titanic battles erupted all alongthe front as the forces of Chaos crashedinto the Imperial line. It was at thismoment that Logan played his trump cardin the form of a full company of GreyKnights. Only the Grey Knights could deal

with an entity as powerful as Angron, andafter a desperate battle they were able tohurl his spirit back into the Warp. Withouttheir leader, the forces of Chaos wererouted and Armageddon saved.

The 2nd Armageddon WarThe second invasion of Armageddon tookplace in 941.M41, when the Ork WarlordGhazghkull Thraka invaded the planet atthe head of a massive Ork Waaagh! At thetime Armageddon was ruled by OverlordHerman von Strab, memorably describedas “the greatest waste of flesh and boneborn in the last five hundred years”. VonStrab’s incompetence allowed Ghazghkullto conquer Armageddon Prime even moreeasily than Angron had been able to in the1st Armageddon War. Even worse, heneglected to defend the river lines whereAngron had been halted in sufficientstrength, allowing Ghazghkull to smashthrough the Imperial lines and onto the ashwaste plains of Armageddon Secunduswhich lay beyond.

Ork columns quickly overran InfernusHive, and after bitter fighting HelsreachHive fell to the Orks too. The futilecounter-attacks ordered by Von Strab weresmashed to pieces by the vastly superiorOrk army. Only at Hades Hive were theOrks slowed down, as a desperate Imperialdefence led by Commissar Yarrick dideverything possible to stop the Orks fromcapturing the city. But even CommissarYarrick could not undo the harm inflictedby Von Strab, and as Ork forces advancedon Acheron and Tartarus hives it looked asif all of Armageddon must fall.

It was at this darkest moment thatsalvation arrived in the form ofUltramarines, Salamanders and BloodAngels Space Marine Chapters. The SpaceMarines crashed into the Orks, stemmingthe tide and giving the defenders the timethey needed to organise their forces. Withvon Strab replaced as overall commanderby the incomparably more capableCommander Dante of the Blood Angels,the forces of the Imperium started to turnthe tables, and finally a massive orbitalassault made by the entire Blood AngelsChapter broke the back of the Ork armyand sent the survivors fleeing back into thethick jungles that separate ArmageddonPrime and Secundus.

Liber Apocalyptica is an irregular column that providesideas and inspiration for your games of Apocalypse. Thismonth we’ll be looking at the three huge campaigns thathave been fought on the Imperial hive world knownsimply as Armageddon.

THE BATTLE FOR ARMAGEDDON ®

TM

www.games-workshop.com 49

Liber APOCALYPticaThe 3rd Armageddon WarIf the Imperium made one mistake in theaftermath of the 2nd Armageddon War, itwas in assuming that Ghazghkull had beendefeated. This was far from the truth. Onthe day of the Feast of the Emperor’sAscension, fifty-seven years to the day afterthe first Ork invasion, Ghazghkull’s hordesdescended on the world of Armageddononce more. The greatest of theArmageddon Wars had begun.

This time the defenders of Armageddonwere better prepared than they had beenprior to the earlier invasions. Unfortunatelyfor them, so was Ghazghkull. At the headof an Ork Waaagh! many times larger thanany the galaxy had ever seen before,Ghazghkull was able to smash aside thedefending Imperial fleet and land his forces

all across the surface of Armageddon. Abattle of unprecedented ferocity erupted –entire hive cities were destroyed byasteroids hurled at the surface from orbitingspace hulks, the sulphur-yellow skies ofArmageddon became interwoven with thetwisting con-trails of thousands of aircraftbattling for aerial supremacy, while on theground, invading Ork hordes clashed withImperial Guard armies.

Such is the size and enormity of thislatest war that so far neither side has beenable to gain the upper hand. Hive citieshave fallen and been recaptured, andmillions of Ork and Imperial warriors havedied, but still the war continues with noend in sight. Armageddon is consumed bythe greatest single planetary battle thegalaxy has ever known.

New DatasheetsWe’ve included three new datasheets withthis article for battle formations andlegendary units that fought in theArmageddon Wars, and you can find sixmore new datasheets on our website atwww.games-workshop.co.uk. Thesedatasheets can be used in any game ofApocalypse if you wish to, but they areespecially well-suited for use whenrefighting one of the battles that took placein the Armageddon Wars.

The background and history of thethree Armageddon Wars make a fantasticstarting point for story-based Apocalypsegames. Recreating such a battle is besttaken on as a group project, with differentmembers of the group supplying themodels for the different armies taking part,and helping to make the terrain necessaryto represent the battlezone.

