Games Workshop is re-introducing Apocalypse to 40k once again with Eye of Terror: Reign of Iron. The new expansion is coming soon.
I am a simple man. I see “Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse” and I check it out. The sheer spectacle of Apocalypse games catches my attention every time. Even if I’m not playing in the game/event, I will happily wander around the boards just to see what’s going on. I love to check out all the armies in action. The sheer size of these games is just eye catching and that’s why I like the most about them. Playing in them over the various editions, to be honest, has been a mixed bag. So I’m curious about this new expansion that Games Workshop has cooked up. So let’s get into what’s on the way and then we can get to the return of Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse.
Taking the well-defended worlds around the Cadian Gate will require a siege of unimaginable proportions, and within the Eye of Terror, the Iron Warriors have been preparing. Now, their forces are about to be unleashed.
Eye of Terror: Reign of Iron is the next expansion for Warhammer 40,000, bringing new lore, detachments for a host of armies, and rules for battles on an apocalyptic scale – perfect for games in this most horrific of warzones.
Eye of Terror: Reign of Iron – The Next 40k Expansion
Once again we’re seeing a batch of books released in a slip case boxed set. This is very much in the same style as the 500 Worlds: Titus and the more recent The Maelstrom: Lair of the Tyrant. Part of me is a little worried about that because I’m concerned that means these will become rather hard to find. That’s not great for folks who are actually interested in playing Apocalypse…but I’m getting ahead of myself.
The narrative portion of this book will cover the Iron Warriors assault on the rest of the “Cadian Gate’s holdout worlds.” This book is also a tie-in for why we’re getting those new Iron Warriors miniatures. Which is really just the new Warsmith as the Mutilators and Defiler are technically “generic” Chaos Space Marine units and not specific to the Iron Warriors…but whatever. I’m just glad to see those kits get updated.
Alongside the new narrative push, we’re also going to receive another book with the new Reign of Iron detachments included. We have a list of what armies will be getting those detachments as well:
- Chaos Space Marines
- Space Marines
- Chaos Knights
- Imperial Knights
- Adeptus Mechanicus
On top of those detachments we’re also going to get rules for running full armies for the following sub-factions:
- Vashtorr’s daemon engines
- Freeblade mercenary Knights
- “murderous” Skitarii
- and more…
I’m curious to know what the “and more” part of that list is but we’ll have to wait on that. Anyhow, the real draw for me personally is Apocalypse. This could be a big deal.
Eye of Terror: Reign of Iron – Apocalypse Returns
Let’s see exactly what GW has to say about this first.
In addition to this narrative, a new set of rules brings classic large-scale Apocalypse games back to Warhammer 40,000 with a system of modular guidelines and adjustments that make it a breeze to run battles of epic proportions. These Apocalypse rules add all sorts of ways to streamline games and account for significantly larger army sizes, with sections designed to be added or removed depending on how you like to play.
Okay, so we’ve got a new set of rules for “classic larger-scale Apocalypse games.” That could mean a lot of things depending on what they mean by classic. There was a time before Apocalypse was even a “mode” where players would just get together and decide to play with as many points and players as they could muster. I know because I was one of those players. Anyhow, Apocalypse has had many different definitions and official rulesets over the editions.
I’m curious to see if GW is going to take a “greatest hits” approach to these rules or if they are going to start from scratch. Based on the relative size of the Apocalypse book in the image…I’m guessing this isn’t going to be that in depth though…
Now, aside from defining “classic” there’s a couple more hints at what’s coming. We’re getting rules that “add all sorts of ways to streamline games and account for significantly larger army sizes.” To be honest, yes, massive 40k games would drag on quite a bit if you just ported the standard ruleset over and had 10x the size. Shoot, even a 4,000-5,000 point game would take significantly longer to play. Unless you’re just busting out the Titans to fill points. And that’s TOTALLY a thing people do. So I’m assuming that’s also been taken into account.
Did someone say Apocalypse?!
That said, I’ve had mixed feeling about those streamlined rules. Still, I’m reserving my judgement until I get to see what GW is presenting in full.
Finally, we’ve got this last tidbit to chew on. These rules are apparently modular “with sections designed to be added or removed depending on how you like to play.” That sounds promising. Modular rules can be used to allow players to find their fun and while also building the sandbox they want to play in. For example, if the Titan rules are a separate module, maybe you’re group doesn’t use those rules. I’m honestly curious to see how GW chops things up in this case.
Apocalyptic Hurdles
For now, I’m going in cautiously optimistic. The first hurdle is going to be getting your hands on these books. I’m hoping that GW puts the Apocalypse rules out digitally or at least as a download on WarCom. My concern is that these books sell out fast and access to them becomes super limited.
My next concern is about the game mode itself. I don’t know if the current format of Match-Play 40k really lends itself to the spectacle of Apocalypse. Matched play honestly feels very rigid with it’s L-shaped buildings and terrain maps. While I do think that those things are good for competitive events, I think Apocalypse is quite the opposite. I don’t think anyone should come to an Apocalypse table with a WAAC Competitive mindset. Mostly because Apocalypse has always been very imbalanced. Once you start mixing in modular rules and “well we play it this way in our group” you can toss that clinical, competitive environment out the window.
And for Apocalypse, you absolutely should. Part of the fun is bringing crazy stuff to the tabletop just to see what happens. It’s actually more like a co-operative game in that way. Sure, you’re still playing against other players, but if you’re not all rallying around the tabletop to watch what happens when a Warlord Titan explodes and destroys everything in the blast wave (including your own units) and CHEERING like a fireworks display…you’re doing it wrong.
I don’t normally take such a strong stance about these things but there is absolutely a right way to enjoy Apocalypse. If you’re not there for the mass carnage and utter devastation being unleashed then stick to Matched Play. Give me the fireworks display and bring some popcorn as things go boom. Unleash the Apocalypse.
Here’s hoping GW gets this version of Apocalypse right.
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Writer, Editor, Texas Native, and now Tex-Pat, Adam covers all things Tabletop Gaming. Which includes Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, D&D, Board Games and everything else that involves dice, boards, cards and a table.
A hobbyist, player, and collector of miniatures and games, Adam’s current obsession are his Death and Chaos Armies for Age of Sigmar, his Blood Angels and Tyranids for 40k, an expanding collection of Marvel: Crisis Protocol minis, and his ever growing Arkham Horror: The Card Game Collection.
Source: Bell of Lost Souls
