ARMAGEDDON APPROACHES - HARK!

"IN THE GRIM DARKNESS OF THE FAR FUTURE, THERE IS ONLY WAR"

Its not going to be the far future though. We're thinking that sometime in June, Warhammer 40,000 will launch its Eleventh edition, and by "we're thinking," we mean its pretty much confirmed. War is coming to a hobbyshop near you.

Generally, big launch boxes like this are a great way for players both new and returning to pick up gobs of models for the featured armies. This time around its Space Marines versus Orks, as we pan focus back to the third war for Armageddon, a conflict that has been ongoing in our world since the global campaign of the year 2000. This launch box however hearkens back all the way to 1993, echoing the very first starter set for Warhammer 40,000.

Plenty of folks have covered this upcoming release louder and more comprehensively than I could ever, and it would be a disservice to you dear reader for me to parrot them and their takes. I think that rules wise, its much to early to call shots and make decisions based on those alone (they're not out yet, and what we know is very piecemeal,) and model wise, these figures are good if you like them, and aren't if you don't (fomo is real, but you shouldn't buy things you don't want.)

What this article can do however, is provide thoughtful observations about the box and what its contents mean. Think of it as being given a tour of a town by someone who's gently mixing in the gossip with the history, editorializing in ways only a townie with self awareness can. So without further ado...

 

"WAR NEVER CHANGES, BUT MEN DO"

Is it sacrilege to quote Fallout while talking about Warhammer? I don't think so. Both draw from culture in the same way, canonizing and valorizing the lessons of history in the worst ways possible, and both worlds fight for scraps, not for a brighter future but for a future period.

In the quarter century since the war began, Space Marines have changed quite a bit themselves, being the "men" in this scenario.  Around seventh edition, Space Marines began "crossing the Rubicon," undergoing procedures to make them bigger, stronger, and fit better in the shiny new Primaris armor. The 23 Space Marine models in this box are all of this line, although their armor is no longer new and pristine and has begun to become mismatched, seen primarily in the kneepads and helmets. I genuinely appreciate the material reality expressed in these choices, and the way it creates an emergent narrative, and how this expression engages with the community and its complaint culture as Primaris Marines become the un-new.

When Primaris Marines were introduced, they were reviled as hobbyists were convinced that their Firstborn Marines were not long for this world, and the armor was different and different is bad. The hobbyists were right, eventually, and over the course of the last 12 years the earlier models were more and more relegated to Legends (rules that you play casually with a pal who's given you permission,) or their owners found them homes in different games (Horus Heresy/Badab/Oldhammer.) The Armageddon box rounds off a few more corners of the scale-change from Firstborn to Primaris with the Jump Chaplain, Vanguard Veterans, and Landspeeder. Its not a full changing of the guard, but depending on the narrative decisions made in 11th, chances are the few stalwart hangers-on might not be long for the warp.

 

While I don't play Blood Angels, it appears that someone like me may still make use of a box like this. The chapter iconography for starter sets is generally molded on so that its easier to paint, but Armageddon marks the widespread use of decals, meaning that the models inside can be used by any Space Marine faction with little to no hassle. In this line, I also appreciate that the bases of these models are much less adorned with the viscera of their enemies, as in making this article I revisited the Leviathan box that launched tenth, and was reminded about how ubiquitous the Ultramarine and Tyranid corpses were on the centerpiece figures.

For what its worth, I do like the little force of Space Marines that come in Armageddon, as they feel much more like a starter set than previous launch boxes. In total, a box buyer gets...

• 1x Captain with Relic Shield
• 1x Librarian
• 1x Chaplain with Jump Pack
• 1x Ancient
• 10x Intercessor Squad
• 5x Vanguard Veterans
• 3x Eradicator Squad with Heavy Bolters
• 1x Land Speeder

While battleline units and force org don't matter nearly as much as they used to (on the surface,)  its nice to see that this force has two core choice units (by splitting the intercessors into 2x5,) and giving at least three of the squads characters that can lead them. I don't play as much as I should, but these contents seem more considered and less like they're trying to push an agenda on you, which I find encouraging as a person who likes being respected by my games.

I do think its interesting, seeing a lot of these classic designs Primaris-ified if not in name then definitely in scale. I imagine the impetus is threefold since a) a launch box ought to have new models, b) the figures we had were looking a little long in the tooth, and c) recreating old units cuts down on the unit bloat that Space Marines are subject to, being Warhammer 40k's poster faction(s.)

Actually, there may be a fourth reason that these nerds hit on real hard, and perhaps its a factor that overshadows or is justified by the rest: the Armageddon box set is dripping with nostalgia. Consider the humble land speeder (mini above) which began life in game as the classic deodorant tube with greebles, then a metal monstrosity that fell apart whenever you looked at it, and now this storm speeder with its push-fit tech and basing options. Its come such a long way, and so have all of the grognards who remember that far back, and feel charmed or comforted that their old toys are the new toys all over again. I know I'm getting tempted by the remember-berries, and I don't even play Blood Angels (looks at three squads of Blood Angels in my bits box) that much.