For example, you could refight thebattle of the River Chaeron, with Angronleading his Chaos horde against anImperial army that includes Grey Knights,Space Wolves and Imperial Guardsmen. Oryou might want to refight CommissarYarrick’s last stand during the defence ofHades Hive, or Dante’s climactic orbitalassault on the Orks during the same war.The possibilities are endless.

1ST ARMAGEDDON WAR Codexes: Codex Space Wolves, Codex Imperial Guard,Codex Chaos Space Marines.Special Characters: Logan Grimnar (Codex SpaceWolves).Datasheets: All Imperial Guard, Space Marine, Imperialand Chaos datasheets*.

2ND & 3RD ARMAGEDDON WARSCodexes: Codex Space Marines, Codex Blood Angels,Codex Black Templars, Codex Imperial Guard, Codex Orks.Special Characters: Commander Dante (Codex BloodAngels), Commissar Yarrick (Codex Imperial Guard),Ghazghkull Thraka (Codex Orks).Datasheets: All Imperial Guard, Space Marine, Imperialand Ork datasheets*.

* Datasheets can be found in Apocalypse, Apocalypse: Reload, Imperial Armour Apocalypse, and on our website at www.games-workshop.com

The fate of hundreds of worlds willbe decided on the blood-soakedash dunes of Armageddon…

Commissar Yarrick

“”

It was when things looked bleakest for the Imperium duringthe 2nd Armageddon War that the Blood Angels arrived toturn the tide. The first of these hammer blows fell on theOrks that were assaulting Acheron Hive, ripping themasunder in a thunder of bombs as the sky overhead filledwith the shapes of Space Marine Thunderhawk Gunships.

Ghazghkull responded quickly, sending a fresh horde of Orkreinforcements to attack Tartarus Hive. If Tartarus wasoverrun, the industrial power in the south would be

smashed and the Orks could easily consolidate theirposition. But as the Orks assaulted Tartarus, their vanguardalready pushing into the streets of the hive city, Dantemade his move. Dante led a massive strike into the heart ofthe Ork army. Though heavily outnumbered, the BloodAngels massacred any Orks in their path. Fuelled byrighteous fury, the Blood Angels slew nearly half the Orkarmy, and it was rumoured that Ghazghkull himself wasslain. Leaderless and assaulted from all sides, the Orks werecrushed and the 2nd Armageddon War was at an end.

BLOOD ANGELS THUNDERHAWK ASSAULT FORCEPOINTS: 200 + MODELS

FORMATION:3 Thunderhawk Gunships.Commander Dante.1 Blood Angels Honour Guard.1 Blood Angels Chaplain.1 ten-man Death Company Squad.1 ten-man Veteran Assault Squad.2 ten-man Tactical Squads.4 ten-man Assault Squads.

SPECIAL RULESFFoorr tthhee CChhaapptteerr: In addition to his normal strategic assets, the player gains the following three assets:-Vital Objective-Careful Planning-Orbital Bombardment

CCoommmmaanndd TThhuunnddeerrhhaawwkk:: The Thunderhawk in which Dante arrives is fittedwith a Shield Generator. Any non-vehicle models within 12" of it receive a 4+invulnerable save against any attack originating more than 12" away from thegenerator (the Thunderhawk and other vehicles count as Obscured instead).

Forces of the

Armageddon WarsYou will find that the following codexes, special characters and datasheets will come in useful for Apocalypsebattles set on Armageddon:

TACT

ICAL

SQUA

D

DEAT

H CO

MPA

NY

TACT

ICAL

SQUA

DAS

SAUL

TSQ

UAD

ASSA

ULT

SQUA

D

ASSA

ULT

SQUA

D

VETE

RAN

ASSA

ULT

SQUA

D

HONO

URGU

ARD

THUN

DERH

AWK

GUNS

HIPS

ASSA

ULT

SQUA

D

Dante

Chaplain

WHITE DWARF LIBER APOCALYPTICA48

50 WHITE DWARF LIBER APOCALYPTICA www.games-workshop.com 51

Liber APOCALYPtica

Angron was one of the superhuman Space MarinePrimarchs created by the Emperor of Mankind in an effortto battle against the tide of Chaos. From Angron’s geneticmaterial, the Emperor created the World Eaters SpaceMarines. He was the first Primarch to join the WarmasterHorus at the start of the Horus Heresy, for he knew Horusas a brother and supported the Warmaster in demanding anew order of discipline and martial virtue as the only wayto save Mankind from destruction.

Once the rebellion turned into full scale civil war, Angronand the World Eaters were drawn into bloodier andbloodier conflicts. The World Eaters had always been the

most savage and warlike Space Marines, and Angron ledthem in the worship of Khorne, who was able to appeal totheir sense of honour and martial pride more than theEmperor ever could.

