The Warhammer Studio shares a peek at the evolving story of Armageddon and Operation Imperator.
The clock is ticking down to Armageddon. With the launch of the box set just two weeks away, the Warhammer Studio took some time away from rules previews to dig into the narrative of the new edition’s launch event: Operation Imperator.
Imperium Sanctus – A Darker Imperium
The events of Operation Imperator take place against the backdrop of momentus events in the Warhammer galaxy. The Cicatrix Maledictum has torn the Imperium in two. In the words of 40k designer, Phil Kelly: “You shouldn’t be thinking of it as like there’s a bad side and there’s a good side. It’s more like there’s a bad side and then a really much worse side.”
Armageddon enjoys the small privilige of being on the “bad side” of the rift. The world has ben spared the worst ravages of the warp that’s scant protection from the Prophet of the Waaagh!, Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka.
King of All Orks
Few characters have had such storied histories in the Warhammer universe as Ghazghkull Thraka. Since the early 90s, Ghazghkull has grown in stature. Originally a simple warboss who suffered a fateful head injury, his legend (and model) has only grown greater and greater. Known to his enemies as the Beast of Armageddon, Ghaghkull is now the greatest warboss at the head of the greatest Waaagh! to ever threaten the galaxy.
Ghaghkull’s goal is even greater, though. He hopes that this assault on Armageddon will set off an even greater conflict. A war in which every ork in the galaxy takes up arms in his name in a final, devastating apocalypse.
Mechanized Combat
Armageddon is a war-poisoned world. Centuries of conflict have laced the planet’s soil and air with lethal toxins. A little poison doesn’t bother the Orks, of course, but the human defenders of the world prefer to fight from vehicles whenever possible. This has of course caused the Orks to reply in kind, and tank warfare is commonplace across the planet’s warzones.
This warfare has already come to the tabletop with new detachments released this spring. Games Workship has told us that most existing detachments are going to be ported over to 11th edition. So, these sort of thematic battles can still play a major part in our own games set against the backdrop of Operation Imperator.
Chapters vs Clans
Even the most casual 40k fan knows that the Space Marines are divided into thousands of Chapters. Each of these storied forces has its own livery and heraldry. But the Orks aren’t far behind. The Operation Imperator book expands upon the six great Ork clans and their parts in the Fouth Armageddon War. While there are only six overarching clans known to date, they are further sub-divided into countless tribes, warbands, and raiding forces.
Operation Imperator dives deep into these details providing a wealth of information and art examples of Ork glyphs and insignia. Even better, the new miniatures have been designed in such a way that they are loaded with flat panels for you to apply clan glyph decals or freehand paint your own.
Of course, the Space Marines are not to be outdone by their greenskin enemies. The new book provides a deep dive into the operational insignia of Imperator. Inside it’s page you’ll find tons of examples of campaign markings to personalize your own models as they take part in this world-shaking story.
Armageddon is almost here and I’m getting really stoked to start on my own campaign. I’ll be playing Blood Angels and can’t wait to dig into some deep lore to help inform how I’ll paint them. But even better, my friend Randi is a new player and I’m excited to help her as she tackles her own Evil Sunz as my primary opponent in Operation Imperator!
Which chapter or clan are you leading to Armageddon?
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Simon Berman has been a wargamer since 1993 and has worked in the tabletop games industry since 2008 as a staff writer for the first three editions of WARMACHINE and HORDES. These days he’s the General President of the Brush Wielders Union, a worldwide organization of miniatures painters of all skill levels, a freelance games writer who has contributed to a number of roleplaying games like Eclipse Phase, Dune: Adventures in the Imperium, and The Hammer and the Stake. He runs his own small-press publishing company, Strix Publishing, and paints more miniatures than he can keep track of. Simon lives with his wife in Tacoma, Washington along with a number of cats and a pack of savage wiener dogs.
Source: Bell of Lost Souls