 

• 1x Warboss
• 1x Bigboss
• 1x Bannernob
• 1x Painboy (and one Grot assistant)
• 1x Weirdboy
• 20x Boyz
• 10x Gretchin
• 1x Wartrakk
• 1x Big Mek Dakkarig

This truth carries over to the Ork half of the box, but I'm not mad at it here either. Many of the changes being made here are done to again shift the scale into modern 40k, and apparently to cure the back issues of many Orks made before 2020. This is the second time since the Pandemic began that GW has worked to replace the classic plastic Ork Boyz kit, and maybe with the rules upgrade that automatically gives them sluggas and shootas, we'll finally see a sunsetting of one of the holdout kits from the bygone eras. Additionally the Warboss, Weirdboy, and Gretchin have gotten facelifts as well, hopefully not from the Painboy who is also refreshed in this wave, and are looking quite snazzy.

For my money, the Weirdboy was the mini most in need of a revamp, and perhaps got the most transformative rework of all. Taken straight out of the trailer, the Weirdboy's silhouette is SHOCKING with the flailing head-pendages and literal lightning leaping from his skull to his... other skull. Iconic figures like this cut both ways: they're incredibly fun and expressive, but they can start to feel samey when everyone has your guy's evil twin on their team. Its probably not that irksome for everyone involved, but I'd personally be interested in seeing how folks convert this supercharged psyker.

There's a little more customization with these Gretchin, who are torsos and legs, with 2 or 3 different combinations per top/bottom combo. They remind me a little bit of the early days Grots with their helmets. As a fan of the Grot Revolushun however, I am a little sad that these Gretchin all have docked or cropped ears. Look how pointy and sail-like they used to be!

Its storytelling, but now you'll have to dock the ears of your other Gretchin to match, and that'll make you feel bad. That's just how it works, I don't make the rules.

I don't feel bad about this guy at all though. One thing I love about modern 40k is that more vehicles come on bases, and this half-track is just the latest in that trend. Also a retread of a classic kit, this one fills its base nicely and looks like a characterful hodgepodge that makes a great first impression to how Orks do tech. Some might argue that the Big Mek Dakkarig is the real centerpiece of the Ork starter force, but I don't think its tall enough or wide enough.

Hey, that's a hot take, just as advertised. Pachow!

I think back to the Indomnitus box and the Canoptek Doomstalker, who felt like a centerpiece given how tall and looming the model is. I think a centerpiece (and there are many schools of thought on the matter,) is a model that is not just big, but feels a little daunting to paint, that stops you cold in your tracks when your opponent plops it on the table.

Maybe I'm way off base, but the Dakkarig for me is the result of designers given the impossible task: to thread the needle between the grimdark meanness that Games Workshop is working towards in its current edition (cruel, edgy, but sanitized to be ready for (Amazon) primetime,) and the humor/zaniness that Orks are Historically known for. When I see it in person, maybe I'll feel differently, or one of you can come up to me and tell me I'm wrong. Please do! I'm only writing this article, but that doesn't make me infallible. I've got biases and interests same as any other nerd, so take all this with a grain of salt.

But if you've been reading this long, you'd probably like a summation and maybe an overall take of the temperature I'm left with after digesting this box in my hypothetical brain-stomach.

In total, I think this box has a lot of good core components to it, helping new players form the backbones of relatively normalsauce armies. By normalsauce, I mean the armies herein don't feel super skew heavy, and that they approach their lists with maybe a dim sum approach, where they take things they think are cool while staying within the guidelines of battleline adherent structures. The box doesn't take any risks, and I feel like that hurts it a little, but it introduces you to almost all the parts of the game and gives you specialized models to taste the flavor of what the game could be. It's got pizzaz, but like whatever the mild salsa version of pizzaz is. Zaz? Maybe its full heat to someone with the right tongue for it.

With a projected pricetag in the ballpark of $300, I'm not sure that many new players will see it as the jumping in point that it feels like its designed to be, but hopefully the subsequent, actual starter boxes will feel more palatable to the prospective gamer. For the seasoned hobbyist, I think this is a fun, nostalgic box that let's you recreate grails from your youth, and might make for a good bonding project for you and someone you'd like to help explore the hobby. The actual degenerate will see this box, think about whether they've got Blood Angels and Ork armies, and no matter what the answer is, they'll buy this, paint it, and add it to their horde: its just our way.

Overall, I would give this box a 8/10 

And I'd give this article a 7/10 because I'm modest.

Thanks for reading. See you Monday.

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Ben Doane has been a member of the Pandemonium Team since 2019, and has been playing wargames, rpgs, and tcgs since 2004 and earlier. When not blogging, Ben runs the wargames and mailing departments, and also puts together the store's newsletters. Her current favorite kit is Space Marine Tactical Squad.