Khorne has wrought many changes in Angron during thePrimarch’s 10,000 year service. Angron is now a hulking,muscular giant with skin the colour of spilt blood. His faceis bestial and fang filled, his eyes milky white without iris orpupil. Angron fights with a mighty Chaos blade of blackglowing iron, etched with runes of doom and destruction.His voice is like the roaring of a violent storm and mortalsquail at his approach.

ANGRON, DAEMON PRIMARCH OF THE WORLD EATERS

FORMATION:Angron and a bodyguard of between 2 and 12Bloodthirsters chosen from Codex: Chaos Daemons.

ANGRON: Angron is treated as a Daemon Prince with thefollowing profile and special rules.

UNIT TYPE: Monstrous Creature

POINTS: 500 + POINTS FOR BLOODTHIRSTER MODELS

SPECIAL RULESDaemon, Furious Charge

DDaaeemmoonniicc GGiiffttss:: Iron Hide, Daemonic Flight

AAnnggrroonn’’ss BBllaacckk BBllaaddee:: Angron is armed with a Chaosblade. It counts as a master-crafted close combatweapon that causes Instant Death.

RRooaarr ooff HHaattee:: Any enemy unit within 12" of Angronmust reduce their Leadership by 1 point.

WS BS S T W I A LD SV10 6 7 6 5 6 6 10 4+

One of the peculiar machineries invented by the madMekaniak known only as Orghamek is the Ork Submersible,first devised for the purposes of surprise assault. Thick-hulled and crude, these improbable machines are heavyduty enough to negotiate storm-wracked seas andpoisonous oceans alike. Their cavernous holds are largeenough to transport an entire warband of Orks, and theyinvariably mount cannons and torpedos with which toannounce their presence once they have been manoeuvredinto position.

The Ork Boyz who ride within the bellies of these greatmetal beasts see them as aquatic Battlewagons, andembrace this new form of attack with the gung-ho attitudetypical of greenskins across the galaxy. When an OrkSubmersible beaches, usually behind enemy lines, its great

metal doors will grind open and hundreds of Orks will pourforth, hooting and hollering as they splash through theshallows to engage the enemy from an unexpected quarter.

Submersibles were first used in the Third War forArmageddon. Cannibalised and cobbled together fromdisused Imperial tankers, a flotilla of submersibles was builtin the region known as the Fire Wastes, judged tacticallyworthless by Imperial strategos because of its remotelocation. Ghazghkull and Orghamek demonstrated the follyof this assumption when the submersibles crossed theocean between the Fire Wastes and Armageddon Prime.They revealed themselves from the waters around HiveTempestora in a battlefield coup of such violence andcunning that it wrested the fiercely contested hive fromImperial hands within the space of a few hours.

ORK SUBMERSIBLE POINTS: 350

UNIT: 1 Ork Submersible

TYPE: Super-heavy Vehicle

STRUCTURE POINTS: 2

An Ork Submersible has a Transport Capacity of 60 models,has one access point (the prow/jaw) and no fire points.

OPTIONS: A Submersible can be upgraded to have:

- A Seacannon at +120pts, using the profile below:

RRaannggee SSttrr AAPP TTyyppee

Seacannon 90" 9 3 Ordnance, 7" Blast

- Up to three big shootas at +5 points per weapon. These canhave the anti-aircraft special rule at a further cost of +5 pointsper weapon (use normal BS when firing at flyers).

Stabilising fins

Thrust Generators

SPECIAL RULESAAqquuaattiicc DDeeppllooyymmeenntt:: A submersible may only enterplay at an area that has been designated as water (orequivalent!). This area must be large enough to containthe submersible model. The submersible must touch anarea of land for its passengers to disembark. Submersiblesmay never enter play on the first turn. Roll a dice on thesecond and subsequent turns to see if the submersibleenters play. Once it has entered play the submersible maynot move, but its passengers may disembark and assaultas if it were an open-topped vehicle.

TTuurrnn 11 22 33 44 Submersible enters play on: n/a 3+ 2+ Automatic

Submersibles observed at the Battle for Tempestora:O.S.S. Snaggletoof

Da Big Ugly SurpriseDa Drilljaw

KillafishDa Orka

Ork Freebooters often tell of theSubmersible, Orkilus, whichbeached to the west ofTempestora a few days after themain attack hit home. Its hullwas crushed and buckled inseveral places, and the thickmetallic paint on its surface hadbeen ground away in greatstrings of circular scars. Not oneOrk survived the disaster, whichthe Freebooters ascribe to abeast known only as ‘Da BigTentacley Fing’.

Prow (lowered position) Spyholes

Seacannon

Peekin’ tubes

His voice is like theroaring of a mightystorm and mortalsquail at his approach.

“”

ARMOURBS FRONT SIDE REAR2 13 12 12